12 Years before the incident.
A luxurious building that outshone others worldwide hosted the funeral of The Head of The Isaad family and his wife. The Isaad family held immense power and control over global affairs, making them the most influential family in the world. As a result, the funeral of The Head of The Isaad family was a grand display of their unrivaled status and influence in society, attracting mourners from far and wide who came to pay their respects and bid farewell to their leaders.
When the mourners arrived at the funeral, they were greeted by a somber and solemn atmosphere. Despite the building's opulent appearance and its bright shine, the air was thick with grief and sadness, reflecting the loss of a powerful and influential figure in the world.
Those who were not relatives of the deceased gathered at the front of the coffin, standing about twenty feet away. Meanwhile, the deceased's relatives were seated on the right side of the coffin, with approximately fifteen family members present. On the left side of the casket sat a little boy, Gaith Isaad, who was the deceased's son. He sat alone, leaning his head on the casket, showing no tears.
The funeral proceeded, and the mourners paid their respects and offered prayers for the deceased. The air was thick with the scent of tears and grieving sounds. However, not everyone shared the same emotions. In particular, those seated on the right side of the coffin did not display any sorrow; rather, they appeared happy, which stood out in stark contrast to the other mourners. What's worse, they also didn't even try to comfort the son of their kin in his grief.
The unsympathetic actions of Gaith's relatives sparked fury among the other mourners, causing their blood to boil with rage. They want to leash their waves of rage and start to punch those unimaginable families, but as mere guests, they can't do anything except watch and be silent in despair.
The heart-wrenching situations unfold till three unexpected guests arrive at the funeral, dressed as though they had been in a big fight.
The first person to enter was Dion Kurz, known for his towering body and spiky blond hair. Kevin Si followed him, with his wavy brown hair, nerdy style, and old-fashioned glasses, wearing a white coat. Lastly, Luis Heim II arrived, the youngest of the three; he had black hair and a few gray strands, and a fragile posture that belied the strength in his eyes, which were as black as a black hole.
Those three guests were the deceased's sworn brothers, also the three pillars of The Isaad Family. Their arrival was a surprising turn of events that caught everyone's attention, except for Gaith, who remained deeply in his grief.
As the trio surveyed the condition of the room, their anger and frustration grew upon seeing their sworn brother's son left alone in such a state of grief. Dion, in particular, was about to burst with anger, but Luis managed to calm him down by tapping his back and reminding him of their promise.
"Remember our promise, brother," Luis said, his voice firm and steady.
"I know," Dion replied insincerely.
"Relax your muscle, muscles-head!" Kevin added naughtily.
Those words ignited Dion's anger, "Huh, who you call—"
Before Dion could finish, Luis interrupted him. "Save it for later!" he said, gesturing towards the casket. "Our main priority is that damned box."
"Yeah!"
"Okay!"
Dion and Kevin agreed.
They walked with firm steps toward the casket, once again drawing the attention of every eye in the room.
As they reached the coffin, the sight of their sworn brother and his wife lying there in cheap white cloth hit them like a ton of bricks. Those were the people who had once ruled almost every continent, the most powerful and the most feared. Yet, when they died, all they had was a humble wrapping. "How ironic," the trio thought to themselves.
But what truly caught their attention was the smiles on their faces, leaving a lingering question in their minds. They felt the urge to shake those dead bodies and demand an explanation for such a bizarre expression. However, they didn't have time to grumble as their deceased brother's son was in such a state.
"Ghisad boy, your big bro has come," Dion said, while patting Gaith's back.
Gaith was only six years old then, and his sorrow was too overwhelming to handle. He had fallen into deep grief, rendering him unresponsive.
"Strong men don't lose their thoughts amidst depression!" Luis added, trying to offer words of encouragement.
Those words were not appropriate to say to a grieving child-like Gaith, who had recently lost a loved one. Yet, thanks to those words, Gaith finally snapped out of his grief and turned his head towards them.
