-I will become the strongest and protect my family.
He told himself, watching the frequent smiles on their faces.
-I will become the strongest and save my sister.
He told himself as he watched his crippled sister shed silent tears in her bed.
-I will become the strongest and bring my brothers back.
That was what he told himself when his two brothers suddenly vanished without a trace, leaving his family broken and lost.
-I will become the strongest and save my mother.
That was also what he told himself as he saw his mother lying on her sickbed, never to recover.
'Haven't I lost enough already?' he asked the cruel world, hoping it would be the last.
Not knowing he would have to take another vow.
-I will be the strongest and take revenge.
That was the last vow he swore to himself as he watched his father dragged like a slave while he hid underneath the house.
...
'Gone… everything.'
Baines still couldn't believe how his entire life had crumbled before him. His happiness, his family, his pride, everything had been taken from him.
He clenched his fists underneath his bedsheets at the remains of his once-glorious home.
His voice was steady, but his heart roared with fury.
"I will take it back."
His eyes, once filled with childhood innocence were now empty of warmth and lingered with coldness.
"I'll kill them all... and I will take it back."
He wasn't naïve enough to believe that everything had happened by chance. Whether it was a carefully orchestrated plot or the result of a cascading chain of events, he didn't care. He would exact his revenge. He would take back everything and more.
The only reason he had waited until now was to remain by the side of what little family he had left. But now, it was time.
'Just wait for me, everyone. I'll come for you.'
With that final thought, Baines rose from his bed and left his room.
...
The Baek merchant family were among the wealthiest and most influential in the land.
The grand halls and corridors he walked past were a testament to its vast, elegant, and meticulous craft. However, Baines saw none of its beauty.
To him, the best part of it had already been taken away.
"Young Master…" Several maids and butlers greeted him at each corner he passed but he ignored them. He had no time for pleasantries.
As he navigated through various hallways, the number of maids and guards he passed turned fewer, until it was nil and he had arrived at his destination.
The basement of the manor.
The underground room was spacious and well-lit, filled with wooden crates and forgotten artifacts, it wasn't to the extent of neglect, but it was clear. It was a storage space for old materials.
As a merchant family, there were always going to be defective goods, goods they were unable to sell until time passed, or even returned goods.
It was a renowned family, meaning they had to constantly keep up with the trends across the land.
Meaning for those usable goods, they were dumped here, and also for that reason, it was the most suitable place for something else.
Baines reached the empty center of the room and took a deep breath.
Then with a single breath, his feet moved in a carefully practiced pattern, forming symbols on the ground as he muttered some words.
It was an ancient dance used to honor a god. It required the person to form symbols on the ground with their legs while chanting various words.
These symbols varied depending on the god a tribe worshipped. It was a sacred ritual and a form of entertainment; however, now, it was just a little more than a relic of the past.
The ground trembled,
GIIII…and the floor split open, revealing a passage beneath.
It was now used as a security measure to protect the greatest artifacts of this merchant family.