CHAPTER NINE
Everything was done just as the Emperor had instructed. While silence followed, and heads were raised just like the eyes fixed in them, Kelvin began his work, missing and grinding while everyone looked. “I think you are making a terrible mistake, Emperor…” Elias refused to give up, showcasing his disdain for Kelvin. “This nobody from the slum is only going to kill the Princess. He doesn’t even know what he is doing…” The Emperor’s silence was loud, yet there was every hint of uncertainty glittering in his eyes. He watched Kelvin do his thing with high expertise, still struggling with the pain and weakness that hit him. Slowly, Kelvin moved to the Princess, then he poured the herb into her mouth, holding her jerking body still until everything went down her throat. “Will that work?” The Emperor drew closer, eyes wide with apprehension. Kelvin was too weak to speak, so he gave a slight nod while he stepped aside. “There is no way that’s going to heal the princess…” Someone whispered, and she seemed not to be the only one who doubted the ability of the nobody from the slum. “He is no way more knowledgeable than the Almighty Lord Elias. I hope he is ready to face the wrath of the Emperor when he finally fails…” “This lunatic will lose his life due to his arrogance…” The voices kept crawling in, spite and scorn all upon Kelvin. But everything changed the moment they heard a cough; their eyes turned to the Princess. “She is awake!” The Emperor exclaimed, disbelief fueling his speed toward his daughter. “Princess! Can you hear me?!” He sat next to her on the bed, wrapping his arms around her. Elias gritted his teeth, fists clenched. “No way…” He muttered, turning to Brian with contempt. “Did the trash from the slum just cure the princess?” “Did he just prove himself worthy and make Lord Elias look like a failure?” Elias tried not to pay attention to the comments, but they were to loud, too scattered to be ignored. He took a deep breath, but before he could decide on what to do, the Emperor turned to Kelvin and made the declaration; “This man is under my protection! Anyone who harms him will have me to contend with!” He pointed to Kelvin, still holding onto his daughter. Kelvin smiled, turning to Elias with a sneer. “No…” Elias gasped silently; the thought of what could become of him crept into his mind, causing disarray inside him. “I can’t let this happen…” He thought to himself, and then he heeded to the voice inside his head. He hurried to Kelvin, reaching for his pocket on his way. “I guess I should congratulate you…” He feigned a smile, pushing his feet faster. Kelvin sensed the tension, but before he could take any action, it was already to late. Elias pulled out a syringe from his pocket, and pretending to hug him, he stabbed him in the neck, neatly and so discreetly that no one noticed. Kelvin fell to the ground, violently shaking and curled up. His eyes bulged, and thick reddish foam flowed from his mouth. “Help! Somebody!” Elias pretended to call for help, shifting away from Kelvin. “My heart…” Kelvin cried out, but the last thing he remembered was that deadly smirk from Elias before he finally passed out in the middle of the event of his tragedy. Flashes of the memory of the deadly-night encounter Kelvin had kept on reminiscing inside his head. It seemed like he was having a terrible nightmare. Suddenly, his eyes opened widely. He gasped instantly. “He is awake! Doctor! He is awake!” The nurse who was watching over him ran out of the ward to get the Doctor. Kelvin couldn’t feel many parts of his body, especially his legs. An oxygen mask was placed over his mouth and nose. He tried to say something, but it was as if he had lost his voice, just like he lost his wife and everything he had built for over five years to the fire. The Doctor walked in not long after, alongside the nurse. They looked so shocked at how fast he regained consciousness. “This is a miracle, Kelvin! I already told your brother that I wasn’t sure you would make it!” “My brother?” Kelvin coughed loudly, and the Doctor quickly removed the mask from his face. “Take it easy, Kelvin! You will be fine. I am Doctor Arnold. You were attacked by unidentified men.” The Doctor checked his vitals and made some quick observations. “Your body sustained severe injuries, but I am shocked that you are awake in less than three days!” The Doctor’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he turned to the nurse as if she was meant to give him an explanation. “Three days?” Kelvin managed to speak, but his feeble voice was barely above a whisper. “Yes, you were brought in here two nights ago by your brother.” “My brother?” Kelvin was still confused about what the Doctor said. The last time he remembered, he grew up in an orphanage, and the only thing he had about his identity was a necklace that had his name inscribed on it. He knew that he usually struggled with scary dreams where he saw himself in a car, and the last thing he could remember was surviving a fatal crash. But there was no real explanation to what he witnessed. “Doctor? I don’t have a brother. I am an orphan.” Kelvin said with so much certainty, but the Doctor shook his head at once. “Maybe you have a concussion, Kelvin. But I am sure you will feel better soon. Don’t worry, your brother will be here. He said…” Doctor Arnold was interrupted by the footsteps of a man walking into