ã€ŠWorld&#x27;s Indexã€‹


 001 A Blue Day

    In the far west of Europe, there is a small country bordering the North Sea called the Netherlands. It is located next to Germany and Belgium. It is one of the smaller countries located in Europe, but what it lacked in size, it made up for in welfare. In the northern part of this country laid its capital city, Amsterdam.

    Amsterdam was known for its variety in ethnic groups, drugstores and most of all its many canals. Throughout the whole city you would find the most beautiful canals and old-fashioned buildings, located in the city-center. It had kept many old-fashioned buildings for the sake of history, but had many urban, conventional buildings also. It was hard to find a spot in Amsterdam without water, for it had been underwater many years ago. This city was divided in 5 regions that had been named the following: North-, South-, East-, West-Amsterdam and the city-center. Each region had its own virtue.

    Usually, the sounds off canal boats and sight-seeing tourists would fill the air, but not today. ¨C¨C

    It was winter in Holland, and the ice of the frozen canals had attained brick-like solidness. Heavy snowfalls were not a common thing in this country, but today the streets of Amsterdam were covered in a thick snow blanket, and it was still snowing. The temperature outside had reached 23 degrees, and that was without considering the frosty wind coming from the North Sea. No one right in his mind would leave his house today without good reason.

    (Note: Holland is another word for Netherlands)

    ¨C¨C The streets were almost empty, and the traffic had gone silent.

    In the southern region however, there was a university that continued its classes. It was one of the best universities in the city who specialized in biological and scientific studies. The building was as big as a soccer stadium and its exterior-walls were mostly made out of shaded windows. It was a handsome building that struck many with awe with it¡¯s overwhelming size, for this was Amsterdam¡¯s very own Lions Gate University.

    The university was in a period of crucial exams, and for that reason, had chosen to stay open.

    Amsterdam - South (Lions Gate University - first year exam classroom)

    It was a typical sight to behold in a university.

    The tables and seats were perfectly lined up as the students were making their tests. A middle-aged man in a black suit, walking through the lined-up tables, seemed to be observing them. His gaze would fall upon the sheets sometimes. Every time he looked at the sheets on the table of the students, he would show a satisfied smile. You could see that this teacher loved his job and that the efforts of the students left him with pride.

    *Riiiiiiiinggggggg!!*

    A bell, that sounded more like a buzzer, could be heard all over the classroom.

    The source of this sound was a black device that looked like a mini school bell stuck on the wall. The teacher swept his gaze across the classroom upon hearing the bell.

    ¡°The bell is ringing students. That means your time for the exams is up.¡±

    Hearing the teacher¡¯s words, the students put their sheets on the corner of their table, so that the teacher could pick them up. Some of them however, still tried to write some answers down as fast as they could. They had not managed to finish the test within the given time.

    Seeing the students try this, the teacher could only feel pity for their actions, and could not find it in himself to scold them. This was due to the fact, that this was a very important test which could make¡­ or destroy your whole year as a student.

    One of these pitiful student¡¯s name was Zack Florique.

    ¡®Shit! This test is multiple-choice. If I fail this one I might as well just quit studying medicine.¡¯ Zack was thinking to himself as he tried to finish his test as quickly as possible.

    Zack wanted to write down as many answers as he could before his teacher would come to pick up his sheets. Zack lifted his head to check the distance between his table and the teacher.

    Their eyes met. The teacher gave Zack a pained glare. ¨C¨C

    This was not the first time the teacher had caught Zack doing this. As a matter of fact, Zack had been doing this on all of his tests this period. The teacher had much fate in Zack at the start of this year, but he was starting to have his doubts. And who could blame him?

    Zack didn¡¯t. He knew he was performing poorly and was losing credit because of it.

    ¨C¨C Zack couldn¡¯t help but to stop writing on his test sheet when he saw the teacher¡¯s facial expression. He handed his sheets to the teacher, and at the same time shame started welling up inside of him. Just when the teacher was about to walk away with his sheets, he turned to look at Zack once again while his pained face remained.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be struggling with the tests, if you just took your time to study for them Zack.¡±

    A bitter smile appeared on Zack¡¯s face.

    The truth was, Zack had been learning to the best of his abilities for every test. He couldn¡¯t have studied any better for this test then he already did.

    ¡®Does it look like I¡¯m not even trying to him?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but mutter to himself as the teacher walked away.

    The teacher gathered all of the sheets and folded them up nicely on his desk. When he was sure that he had everyone¡¯s sheets, he raised his face to look at the class.

    ¡°I hope you all are happy with your performance today. You¡¯re all dismissed!¡±

    Hearing these words, all the students started walking out of the classroom while grabbing their jackets and backpacks in the corner of the classroom. Zack followed the rest of the students out of the classroom and entered the hallway while scratching his head.

    ¡°Damn... I messed up again.¡±

    The truth of the matter was, Zack had to pass this year. Better yet, he had to pass this and all off the upcoming years of his study. He needed to finish this study at all cost.

    His mom has been in the hospital for 3 years now. The doctors say they don¡¯t know what kind of disease it is, but it is taking the life out of her little by little. His mom had raised him on her own, and he couldn¡¯t stand the thought of losing his only parent. His mom had always wanted for him to be a doctor, but this was not the only reason he chose this path. He started studying medics, so he could have a well-paid job, pay his mom¡¯s treatment, and study his mom¡¯s disease himself one day. Studies would take a fair amount of Zack¡¯s time, as he had no knowledge over this thing called ¡®free-time¡¯. The only spare time he had, he spent working at a restaurant. The insurance wouldn¡¯t cover all the expenses of his mom¡¯s stay in the hospital, so he had no choice but to work.

    The reason Zack was flopping every test this semester, was due to headaches he would experience during the night. He has had these troubles at night since he was little. The pain would come from time to time, but since a short while ago, the pain has been getting worse and more frequent. Every day he came closer to realizing his dream of becoming a doctor was getting further out his reach. Nonetheless, he couldn¡¯t let his thoughts get the better of him. To him, admitting to that thought would be the same as giving up on his plans to save his mom.

    Zack was walking down the hallway losing himself in his thoughts.

    Many joyful students who knew him had passed him in the hallway, even though they had wanted to start a conversation with Zack. Unfortunately, he had a gloomy vibe around him that made people think twice before starting a conversation.

    Zack didn¡¯t seem to mind it though.

    Seemingly unaware of the vibe he was giving of, he mindlessly took a look out of the window, which covered most of the hallway.

    ''Damn, it¡¯s still snowing like crazy. This day is just messed up!¡¯ This crossed Zack¡¯s mind as he was dumfounded by what he saw before him.

    Since the exam classrooms didn¡¯t have windows, he was shocked to see the view outside trough the wall-like windows in the hallway. Where others would have been entranced by the winter wonderland, Zack felt nothing but annoyance. ¨C After letting it sink in that he had to walk through that weather, he continued his steps with frustration.

    As he resumed walking down the hallway with the bitter aftertaste of the test he just made, he heard fast footsteps behind him.

    When he turned around to see who was running, he saw a cheerful youth running his way. Zack¡¯s already annoyed face had reached a new stage, for he knew this youth all too well. ¨C¨C

    The youth had brown-colored tidy hair, hazel eyes, and a slender build. His hair was waxed and combed to the back, which was a typical hairstyle for western teenagers. His brows were a little on the rough side which made his eyes give the impression of a wild animal. Though, his gaze was so radiant, he looked more like a cute pet. At first glance one would think he had a rather thin build, but on the contrary, after a closer look you could see the cuts of his ripped muscles that were only visible due to the fact that he was wearing a t-shirt.

    ¨C¨C This youth¡¯s name was Kemri Allen.

    ¡°Ey Zack! How did your test go? Do you think you passed it? Did you study well? Ofcourse you did, I¡¯ve seen you study myself! You aced the test didn¡¯t ya?¡± The youth said cheerfully while already having closed the distance between them.

    ¡°Kemri¡­ please just stop talking for a second.¡± Zack said coldly without looking at the youth.

    Kemri started laughing as if the cold words from Zack just now hadn¡¯t even reached his ears. He put one of his arms around Zack¡¯s shoulder as if they were the best buddies and started talking with a slightly softer volume.

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯ve been waiting for hours you know? I finished my test hours ago.¡±

    ¡°Well good for you then. Why don¡¯t you do something useful with your time? And what did I tell you about acting all buddy-buddy with me huh!?¡±

    Zack shifted his shoulder and slipped his head under the arm of Kemri, which resulted in the arm of Kemri falling down.

    The reason Zack was acting this way, was simply because he couldn¡¯t stomach this individual called Kemri.

    Zack lived in a rented apartment specially made for students, which he shared with Kemri. They had been living with each other for 2 years, but he couldn¡¯t stand Kemri¡¯s jolly personality. At first, Zack could manage since he only came home to eat, sleep or study. Zack would isolate himself in his room most of the time anyway.

    That¡¯s why the fact that they were studying at the same school this year was giving Zack goosebumps.

    ¡°You know I like to be left alone¡­. And sorry to disappoint you but I have to go somewhere, so use your time meaningful Kemri¡­ you never know how much you have left¡± Zack said while looking coldly in front of him.

    Zack didn¡¯t hesitate to use the fact that he was planning to go to the hospital in his advantage. He just simply wasn¡¯t in the mood to be walking with Kemri right now.

    Zack fastened his steps as the distance between him and Kemri was growing once more.

    ¡°Ah.. you must be in a hurry then. See ya at home!¡±

    ¡®Tskk¡­ can¡¯t he take a hint? what a clown.¡¯

    Zack couldn¡¯t help but have this thought as he looked at the smiling face far behind him. It was exactly because Kemri never seemed to be able to take hints, that it was so hard to deal with him.

    Frustrated by the test and his encounter with Kemri, Zack headed for the exit of the university.

    Amsterdam - South (Waterfield Hospital)

    *door at the reception hall opens*

    A hooded youth in a thick parka winter coat enters the reception hall of the hospital. His sneakers were making squeaking sounds with every step, because of the moist underneath his feet. The fur on his hoodie, as well as his sneakers, had pieces of snow stuck on it. Looking at the fur and his sneakers, you could tell it was still snowing heavily outside.

    The youth took of the hoodie while approaching the hospital¡¯s reception counter. ¨C¨C

    His black curly hair had been pressed down to his scalp because of the hoodie he had been wearing. His lidded light brown eyes made you wonder if he was annoyed or just very tired. His skin complexion was of one who was neither black nor Caucasian.

    ¨C¨C This youth was Zack.

    ¡°Hello Anna, I¡¯m here for my mom.¡±

    Zack addressed the woman behind the counter in a friendly way.

    ¡°Hello Zack, I didn¡¯t think you would come in this weather. It must still be snowing like crazy, you look like a popsicle.¡±

    The corners of Zack¡¯s mouth went up for the first time today.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. But you know I come here every monday¡­ no exception¡± Zack said in a joking tone.

    The lady at the counter started laughing.

    ¡°Hahahahaha yes. Knowing you, you would even visit if there were snow wolves outside.¡± ¨C¨C

    The lady standing behind the counter her name was Anna. Anna had been seeing Zack every week since his mom got taken in by this hospital. Even though Zack wasn¡¯t someone that loved being cheerful, he always seemed to be happy while talking to her.

    Anna had blonde hair, though the light above the counter made it look like it was gold. Her hair was straight with a small curl on the end, and it was long enough to reach the back of her shoulders. Her sky-blue eyes were dazzling enough to even make passersby turn around after crossing her. She was in her mid-twenties and had a certain warmth in her voice that even made strangers feel acquittanced. She was one of the, if not the prettiest woman in the whole Waterfield hospital. Even though her beauty was undeniable, this was not the reason why Zack liked talking to her. It was because she was such a sincere person and had done everything to keep his mom¡¯s spirit up during her time in the hospital.

    ¨C¨C ¡°Ms. Florique just got checked by the doctor a second ago, so I bet she will be happy to see you enter right now.¡±

    After saying this with her innocent smile, she pressed the button to open the door that goes to the patient sector.

    Zack happily swept a small glance at Anna while walking towards the door.

    ¡°Thank you, Anna.¡±

    As he was walking in the hallway of the patient sector, Zack¡¯s happy expression started to fade, and he began to feel a little grim. But this feeling was nothing new for him. This was because he never knew in what condition he would encounter his mom when he visited. It could only get worse after all¡­

    But he had to stay strong, so his mom wouldn¡¯t notice. He felt that he was supposed to be her light in this dark moment and couldn¡¯t show negative emotions in front of her.

    He was getting closer and closer to the door of his moms¡¯ room. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

    ¡®Wait a minute.. did Anna just say the doctors checked? Does that mean there was a reason to check my mom!? No wait calm down, it could just be a casual check to see how she¡¯s doing¡­. right?!¡¯

    Zack¡¯s thoughts started going on a rampage as he was getting closer to his mom¡¯s room. This anxiousness wasn¡¯t anything new though.

    ¡°The exam from earlier today must be stressing me out.¡± He told himself to calm down.

    After a while, he arrived in front of the door of his mom¡¯s room.

    ''Calm down Zack¡­.We¡¯re here¡­..time to cheer mom up again¡¯

    *Zack opens door*

    When Zack looked inside the room he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±

    His voice was barely able to leave his mouth. The reason being, that scene he saw before him was really confusing.

    His mom was laying on her bed like usual, but this time there were a few things different. She had all kinds of cords attached to her body and was wearing an oxygen mask. The sounds of beeping from the heart monitor surrounded the room. Two doctors were standing next to her bed and had slightly panicked faces. They were conversing, but he couldn¡¯t make out what they were talking about as he was still in shock of the sight before him.

    The doctors hadn¡¯t even noticed Zack opening the door or the question that had barely left his mouth. One off the doctors was holding a note pad in one of his arms. During the conversation he glanced over his note pad and the look on his face changed. His slightly panicked face turned in to one filled with sadness. Zack saw this and chose to focus on the conversation.

    ¡°I guess she held on long enough these couple of years.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, too bad we couldn¡¯t find the cause in the end.¡±

    ¡°That is most certainly a regret, but we did al in our power¡­or well.. we weren¡¯t authorized to do more than we did.¡±

    The doctors were conversing in a gloomy tone.

    Zack couldn¡¯t bear to listen to the conversation any longer. He tried to calm himself, but he felt his mind going blanc. His body was felt heavier with every word leaving the doctor¡¯s mouth.

    His mom was cheerfully talking to him on the phone just yesterday. He couldn¡¯t guess what could have possibly caused such a turn of events.

    He tightly clenched his fist to ready himself up for the facts of the matter.

    ¡°One of you better come with one hell of a good explanation!¡± Zack said in an angrily loud tone.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Both of the doctors were looking at Zack with faces full of surprise. Naturally they were in shock. For them, Zack had just appeared out of nowhere. And to top it all, this youngster had the nerve to address them in such a rude way.

    ¡°Hey kid, this is not a room you can just burst in to. Who are you?¡± one of the doctors said in an irritated tone.

    Zack grinded his teeth against each other as he was trying to remain levelheaded. This was, because he heard what the doctors were talking about just now and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little hostile towards them.

    ¡°The son.. of the women you are standing next to.¡±

    The doctor his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost. He could guess now why the boy had addressed them in this rude way. He must have heard the conversation of him and his colleague.

    ¡°Oh... eh.. Zack Florique I presume? Well this is.. uh..¡±

    ¡°This is exactly what it looks like. I¡¯m going to keep it straight to the point mr. Florique¡±

    The partner of the doctor helped his colleague finish his sentence when he saw that he was in too much of a shock to do it himself.

    He continued speaking in a calm way.

    ¡°Your mother is in a grave state as you can see. She has been in need for treatment for a long time now, but as of today she needs treatment right away. But honestly speaking, I don¡¯t think you will be able to pay for the treatment. The incurrence companies don¡¯t help much with these kinds of unknown diseases. If she remains in this state, she¡¯ll be a vegetable in no time. And keeping her in the hospital in this state, will also cost a lot of money, since she will be taking the spots of people who actually can be helped. We are planning to release her this week if the situation doesn¡¯t change. I presume you understand what this means?¡±

    ¡®These bastards have no heart!¡¯

    After hearing the doctor¡¯s words, time was moving in slow-motion for Zack. He was trying to process everything that was happening, in this slowly passing moment. ¨C¨C

    Zack¡¯s unbounded rage was visible through his eyes. -- But he was a logical thinking guy, deep down he knew he couldn¡¯t fully blame the doctors. No, in fact the doctors weren¡¯t to blame for this situation at all.

    ¨C¨C During this time, he realized who the real person to blame was.

