"What do you want?"
The youngster's voice came out hoarse, his throat dry and parched.
His split lip throbbed with every word.
His dark hair was messy, matted with sweat and blood.
His body was tightly bound to a wooden chair with ropes.
Through his swollen, bruised eye, he watched the man sitting opposite him in a revolving leather chair.
The man took a puff of his cigarette and extinguished it in the ashtray on the table between them.
The soft sizzle and sharp crack of the embers breaking echoed in the silent room.
At the base of the man's thumb, a tattoo resembling an eclipse stood out, dark and ominous against his white skin.
"Why do you think I would kidnap someone like you?" the man asked in a nonchalant voice.
"For money?" Kael stuttered, his lips trembling.
The man's eyes narrowed, and his tone grew cold.
"Do I look like a man who needs money from you?"
The man's tailored black suit, gold accessories, slicked-back silver hair, and sharp features exuded wealth and intimidation.
He certainly didn't look like someone who needed money.
If not for money, then why? Why had he been kidnapped?
His mind raced, desperate for an answer.
He wasn't anything special.
A final-year CSE student at XXX University, he had no wealth, no enemies, no reason for anyone to target him.
He rarely interacted with others, spending most of his time buried in research.
His eyes shot open as the realisation struck.
No, it's impossible.
There's no way someone could know about that.
His gaze snapped back to the man, trembling.
His heart pounded faster with each second, and his breaths became shallow.
No, it can't be - He thought.
But his breath caught in his throat when the man's lips curled into a thin smile.
"Have you figured out why you were kidnapped?" the man asked, crossing his legs.
He knows.
Still, he forced himself to deny it.
"No, I don't," he replied, though his voice wavered.
Kael's mind raced to one thing that could explain all this—his software.
A multi-layer encryption breaker capable of dismantling even the most secure systems within minutes.
If it fell into the wrong hands, the consequences would be catastrophic.
The entire country could descend into chaos. But he didn't care about that.
The real reason he couldn't give it away was because he needed the huge money it would fetch from the government.
That money was crucial for his mother's surgery.
"Hm, really?"
The man's intense gaze made his body tense.
His eyes darted around, seeking a way out.
The stale air carried the acrid stench of cigarette smoke mixed with the faint metallic tang of blood.
The lamp on the table illuminated only the space around them.
Everything else was swallowed by darkness. He couldn't know even if someone was hiding in the shadows.
"I really didn't want to do this," the man muttered, pulling a phone from his pocket.
He typed out a message, set the phone on the table, and leaned back.
A minute later, the phone buzzed.
He answered the video call and slid the phone toward Kael.
Kael's world crumbled as he saw his mother lying unconscious on a hospital bed, hooked up to machines.
A sickening wave of nausea rose in his throat as he recognized the person holding the phone.
"Hi, Kael ~," the boy in the phone drawled, his voice dripping with mockery.
"I never knew you had such a beautiful mother."
Kael's body went rigid.
"Shax…" he growled, his voice shaking with fury.
Shax smirked, brushing a lock of greasy hair from his face.
"Come now, is that any way to greet an old friend?"
He leaned closer to the camera, his grin widening.
"Hospitals can be so… lonely. I'm just keeping her company."
Kael's chest heaved with ragged breaths.
"Get away from her, you f***ing pig!"
Shax feigned a gasp, placing a hand on his chest.
"Pig? That hurts, Kael. And here I thought we were close."
His hand drifted toward Kael's mother, his fingers hovering near her dark hair.
Kael's vision blurred with rage.
"Don't touch her! Don't you dare lay a hand on her, you piece of sh*t!"
Shax laughed, stepping back with exaggerated theatrics.
"Relax, Kael. I wouldn't dream of it. Not yet, anyway."
Kael's chest tightened, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
His nails dug into his palms, and he bit his split lip, drawing blood.
The man watched everything with a cold, detached gaze.
If he gave up the software, he wouldn't have the money for her surgery.
If he didn't… he didn't even want to think about it.
His heart felt like it was being ripped apart.
His jaw clenched to the point where it might crack.
The crushing reality settled over him: he was powerless.
Kael turned his head to the man.
"I... will give you the software. Just don't hurt her," he said, his voice cracking as he fought back tears.
His head slumped, and his eyes shut tight.
The man leaned forward.
"When did I say I wanted your software?"
Kael's head snapped up, shock washing over him.
If it wasn't the software, then what did he want?
A flicker of hope surfaced but was quickly crushed by the man's next words.
The man moved closer, tapping Kael's forehead twice with his fingers.
"What I want is this brain of yours. I want you to work under me," the man said, his gaze piercing Kael's soul.
Kael's eyes darted to the phone and his mother.
A suffocating wave of despair crashed over him.
Then, he looked into the man's eyes—predatory and unrelenting.
Kael's voice trembled as he finally spoke.
"I... accept."
"A Good choice," the man said, rising from his chair. His sharp gaze locked onto Kael's trembling eyes,
"Welcome to Eclipse."
***
A young maid walked through the pristine corridor, holding a silver tray with a cup of 'Crystalice brew.'
The aroma of the brew was light and refreshing, like the chill of fresh snow, with a hint of mint and floral sweetness.
As she moved, she couldn't help but wonder - Why did the lady send me today?
From what she knew, the lady was always the one to wake the young lord, but today, she had sent her instead.
She had instructed her to place the brew on the wooden table near the window and leave immediately.
The image of the lady's piercing purple eyes flashed in her mind, making her body tense involuntarily.
"The lady is so scary."
She muttered, only realising her mistake when the sound echoed faintly in the corridor.
She glanced around quickly and, finding no one else in the corridor, let out a soft sigh of relief.
Her thoughts came to a halt as she neared the young lord's room.
Her hands hesitated before opening the door as she recalled the rumors about the young lord.
According to the rumours, he despised commoners like her and always carried an intimidating aura.
She silently prayed that he would still be asleep as she pushed the door open.
It creaked softly, revealing a luxurious room with a high vaulted ceiling and tall stained-glass windows.
A faint scent of lavender lingered in the air as she stepped inside.
She carefully placed the silver tray on a polished wooden table near the window and was about to leave, but stopped when she heard a groan.
"Ukh..."
Hearing a groan from the bed, she turned toward the sound and moved closer.
Her heart thumped loudly as she glanced at the young lord's sharp features, softened only by the stillness of his sleep.
But her heart wasn't racing in awe.
"What should I do?" she wondered, nervously twisting the apron around her waist.
It was because of fear.
"Kh..." He groaned again, his body drenched in sweat, his fists clenching tightly in his sleep.
"It seems the young lord is having a nightmare," she murmured, unsure of what to do.
Should I wake him up? Or should I call the lady instead?