***** Zach’s breathing never changed again, and his pace never faltered. If anything, he continued moving forward, pushing deeper into the garbage field until, at last… He stopped in his tracks, then chuckled, softly, the sound laced with unmistakable self-mockery and bitterness. “To think…” he murmured, his voice low, carrying a faint edge of pain beneath the calm surface. “…I actually believed one of my parents’ loyalists might have secretly erected a memorial for them.” A subtle flicker or pain, bitterness, and ridicule… directed entirely at himself, passed through his eyes. For a brief moment, he appeared like someone who had hoped… only to realize he shouldn’t have. The major reason Zach had chosen this place as his first destination upon returning to Crossway was simple… yet layered with meaning far deeper than anyone could imagine. Every corner of the estate was filled with memories of his childhood… memories both radiant and painful. Coming here was not merely a

***** Before long, the homeless-looking man finished paying his respects, and pushed himself upright with visible effort, letting out a quiet grunt as his stiff joints protested. Finally, he turned around and reached for the broom. That was when Zach saw his face. It was an elderly man with grey, unkempt hair. His cheeks looked hollow from malnutrition, deep wrinkles carving permanent lines across his skin. Yet despite that, there was a calmness in his expression… a gentle kindness and a harmless smile. His clothes were worn, torn in several places, and hanging loosely over his frail frame. Zach had never seen this version of the man before, but the moment he saw him, recognition struck him with absolute certainty. “Uncle Jacob…?” He whispered, his mouth parting slightly in disbelief. …. Jacob was his father’s trusted aide, a man who had always treated Zach and his brother like his own sons. In Zach’s memories, Jacob had always been immaculate. His suits had always be

***** Zach’s face remained calm and unreadable, but the faint twitch at the corner of his lips betrayed the subtle shift in his mood. ‘Cripple him once and for all today?’ The words echoed quietly in his mind, his gaze moving across the boys one by one, studying them with slow, deliberate precision. The one in the center… clearly their leader, couldn’t have been more than eighteen, even though his appearance suggested otherwise. As for the others, they couldn’t have been more than seventeen, or maybe younger. And yet… The arrogance and cruelty they radiated felt disturbingly excessive for their age. The way they spoke to Jacob… brazen and insolent, and how they carried themselves… like they owned not only this dump, but Jacob’s fate itself, was beyond revolting. Even after all this, however, Zach neither moved from his position nor spoke. If anything, he shifted his gaze back to Jacob, genuine perplexity flickering in his eyes, trying to piece the situation

***** Zach’s attention instantly refocused, only to see that Riam’s rage from earlier was gone. In its place now playful contempt and mockery… the kind of expression someone wore while toying with an insect before crushing it. “Don’t you think it’s about time you came up with a new speech?” Riam drawled, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Jacob like a source of amusement. “Honestly, it’s getting boring.” “Pft!” His underlings erupted into loud, obnoxious laughter, slapping their thighs and nudging each other like spectators enjoying a comedy show. “At this point, it’s practically your trademark,” Riam continued, his nose wrinkling with exaggerated disgust. “Every time we see you… ‘My master this, my family that.’ Honestly, you have started sounding like someone who needs mental and psychological help.” Finished uttering that, a slow, poisonous smile curled the teenager’s lips. “You said my household betrayed your master?” he asked, his voice dripping with feigned

***** A suffocating stillness settled over the garbage site now, thick and oppressive. The five youths… along with Jacob were staring at Zach as he advanced toward them, his pace unhurried and unnervingly steady. Zach’s face remained completely devoid of expression, yet, it was precisely this absence of emotion that made him appear extremely terrifying at this moment. No one could read his thoughts, and the unknown always bred the deepest fear. Yet, the closer he came, the more oppressive his presence became, his cold, commanding aura pressing down on them like an invisible weight. And experiencing this… the five youths felt their backs slick with cold sweat. Their faces drained of color, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. They were terrified, not only of the atmosphere, but of the person approaching them… a military man. On any ordinary day, they might not have cared; after all, a uniform was just a uniform. Soldiers were human beings as well… nothing particularl