    It was himself.

    ''I have been only thinking about future plans all this time, while mom needed help as soon as possible. I was being way too optimistic¡­ yes, me of all people. I¡¯ve only been fooling myself thinking I could change the situation.¡¯

    Tears started filling Zack¡¯s eyes as he was realizing al his errors of the past few years. His mom was his world, and he was losing her.

    An expression of regret could be seen on the doctor¡¯s face, as he was watching Zack break apart right in front of him. Harsh as it may be, the doctor had only spoken the truth.

    Zack just simply couldn¡¯t accept it like this.

    ¡°There must be someway right? I¡¯ll do anything sir.. just please take care of my mother!¡± The despair in his voice could be heard loud and clear.

    ¡°We¡­we can¡¯t do that Mr. Florique¡­.. We¡¯re not authorized.¡± One of the doctor¡¯s said while trying to remain composed.

    Now both doctors were avoiding Zack¡¯s gaze. All they felt was pity for this young man. For them, the fact of the matter was, that the youngster in front of them was just simply unlucky. But like him, there were many others in the hospital with unfortunate situations. So, the thought of making an exception didn¡¯t even cross the doctor¡¯s minds.

    After looking at both doctors, Zack realized that talking wouldn¡¯t change anything. Unable to handle reality, Zack ran out of the room. He was sprinting trough the hallway of the hospital without paying any regard to his surroundings. He even bumped against a few workers and patients, but he didn¡¯t mind. All he was thinking about at this moment, was to escape reality.

    At a certain point, he reached the reception room. His eyes were still teary as he was running for the exit. Right before he was about the grab the door of the exit, a soothing voice reached his ears.

    ¡°Zack are you going already?¡±

    These were the words of Anna, who was dumfounded by the way Zack was rushing out of the same hospital he had just entered 10 minutes ago.

    Without paying any regard to the words of Anna, Zack grabbed the exit.

    *exit door opens*

    Amsterdam ¨C West (Botrex Street)

    The light has left the sky while the night started to take over. The only visible light left was from the lampposts on the streets. The snow had stopped falling from the sky, but on the ground laid a big pile of snow, that could reach the waist of a standing toddler. The allies were empty, and except for some pubs and caf¨¦s, the streets were dead.

    Looking down the street, you could see the shadow of a man walking. His steps were heavy, and his shoulders looked like that of a Deadman. He was nicely packed, wearing a thick hooded winter jacket, and a scarf, which was concealing his mouth. He was facing the ground, and his eyes had a darkened layer around them.

    This man was Zack.

    After getting the news about his mom and running out of the hospital, Zack had aimlessly dragged himself around the city for hours until he arrived at Botrex Street.

    He didn¡¯t even know where he was. He had never been to this part of town before, but he did not care about that fact. Reality was not something he wanted to think about at the moment.

    As he was searching for various methods to escape the real world, his gaze fell upon a pub. He started reading the sign on the roof of the pub with a blanc face.

    ¡°The Viking..¡±

    He slowly made his way to the entrance of the pub. He thought that maybe a few drinks would help him to ease his mind.

    *Door of the pub opens*

    This place was quite big, or better yet, it looked big because there were just a few people inside at the moment. The number of customers present at the pub could be counted with both hands. Something noteworthy also, was that all the people in the bar right now could be called suspicious, to say the least. There were 1 or 2 people who could be seen as ¡®normal¡¯, but the others just simply looked like gang members.

    The floor of the pub was made out of oak wood. The floor wasn¡¯t really dirty but squashy from al the melted snow. Every step could clearly be heard with a wet, squashy sound. The tables, and chairs also seemed to be made out of wood. They had some scratches, and stains here and there.

    Staying in this pub for a few minutes would make you realize, that the squashy floor wasn¡¯t even the worst part, -- this place reeked of beer and weed.

    While shifting his scarf beneath his mouth, so that he could talk, Zack decided to walk to the barman, who was standing behind the bar, centered in the middle of the pub.

    The bar had the form of half a circle. This was because the back of the bar reached the wall of the pub. The bar was surrounded by typical bar chairs, which were also made out of wood. The bar chairs had red cushions stuck on them for comfort. Behind the barman, stood something that looked like a library bookshelf. Except, instead of books, the shelfs were full of bottles filled with liquor.

    *Squash* *squash* *squash* *squash* *squash*

    Upon reaching one of the chairs in front of the bar, Zack looked at the barman.

    ¡°Can I have a shot of whiskey.¡± He asked while taking a seat.

    ¡°Coming right up sir!¡± the barman said in a jolly way while analyzing Zack.

    Just when Zack wanted to plant his head on the bar from fatigue, he noticed a man sitting next to him.

    ¡®Was he here all along?! How couldn¡¯t I have noticed him?¡¯

    Zack quickly lifted his head up with a mystified look on his face. Zack had every right to be confused, because the man sitting next to him was too close, and too big to miss.

    As Zack was glancing at him from the corner of his eyes, he could tell that the man had quite the presence. This man had a dark skin color and looked quite big. Zack was quite tall himself, but this man surpassed him by more than a little. The man was tall and wide. Because the man was wearing a thick jacket, it was hard to tell if it was fat or muscle that made him look that big. He was giving of a gloomy vibe wearing a black beanie and a black jacket. The scars on his hands gave off the impression of him being a man used to doing hard labor. His age was hard to tell, but it could be between the age of 25 and 35.

    ¡®He must be 6,5 feet tall or something. What a monster.¡¯

    Zack was thinking to himself, without trying to let the man notice he was looking at him. The more he looked at the large man, the more he couldn¡¯t believe he hadn¡¯t noticed his presence sooner.

    After a while Zack realized the man had noticed his gaze, so he decided to ignore the man.

    ¡°Here you go sir."

    The barman slid a small glass filled with a brownish, gold looking liquid in the direction of Zack.

    The truth was that Zack had never drunk alcohol in his life. He once heard students talk about whiskey at school and how it helped them with depression. That¡¯s the only reason Zack ordered it.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    *gulp*

    Zack didn¡¯t hesitate to chug all of the whiskey down his throat right after he thanked the barman.

    He could feel a burning sensation in his chest while he held back his urge to cough. The taste of the whiskey made the corners of his mouth move downwards, and before he knew it he was showing a disgusted facial expression. His body was refusing this liquid called whiskey without question, but he refused to listen to his body.

    ¡°Another one.¡± He barely got that sentence out with a straight face.

    ¡°Ah..a Yes sir!¡±

    As the barman turned around to prepare another shot, the man sitting next to Zack opened his mouth.

    ¡°Hey kid, getting wasted in this part of town is suicide.¡±

    The big man next to him had spoken indifferently without looking at Zack. One could argue about if he was even talking to Zack in the first place.

    ¡°Hmph, if I want to commit suicide, then that should be none of your business, right?¡±

    Zack was flabbergasted about what just came out of his own mouth. Normally he would have never said such a thing to a man looking like the terminator himself. But after what happened today, Zack just didn¡¯t seem to care about anything.

    A smirk appeared on the man¡¯s face.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, that¡¯s none of my business.¡±

    The man turned his face to meet Zack¡¯s eyes.

    Zack¡¯s eyes widened. The man sitting next to him, his eyes were blue with traces of different accents of the same color. It seemed as if his eyes were alive. Anna her eyes couldn¡¯t even compare to the ones Zack was looking at right now. Just as Zack was starting to lose himself in the eyes of the stranger, a thought occurred to him.

    ¡®They can¡¯t possibly be real¡­ must be special lenses.¡¯

    While in his mind the moment had lasted a long time, -- in the real world their eyes had only met for a second.

    ¡°I know those eyes of yours. Quit the tough act kid.¡±

    Before continuing, the man grabbed Zack¡¯s shoulder and closed in on him.

    ¡°Death is very real my boy, albeit what you are seeking right now is something far away from reality.¡± He mockingly said with a faint smile.

    After seeing Zack¡¯s dumfounded face, the man let go of Zack¡¯s shoulder and pulled his face away.

    Zack was trying to understand what the man had just told him, but he couldn¡¯t make anything out of it.

    ¡°Look at me¡­¡­ wasting my time ridiculing a kid, I must be going nuts. Oldman thanks for the drinks, I¡¯m out!¡±

    The man left some money on the counter and took another quick look at Zack. His white teeth were made visible by the small grin that appeared on his face.

    When he stood up, all the attention of the bar was focused on the man. It was as if all of them had suddenly noticed his presence. All of the customers looked at the man with surprised faces as the man calmly headed for the exit.

    ¡°What a weirdo.¡±

    Zack let out these soft words immediately after the man had left the pub. He spoke softly, in case one of the man¡¯s friends was sitting nearby.

    ¡®What does he know? He doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯m going through¡­ Screw him! Why am I even thinking about that guy?¡¯

    Zack didn¡¯t like meddling in other people¡¯s business. But like-wise, he disliked people meddling in his. Especially if it were strangers. That¡¯s the reason the man¡¯s behavior had rubbed Zack the wrong way.

    As Zack tried to shake the small interaction he just had out of his mind, he kept ordering more and more drinks.

    ¡®And what¡¯s up with calling me kid? I¡¯m 20 you know!¡¯

    ~A few moments later~

    Zack had been having so many drinks, that he could pass out any minute. His head was resting on the bar as he was looking at the glass filled with tequila next to him with a absent gaze.

    Normally the barman would kick out people that were this drunk, but Zack had given the barman a lot of money already halfway through his drinking spree. The money he gave to the barman was about double the value of the drinks he had drunk until now. And by looking at the way Zack had been drinking, the barman could tell he was reaching his limit. So, the barman decided to let him stay as long as he doesn¡¯t puke.

    *Squash* *squash* *squash*

    Three figures approached the rear of the drunken Zack.

    ¡°Hey hey~! There you are buddy! I¡¯ve been looking all over for you¡­. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    Someone was speaking to Zack in a cheerful way, but this voice didn¡¯t belong to anyone that Zack knew.

    No, these guys were members of the Maharia. ¨C¨C

    A local gang from the neighborhood. They were known for murders and robberies. The money they would gain from those crimes was quite a lot relatively speaking. But for how dirty your hand would get, it wouldn¡¯t even be worth it for ordinary people. Unfortunately, these guys weren¡¯t ordinary people. Each and every one of them had a twisted mind.

    ¨C¨C Two of the goons, next to the one who just spoke, each grabbed one of Zack¡¯s arms and put them over their shoulder. Zack felt his feet dragging on the floor as both of the goons were carrying his weight while they were moving away from the bar.

    The one on his left, had blonde sloppy hair that looked like it hadn¡¯t been washed for a long time. Through his open smiling mouth, you could smell the stench of booze. His eyes were dark brown, and his nose was pointy, which made him somewhat resemble an owl.

    The one on his right was a black man. He had a bald head and a scar on his cheek that could have been caused from either shaving, or a knife. Unlike his partner, he had a serious look with no form of glee whatsoever. His eyes looked devoid of emotion. As such, he was giving a more dangerous vibe then the guy on the other side.

    But the most dangerous one was¡­

    ¡°Sorry Gerald¡­ I¡¯ll be taking this one with me.¡±

    The goon who had acted like Zack¡¯s friend was now addressing the barman in an acquittanced way.

    The barman could do nothing but nod his head. Even though he had nothing against Zack, one would be foolish to start a discussion with members of the Maharia. If someone of the Maharia wanted you dead, you would die. That was the law around this part of town. And to top it all, the man standing in front of the barman was no pushover. His name was Barry, the craziest out of the bunch.

    Barry was a pale-looking man who had black hair with a lot of small curls. His brown eyes were so dark, that they looked black. He had a pretty white smile. He looked like someone with a pure heart, but if you took the time to look deep in his eyes, you could see the soul of a complete madman.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take our friend outside, shall we?¡±

    The two goons followed Barry¡¯s command and carried Zack outside. Zack was too dizzy to even notice he was being carried outside.

    *Pub door opens*

    They carried Zack to an ally not far from the pub.

    ¡°Here is good.¡± Barry said in a chilling tone that couldn¡¯t be compared to the cheerfulness he had a minute ago.

    As the goons stopped in the ally, Zack was still being carried on both their shoulders. Barry walked towards Zack, took of one of the gloves that he was wearing and put it in his pocket.

    ¡°Please stay with me son. This might hurt a little¡±

    *Pow!*

    He punched Zack right on the jaw, with the same hand he had just removed the glove from. The sound of the impact was echoing through the ally. Zack¡¯s dizziness was replaced with a rushing pain. Before he could react to the devastating hit he just got on his jaw, Barry came with another one.

    *Pow!*

    This one was aimed at his nose. Both of the goons let go of Zack as the impact of the blow made him fall back. Zack fell in the pack of snow and started curling up his body.

    ¡®I think it¡¯s broken.¡¯ Zack thought as the taste of iron started filling his mouth, and blood gushed out of his nostrils.

    When he opened his mouth to tell them something, he sensed a drool of blood coming out of the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°P..Please stop.¡±

    ¡°This was to wake you up kiddo~ Now let¡¯s get down to business.¡± Barry said with a smile on his face.

    He walked towards Zack who was shaking and crawling in the snow. Zack was carrying himself on his hands and knees as he was trying to get up. When Barry stood in front of Zack, he bended down so that their eyes would be on the same level.

    ¡°Give me your I.D, your pay-card and all the money you have on you.¡±

    Barry put his hand on Zack¡¯s head while giving him these commands.

    Zack didn¡¯t hesitate one second to give him his wallet.

    ¡°Every..Everything is in there.¡±

    Zack simply couldn¡¯t stop shaking. At first, he thought it was the cold, but after looking in to Barry¡¯s eyes he knew that that wasn¡¯t the case.

    It was pure fear. He could sense that this guy had no empathy whatsoever.

    ¡°Hmmm, yeah everything is in here guys.¡±

    Barry was smiling as he was looking in to the contents of the wallet he just got handed.

    ¡°You see kiddo, I like people like you. I can see that you¡¯re smart and able to read situations fast. But I had rather wanted you to act like a superman, so that we could have some real fun~.

    Barry¡¯s smile reached a level where the corners of his mouth looked like they would touch his ears.

    ¡°You see my friend over there? He likes to have fun with guys. Can¡¯t you help a brother out?¡±

    He was cheerfully pointing towards the goon with blonde hair.

    Zack couldn¡¯t believe what he just heard. This couldn¡¯t really be happening to him.

    ¡°Yeahhh Barry I love this part!~¡±

    The blonde guy let out a cheer while a lewd smile appeared on his face. He started walking towards Barry and Zack while putting one hand in his jacket, like he was searching for something. When the distance between him and Zack was almost nonexistent, he pulled out a knife which was as long as a butcher¡¯s knife.

    When Zack saw this, his mind returned to reality. Everything happening today was very real. He must have done something incredibly bad in his past life for this to be happening to him. All he wanted was to make his mom happy. Yet his mom would be leaving him soon, and he was about to be ravaged by some dirty goon and perhaps stabbed to death.

    ¡®No.. No!¡¯

    Zack¡¯s mind became as clear as day, even though he had so many drinks.

    ¡®I can¡¯t go like this!¡¯

    Zack threw some snow in the eyes of the blonde goon and started to make a run for it. At first, he slipped on the snow when he took his first step, but he grabbed the wall so that he wouldn¡¯t fall down. As he was reaching the end of the ally, the goons started chasing after him.

    Normally he could have outrun these goons with ease, since he was quite athletic. Unfortunately, his body wasn¡¯t as sober as his mind, and the thick snow on the streets wasn¡¯t helping him either. The goons were slowly catching up.

    ¡°Yeah, run! That will make it more fun when I slice your **** off!¡±

    The blonde goon was still smiling as he was running.

    ¡®If I get caught it¡¯s game over¡¯

    Zack was dashing through the streets. Sometimes he would slip and fall on the ground, but he would quickly get up.

    After crossing a few streets, Zack turned around to see how far the goons were behind him. Because of this, he was not able to see that he was running towards a figure.

    *Bamm!!*

    Zack fell on the ground as he bumped on to a man.

    ¡°Oh? 2 for the price of one?¡±

    The blonde goon said this, as he crossed the corner to see that there were now two man in front of him instead of only Zack. He continued to speak...

    ¡°Hahahaha, you shouldn¡¯t have left your house today. You are very unlucky sir!¡± the blonde man told the stranger in a derisive way.

    ¡®Shit! I¡¯ve gotten someone else involved.¡¯ Zack thought while he was laying in the snow.

    As the blonde goon was approaching the stranger, the others from the gang finally caught up. The blonde goon drew his knife and stabbed it towards the stranger.

