Neil sighed deeply as he stepped onto the sidewalk with weighted steps, while thoughts crashed in his mind like merciless raging waves. He whispered in a low voice, charged with the tone of anxiety that never left him:
— "Ah… it's been a long time, and the restaurant owner hasn't contacted me yet…"
His voice carried the weight of fear, growing heavier with every passing minute, as if a chest were tightening expansively. Hidara noticed the frown covering his friend's features, approached him lightly, and placed his hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture, speaking in a tone he tried hard to mask with reassurance:
— "Hey… why do I see you drowning in this frown?"
Then a confident smile spread across his lips, and he added encouragingly:
— "He will definitely call. And when he does… we will all set off on the journey to find Shady. We will bring him back to his parents' warmth, so do not let worry find a way into your heart."
His eyes glowed with a flash of sincere determination, while that smile still lit up his face:
— "I have a strong feeling… that success will be on our side this time."
Meanwhile, Rin, who was walking alongside them, whispered in an icy tone, concealing a volcano of suppressed anger:
— "He's right… and when we get our hands on that kidnapper, we will teach him a lesson that will be engraved in his memory forever."
Hidara exhaled slowly, then gathered his resolve and spoke with a voice filled with firmness:
— "So… prepare well for that moment."
Neil responded, gripping his hand tightly until the veins on his hand bulged from tension:
— "Alright."
Yet the winds of worry had not left the harbor of his heart.
In those silent moments… Kamal was sitting,
his eyes fixed on Saleem with piercing gazes.
— "How much time is left?"
Saleem cast a cold glance at his watch, then replied calmly:
— "Ten minutes."
A heavy silence prevailed for seconds that felt like an eternity. Kamal sighed, then spoke in a low voice, something dark slipping through:
— "Then… let's move."
He slowly raised his head,
— "The long-awaited time has come."
He turned and left the place, followed immediately by Saleem. Their footsteps struck the ground with a strange resonance, sending an inexplicable shiver through the soul.
Meanwhile, at Jaser Port… Ghayhab was seated in the hall, his eyes sparkling with a glint of pure madness. He breathed audibly and then whispered with mysterious ecstasy:
— "Ahhh… today begins the countdown to the abyss."
His smile widened, carving features of overwhelming evil, and he continued:
— "Today… we will lay the foundation of our grand plan."
He raised his head, staring into the unknown:
— "We will track the lost heir."
— "We must find him. And if our steps falter…"
— "We will unleash upon this world a catastrophe that spares nothing."
His eyes slowly rolled predatory until they settled on Jaser. He took out a small bottle containing a strange-colored liquid, a viscous purple substance unlike anything natural, and said:
— "Before you extend your hand to kidnap any teenager, or take his soul… you must match his DNA with this liquid."
He held the bottle up to his eyes proudly:
— "If its color does not change, he is merely a fleeting boy of no value. Then… you have full freedom to dissect him."
But his tone turned into a coldness as harsh as death as he continued:
— "But if its color changes… "
His eyes gleamed terrifyingly:
— "He is the legitimate heir of the (Red Ash) clan… the descendant of the great Azrad."
A solemn silence fell upon those present.
— "At that moment… bring him to me as he is."
— "And wealth beyond your dreams will pour upon you."
He tossed the bottle to Jaser, who caught it steadily. Then Ghayhab pulled out two more bottles, handing one to Zaroth and the other to Jin. Jin looked at the bottle with a strange curiosity, a spark of enthusiasm igniting in his pupils:
— "Finally… the rituals of fun we've been waiting for will begin."
Zarak, however, remained still as a stone statue, observing the scene with eyes drowned in the depths of darkness.
Suddenly, Ghayhab chuckled lightly and looked at Jaser with crazed eyes:
— "Alright… Jin and I will head into the depths of the forest."
— "We received news that a group of students is there… on a school trip."
— "Just scouts… accompanied by a bunch of foolish teachers."
Jin looked at him, enthusiasm overflowing from his eyes like a child eager for a new toy:
— "It seems we are heading for a massacre that will satisfy our thirst."
He shot a cold glance,
— "No… it will be a tragedy surpassing any description of a massacre."
Then he slowly turned his head toward Zaroth:
— "As for you, Zaroth… you will take charge of the dormitory at the student high school in the southern part of the city."
He approached him slightly with a veiled threat:
— "You know exactly what is required of you."
Zaroth raised his head while diabolical thoughts swirled through his mind: "Finally… after years of waiting… I am close to my goal."
He merely said:
— "Alright."
Ghayhab's eyes rolled back to Jaser once more:
— "As for you… I will grant you the freedom to determine your starting point."
— "But I will accept nothing less than one outcome; by the end of this week… the legitimate heir must be in our hands."
Zeron noticed Ghayhab's gaze fixed on the white box and pushed it toward him cautiously and slowly. Ghayhab did not move immediately but remained standing like a silent specter, staring at the box for a long few seconds.
Then… he extended his hand. His movement was not human, but slow and rhythmically strange, like a corpse whose soul had been summoned from the grave. As soon as his fingers touched the box, his face split into a smile that stripped him of every ounce of humanity.
He rose from his place, and suddenly…
an invisible wave emanated from his body, a forbidden energy.
Breaths froze in chests, and everyone felt a terrifying pressure crushing their chests, choking their breaths. Their souls trembled before their bodies; this was not mere awe or presence, but an oppressive energy no human creature should ever tread upon in this world.
His eyes roamed over those present, one by one, and no one dared to move. Not for lack of desire, but because their bodies were paralyzed and refused to obey their will. Then he spoke, his voice calm… so calm that it was terrifying beyond screaming:
— "Today…"
— "Everything will begin."
Ghayhab turned, and with his first step toward the door, the energy began to shrink and withdraw with him slowly, but the terror it left remained embedded deep in their hearts. He did not walk with the dignity of humans, but moved like a walking catastrophe, like a curse made flesh.
The creak of the door opening sounded like a desperate scream. The external darkness swallowed it as if it had returned to its original home, followed by Jin and Zaroth like loyal shadows of the master of that forbidden energy.
The others remained in their places. In that moment, they realized with certainty, beyond any doubt, that something forbidden had been brought to life, and the world they knew… would never be the same again.