Chapter 1: The Beginning

A heavy thunderstorm. The tempered and hardened glass in the windows broke with a

piercing shrill. A young woman, dressed in a collared one-piece knee-length

dress, black tights and boots. In her arms is an infant. In her dominant hand

she grips tightly a slender kodachi (Japanese twin swords). The infant is

wrapped tightly in blankets, hugged against the woman’s chest. The woman glares

venomously at the enemy before her. Her dried tears are evidence of her

trepidation.

A man with a dignified appearance. He has an equally piercing glare. Herman is dressed

in a refined black suit. His shirt and slacks has been carefully ironed down to

its edges. He has a young appearance, of a man in his early twenties. Anyone can

tell he is the young master of the grand mansion. Although their surroundingsare

thrashed and barren, the neighbourhood once saw it as a grand mansion.

Electrical power goes out and and the pounding of the rain echoes loudly against the windowsills

and roof. Herman has combat gloves on his hands. Their battle has turned into a

stalemate. Neither of them are about to concede.

“Why don’t you reconsider?” he spoke.

“No. He shall be the one to decide his own path. You don’t see it, do you! Aren’t

you becoming just like your father?!”

The man pointed at the broken altar. The crystal still stands among the cracked

glass and marble. The crystal ball is illuminated brightly.  “Look, Elena. He bears the cursed blood of

this clan. He is destined to return. The ancient crystal recognizes him as the

chief who will reign our clan!”

“You can’t bind him with ‘chains’ in the name of your blood and clan. I swear that he

must choose his own life. After all, he’s OUR child! You can make it happen!”

the woman pleaded.

“Nina.”

The young master’s familiar appears on

his shoulder. His familiar takes the form

of a snake. The snake hisses and transforms. In his hands is the legendary

sword he used that took down thousands of men alone: Murasame.

“I will not fight you.” The woman’s gaze is sharp but calm. It seems as if she has

predicted the outcome of this battle.

Have faith in our child. He will become the key and purge the darkness of

Steinhart’s curse.

The woman and child vanishes before the young master’s eyes. Nothing is left but

droplets of blood from her wounds remains on the floor. Herman clicks his

tongue. “She used her powers. Damn it!” The sword in his hands vanishes into

thin air. His knees buckles and gives way. The strength and tension accumulated

that led to their stalemate is suddenly released, the fatigue from their battle

overwhelms his body.

“Elena….” he whispers.

He turns to his men and subordinates observing the scene in the darkness. “Find

them!”

20 years later

Schewerin, the homeland of diverse culture and history. Known for its neo-renaissance

palace with ornate rooms and elaborate designs, the monarch who resides in

Schewerin Castle, the pride and joy of Schewerin City, was a man of peace. The

people are contented and happy, as can be seen at the busy street markets.

A young man, possibly a traveller, brightens at the beautiful sight of the

peaceful town. He seemed to have come a long way. The young man’s black leather

coat and black boots contrasting with the Schewerin people’s colourful garb

made him stand out as someone from out of town. A long pale cerulean muffler

was wrapped warmly around his neck. He held a brown briefcase in his

hands.

“So this is Schewerin?”

Strolling around the city, citizens of Schewarin stole glances at the young man’s

peculiar appearance. He had a soft tuft of raven black hair and golden irises. Ignoring

the odd glances, he trudged through the crowd.

Unpleasant shouting caught his attention. Pushing his way towards a group of men gathered

a meter from where he was standing, he saw two boys trembling at the mercy of a

burly man. The boys were injured and screaming in pain as the big man whipped

them with a something that looked like a long belt. The young man gritted his

teeth. One word came to his mind.

Rakshas. The feared gangsters that lorded over ordinary people. Organised crime coupled with

dark magic that promised horrendous fate to those who dared challenge them. The

threat guns and swords one could oppose; but the threat of the power of the

darkness was enough to make a grown man tremble. Law enforcers, where were they

in this beautiful city? Underneath the layer of peacefulness and calm, the rakshas’ reign of terror prevailed. They

were extremely formidable.

A look at the attackers revealed that they were underlings of the rakshas. After all, they bore the tattoo

of the clan on their bodies. The burly older man had a knife in his hands.

“Die!” he screamed.