    Zack jumped in front of the stranger and got stabbed in the solar-plexus. Blood started gushing out of Zack¡¯s mouth as the goon twisted his knife.

    ¡°Seems he was a superman after all guys! What an idiot.¡±

    The blonde goon was cheerfully laughing with his friends, and afterwards he pulled the knife out of Zack¡¯s stomach.

    Zack fell on the ground. He had blood all over his stomach from the lethal wound.

    ¡°Damn, this kid is hella unlucky.¡± the stranger said while scratching his head.

    This voice was familiar to Zack. Zack looked up too see the source of the voice.

    It was a big man with a thick black jacket and a beanie. The man seemed very calm despite the events that were occurring right before his eyes. His deep blue eyes were not even focused on the goon or Zack, but on something completely else.

    ''Oh, it¡¯s the big man from the bar? At least I was able to save someone in this pathetic life, even though it¡¯s my fault he needed to be saved to begin with.¡¯

    Zack couldn¡¯t help but mock himself as he felt his consciousness slowly fading away.

    The faint smile Zack was showing while he was laying on the ground, irritated the blonde goon. Just when he was about deal the finishing blow by football-kicking Zack¡¯s head, the blue-eyed man grabbed the goon by his throat, with one arm.

    The other thugs that were at a distance were in shock of how quick the movement of the blue-eyed man was. They didn¡¯t even catch the moment when he moved to grab him.

    But that was just the beginning of the chain of shocking events. ¨C¨C

    What happened after he grabbed the thug, even had the bleeding Zack rubbing his eyes. The thugs standing on the side were convinced that they were hallucinating because of the liquor. Because what they were seeing could simply not be real.

    ¨C¨C The blue-eyed man was lifting the thug of the ground with one arm.

    Zack was astounded by the superhuman strength he was witnessing.

    The legs of the thug were kicking in all directions struggling to break free of his grip. He was using his knife to stab the arm, and pry open the grip that was holding him in the air. But the blue-eyed man wasn¡¯t showing any signs of letting go.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not take such a pitiful soul as yours¡­¡±

    The blue-eyed man was speaking as his blue eyes started showing a faint gleam. At the same time also, small puffs of blue smoke could be seen coming out of the palm that was holding the goon up.

    ¡°But there is no such thing as pity for the wicked.¡±

    *whoeeeeshhhh*

    Scorching blue flames started appearing on the body of the lifted thug. The kicks became even more violent. He dropped the knife and was trying everything to release the grip of the blue-eyed man standing right in front of him.

    But with no success.

    He wanted to scream but his throat seemed to be crushed and burned by the pressure and heat of the hand that was holding him.

    The blue flames kept dancing on him, until they were on every part of his body. His body was turning darker and darker from the burns. The flames kept their size and fury and showed no signs of dying out.

    The burning black skin turned to bones. But even then, the flames weren¡¯t going out. The flames burned every little ounce of the thug, until there was nothing left to burn. It even burned the ashes, and then¡­

    The flames vanished.

    The palm that was once holding a body, now was just holding a gust of air. Everything that proved that there once was a human-being in that hand, had burned away and disappeared together with the flames.

    Before the other 2 goons could react, the blue-eyed man seemed to have disappeared from where he was standing. They were more than shocked to see that the man that had disappeared before their very eyes, had reappeared right in between them. The blue-eyed man calmly looked at the scared faces next to him and opened his mouth.

    ¡°If you make others suffer you must be prepared to suffer too.¡±

    His voice was devoid of emotion.

    Barry¡¯s partner pulled out a Glock and aimed it at the head of the man before him, who gave of a vibe of the grim-reaper himself.

    (Note: A Glock is a type of handgun.)

    ¡°DIE FREAK!¡±

    *Pap* *pap*

    Two bullets flew out of the gun at the same second it was drawn.

    The blue-eyed man shifted his head slightly to the side which resulted in the 2 bullets barely missing their target. His gaze had stayed locked on the goon, as if the bullets had never been a threat to him. As the bullets were flying past his cheek, he grabbed the face of the man behind the trigger.

    The cold hand on the goon''s face, and the blue glow emitting from the pupils of the man before him left him paralyzed. The fearful eyes of the goon showed that he already knew what kind of fate awaited him.

    Blue flames started blazing on the body of the goon. Screams of agony could be heard coming from the man. ¨C¨C

    One could compare it to the sounds you would hear at the gates of hell.

    ¨C¨C Yet, because there was a hand on his face, the sound of his screams weren¡¯t that loud. In a matter of seconds, the flames had consumed his whole body and anything on it. Even the handgun was consumed by the flames.

    Eventually, just like with the blonde goon, the flames disappeared together with everything that was burning.

    Just when the blue-eyed man turned around to grab Barry, who was already running a few meters further ahead, he noticed Zack¡¯s life energy fading away.

    ¡°Tssk, this kid.¡±

    After scratching his head, he walked towards Zack who was laying in the snow unconscious. He bended down and put a finger on the place where Zack had been stabbed.

    A small white flame appeared where the man¡¯s finger and Zack¡¯s wound made contact. The white flame seemed to be closing the wound slowly.

    After a while, ¨C¨C when the wound was completely closed ¨C¨C the man stood up and let out a long sigh.

    ¡°*sigh~*, He¡¯s beyond help, but with this much healing he might live¡­. As a cripple tho.¡±

    The man looked at Zack¡¯s body with pity showing on his face.

    ¡°I told you it was suicide kid.¡± The man casually said as he turned around.

    *mush* *mush* *mush* *mush* *mush* *mush*¡­¡­

    The steps of the blue-eyed man were getting further and further away until not even his shadow could be seen.

    A few minutes after the man had left, something strange happened.

    *Woeeeshhhhh*

    Zack¡¯s whole body became covered in white flames. The wounds on his face, caused by the hits he had received from Barry, were fading away. Even small scars on his body that weren¡¯t caused today started to heal. The flames didn¡¯t stop burning until his skin looked flawless.

    The flames disappeared as Zack remained unconscious during the whole process.

    What did just happen....?

    <u></u>

 002 Whats Happening?

    Somewhere ¨C the inside of a room.

    It was a very large baronial room. This room had several large pillars that kept the heavy ceiling from falling down. Everything, from the walls, to the floor, to the pillars and ceiling seemed to be made out of shinning gold. But the source of light in the room was not the shinning gold, but a small shinning orb floating close to the ceiling. The orb shone resplendently as it was floating in the middle of the room. Underneath the orb, stood a golden altar with a pitch-black cube on top of it. The cube was inscribed with ancient white texts on its surface. The texts didn¡¯t seem to be from an existing language.

    The value of the cube must have been unimaginable since it stood on top of a golden altar. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing that described the value of the cube. The room was also very secure. Around fifty men equipped with golden armor were patrolling the room. They all wielded a golden Villanovan shield in one hand and a golden long spear in the other. All of them wore a muscle cuirass on their torso and greaves on their legs. The vascular, muscled arms of the guards were for all to see. The Thracian helmets on their head kept their faces clear, so that no intruder would escape their sight. The only things that were not made out of gold were the sandals on their feet and the red silk skirts around their waists. All of the guards were intimidating to the point that it could make anyone fall in to a cold sweat. They looked like a small ancient army you would only hear about in the old tales of Greece.

    Suddenly the inscriptions on the cube started glowing.

    None of the guards had noticed it. They were too busy scanning their surroundings.

    The inscriptions started radiating more and more light until one of the guards couldn¡¯t help but notice. The cube ¨C¨C which now was not only glowing but also shaking ¨C¨C made the guard¡¯s mouth fall open.

    Before the guard could react to what he was viewing, the cube started to elevate.

    The pitch-black color of the cube was dripping of, as if it had been mere paint. The black droplets fell on the altar and disappeared in thin air. The glowing inscriptions detached themselves and started to circle around the cube. The underlying appearance of the cube was becoming more and more visible, until all the blackness was completely gone.

    It looked like a box.

    The box seemed to be made out of gold, with 1 gem on every surface. Each gem had a different color. As such, there were 6 different colors. Red, blue, yellow, green, white and black.

    ¡°MEN!....... The.. THE BOX HAS AWAKENED!¡±

    The guard who had witnessed the whole process now was yelling with a voice full of panic. Drips of spit could be seen leaving his mouth as he tried to alarm the others.

    The name of this guard was Heilas.

    ¡°Heilas, don¡¯t be stupid. The box will be sleeping for another 430 years or so.¡± One of the guards said without paying much heed to what his comrade was telling him.

    ¡°Heilas, that¡¯s not even funny.¡±

    ¡°Just shut up and do your job¡±

    ¡°Fool.¡±

    The guards started rebuking their comrade Heilas one after another. What he said was something simply impossible in their minds. His words were illogical to the point it didn¡¯t even made the guards look to see if he was telling the truth.

    ¡°Guys just look! You think I would joke around about something like that!?¡±

    Heilas was frustrated by the reactions he had received from them, while he was only stating the truth.

    A few of the guards started walking towards Heilas. They couldn¡¯t stand his nonsense any longer. They had actually planned to punish Heilas as soon as they arrived at his side. But the closer they got to him, the more that thought seemed to fade away.

    Their legs felt heavy upon reaching the location of where Heilas was standing. What they were looking at was too crazy.

    ¡°Dear gods!¡±

    ¡°How can this be.¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    All of the guards couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. It took them a few seconds to realize that what Heilas had been telling them, was indeed the truth.

    A guard, with a red silk cape, appeared from behind a pillar and walked towards Heilas. ¨C¨C The reason he was the only one with this feature, was because he was the guard-commander ¨C¨C He grabbed Heilas by his shoulder and started speaking to him in a calm manner.

    ¡°Go to the ¡®Apollo Family¡¯ of the god Apollo and tell them that Pandora¡¯s box has awakened.¡±

    ¡®The Apollo Family!?¡¯

    Heilas quickly regained his composure after being surprised by the words of the guard-commander.

    ¡°Right away sir!¡±

    ¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C

    Amsterdam ¨C West (Bortox Street)

    ¡°Ugh¡­ where am I?¡±

    Zack woke up in the middle of an ally which was filled with snow. The darkness of the sky was already fading away, and the chirping of birds could be heard echoing through the ally.

    It was morning already.

    Zack was mystified by the place he had woken up as he was wondering how he got here in the first place. As he tried to remember how he got here, he suddenly shot up and started feeling his stomach.

    ¡®Huh¡­ nothing?¡¯

    He saw the blood on his jacket, but there was no wound. It was impossible, he could have sworn that his wound was fatal. Afterwards he started fondling his face, but it was as smooth as the skin of a baby. The blows he had received last night seemed like an illusion.

    ¡®Was I hallucinating?¡¯

    As he slowly got up, he felt that his body was very light. His sight was as sharp as ever, and with every breath he took he could feel the oxygen running through his blood system. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time his body felt this good. As he was admiring the state of his body, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder how much of what had happened last night was real.

    The gangsters who robbed him and chased him. Were they real? The bright blue flames, the mysterious man, and the 2 supernormal murders he had witnessed. How much of it was real? For as far as Zack was concerned, all of it was illogical, so he chose to wright it off as a bad dream. Besides, he didn¡¯t even have a scratch on him.

    ¡®I probably got way to drunk and fell asleep on the street last night. Although¡­ I don¡¯t know how the hole and blood on my jacket came to be.¡¯

    Zack grabbed his cellphone out of his pocket to check the time. The screen had traces of dried blood on it.

    [10:22]

    ¡°Dear lord! I¡¯m Lucky It¡¯s weekend.¡±

    Zack dashed out of the ally, so that he could search for a public transport station. He felt very light on his feet while he was running.

    Since he was not familiar with the area, he did not know where to start his search. After a short dash he realized that he would be getting nowhere at this rate. The most logical course of action would be to ask for directions.

    Zack pondered a while about who he should ask for directions. It was not that the streets were empty, on the contrary, the streets were quite crowded for a regular morning in the weekend. But Zack was not someone who liked speaking to unfamiliar people. It was because he himself did not like to be bothered by strangers, that he felt this way.

    After realizing that it was necessary to be a hypocrite in this situation, he chose to approach a man walking past him.

    ¡°Sorry sir, I don¡¯t know where I am¡­ could you tell me the way?¡±

    The man analyzed him as if he was very suspicious. Zack was confused about the man¡¯s behavior, but when he looked down he understood why the man was acting this way.

    ¡°Oh this?... This is eh.. fake blood. I just came from a play hahahahahaha¡±

    Zack shot in to an awkward laugh.

    ¡®What a bad excuse. Who would believe that?¡¯

    ¡°Oh, is that so? Hahahahaha I was being suspicious for nothing. Where do you live?¡±

    ¡®WHAT!? Is this man retarded?¡¯

    Zack was simply astonished by how quick the man standing before him had believed his lie. But he didn¡¯t question the good will of the man and explained where he had to be.

    ~A hour later ~

    Amsterdam - South (Zack¡¯s room.)

    His room looked like a typical student room. With a single bed in the corner of his room and a few clothes on the ground. Next to his bed stood a desk with a closed laptop on top of it. A half empty bag of chips could be seen lying next to the laptop. On his bedside cabinet stood a small night light which was giving off just enough light to make all of this visible.

    *door opens*

    ¡®Thank God Kemri¡¯s asleep, he wouldn¡¯t stop showering me with questions if he saw my jacket.¡¯

    Zack had walked to his room as stealthy as possible so that Kemri wouldn¡¯t notice. Zack knew how nosy Kemri was and didn¡¯t want to deal with him right now.

    Zack took another look at the jacket he was wearing. He let out a deep sigh as he realized that he could count on one hand how many times he had worn it. While pondering, he took a glance at his bed and knew he needed to get some rest before worrying about buying a new jacket.

    He took of his jacket and started changing. He put on small black shorts and a white shirt. This was basically his home outfit.

    He threw his jacket under his bed, so that he could throw it in the trash at a later moment. His curly black hair had a nasty stench caused by dried sweat and dirty melted snow. ¨C¨C The melted snow had come off the ground in the ally. ¨C¨C He wanted to ignore the smell, but it was too strong.

    He decided to head for the shower.

    When he entered the bathroom, he could see his smooth facial skin in the mirror. He could remember he had a small scar and a zit on his forehead, but those were nowhere to be seen. The usual bags under his eyes had disappeared too.

    He was too tired to pay attention to what he saw in the mirror and entered the shower.

    *Pshhhh*

    As the water was falling on his head, Zack started to think about his mom. He remembered the things de doctors had told him. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to deny reality again. Just as he was about to fall in denial again, he remembered the words of the blue-eyed man.

    ¡°Death is very real my boy.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t remember who these words were from, but he regained his composure because of them. He started to brainstorm about things he could still do for his mom within this week.

    ¡®Maybe I could loan some money from someone¡­. A lot of money.¡¯

    But who could Zack possibly ask for money. Zack knew how to properly communicate with others if necessary but didn¡¯t like the idea of making friends. For that reason, Zack didn¡¯t really have friends, and neither did he have family. His mom had no brothers or sisters, and he didn¡¯t know anyone from his dad¡¯s family, let alone his dad. He didn¡¯t know how he was going to get his hands on the money for the operation.

    ¡®Maybe Mr. Han knows someone.¡¯

    Mr. Han was the owner of the restaurant Zack worked at. Mr. Han had many connections in town and was quite fond of Zack. That was because Zack was a hard worker. Zack knew that Mr. Han would surely know a lot of people with money. The question was, if any of them were willing to lend it to a poor student like him. He had to work today anyway, so it wouldn¡¯t hurt to ask. He held on to this thought as he was creating back up plans in his head.

    After Zack finished showering, he studied for a while. He still had 1 test planned for next week. But as things were looking now, he would still be in a bad position even if he aced that test. Also, the stress he was feeling at the moment wasn¡¯t helping him with his studying.

    After studying for a while, ¨C¨C or at least, trying to ¨C¨C it was 14:00.

    ¡®Time to head for work.¡¯

    After looking at the time, Zack changed his clothes, packed his bag and headed for the front door. He took one of his spare jackets of the coat rack and Before he got out of the house he could¡¯ve sworn he heard Kemri shout something at him. But he had chosen to ignore it.

    Zack felt the cold wind against his body. His spare jacket was not as thick as the one under his bed. It was a good thing that public transportation was still possible. He would¡¯ve frozen if he had to walk.

    Since the heavy snowfall of yesterday, trucks have been riding to salt the road. This caused all the snow on the road to melt instantly. This was the only reason why public transportation was still possible today.

