Elijah Schwarzenger Rises To Power

0007

A cab hummed quietly along the polished asphalt, slicing through the outskirts of San Dicevey City. Elijah leaned back in the seat, gazing out the window at the sprawling landscape flashing by.

The streets shimmered in the late morning sun, and for the first time in his life, a sense of freedom washed over him. He wasn’t in a rush; he had nowhere to be… yet everything had changed.

He felt like he owned a part of the world now. Everything had gradually fallen into place for him. As they drove along, he watched the silent road bordered by businesses and cars. His eyes fell on a luxury showroom—floor-to-ceiling glass panels framed a lineup of gleaming vehicles, their sleek bodies practically begging to be driven.

Elijah took his time, staring at each car until his gaze landed on a Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid. "Not bad," he mused hopefully. "But if my esteemed father permits me, I would love to go for the Mercedes EQS Sedan."

"Sir…” the driver's voice cut through his thoughts.

Elijah blinked, turning toward the rearview mirror where the driver was watching him a bit too closely. “Yes?”

“You… really want to go to the Schwarzenger estate?” the man asked with a dry chuckle, as if trying to dissuade a fool. “People like us shouldn’t get anywhere near that place. You and I might not leave to tell the tale, you know?"

“I already told you... just keep driving. We’re almost there.” Elijah smirked, slightly offended that the man had ruined his luxurious daydream.

The driver scoffed, stealing another glance at Elijah’s worn hoodie and creased trousers. “Right, it must be important if they’re expecting someone dressed like that.”

Elijah didn’t respond. He returned his attention to the window, ignoring the driver’s sarcasm.

Minutes later, the car slowed as the city gave way to a lonely stretch of elevated road surrounded by pristine woodlands. Then, the walls came into view.

Towering black gates stood at the end of a long, curved driveway, flanked by colossal stone walls that rose nearly fifteen feet into the sky. Each segment of the wall was reinforced with obsidian and steel, crowned with motion sensors and gleaming anti-climb spikes. The entire perimeter screamed untouchable.

No guards were in sight, but overhead, Elijah noticed sleek autonomous drones soaring silently across the sky—armed, alert, and watching everything.

The cab rolled to a stop about ten meters from the gate.

“This is it,” the driver muttered. “This is where I stop.”

Elijah sat up. “Why? No guard or anyone is stopping you from driving further."

“You think I want to die today?” the man snapped. “There are no guards because they don’t need them. Snipers, drones, landmines… just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they can’t see you.”

“You’re overthinking this,” Elijah said calmly. “No one’s even come out to..."

“Exactly!” the man interrupted, gripping the steering wheel. “This is the kind of place you leave quietly before your brain ends up on a sidewalk beside the fence. Pay me and go do whatever you came to do.”

Elijah exhaled, his chest boiling with annoyance. He opened the door and stepped out into the sunlight.

Reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket, he pulled out the diamond identity card Maestro had given him. The surface glinted with cold authority. He stepped back toward the cab and leaned down, holding it up to the driver’s face.

“Do you know what this is?”

The man flinched as the shimmering gold emblem caught the light. His eyes widened in disbelief. “Is that…?” He scrambled out of the cab so fast that he left the engine running and dropped to his knees.

“Please, sir—I didn’t mean anything by what I said,” the man stammered. “I swear I didn’t know who you were. Please forgive me.”

Elijah regarded him with a cold glare, then slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a few thick bills. “Next time, treat your passengers with respect, regardless of how they look.” He handed the cash over and turned away.

The driver’s eyes bulged. “Four… four thousand dollars, sir?” he gasped. “For a $50 fare?”

“Use it to take care of yourself,” Elijah said without turning back. “And leave. Or aren’t you the one scared of your brain being blown off and rolling off the sidewalk?”

Frantically, the man bowed repeatedly, thanked him, and jumped back into the cab as if his life depended on it. The loud screeching of tires filled the air as he sped off into the distance.

Slowly, Elijah approached the gate alone, the massive bulletproof steel doors standing tall. He looked around for any intercom or keypad but saw nothing except for a single polished panel to his right, its surface pulsing with a faint blue light.

*Please identify yourself,* a soft, mechanical voice echoed from a hidden speaker.

Elijah hesitated before stuttering, “I…I’m Elijah.”

*Please identify yourself.*

He looked around, and still nothing moved. His eyes returned to the drones above, which hovered silently like sentinels in the sky.

*Final request. Identify yourself, or security will be dispatched. Countdown initiated. Ten… nine…

Elijah started to panic, fumbling into his pocket and yanking out the diamond card. “Here!” he said fearfully, waving it. Seeing that nothing happened, he pressed the card against the glowing panel.

**Verification complete. Access granted.**

With a CLICK, the drones above shifted in formation, moving upward in synchronization. The giant bulletproof doors released with a low, seismic clunk and began to slide apart with a slow, deliberate groan.

Elijah was so mesmerized by the tall gates that he didn't notice a battalion of guards, numbering up to a thousand, lined up behind a middle-aged man whose presence exuded wealth.

"Welcome back home, our young Master!" the guards chorused in unison with their hoarse voices. Elijah almost turned to flee, but the middle-aged man called out to him, "Please come forward and don't be afraid, my dear son."

"Ummm?"

Elijah immediately stopped in his tracks. Did that man just call him his son? He hoped that this wasn’t his father, Schwarzenger. Looking around as if to confirm he wasn't walking into a trap, he slowly approached the magnificent estate.

The gates shut completely with a metallic groan, and Elijah stood several meters away from the man and his army of guards. He looked back at the gate, swallowing hard as he realized there was no way to escape anymore, even if he wanted to.

