Chereads / First+Horizon: Routes / Chapter 2 - 2.

Chapter 2 - 2.

The metallic door creaked open, the sounds echoing in the darkened interior. Liam entered, escorted by the two mean men who had apprehended him earlier. In the corners of the room, a hundred men were gathered, menacingly staring with sinister expressions. The dim lighting only increased their intimidating presence.

Liam asked, "Why am I here?"

The men remained silent, their expressions cold and sinister.

"Chief Udolph? Who was that?"

Liam thought, hearing the name for the first time. He had a gun strapped to his back and a blade hidden in his underwear. If anything were to happen, he knew he could walk out alive, with the deaths of sixty people and about five or six broken bones on his record. He remained confident in his skillset.

Liam was met with a hundred dangerous criminals, each with their own fatal wound or scar. His eyes widened as he noticed the severity of their injuries. Liam secretly mocked their wounds, proud of his pristine appearance and uninjured body.

The criminals' faces were filled with disgust and fear as they heard of his past deeds - "a killer and a rapist," as they called him. The very embodiment of the white haired demon - that was Liam.

A second door creaked open, and Liam was pushed into the room. He instinctively brought out his blade and pushed it into one of the men's throats. The man fell down, lifeless.

The other man who had escorted him did not waver. Rather, he turned back and walked away. He did not speak a single word.

"Tch, take the bastard away," a voice behind the chair in front of Liam said to one of the bodyguards. With a resigned sigh, the bodyguards walked towards Liam, ready to take him wherever he was to be taken.

The bodyguard moved away with the body as Liam recognized the voice - it had sounded familiar. He tried to remember where he had heard it before.

"Excuse me," the bodyguard said. The deep screechy voice remained in Liam's mind as he tried to identify its original source.

"Y-," Liam started, only to be cut off by the chair being turned towards him. Before him, he saw the person who had brought him into this world - his father, Udolph.

"Take a seat," Udolph said, his voice devoid of warmth.

Unlike many that would flinch constantly in the sight of Udolph, Liam remained unfazed by the presence of his father, Udolph.

Although surprised, he wasn't nervous about the situation as everything he had done up until now had been with the sole goal of gaining his father's approval.

After a few moments of silence, Udolph spoke.

"Good job," he said, looking at Liam with a face that revealed nothing.

Liam said nothing in return, his gaze fixed on his father's face as he waited for further words from him.

The echoes of Udolph's laughter reverberated through the walls of the building, prompting his men to ready their weapons.

"Look at this brat," Udolph said, his tone condescending.

"You've grown some ball hair, haven't you?"

Without taking offense to his father's condescending words, Liam replied with

"And you? you finally grew a dick, huh?" he said, his voice full of malice and sarcasm.

Another silence greeted the two men, father and son. They said nothing but communicated with each other through their expressions and glances.

"Thresha,"

Udolph spoke. Liam wondered what his father was referring to.

"Liam Thresha,"

Udolph suddenly said, adding his surname to Liam's name. He had finally granted his son the "honor" of possessing Udolph's surname.

"Pfft, I don't need it," Liam said, taking his seat to leave the room.

His words seemed to annoy his father as he asked.

"Oh, so you want to remain a bastard then?"

Without any hesitation, Liam turned around and aimed his knife at Udolph's neck. He was ready to take his life if his father dared to insult him again.

"I dare you to say that again," Liam hissed, his eyes locked on Udolph's gaze. Udolph remained as manly as he was, not letting his son's threat intimidate him.

"Welcome to THE MISTAKES."

With a swift movement of his arm, Udolph flung Liam away and welcomed him to The Mistakes - the infamous criminal group.

"Do not provoke me again, you bastard,."

Before he could utter a word in response, Udolph had left the room.

Liam had just been accepted into the notorious criminal organization known as The Mistakes. Udolph's abrupt welcome and warnings gave him an idea of what he was about to face in the coming days. He would have to be careful not to stir his father's wrath again.

Liam managed to integrate seamlessly into the group, maintaining a low profile yet not going unnoticed.

The signs plastered around the city by the law enforcement agencies read: Liam Thresha, The Prince of Mistakes.