    As Zack was heading for the bus station, he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the strange dream he had last night. So many things were on his mind right now.

    The bus arrived.

    ¡°Hello sir.¡±

    ¡°Hello, I want a ticket to the city-center.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that will be €4,-.¡°

    ¡°Hang on, one second¡±

    Zack started going through the pockets of his jeans. He even checked his back pocket.

    ¡®Where¡¯s my wallet?¡¯

    A sudden chill fell on his body as he started thinking about his dream.

    ¡®Calm down...it must be inside the jacket under my bed.¡¯If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, take a seat.¡±

    He took the bus driver up on his offer. Zack didn¡¯t like sympathy from others, but neither did he like being late for work.

    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±

    He took a seat in the back of the bus. He calmed his mind while riding to the center of the city, until he suddenly realized something.

    ¡®How am I going to get back home?!¡¯

    Amsterdam - City-Center (Lotus Restaurant)

    *opens restaurant door*

    Zack could see Mr. Han standing behind the counter at the take-away. Mr. Han liked being on the work floor, so that he could see if the restaurant was running well himself.

    ¡°Good evening mr. Han!¡±

    Mr. Han looked in Zack¡¯s direction, at the same time a gentle smile appeared on Mr. Han¡¯s face.

    ¡°Good evening Zacker¡±

    ¡®Oh, he chose Zacker today...¡¯

    For some reason Mr. Han never called Zack by his normal name.

    Mr. Han was a 50-year-old Chinese man. His stomach was chubby, but his arms and legs were thin. It was not your average body, so to say. He wore a white buttoned-down shirt, which he put inside his loose-fitting black pants. This made his belly stand out even more. His cheeks were slightly puffy, which resulted in his eyes seeming closed whenever he laughed.

    Zack didn¡¯t want to drop the bomb on him right away, so he chose to do it after work.

    Zack headed for the kitchen where he had to do all kinds of chores, from washing the dirty dishes to cooking the dishes. His colleagues in the kitchen were all foreigners who could only speak Chinese. This made it easy for Zack to work hard, since nobody would strike a conversation with him.

    The hours seemed to fly by as Zack was working his hardest in the suffocating heat of the kitchen. He did not even have the time to think about personal things. The restaurant was very busy today.

    After Zack finally finished working, he changed clothes and left the kitchen.

    He approached Mr. Han, who was sitting at a couch made for waiting customers.

    ¡°Zackery, thank you for your hard work today!¡±

    ¡°Anytime Mr. Han! By the way¡­ can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Ofcourse Zackmaister¡±

    ¡®Zackmaister?! Is this guy for real?!¡¯

    ¡°Uh..uh yeah..., someone with such a big connection as you must know some loan sharks right?¡±

    Mr. Han¡¯s cheerful face suddenly went serious.

    ¡°Perhaps, why do you ask?¡±

    Zack didn¡¯t want to tell Mr. Han about his mom. He didn¡¯t want Mr. Han to pity him, but he also didn¡¯t want to lie to such a good person.

    ¡°Well... I..¡±

    Mr. Han saw that Zack didn¡¯t want to speak about it and he wasn¡¯t planning to force him.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to tell me.¡±

    Zack let out a sigh of relief as Mr. Han continued speaking.

    ¡°But I have to disappoint you. The people I know can¡¯t afford to loan money to... well.. a student who works at a restaurant. Unless you are asking for someone else of course?¡±

    Mr. Han didn¡¯t want to insult Zack, but he was speaking the truth. Loaning money to someone in Zack¡¯s position would be a straight way to trouble.

    ¡®I could¡¯ve guessed this answer, but it was worth a try.¡¯

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right Mr. Han, that wouldn¡¯t make sense. Thank you.¡±

    Zack answered in a light-hearted way, as to not let Mr. Han know that he was in a dire situation.

    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry Zacko, I¡¯ll higher your salary starting next week¡±

    Even though that probably wouldn¡¯t help him at all, Zack was relieved to hear Mr. Han react this way. It gave him the impression that his boss didn¡¯t think much of his question about loaning money.

    Zack headed home after paying goodbye to his co-workers. Since he didn¡¯t have his wallet with him, he decided to take a sprint home. His body was feeling in top condition anyway.

    ¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C

    Amsterdam ¨C City-Center

    Darkness had filled the sky, but the city lights kept the streets lively. The streets were filled with people either shopping or on their way to do a fun activity. This was the most popular region of the city-center. It was hard for cars to move through this part of town since the roads were so small, yet the sidewalks were enormous. Nevertheless, there were always cars trying to get through the thick crowd. This was a hard task since people tend to walk on the road, as well as on the sidewalk.

    Three fancy looking cars were riding on this small road. Expensive cars were not a rare sight in the center of Amsterdam, but it still struck many with awe.

    Inside the car that was riding in the middle, sat 2 figures.

    ¡°Compared to Apollo-city this human city is quite lacking, to say the least.¡±

    These were the words of a young man sitting in the passenger seat of one of the expensive vehicles.

    ¡°Young master Marcus, to compare a human city like this to our capital-city is a bit too much don¡¯t you say?¡±

    The driver of the vehicle had responded to the young man in a formal tone. This was a middle-aged man wearing a black suit and an earpiece, which made him look like a typical bodyguard.

    ¡°Yeah, you have a point Boa.¡±

    ¡°It was simply my humble opinion young master.¡±

    The young man called Marcus was quite displeased with the view outside the car window. He was someone who loved elegant things, but he could not find a trace of elegance in this city. Some of the old-fashioned buildings had caught his eyes, but they were ¡®fairly alright¡¯, at the most.

    ''Why do I always get send on missions like this? Father could have sent Gabriel or Victor on such a chore.¡¯

    After this thought his already displeased expression turned to one of annoyance, whilst his elegance remained.

    When the driver saw the expression of Marcus trough his rear-view mirror, he moved his lips as if he wanted to say something. His mouth was somewhat open, but nothing came out. It looked like he was hesitating to speak. He closed his lips, braced himself, and chose to say it anyway.

    ¡°Pandora¡¯s Box has awakened sooner than it should have, and the elders think that the owner lives in this city. Personally, I find it quite hard to believe, since this has never happened before in history. To top it all they have given young master Marcus the task of finding the owner of the box in this mediocre human city. With so many uncertain factors I find it quite distasteful that this task was given to one such as you. What are the young master¡¯s thoughts on the matter?¡±

    Boa had tried to say this as calm as he could, yet he could not hide the nervousness in his words.

    Marcus¡¯s expression took a change upon hearing the words of the driver. The words he heard from Boa were actually the same thing that had been on his mind since he was given this task last night. But to verbally agree to such words, would be the wrong thing to do in his position.

    ¡°I do not mind. If my efforts during this mission will be of value to my family, then I¡¯m more than happy to oblige.¡±

    ¡°Of..Ofcourse! As expected of Apollo¡¯s descended! Please do not mind the foolish words of my humble self.¡±

    ¡°It is okay. You mean goodwill.¡±

    ¡°You are too kind young master.¡±

    ¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C

    Amsterdam - South (Zack¡¯s house)

    When Zack finally arrived in front of his house, his forehead was moist. The only reason he wasn¡¯t drenched in sweat, was the cold temperature outside.

    ¡®I should run like this more often, it¡¯s quite refreshing.¡¯

    From where Zack was standing he could see the lights in Kemri¡¯s room were still on. This was a little strange since Kemri usually goes to the gym at this hour. But at the same time, Kemri also has a test next week, so it would be normal if he stayed to study.

    He opened his jacket, so he could air himself out as he was walking to his door.

    *mush* *mush* *mush*

    ¡®Huh.. the door is still open. I¡¯m sure I closed the door before leaving. ¡ª It must have been Kemri.¡¯

    *opens door*

    ¡°Hey Kemri! Watch the door next time, it¡¯s freezing in here!¡±

    There was no response.

    ¡®Pff that guy must be wearing earplugs. Just wait till I get to your room you bastard.¡¯

    Zack took of his shoes and angrily headed for Kemri¡¯s room. With all these things going on in his life right now, Kemri¡¯s little mistake really rubbed him the wrong way.

    As he took a few steps in the house, he heard a sound al of a sudden.

    *Boem!*

    It had come from behind. When he turned around to see where the sound had come from, he saw that it had been the door he had just come from. Next to the door however, stood a large man with muscular arms. The lights weren¡¯t on, but you could see the man had a sinister grin on his face.

    ¡®How did he get in? Because the door was open? Or was the door open, because he already got in?¡¯

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Zack tried to hide that he was alarmed as he asked this question.

    However, he could no longer remain his composure when he saw 2 other figures appearing from out of the kitchen. The mere fact that strangers had snuck in to his house was already alarming enough, but what really made Zack jump out of his skin, was the familiar face he saw on one of these men.

    It was Barry.

    When he saw Barry, he realized the hopelessness of the situation. The only thing he was wondering, was as how he had gotten in this situation, and how much of what happened yesterday was real. Zack had many questions in his head but didn¡¯t have the time to sort it out in his mind.

    ¡°Oh~? You¡¯re looking pale boy¡­ I¡¯m surprised to see you¡¯re still kicking.¡±

    Despite his friendly way of talking, Zack knew that the person facing him was very cruel. Just thinking about what Barry did to him, made him extremely frightened. Zack held his stomach without realizing it, while the memories of being stabbed flashed through his mind.

    ¡°How..how did you get here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah you see¡­ As long as I have this thingy here I can find anyone in this city.¡±

    He pulled Zack¡¯s I.D. out of his pocket while a smirk appeared on his face.

    Zack felt very foolish for not checking his pockets when he had woken up in the ally. But it was too late for regrets now.

    ¡®If this guy has my I.D., does that mean that everything that happened yesterday was real? No way, right?¡¯

    ¡°Wh..Where is my roommate?¡±

    When Zack asked this question, all of the men in the room seemed to laugh. This gave Zack a very bad gut feeling. What could¡¯ve happened to Kemri?

    Zack never liked Kemri, but he¡¯d never want to involve a guy like him with bad people like this.

    ¡°Haha excuse us for laughing. We told him we were your friends and that we were just waiting here for you to come home, but he was asking to many questions. I don¡¯t really have the patience to deal with people like him, so we roughed him up a little. ¨C He should be resting in his room right now~.¡±

    Barry talked like he was enjoying himself.

    Zack knew that he had messed up big time. Not only did he get Kemri involved, Kemri might even be traumatized.

    ¡°Now let¡¯s get down to business punk.¡±

    Barry walked to the couch and made himself comfortable as the other 2 men were guarding the front door and kitchen. The only doors free, were the one to Zack¡¯s room and the one to Kemri¡¯s.

    ¡°Listen, that crazy friend of yours really f*cked us over last night. I don¡¯t know how he did it, but he killed Dan and Franky. ¨C¨C Not only did he kill them, he burned them alive. If you¡¯re a local, then you must know what happens to people who mess with the Maharia. ¨C He won¡¯t die a slow death.¡±

    Barry looked daggers at Zack as he continued.

    ¡°Gerald told me you two were talking together inside the pub. ¨C Tell me where your friend is, and we¡¯ll leave you alone.¡±

    (Note: Gerald is the barkeeper in chapter 1)

    That was an obvious lie. Zack knew that Barry wasn¡¯t the kind of person to let people live after he messed with them.

    Even if he told them the truth ¨C¨C that he didn¡¯t know the blue-eyed man ¨C¨C would they believe him? These people weren¡¯t the kind to take no for an answer. There really was only one option.

    He had to run, there was no other option.

    Without a moment of hesitation, Zack shot towards Kemri¡¯s door at full speed.

    When he opened the door, he saw a scrawny man with a knife with Kemri on his side. Kemri had bruises visible all over his body and one of his eyes was almost shutdown as a result of swelling. His breath was loud, for the reason that he couldn¡¯t breathe through his bloody nose. Blood was splattered all over the room.

    It was a horrific sight.

    Zack was bewildered by the sight before him, but he couldn¡¯t afford to stop his momentum. He grabbed Kemri¡¯s arm and jumped out of the closed window, before the man with the knife could react.

    *BAM!*

    Pieces of glass spat out in every direction. He had been lucky that the windows in this house were made out of thin glass.

    When Zack landed in the yard with some glass stuck on his shoulder, he picked Kemri up and put him on his back. Adrenaline was rushing through Zack¡¯s body as he resumed his sprint.

    He did not have time to look behind him to see if he was being pursued or not. His survival instinct told him that all he should think about was getting away.

    During his sprint, he was experiencing something very weird. Somehow, Zack¡¯s body still felt very light while he was carrying Kemri. Zack has always been athletic, but this was simply to astonishing. But in this situation, it was a blessing he did not have time to question.

    Zack ran towards the large park in their neighborhood. He was planning to use the bad lighting in the park to lose his trailers.

    *BBRRRRR!!!!*

    The sound of starting engines came from behind Zack. He was feeling nauseous just by thinking about what the source of the sound could be. As he turned around he saw that it was as he feared. Barry and his men had come with motorcycles.

    ¡°Wooohoooo~ Keep running boyyy!¡±

    Barry was yelling at Zack who was running at a fair distance. Barry didn¡¯t care that this wasn¡¯t his neighborhood. The Maharia had many connections, so he knew that if he would get caught by the police, he would be free in no time.

    Zack heard that they were catching up, so he had to do something.

    Focusing on the park ahead, he tried to run even quicker. He felt the wind whip his face.

    ¡®What is this? How fast am I going?¡¯

    He still heard the motorcycles catching up, so he tried to kick it up a notch.

    *WOOESH!*

    Zack felt energy surging through his whole body. He quickened his steps until his steps became leaps. His heartbeat was accelerated and felt as if it would beat out of his chest. But Zack didn¡¯t care, all he cared about was getting away as far as he could.

    In the corners of Zack¡¯s eyes, everything became blur because of the speed.

    ¡°Ey Barry, is that kid for real?! He could beat Usain Bolt with that kind of speed.¡±

    (Note: Usain Bolt is the world¡¯s fastest man known in sports.)

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s fast alright! Too bad you can¡¯t outrun a motorbike!¡±

    The men were leisurely talking as they we¡¯re chasing Zack and Kemri.

    Zack had already reached the park but couldn¡¯t afford to stop running. He continued to run at an astounding speed.

    He was running like a mad man, as blood started to leave his nose.

    Barry and his men were having a hard time avoiding the trees in the park. As such, it was hard to go at full speed. But with the speed they had at the moment, they could catch anyone who was on feet.

    Or so they thought.

    Zack was running through the forest side of the park on purpose. He knew the motorbikes couldn¡¯t chase him at full-speed that way, because of the thick snow and trees. Even though that could be called a smart plan, he had absolutely no idea where he was running to.

    The sounds of Barry and his men seemed to be getting closer and closer. They had adjusted themselves to the terrain and were avoiding the trees in an efficient way. The slips they were making on the snow looked controlled as they were using the momentum to avoid the trees. One could immediately see that these were experienced bikers.

    As despair was catching up to Zack, he saw a huge fence ahead of him. This fence was made to show the end of the park. On the other side of the fence was the beginning of the city-center. That would mean a lot of people would be there.

    Zack knew Barry was crazy, but he probably wouldn¡¯t risk making a scene in the city-center. Zack knew he had to get on the other side, but the fence before him was 10 feet. There was seemingly no way to get to the other side quick enough.

    ¡°We got him Barry, it¡¯s a dead-end over there!¡±

    The words of one of Barry¡¯s men had reached Zack¡¯s ears. He could hear that they were very close, but he still refused to turn around.

    He felt the warmth of Kemri¡¯s body on his back and realized he was responsible for both of their lives.

    He continued his dash without showing any signs of stopping. He pumped his legs, gaining momentum with each push.

    *mush* *mush* *mush*

    For the final push he lowered his waist and pushed of the ground with all his might.

    *mush!*

    ¡°Woahh!¡±

    The snow under his feet splattered in different directions as his body left the ground. His body kept going higher and higher and for a moment it felt like the thing called gravity did not exist for him.

    When he looked down, he realized what had happened... but couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.

    He had taken a tremendous jump over the fence, with room to spare.

    He could only be mesmerized over this feat for a split second, for his body was now going back down. Zack saw that the other side of the fence did not have any snow on the ground.

    ¡®I¡¯m gonna break my legs!¡¯

    *Bam!*

    As his full weight landed on the concrete, blood shot out of his knees and ankles.

    ¡®I can still stand?¡¯

    Zack didn¡¯t feel any pain because of the adrenaline, and he knew he couldn¡¯t stop here. Zack continued to run through the crowd in the center of the city. His speed was slowly diminishing as he was gasping for air.