Praying for mercy, the boys closed their eyes in fright. They braced themselves for the

final blow. When nothing happened, they opened their eyes slightly. The young

man in the odd clothing was standing in front of them. They recognized him. He

was the one who possessed a pure, piercing gaze. He stood apart from people in

the city who were shrouded in dark aura despite their colourful dresses. It was

something that didn’t belong in this city. The tone of his voice was delicate

and tender as he spoke.

“Are you okay?” he asked. The underlings of the rakshas had collapsed at his feet like lumps of meat. “What’s your name?”

The boys could only stare speechlessly at the defeated minions of the darkness on

the cemented ground. He is God. Their saviour. And the Hero. Seeing the young

man unscathed after defeating three aggressive men, they believed God had

blessed them with a second chance. The young man frowned. The rakshas will not stop. They were searching for something. Who was their

leader? The all-powerful one. No one had ever seen him.

The young man’s intuition started to tingle.

“We’re battle slaves.” The boys spoke. Their young hero had a solemn expression on his

face. How much suffering had these two endured at such a young age. He silently

nodded, urging the twins to go on.

“Both Arthur and I. We’re twins.”

“Why did you help us?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do.” The young man replied. “Isn’t it? Tell me. What

happened to Schewerin? A peaceful city like this, overrun by rakshas. It’s unbelievable.”

The twins sighed. “It’s been like this since a decade ago. Since His Highness fell

ill. The one who’s in power… the advisor, is the raksha’s puppet.”

“Sir, you’re incredible. You defeated them!”

The townsfolk welcomed the young man into their circle. They were extremely joyful

that hope had finally arrived. They told stories of their lives. The changes,

rumours and recent occurrences that targeted innocent lives of the Schewerin

people. Many families were robbed, humiliated, and killed; the surviving

children were left with no choice but to serve the rakshas as their weapon: the raksha’s

battle slaves. It was kill or be killed.

Peace was a fleeting dream. The young man was overwhelmed by the reality. So many

things had occurred in the last ten years when he was here. The span of a

decade was too long a time for the people in the city to remember him. He

wondered if there were other cities that had also fallen under the darkness

reign.

He gritted his teeth. It was time to visit some old friends. After bidding

farewell to the friendly citizens and the twins, the young man continued on his

journey. He boarded the train to the south. It was an hour’s journey from the

central region.

In South Schewerin stood the Police Headquarters Department. The young man sighed,

as he stepped in front of its grand entrance.

“Never knew the day would come that I would return. Criminal Affairs Police Bureau, Schewerin.”

Chapter 2: The Grimoire of Raziel

The man’s name was Lucas. He had an appearance of an average young

man you could find on the streets. Petite, thin and delicate. Lucas bit his

lower lip. He gathered courage and advanced on his path. The path to the criminal

affairs bureau. To his surprise, the precinct was in a huge mess. The visitor’s

hall and the cafeteria were filled with victims and witnesses. Patrol officers

were trying their best to control the crowd. Lucas could only look in silence.

What on Earth happened here?

It was a sight of pandemonium. Scrutinized the situation closely,

Lucas observed that the victims and witnesses were injured. Those with mild

injuries had remained in the hall to be treated by the paramedics.

Life-threatening injuries had been transported to the hospital. It was

unbelievable that a mere ten minutes had caused a hundred and ten casualties,

seven deaths. It was a shocking number.

Lucas turned on his heels and walked towards the crime scene

instead. He had changed his mind. The crime scene comes first. The archives

could wait. Lucas had become rather curious about the explosion. The crime

scene was two blocks away from the precinct. It was a biochemical research

centre.

With his briefcase in one hand, Lucas entered the coffee bar across

the street. He ordered a cup of milk latte as he observed the people swarmed

around the crime scene. Despite the scene being barricaded and isolated, the

crowd of onlookers increased in massive numbers. The officers who had taken

charge of the case were investigators from the homicide department.

It was strange. It was apparent that this recent case was clearly

caused by an explosion. It was the work of an arsonist. To leave the case in

the homicide officers’ hands, Lucas figured the brains must have found a vital

clue. He was immersed in his own thoughts when a chair was hurled in his

direction. The furniture had grazed the pale skin of Lucas’s left cheek.

He looked in the direction where the attack had come from. The one

who had tossed the chair was immediately restrained. His colleagues were

petrified. He had entered another of his violent seizures. This man was

nicknamed the ‘watchdog’ of homicide. True to his name, this man was

problematic and often caused problems for the chief and his fellow colleagues.

