Chương 22: At this ungodly hour

The clanging of chains caught the attention of another bulky man who stood not too far off, staring at the golden liquid in fascination.

The bulky man spoke, "You know your struggles are useless…"

As if answering a hidden order, the chains glowed a hot searing red, hidden runes flared to life burning into the chained man's wrist.

"Arrgh!"

Jidenna jolted up from the bed, eyes wide in fear. Panting, he lifted his hand to swipe away the drops of sweat from his forehead.

He could still hear the echoes of screams in his head.

His eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "What was that?" He dropped his hands onto his head, trying to make sense of what had just happened when Jidenna realized something. "Wait, what did I dream of?"

Jidenna shut his eyes tightly, searching for it in his mind, but he was greeted by a familiar sharp pain, like a knife stab. His grip on his head tightened as he let out a groan of pain.

On the bed, Jidenna curled in on himself, his knees tucked into his chest, his head resting on them, his eyes shut, blocking out everything outside.

Jidenna's eyes only fluttered open once the radiating pain faded away.

He blinked again, his eyes searching through the dark room for something unknown. In the darkness, the objects around Jidenna changed slowly, morphing into creepy monsters.

He blinked again, dispelling the illusion he had. Jidenna felt like a thousand eyes were peering down at him, and not in any way that was good.

He could hear the crickets chirping outside the room. He scanned around again, brushing over the hideous monsters crouching and hanging around.

His lips twitched. The unknown creature with a body like an enormous cat with an abnormally gaping mouth turned out to be his shirt, discarded on the chair.

He moved on.

"Bang!"

His heart flew into his throat. His hand squeezed the bedsheets under him, ready to bolt at any time.

Dim light from the passage spilled in.

Jidenna stared at the silhouette of a hulking figure leaning on the door frame, his mind racing as he tried to remember when his door had opened.

The huge figure pushed itself off the frame, walking leisurely into his room.

His mind ran as fast as a calculator, his eyes darting left and right, checking for an escape route.

He eyed the open window to his left, thinking, "This window should be big enough to jump through. Before he attacks, I'll have to jump out the window. It's just a two-story building, and I'm on the first floor; there wouldn't be much impact."

Jidenna slowly unfolded himself, his body slightly facing the window, his legs tensed, waiting to unleash explosive power.

Just as Jidenna was about to carry out his plan, he heard a click, and blinding white light flooded into the room.

Like a grumpy vampire exposed to sunlight, Jidenna's eyes stung from the sudden light. Hissing in pain, he closed his eyes, which had already adapted to the dark.

While bearing with the stinging, the thudding of footsteps drew closer, and a familiar gruff voice said in a grave tone, "Jidenna, it's high time you learned about this family's secret."

"Huh?"

Jidenna froze. He pursed his lips, feeling embarrassed. He stared wide-eyed in confusion and disbelief; the intruder was… his father, Ikenna.

His father stood in front of his bed, his hands behind his back. He only had a wrapper tied around his waist, and his chest was bare, showcasing an array of tribal marks and some unknown markings adorned on his chest.

In the same grave voice, he continued, "In this family, when the time comes, every firstborn has to be introduced to the ways of our ancestors."

He gave Jidenna a look and said, "The time has come."

Jidenna, still confused, turned his head to look out of the window. Outside, the sky was pitch black, the stars, though barely visible, were twinkling.

For a moment, Jidenna wondered if he had transmigrated again.

"The whole situation is just weird."

An icy breeze blew in from the open window, completely stripping away whatever sluggishness he had.

He shivered. Jidenna confirmed, "This can't be a dream. It's just too real."

Stealing a glance at the sky once more, he estimated the time. "It should be about 2:00 a.m."

"What in the world is going on?" Jidenna felt bewildered. "How can you wake someone at this ungodly hour?"

Jidenna barely stopped the groan that almost slipped out from his lips.

All he wanted was to wrap himself in the warm, tempting blanket and doze off until the next day, but one look into his father's black eyes, which felt oddly sharp—not like the amicable and loving look he had come to know—stopped him.

"Something's wrong," he could feel it. His mind screamed at him.

Taking another glance at the hulking man, Jidenna noticed, "It's not just his eyes that are different—it's also his aura." Under its influence, the atmosphere gradually became serious. Understanding this, Jidenna squashed any idea of rebellion.

But even if he guessed something, Jidenna couldn't help but complain in his mind, "Just what kind of conversation do you want to have at this time that cannot wait until the morning?"

Jidenna got down from the warm bed, grudgingly shuffling away to get properly dressed when he heard the same voice speak again.

"No need to search for clothes." Turning around, before Jidenna could sigh in relief, his father continued, "Wear this." His father, Ikenna, removed his right hand from behind his back.

On his extended muscular arm hung a colorful wrapper, neatly folded.

Seeing the wrapper, Jidenna just couldn't help but stare at it.

It was royal purple, with swirls of vibrant gold.

It was like nothing he had ever seen. Its presence oddly seemed incompatible with its surroundings.

"Like it was noble." Jidenna gave a start, feeling shocked by the idea that came out of nowhere.

His father, Ikenna, pushed the wrapper toward him again, urging him to take it, drawing his attention.