The ruined gold wasn't a mere loss; this was a catastrophe, an event so unimaginable it made a mockery of his well-laid plans.
In his former life, Brandon was just a small cog in the grand scheme of things.
He'd heard of kingdoms consumed by a feverish quest for transmuted gold, though the details always remained elusive.
But he wagered that it had something to do with the mysterious crimson thunder storm.
That's why he had designed the lightning rod that stretched into the skies to pierce straight into his gold safe, to transmute and amplify the value of gold in the safe.
The risk was high, but the rewards, he assumed, monumental.
He'd imagined transformation, a metamorphosis that would amplify his wealth, but… but… his gold seemed to have been ruined!
Sinking into the pit of his despair, Brandon buried his face in his hands, the soft sobs echoing in the vast room.
His distress was suddenly interrupted by a swift movement.
The spectral kitten, nestled amidst his head of hair, leapt towards the gold sludge mounds.
It sprawled across the glittering mess, releasing soft purrs, as it started to lick the gold with an apparent zest.
"Meow~ meow~ meow~...."
As Brandon stared at the unusual scene, the familiar voice of Baph echoed around him.
"Boss! Boss! The trucks are loaded up and ready for action!"
Drawing his eyes away from the oddly content kitten, Brandon surveyed the room, a sea of shimmering ruin.
He sighed, his fingers kneading his temples in frustration.
"I guess not everything goes according to plan…"
He muttered under his breath.
His eyes traced the vault's periphery one last time before he called,
"Kitty, let's go!"
The spectral kitten tried to turn its head but seemed reluctant to disengage from the gold.
It let out a soft, distorted "meow," shaking its head in refusal.
A smile tugged at the corners of Brandon's mouth.
"Fine," he conceded,
"Stay here if you wish. I can't use this gold anymore, anyways."
Sighing once more, Brandon climbed the steps leading to his throne room.
As he entered, Asmo and Baph rushed over,
"Boss, Let's goooo! I'm aching for action!…"
Meeting their eager gaze, Brandon's smile grew wider, his eyes glinting with resolve.
"Then let's show the Capital City what we're truly made of!" he declared
==========
Across the globe, in numerous governmental fortresses and intelligence hubs, the very fabric of the world's power structures seemed to tremble.
Satellite feeds hummed with activity as they chronicled the journey of an unlikely armada.
A convoy of the most advanced military vehicles money could buy, powered by the resolve of a new breed of soldiers and commanded by an enigma – Brandon, the eccentric billionaire-turned-warlord.
Inside the fortified concrete of the Pentagon, another beneficiary of the Ethereal Pyramid's protection, the tension was palpable.
General Hawthorne stared at the enormous live feed before him, his hardened features etched with disbelief.
He looked around at his subordinates, their eyes wide with the same bewilderment.
"Are we really watching this?"
He scrubbed a hand over his face.
"One moment the world stops spinning, next, we're staring at the real-life version of Mad Max. Who's their leader?"
One of his subordinates nodded slowly, a file in his hand.
"Sir, based on our intel, it's Brandon Void, the notorious billionaire heir to the Void business empire, if you look over to this screen, we have livestream footage of his first battle…"
Half a world away, in the hi-tech monitoring center of the Kremlin, Colonel Ivanov's icy gaze was transfixed on the feed.
His fingers drummed a steady rhythm on the oak desk.
"Who is this Brandon Void?" He demanded,
"How has he already organized a personal army and why did we not know about it?"
A young operative gulped,
"We're trying to gather more information, sir."
At the heart of the European Union's crisis center, Ambassador Weiss shook his head, bafflement creasing his forehead.
"To think, he was dismissed as a rich eccentric playing soldier. Now, look at him."
He gestured to the feed with a sweep of his hand.
"He's mobilized faster than any of our member nations."
Back at the United Nations headquarters, Ambassador Chau hovered over the table, her seasoned eyes narrowing at the footage.
"What on Earth is he planning?"
A nearby technician offered a grim nod, the tension in his voice echoing the atmosphere of the room.
"I guess we're about to find out, ma'am."
All across the globe, powerful people watched as Brandon's armada rolled forward, the landscape changing from the wreckage of the old world to the dawn of a new one.
Where skyscrapers once stood tall, defying the heavens, only their skeletal remnants remained, whispering tales of a bygone era.
Streets that used to thrum with life were now transformed into scarred chasms, silent witnesses to the world's upheaval.
The unbridled sunlight bathed the transformed landscape, casting an eerie beauty that was both unsettling and mesmerizing.
From the vantage of the lead truck, a different Earth unveiled itself; canyons replaced once bustling streets, skeletal skyscrapers clawed at a merciless sun, their reflections lost forever.
The terrain was scarred and split, with ruined buildings that were once great monuments of civilization.
Baph was at the wheel, the grit of excitement on his face mirroring the rough terrain they traversed.
Asmo sat beside him curled up, but his eyes were constantly scanning the horizon for any potential threats.
In the backseat, Brandon's gaze fixed intently on the unassuming mound draped under a blanket.
A knot of unease tightened in his stomach, his thoughts whirling.
'What's this?'
Pulling it away revealed the snoring form of Poki, their resident streamer.
"Poki?" Brandon asked, eyebrows raised,
"What's she doing here?"
Baph glanced in the rearview mirror, a smirk stretching across his face.
"Lili thought we should document our... diplomatic mission with the crusty old farts in the capital."
Brandon raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"A 'diplomatic mission', you say? That's a novel way to describe our venture."
"Yeah, well, you know how Lili is,"
Baph responded, his grin visible even in the mirror,
"Always wanting to keep things interesting."
Brandon shook his head, laughing at the casual absurdity of it.
"Well, at least she'll be kept entertained by our 'diplomacy'. Hopefully, the old farts can handle a little excitement."
Their laughter echoed through the military vehicle, a beacon of mirth and camaraderie, as they journeyed through the ruins of the old world.
The convoy behind them followed, an undeniable testament to the fact that they were the new order amidst the remnants of the past.