Aldric's face grew stern at those two names. He frowned and asked, "What happened to them?"
The old man looked at him, his face full of confusion. "You don't know about Congressman Atony? Are you from another region?"
"That's impossible! All the roads to this city have been sealed off—you couldn't have come from outside."
The more the old man spoke, the more Aldric sensed something strange. Just what had happened to this world—and to his parents?
WOO!!
The siren blared again. The old man said, "Do you want to see them? Follow me."
With that, he hurried off, and Aldric forced himself to stand. He tried to use magic—but suddenly frowned, muttering, "My magic… my **Gate of Truth**… it's gone…"
He stared suspiciously at his hands, but quickly shook his head, then ran after the old man.
Even if his magic and Gate of Truth had vanished, none of that mattered compared to his parents.
Right now, all he wanted was to know what had happened to them.
The further he walked, the more familiar the road felt. He had walked this path hundreds of thousands of times before.
But now, it had changed so much he almost didn't recognize it.
Aldric looked around and saw buildings collapsed in ruins, vegetation overrunning nearly everything.
He even saw vines he had never seen before, covering entire high-rises.
Massive trees had split the pavement, rising dozens of meters tall.
Aldric also saw countless corpses scattered everywhere. Many had decomposed to bare bones, the stench of rotting flesh blanketing the air.
Even though it was morning, the atmosphere was so dark and oppressive it was suffocating.
As they walked, more people appeared, but they were dressed like beggars, emaciated to skin and bone.
Aldric frowned. Though countless questions filled his mind, right now his only concern was his family.
'Not good!' Aldric suddenly felt something, unease gripping his heart. 'Why do I feel so anxious? Could it be…'
'No! My parents will be fine. My father is a Congressman. Surely the military is protecting him.'
Clinging to that belief, Aldric took a deep breath and pressed on.
Before long, he and the others gathered at a wide-open area before a grand villa.
'That's… my house!' Aldric's heart trembled.
But what shocked him even more was the massive platform erected in front of it, like an outdoor stage, over two meters tall.
Barbed wire fences encircled the area, lined with spikes to keep anyone from approaching.
On the platform, a middle-aged man and woman were kneeling, bound tightly, their faces beaten so badly they were deformed, blood still seeping from many wounds.
The moment Aldric saw them, his eyes widened in disbelief.
His pupils shook violently as buried memories surged from deep within his mind.
"Aldric, you're the son of a Congressman. You must strive so no one looks down on you."
"My son, if you're ever too tired, just tell your mother. I'll always listen."
"Aldric, you must be the best. People only remember the best."
"My son…"
"Aldric…"
The words his parents had once spoken to him echoed endlessly in his head.
Though their faces were horribly disfigured, Aldric still recognized them instantly as his parents.
He had lived for more than five hundred years, yet at this moment, seeing them again, he was just a child—tears streamed down his face.
His fists clenched tight, his heart pounding as though it would burst from his chest, every fiber of him wanting to rush forward to save them.
"Father… Mother…" Aldric was about to charge ahead when he suddenly felt a hand clamp onto his wrist.
He turned to see the old man from the ruined building. Frowning, Aldric growled, "Let me go!"
"Quiet!" the old man whispered. "If you want to live, keep your mouth shut."
"Those people are bloodthirsty and cruel. If you provoke them, you'll surely die."
"But…" Aldric tried to argue.
The old man cut him off immediately. "I know you're angry. I am too. I hate this as much as you do."
"Congressman Atony was a good man. He doesn't deserve this fate. It's just that…"
The old man sighed. "It's a pity. Those people are too savage. Today… they intend to execute the Congressman and his wife."
"Execution? You mean…" Aldric stammered in shock.
The old man drew a hand across his throat in a cutting gesture.
Aldric took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on his parents as he frowned. "I must save them."
"Goddamn it!" The old man gripped his arm tightly, urgently saying, "Do you want to die? Do you have any idea how many Awakened are over there?"
"Here, everyone wants to save them—but who can? We can only stand and watch them be executed."
"Awakened?" Aldric's brow furrowed as he asked in confusion, "What is an Awakened?"
"This…" The old man froze. "Oy! Who the hell are you? You don't even know what an Awakened is?"
"They are—"
"Everyone!!!" At that moment, a deep, commanding male voice rang out.
Aldric looked toward the platform. Standing there was a man around 170 cm tall, tanned skin, a square face, slicked-back hair, and eyes brimming with menace as he surveyed the crowd.
He stood beside Atony and Mollie, speaking loudly, his voice echoing across the space. "As you all know, I am Ratuan, leader of the Nepani organization."
"I am one who has always valued freedom and democracy for the people, who has always fought to win it for you."
"But him…" Ratuan jabbed a finger at Atony and Mollie, kneeling on the stage, his voice rising with fury. "He wants to force you to live under the rule of a rotten government."
"He stripped away your freedom, demanded that we obey his will. He thinks he's smarter than our young generation. He thinks he can control us."
"But he was wrong. We, the youth blessed with divine power, carry a mission a million times greater than his."
"Today, a new era begins with his death."
Aldric grit his teeth, trying desperately to push toward the platform.
But there were too many people, and his body was too weak to force his way through.
On stage, Ratuan raised a gun, aiming it straight at Atony's head.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Kill the tyrant!"
"Yes! Kill him! Take back our freedom!"
"For freedom! For Nepani! For a free Panomani of the youth!"
"For the new era!"
The crowd shouted madly, their faces brimming with excitement.
"FATHER!!!" Aldric roared, but his scream was drowned beneath the frenzy of voices.
Yet, in that fleeting moment, Atony suddenly lifted his head and looked toward him.
Not only Atony—Mollie also turned her eyes to him.
In the vast sea of people, the sacred bond of family allowed them to find him.
Aldric froze, stunned, as he saw them smile—satisfied, filled with happiness—even with the barrel of a gun aimed at their heads.
Atony's lips moved as if to say something, but the distance and the deafening noise made it impossible for Aldric to hear.
"No!! Father! Mother!! Stop!!!" Aldric screamed with all his might, but then—
DANG! DANG!
Two deafening gunshots rang out, and Atony and Mollie collapsed.
Aldric's mind went blank, frozen in an instant—then madness consumed him.
"GAH!!!"
Violent winds erupted, startling the crowd, sweeping dust and debris into the air like a raging storm.
Ratuan laughed loudly at the sight. "Hahahaha… Do you see? Even fate supports me! For the dawn of our new era!"
"HA!"
"HA!"
"For the new era!"
"You bastards!!!" Aldric roared, his voice like a wild beast—mad, consumed with hatred.
At that moment, a circular magic sigil suddenly appeared at his heart, twelve swords piercing inward, radiating a blinding light.
Simultaneously, Aldric felt searing pain tear through him, as though an invisible hand were crushing his heart.
"Pfff!" He spat a mouthful of blood, eyes wide as he looked toward his parents' fallen bodies—his consciousness sinking into darkness.
Before he lost consciousness, a single tear slid down his cheek, his gaze still locked firmly on the two figures lying on the stage.