Darius tried to remove his father's hands from his neck but to no avail. He didn't expect his father to be so perspective but there was no way he would admit he wasn't the original owner of the body.
"I asked you a question, who are you?"
"I-it's me father," Darius replied, his face had turned red due to suffocation. Darius was afraid at this moment.
One snap and he would die, all it took was one move.
Suddenly, Mr. Winslow released his grip from his son's neck.
Darius fell to the floor and took a large breath. At this moment, he felt weak, hopeless.
He stared at his father with hatred visible in his eyes.
Mr. Winslow laughed.
Darius stared at his father in anger, his eyes twitched continuously. His father was insane.
"Now that is the look my son gives me," he stated with a chuckle. Darius kept mute.
Keeping quiet was the best thing to do for him.
"You see how weak you are, you can't even remove my hands from your neck," his father said as he stared at him with an emotionless look, "you are going to get killed sooner or later…you can go,"
Darius clenched his fists. Releasing a breath, he stood up and walked out of his father's office.
He suddenly seemed to understand something, It didn't matter if his father was an elite. He would die if he were weak.
He clenched his fists, he had to find a way to become stronger.
***
Darius glanced at the Omni-bangle on his wrists-in anger, it had been three days since he searched for solutions on how to become stronger but to no avail.
The Omni bangle was the version of a phone on earth.
The difference between an Omni-bangle and a phone was that one could be worn like a bangle while the other was a triangular box.
He had searched everywhere on the web but to no avail. He even scurried through a few forums but he couldn't find a thing. When he tried asking on how a null could get stronger, people either thought he was crazy or he was just joking.
Darius glanced at the letter on his nightstand he felt conflicted.
Suddenly, his Omnibus bangle vibrated on his wrists. Darius suddenly sat up and a screen showed up in the air.
His eyes lit up in joy once he saw someone had messaged him privately.
Anony23: I saw your post on a forum, are you still interested in knowing how to get stronger?
Darius stared at the text for a few minutes, it seemed suspicious and he did not want to get scammed, furthermore, he did not want to reveal he was the null to the other party
FailedImmortal: It is my younger brother who needs it and yes I am interested. Are there other ways for a null to get stronger, I will give you any amount of money.
Anony 23: Let's meet tomorrow night at the masked market. Payment will be 100 silver coins, I accept only cash.
Darius stared at the message for a moment, the masked market the same thing as a black market on earth.
FailedImmortal: Sure, I'll be there by 10pm, don't be late.
It was understandable that the person wanted only cash so they wouldn't be traceable but what if he got scammed? Darius sighed, thankfully the original owner of the body had a stack of coins saved somewhere in the room.
In this world, he had expected the currency to be more upgraded or something but they all traded in bronze, silver, gold and sometimes cores of beast.
The only difference was that you could transfer the currency through the Omni-bangle and people rarely dealt with coins..
Darius sighed, dismissing the screen in the air, he lay on his bed, tomorrow was going to be a long day.
## ## ##
Darius stared at the bustling people, the moon shone its light on the masked noisy crowd. Darius, like other people wore a mask-a bunny mask to be precise.
Sellers were shouting their products at the top of their voice while a few people was bargaining for the prices.
He had seen few people take a look at him but he didn't care, besides it wasn't as if he took it intentionally, that was the last mask left in stock.
Darius's bangle vibrated, he lightly tapped on the surface and a screen displayed in the air.
Anony 23: I'm here, come to the hidden ridge.
Darius raised an eyebrow in confusion, he didn't know where that was. He hurriedly tapped a passerby who gave him a side eye.
"What," the passerby said, judging from the voice, he already knew she was a female. She wore a snake mask which had tiny horns.
"Do you know where the hidden ridge is…please,"
The woman sighed in exhaustion, she pointed at a hidden path
"Just this way and keep your eyes on the multiple brown boards on the way until you see a brown board with the inscription 'hidden ridge'"
"Thank you," Darius said with a warm smile, he immediately began to follow the path the woman had pointed at.
Soon, he reached the brown board with the inscription 'Hidden Ridge"
FailedImmortal: I'm here, I'm at the brown board and I have a bunny mask on.
He sighed, he really hoped that whatever anony23 brought would be of help to him.
"Hello," a voice called from behind him, he immediately turned around only to see an old man in rags, the old man wore no mask.
He squinted his eyes to look at the old man's face but it was like a black fog covered his face.
"Anony23?" Darius called out in surprise.
"Hello Failed Immortal," the old man replied with a hoarse voice. Goose bumps immediately appeared on Darius skin.,The old man looked suspicious.
"Do not fear, if I wanted to kill you, you would be dead by now," the old man said with a chuckle.
Darius eyed the man warily, the man did not seem to be joking. The old man sat on the floor of the street, he looked like a beggar..
"You should sit,"
Darius glanced on the floor, sighing he sat on the street. He could sense various people staring at him, they probably thought he was a beggar too.
"So is there any way for a null to get stronger," Darius asked in a tone filled with both anticipation and wary.
The old man simply smiled, he brought out a kettle and two cups from God knows where, then he poured the contents of the kettle into the cup.
The old man gave Darius a cup, then took the other for himself. Darius glanced at the cup in his hand suspiciously.
It was tea. He stared at the man only to discover the man had drunk his fill.
"I don't trust you," Darius said.
"But that doesn't stop you from drinking the tea," the old man replied.
"You might have poisoned this tea," Darius replied with an annoyed yet wary expression.
"But I did not,"
"And why should I believe your words?"
"There is no reason for you to believe me but life is a gamble, it might be poisoned, it might not be poisoned but you never know until you drink it," the old man replied with a chuckle.