    Many people were shocked by the sight of 2 bloody youngsters running through the city, but nobody wanted to get involved.

    He chose to go down an ally so that they wouldn¡¯t be out in the open. This was considering the fact, that Barry and his man might still chase them. He put Kemri down in the snow and took a seat next to him.

    He saw the terrible state Kemri was in and felt a surge of regret. He wanted to get him treated right away but he was not able to. He was barely able to move a muscle at the moment.

    *pant* *pant* *pant*

    Zack was out of breath and completely drained.

    As small raindrops started falling out of the sky, Zack¡¯s eyes became blurry. He felt his consciousness slowly slipping away until he heard something.

    In the corner of his eyes he saw a silhouette of someone approaching him. He wanted to stand up, but he couldn¡¯t control his body. All the energy he had surging trough his body not long ago, was now replaced with burning pain.

    The silhouette came closer.

    ¡°Hey, you. ¨C¨C Who taught you how to use Energeia?¡±

    This voice belonged to neither Barry nor his men. This voice was too elegant to belong to one of them. Whose voice could it be?

    ¡°Can¡¯t answer? No wonder¡­ You used more Energeia then your body could handle. Whoever taught you must be an amateur.¡±

    As the person was scolding him about something Zack had no knowledge over, the blur in Zack¡¯s eyes was lessening. He now could see who was talking to him. It was someone he had never seen before.

    It was a blonde adolescent who looked like a foreigner. His hair was sleek and swept to the side. He had fine facial features and eyes that looked like gold. This man looked like the personification of the word ¡®handsome¡¯. From his face to top-down this guy looked tidy, wearing a white coat, and expensive-looking white boots. He carried himself in a graceful way, which kind of made him look like a snob.

    Before the mysterious visitor could continue speaking to Zack, another person appeared from around the corner.

    ¡°Daaaamnn~.. You really gave us a run for our money brat, but no one can escape the Maharia in this city.¡±

    Barry had a bright smile on his face. He had enjoyed the chase. He found pleasure in feeding people despair. Money was only secondary to him. When he saw Kemri and Zack laying on the ground, covered in blood, he was more than amused. Since it meant that all of Zack¡¯s efforts until now had been in vain.

    The other 3 men, who were chasing Zack together with Barry, also came from around the corner.

    The gold-eyed stranger looked at Barry from the corner of his eyes in an intimidating way.

    ¡°I am conversing with this boy at the moment. Leave, and I will overlook your insolence.¡±

    ¡°Leave? I¡¯m meeting a lot of people who are full of themselves lately. ¨C Listen punk, those guys over there are our prey, don¡¯t meddle in our business unless you want to end up like that. I¡¯m not really in the mood to discipline a sissy like you.¡±

    The stranger, seemingly unaffected by the insults, pointed at Kemri who was laying on the ground.

    ¡°Are you telling me, that the injuries on this human were done by you?¡¯

    ¡°Yes~, now beat it before I change my mind.¡±

    The stranger looked like he had understood something as he furrowed his brows.

    ¡°No, I think that I changed my mind. None of you are leaving.¡±

    He took an extremely fast dash towards Barry and his men.

    He had closed the distance in an instance.

    *Pow!* *Pow!* *Pow!* *Pow!*

    Each of them had received a blow on their chin before they could even react. This made their brains shake and almost made them loose their consciousness.

    Before they even realized what happened, the stranger put his slender fingers on top of his temple, which gave off the impression off him thinking very hard.

    { Python Burst }

    An invisible wave came out of the stranger¡¯s body and enveloped the whole area around him. As soon as the wave came in to contact with the body of Barry and his men, foam started coming out of their mouths and they collapsed in to the wet snow on the floor.

    Once again Zack was laying in the middle of an ally while supernormal events were unfolding before his eyes.

    The stranger took slow and graceful steps towards Zack.

    ¡°It seems humans never change.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± *cought* *cough*

    Zack used his last bit of strength to ask the question that had been swirling in his mind since the stranger had appeared.

    ¡°You use Energeia, one of the 4 styles of the Dao. Surely after my technique just now you should know who I am.¡±

    He spoke with much confidence. But when he saw Zack¡¯s puzzled face, he felt a bit of shame. He quickly composed himself.

    *cough*

    ¡°I am named Marcus Meraculus Phoebus Apollo, 4<sup>th</sup> child and 3<sup>rd</sup> son of god Apollo.¡±

 003 Light

    Amsterdam ¨C City-Center (within an ally)

    ¡®Marcus Meracawhat?¡¯

    Zack was too fatigued to tell Marcus that he didn¡¯t understand anything of what Marcus was saying. When Marcus saw that Zack had no reaction to his introduction whatsoever, he was a little confused.

    While still somewhat confused, Marcus looked at the golden watch on his wrist and raised it near his mouth.

    ¡°Assemble at my location.¡±

    It looked like he was talking in to his watch.

    A few seconds after he had given this command, 5 figures came dashing in the ally from different directions. Some came from the roof, while some just took the normal way. The figures all came to a standstill when they reached Marcus his side.

    They were five men in black suits who all wore an earpiece. They all had a yellow logo, ¡ª that looked like a sun with a big letter ¡®A¡¯ in the middle ¡ª on their breast pocket. They made one think of guards you would see around people like politicians or other important individuals.

    One of them had a slightly different attire which made him look more like a butler than a guard. He had white hair and looked like the oldest out of the bunch.

    The other four so-called guards looked middle-aged and had a certain vibe surrounding them. They all carried themselves in a graceful way while they glanced at their surroundings.

    Boa, ¨C¨C one of the men ¨C¨C took a quick look at the four thugs laying on the ground, and the 2 youngsters drenched in blood mixed with rain. This sight concerned him a little, which caused him to address Marcus.

    ¡°Young master, why did-¡±

    ¡°Uren, you¡¯re a medic, right?¡±

    Marcus spoke to one of his other men while interrupting Boa mid-sentence.

    Uren had long shiny blonde hair which came down to his shoulders. One of his eyes was partly covered by his hair, but he didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by it. A bit of stubble could be seen on his face, nevertheless his skin still looked well-kept.

    He held one of his fingers against his nostrils, as if he was disgusted by the smell of his surroundings.

    ¡°Yes sir, even though my skills are inferior to those of the holy family.¡±

    ¡°Stop the flattery. Tend to their wounds and take them to my residence.¡±

    Uren¡¯s eyes went wide. He was surprised by what Marcus had said, but he wasn¡¯t planning to defy his order.

    ¡°Yes, young master..¡±

    Uren walked over to Zack and Kemri while rolling up his sleeves.

    A radiant light started emitting from his hands as he glared at the boys. His eyes were saying something in the direction of ¡°why do I have to do this dirty work¡± which made Zack distrust him instantly.

    Uren put his glowing hands on Kemri¡¯s visible cuts as steam started to gush out of the wounds.

    ¡°H..hey! What¡¯s the big idea?!¡±

    Zack was panicked to see steam coming out of his roommate¡¯s body. He tried to stand up to stop Uren in his tracks, but his body wasn¡¯t cooperating.

    ¡°Calm yourself human, I am merely performing first-aid on your friend. I¡¯ll get to you in a second.¡±

    Uren had reacted calmly to Zack¡¯s outburst, but you could sense that he was very displeased.

    Kemri¡¯s eyes were opening up for the first time since Zack had carried him on his back. Kemri turned his face to look at Zack and smiled like he usually did. This made Zack a little uneasy, since Kemri¡¯s face was still filled with cuts and bruises. Nonetheless, it made Zack realize that Kemri was trying to tell him that it was okay, and that his outburst had been unnecessary.

    As such, Zack chose to hold his tongue and watched Uren put his hands on Kemri¡¯s injuries.

    Boa, ¨C¨C who knew that the order which Marcus had given casually was no simple matter ¨C¨C chose to address his superior for a second time.

    ¡°Young master Marcus, should we really be healing humans?¡±

    Marcus gracefully took a handkerchief out of his pocket and used it to remove the moist on his face caused by the rain. After he was certain that his face was dry, he opened up the umbrella he had just received from one of his men when they arrived. As soon as he put the umbrella above his head, he looked at Boa and chose to reply calmly.

    ¡°He might be our lead to Pandora¡¯s owner. ¨C¨C I am no fool Boa, but I¡¯m prepared to take such measures if it means fulfilling my family¡¯s task.¡±

    ¡°I see. Don¡¯t mind the ignorant words of the fool that is me, young master.¡±

    Boa got the idea that this was not the only reason why Marcus had given the order, but he chose to not further inquire him about the matter.

    After a few minutes Uren had stopped Kemri¡¯s bleeding and had reduced the swelling on his eye.

    ¡°Thankyou sir... it doesn¡¯t hurt that much anymore.¡±

    Without paying any attention to Kemri¡¯s words, he shifted his gaze and walked towards Zack.

    Normally Zack wouldn¡¯t let a stranger touch him, let alone one with glowing hands. But after he saw Kemri¡¯s reaction just now, he decided it was okay to let his guard down. He couldn¡¯t do much in his condition anyway.

    Uren put his hands-on Zack¡¯s knees and ankles to stop the bleeding. It took him longer to barely close Zack¡¯s wounds than it took him to completely stop Kemri¡¯s bleeding. Afterwards, he took out the pieces of glass stuck on Zack¡¯s shoulder and continued the process in that area.

    By the fatigued look on Uren¡¯s face, you could tell that the healing was taking its toll on him. Eventually, he also managed to stop the bleeding from Zack¡¯s shoulder.

    Uren had wanted to quit after he had finally stopped the bleeding but saw the face of Marcus which clearly was saying ¡®you¡¯re not finished¡¯.

    After looking at Marcus, he resumed his healing by putting his hands-on Zack¡¯s chest. His hands started to give of even more light and at the same time his brows twitched. He quickly distanced his hands from Zack and looked at Marcus in a defeated way.

    ¡°It¡¯s no good young master. This human his Dao flow is severely damaged. I cannot heal him with my skills.¡±

    ¡°That was to be expected.¡±

    Marcus had expected such an outcome after he had seen Zack¡¯s outrageous jump over the fence. However, he had felt that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Take them as they are.¡±

    Heeding Marcus his command, the guards picked Kemri and Zack up and took off.

    They took them to a parking lot, which was not far from the ally they had been.

    Even though the parking lot was very big, it was completely empty, except for the 3 cars parked in the middle. The area around the cars was surrounded by a thick layer of snow that had become mushy, owing it to the rain that was falling out of the sky. This gave the impression that there had been no cars here for quite some time.

    ¡®This must be a private parking lot.¡¯

    Zack was scanning his surrounding as he was being carried by one of Marcus his subordinates.

    When they had reached the cars, Zack was mesmerized by what he saw. He had seen the vehicle before him in a magazine last week but did not pay much attention to it. This was because he had noticed the price had too many zeros for him to even consider buying it in his lifetime.

    This SUV was the latest model of the Mercedes GLE.

    (Note: google it!)

    ¡®Who the hell are these people?!¡¯

    Zack¡¯s astonishment did not stop there. When he got put in the backseat, he realized the interior was even more beautiful than the exterior. Was he even allowed to touch these seats with his bloody clothes?

    He quickly put these thoughts aside and started to worry about where they would be taken. What concerned him even more, was that Kemri was put in another car than the one he was sitting in.

    He wanted to run away with Kemri but attempting an escape in this situation was not even a possibility. Zack¡¯s body was slowly regaining its mobility, but he was not foolish enough to think that he could get away. He knew that the people in black suits were not normal and the one leading them wasn¡¯t either.

    A guard with a blonde taper cut and a brown bushy beard was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, while Marcus took a seat next to Zack in the back. The guard¡¯s eyes could not be seen clearly, caused by his shaded glasses.

    (Note: A taper cut is a classic men¡¯s hairstyle)

    This guard was Boa.

    Boa started up the car, and they made their way out of the parking lot. Zack now knew that he had to surrender himself to his fate. He just hoped everything would turn out alright.

    ¡°Are you ready to speak now?¡±

    Marcus, ¨C¨C who had felt that Zack¡¯s heartbeat had calmed down ¨C¨C took it as a sign that Zack was ready for conversation.

    ¡°I..I am.¡±

    Zack was startled by the sudden interaction, which had caused him to stutter.

    ¡°Good, first let me start with the most important question. ¨C¨C Do you know the location of Pandora¡¯s owner?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ What is Pandora?¡±

    Marcus was bemused by what he had heard.

    ¡°Then, did the one who taught you Dao not teach you anything about the world?¡±

    Zack was just as puzzled as Marcus.

    ¡°Dao¡­?¡±

    He had heard this man, called Marcus, talk about ¡®Dao¡¯ earlier but he had never heard of this word before today. But the way Marcus had spoken of it, made him think that it should have been something of common knowledge.

    ¡®Could it be connected to my sudden increased speed earlier?¡¯

    ¡°Do not take me for a fool human. I have seen you use Energeia earlier, you are at the very least informed about one style of the Dao.¡±

    Marcus looked Zack straight in the eyes and realized that the human before his eyes had no idea off what he was telling him. After realizing this, he continued to speak in a hesitant way.

    ¡°Then, are you trying to tell me... you are unaware off why your physical attributes transcend those of average humans?¡±

    ¡®I knew it!¡¯

    Zack¡¯s gut feeling had been correct. This thing called ¡®Dao¡¯ could indeed be the answer to the strange phenomenon earlier.

    ¡°Well actually, I¡¯m quite surprised about it myself.¡±

    After Marcus heard this, he realized that he was in quite a predicament. ¨C¨C

    Marcus had been in the city-center for the sole purpose of finding the owner of Pandora¡¯s Box. After he and his men had parked their cars, they split up and started to gather information around the city-center. While Marcus was walking through the crowded streets, he sensed a trace of energy not far from him. He had the feeling that the source of that energy would be his ticket to Pandora¡¯s owner. As such, he followed the vastly moving source of energy until he reached a fence. Upon reaching the fairly high fence, he saw two humans jumping over it. This had convinced him that the source of the energy would indeed give him sufficient information, if not lead him to Pandora¡¯s owner. After all, humans who could perform such feats usually belonged to some organization and were very knowledgeable.

    Marcus had chosen to chase those 2 humans down the ally. He even went as far as to heal one of the humans, ¨C¨C which is a great taboo where he comes from ¨C¨C in exchange for information. But things were not going as planned for Marcus.

    ¨C¨C He did not know what to do with Zack at the moment.

    Zack also wanted to know what was happening to his body and wouldn¡¯t let this chance slip by.

    ¡°Maybe I can help if you tell me more.¡±

    Marcus had gone as far as to heal Zack, and he even harmed other humans, ¨C¨Cwhich is also a taboo where he comes from. ¨C¨C he might as well try to squeeze out every little bit of information he can.

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Amsterdam ¨C South (Accel Hotel)

    ¡®Am I being kidnapped?¡¯

    These had been the thoughts of a young man who was simply planning to go the gym just a few hours earlier. But due to an unfortunate occurrence he had not been able to go there. Instead, he was now in front of a huge building called the Accel Hotel. ¨C¨C

    The Accel Hotel was the most expensive hotel of whole Amsterdam. Its prices were so high that even celebrities would think twice before booking a night here. It also was the tallest building in the whole southern region, due to it having 30 floors.

    ¨C¨C The man who had driven him to this location was walking next to him while slightly taking the lead. This way the man could still keep an eye on the youngster while he was showing the way.

    This man had a tanned complexion and trimmed blonde hair. His eyes and his goatee were dark brown which made one wonder if the hair on his head had been dyed. His aura was repellent, as his brows were frowned, and the corners of his mouth were pointing downwards.

    The youngster ¨C¨C who was walking behind him ¨C¨C had bandage on his head and a cast on his arm. In the hand, that seemed uninjured, he held a crutch which made a ticking sound with every step. Through the transparent raincoat he was wearing you could see some red stains on his clothesA case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Seemingly unbothered by the youngster¡¯s bad condition, the man kept his eyes forwards and did not make an attempt to help him. It was a grim sight to witness.

    The already grim atmosphere was made even grimmer by the torrential rainfall. The rain was falling heavily on the snow, which made the chances of the youngster slipping very high. Yet, the man did not seem to care in the slightest.

    The strangest part was, that this very same man was the one who had put the bandage on the youngster¡¯s head. He also put the cast on his arm and gave him his crutch. He even gave him the raincoat.

    ¡®Does he care about my wellbeing, or not?¡¯

    The youngster was left confused by the actions of his abductor.

