A young man stepped out of an elevator, car keys dangling loosely in his hand. He was in his mid-twenties, dressed in a tailored golden business suit, his black hair neatly styled, his smooth lips curved into a natural smile fitting his chiseled jaw. Anyone who saw him would have paused, if only for a second, to admire the confidence and charisma he carried.
Behind him stood the main branch of the Fredricks Corporation, and he was its CEO… Mr. Alexander Frederick.
'Oh, I almost forgot Kiara's weird request. Where will I even find a formerly pregnant male chicken?.' he sighed helplessly, trying to think of where he could find such a bizarre phenomenon.
He had even searched for it on the internet with no results.
'I'll just go to the doctor on my way home to replace my mother's and father's medication. I'll get something else for Kiara that would momentarily calm her cravings.' The thought of his parents brought a brighter smile to his already curved lips.
After all, they were his purpose to keep living, along with Kiara and his unborn child.
The sun was already sliding beyond the horizon, turning everything a fading shade of red. The color reflected on the countless glass buildings in the vicinity, and he found it a little hard to look forward for more than a second.
He caught the strong scent of instant noodles next, something he couldn't seem to part with even after graduating from college.
He was attracted to the smell like a moth to light in the darkest night. He sat outside the simple-looking food kiosk as he greeted the chef in charge cheerfully.
"Good evening, sir." He waved toward the shop owner. "A plate of instant noodles, please… oh, add as many eggs as possible."
The middle-aged shop owner smiled as well. "A good evening to you too, Mr. Frederick," he greeted with the same intensity.
The shop owner retreated behind the kiosk, metal clattering as oil hissed in the pan. After a few minutes, he walked out from behind the kiosk with a plate of steaming noodles in hand.
It took all of Alex's self-control to stop himself from drooling. He picked up the chopsticks impatiently when his phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, a little annoyed at the interruption, but smiled faintly the next second.
"Mason."
"Hey, bro," a cheerful voice rang enthusiastically through the speaker. "I heard the news earlier. You're getting married to Kiara in a few weeks?
You didn't even tell me. That's not fair, man."
Alex chuckled. "Come on, Mason. I planned to visit you with Kiara personally. How could I forget my best friend?
Well," Alex continued with a laugh, "word is the wedding got rushed when the President found out his daughter was pregnant."
"Hahaha," Mason laughed along. "You really don't hold back, do you?"
Another call buzzed insistently.
"I've got to take this," Alex said. "I'll call you back."
"No problem."
The line disconnected.
Alex answered the persistent call.
"Hello?" he asked politely. "Who's this?"
Silence.
Nearly a full minute passed before a voice finally spoke.
"You'll find out when you get home… lover boy." The voice was so cold it sent shivers down his spine.
The caller chuckled wickedly before ending the call.
Alex's heart clenched.
"Don't tell me…" he muttered in dread. "The Selflaw?"
His fingers tightened around the phone until the screen cracked faintly beneath his grip. Fear of something he refused to imagine overwhelmed him.
He abandoned his composure and meal as he sprinted toward his parked Porsche. He slammed the door shut, started the engine, and accelerated at full speed toward home.
---
The first thing he saw outside his family manor were the bodies of military guards sprawled across the ground.
Alex shoved the door open and hastily stumbled inside.
What he saw shattered him.
His legs moved, but his mind was absent, as though he were no longer in his own body.
A man lay in a pool of blood, unmoving, clad in a military uniform.
Beside him was a woman in a simple red long-sleeved gown. She was… headless.
Her severed head rested near the long dining table.
Blood soaked the tiled floor of the massive mansion. Even the lights flickered, as though aware of the tragedy they illuminated.
Alex clutched his head, emotions spiraling violently out of control.
Then he saw her. Beneath the stylish staircase lay another lifeless body.
"Kiara…"
Something inside him snapped instantly.
Footsteps thundered behind him, dozens of them.
Voices followed, distant and distorted, like fading music to his ears.
"Put your hands above your head now!."
Alex slowly rose from his kneeling position.
His face was empty. Tears streamed freely down his cheeks. His suit was soaked in blood, his parents' and the woman he was meant to marry, who was pregnant with his child.
Something scientifically impossible happened. A deadly energy hidden deep inside him suddenly stirred, as though glad to awaken after decades of deep slumber.
Then a devastating surge of deep-golden aura erupted from his body.
Glass windows shattered outward. The figures behind him were blown away like leaves in a storm.
Some collapsed lifeless instantly.
What followed was chaos.
Unceasing gunfire.
Automatic rifles and pistols, every weapon available, were unleashed upon him without restraint. The suffocating smell of smokeless gunpowder filled everywhere. Bullets tore through the air, each one whistling furiously as they approached his exposed back.