the ward. “Oh! Here he is! Mr. Ashwood? You are right on time!” The Doctor gave way for the man who walked toward Kelvin at once, causing him to gasp in shock. “Who are you?!” Kelvin froze the moment he saw a man who looked exactly like him. It was as if there was no difference between the two of them. He was clad in a very expensive suit, and it was obvious from his wristwatch that he was very wealthy. A different version of Kelvin. “Brother?! You are awake! I thought I was going to lose you! I was so glad when I saw your picture on the news about the fire incident!” The man almost sounded like Kelvin, and a bright smile appeared on his face. Kelvin was forced to blink severally just in case he was dreaming. But the man who looked exactly like him was still standing there, staring at him with his smile intact. “My name is Kent. I am your twin brother.” The man finally said something, but his explanation was not enough to get rid of the confusion that engulfed Kelvin. “I know you have a lot of questions to ask, but I need you to recover fully. I am so glad that you are alive! I have been searching for you for over two decades!” Kent was so elated that he was finally reuniting with his twin brother, but Kelvin still looked oblivious to what he was saying. “I am sorry. But I can’t remember anything.” Kelvin said after struggling to see if he could remember something. “Don’t worry, brother. I am sure you will soon; I need you to recover fully.” Kent was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t the reunion he was expecting, but he was glad that his search was finally over. Kelvin didn’t think that he was ready to wait to hear the full story about his true identity. He looked at his legs, and when he was able to figure out what was wrong with him, he adjusted his bones at once. A loud crack accompanied his grunt, but he was already on his feet before the Doctor could get to him. “What are you doing, Kelvin?! You need to stay here so that we can monitor you!” “I am fine, Doctor. I can take care of myself.” Kelvin turned to face Kent, who was shocked at how he was able to get himself to walk in less than a minute. “Take me out of here. I need to hear everything.” Kent didn’t hesitate to do what his brother wanted. He led him out of the hospital while both the nurse and Doctor watched with astonishment, wondering what kind of man Kelvin was. There were twelve cars lined up in front of the hospital, each had unique designs, and could only be afforded by the wealthiest people in the City. Two guards stood beside each of the cars, and they bowed as soon as they saw Kent walking out of the hospital alongside his twin brother. “Who has all these cars?” Kelvin marveled at the sight of different cars before him. He had not seen many of them before. “These cars?” Kent chuckled softly. “These are just the least cars parked in our garage. Wait till we get home, then you will discover how rich we are.” Kelvin and his brother got into one of the cars, and they drove out of the premises at once. Everyone who saw the fleet of cars speeding to one particular direction wondered who they were. Even the President of Solana didn’t have that many convoys. Finally, they arrived at Rose Haven, the biggest estate in the entire country. The avenue was bordered by beautiful gardens, and the main mansion was so big and magnificent that Kelvin felt like he was in a palace. They were welcomed by numerous servants as soon as they got into the mansion. But all Kelvin was concerned about was his true identity. “How did we get separated from each other?” He asked Kent as soon as they were seated. “We were on a road trip twenty-two years ago when we were attacked…” Kent began while he paid keen attention. “Our vehicle was attacked, and father was killed. By the time we woke up in the hospital, we discovered that you were missing.” “We?” “Mother and Briana, our younger sister. They are in Rubbyvile City; they will be so glad to see you.” Everything was finally making sense to Kelvin. The constant dreams that kept him awake almost every night suddenly became clearer. “I know everything you have been through, brother. But your life is about to change. As the heir to our family wealth, you have five bank accounts to your name, each worth over ten billion.” “What?!” Kelvin was shocked. But Kent wasn’t done. “You own the biggest first-tier company in this City, and there are so many other things which I will reveal to you. We shall rule the world together, brother.” Kent’s words resounded in Kelvin’s ears, and he nodded in satisfaction. It was time to have his revenge, and he was going to serve it cold.Latest Chapter
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The world shook.Kelvin stood frozen as the black sphere shattered completely.Pieces of darkness floated around him.Then they disappeared.The silence that followed was worse than the explosion.Leisa was on her knees.Jacob stood beside her, breathing heavily.Gale had his staff raised.The First Vessel stared at the center of the chamber.Arlen was gone.So were the Shadow Hunters.Kelvin looked down at his hands.The six symbols beneath his skin were fading.His power was almost gone.Then something moved.A hand came out of the broken sphere.Kelvin stepped back.Another hand followed.The thing pulled itself into the chamber.It was tall.Too tall.Its body looked human, but it was covered in black cracks that glowed from inside.Its face had no eyes.No mouth.Only smooth skin.Until two white eyes suddenly opened.Gale tightened his grip on his staff."What is that?"The First Vessel answered quietly."The thing that existed before the source."The creature looked around.The
