I have always wondered what makes people act in certain ways. Life answered that question for me. The price for this answer was quite expensive. Life lessons are not something we can buy with money, gold, or anything easily acquirable. They are something we have to learn by living every chapter of our lives.
This chapter of my life started with a bathrobe, watching the sunrise, a cup of hot coffee in hand, standing on the balcony of my mansion that faced the ocean. My secretary called to give me a quick rundown of the things I had to get done today so I wouldn't screw over my career, which was already hanging by a very thin thread—thanks to the devil I had made an enemy of.
Today was a very important day in my life. The fruit of ten years of hard work. The day I had been yearning for. I checked my reflection in the mirror one last time. Everything was perfect—except for the scar across my left eye, which felt completely out of place, as if I had stumbled into a pirate storyline. All my life, I was considered attractive by almost everyone around me—until he came around and gave me that scar. Thanks to this token, he's the first thing I see when I look in the mirror every morning.
My secretary picked me up, and our first stop was the flower shop. I bought a bouquet of white roses and made my way to the nearby cemetery. The scene was peaceful: green grass covered in dew, sunlight illuminating the clouds, birds chirping away. I walked past the marble tombstones to visit the one person I can now only see in dreams. I placed the bouquet on her tomb and lit some incense sticks to pay my respects as per tradition. Then I got on my knees and began to rant to her about how badly I'd messed up. And yes—it's a tradition at this point.
My secretary returned to tell me it was time to head to our next stop. The journey from the cemetery to the secretariat's parking lot went by in a blur. I couldn't think about anything else, with all the nervousness and anxiety flooding my brain. For some reason, something didn't feel right.
I walked into the building and jumped a little as someone called my name—only to see my friend walking toward me while adjusting his tie. He greeted me with a hug, and we started walking to the main hall together.
"Is he already in there?" I asked my friend, Ralph.
"The white-head? Yep. I wonder how such a delinquent is punctual at all the worst times," he replied while fixing his hair.
I opened the big teak door that led us into the main hall. I couldn't help but notice all the heads turning in our direction. I'm usually confident, but for some reason, I wasn't feeling it today. We continued toward our assigned seats, which faced the jury. I was placed next to the devil himself. Ah, the joy.
"Will you put that stupid game away, Viktor? It's getting on my nerves. Are you that chill?" I heard an exasperated voice nearby.
I turned to see a tall guy in a black suit, silver hair slicked back and tied with a hair tie. He had on black sunglasses and was casually walking in while playing some game on his phone. He was followed by two of his closest aides—one tall with short black hair, olive skin, and an irritated expression; the other, a girl with black hair, purple highlights, and glasses. He looked up and saw me. He smiled in my direction and walked over. I responded with a curt nod. He lowered his sunglasses, revealing his icy blue eyes as we shook hands.
"Hold on to it till the end of the ceremony, Drey," he said in a low voice, handing his phone to the irritated guy and taking his seat next to me.
"I double-checked the facts and stats this morning. I don't see any probability of him winning, yet he's so unbothered. It's putting me on edge," Ralph whispered to me, fidgeting with his wristwatch.
"When has he ever been expressive? That's just how he is. Don't think too much about it. This is our day—and our golden era is about to begin," I whispered back, glancing at the cross-legged, slumped-back figure next to me, who sat there rather comfortably, I might add.
The crowd fell silent as the jury entered. We all stood to greet them. The chief of the jury, the governor of the city, began his speech:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to welcome another individual into the aristocratic congregation as an Ultra-Elite. They will bear the responsibility of managing the state's affairs and leading it toward growth and prosperity. The public voting has concluded—the first round ended in a tie. The voting body of elites has since cast their ballots, and the results have been tallied. I, Roman St. Clair, take pride and responsibility in appending the next individual, and by extension their family, to the registry of Ultra-Elites. I am honored to announce the winner of the election—"
BANG!
There was an explosion. The crystal chandelier fell from the ceiling and shattered. Smoke filled the room, and a group of masked individuals descended from the ceiling. Panic erupted among the crowd. It took me a moment to adjust, but before I could react, fireballs were flying. People were casting safety barriers. Ralph raised a wind barrier to deflect the incoming attacks.
"Lucas! Come to your senses!" Ralph yelled, shaking me.
"They're starting the party without us, huh? Rude!" Viktor drawled with a scoff, launching a barrage of icicles at the masked attackers.
I wanted answers. I needed some of them alive. But the guy next to me was taking them out left, right, and center. I couldn't help but wonder—was he trying to silence witnesses?
I leaned in close to Ralph. "Distract Viktor and his people. I'm going to grab one of them."
"Eternal Whirlwind!" Ralph launched a massive twister of wind toward the white-head while I bolted after the closest attacker—a man with a scar over his left eye.
He ran, throwing electric zaps over his shoulder. Luckily, I had an artifact that protected me from low-force close-range attacks. The roads outside were blocked. Security forces swarmed in with shields to protect the civilians and prevent a crowd from forming.
The chase ended on the open terrace of the secretariat building. I summoned my vines to wrap around the man. He kept trying to break free with his electric bursts, but my level was higher. Eventually, I overpowered him.
I stepped forward to drag him up for interrogation.
But then—I heard something flying toward me.
Fast.
Before I could react, something pierced my heart. The air was knocked out of my lungs.
And I was knocked off the building.