บท 1: Ghoul [1]
At the peak of the night, a grand manor perched atop a hill, illuminating the surrounding dark, empty land beyond the estate.
The air buzzed with soft music and the lively chatter of countless individuals dressed in exquisite suits, expensive dresses, and shimmering jewellery.
A man with slick black hair, sharp blue eyes, and striking features stepped out of an expensive red car, drawing the attention of the paparazzi.
Cameras flashed relentlessly as the crowd of photographers jostled and fought for a glimpse of the man of the night.
"Mr. Silver, may I have a minute of your time?" a female reporter called out, catching his attention as he handed his keys to one of the valets.
"The infamous Ms. Stone. I'm not sure whether I should be honoured or frightened to be interviewed by you," Mr. Silver replied, strolling towards her and planting a kiss on the back of her hand.
Although slightly flustered, the reporter maintained her professionalism.
"No need for such formalities, Mr. Silver. Please tell me how you plan to address the rumours that your company's work is causing widespread illnesses, including cancer and even death in the local area..." As the reporter continued her questioning, the valet who had been observing the scene noticed her face had yet to return to normal, still blushing.
"Pardon me, what do you think you're doing?" a large man wearing the same red cardigan as the observing valet snorted. However, his cardigan struggled to contain his pot belly.
"Apologies, sir. I didn't mean to stare. I'll get back to work," the valet replied, bowing deeply, his grin wide and innocent.
"Who are you? You look too young to be one of my men. I believe I would remember someone I deemed unfit at first sight. Show me your ID," the large man commanded, his tone authoritative.
The valet maintained his grin as if his facial muscles were frozen.
"Forgive me, sir. I'm new here. Jeremy was supposed to inform you that I start today," the valet explained, handing over his identification, which displayed his name as 'Derek Summers' and his birth year, indicating he was of age.
The accompanying photo showcased his overly enthusiastic grin.
The large man scrutinized the ID card before returning it.
"The code?" the large man inquired, without further explanation. After a brief pause, the valet responded.
"Pegasus."
The large man stared at him for a moment before turning away.
"Get back to work. And stop with that grin. It's creepy," he ordered, walking away and escorting Mr. Silver into the manor.
The valet's grin faded, revealing a young boy with bright amber eyes and dishevelled black hair that partially covered his forehead.
Derek, or rather, Isaac, as he was truly named, opened the door to Mr. Silver's expensive vehicle, settled into the driver's seat, and started the engine.
He joined the procession of valets driving down the hill, following the other cars ahead. An intersection loomed ahead, offering two choices: a left turn leading to the small parking lot for the vehicles or a right turn toward the city.
The two valets preceding Mr. Silver's car veered left, as they were supposed to. However, Isaac's car lingered for a moment before making a decision.
And when the street cleared, the car accelerated, hurtling down the road at breakneck speed towards the city.
As the car entered the bustling city, Isaac's excitement grew, and a wide smile spread across his face.
"Finally!" he exclaimed with relief and jubilation, pounding the steering wheel as laughter erupted from deep within him. The familiar grin returned, erasing the previous facade.
"No more back alley naps and makeshift beds. No more scavenging for breakfast in dumpsters. No more grovelling before wealthy assholes, kissing their feet. No more!" Isaac Shouted, his excitement uncontainable.
It had always been Isaac's goal to acquire enough money to live a life of peace and prosperity.
Ever since he had escaped the wretched confines of his orphanage and spent years on the unforgiving streets, he had come to realise one thing: money was paramount.
Money could command respect. Money could bestow a degree of power. Money meant Isaac would no longer have to endure the company of the scum he had been forced to associate with his entire life.
With money, Isaac no longer had to endure the stress that came with working under local gangs, faking his identity, or extorting unfaithful rich men and women.
It's not that Isaac felt guilty. No. Isaac's moral code had long since withered, if there even was any to begin with.
Despite this, he wasn't complaining. It made it easier to be a great scam artist.
Instead, if he were to describe it, it'd be exhausting. Completing an intricate and time-consuming scam, only to be instantly thrown into another, was mentally taxing for him, and he couldn't wait for it to be over.
With this car, in other words, his biggest score, combined with the money he'd gathered over the last few years, he could now live a life in a luxury apartment, eating whatever he pleased and doing whatever he wanted.
For once in his miserable life, his future was looking up.
He rolled down the window, allowing a wave of fresh air to wash over him. To say he was excited was an understatement.
He was over the moon. He could practically taste the luxury food he'd indulge himself in and the soft mattress he'd come home to every night.
However, while singing along to the radio, Isaac found himself falling into a trance like state, daydreaming about peculiar thoughts.
Catching himself before lost control of the wheel, Isaac shook his head as if waking himself from sleep.
"Again? What's wrong with me these days?" Isaac mumbled.
In these past few weeks, he'd been having peculiar thoughts and sometimes even dreams when he slept.
Burning men, death angels, pirates who couldn't swim and…ninjas?
It was to the point where he could write a whole book based on the random episodes he'd been having.
But he wouldn't let this ruin his mood.
After driving for a few minutes, Isaac made a sharp turn into an alleyway where he demonstrated expert-level driving as he cut sharp corners, navigating through the alley that resembled a maze.
Soon, he came to a stop and exited the car, grabbing a duffle bag from a nearby dumpster. He opened it, and he removed a screwdriver as he started unscrewing the silver licence plate with the words "S1LVER".
"Oh my, you're just a child."
Isaac, busy unscrewing the licence plate, jumped up, darting his eyes toward where the voice was coming from, only to be met with a well-dressed male with sharp blue eyes and slick black hair
'H-how…'
Before isaac could complete his thoughts, the man, who Isaac recognised as Derek Silver, continued speaking.
"Where have I seen you before? Ah, right. The valet. I must say, for someone so young, you have quite the head on your shoulders. Stealing from a man as great as myself is no easy task."
As he spoke, Silver proceeded to walk toward Isaac.
Meanwhile, Isaac had countless thoughts running through his head.
How did he find him? Why was he acting so casually, as if visiting a friend? However, Isaac put the meaningless thoughts aside and prioritised.
'If he drops his guard enough, I should be able to land a clean blow and escape.'
In normal circumstances, Isaac would abandon his loot and escape. However, the thought of all this work being for nought irritated Isaac to no end.
He refused to give up.
As Silver approached, he prepared to lunge.
"You see, if it were any other day of the week, I'd have let you escape with the car. It's meaningless to me."
Silver stood a few feet away from Isaac, his hand on the trunk of his car as Isaac prepared his attack.
However, just before he could move, he became frozen in place as his heart skipped a beat.
"But I couldn't let such delicate prey go to waste, now could I?" Silver's tone rose a few pitches as he opened the trunk of his car, revealing a male in a purple suit with a clean goatee.
However, this wasn't what Isaac noticed at first glance.
No. Instead, it was blood pouring down the man's face, or maybe the blood was coming from another wound.
Isaac couldn't tell.
But what was most prominent were the man's black eyes with red pupils.
'What is that thing!?'
Isaac yelled inwardly.
His heartbeat quickened as he unknowingly took a few steps back.
"It's not every day I come across a ghoul."
Looking back to Silver, Isaac's heart sank.
Silver grinned widely, drooling as he exuded a suffocating aura of pure killing intent.
Additionally, staring into Silver's eyes, Isaac could only stare as he watched the white in the man's eyes disappear, turning pitch black as his pupils became dyed in a blood red colour.
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