The Forgotten Bloodline

2015

Eric walked down the steps of the faculty building after class.

His white shirt had begun to fade, and the knees of his jeans were visibly worn. Even so, his clothes were clean and neatly pressed.

Amid the sea of students dressed in designer brands, he stood out like someone who didn’t belong.

“Psst… look, Issa. Your ex is passing by.”

Christine nudged Issabel’s arm with a mischievous smile.

Issabel, who was standing with Christine and Xavia, immediately turned her head. The moment she spotted Eric, her expression turned cold.

“Forget it. I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”

Christine chuckled.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? You used to be crazy about him. Now you look disgusted just seeing his face.”

Issabel’s jaw tightened.

Three years ago, during freshman orientation, she had been the one to fall for Eric first. His quiet, composed demeanor had captivated her. In fact, Issabel had been the one who begged him to make their relationship more than just a friendship.

But everything changed when she discovered the truth.

Eric was nothing more than a penniless student.

From that day on, her love turned into shame.

To her, the fact that she had once pursued a poor man was a stain on her pride.

And for the past three years, humiliating Eric had become her way of erasing that stain.

Seeing Eric nearing the bottom of the stairs, a faint smile slowly curved Issabel’s lips.

“Eric!”

Eric stopped and turned around.

Issabel looked at him, deliberately making her eyes glisten with tears.

“Could you hold my books for a second? My arms are really sore.”

Several students nearby began watching them.

Without suspecting anything, Eric walked over and reached for the books.

But just as his fingers touched them, Issabel suddenly pulled them back.

The books slipped from her grasp, while the edge of her blouse was tugged slightly in the process.

“Ahhh!”

Issabel screamed and stumbled back several steps.

“Don’t touch me! Eric, I only asked you to hold my books! Why did you pull on my clothes? What were you trying to do to me?”

Christine immediately seized the opportunity.

“Help! There’s a pervert here! He’s trying to rape Issabel! You shameless, broke bastard!”

The word rape instantly ignited the crowd’s anger.

Without bothering to find out what had actually happened, several students rushed at Eric.

“No! You’ve got it wrong! I was only—”

Wham!

A fist slammed into his stomach, knocking the breath from his lungs.

That first punch opened the floodgates.

Moments later, fists and kicks rained down on Eric without mercy.

“Pervert!”

“You piece of trash!”

“How dare you harass a woman!”

Five students took turns beating him.

Eric could do nothing but protect his head. Every time he tried to explain, he was answered with another blow.

Among the crowd, several students had clearly seen Issabel drop the books on purpose.

They knew Eric had been set up.

Yet not one of them cared.

Some chose to remain silent.

Others enjoyed the spectacle, as though Eric’s suffering were nothing more than free entertainment.

Eric gritted his teeth.

He could endure the physical pain.

But the false accusations and disgusted stares from everyone around him hurt far more than any punch ever could.

His eyes reddening, he stared straight at Issabel.

She met his gaze.

Then she stuck out her tongue and smiled mockingly.

“Stop!”

Xavia’s voice finally cut through the commotion.

The five students turned toward her at once.

Without another word, Xavia pulled out her phone, aimed the camera at them, and started recording.

“If you don’t stop, I’ll post this video everywhere. Go ahead and keep beating him if you think you’re brave enough.”

The color instantly drained from their faces.

Realizing their faces had been clearly captured on camera, they hurriedly covered themselves and fled. The noisy crowd dispersed just as quickly, pretending nothing had ever happened.

Eric doubled over, clutching his stomach. He took several breaths before forcing himself back to his feet.

“Thank you…”

Xavia merely nodded.

Without saying anything else, she grabbed Issabel and Christine and pulled them away.

If it hadn’t been for Xavia, Eric’s injuries might have been far worse.

Fortunately, his body had taken so many beatings over the years that he had grown accustomed to enduring pain. Usually, after taking a few painkillers, his injuries would eventually heal on their own.

⸻

An hour later, Eric arrived at his cramped rented room.

He changed his clothes, then hurried to the restaurant where he worked.

To him, being injured was no excuse to stop earning a living.

If he didn’t work, he didn’t eat.

But the moment he entered the restaurant, Eric sensed that something was wrong.

The customers looked at him with disgust. Some even pointed at him openly while whispering among themselves.

Before he could figure out what was happening, the restaurant manager approached him.

“You’re fired. Effective immediately.”

Without giving him a chance to explain, two security guards grabbed Eric and dragged him outside.

Eric stood there in a daze as whispers rose around him.

“That’s him…”

“The guy who assaulted that pretty college student.”

Eric’s expression changed instantly.

He quickly pulled out his phone.

The moment the screen lit up, his chest tightened.

The university groups were flooded with posts about him.

One video showed Issabel crying hysterically, accompanied by a caption accusing Eric of sexually assaulting her.

The video had already spread across several social media platforms.

The comments were filled with hatred.

“Beat that pervert to death!”

Some anonymous accounts were even openly threatening to kill him.

Eric’s hands began to tremble.

In the eyes of the public, he had already been found guilty.

No one cared about his side of the story.

He drew a long breath and forced himself to remain calm.

The sky gradually darkened.

With heavy, unsteady steps, Eric began walking back to his room.

But just as he was about to reach it, a black sedan pulled over by the side of the road.

Four men stepped out and walked straight toward him.

Eric immediately recognized one of them.

Jason Smith.

Issabel’s older brother.

Eric’s heart began pounding.

His feet felt rooted to the ground.

He didn’t even have time to think about running.

The other three men charged first. They knocked him to the ground, then dragged him like a bag of garbage until he lay at Jason’s feet.

Without saying a word, Jason kicked Eric in the face.

Bang!

“Argh…!”

Eric’s body was thrown backward as blood poured from his nose.

Jason grabbed Eric by the hair and forced him to look up before spitting in his face.

“You piece of trash. How dare you assault my sister?”

“Wait… I—”

Slap!

A vicious slap cut him off.

“I didn’t come here to hear your excuses.”

Jason’s gaze was as cold as ice.

“Today, you’re going to die.”

Wham!

Another kick struck Eric’s face, sending him rolling across the pavement.

“Arghhh…!”

Jason turned to his men.

“Break his right arm.”

Without hesitation, two of them pinned Eric down while the third seized his right arm and twisted it with all his strength.

Crack!

The sound of breaking bone rang out clearly.

“Aaaahhh…!”

Eric’s scream echoed through the increasingly deserted street.

Jason merely watched, not showing the slightest hint of mercy.

Once he was certain Eric could no longer fight back, he and his three men returned to the car and drove away, leaving Eric lying there alone.

Tears and blood streamed down his face.

Every inch of his body was consumed by pain.

He had done nothing wrong.

Yet somehow, he was always the one forced to suffer the consequences.

For a moment, a thought crossed his mind.

Maybe… dying would be better than continuing to live like this.

Ding!

Legacy Intelligence successfully activated.

Verifying user…

The copper ring on Eric’s finger suddenly emitted a faint glow after being splattered with his blood. For years, the ring his parents had left behind had never shown anything unusual.

But this time… it was different.

A moment later, a transparent screen appeared before him, hovering in midair like a hologram.

Eric’s vision began to blur.

A faint smile formed at the corner of his lips.

“So… this is my final hallucination…”

His breathing grew weaker.

“Soon… I’ll finally be able to see you again, Dad… Mom…”

With the last of his strength, Eric raised his left hand and slowly reached for the screen.

The tip of his finger had barely touched its surface…

When his consciousness finally faded.