Prologue for Volume 1

PROLOGUE

IN THE heart of a man-made pine forest east of La Verde City, a car cam be seen speeding along a narrow asphalted road. Tall pines lined the path with their dense branches forming a green tunnel overhead. The scent of pine needles and fresh earth lingered in the air as the road twisted and turned, guiding the car toward the horizon where the colossal Bronze Mountain stood, its majestic peak dominating the skyline.

As the car approached the well known tunnel road under the huge rocky hill leading beyond the city's boundary, the couple inside wore anxious expressions. Their faces reflected a mix of worry and regret as they silently stared at the tunnel looming ever closer in their view.

"Are you sure he'll be okay on his own?" The man, who appeared to be in his late thirties, asked the woman in the passenger seat beside him. His cyan eyes were fixed on the road, especially on the tunnel looming ahead, as if bracing for what lay beyond.

"You know you don't have to do this, right? I can handle whatever they have planned for me," he added, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white with tension as he spoke.

"No. They're after the both us, so we have to do this together for our son," the woman replied. She seemed to be in her mid-thirties, her curly brown hair cascading over her shoulders. Her brown eyes gazed affectionately at the man, who occasionally combed his wavy black hair with his free hand—a habit he had when stressed or nervous, which was rare unless he was in situations like this.

"Besides with everything being set for him, I trust that he will be okay. Our son has also something unique in him. He has our genes, so he's strong," she added.

"Trust me, as a mother, I don't want to leave him like this. But we both know that even if I stayed, and even without you there, they would eventually find me. And what would happen to our son then?" She tried to assure the man that what they were doing was the best course of action. "What we did is to keep him safe. Whether we succeed or not, he will eventually learn everything and understand why we did this," she continued. Though she tried to comfort him, her voice betrayed her, sadness palpable in her tone.

A heavy sigh escaped the man's lips as his right hand reached out to hold the woman's slender, white hand.

"I promise with all my strength to protect our family. I promise I will do everything to pull this through, and if we succeed, I'll get rid of all those devils," he said, gripping her hand tightly.

As their car approached the tunnel, their surroundings plunged into darkness compelling the man to open the headlights. Moments later, the ground began to tremble, the vibrations growing more violent with each passing second.

The man, summoning all his strength and focus, floored the accelerator, pushing the car to its limits in a desperate bid to escape the collapsing tunnel. The shaking intensified, and cracks began to spiderweb across the tunnel's walls. Just as they glimpsed the light at the tunnel's end, mere meters from the exit, the couple exchanged a bittersweet smile and clutched each other's hands tightly.

They knew they wouldn't make it out. They weren't supposed to.

In the next instant, the tunnel gave way entirely, debris crashing down and engulfing the speeding car in a cloud of dust and earth.

After the tunnel's complete collapse, the shaking had also stopped.

As the dust from the tunnel's destruction settled, the silhouettes of four men emerged from the haze. They wore cloaks the color of earthly brown, their hoods drawn up to obscure their faces. If anyone had been around to see them, recognizing their features would have been impossible. At least, that's what the four men believed.

"Looks like our mission was a success," one of them said, surveying with his eyes the ruins of the tunnel. "No one could survive that, no matter how powerful they were." He added with a voice carrying a note of smug satisfaction.

"He's right," another agreed, crouching to touch the ground that was littered with debris as if that simple touch confirmed their assumption.

"Should we report back to the Pavilion then?" a third man asked, his voice tentative.

"No," said the man standing at the forefront. His authoritative tone left no room for argument. "We need confirmation first." Given his demeanor and the way the others deferred to him marked him unmistakably as their leader.

With what he said, the three other just nodded in compliance as they stood behind the man in front.

Several hours later, the City's Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, along with the Provincial Government's Rescue Unit, finally arrived. The tunnel, once impassable, was now a hive of activity as workers used all their heavy equipment to clear it after three grueling hours.

"Sir! We found a car buried under the debris. There are two deceased individuals inside, a man and a woman. The damage is extensive, making it difficult to identify them for now," reported one of the rescuers who is clad in an orange camouflage uniform. He addressed the City Mayor, who had come personally to demonstrate his commitment to public service.

The Mayor sighed, his expression heavy with sorrow. "Have you found anyone else?" he asked.

The rescuer shook his head. "No, Sir. At least it's just them," he replied, with a hint of relief that there were no other casualties.

"It's confirmed! Let's get out of here," the leader of a group of men in brown cloaks commanded. They stood atop a nearby hill, over a hundred meters away from the collapsed tunnel, having watched the entire rescue and retrieval operation unfold.

Satisfied with the confirmation, one of the men pulled a small communication device from his pocket and switched it on.

"Reporting to the Pavilion Master: Grant and Zale are dead."

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Author's Note:

Hi dear readers. After a long hiatus, I decided to make a major edit to this story. I aim to improve the plot and storyline to make it more engaging. The language has been set to English for a broader audience, and I plan to divide the story into four volumes to take you on a thrilling adventure with our main character.

I hope you enjoy it.