His cruelty knew no bounds and he cared not for the words of his father. He was a bastard child born outside of a marriage, yet he didn't let that hold him back. He despised all, including his own mother. He spotted a common flaw amongst all, one that set them below him: their weakness.

His cruelty knew no bounds and he cared not for the words of his father. He was a bastard child born outside of a marriage, yet he didn't let that hold him back. He despised all, including his own mother. He spotted a common flaw amongst all, one that set them below him: their weakness.

Liam entered the shadowy alleyway and was greeted with simultaneous greetings. His smile was unfaltering throughout.

"Hey, something up with Liam?"

"Man I don't know."

"It's best not to interfere though. You know how those two bastards are."

Liam proceeded on his way in a nonchalant manner which suggested that there was nothing for anyone to worry about.

The hierarchy in the gang was determined by the number of victims one has killed, and Liam had claimed the lives of seventy-five people within a time period of thirty days, instilling fear in the hearts of everyone. If he had the desire, his kill count would've exceeded this amount.

"Thresha." Udolph addressed Liam.

"Udolph," Liam replied, addressing his father by his name.

"Hmph, really now? You do not wish to call me father yet?" Udolph chuckled.

"You don't have the balls yet," Liam countered confidently, expressing his disregard for the authority of his paternal figure.

"I'm aware of the reason you are here," Udolph claimed with certainty.

"Good, tell him to get away from my back," Liam ordered, pointing towards the bodyguard standing behind him, the individual aiming a gun at his head.

The bodyguard pulled the trigger in a speedy fashion, only for Liam to sidestep it at the last second, swiftly returning fire and shooting the bodyguard instead.

"Boom!"

The loud sound caused the walls of the building to vibrate, producing a metallic shake due to the intensity of the noise.

Three more bodyguards emerged, intent on causing harm to Liam, despite the corpse he had previously dispatched still lying on the ground. The encounter was brief, taking only three minutes for the outnumbered and outgunned Liam to dispose of their lives.

"Hmph, I won't say I'm surprised,"

Udolph muttered, his manly features and deeper voice suggesting that he was well into his fifties. There was an air of menace about him and his tone reflected this.

"Why do you wish to take my life?" Udolph inquired.

"Well, me and you got off to the wrong start, and I prefer to settle our differences in a duel," Liam responded simply.

"Heh... haha..." Udolph chuckled.

"Pfft, haha..." Liam joined in.

"Hahahahaaaahaha!"

The pair both laughed out loudly, with an underlying mutual understanding between them.

Udolph sprang from his seat and sliced through Liam's firearm with a swift motion of his sharp sword, separating it into two pieces. Liam's brow furrowed in surprise at the sudden motion, causing him to move nimbly to the side, avoiding the cut that was intended for his throat.

With a quick motion, Udolph retrieved a weapon from a nearby corpse, aiming directly at Liam's eye.

"Boom!"

The sound of the gunshot echoed through the air, its bullet barely touching Liam's eye, causing him to dodge and vacate the general area by jumping out from the balcony into the midst of his crew members.

The crew readied their arms and Liam sighed, ready to engage in a fight with everyone present.

"No one should touch him!"

Udolph bellowed the warning from the balcony, jumping down before continuing.

"This is a deal between two men. Interfere, and you'll face death." He declared, his eyes ablaze with internal ardor.

The crew members made room for the two combatants and watched with bated breath, waiting in anticipation for someone's demise.

"Ready?," Udolph enquired, his pace picking up as he prepared for their upcoming conflict.

"Shut up old man," Liam responded, a hint of disdain within his tone.

Udolph charged in with a swift movement of his body, only for Liam to sidestep and plunge a knife deep into his chest.

Liam ensured that his dagger was deeply sunken within Udolph's chest, ensuring a swift cessation of the heart. Udolph gagged as his blood spewed forth and lost consciousness, crashing to the ground.

Liam directed his gaze towards the crowd around, and with a smirk plastered on his face, he spoke.

"Looks like I'm your leader now."

As the victor of the duel, Liam inherited the leadership of the group in accordance with the unspoken code of conduct for such conflicts.

The white-haired demon ascended to the position of leader in the group known as the Mistakes.