"Ah, sorry!" he apologized weakly. "I lost myself for a moment, hehe!" he added, trying to put on a brave face.
The scene was heartbreaking. What Gaith said and what his body conveyed were opposites. His eyes displayed emptiness without any sign of tears, while his skin was pale and dry. All of it spoke about what Gaith was going through.
"Are you okay?" Dion instantly asked worriedly.
But Gaith just smiled and shouted, "Yeah, of course I'm." Then he pointed his fingers at his face and said, "Look into my face. Isn't it smiling brightly?"
The trio bit their lips in agony as they saw Gaith's response. It was as if ten thousand, no, ten million, no, a trillion sharp swords had pierced their bodies all at once. They were burning with fury.
Especially Dion; his face turned red as blood when he turned towards the people on the right side, his eyes filled with anger and fixed on them. Although Dion didn't utter any words, those people understood the message behind his stare and froze like statues.
Realizing it, Kevin Si quickly jumped towards Gaith and hugged him tightly, covering his eyes and ears, so Gaith couldn't see Dion's figure that burned with anger.
As for Luis, he shouted as loudly as he could while pushing Dion's body, "Stop!"' hoping it would be enough to prevent Dion from rampaging.
Luis was just the same as him—filled with anger too. Yet, Luis tried to stop him. It leaves a question burning in Dion's mind as he looks at Luis's action.
Dion wondered, "Why?"
"Brother, please, remember our promise with Brother Riyan!" Luis said firmly, trying to get Dion's attention.
Dion's rage began to subside as he heard Riyan's name. Riyan was the man the trio had sworn to follow, and they had made an oath to stay together and support each other. Dion remembered Riyan's last desire before he died: to make sure his wive relatives became good people. Thanks to that, Dion didn't kill those people.
"Sorry!" Dion said softly. He apologized.
"It's okay!" Luis replied.
As the atmosphere returned to normal, Dion turned his gaze and playfully slapped Kevin's back.
"Stop it; how long are you going to monopolize our younger brother?" he shouted.
Kevin let out a cry of pain and quickly released his embrace on Gaith due to the force of the slap. He felt numbness spread across his body, and his blood seemed to be trying to escape from every corner of it.
"Brother Kevin, what happened?" Gaith asked, his voice filled with worry as he pushed Kevin's body away.
"Ohh—I am okay; you don't need to worry, kiddo!" Kevin replied though he struggled to suppress a scream building in his mind.
"Are you sure?" Gaith doubted, "I even heard a loud voice a few minutes ago."
"Well—" Kevin began to answer, but Dion interrupted him by pulling him back and throwing him into the corner of the room.
"Just believe him; there is no doctor that couldn't analyze his own body," Dion explained.
Luis joined by scrambling Gaith's hair, "You don't need to worry about him; you should worry about your—"
"I'm okay and healthy, Brother Luis!" Gaith interrupted forcefully and pushed away Luis's hand, but his concern for Kevin's condition remained. "But I think we need to check on Brother Kevin!" he said.
But Luis and Dion ignored Gaith's concern for Kevin because they knew that man wouldn't die easily.
"Sure! You are healthy and strong." Luis said.
Once again, Giath smiled and exclaimed, "Of course I am, I know that, but we should help—"
"Well, that's our brother!" Dion praised Giath.
"Did both of you intentionally ignore him?" Gaith asked.
No words came from them except bright smiles—sly.
"Isn't that evil?"
Again those two gave no reply, only lifted their hands as if they were innocent.
After that act, Gaith realized that his brothers were only joking and playing along with his concern for Kevin, he couldn't help but laugh. Luis and Dion also joined in, and the three shared a moment of lightheartedness amidst the sadness of their situation.
Their laughter brought happiness to all the mourners attending the funeral, except for those sitting on the right side. They were scared that their efforts to take over the world would be in vain, causing them to break out in a cold sweat.
They realized they had to stop those two from stealing Gaith's attention. If those two continued to do so, the child would end up in their hands. It was something they didn't want to happen.