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Darkness swallowed everything.Kelvin could no longer see the source, the chamber, or the people around him.He reached forward.“Leisa!”There was no answer.“Jacob! Gale!”Silence.Then he felt something touch his shoulder.Kelvin turned sharply.A pair of glowing eyes appeared in front of him.He stepped backward.“Who are you?”A deep voice answered.“You know who I am.”Kelvin frowned.“The source?”The eyes moved closer.“You have finally understood why you were brought here.”Kelvin clenched his fists.“I wasn't brought here. You chose me.”“Is there a difference?”“Yes.”The seventh symbol on his chest began glowing.“I have a choice.”The voice remained silent for a moment.Then it laughed.“A choice?”Kelvin raised his head.“I won't become you.”“You already are becoming me.”A wave of darkness moved toward him.Kelvin raised his hands, but none of his powers responded.He looked down.The six symbols had disappeared.Only the seventh remained.“What have you done?”“Nothin
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Kelvin felt himself falling.There was no ground beneath him.No ceiling.No sound.Only darkness.He could hear Leisa screaming his name somewhere behind him, but her voice became weaker with every passing second.“Leisa!”Kelvin stretched his hand toward her.His fingers touched hers.“I have you!”She held onto him tightly.Jacob was still holding onto Gale, while the first vessel struggled to keep everyone together.Then something pulled them apart.Kelvin's grip slipped.“Kelvin!”Leisa disappeared into the darkness.“No!”Kelvin tried to follow her, but the seventh symbol on his chest suddenly became brighter.A violent force pushed him away.He fell alone.Then he stopped.His feet touched the ground.Kelvin opened his eyes.He was standing in a familiar place.The river.The same river where Gale had found him years ago.Kelvin looked around.Everything was silent.The water moved slowly.Trees surrounded the area.Then he saw a small boy sitting beside the river.Kelvin stare
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The seventh symbol entered Kelvin's chest.A sharp wave of pain passed through his entire body.Kelvin dropped to one knee, gripping his chest as black light spread across his skin.“Kelvin!” Leisa shouted.She rushed toward him, but Gale grabbed her arm.“Wait!”“Let me go!”“Look at him!”Kelvin's body was shaking.The six symbols that had entered him earlier began glowing beneath his skin, but the seventh remained different. It moved through his chest like a living thing before settling directly over his heart.Kelvin screamed.The chamber shook.Arlen stepped backward with a satisfied smile.“Yes.”The first vessel looked at him with anger.“What have you done?”Arlen ignored him.“It is complete.”Kelvin slowly raised his head.His eyes had changed.One was glowing with a pale light while the other was completely black.Arlen looked at him.“You finally have all seven.”Kelvin struggled to stand.“What did you put inside me?”“The final piece.”Arlen raised his hand.The six symb
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The door opened completely.A wave of cold air rushed through the chamber.Kelvin stood at the entrance.Nobody spoke.Beyond the door was a massive hall that seemed to have no end.There were no machines.No cables.No walls made from metal.Only darkness.And at the center of that darkness was something enormous.A black sphere floated above the ground.It was beating.Boom.Boom.Boom.Every beat shook the floor.Jacob swallowed hard.“What is that?”The first vessel answered.“The source.”Kelvin stared at it.The source looked nothing like he had expected.It wasn't a stone.It wasn't a machine.It wasn't even completely solid.It looked like darkness had been gathered into one place and given life.Light moved inside it.Shapes appeared and disappeared.Faces.Places.Memories.Kelvin saw his mother.Then his father.Then Vella.Then himself as a child.He stepped forward.The source reacted.The entire hall lit up.Kelvin stopped.The voice returned.KELVIN.He looked around.“
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Kelvin stared at the old man.The man stood behind the black door with his hands behind his back.He didn't look afraid.He didn't look surprised.He looked like he had been waiting for Kelvin for a very long time.“Why did you create me?” Kelvin asked.The old man smiled.“Come inside.”Kelvin didn't move.Gale stepped beside him.“Don't listen to him.”The old man looked at Gale.“You still interfere.”Gale tightened his grip on his staff.“You've caused enough trouble.”The old man chuckled.“You always blamed the wrong people.”Kelvin looked between them.“You know him?”Gale didn't answer.The old man did.“He knows me very well.”Kelvin stepped forward.“Then tell me his name.”The old man smiled.“You don't need my name.”“I asked you a question.”The man's smile disappeared.“My name is Dr. Arlen.”Kelvin's eyes narrowed.“Dr. Arlen.”The name felt strangely familiar.He searched his memories.Nothing.Then Vella's voice whispered inside his mind.Kelvin.“What?”I've heard th
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