“Hey! Stop that, Niko!”

The man named Niko had a clear, unwavering piercing stare. “Don’t

run away, Lucas.” He had smirked despite being restrained.

Lucas sighed. It was the worst. Because of Niko’s uncouth streak,

Lucas found himself in the presence of his former boss, the current Chief

Commander of the homicide department. This man was Lieutenant Reiner Hoffmann.

He was dressed smartly in his expensive suit. His stern gaze fell onto Niko and

Lucas. Reiner’s intimidating frown had transformed into a smirk.

“Lucas.” The officers at the precinct were intrigued. Pale

delicate skin. Golden irises. And Stygian-coloured hair. It was a rare sight. Rumours

of the earlier breakout had spun viral. Officers whispered among themselves.

Videos of Niko’s outburst were uploaded onto social media platforms by fellow

onlookers and bystanders. Before they realized, Niko and Lucas’s outbreak had

become a trending issue of the week. Curiosity and amusement aroused among the

residents and civilians.

Lucas’s pale expression had provided Reiner answers. Lucas was

petrified. Niko had changed. Lucas did not know what changed. The Niko now and

the Niko then were like two separate individuals. Niko would threaten even his

superiors and colleagues when he had Lucas out of his sight. The night when

Lucas disappeared, it was hell.

Reiner was beyond furious. He had yelled a long litany of

reprimanding lectures at Niko. An officer who was supposed to protect the

people was witnessed in a violent act on a public street. Lucas paled. He

remembered how stern and intimidating this man was. Many of his fellow officers

were curious. A civilian who could rein the mad dog exists. They had wondered

who Lucas really was.

Sighing, Reiner pulled out a key from one of his desk drawers. His

office was exactly how Lucas had remembered. The shelves on the right, and

boxes of unsolved cases were lined on the left. The blinds were apple green,

the same ones since Lucas had left the city for unknown reasons.

Lucas and Niko glanced at the key laid on the desk. A key with a

strange shape. It was for a big padlock which was no longer in use. Niko had

frowned. Did the precinct ever use this type of padlocks? Reiner was a

commander who possessed astute senses. He was a man worthy of leading the nation

back on its right path. Lucas recognized his strength. To accomplish his

dreams, it would be a difficult path. Someone like Lucas is necessary.

“You’ve come for this, haven’t you?” Reiner remarked. Reiner could

predict Lucas’s temperamental and impulsive behaviours that put experienced

experts to shame. Lucas was a violent investigation specialist. During the time

he had served the force, her extraordinary skills had put countless criminals

behind bars. Reiner knew Lucas had never stopped looking. His presence was

enough evidence that Lucas was still chasing after that man. Even now. The man

he had failed to capture three years ago, and the source of colossal explosion.

Lucas nodded. It was precisely the reason he had endured the long

journey back to this city. “Niko!” Reiner pointed his finger at the problematic

officer. “I’ll assign you as Lucas’s subordinate during the time he’s here. No

fighting, understand?!” Reiner had slammed his fists on his mahogany desk.

Niko was indifferent and apathetic. Niko did not care. All he

cared was Lucas. He eyed at Lucas’s gloved hands. Niko followed Lucas like a

lost dog. The drastic change in Niko’s behaviour had astounded his fellow

colleagues. All of them demanded their commander for answers. It was a miracle!

Someone who could control that insane beast had finally appeared.

“You’ll know in due time,” was Reiner’s reply. This is going to be

interesting.

The shadows lurked around the streets, their movements were

insignificant had gone unnoticed. They had been prowling around the streets

where the incident took place. The underworld were no fools. Footage of Niko’s

violent outburst had caught their discerning eye. The underworld consists of

people from all sorts of backgrounds and history. And once again, Lucas was

caught on their poignant sight. The promised time was upon them. It will not be

long before their perfect schemes were put into action.

“I can’t wait to see you. Very soon, Lucas.”

Lucas had scowled, his brows furrowed together. There are strange

elements found in the autopsy report. There was a high amount of Ritalin in the

victim’s blood system. Ritalin is a stimulant used to treat attention deficit

hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. The victim was clearly not one of those.

It was not the only thing.

Engravings of uroboros were carved on the walls of the facilities.

