A black sedan pulled over in front of a building and the driver quickly got out of the car and opened the door of the back passenger seat. A young man in his mid-twenties appeared out of the vehicle. His dark hair glinted in the sunlight, and his piercing blue eyes, partly hidden behind stylish sunglasses, scanned the surroundings with a quiet intensity. A subtle ear piercing in his left ear added a touch of edginess to his look. The tailored black suit he wore accentuated his slim, athletic build, exuding an air of effortless elegance and authority. Each movement was marked by an inherent grace, leaving onlookers in awe of his commanding presence and undeniable charm.
He walked towards the entrance of the building followed by a couple of bodyguards, each of which wore a black suit and had an earpiece tugged on their ear. The crowd made way for him to go into the building.
***
As I walked into the building, I couldn't help but glance at the people looking at me in awe.
'How long had it been since it was like this?' I wondered as I continued to walk to the elevator.
It's been four years since I have actively engaged with the corporate business my parents left for me. When I was 9 years old, me and my parents had a car accident and both my parents died while I remained with only some minor injuries.
A lot of collisions happened between the shareholders after my parents' deaths, and what little remained of the corporation is what I was left with. Upon reaching adulthood, I took over full supervision of the business my parents left for me.
Thinking about it now, unless my father's friend took care of me and the inheritance my parents left for me, those gluttonous shareholders would have already taken everything.
As these thoughts ran through my mind, the elevator made a 'beep' sound indicating our destination floor had been reached. I strode confidently towards my office, each step exuding a profound elegance, greeted by nods from everyone on the floor showing their respect.
A woman in a formal short skirt and blouse greeted me with 'Mr. Song,' then started walking with me, explaining business information she believed required my attention.
"Laura, can we not do this later, I am not in the mood," I said as I looked at her apologetically. She then halted her steps, looked at me with a comical expression, and said, "Sure, why don't we all do that, we can do everything later, guys did you hear that!" while shouting the last part and waving her hands around.
"Come on, Laura, I am not joking! Later Okay~." I said as I continued my steps toward my office. I could hear her complaining, but I didn't pay much attention because I wasn't in the mood for any conversations. I had been feeling dizzy since getting out of the car, and now a mild headache was beginning to set in.
As I walked into my office, the dizziness that I was feeling increased and I stumbled and took support on the table. I couldn't see clearly and the headache spiked and I started feeling my head throbbing and about to explode.
"Mr. Song, are you okay? Call 911." Said one of the bodyguards that were following behind me while supporting my stumbling body.
A groan escaped my mouth as I tried to resist the pain that I was feeling. My face turned into a contort and I started hearing muffled voices of the worried bodyguards. I didn't know that a headache could be this painful.
A group of people hurried into my office and towards me with a stretcher. I could make out the worried faces of Laura and my bodyguards as they placed me onto the stretcher and carried me out on their backs.
'Is this due to the stress of the all-nighters I pulled to make sure all the deals were up to our standards?' was all I could think of as I passed out.
***
After some time, I opened my eyes and saw an unfamiliar white ceiling. I tried getting up and a jolt of headache ran through my brain. Holding my head to reduce the pain, I forced myself to sit up. As I looked around, I found myself sitting in the center of an odd circle in a small bedroom. I couldn't help but wonder where I was.
The room I was in was made up of a small closet that could hold a small number of clothes, an old wooden bed, and a desktop computer on top of a study desk with a chair. I couldn't help but wonder whose room it was since this couldn't be a hospital room.
What caught my attention, however, was the strange circle that I was seated in the center of. It was about 1 meter in radius, with five evenly spaced marks around its perimeter. The marks were connected by straight lines forming a star in the process. 'This is some Illuminati shit!' I thought.
I had seen this kind of circle before in horror and other conspiracy theory movies I used to watch in middle school. In those movies, these types of circles were used by magicians or exorcists during rituals. What puzzled me, however, was why I was sitting in the center of one such drawing now.
As soon as I tried to stand, excoriating pain shot through every fiber of my body, forcing me back down. Determined, I looked around, then pushed myself to stand despite the pain, and made my way to the desk where a computer was on. Using the table for support, I pulled out the chair and sat down with a sigh.
Taking a moment to let the pain subside, I pressed the computer's power button. After a few seconds, it loaded, and I clicked the sign-in button. Fortunately, there was no password, and I got right in. "Who leaves their computer unprotected nowadays?" I muttered as I started looking around on the screen.
The screen was filled with numerous open windows, each displaying satanic symbols identical to the one I had just awoken on. I sifted through the documents, managing to grasp some of the content despite its complexity.
Based on the documents, the symbol painted on the flood was used in rituals related to soul healing and other enigmatic purposes. Although I couldn't grasp all the details, one thing was clear: the ritual involved devouring another soul to heal the soul of the person sitting in the center of the symbol. The process began with pouring the blood of the person on the symbol as a sacrifice and capturing weaker souls that hadn't yet dispersed into the surroundings.
As I read this information, a frown crept across my face.
I glanced at my hands, turning them over, and found nothing out of the ordinary. My birthmark on the back of my left hand was exactly as I remembered it. The only peculiar thing was how my body seemed thinner and more fragile.
"Strange," I muttered, as I turned my head, hoping to find a mirror to check my appearance. Memories of the fictional theories from the novels I used to read flooded my mind. Scanning the room, I spotted a mirror hanging in the closet. Determined, I stood up and carefully made my way over, enduring the pain with each step. Reaching the closet, I steadied myself and took a good look at my reflection.
"Huh!" With a deadpan look, I couldn't help but be surprised. In the reflection, I looked much younger, and my hair was longer than I remembered, some of it falling over my face and reaching my shoulders. Dark circles under my eyes hinted at my exhaustion.