Silent Sunrise

As the morning sun rose to wake up life, one was ending just now.

*Ding* *ding* *ding*

The bell was ringing in the mansion, waking up everyone who was asleep.

It was 4 am in the morning. 

About the time that Maiko's son, "Orion," was his name had to wake up. 

had a deep meaning, something about the sun, but Karyan couldn't care any less what it actually meant, nor did he want to dig deeper, as the name was no longer in use.

"Please, my lord! Wake up! Wake up!" The maid responsible for Orion kept shouting, ringing the bell in the hall and running as fast as she could.

"What is happening so early in the morning?" Maiko came out, offended.

"I'm sorry, my lord…" the maid gasped, "but he's not opening his eyes!" She tried to explain as her chest kept lifting due to heavy breathing.

"Absurd! What do you mean he's not waking up! I just saw him yesterday, before Ros-, ahem," he corrected himself, "before going to sleep."

"Please, come with me!"

Maiko immediately followed the maid into the baby's room.

As he entered, disbelief gripped him as he beheld a scene that shattered his world.

Victoria, his wife, stood with ashen eyes, pleading to God for mercy, cradling little Orion in her arms.

Tears streamed down her face, mirroring the fading color of blood on his skin. The room echoed with a silent plea for explanation.

In a frantic rush, Mateo and Barbara, clad in nightgowns, hurried to the room as the news of the heir's life slipping away spread through the house.

The air became heavy with sorrow, and the urgency to save what remained of life hung palpably in the dimly lit corridors.

The future of the fire now rested on fragile shoulders.

Amidst the chaos, Maiko's anguish transformed into a storm of emotions. In desperation, he turned accusing eyes towards Barbara.

"You threatened us last night!" he cried, his voice trembling with grief, anger. "You wished harm upon our son!"

Mateo's face contorted with disbelief, and in a sudden eruption of emotion, he turned towards Barbara, delivering a sharp slap.

The room echoed with gasps and sobs, as the drama intensified, holding a lot of false and empty accusations.

Confusion etched Barbara's face as she tried to deny the accusations. "I went to sleep, I would never," she protested, bewildered.

Mateo, fueled by rage, pushed her down and unleashed a torrent of slaps, the room vibrating with the echoes of pain.

While looking at his sister getting beaten by their father, he turned around and clung to his wife, the weight of grief and loss heavy was in his arms, as their world crumbled around them.

Karyan woke up without caring about what he did yesterday.

Barbara's cries echoed in the hall, and he didn't seem to feel sorry, making the whole situation even more entertaining to his ears.

"Not the first time she took the blame," he stated, getting out of the bed.

The more pain and punishment she was going to receive from Mateo, the more he knew that Barbara would want to leave the mansion.

"Just how much could this woman take?" He asked himself while placing his dirty shirt on his body.

His room was still icy thanks to that crooked window nobody bothered to fix.

He put on his shoes, as he was almost done, but waited a little bit more before everyone gathered in Orion's room.

"Sera?"

"Ssshhh, go and bring it to me."

Her task was simple.

To steal the book from Mateo's study, the sacred book of fire.

Every household that possessed elements had this book, and it was said to be forbidden for another wielder to take a glance at it.

By law, he would have to rot in prison for at least twenty years, as it was against it to wield more than one element.

The kingdom and mages, knowledgeable in elemental studies, were worried that a water wielder trying to control fire might tire himself out and harm his body.

This strayed from nature's intended path for water wielders, risking a disturbance in the delicate balance of elemental forces and causing unforeseen problems.

The same rule applied to those who controlled fire, wind, and earth, as well as to other wielders, such as those with control over animals or minds.

They feared that a wielder's greed might be boundless, reaching the point of selling their souls to demons in pursuit of greater knowledge and power.

However, Karyan's case was different.

He was born under the fire element, but with his previous gift.

He was going to combine them together, so not a single person could stand a chance against him.

The more people rushed to the hall to look at the dead corpse and Barbara, laying helpless on the ground, the easier it was for Sera to sneak it.

Karyan stood in the middle of the hallway, watching and observing everyone, making sure that a way back for Sera was going to be easy and unnoticed.

"And what are you doing here?" Rosa asked.

Karyan rolled his eyes, his arms were wrapped around his chest, "something that you do all the time," he replied immediately.

"And what would that be?"

"Nothing."

It was a straight insult to her daily laziness.

A silence forced itself to enter, both Rosa and Karyan not saying a word.

"Come on, choose violence," he said, almost mocking her, although it's what he had expected from her.

"Are you the one who killed Orion?"

A forced smile appeared on Karyan's lips, "yes, because a kid is now walking around and murdering other kids. Have some logic, monkey."

"I don't doubt that you had anything to do with it…"

"Well, I don't," Karyan released a long sigh as he moved his hands in the air.

It was a lie.

He had everything to do with it, matter of fact, he orchestrated everything, as he patiently waited for what was about to come now.

"How is this possible?!" A voice yelled in the room, echoing through the hall.

Everyone heard it.

'There, it's started.'