The facility was owned by a renowned pharmaceutical company in the city. The

building has various research facilities which focuses on developing drugs for

diverse uses. The research facility on the fifth floor had drained the trail

cold. They had been researching human experimentation. On what, and for what,

no one knows yet. This pharmaceutical company was heavily influenced by

Theosophical beliefs.

“Are you sure?” Many of the officers had questioned, to ascertain

and confirmed the existence of the nearly legendary myth. Niko and Lucas had

returned to the precinct with new clues.

Lucas had provided them with hard evidence. It wasn’t just

baseless speculation. The pictures were enough proof to show the mysterious

community had actually existed. The carvings were meticulous and intricate,

handled with much care.

“Speaking of cults, there is one student expelled from his

institute for being insane.” The officer spoke. This recruit was Niko’s partner.

The tag on his chest read ‘ALLEN’. “People claimed he was insane, and was

admitted into a psychiatric hospital”

Lucas calmly glanced at the young officer. “Show me.”

Allen is a technology specialist. He was capable of accomplishing

things with digital and electronics which his fellow colleagues could not. With

his help, their investigations have become much easier. Allen pulled up a

screen on the monitor. Sure enough, the contents in the blog was consistent

with Lucas’s deduction. It was accurate to the point that it was frightening

creepy.

Lucas insisted it was no coincidence. “He must have known

something. Find him!”

“Y... yes sir!” Lucas’s demeanour was intimidating and intense.

The younger novices wavered, their confidence faltered. It was just how Lucas

was. Several of them now understood why he was able to restrain the ‘watchdog’

from creating more havoc.

Reiner smiled from the sidelines. It was the right decision to ask

Lucas for help. Lucas was an excellent investigator despite his plain and weak

appearance. Reiner recalled the days he had worked with Lucas. Back then,

Reiner was a sergeant and Lucas was a police detective. Despite being ranked

lower, Lucas was extraordinary in his investigations.

Devon Hospital, Second District.

“Where are you going,

Lucas? You’re coming with us.”

Reiner had grinned, pulling on Lucas’s collar, preventing him from

escaping a second time. The first time Lucas had made a run during an

investigation was four years ago when they were both still young and naïve.

Despite Lucas’s excellent skills in law enforcement, he was often reluctant in

cooperating with his superiors and got into trouble with the higher-ups.

With a letter of warrant in Niko’s hands, the first investigation

unit proceeded to the hospital’s reception with Lucas in tow. Left with no

choice, Lucas followed the team into the psychiatric ward. The hospital staff

had paled at the sight of the police inheritance waved in front of their faces.

“Let us see the director,” Reiner had insisted.

The recaptioned stared widely at the warrant and police

inheritance in Reiner’s hands. Left without much choice, the receptionist made

a call to the director informing the executive of the law enforcers presence

and their purpose. Moments after receiving the director’s approval, the police

with an additional Lucas was showed to the director’s office.

“Welcome, detectives.” The director welcomed them with warm arms. The

office was lush and classy. The director of this hospital was a female. She was

smartly dressed in an expensive and refined business suit. With thick makeup

painted over her face, her bright red lips broke into a smile. “What a pleasant

surprise. If I had known, I would’ve prepared a more appropriate welcome. What

can I do for you?”

Allen pulled out a picture from his inner ****** pocket. “We would

like to request information about this man and see him in person.”

The director took the picture from Allen. She studied the picture

closely. Clearly enough, she identified the man as a patient at her hospital.

“Ah, Davis Hayley.” A heavy sigh escaped from her lips. She went to the chest

of drawers behind her. Pulling the third drawer, she rummaged for the patient’s

record.

The investigators’ attention fell on the report. The man named

Davis did not have any crime record prior admission. During the first four

months, he had violence warnings and was isolated. His behaviour was nothing

like the school and his peers had described. He was only a teenager. Sad,

lonely and insecure.

“I remember his first day here. He was problematic and often

caused problems for my staff.” The director sighed. “Wished I knew what he had

seen. The nurses used to hear him mumbling incoherent words in the middle of

the night.”

He is coming, he is coming! The Lord will paint it black! He comes

for the man who bears the devil’s crest.

The spine-chilling words Davis mumbled every night had drove the

healthcare professionals into fear and terror. Many become terrified of night

shifts because of his unworldly whispers.

‘Davis Hayley is madness’. They concluded. He was a madman whose

spirit was deliberately broken and traumatized.