    When they reached the reception hall, the lady behind the counter had given the man his keys without exchanging any words whatsoever. This gave the young man the idea that the person who had abducted him, was a regular at this hotel.

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    The man, ¨C¨C who had been silent the whole drive here ¨C¨C had chosen to address the youngster. This was because the youngster had been walking slowly since they entered the building. Which was the result of him admiring his surroundings. This was only natural, owing to the fact that the halls of the hotel were decorated with exquisite artworks of which the likes of him had never seen.

    Nonetheless, the kidnapped youngster did not want to anger his abductor and had heeded his command immediately. He followed the man to the main elevator of the hotel. Upon entering the elevator, the man pressed the button with the number #30 on it.

    It was awkwardly silent in the elevator, but the young man had gotten used to it, since it had been the same way when they drove to this destination.

    At the moment they had reached the top floor, there was a small hall with a beautifully decorated door in front of them. It seemed to be the only door on this floor.

    The man put the key, ¨C¨C which he had received from the lady behind the counter earlier ¨C¨C in the key hole.

    The door slowly opened.

    The room before the youngster¡¯s eyes was clearly breath-taking. To call the room well-appointed would be less than an understatement. It was furnished with the most handsome couches, and tables and had a humongous window with a dazzling view. The floor was made out of marble, with red Persian rugs located on the most ideal places. The walls were packed with abstract designs which effected the vibe of the room in a glorious way.

    On the immense red sofa in the middle of the room, there were 2 people conversing. Between these 2 people there laid a small glass table with 2 cups and a fancy teapot on top of it. Both the cups and the teapot looked like they were made out of gold.

    One of these 2 people was a man with an elegant presence. His skin looked as soft as silk and his eyes were inhumanly vivid. From his hair style to the way he was dressed, this man looked refined.

    On the other hand, you had the other person. This person was a young man with unkept black curly hair. His clothes were dirty with red stains on it that looked like dried up blood. From his hair style to the way he was dressed, this youngster was obviously inferior compared to man sitting in front of him.

    ¡°Zack¡­¡±

    The person, who was sitting on the couch, now turned his head upon hearing his name. He had not noticed people entering the room, since he was having a real intense conversation with the man in front of him.

    ¡°Ah.. Kemri, I was getting worried.¡±

    A light smile appeared on Zack¡¯s face. He had arrived in this room 30 minutes earlier and was starting to wonder if they had taken Kemri to a different location. Seeing Kemri arrive, was a huge load of his mind.

    ¡°Hahaha you¡¯re actually worried about me?¡±

    ¡°Shut up clo-¡±

    Zack stopped mid-sentence, as he instinctively reacted to Kemri. He chose to not finish his sentence because he felt that he had no right to call Kemri a clown. He had put Kemri in a really bad position a few hours back and was still feeling greatly upset about it. Zack wanted to apologize right away, but he assumed that it wouldn¡¯t be enough. As such, he pointed his face back to Marcus to continue their conversation and had put the matter regarding Kemri to the side for later.

    ¡°So are you sure you can heal my mother.¡±

    Zack¡¯s facial expression had turned serious as he focused al his attention to Marcus.

    ¡°We, of the Apollo Family, do not tell petty lies.¡±

    You could see that Zack was very pleased to hear this by the way the corners of his mouth were slightly moving upwards. Though, for some reason it seemed Zack did not want to show this, so he quickly returned his facial expression to how it had been before and answered Marcus.

    ¡°Then you have yourself a deal Marcus.¡±

    ¡°¡¯MARCUS¡¯!? HOW DARE YOU ADDRESS ROYALTY LIKE THAT!? I WILL NOT STAND FOR SUCH INSOLENCE!¡°

    It felt like the whole room was trembling by this violently loud voice.

    The source of this sound was the guard who had entered with Kemri, he was enraged. But he painfully restrained himself as soon as Marcus had raised his hand in a matter which was saying ¡°calm down¡±.

    ¡°If you keep your part of the agreement, I will have everything arranged.¡±

    Marcus composedly replied to Zack as he took a sip from his tea.

    Zack stood up from the sofa without further ado and grabbed his dirty jacket that had been laying on his side of the sofa. His legs were faintly shaking while his face remained composed.

    Kemri did not know if this was the aftermath of Zack¡¯s injuries, or if it was caused by the intimidation of the guard just now.

    After putting his jacket on, Zack turned to face Marcus before taking his first step.

    ¡°Then, I will take my leave.¡±

    ¡®What¡¯s up with these fancy sentences?¡¯

    Kemri was already surprised by Marcus his way of speech, but for Zack to also be talking in this way was simply ridiculous. Why was Zack acting like this, and what were Zack and Marcus talking about just now? Kemri felt like he was missing a whole dialogue of information that he wanted to know about, but he decided that it would be smarter to confront Zack about it at a later time.

    ¡°Boa! Uren!¡±

    Marcus called two of the four men whom he had ordered to be in a separate room a while back. He had done so, because Zack had asked Marcus for it to be done. Zack had told Marcus he was not comfortable talking with so many men surrounding him.

    Boa and Uren opened the door of the bedroom almost instantly. It looked like they had been waiting behind the door for this very moment. They simultaneously opened their mouth to answer to Marcus his call.

    ¡°Yes, young master?¡±

    ¡°From today onwards, you guys will follow Mr. Florique¡¯s every move. Until we find Pandora¡¯s owner I want no harm to be done to him or his friend.¡±

    Boa and Uren were dumbfounded but what Marcus told them. This order was something completely illogical to them.

    ¡°But master, it is not permitted to-.¡±

    Suddenly a faint gleam started radiating from Marcus his golden eyes. His intimidating aura could even be felt by Kemri and Zack, whom it was not directed to. This almost made it hard to breathe for the two youngsters.

    ¡°Have I been clear?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes young master.¡±

    After Boa and Uren¡¯s response, the deadly aura emitting from Marcus vanished. It was as if it never had been there.

    ¡°Good. ¨C¨C Now bring them back to their house so they can rest¡­ I will speak to you tomorrow Mr. Florique.¡±

    Zack tried to stay composed as cold sweat was forming on his forehead.

    ¡°Ah, yes... I see ya¡­ I shall see you tomorrow...¡±

    Zack was very wobbly on his feet when he took his first step. Marcus, who saw this, looked at Boa with frowned brows.

    Boa immediately rushed to Zack¡¯s side and lent him his shoulder. Zack knew this was not done out of Boa¡¯s own initiative but had no choice but to accept his help.

    Guided by Uren and Boa, Zack and Kemri left the room.

    Feliz, ¨C¨C the guard that had been with Kemri until now ¨C¨C opened his mouth after he was sure that the boys had left.

    ¡°Young master, I don¡¯t know what your agreed upon with him, but are you sure we can trust him?¡±

    ¡°No. ¨C¨C But I¡¯ll have to at the moment. He¡¯s my only lead to Pandora¡¯s owner.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me for my rudeness, but even so¡­. Sending Boa and Uren to be the bodyguards of simple humans, isn¡¯t that going a little bit too far?¡±

    ¡°I understand your concern, but I do not think that this human is as ¡¯simple¡¯ as you make him out to be. ¨C¨C I have seen him use Energeia at an Aes III level.¡±

    ¡°Aes III !? Impossible!¡±

    ¡°Do not yell in my presence Feliz.¡±

    ¡°My deepest apologies young master.¡±

    ¡°It is forgiven, I can understand that you¡¯re surprised. ¨C¨C But do you understand now Feliz? No human who can use Energeia at that level can be called simple.¡±

    ¡°I understand now. I sincerely apologize for my ignorance!¡±

    ¡°You are forgiven¡­ and stop yelling Feliz.¡±

    ¡°My apologies!¡±

    ¡°*sigh~*¡±

    -----------------------------------------------

    Amsterdam - South (Zack¡¯s House)

    ¡°Then, we will take our leave now. We will be nearby at all times.¡±

    Boa had addressed the two boys he had just brought to their house.

    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±

    Zack thanked him, but he didn¡¯t like Boa at all. Even though Boa had been acting friendly the whole ride, Zack knew that this was all an act and could see that Boa actually disliked him for some reason. The same could be said about the other guard, Uren. The only difference was that Uren made it very clear that he didn¡¯t like Zack.

    Zack watched as the two guards, who had brought him and Kemri to their front door, were leaving his sight. Looking at their fading silhouettes, Zack¡¯s eyes narrowed as a thought crossed his mind.

    ¡®I have to be careful around these two.¡¯

    When the silhouettes had completely disappeared, Zack turned his body to open the door. He barely managed to keep his footing as he walked to the couch in the living room.

    The moment Zack had taken a seat, Kemri immediately shot questions towards Zack.

    ¡°Okay, who are they? Why were you speaking so familiar with them? And who were those people who broke in to our house?.¡±

    ¡°Calm down Kemri, I can only answer one question at a time. ¨C¨C Let me first explain what happened yesterday.¡±

    Zack reacted very calm to Kemri. Which was normal, because he had already expected these questions to be asked as soon as they got home. He was already very thankful that Kemri had waited until this moment, or else it might had ruined his plans.

    And so, Zack started to tell Kemri about the strange events he had witnessed.

    Zack took the time to explain everything that happened to him since yesterday. He even told him about the unnatural sensation in his body since last morning.

    The strange part was that Kemri¡¯s face remained neutral throughout the whole story. He didn¡¯t even flinch at the part about the blue-eyed man. One could think that this young man called Kemri was not even listening at all. But Zack knew that this neutral face of Kemri was a face he made when he was thinking at his hardest.

    Kemri took his time to take in all the information he had just received. After he summarized it for himself in his head, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me anything?¡±

    ¡°As I was saying, I wasn¡¯t even sure if it really happened at some point¡­. And besides, what good would it do to tell you?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®what good would it do¡¯? I¡¯m your friend, ¨C¨C of course I want to know what you¡¯re going through.¡±

    ¡®Friend?¡¯

    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Well it happened, forget it. What I¡¯m more curious about is... what were you and that blonde guy talking about earlier?¡±

    Zack¡¯s face, which had a surprised expression from the words of Kemri earlier, turned serious once again.

    ¡°Okay, Kemri listen... I know this will all sound like bullshit but hear me out.¡±

    ¡°I doubt anything would surprise me at this point¡­ continue.¡±

    Zack took a deep breath and resumed speaking.

    ¡°First, let me start by saying¡­ that those people earlier weren¡¯t human.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha what...?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know¡­ but think about it. The abilities they have shown by healing us were not humane to begin with. I don¡¯t know if they are human or not, but they sure as hell aren¡¯t normal, you have to agree with me on that.¡±

    Kemri was not fully conscious when Uren had healed them, so he had not grasped the situation at that time. But he knew that being healed this quickly was certainly uncommon to say the least.

    ¡°Hmm.. yeah, they were kind of weird and rich.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I-¡­. anyway ¨C¨C What¡¯s more, that blonde snob claimed to be the son of some god named Apollo.¡±

    ¡°Apollo? The ancient Greek god of the sun?¡±

    Kemri was a huge history bookworm, especially if it was about mythology. So, this name ¡®Apollo¡¯ was very familiar to him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know Kemri. He also said something about him coming from another world. ¨C¨C A world named Olymfius or something.¡°

    ¡°Olympus!?¡±

    Kemri¡¯s eyes had gone wide open as he raised his voice in bewilderment.

    Zack quickly got out of the couch to put his hand on Kemri¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Shhhhh¡­ Kemri, calm down or those guards will think there¡¯s something happening. They might be out of our sight, but they''re still keeping tabs on us.¡±

    Kemri nodded as if he had understood. As such, Zack removed his hand from Kemri¡¯s mouth and fell back to the couch.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but¡­ Olympus is the place where the 12 greater gods of Greece lived. To say that such a place really exists... it¡¯s kind of ridiculous. I didn¡¯t take them for such jokers.¡±

    ¡°Yeah normally I wouldn¡¯t be convinced either, but by the things that have been happening to me in this short time span... It kind of makes it easier for me to believe the words of that snob.¡±

    ¡°Hmmmm, you have a point... I mean... they did close my wounds really fast, I thought I had mortal wounds...but¡­¡±

    Kemri looked at his arm which had a cast on it and seemed to be thinking about something.

    Zack knew that Kemri was slowly starting to believe him and continued speaking.

    ¡°Now here¡¯s the good part¡­ at some point I was acting like I was not surprised by the words of the snob, and that gave him the impression of me being part of some secret human organization or something. When I realized that he had placed me in a position of value, I started to ask him questions about the healing. Soon I came to know, that this ¡®Apollo Family¡¯ of his, had people that could heal ¡®human diseases¡¯. So, I did not hesitate to ask him to heal my mother.¡±

    Kemri¡¯s face turned bitter.

    ¡°Zack¡­¡±

    ¡°And he was okay with it, on one condition. ¨C¨C I have to give him information on an individual they call ¡®Pandora¡¯s owner¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Pandora¡¯s owner? Do you know someone like that?¡±

    ¡°Not in the slightest. ¨C¨C But I have an idea as how to make them think I do.¡±

    ¡°Zack, I don¡¯t think these are people you should be messing with¡­ You saw what he did to those guys of the Maharia.¡±

    (Note: Barry is a member of the gang named Maharia)

    ¡°If it gives me a chance to cure my mom, I don¡¯t care about the consequences. ¨C¨C And don¡¯t worry, I told them you were a normal human who does not know anything. It seems hurting ¡®regular humans¡¯ is actually a huge problem for them, but he had placed me in such high regards that he chose to knock out those Maharia guys.¡±

    Kemri had not even thought about his own safety, he only had a bad feeling about what Zack was getting himself in to. As such, Zack¡¯s words ¨C¨C meant to put Kemri at ease ¨C¨C only had the opposite effect. But Kemri saw Zack¡¯s determent look and knew that nothing he said would be able to change Zack¡¯s mind.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good idea¡­ I know you won¡¯t listen, but I just felt like I needed to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just take a good rest and I¡¯ll talk about the details of my plan tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°*sigh~* Sure, but I¡¯m sleeping in your room tonight.¡±

    ¡°Wh- What¡­ why would you be sleeping in my room?¡±

    Kemri rested his back against the wall and pointed his clutch in Zack¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Because for some reason it¡¯s very cold in my room.¡±

    Zack then remembered that he broke Kemri¡¯s window when he jumped out of it during their escape from Barry. He also remembered the splattered blood around Kemri¡¯s room and understood why Kemri did not want to enter his own room.

    ¡°Ah, sure you can sleep in my room... I did not want to leave this couch anyway.¡±

    Zack¡¯s room was not spacious enough for two people to be sleeping in, so sleeping on the couch was the most logical solution.

    ¡°Oh.. Alright then.. See ya tomorrow.¡±

    Kemri had actually expected Zack to tell him that had to sleep on the couch himself. That would have been a normal reaction for Zack. Kemri then thought about how Zack had been acting a little different towards him since the incident.

    After seemingly haven come to a conclusion, Kemri showed a soft smile while shaking his head.

    ¡°Oh!.. and Kemri¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Please act like you don¡¯t remember anything of what happened today when those Apollo guys are around.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ sure.¡±

    ¡°Thankyou. See ya tomorrow.¡±

    Zack looked at the door of his room, which Kemri had just entered.

    ¡®Friend huh¡­?¡¯

    ~The next morning~

    *Riiiiingggggg!*

    ¡®Ulgh, the doorbell.¡¯

    The loud noice of the doorbell had woken Zack up. When he glanced at the window next to him, he could see the morning sun had barely gotten up. Who would be in front of the door so early?

    Zack dragged his feet towards the front door until he stood in front of it. While still half asleep, he opened the door as a natural reaction to the doorbell.

    The cold breeze from outside felt like a slap in his face. The icy wind had woken him up completely.

    ¡°I find it quite distasteful to be waiting this long.¡±

    The young man on his doorstep spoke in a displeased way. Zack rubbed his eyes in surprise of the person standing on his doorstep.

    ¡°M- Marcus..? Goodmorning, what brings you here?¡±

    ¡°What brings me here? I have given you your rest, I want to start our search as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡®Is this guy for real? I¡¯ve barely slept for 5 hours.¡¯

    ¡°Ah.. sure¡­ let me get dressed.¡±

    Marcus followed Zack back inside as he observed Zack attentively.

    ¡°You can take a seat on the couch, I¡¯ll be done changing in a minute.¡±

    Marcus took a quick look at the couch which Zack had been laying on just a while back. He noticed the dirty jacket Zack had worn yesterday laying on top of it. ¨C¨C It laid there for the reason that Zack had used that jacket as a blanket last night. ¨C¨C The corners of Marcus his mouth lowered as he focused his eyes back to Zack.

