The Wrath of Jordan Jefferson

Chapter 7: The Awakening

A deep grey Rolls-Royce Phantom glided silently along the quiet stretch of highway, its engine humming smoothly like a lullaby against the early morning breeze.

Inside, seated in the backseat with the window slightly down, Jenna Jenkins gazed absentmindedly at the passing trees. Her mind was far away, weighed down by a business meeting she had just wrapped up.

Then, suddenly, something caught her eye.

She leaned forward slightly. “Marcus, stop the car.”

The driver looked at her through the rearview mirror, confused. “Ma?”

“I said stop the car!” she repeated, her tone firm but calm.

Marcus pulled over, the tyres crunching softly against the dry gravel. Jenna opened the door and stepped out in her heels, her silk gown catching the light as she walked briskly across the roadside dust.

Not far from the road, she saw it clearly now.

A man.

Lying half-covered in dry leaves and dust, body twisted like someone discarded in a hurry. Blood stained his torn shirt and his skin looked pale, too pale. Jenna knelt beside him without hesitation, her heart already racing.

She bent closer and gently placed her fingers at the side of his neck.

He was barely breathing.

“Marcus!” she called out. “Come and help me lift him into the car. Quickly!”

“Miss Jenkins, no,” Marcus said from a distance, frowning. “You don’t know who this man is. It could be a trap. What if he’s a criminal or even worse—”

“He’s not,” Jenna said sharply. “He’s dying.”

“Miss…”

“I said carry him.”

Reluctantly, Marcus hurried over. Together, they lifted the man carefully and laid him across the backseat. Jenna slid in beside him, placing his head gently on her lap.

She took a clean napkin from her purse and wiped the dust from his face.

Even in his battered state, his features were striking.

She had never seen a man so beautifully formed, yet so broken.

His breath came in faint gasps, his skin clammy to the touch. As she adjusted his head, something caught her attention on the side of his neck.

A mark.

Dark, ancient-looking, glowing faintly against his skin.

Jenna froze.

Her own neck began to tingle, a heat rising beneath the collar of her blouse. Almost afraid, she pulled the cloth aside and gasped.

The exact same mark was glowing on her.

“Miss Jenkins… are you alright?” Marcus asked, glancing back nervously.

Before she could answer, a sudden burst of silver light shot out from the man’s neck, and at the same time, her own mark responded with a beam of its own. The two lights met in the air, intertwining like threads of silk, casting a luminous glow inside the entire car.

The light grew brighter, blinding even.

“Miss Jenkins! I can’t see!” Marcus shouted, trying to pull the car over.

The Rolls-Royce screeched slightly and came to a complete stop at the edge of the road.

Then—

Everything went quiet.

***********************

Jordan felt the ground shift beneath him.

He opened his eyes and saw nothing familiar. No dust. No sky. No car.

Just a wide, silent expanse of glowing white light stretching endlessly.

He stood up, confused. “Where am I?”

“Jordan Jefferson, my son…” a voice boomed from the stillness. It echoed deeply into his chest, vibrating through his bones.

He turned, looking around. “Who’s there?”

From the mist, a tall figure stepped forward, his body cloaked in radiant light, his face both strange and somehow familiar.

“It is time for you to wake up,” the man said.

“Who are you? And why are you calling me your son?” Jordan asked, still reeling from everything.

“I am your father. The last of the Onyx Keepers… of our bloodline.”

Jordan’s heartbeat slowed. “What bloodline? What’s going on?”

“You were born with the Mark of Onyx. It is a seal of legacy… and great danger.”

“I don’t understand. Why now? Why all this?” Jordan’s voice was almost breaking.

But the figure didn’t answer that. Instead, he stepped closer, light still flowing from his hands.

“There’s not much time,” he said. “That girl… the one whose light merged with yours. She will guide you. Protect her, for her light will open your path.”

Jordan’s eyes widened. “Guide me to where?”

The man’s voice became fainter, the light surrounding him dimming slowly.

“Be careful… Those who killed me will come after you. And beware… beware of the man from the waters…”

“Wait—what do you mean? Who is he?” Jordan shouted, reaching forward. “Please—don’t go!”

But the man had already faded into mist, the last glimmer of light vanishing into the vast white space.

*************************

Jordan jolted awake.

His body shook as he gasped for air. Sweat covered his forehead. The first thing he noticed was the soft leather of the car seat… and the woman staring at him with wide, trembling eyes.

He looked down, silver light was still glowing from the mark on his neck.

And then he saw it—her neck carried the same mark, also glowing and humming faintly.

The lights gently receded, fading into stillness, but the room was still charged with power neither of them could explain.

Jordan stared at her, confused and weak. “Who are you?”

The woman looked just as shaken. She swallowed, her voice soft but clear.

“I… I’m Jenna Jenkins. The one who saved you.”