The rain poured relentlessly, soaking Adrian's torn green robe as he stumbled through the mud outside the Adeyemi estate. The heavy iron gates slammed shut behind him, leaving him alone in the darkness. Once the proud heir, now discarded, he felt the weight of betrayal crushing him.
"From heir… to nothing. From son… to outcast," he muttered bitterly.
Lightning split the sky, illuminating the long, winding road ahead. Beyond it lay the wilderness—merciless, unforgiving, and full of unknown dangers. Yet Adrian refused to falter. Every step away from the estate was a step toward survival… and vengeance.
As night fell, the storm raged on, and the wind whispered through the trees. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, exhaustion clawed at his limbs, but he clenched his fists. He would endure. He had no choice.
A sudden low growl pierced the night. Adrian froze. Two glowing eyes stared at him from the shadows. Then more. Wolves.
He grabbed a broken branch from the ground, gripping it like a spear. His heart pounded, yet his gaze never wavered.
"Come then," he muttered. "If the world wants me dead, it will have to fight for it."
The first wolf lunged. Adrian swung with all his strength. The branch cracked against the beast's skull. It yelped and staggered back. The others circled, teeth bared, but Adrian's determination burned brighter than fear.
Pain coursed through his arms. Exhaustion clawed at his body. Yet in that desperate moment, a spark stirred deep inside him—something ancient, something powerful. The wolves sensed it too. Hesitant, they backed away one by one into the darkness.
Adrian fell to his knees, gasping for air. He was alive. And for the first time, he felt it—the awakening of a power he had never known.
He lifted his gaze to the stormy sky.
I will rise again. And when I return, the Adeyemi family will kneel before me.
The rain continued to pour, swallowing his vow, carrying it into the night.
His exile was not the end. It was the beginning of his rebirth.