The Shamanic Billionaire

FIVE: Mountain Boy

The Arrows were the clear power players in Lume City. As part of the 'Big Three' families, their influence was felt in every corner, from skyscrapers to high-stakes boardrooms.

They spoke the language of wealth, but now, with the Patriarch on his deathbed in the silence of the Master Suite, it seemed that money had let them down. No amount of riches could cure a man who was slowly falling apart.

Inside the soundproof suite, the atmosphere was filled with tension and it was charged. Amelia glanced at her diamond-studded watch for what felt like the third time in sixty seconds, her heels clicking against the marble floor in a steady rhythm.

“Master Rady is still downstairs,” she murmured, her eyes flicking to the heavy doors. “He mentioned feeling a disturbance. I just hope that mountain boy hasn’t started up trouble already.”

Dr. Thane, her brother and the family’s private physician, didn’t look up from his tablet. “You mean your husband’s son? The one from the exile?”

Amelia rolled her eyes, a scornful expression crossing her face. “Yep, that’s the one. I consulted one of Master Rady’s contacts yesterday, and you know what the guy had the nerve to say? He claimed that Grant’s illegitimate mountain brat is fated to outshine my own son! My son, the genius of Lume! How could a kid from the dirt possibly compete with a boy raised for greatness?”

Thane scoffed, adjusting his glasses. “That’s absurd. The boy’s been unknown for fourteen years now. He doesn’t matter, Amelia. Just be quiet. I need to stimulate the nerve endings.”

Leaning over the bed, Thane pressed his thumbs firmly into key points along the Patriarch’s neck and jaw. Silas Arrows looked like a ghost. He looked skeletal, pale, and entirely unresponsive.

Suddenly, the doors burst open.

Before Thane could react, a strong hand gripped his wrist, pulling him away from the bed. Thane stumbled backward, nearly tripping over a heart monitor.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Thane shouted, clutching his arm in shock.

He locked eyes with the intruder. The young man stood tall, decked out in stylish, high-end black street wear that sharply contrasted his tousled, wind-swept hair. His gaze was cold, scanning the room with unnerving focus.

Amelia gasped, her hand flying to her throat. “You...”

“He’s my son,” Grant said, breathless as he stepped into the room behind Cai.

“You’re killing him,” Cai stated flatly, his eyes fixed on Thane rather than Amelia. “You brought in a Soul Reaver to protect him, and now you’re pushing on his carotid sinus like you’re trying to stop his heart.”

Thane’s face turned red with a mix of confusion and fury. “I’m a doctor with a degree from the best institution in the country! What do you mean, 'Soul Reaver'?” His arrogance flared at the thought of this 'mountain boy.' “You’ve probably spent too long sniffing incense in the woods. This is about medicine.”

Cai scoffed, glancing down at Silas. The old man was just a shell. To Cai, Silas’s spirit felt absent, adrift on a fraying thread.

“Master Rady,” Grant continued, his voice still shaky. “There was something off about him downstairs. Cai took care of it.”

Amelia's eyes widened, her composure cracking. “What do you mean, Cai took care of it?”

Cai shrugged casually. “I sent him packing. He wasn’t a good person. Or even a person, really.”

“You sent him away?!” Amelia screeched, her voice reaching a sharp, furious pitch. “Grant, can you see this? This is the nonsense he was spouting at the hospital! Do you have any idea how much I paid Master Rady to secure this him? He was the only reason Father was even holding on! He did more than your machines ever could!”

“Amelia, just calm down,” Grant pleaded, but she was too wound up to listen.

“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down!” she shot back, jabbing a shaking finger at Cai. “If it weren't for Master Rady's so-called 'spiritual stabilization,' Father would’ve been on a ventilator weeks ago! He literally brought Father back from death’s door!”

Cai burst out laughing, the sound shockingly loud in the room.

“People like you are exactly what my Master warned me about,” Cai said, his eyes glimmering with a dangerous flair. “You’re blind, not in the literal sense, but spiritually. You think that vulture was saving him? Rady was just keeping him in a coma to keep the soul 'fresh.' He was waiting for the right moment to harvest it. He wasn’t keeping your father alive, he was marinating him.”

Thane stepped closer, his jaw clenched. “You’re unbelievably rude. Is this how they teach you to speak to your elders up on that hill?”

“Well, I didn’t grow up with parents,” Cai shot back, a smirk spreading. “So, I guess I’m a little ill-mannered. It’s a family trait, right?”

Thane bristled. “I’m not surprised. Now that you’ve chased away our help and insulted us, what exactly are you here to do?”

Cai positioned himself at the head of the bed, feeling a surge of confidence that was new to him. For years, he’d been labeled the 'talentless' student who couldn’t handle low-rank demons. But now, he had just took down a Soul Reaver like it was nothing. It felt like he was finally in control.

“I’m here to wake him up,” Cai stated firmly.

He didn’t fully grasp the medical diagnosis, but he sensed the void. Silas’s soul was missing, likely lured into some sort of spiritual trap. Rady had been searching for it and failed. If Rady had found it, Silas would already be a corpse.

Thane laughed loudly. “You? Wake him? With what… magic? I’m a man of science here, boy. Let me do my job.”

Cai turned to Grant, disappointment creeping into his expression. “You know, I’m not really thrilled about this, Mr. Grant Arrows. I shouldn’t even be here helping you. This family tossed me aside like garbage, and now your people are obstructing me while I try to be decent and helpful.”

He looked back at Silas, then back at his father. “Make a choice. Now. Do you want your father back, or do you want to keep listening to these two amateurs?”

Grant met Cai’s gaze, seeing the confidence, the odd blue residue still fading from Cai’s fingertips, and the chaos left in his wake downstairs. He glanced at Amelia and Thane, then back to his son.

“Please step outside. Both of you,” Grant said, his voice surprisingly assertive. “Let Cai do whatever he needs to do.”

“Grant, you can’t be serious!” Amelia yelled, but Grant remained firm, simply gesturing toward the door.