    ¡°I will stand. ¨C¨C And as much as I do want to start the search¡­ I urge you to take a shower before we leave.¡±

    Zack felt quite embarrassed by Marcus his words. It seemed like merely being in the presence of him already made Zack feel inferior. But the way Marcus addressed people was the most degrading thing. Despite that, Zack had felt no ill intentions behind Marcus his words yesterday nor at this moment.

    ¡°Ah.. alright, I¡¯ll try to make it quick.¡±

    ¡°That pleases me to hear.¡±

    Thinking about how even the way Marcus thanked people was disdainful, Zack made his way to the bathroom.

    Marcus ¨C¨C who was still standing in the living room ¨C¨C could hear how quickly the water of the shower had turned on and was pleased with Zack¡¯s haste. But something had been bothering Marcus since the moment he came in. ¨C¨C

    The Dao flow of a person was something that controlled a person¡¯s recovery, mobility and breathing. If there was something wrong with someone¡¯s Dao flow, it would be apparent in one of these three things. Also, the Dao flow was something that could hardly be restored once damaged, and if it was restored it would never be the same as before.

    ¨C¨C Marcus could not comprehend why this human named Zack was showing no disruptions in his Dao flow at all. He was sure that Zack¡¯s Dao flow had been shattered yesterday, but today he was walking like it had never been injured in the first place.

    This human, he had only wanted for information, was now really peaking his interest.

    *Bathroom door opens*

    ¡°I¡¯m finished, we can go.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    Zack walked to the couch to pick up his jacket. As Marcus saw this, he immediately chose to speak.

    ¡°I know human¡¯s in general lack gracefulness and pride. ¨C¨C But I do not see why one would wear a bloodstained jacket while accompanying someone. On what grounds do you take such actions? Or is this the thing humans call ¡®fashion¡¯?¡±

    Zack looked at Marcus completely baffled and took a look at the jacket in his hand right after. He scratched his head and showed an awkward smile.

    ¡°Actually¡­ my only two jackets have been ruined. I have no decent jackets left, so I have no choice.¡±

    Suddenly, Marcus his cheeks showed a slight redness.

    *cough* *cough* ¡°Excuse me. ¨C¨C It seems I have been quite rude.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°We shall provide you with a new jacket before we start our search.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really think that¡¯s-¡°

    ¡°I insist.¡±

    Zack¡¯s will to reject the offer was crushed by Marcus his amazing pressure.

    He took another good look at his jacket as he put it on and knew it was for the best if he accepted the offer. After all, he did not have much money to spare anyway.

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    Satisfied with Zack¡¯s reaction, Marcus made his way to the door.

    As they stepped outside the house, Zack saw the black SUV waiting for them a few steps away.

    When they stepped in the car, the interior made Zack mesmerized all over again. Marcus took a seat next to Zack like last night.

    ¡°Welcome back young master.¡±

    An old man with winter white hair and apparent wrinkles on his face had greeted Marcus in a very friendly way. This old-timer was Marcus his usual driver and the head of the Meraculus Apollo squad.

    ¡°Festal, bring us to the usual shopping street in the city-center.¡±

    ¡°Most certainly. ¨C¨C Is it that Pandora¡¯s owner might be there?¡±

    ¡°No, we will provide Mr. Florique with a new jacket before we start our search.¡±

    The driver fell silent for a brief moment. Zack could not see the driver his face, so he did not know what kind of facial expression this person called Festal was making.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    After these two words left the driver¡¯s mouth, he started the engine and made his way towards the city-center.

    A deadly silence fell in the car as soon as the wheels started rolling.

    Zack opened his mouth to break the silence with some small talk, but Marcus chose to address him first.

    ¡°Mr. Florique, could you tell me more about Pandora¡¯s owner as we drive?¡±

    ¡®Hehe, just when I thought he would give me some time to breathe¡­¡¯

    ¡°Of course, ¨C¨C Well I met a blue-eyed man at a pub two days ago¡­¡±

 004 Unfortunate

    Two days have passed since Marcus and Zack began their search.

    In these past two days, Zack did not even have the time to tell Kemri about his plans or his progress. That was because he would spend his entire day with Marcus and would only return home at night. Kemri had waited for Zack¡¯s return the past two days but would always fall asleep at night eventually.

    Today Marcus told Zack he had some business to take care of, so Zack could go home early. It was strange, because Marcus seemed to have said that right after a phone call he received. But Zack was happy that he was given some time to breathe and returned home happily. But before he could take a breather, he felt obliged to tell Kemri about his whole plan and everything he got to know in these past two days.

    Zack was happy to see that Kemri was still awake when he arrived home. Marcus let him leave early, but it was just 2 hours earlier than usual. It was almost midnight, therefor it would not be weird to find Kemri sleeping again.

    So, after he took a small breather, they sat in Zack¡¯s room and began their little meeting.

    Amsterdam ¨C South (Zack¡¯s room)

    ¡°Okay.. wait, can you repeat that. ¨C¨C That was a lot of info to take in.¡±

    Kemri was surprised by al the info Zack had gained in these short 2 days. Normally Kemri was very good at absorbing information, but the things Zack was explaining were al illogical. Thus, he tried to adjust his line of thought.

    Zack understood this, so he began his explanation once more.

    ¡°Well, as I was saying¡­ Pandora¡¯s box seems to be something that holds some kind of great mythical power. It¡¯s something that comes in existence only once every 450 years. Marcus his family is responsible for guarding the box until the rightful owner is found. For some reason they are convinced the owner lives in Amsterdam, and they are prepared to take drastic measures to find him¡­ or her.¡±

    ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m talking about this kind of crap.¡¯

    ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll just act like this isn¡¯t crazy at all. Why do they think you would know where he is, and how did you manage to keep him fooled for two full days?¡± Kemri said with a slightly confused expression.

    ¡°Well¡­ do you remember me telling you about how I jumped over a fence with you on my back?¡±

    ¡°Yeah I remember¡­ I¡¯m still amazed, but... what of it?¡±

    ¡°Well I forgot to tell you that the fence was like two times my own size..¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but it¡¯s true¡­ That¡¯s the whole reason why Marcus noticed us in the first place. He told me I used some weird power called Energeia and-¡°

    ¡°Okay hold up Zack¡­ I hope you won¡¯t hold it against me if I tell you that I don¡¯t fully believe all of this supernatural stuff.¡±

    ¡®Yeah, I should¡¯ve known¡­ even my na?ve roommate won¡¯t believe this magical nonsense.¡¯

    ¡°I won¡¯t... ¨C¨C I don¡¯t fully believe it myself. Even though I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes.¡± Zack said, as he put his hand on his forehead in a frustrated way.

    Kemri was quite disappointed to have waited two days to hear about these kinds of things. But he could see that Zack was very passionate about it. Zack was clinging to it, and Kemri had the feeling that this was because Zack desperately wanted to cure his mother. He took a good look at Zack¡¯s determined eyes and decided that he would take him serious for the time being.

    ¡°Well¡­ It can¡¯t hurt to listen... I won¡¯t interrupt you again, please continue.¡±

    ¡°About damn time.¡±

    Zack felt a surge of relieve as he spoke his thoughts out loud.

    Kemri could not help but chuckle, for this was the way Zack normally spoke to him. For some reason Zack had been holding himself back and was talking to Kemri without annoyance in his voice these past few days. Kemri had the feeling that this was because Zack was still feeling guilty about what happened two days ago. Kemri on the other hand, did not hold Zack accountable for anything that happened that day. But he was enjoying the way Zack was adjusting his speech towards him.

    Zack, ¨C¨C who saw that Kemri was chuckling for some reason ¨C¨C was a little confused. He looked at his roommate with a vague look on his face and afterwards chose to ignore it. He scraped his throat as to pick up where he left of.

    ¡°*cough* *cough* Soooo~, Marcus told me I used a power called Energeia, which enhances my physical abilities. But this is just a way of using an energy called Dao. He and his men are capable of using it too. I still have no idea as to how I used it in the first place¡­ ¨C¨C Anyhow¡­ The blue-eyed man I told you about, must have been using it too. So, I thought he must be the guy they¡¯re looking for.¡±

    ¡°Ahaa~ Ofcourse. He can¡¯t be where they¡¯re from, because he kills humans.¡±

    ¡°Correct. So, these past few days we¡¯ve been gathering information about the blue-eyed man in Bortox Street.¡±

    ¡°And¡­ did it pay of?¡±

    Hearing this question, Zack¡¯s head lowered, and he put his fingers on his chin. It looked like he was pondering about something.

    ¡°Well we got some insignificant information¡­ but Marcus would always send that old man called Festal to do some secret investigations. So, I think he knows more than I think he does.¡±

    ¡°That Marcus is a slick guy huh?¡±

    ¡°I thought so too, but these past few days I¡¯ve noticed that the least dislikeable guy of them al¡­ is Marcus. He says some offence stuff sometimes, but he¡¯s just an honest and straightforward guy. I think that if he really wanted to be secretive about it, I wouldn¡¯t have known anything.¡±

    ¡°Hahahahaha you always act so unsocial, but your knowledge of human nature never seizes to surprise me.¡±

    ¡®Me¡­ knowledge of human nature?¡¯

    ¡°They¡¯re not humans tho..¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot haha¡±

    As he looked at his silly roommate he thought about what Marcus was planning for today. And why it had been so important that he had to pause the search he was so eager to do in the first place.

    ¡®I wonder what Marcus is up to today¡­¡¯

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the slums of Amsterdam there were many unlighted area¡¯s in the night. Next to Bortox Street you had Oxford street, which laid in one of those areas. The apartments were of poor quality and the residents all had a low income.

    Among these apartments there was one that obviously was in a worse state than the others. The windows had a layer of dust on them and if you looked attentively, you could see some small cracks on the edges. The apartment did not have curtains, for they were unnecessary. It was not possible to look through the windows anyway, caused by the dust mixed with dirt on the surface. It would make one wonder if someone really lived there in the first place.

    Amsterdam ¨C West (Oxford Street - inside the dirty apartment)

    The living room was pitch-black, but you could see some light coming from behind an open door. Because of that light the pieces of the old and dirty furniture around the living room were partly visible. Inside the lightened room you could see two figures going through the contents of a closet.

    These two figures were Fezil and Usol.

    Usol was one of the five members of the Meraculus Apollo Squad. He had been the one who carried Zack and Kemri to the cars when they were wounded. He had a large build with a notably big belly. Whereas his belly looked soft and mushy, his arms looked lean and brick solid. He was a bald man with no facial hair whatsoever. His eyes were covered by his black shaded glasses, which made it hard to read his facial expression.

    Feliz his forehead was covered in veins that looked like they could pop at any minute. His brows were frowned to the point that it wrinkled the whole area between his eyes. It was crystal clear that this man was very frustrated.

    ¡°THIS IS COMPLETE NONSENSE! Why are we investigating this dirty apartment!¡±

    ¡°Uh~ Please be quit Feliz, someone might hear us¡­ Uh~ Marcus said that Pandora¡¯s Owner could possibly be living here.¡±

    ¡°Shut it Usol! Why would Pandora¡¯s Owner live in this dump hole! Pandora¡¯s Owner should be a human with a tremendous amount of Dao and knowledge¡­ this is ridiculous!¡±

    ¡°Uh~ That human Zack told Marcus about a man who was killing humans with strange powers¡­ Uh~ It can¡¯t be someone from Olympus, killing humans in the Primal Realm is one of the gravest sins in Olympus¡­ Uh~ So, there are only two options¡­ Uh~ First... He is not from Olympus but from another Godly Realm, but that would mean he¡¯s causing trouble on our territory. Uh~ Second¡­ He is a human with great Dao Skill, which could mean he¡¯s indeed Pandora¡¯s Owner.¡±

    Usol took a small pause, so he could confirm if Feliz was actually listening. When he saw that Feliz his veins were getting a bit smaller, he took it as a sign that he was indeed paying attention to his words. He continued speaking¡­

    ¡°Uh~ In both cases¡­ we should approach this man.¡±

    ¡°Tsk! And how do we know he lives here..¡±

    ¡°Uh~ Festal has been gathering information these past two days¡­ Uh~ He said he¡¯s 70% sure that the man lives here.¡±

    ¡°That human kid better be telling the truth about those ¡®powers¡¯ or he¡¯s dead meat! And you have a really annoying way of talking Usol!¡±

    ¡°Uh~ And you yell too much, we all have our flaws in this squad.¡±

    ¡°WHAT DID Y-¡°

    Usol quickly put his hand on Feliz his mouth before Feliz could start his tantrum. With his other hand he tapped his index finger on his own mouth, as to indicate that they should be quit. When it seemed that Feliz had regained his composure, Usol took his hand of his mouth and started to whisper.

    ¡°Uh~ ¡­ I think I just heard the front door opening.¡±

    As Usol whispered these words to Feliz, an unfamiliar voice had responded behind them.

    ¡°I opened that door a while ago misters~¡±

    Usol and Feliz immediately turned their faces to look at the source of the sound.

    What they saw left them dumbstruck.

    They were looking at a man casually leaning against the wall only a few steps away from them. His arm size and body length were comparable to those of Usol. The difference was, that this man was unusually lean. The veins on his arm and his massively large chest would be frightening too the average human.

    The man was wearing slippers, joggers, and a tank top. That would mean that this man couldn¡¯t have just arrived, for it was freezingly cold outside.

    Usol and Feliz ¨C¨C who were looking at him ¨C¨C were benumbed when they realized that this man had probably been standing there the whole time. What¡¯s more¡­ his eyes were unnaturally bright, whereas his skin color was dark. His eyes had a beautiful color blue that only caused more disturbance in the minds of the two men.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look so surprised, ¨C¨C You guys looked so serious while you were looking through my stuff¡­ I didn¡¯t want to distract you, so I kept quit.¡± The man said, as he took a few steps towards Usol and Feliz.

    Feliz and Usol took a leap backwards and stood on full alert.

    ¡®Uh~ Impossible, I was paying extra attention.¡¯

    Usol was profound in the art of sensing other living beings. Next to his amazing brute strength, he was known for being very sensitive to the energy of others. How could it be that this blue-eyed man had been able to stand so close to them without him noticing. He couldn¡¯t find a logical explanation in his head.

    Feliz, ¨C¨C who was thinking about the same thing as Usol ¨C¨C chose to break the silence.

    ¡°You.. ¨C¨C who are you!? Are you human or aesthes?¡±

    The blue-eyed man looked surprised after hearing Feliz his words. After he took a few second to think about what Feliz had just asked him, the corners of his mouth went up.

    ¡°Hahahahahahahahaahahahahhahahhahahaahaha!¡±

    The blue-eyed man seemed to be enjoying himself as tears of laughter started forming in his eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny!¡± Feliz said in an annoyed tone.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Hahahaha¡­ No, I¡¯m sorry hahahahaha It¡¯s just that... ¨C¨C It¡¯s kind of funny that you guys can¡¯t even tell your own kind apart from a human.¡±

    ¡®Uh~ He actually understands what Feliz is asking? Uh~ Who is he?¡¯

    ¡°Son of a-¡°

    Usol put his arm in front of Feliz, as a sign that he should calm himself.

    ¡°Uh~ Under normal circumstances we would¡¯ve known¡­ Uh~ It¡¯s because you have too little Dao energy to be one of us¡­ Uh~ But you even have too little to be a human¡­ It¡¯s almost like you¡¯re a dead person.¡±

    ¡°Ah~ You have a point there¡­¡± The blue-eyed man said, as he lifted up his shoulders.

    After he confirmed that Usol¡¯s way of thinking was not wrong, he continued speaking.

    ¡°Anyway¡­ now that you know that I have nothing to do with your Pandora business, could you leave my residence?¡±

    ¡®Uh~ He heard our whole conversation, so he knows everything we¡¯re here for¡­ Uh~ But why is he not surprised? I have a bad feeling about this guy.¡¯

    ¡°Uh~ I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t just simply do that¡­ I¡¯m going to have to ask you to come with us for further questioning.¡±

    The blue-eyed man¡¯s eyes started to show a faint gleam as his expression turned serious.

    ¡°Look, I tried being nice¡­ You guys clearly don¡¯t know who you¡¯re messing with. Just leave ¨C¨C I don¡¯t want problems with Olympus for something so irrelevant.¡±

    ¡®Uh~ Olympus? We¡¯ve said nothing about Olympus¡­ and in what way could Pandora¡¯s box be considered irrelevant Uh~ This guy is definitely bad news.¡¯

    Feliz showed a small grin as he started cracking his knuckles. He took a few steps towards the blue-eyed man and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Quite full of ourselves, now are we!? It seems you know quite a bit about us, Mr. no-energy!¡±

    A smirk appeared on the blue-eyed man¡¯s face.

