Chapter 229: Graveyard


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    Upper District''s Hidden Department


    Emir stood before towering gates, colored with nothing but ck.


    He was in a ce where secrets were buried deeper than the most borate tombs.


    The air was thick with the weight of history, and the entrance loomed...


    Guarding the city''s darkest times.


    Emir was here to visit the graves of his strength.


    Of his family''s fallen.


    The gatekeepers were stern-looking men in white uniforms.


    They eyed him solemnly as he neared them.


    It seemed obvious that those men had grown to know him.


    Emir visited the ce quite often in the past seven months, so they frequently chatted, or at least watched his actions.


    And as usual, they allowed him entry when he shed his ID.


    He stepped through the gates.


    And was weed by the dead.


    This hidden department was a ce most only heard about in hushed whispers.


    It was in the massive bunker, past the Slums, ck Market, and Red Light District.


    A ce of unseen opulence.


    The underbelly''s underbelly, where true filthy.


    One withrge underground buildings for both the rich and the poor.


    So even those with little to no money had a ''proper'' ce to live.


    They lived in cells that were ingrained in buildings, small as toilet cubicles and almost prison-like.


    A cramped space, a ustrophobic nightmare.


    But still...


    Such a ce though inhumane allowed them the safety of a good night''s sleep.


    That was what most would ask for in this world.


    And the author of their wants was Horizon Holdings, one of the Big Eight Corporations.


    They were not one to publicize human cruelty.


    So the UEF didn''t allow the entry of normal hunters here.


    They in fact didn''t even know of this ce''s existence.


    But how did the dead bodies get here then?


    Well, Sector Management personnel would take the deceased and haul them over.


    Many times by force.


    This gave the average Joe no chance for closure.


    No chance for a proper farewell...


    It wasn''t just for Horizon Holdings but also the many other secrets this ce held.


    Buried ones, both living and dead.


    Emir walked along the manicured pathways, surrounded by rows of mausoleums and graves. The atmosphere was eerily quiet, broken only by the distant chirping of birds. Those birds weren''t real, however, neither was the sunlight, as this ce was underground.


    His family followed behind him, their faces reflecting a mix of respect and sorrow.


    They reached the section of the cemetery where Azazel''s fallen wereid to rest.


    The gravestones were simple but elegant, each marked with the name of the deceased and a small emblem denoting their allegiance.


    Emir moved from one grave to another, paying his respects to all of the lost.


    Each name held stories of battles fought and victories won.


    Stories that he never knew...


    And never would.


    Soon, he met those he led to their demise.


    The graves of Kiera''s gang.


    She, who was once their leader, stood there, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.


    Emir approached her and took her in his arms.


    Kiera wasn''t surprised, instead, she weed it.


    This was a usual urrence, as every time he came here, she would follow, only to end up


    crying at her loved ones'' graves.


    Jack, Sarah, Hiro, Evan and Leo, were the same.


    But they had his mother and sister tofort them.


    Kiera''s quiet trembling stopped in a minute or so and he let go of her right after.


    Emir then proceeded to step closer to the graves and whisper a few words at each one.


    He wasn''t expressing his apologies but rather his thanks.


    They died so he could thrive.


    It was a somber moment but that was all.


    After he was done with that, he made his way to a section of the cemetery that he had never visited before.


    This was where his father''s ''grave'' was located.


    The graveyard was divided into two distinct sections, each reflecting the social hierarchy of


    the sector.


    The first section, where themon manid to rest, was a stark contrast to the privilege of the high-ss citizens.


    It consisted of small, windowless structures that resembled locker-like cells.


    The people brought here were incinerated, their remains reduced to ashes without any trace


    of their existence.


    Theck of proper graves symbolized the disposability of the lower ss in the eyes of Sector


    Management.


    The second section, where Emir''sradesy was reserved for the privileged.


    An oasis of privilege amidst the destion.


    There, the dead were buried in the ground, and their graves were adorned withvish


    tombstones.


    Some even had statues.


    Emir chuckled at that notion and headed towards his father''s ''grave,'' which was situated


    deeper in the first section.


    He walked by columns of stacked cells, where names were written in alphabetical order.


    Soon he reached where the letter ''O'' began.


    It was a nd row of cells, dark like the rest of them.


    {Oakley}


    {Octavia}


    {Odette}


    {Odysseus}


    {Oisin}


    {f}


    {nrewaju}


    {Olena}


    {Olga}


    {Olin}


    {Olive}


    {Olivia}


    {Ollie}


    Emir''s eyes scrolled through the names until they paused and his lips parted to say:


    "Oliver."


    He kneeled before the bottom-most cell.


    His fingers gently traced the engraved letters of his father''s name.


    Then they moved to his ID number, one that was in the triple digits.


    They were cold to the touch, metallic.


    "Where are you?"


    Emir had never visited this section for a reason.


    This engraving would remind him of his father''s supposed sacrifice.


    He didn''t know his father, neither did he love him.


    It wasn''t possible to truly love someone whom you never knew.


    But that didn''t matter to Emir.


    Oliver was blood.


    That''s all that he cared for, and it was enough for him.


    "You''re not dead, are you?"


    Neither Emir nor his family truly believed Oliver to be dead.


    The circumstances of his disappearance had been shrouded in mystery, and there had been no


    body...n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    No closure.


    Laura had clung to the hope that Oliver was still out there somewhere, waiting to return to his


    family.


    Lily had been too young to remember her father, so she wasn''t as attachedpared to the


    other two.


    Emir should''ve been like her, but no, he grew up differently.


    After all, he had carried the burden of Oliver''s absence all his life.


    He had be the head of the family, responsible for their safety, their wellbeing.


    And that caused him to go through a lot...


    Though the person himself didn''t resent his father for it.


    Emir had long since epted his role.


    So his face was serene, like water on a stillke.


    And his eyes remained fixed on the cell, appearing lost in thought.


    "I''ll find you, Dad," he whispered.


    It was a vow that he had made to himself countless times.


    One that his blood family knew of.


    They watched in silence from two steps behind, a few sobs leaving them every now and then.


    "I''ll uncover the truth, no matter how deep it''s buried."


    With those words, Emir rose from his father''s name.


    And as he turned away from the cells, his family fell in line behind him.


    Emir had made a promise, and he intended to keep it, no matter the cost.


    His people knew that.


    It was their mission, not just their leader''s.


    This was all not only for survival but for total dominance.


    A journey that would test the limits of their spirits.


    And now that they had paid their respects to their fallen...


    It was time to continue that journey.