Still, they realized it wouldn't be easy, knowing two individuals standing by Gaith's side were powerful men who could control the world.
They racked their brains to find a good solution to the situation, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't think of any way out except risking their lives. Especially, The presence of Luis Heim II made it impossible for them to use their slick tongues.
Luis Heim II is known as "The all-seeing eye". He worked behind the scenes for the head of the Isaad family, Gaith's father. With one blunder word spoken in front of him, their plans would be exposed, resulting in them losing their lives on the spot. Just imagining it made their hair stand on end.
To make matters worse, they knew that violence wouldn't work either because Dion Kurz was there too, a monster who could bring down an entire country all by himself, unarmed.
However, they couldn't back down and let their opportunity slip away after spending so much time and resources on it. They simply couldn't afford to give up. So they decided to walk into the predator's den together, with one person wearing fancy white clothes leading the way.
With every step they took, the sound of their jewelry and metal bouncing echoed through the halls. The women had many gold bracelets hanging from their wrists, creating a distinct jingling sound.
When the sound faded, they arrived at the coffin.
The man in the fancy white clothes spoke, "Good night, sir, I'm Wolland Emily!" and then bowed ninety degrees.
The others followed suit, interrupting the happy moment Gaith, Dion, and Luis were having as they turned their gazes toward Wolland.
"Hello–"
Luis interrupted Gaith by placing his finger on Gaith's mouth and gesturing for him to be quiet with an "Ssst" sound. "Let the adults take care of this!"
Luis prepared himself to face the guests, but before he could do so, Dion stopped him and then sent a wink signal.
"Are you sure it's not going to be as easy as you think?" Luis replied worriedly.
Dion winked again to convenience him.
"Sigh… don't blame me if we encounter any problems," Luis sighed in response.
With an agreement, Luis stepped back, and Dion took the lead.
"Ehmm..Ehmm!" Dion coughed for warmup, "Sure, Mr. Weoland, it's been a long time since we've seen each other, hasn't it?" Dion said.
Wolland straightened his back and corrected Dion, "It's called Wolland, not Weoland. And yes, it has been long since we last met."
Dion lifted his eyebrows and smirked, "Oh, my apologies Mr. Wolland. It's just that I have a habit of forgetting insignificant details like names." He said mockingly.
Wolland's self-esteem was bruised, but he couldn't do anything except accept it and compose himself. He replied, "Well, Mr. Dion, I hope you'll remember my name from now on."
"I'll try." Dion said with an unfriendly gesture, "So what all of you want from us?" he asked.
Dion's act once again ignited Wolland's fury, causing him to curse Dion while answering, "Well, we just wanted to greet you all before we head back home—" Before Wolland could finish, Dion interrupted.
"Sure, you all can go back now," Dion clapped his hand, then pointed towards the exit door. "There's the door."
Wolland and his other relatives remained silent and didn't move. They didn't expect it to happen; they thought those sworn brothers would stop them from going home.
"What, do you need me to walk you guys to the door?" Dion raised his voice as he asked.
The sound of swallowed spit could be heard in Wolland's throat, "No, you don't need to–"
"Then why don't you guys move your ass?!" Dion interrupted again and then folded the long sleeves of his clothes.
Wolland's body realized signs of being threatened, reflecting him to shout loudly, "We want to take Gaith with us."
Wolland's statement caught everyone off guard, and Dion was confused about his words. Did he want to take Gaith home with him or become Gaith's guardian and take care of him?
"Could you please explain properly? Do you mean to bring him home, or become his guardian?" Dion asked.
Heard that, Luis stepped onto the scene and responded, "Well, whatever their answer is, the answer is no!"
Those words caused Wolland and the other expression to become sour.
"I'm sorry, but as for his blood-related, we had the rights to take care of him." Wolland retorted, followed by others in his family, "And we have tons of experience when it comes to taking care of a child, unlike you three!"