Summoning his courage, he cleared his throat and fearfully raised his head to meet the man's gaze. "Are you the richest...?"

"Yes, my son. I am Schwarzenger, the wealthiest person in the country, and..." Schwarzenger paused for a moment before sighing deeply. "And I'm your biological father. Can I hug you, son? Can I feel your..."

"Please hold it there, sir." Elijah cut him off, sticking out his arm. "So it's true? I'm not being lied to—that I have a father who abandoned me for over twenty years, and now all he wants is to hug me? You don't even feel any remorse! I thought Maestro said you were downcast all these years; it turned out to be all a lie!"

Like a slave finding mercy from a captor, Schwarzenger rushed forward, falling on his knees and burying his face in Elijah's tattered trousers. The guards exchanged uncomfortable glances at their lord's humble position.

The almighty Schwarzenger couldn’t be kneeling; they should remain standing, raised above him. Without warning, the entire battalion followed suit and knelt in their respective positions. Elijah's eyes widened at the sight, and tears welled up in his eyes as he saw his father kneeling before him.

"Stand up, Dad. It's not wise for you to kneel before your son. Kneeling before me doesn’t guarantee I’ll forgive you..."

A quick, short smile crept across Schwarzenger's lips as he heard Elijah call him “Dad.” He hadn’t smiled since his wife died many years ago, and now, his heart leapt for joy. However, his expression quickly faded. Elijah calling him “Dad” wasn’t enough; he felt he had wronged him and needed his forgiveness.

"Please," he whispered without lifting his head, trembling as his voice muffled against Elijah’s worn trousers, "Don’t ask me to stand, son… not unless you’re willing to forgive me."

A heavy silence filled the air as Elijah remained silent, tears streaming down his cheeks. Then, slowly, one of the guards—a tall, clean-shaven man who looked rough with age—spoke up without lifting his gaze.

“Young Master… please,” he pleaded, his fists clenched tightly against the marble floor. “We know we have no right, but His Lordship’s heart has never rested for even a single day. Forgive him, not for our sake, but for the man who’s lost everything but you.”

Another younger guard followed, his voice shaking with raw sincerity. “Master Eli, I’ve seen him wake up in the middle of the night, screaming your name. He searched every orphan registry and even crossed three continents, sir. He deserves one more chance.”

Maestro, close to shedding tears, added softly, “The day you were lost, this entire estate went dark for the rest of that year. No music, no laughter. You’re not just a son to him, Young Master. You’re the breath my boss has been choking for twenty-three years.”

Elijah’s fists were balled, his nails digging into his palms. With a loud groan, he breathed out slowly, steadying his shaky voice. “Alright. You may rise now, Dad. I've forgiven you... at least for now."

The words hit like harmless thunder in everyone's ears. Schwarzenger lifted his head first, his eyes glistening with tears that threatened to fall. Then he rose to his full height, his shoulders squared with Elijah's.

“You actually have every right to be angry, my little boy," he began, tears slowly making their way down his cheeks. “To curse me for allowing my only son to grow up in the streets… in pain… while I sat here and in the United States, surrounded by gold and glass.”

He stepped forward slowly, as if afraid Elijah might vanish if he moved too quickly. “You should have grown up in a life that people would kill to experience,” he continued. “You were meant to have it all. And I swear to you now, with every breath I have left… I’ll give it back. Every comfort, every joy, every dream that was taken from my young and vibrant Elijah. You will feel no more hunger. No more pain.”

Schwarzenger placed a hand gently over his chest. “And should you ever wish to bring judgment upon those who wronged you or made you feel lesser… even if it’s the president of this nation himself…” His voice dropped into a firm whisper. “You won’t be standing alone, as I will always be by your side.”

With that, he reached out tentatively. “Please, may I… may I hug you now?” Elijah stared at him for a long moment with a hard expression, and then, slowly and hesitantly, he gave a single nod.

Schwarzenger moved forward and wrapped his arms around his son. In that moment, the very walls of the Schwarzenger estate seemed to sigh with relief. A wave of celebration followed—Maestro, followed by the kneeling guards, lifted their rifles and fired synchronized rounds into the sky, a booming salute that echoed like thunder across the hills.

But even as Elijah’s arms folded over his father’s back, his lips tightened. Calmly, he leaned closer to his father's ear and whispered, “I forgive you… But don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did to Albertina, my mother.”

Schwarzenger's shoulders tensed mid-embrace, and the warmth started draining from his face.

“She survived by the riverbank… alone,” Elijah continued, his voice low and raw. “While each night we slept beside rats and broken windows. She died without proper treatment… in pain. You will never be forgiven for that.”

Slowly, Schwarzenger unwrapped his arms, his brows tightening. “…Albertina?” he asked, blinking hard, confusion overtaking him. “You mean… that witch of a woman?”

Elijah’s expression hardened further. His body boiled with anger at the mention of who he thought was his mother being referred to as a witch.

"Ugh!!" Schwarzenger groaned, burying his face in his palm and taking a slow step back, his voice shaking now and the joyful color fully draining from his face.

"Master Eli,” Maestro stammered, “that evil woman… Albertina… she was your nanny. Your caregiver when you were small. Your biological mother, high lady Marianne, hired her before you could even learn to walk.”

Schwarzenger looked down, stunned. “She disappeared with you at the amusement park the day their aquarium shattered, and everyone was scrambling for safety to escape the attacking animals. After we couldn't find you both, Maestro, your mother and I assumed you were either dead or she ran away with you… But she… she told you she was your mother?”