It would be laughable for a family as big as the Byron Family to assemble just because of a kid. At the moment, there were other 19 prominent families all over the world who were having a similar meeting at the same time. They all had influence that reached almost that of the Byron Family.
They were all in similar room and the screens opened. The group video call was initiated as twenty mini screens appeared on the larger screen. On each mini screen was a family being displayed. It seemed that they all were waiting for the the Patriarch of the Byron family to arrive.
It seemed that he was renowned by all these families. He cleared his throat and spoke. His voice gave the gentle feeling of waves in the ocean. It was difficult to lose attention as his words flowed into their ears as if they were water flowing through a pipe.
"This is the usual meeting we usually have annually. But for this meeting, it is different. It seems that we have failed our ancestors. We have calculated and we have realized that in fifteen years, the formations are going to weaken.
"I do not need to explain to any of you what will happen. Since humanity has decided to release the enemy of humanity, we are going to get ready until the time is ready. This is going to be the last meeting we are going to hold.
"The next meeting is going to take place exactly 16 years from now. Make sure that your family is going to be strong enough to fight back," the Patriarch said and their screen disconnected from the rest. That speech was enough to set the world in motion for the next 15 years.
It was shocking that they had decided to meet after 16 years yet something was going to happen in 15 years which was a threat. The patriarch then turned to his family and gave the orders for the family plan.
"From now on, make sure that every child from our family is brought back and starts Cultivating. Those families at far away places should also come back and we are going to let them study in our city. Make sure that no child fails to go to school.
"As for the newborn baby, as his origins are not yet clear, we are not going to send him away until he does something that we cannot tolerate. But if more than 80% of you agree that he should be thrown away, then I have no objection." The patriarch said.
One could feel disgusted about this family. They were willing to throw away a child just because his origins were not clear. They were discussing whether they should keep the child or throw it away. All this time, no one had even give him a name.
When everyone heard the Patriarch's words, sly smiles appeared on their lips. The prominent families were very wary of those they accepted in their families. Bringing up a kid whose father was unknown was nothing but hiding a sore under the armpits.
What if it was just a kid from a poor family? Didn't that mean that they were giving a peasant a noble upbringing? That was unacceptable. None of them had the thoughts that this baby was still part of this family. He was also a son of their most treasured late young miss.
Against all morals, everyone voted yes in the screens. Out of the fifty votes, not a single person voted that the kid should stay.
"May I ask what your reasons are?" The Patriarch asked with a smile. All this time, he did not open his eyes.
"It is said that a kid should not carry the sins of the parents but I think the founder of this saying was not in his right mind. It should be noted that it was this baby that took away our young miss. He is supposed to carry the burden of his mother's death," the speaker of these words was a lady.
She did not have the slightest of shame as she spoke the words. This were painful words coming from a lady. Especially a lady who had experienced the pain of child bringing. Yet, she was shameful to say these words in front of everyone.
"I agree with her. The baby might also be a demon. Texts I have read say that a demon takes 14 months to give birth. It would be a shame if our family was responsible for bringing up a demon. It is better to let the demon grow on its own out there," a man said and everyone nodded.
It was like he had stated undeniable facts! Even the patriarch showed a face indicating that he was moved.
"I have something I want to add. The baby if possible should be relieved off of this world thus his misery. If we kill him, we will have taken down a potential threat. We all are aware about the fact that he is probably a demon as he was born after 14 months. Isn't killing demons what our family has done for ages? Why should we let the demon live? I implore that we kill the demon." The speaker was a lady.
No one objected. Instead they all nodded. This baby was a demon supposed to be killed one day. Why not kill it when it was still in its weak stages? What if he became an even more powerful demon in the future?
"We implore the Patriarch to fulfil the duty of the Byron family." These were words from everyone. they even stood up and bowed. To think that they would go this far to make sure that they killed a harmless child.
Well, what could you say? Humans were a different species that was usually scared of the unknown. They could even do anything possible to make sure that something they thought was a threat was never happened.
It was even better to procrastinate it for as long as possible rather than take care of it. Evident proof being that they had failed to kill the demons and opted for sealing them. They were now thinking of killing a child they thought was going to be a threat.
"Bring the kid here. I am going to set him free from this misery," the patriarch said. Smiles appeared on each of them. What was funny or maybe what was worth being relieved of here? Was the kid not part of their blood. Yet they were talking as if it was a lamb instead.
The room was silent and after few minutes, the chuckling from a child came from a distance. He produced childish sounds and stretched his hands reaching out for everyone he saw. All this time, no one took care of him.
When the patriarch picked the baby, the baby laughed more and reached for the long beard the old man had. This supposed to be a happy moment between a great grandfather and a grandkid but it was a parting day.
The Patriarch pulled his beard from the kids grasp and he raised a brow. The baby's grip was strong and enough to pull the beards from his chin. It was a shame the baby was not going to live to unleash his strength.
" I am going to give you a swift death. Don't blame this old man for killing you too soon. But in the after life, you are going to thank me for freeing you from this cursed fate," the Patriarch said as his finger glowed with a blue light.
He still did not open his eyes as his finger reached for the forehead of the still laughing baby who was now reaching for the blue lights. Very happy that he was being entertained. Smiles appeared from them all as they were all relieved.
But it was then something none of them anticipated happened. It was very rare for it to rain during the first month of the year but a dark cloud covered the city. A menacing wind blew inside the room as the entire city blacked out.
The screens flickered and powered off. For the first time, the patriarch opened his eyes and they were glowing with a deep blue light. He stared at the entrance and so did everyone. It was then that they all were realizing that the pathway was dark.
It was already past ten seconds and the back up generator was still off. It was not that they needed the lights but the scary fact was that they could not see through this darkness. This was something that shook them. Also, the wind was coming from this direction...