Arthur's voice cut through the air, dark and cold. "What are you doing here?" Elias didn't flinch. A smile remained fixed on his lips as he stared at the man standing several paces away, his expression unreadable beneath that carefully maintained facade. "I am talking to you, brat," Arthur roared, his face flushing crimson. The crowd held its breath, a collective stillness settling over the gathered guests.
Slowly and deliberately, Elias allowed his gaze to drift across the sea of faces. Each person seemed frozen, caught between curiosity and dread. His eyes found Catherine first, and something sharp twisted in his chest, a pang of longing mixed with bitter regret.
Her face held an expression he couldn't quite decipher, and it cut deeper than he'd anticipated. Then his attention shifted to Julian, who stood rigidly beside their father.
The sight of his brother ignited something visceral within him. A dark, ominous anger began to simmer from deep inside, rising like smoke from embers that had never truly died. The fury felt almost tangible, like ghostly tendrils of resentment that had festered for far too long. The two brothers locked eyes.
Julian's jaw tightened, a muscle twitching beneath the skin, while Elias felt his smile grow colder, more calculated.
The moment stretched between them, heavy with unspoken accusations and years of carefully buried wounds. Finally, Elias looked away, breaking the connection with deliberate indifference.
"I am talking to you, Arthur repeated, his voice hoarse with barely controlled fury.Elias finally spared him a glance, his expression carefully blank, as though his father were merely another stranger in the crowd.Father, he said, the word falling from his lips with deliberate flatness.Why are you embarrassing the Blackwoods? Go back to your room! The man roared, his face flushing crimson as spittle flew from his lips.Julian's mind raced, panic clawing at his chest. What the hell is going on? I killed this guy. How can he still be alive? He began to pace anxiously, his hands trembling as he tried to make sense of the impossible scene unfolding before him. Each step felt unsteady, as though the ground itself had shifted beneath his feet.Mother. Elias turned to Catherine Blackwood, his voice softer now, almost tentative.Catherine's breath caught in her throat. She opened her mouth, but no words emerged. Her hand lifted, fingers stretching forward limply as if to beckon him close, though her body remained frozen in place. The gesture was both desperate and uncertain, a mother torn between disbelief and longing.Harrison stood to the side, his eyes wide as horror gripped him like a vice. His pulse hammered in his ears, drowning out the rising murmurs around him.What is going on? he wondered, his thoughts spinning wildly. Didn't we bury that pathetic loser just a few hours ago? How is he still alive?The murmurs grew even louder, rippling through the crowd like wildfire. The three family members, completely unaware of the whispered revelations spreading through the gathering, began to catch fragments of conversation, sensing the shift in atmosphere. One elegantly dressed woman leaned closer to a nearby guest, her curiosity overcoming her discretion.What is going on? Who is that young man? she asked, her voice low but urgent.The guest glanced around nervously, then leaned in to whisper, That's the worthless son of the Blackwoods.
She frowned and pressed for more answers, but the guests wouldn't speak more.
For the first time since walking into the area, Elias took a step forward.
He walked towards the center of the celebration and took a seat.
Everyone watched in awe. Arthur's jaw clenched as he shook with anger.
Julian stared in awe.
Elias's eyes were still red as the glow seemed to flash brighter each time he spoke.
What are you doing? Arthur asked, stepping closer.
Elias's head snapped towards him, and the old man stepped back, scared.
Arthur wondered what was wrong with this kid.
Julian took this chance to step closer, putting on his best act ever.
Brother, you look so dirty. Where have you been? He asked, a false pang of concern in his tone.
Elias's glance snaps towards him. His face crinkled into a frown as he mumbled audibly, "So it's you."
You shouldn't have come to the party dressed like this. "You are embarrassing the family," Julian continued.
Elias's eyes closed and opened again, and slowly his neck tightened as his eyes, hollow and bottomless, stared at the young man in front of him.
Oh dear brother, it's such a shame, isn't it? He began.
Julian almost fell back. shock and disbelief plastered all over his face.
What are you talking about?" he tried.
Elias's lip rose as a smirk began to form at his mouth. he began to laugh an ominous laugh, which brought chills to everyone who heard it.
"Oh dear brother, you're still acting, aren't you? But don't worry, I am here. I won't let your efforts be taken for nothing," Elias stated.
"Stop this!" Arthur stepped forward, his chest heaving with barely contained rage as he glared at Elias.
"Why are you causing such a scene in front of all these people? Do you have any idea how you're embarrassing this family?" Elias remained motionless, his expression unreadable. Arthur froze mid-stride as murmurs began to ripple through the gathered crowd. His jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tightening visibly.
"Enough of this nonsense, you insolent brat!" he snapped, his voice cracking with frustration. The woman from the registry office cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention.
She adjusted her glasses and consulted her documents once more.
"Mister Blackwood," she began carefully, "if you don't mind, could you please confirm which of these young men is your son? We have other appointments to attend to."
Arthur's head snapped toward her, his eyes blazing with an intensity that made her take an involuntary step back.
For a moment, he looked ready to unleash his fury on her as well, but then his shoulders sagged. He exhaled slowly, as if the weight of the world pressed down upon him. Elias sat perfectly still, watching his father with an expression that betrayed nothing. Yet beneath that calm exterior, something flickered in his eyes, a desperate, almost hungry anticipation.
He, too, wanted to hear what his dear father would say. The crowd held its collective breath. Even the wind seemed to pause.
Arthur's gaze drifted toward Elias, then jerked away as though the sight burned him.
He turned instead to Julian, and a smile, forced and brittle, crossed his face.
"I will tell you once more," he declared, his voice carrying false confidence.
"I have only one son, and that is Julian." The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
Elias, or rather, the hollow shell of the man who sat there, shook his head slowly.
A bitter smile tugged at his lips. "So this is what you've had to be with," he murmured, his voice barely audible yet cutting through the silence like a blade. "I'm sorry for this pathetic excuse of a family." The woman looked at Elias, and something resembling pity flickered across her features.
She glanced around at the expectant faces, then shook her head with evident reluctance. "I'm sorry, Mister Blackwood, but we have no record of anyone named Julian Blackwood."
She paused, her finger trembling slightly as it traced down the page.
"Only a..." Her voice faltered. She looked up, disbelief written plainly on her face.
"Only an Elias Blackwood." The words seemed impossible even as she spoke them. Gasps erupted from the crowd.
People turned to one another, eyes wide with shock and confusion.
"Elias? How is that even possible?"
"No way! What did they do?"
"Oh God, this is so cold."
"He doesn't even recognize his own son!"
Similar conversations rippled through the gathering as people struggled to comprehend what they were witnessing.
Some covered their mouths in horror, while others simply stared, transfixed by the unfolding tragedy. Elias remained seated, his face a mask of cold indifference. Not a muscle twitched. Not an emotion showed. He might have been carved from stone.
"Mister Blackwood?" the woman called again, her voice tinged with concern. But Arthur stood frozen, as if turned to ice. His face had drained of all color, his eyes glazed and unseeing. Shock and disbelief had rendered him a statue, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to reconcile the truth that had just shattered his carefully constructed lie.