The expressions on the officers’ face were appalling. Lucas was

the only exception. He was indifferent and pococurante as ever. Even the

director had found the patient’s behaviour distressing.

“Let us see the patient.” Lucas spoke confidently.

The director glanced at Reiner and the company. The director was

bewildered. “May I ask who he is?” she glanced at Reiner and Niko. She couldn’t

believe her ears. There was actually someone who still requested to see Davis

after being told of his alarming behaviours.

Reiner sighed. He had almost forgotten. Lucas possessed nerves of

steel. Even with such a nerve-wrecking backstory, not a flinch was evident

through non-verbal communicative means. His mental state was top-notch. Lucas

was in perfect condition. “Don’t mind it. Just answer him” Reiner replied

weakly.

Davis’s room was secluded from the normal patients. He was the

only patient in the old building. Unlike the newly built ward, the old building

was old and run-down. The paint had come off, the dust-filled windows and tiles

screamed filthy. It seemed like no one had been here in years. The hallways

were dark and musty. The lights blinked intermittent. It was apparent circuits

had malfunctioned. The old building was abandoned.

Lucas had frowned. Why was Davis in a place like this? He had

glared at the director with a questioning glance. “Why is he down here? He is

not a prisoner!”

Niko had grabbed firmly onto the director’s collar. “Spill the

truth. OR else you’ll find your neck broken.” Niko was seething. Even Reiner

and Allen were horrified at the miserable state of Davis. This was inhuman.

“Stop it, Niko!” Reiner’s iron fist landed painfully on top of

Niko’s skull.

The director was at loss of words. She had no excuses. The truth

was in front of their eyes. Davis had been held prisoner in the old building.

It had been four years since he was admitted into the hospital. The company

could not believe it. How could someone survive four years down here?

Lucas slid open the door. The room was barren. A toilet, an old

couch, and a bed. The bedside table had a jug of water and two books. It was

barely enough for someone who had lived here for four years. Davis was on the

bed, staring at the window. He had turned when foreign steps had entered his

room. Davis’s expressions were ghastly.

The director was terrified. She had bolted, screaming at the top

of her voice.

“Who are you?” his hoarse voice spoke.

Studying the patient closely, Lucas could see the teenager was

extremely malnourished. Davis was thin and scrawny. He was all skin and bones.

His hands and feet were chained to the wall. The chain was three metres long,

was enough to move around the room. For what, and why was a mystery. The

company wondered when the last time was, he had a proper meal.

Allen and Reiner had pulled up enough chairs for them to sit.

Lucas was calm. He smiled gently. “My name is Lucas. What’s your name?”

The child blinked at Lucas and the company with eyes of confusion.

It was the first time he had visitors. Lucas reached out for an apple from his

pocket. He stared at the apple like the rarest item he had ever seen in his

life. It had been quite some time since he last saw real, solid food.

“It’s warm…” he murmured. “My name is Davis…”

“Davis.” Lucas repeated after him. “That’s a nice name. Do you

mind if we ask you some questions?”

The child stared at Lucas. Confirming there was no bad intent

evident reflected in Lucas’s clear irises, Davis slowly nodded. He held the red

apple in his small, quivering hands. Allen had spread pictures in timely order

on the small table. Davis had widened at the sight of uroboros seals and

ancient documents encrypted in theosophy language.

“Do you remember these?” Allen probed hopefully.

“What a surprise. The devil’s curse.” Davis faintly replied.

“Curse?” Niko questioned. “Could you tell us more in detail? No

one will come after you. We will protect you. What did you see that night?”

Davis sighed. His eyes were full of anguish and regret. He was

just an average teenager. A promising folklore scholar with a bright future

ahead. Everything changed that night. Davis had kept it a secret after he had

been targeted. Twice, he had almost lost his life. The people around him could

not see the devil’s curse that he could. Declared insane, he was

abandoned by his family, ostracized by his peers and teachers, and was expelled

from his college.

Lucas assured everything was fine. Davis gathered his courage and

began his tale. The company sat in silence, listening intently what Davis had

to say. It was unbelievable. This child declared insane was an essential

witness to their investigation. Allen secretly stared at Lucas. A slight frown

appeared between his brows. He had to admit, just as Reiner had declared, Lucas

was excellent in executing the investigation perfectly. A little too perfect.