Luis pinched Dion's hand and whispered, "Step back, I've got this. It won't end well if I leave it to you!" Dion nodded and stepped back, allowing Luis to take the lead. Luis walked over to Wolland until their breaths almost touched, "Oh, blood-related. Right." He uttered sarcastically.
Wolland stepped back and replied, "Yes, we are Gaith's blood relatives."
Luis stepped forward again, bringing himself close to Wolland. "Then, aren't I too?" he added, their breaths met.
"I'm sorry to hurt you, but according to scientific methods, you are not blood-related to Gaith," Wolland retorted firmly. "It's a fact that you cannot deny." Wolland then stepped back once more away from Luis.
Luis grinned in irony, "Sure, it's a fact I can't deny, but if we consider capability, who do you think would be the best person to take care of Gaith?"
Without hesitation, Wolland stated, "We are the best option!" he then took a step forward, his gaze shifting towards Dion and Kevin. "Speaking of which," he said, pointing at them, "neither of you nor them are even qualified to take care of themselves, let alone Gaith."
Luis took a quick look at Dion and Kevin, then let out a frustrated sigh. "Huuuf! You're right," he begrudgingly agreed with the statement. However, he couldn't agree that he was also included in the list. "But that's only for those two, not me!" he snapped, his voice laced with anger.
Smirking expressions could be seen on Dion and Kevin's faces; if it weren't for them realizing the truth themselves, they would have exploded in anger.
"Ehmm… Ehmmm… Ehmmm." They let out a few awkward coughs as if trying to mask their frustration.
Wolland didn't stop; instead, he gave a finger signal to the people standing behind him. "Moreover, there are rumors floating about you guys," he continued, "that you were the mentors in a facility that trained children until they died."
Wolland's words were sneaky. He was referring to a training camp run by the trio of sworn brothers that was meant to turn children into prodigies. The problem was that the camp was infamous for its intense pressure on the kids to excel in their passions. Some children went too far and ended up pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion, and sadly, a few even died. It wasn't because of any mistreatment but because they tried too hard to be the best at what they loved to do.
Those who trained and graduated from the camp often became highly successful individuals with exceptional intelligence, morals, and power, far surpassing that of the average person. They were often affiliated with The Isaad Family, and their skills were utilized to further the family's interests and ambitions.
Due to the training camp's reputation for producing highly talented and skilled individuals, many enemy governments sought to undermine the Isaad family's efforts by spreading rumors and propaganda. They feared that the family would gain a significant advantage by having access to a group of exceptionally talented and powerful individuals to fight against them.
"Indeed, we are not blind to your incompetence!" exclaimed the person standing behind Wolland, emphasizing and reinforcing Wolland's statement.
A smirk smudged across Wolland's face, thinking he had won the game because they had an easy time dealing with those individuals, especially with Luis.
"So how can I, no, we trust you to take care of Gaith?" Wolland added tauntingly.
However, they had forgotten an important life lesson: Life is like mathematics; if everything seems to be going too smoothly, a problem will likely lurk beneath the surface.
That was proven by Luis's laughter, "Hahaaaa!"
"What's funny?" Wolland responded, looking confused.
Luis asked a specific question, grinning mischievously. "On the day **, month **, and year, ****, what happened at that time?" he asked, dredging up the past.
Instantly, Wolland's smile vanished, and he froze as if a cold wind had pierced his bones. "That—" he began to explain, but Luis cut him off.
"Another one," Luis said, grinning. "On the day of **, month **, and year ****, do you remember what happened then?" he stared into Wolland's eyes, "There still many I can tell–"
"Stop. I know that my family and I have done cruel acts in the past, but that's already behind us," Wolland interrupted forcefully, his breath becoming heavy as he remembered who was before him, "as you know, people can change!" he added, hoping to deflect the conversation away from the uncomfortable—criminal memories of the past.
