CHAPTER 08

LANDON'S POV:-

Landon son, meet your older brother, Balthazar. He will be training you from now on." My father introduced me to a man who was all grown. I gulped hard and looked at his face. At first, I hid behind my mother who giggled seeing my nervousness. They knew well that I was not really a stranger friendly child. Balthazar chuckled and knelt down on the ground. He opened both of his arms for me to hug him. I looked up at my mother who nodded her head with a small smile on her face. Her smile boosted up my confidence and I walked towards my brother. I went to him and wrapped my tiny arms around his neck nervously. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and picked me up from the ground.

He inhaled sharply and then he set me back down on the ground. He was not bad. He looked at my father and I did the same. "He smells just like you, father. He even looks like you. He is an exact replica of you. Pure and kind." He said in a sad tone and narrowed his eyes. He gave me a small smile while raffling my long golden hair with his fingers. My father came closer to him and pulled him in a fatherly hug. He rubbed his back with his hand.

"So what if you don't look like me. You are still my son. Just like Landon is my son. Maybe that night was a mistake I had spent with your late mother. But you are my son, you are my blood and you are a part of me. Just like Landon. Now don't you dare to think for a second that I would think differently about you. A son is always the pride of his father. Mine is bigger ever since I learned about you. Because I have two sons, not one." My father said as he opened one of his arms for me as well. I jumped on him and we both hugged our father as tightly as we could.

"I told you before. But you still made that mistake." I opened my eyes and suddenly I noticed that I was no longer a little child. My eyes filled with tears as I saw my father standing in front of me. I ran towards him and wrapped my arms around him. I buried my face in the crock of his neck and inhaled his warm scent as deeply as I could. As always, he smelled like the breaking dawn. The crisp of air contains the same scent as my father's when the sun comes out of dark to light up the whole world, to give us a new hope. He also wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly as he had ever hugged me.

"You have to understand the fact that you are all alone in this fight. You can not have anyone beside you forever. You need to learn to stop trusting everyone too soon. You have to learn to protect yourself. Because you are alone in this fight. We are dead, son. We can not help you anymore." He whispered in my ear and I frowned in confusion. I broke the hug to look at his face. But instead he pushed me hard. I lost my balance and fell. But I did not hit the ground. It felt as if I was falling into a dark well. Then I saw it again. Just their dead faces. It was unusual as I had never seen their faces after their deaths. But It was locked into my mind. I was falling and falling but it never ended.

BERRY'S POV:-

I stepped out of the bathroom and went back towards my bed. I did not know why but Mr Vulcan brought us all into a different mansion. He even brought all of his businesses to that side of the city. Including my family and some other workers who decided to come with us, we all moved to the other side of Vienna. He never told us why he did that. Not that anyone was able to ask why he did that. But it was like a new start for everyone who decided to come with us. Mr Vulcan was different though. He was not eating well. He was not really sleeping well. He stopped talking to everyone. He still cared for the others but he was different. 

I heard a loud scream and I stood up again. My bedroom was right beside the bedroom of Mr Vulcan. He said it would be easier for me to approach him whenever he would call me. I often heard him screaming at night. But I never dared to go and check on him if he was okay. But that night, he was screaming so loudly. It was as if he was crying and asking for help. I bit my lip and grabbed the candle that was set on a table beside my bed. I gulped the nervousness down and walked towards the door of my bedroom slowly.

I opened the door and stepped out of my bedroom. It was a few steps from my bedroom to Mr Vulcan's bedroom door. I stopped in front of the door. I wanted to just open the door and check him. But of course I could not do it. I decided to knock on his bedroom door. I knocked at the door and waited for him to invite me in. But I got nothing. I knocked again but again nothing. I knocked again but still nothing. Just as I was about to knock again, a pleading cry made its way to my ears. As he was begging someone to stop hurting him. I could not take it anymore. I opened the door and went towards his bed.

I set the candle on the bedside table and sat down on the edge of the bed. He was only wearing his PJs. His upper body was all sweaty. He was struggling as if he was trying to wake up but he could not. His breathing was almost short as pants. My heart ached seeing him like this. I cupped his face with both of my hands and pecked his warm forehead. "Mr Vulcan, please open your eyes. You are not alone. I am here with you. Please, open your eyes and look at me." I said as I tried to shake his heavy body. It was impossible for me to shake his body hard but in a while I succeeded in my mission. He opened his eyes and sat up on the bed abruptly.

His eyes were filled with tears and he was breathing heavily. He looked at me with his teary eyes. I wiped his tears with the pad of my thumb. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to his chest. He hugged me tightly and started sobbing as if a child had lost everything. I also wrapped my arms around him tightly and let him cry so he would feel better.