Questioning a teenage diagnosed with paranoid disorder was no easy

feat. Lucas had easily conducted the interrogation with small build-ups

starting from smaller pieces, leading to the climax. Obtaining information and

clues which normal people often encounter challenges, Lucas had done it so

easily. Allen wondered if Lucas was even human. He had heard of Lucas’s

accomplishments as a junior officer during his younger days. He had presumed

the legends were exaggerating. Watching Lucas executing it perfectly had led

Allen to assimilate and appraise new information from the man renowned for his

legendary skills.

Davis was once a part of a research team. The team consisted of

seven members. Davis fished out an old picture from the drawer next to the bed.

Allen, Niko, and Reiner recognized several of them. They had either been

declared dead or missing. Davis was their only clue.

“It was terrible. ‘The moment of truth’, that’s what we thought.”

Davis spoke. “We were gravely mistaken. The devil encroached upon us, and

casted a curse on us. The punishment for having our sights on the legendary

elixir.”

“What did you do?” Lucas calmly questioned. Lucas had a gist of

what happened then. It was good to jump to conclusions. He was trained to

attained and use evidence as resources to arrive at the most accurate

conclusions.

“We performed the ritual.” Davis’s expression darkened.

There was a pregnant pause. The ritual. The sight they saw that

night was hell. There were unspoken rules practitioners had to adhere. Davis

was the youngest member. Theosophy was supposed to be sacred scripts bestowed

by the heavens. To think that the teachings recorded in the Book of Wisdom was

the work of devils in disguise. Those who seek the grimoires never return

alive. Davis was an exception.

“We had no idea when it started. I sensed something strange when

we discovered the Grimoire of Raziel: The Book of Wisdom.” Davis was

remorseful. He regretted not stopping his fellow members. “The more we indulged

ourselves into researching the sacred records, the more we become obsessed with

the grimoire. One by one, they were driven insane. At one point, they started

performing rituals. Their scientific reasoning went wrong, and the ”

“What kind ritual is that?” Niko piped in.

“The Art of Necromancy.”

He had bit the bottom of his lip. Clenching the report in his

gloved hands, Lucas marched towards the exit in exasperation. This is not the

end. There were approximately more than ten researchers working at the

facility. Only one had been found dead. There will be more victims, the

mastermind would not stop until his plans are perfectly executed. To completely

destroy Schwerin.

The investigation team in-charge of the arson case had been

entrusted to the first investigation department. The officers had determined

the arson case has connection with a particular murder case in the past. It was

much more than a simple arson. What, they had yet to find out. The clues Lucas

and Niko had savaged from the site was extremely upsetting. Their hunches were

right. The discovery of uroboros tattoos were perturbing news. What’s worse,

the witness confessing the forbidden taboo of delving into the dark arts. Was

there such a thing?

"I won't let it be destroyed."

Finally managed to part ways with the mad dog without any further incidents,

Lucas found his way to his old apartment. It was on the fifth street, three

blocks away from the market. It was almost dusk when Lucas arrived at his old

place. It had been three years. He inserted the key into the keyhole and turned

the knob. The apartment was exactly how he had left three years ago.

He put down his suitcase with a loud thud, Lucas took off his

shoes and walked through the dusty hallways. He opened the windows, allowing

the cold air of the night breeze into the room. Lucas smiled. The nostalgic

sight of the view from his window. He watched the people setting up their

lanterns and lighting the streets with glistening decorations and accessories.

It was the eve of the Lantern Festival.

The townspeople celebrate this joyous event every year. On the

eve, they would release sky lanterns into the skies with blessings of good luck

and fortune. The Lantern Festival is said to bring happiness and miracles. The

night of the festival was a breath-taking sight. The view of multi-coloured

lanterns glowed brightly like lightbulbs in the darkened sky. As if an

insignificant ray of hope trying its best to overcome its challenges within the

abyss of darkness.

On the nights of festive seasons, the streets are filled with

life, their sorrows and anguish were temporarily alleviated. Lucas smiled as he

observed the townsfolk celebrated the festival with a smile on their faces from

his window. It was a maudlin sight. Lucas turned to glance at the picture frame

placed on the wooden windowsill. It was an old picture. There were two boys in

the picture. A teenager and a child. The child was Lucas. Based on their

similarities, the boys were possibly brothers. It was a picture of Lucas and

his brother.

“I’m back, Brother.”