"Sure, people can change!" Luis replied, covering his face with his hands. "But before I came here, I heard sounds of happiness coming from inside the building that was enveloped with sorrow. And not only that, I saw a little boy sitting alone in his grief," he added, his tone serious. "But perhaps it could be seen as something good? Maybe the boy found a way to cope with his grief and find moments of happiness amidst the sorrow, isn;t it?" he suggested sarcastically.
Wolland fell silent when he realized that Luis was referring to himself; he had made a big mistake from the start, "I screwed up!" Wolland shouted silently to himself.
Luis sensed the tension and spoke calmly, "Okay, let's end this with peace, not force. Gaith, come here for a minute."
Gaith, who had been sitting with Dion, quickly made his way to Luis. "Yes, brother Luis, what is it?" he asked.
Luis patted him on the head and then pointed to Wolland and his companions, asking if Gaith knew them, "Do you know those people?"
Gaith nodded, "Yes, of course. They were my mother's family."
"They want to become your guardians," Luis explained. "And, of course, as your father's sworn brothers, I feel a responsibility to take care of you. But these people are also your family, so I want you to make a choice. Who would you choose to be your guardian?"
Of course, when Luis gave Gaith the freedom to make his own choice, he already knew he would win. Even Wolland was aware that Luis had orchestrated the situation to elevate his own image.
"Dammit! Who do you think I am, your personal tool?" Wolland cursed internally.
Wolland anger boiled over, and he became determined to prevent the ruler's son from falling into those individuals' hands. To Wolland, Gaith was a powerful tool that could be used to further his own ambitions of world domination. His thinking became irrational, and he abandoned all logic. In his mind, there was no longer any concern about being exposed or the consequences of his actions. All that mattered was ensuring that Gaith would fall into his hands and become a pawn in his grand scheme.
Unfortunately, before Wolland could utter a word, he and the people behind him felt a burning sensation in their throats. Bewildered, they wondered what was happening. However, Dion's smirk gave away the reason behind their sudden affliction.
Unbeknownst to them, Dion had already prepared for such a moment. When he had thrown Kevin into the corner of the room earlier, Kevin had taken the opportunity to throw several micro-devices that were barely visible to the naked eye at them. These devices had the power to render their victims unable to speak for several minutes.
"Damn! These people are really going all out!" Wolland thought to himself, his frustration boiling inside him. His angry expression was evidence of his annoyance with the situation.
As Luis saw the expression on Wolland's face, he stood in a victorious pose, his confidence unwavering, "Sah! Choose Gaith, who would you rather be with?" he shouted mockingly, gesturing with his hands and repeating "Sah... Sah... Sah..." in a taunting tone.
Dion couldn't contain his amusement as his smile grew wider, but he made no sound. His eyes were mocking, making it clear that he was trying to provoke Wolland and his family. Meanwhile, Kevin was getting into the spirit of things by dancing like a monkey in love at the back.
Their actions were enough to make some people question their morals, It was unclear whether they were the good or the bad guys.
Luis' taunting left Wolland and his family feeling defeated and hopeless, their faces showing the despair that had overcome them. In response, they closed their eyes as if to shut out the reality of the situation. Meanwhile, Dion continued to mock them with his expression, and Luis's gesture only added more fire to them.
However, the atmosphere suddenly shifted when Gaith raised his hand. Dion and Kevin, who had been laughing and taunting Wolland and his family, immediately fell silent. "Huh?" they uttered, surprised by Gaith's sudden action.
As they sensed the shift in atmosphere, Wolland and his family gradually opened their eyes in wonder, their thoughts muddled by the unexpected turn of events.
Even the mourners also became confused at the result.
Wolland's expression left Luis just as confused as him.
"What's going on?" Luis asked, but there was no immediate response from anyone. Quickly, Luis turned his attention towards Gaith, hoping to find some answers. However, what he saw only left him more perplexed and bewildered. "What the heck?" he muttered under his breath, struggling to make sense of the situation unfolding before him.
~~~To be contunied~~~