    ¡°Yeah I do¡­ You weaklings are the dogs of one of those pampered kids of Apollo, right?¡±

    Hearing this insult ¨C¨C that was clearly directed towards their master ¨C¨C Usol and Feliz took and extremely fast leap towards the blue-eyed man. In a split second they had closed the distance.

    The blue-eyed man did not even have the time to take his hands out of his pocket.

    Usol pulled his fist back, as to build up power for a heavy blow. At the same moment Feliz made a turn in the air while lifting one knee up. This was so he could build up momentum for a heavy spinning round house kick.

    *Boem!*

    The impact from both blows made the surrounding air burst outwards and caused the room to tremble.

    ¡°Well well well guys¡­ please think about the neighbours.¡±

    This familiar voice came from behind Usol and Feliz. But it was illogical, because this voice belonged to the person who should be in front of them¡­ on the receiving end of their devastating attacks.

    When they turned their faces, they could only be bemused. It was indeed the blue-eyed man standing behind them, with his hands still in his pocket.

    When they looked at where their attacks had landed, they realized that the impact they had felt was actually both of their blows connecting with each other.

    The blue-eyed man looked at them in a degrading way as he lifted his shoulders up once more.

    ¡°Apollo hounds are all bark but no bite huh?¡±

    Feliz his veins grew even bigger than they already were. The corners of his mouth were extremely low as he made his bare grinding teeth visible. his face now truly looked like that of a demon.

    Members of Apollo Squads had much pride and would not stand for such mockery about the Nobile family. Among all those members Feliz was an especially prideful person in that sense. So, at this moment his rage was indescribable.

    Usol was angry as well. But Usol knew that Feliz was an emotional person, more so than he was. So, he tried to calm him down before the situation would get out of hand ¨C¨C

    ¡°Uh~ Feliz, he¡¯s trying to make us angry¡­ calm down.¡±

    ¨C¨C But it was too late

    { Ascelpius Corporis }

    Feliz stood still as his veins kept growing and his skin slowly turned red. Steam was coming out of his mouth and pores as his eyes turned completely white. A strangely overwhelming aura surrounded him and soon took over the whole apartment.

    Asceplius Corporis was a technique of the Apollo household which caused the user to burn more energy at a higher rate. This would mean that the user would experience a sudden increase in his physical powers. The duration of this amplified state would depend on the skill of the user. But this technique would also come at a price. The user would be weakened for approximately 40 hours after using it. In the Meraculus Apollo Squad only Feliz and the squad leader Festal were capable of using this technique.

    ¡°Uh~ Feliz, you¡¯re going too far using that technique¡­¡±

    *Pieuw!*

    A burst of steam came from the spot where Feliz had stood just half a second ago.

    Feliz had shot towards the blue-eyed man with a speed that was multiple times faster than his first dash earlier.

    The blue-eyed man eyes widened as Feliz his fist was coming towards him with the speed and power of a cannon ball. He could not foresee such a sudden increase in speed and power.

    He leaned his body backwards with the same speed as the fist approaching his face. When he was sure that he had avoided the point of impact, he grabbed Feliz his fist with one hand. The same second that he grabbed the fist he shot his knee towards Feliz his stretched elbow. Feliz saw this but could not avoid it, since his momentum was still going forward.

    *Crack!*

    ¡°AAGH!¡±

    Feliz let out a short but loud scream filled with pain as a piece of bone could be seen poking out of his elbow.

    ¡®Uh~ No way! Feliz lost in close combat while using Asceplius Corporis..?!¡¯

    The small moment that Feliz his body had frozen because of the pain, the blue-eyed man grabbed Feliz his neck with his unoccupied hand. He then turned his body ¨C¨C

    *BAM!*

    ¨C¨C and slung Feliz against the wall while retaining the tight grip he had on his neck.

    Usol, ¨C¨C who saw an opening while the blue-eyed man turned his body ¨C¨C pulled his fist back once again to prepare for a devastating blow.

    The blue-eyed man swept his gaze on Usol as if he already knew what Usol was planning. The moment Usol¡¯s eyes made contact the blue-eyed man¡¯s, his body froze.

    Usol could no longer move his body. Why? He did not know the answer. All he knew is that they were in a grave situation, and that they had underestimated their opponent to a foolish degree.

    Feliz, ¨C¨C whose body was still pressed against the wall ¨C¨C felt all his strength leaving his body. The red color of his skin disappeared and turned back to its original complexion. The steam that was coming out his mouth and body just a moment ago, left without a trace. The menacing aura surrounding him, now just looked like it had been an illusion that had never been there.

    ¡®Uh~ What¡¯s happening to Feliz? He should be in his amplified state for at least another minute.¡¯

    Both men from the Meraculus Apollo Squad, ¨C¨C though for different reasons ¨C¨C could no longer act.

    For some reason Feliz was completely drained of all his Dao energy and Usol could not move a muscle in his body.

    ¡°You guys are complete amateurs. ¨C¨C How does it feel to be outclassed by an individual who¡¯s not even using Dao?¡±

    His taunt was met by a silence... Ofcourse this was the case, for the men could no longer speak nor move in their current state.

    The blue-eyed man then held one hand in front of Feliz his face as a disappointed look appeared on his face.

    ¡°Pathetic¡­ ¨C¨C Now that I think about it, I bet those so-called Gods won¡¯t mind if some dogs died.¡±

    Small blue puffs could be seen coming out of his raised palm as his blue eyes were getting brighter than they already were.

    ¡°Die¡­¡±

    -----------------------------------------------------------

    *BOEM!*

    Two silhouettes had just broken through the window.

    Pieces of glass were dancing in the air, going in every direction. The blue-eyed man looked at the window in a startled way as the blue puffs forming in his hand disappeared.

    One of the two silhouettes was an exceptionally handsome young man. His golden eyes looked mesmerizing as they were focused on the blue-eyed man. On the other hand, you had an old man in a butler¡¯s attire. He looked like he might have had the same looks as the youngster next to him in his younger days.

    These two men were Marcus and the squad leader Festal.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned, look who just joined the party¡­¡±

    The blue-eyed man had said this in an unconcerned manner, which would make one wonder if he had foreseen that this would happen.

    Marcus took a quick look at the situation and furrowed his brows. He saw one of his loyal men against the wall with a broken arm, whilst the other one seemed to be paralyzed for some reason.

    ¡®Both Feliz and Usol are Argentum class Dao-ists just a little weaker than me, how can they be in this state?¡¯

    While this confusing thought ran through his mind, he addressed the blue-eyed man.

    ¡°Let go of him at once.¡±

    Marcus had spoken in an intimidating tone while his eyes still were showing their gold radiance.

    ¡°Oh scary~¡±

    The blue-eyed man released the grip he had on Feliz his neck. This caused Feliz to drop to the floor like a doll with broken strings.

    ¡°They attacked first. ¨C¨C I was just protecting myself.¡± The blue-eyed man said mockingly.

    Marcus remained composed as he heard this clear attempt of mockery. He chose to reply calmly¡­

    ¡°I trust that you do understand that this matter cannot simply be dropped like that.¡±

    ¡°I highly recommend you do¡­ ¨C¨C For the both of us.¡± The blue-eyed man had responded while retaining his mocking tone.

    Marcus, ¨C¨C who was actually losing his patience ¨C¨C looked at the man in a cold way as he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Festal¡±

    ¡°Say no more young master.¡±

    Festal had responded to Marcus his call as he untightened his buttons and rolled up his sleeves. After he made sure his clothes were loose enough, he focused his gaze on the blue-eyed man.

    He slowly made his way towards the blue-eyed man.

    With every step he let the energy flow out his body. With each step the pressure in the room would get more overwhelming. It felt like the air in the room was getting heavier to the point it was hard to breathe. This energy could not even be compared to what Feliz was putting out after using Asceplius Corporis. No, this power was in a league all of its own.

    ¡°Oh~ It seems this old man can walk the walk.¡±

    The blue-eyed man showed a small grin as he said this. But his face turned serious right after.

    His eyes were getting radiant once again as a blurry blue substance started surrounding his body. It looked like a partly transparent fog that clanged to his flesh.

    ¡°Guess I have to step it up a notch.¡±

    *WSSHHH!*

    As these words left his mouth, the blue substance disappeared, and an overwhelming amount of Dao energy took its place. This energy invigorated the already heavy air to the point that even Marcus had a hard time staying on his feet. The power of this energy did most certainly not come up short to the energy Festal was putting out.

    Now the blue-eyed man was also approaching Festal. They took slow steps towards each other, closing the distance in a nerve-wracking way.

    *step*

    *step*

    *step*

    Now the two men were standing just a hairs breath away from each other. The tension in the air could even be felt from outside the apartment. The two men just stared at each other without moving a muscle. They were sizing each other up and predicting all possible moves that could be made by the other. This way of fighting was only used by the truly skilled Dao-ists who had received recognition from the Gods themselves. Festal was one of those Dao-ists.

    *Woesh*

    The silence was abruptly broken by a punch thrown by Festal. The blue-eyed man had barely avoided it by shifting his face to the side. But Festal did not stop there ¨C¨C

    *Woesh* *Woesh* Woesh* *Woesh * Woesh* *Woesh*

    ¨C¨C Festal threw a barrage of punches and kicks that perfectly flowed together. All of them were barely avoided by the blue-eyed man but all caused a strong wind that made the objects in the room fall to the floor.

    The blue-eyed man took a small leap backwards, so that he could catch a breather. But Festal would not let him. Festal kept the distance between him and the blue-eyed man to a minimum as he leapt forward at the same moment.

    *Pow* *Pow*

    Festal threw two kick that the blue-eyed man had blocked flawlessly. But Festal had simply thrown those kicks to gauge the distance. Festal immediately followed up ¨C¨C

    { Python Burst }

    ¨C¨C An invisible wave surrounded Festal¡¯s leg as he prepared for another kick. The blue-eyed man noticed this and braced himself to block it with both hands.

    *BOEM*

    He felt himself partly losing consciousness as he came in to contact with the invisible wave surrounding Festal¡¯s leg. This prevented him from strengthening the arms he would¡¯ve blocked the kick with. He was sent flying by the impact and broke through a door leading to another room.

    *Bang!*

    Festal didn¡¯t want to give him time to catch his breath and went after him right away.

    Once Festal entered the room ¨C¨C the blue-eyed man had fallen in too ¨C¨C he found no sign of life. The room was completely dark and there was no trace of the blue-eyed man. He tried sensing his energy, but with no success. Festal, ¨C¨C who stood there with a dumbfounded expression on his face ¨C¨C suddenly heard a sound coming from above.

    { Ar Ardente }

    Blue fire flies suddenly appeared in the room. At first, they were all over the room, but they quickly swarmed around Festal¡¯s body. Festal tried to distance himself from these magical light buds, but they were following his every move.

    ¡°It¡¯s no use old man, these little f*ckers will stick on anything with profound Dao energy.¡±

    Now the voice came from his side. But when Festal turned to look, he would see nobody.

    Suddenly Festal felt his energy draining away at an astounding speed. He tried hitting the fireflies, but they would just scatter and reform after contact. He then tried to overwhelm them by releasing a burst of energy, but this had the opposite effect. The swarm of fire flies grew bigger as they ate away at Festal¡¯s energy.

    Marcus, -- who felt Festal¡¯s energy weakening -- sprinted towards the room.

    What he found there was something he could have never imagined. He found Festal on his knees, helpless to the small fire flies surrounding him.

    ¡®How can this be!? Festal¡¯s an Aurum class Dao-ists¡­ a level I have yet to obtain... this cannot be possible.¡¯

    As this thought ran through the mind of Marcus he felt a cold hand grip the back of his neck. A cold voice followed from the same direction.

    ¡°Listen, and listen good¡­ I can kill the likes of you in mere seconds. I don¡¯t give a shit about you or the gods of Olympus. ¨C¨C You got two options¡­ one, you drag yourself and your little dogs out of here. Two, I kill all of you right here and now.¡±

    Marcus knew that this man wasn¡¯t kidding, and he had the power to back it up. Nevertheless, Marcus his pride wouldn¡¯t let him surrender even when faced by death. But he did not want his men to die because of his reckless actions. He should have been more careful instead of sending Feliz and Usol to this apartment without knowing who they¡¯re dealing with. As Marcus his mind was filled with regrets a shaking voice came from the floor.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch the young master with your filthy hands.¡±

    Festal had said this, while his voice was getting weaker with every word. He was crawling on the floor as he tried to get closer to Marcus.

    This was a comical sight for the blue-eyed man.

    ¡°Yeah yeah... take it easy old man. ¨C¨C Well ¡®young master¡¯ what¡¯s it gonna be?¡±

    Marcus bit his lip out of frustration as he thought about his answer. He took another look at all of his men and their state of being. And then he inhaled deeply as to brace himself for his own words.

    ¡°I, Marcus Meraculus Phoebus Apollo, will let this problem rest for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha ¡®You¡¯ will let it rest? That Apollo pride they speak of is truly amazing. ¨C¨C Well as long as you understand...¡±

    Marcus suddenly felt a weird sensation running through his body as his nerves were getting numbed. He tried to move but was not able to.

    ¡°Sorry man, I¡¯m going to have you all sit still until I pack my stuff.¡±

    After hearing these words Marcus realized that the blue-eyed man had caused him to be paralyzed somehow, and that he had probably done the same to Usol. In whole Olympus he had never heard of a skill that can make others paralyzed while they are fully conscious. He wanted to ask this blue-eyed man his identity, but he could no longer move his lips.

    While all the men in the apartment were immobilized, the blue-eyed man released his grip and casually changed his clothes so he could go outside. After putting his shoes on and putting some stuff in his toiletry bag, he chose to address Marcus for one last time.

    ¡°I doubt that you guys finding me is a coincidence, but I don¡¯t really care how you did it¡­ ¨C¨C I¡¯ll be leaving the Netherlands tomorrow, so don¡¯t bother coming here again. Don¡¯t try to find me either or I¡¯ll finish you and your whole family.¡±

    The blue-eyed man opened ¨C¨C his already opened ¨C¨C front door and took a step outside. He then suddenly stopped as if he had remembered something.

    A smirk appeared on his face as he turned around to look at the immobile men inside his apartment once more.

    ¡°Oh yeah, tell that old geezer Zeus that Azul said hi~"

    *Door closes*

    ¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C-

    Not far from where this short but intense battle had taken place there was another street. This street was also part of the unlighted area of Amsterdam West, but this was because all the buildings here were uninhabited. This street had been part of a renovation project which had been put on hold for some reason for a few years.

    This street was called Lotox Street.

    In this street there was a huge building that had been a church hundreds of years ago. For some reason there were a lot of parked motorcycles surrounding that building. A group of people could be seen through the beautifully decorated windows of the church. What could possibly be happening inside?

    Amsterdam ¨C West (Lotox Street ¨C Inside the main church)

    A group of approximately fifty shady looking men could be seen sitting on the chairs of the church while a short brawny looking man was standing in front of them. This man had a bushy beard and wore a red bandana around his head. His whole getup looked like that of a typical biker. On the back of his leather jacket you could see the word ¡°Maharia¡±.

    If you looked at some of the seated men, you could see that this was a common jacket within this crowd.

    By the look on the face of the bearded man you could see that he was quite maddened, like all of the men who were seated.

    ¡°MEN! As I was saying¡­ One of our trusted members has been in the hospital for a few days now. ¨C¨C It seems he had regained consciousness today¡­. And what he told me, could only fill me with anger as one of the executives of the Maharia.¡±

    The men sitting on the chairs made no noise as they were listening to their higher-up with their full attention.

    ¡°A boy named Zack Florique had set him up! He had wanted to kill our brother Barry... WHILE KNOWING FULLY WELL HE¡¯S PART OF THE MAHARIA!¡±

    His voice rose mid-sentence as pure anger could be heard through his vocal cords. Al of his words resonated throughout the whole hall.

    ¡°IF THIS IS NOT A CLEAR INSULT TO WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE STAND FOR, I DON¡¯T KNOW WHAT IS! WE WIL HUNT THIS GUY DOWN AND MAKE HIM REGRET BEING EVER BORN, AM I CLEAR!?¡±

    All of the members rose from their seat as they released loud cries from their throats.

    ¡°YEAAHH!¡±

    ¡°HE¡¯S DEAD!¡±

    ¡°WE¡¯LL KILL HIM!¡±