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I remember back then how much I treasure my mother's diary. It was everything I needed to learn for. I always sneak out of every etiquette class just to hide under the oak tree and read her diary.
Everything that written them were as if she knew the future ahead of her. All her experiences and knowledge were written there. As if she already knows that her future child will need those in the future.
"Be the predator in the room of wolves" She says in one of the pages. Where it stated that you should be on the top but don't let them know what's going on in your head, and that's the real reason why the lion is the King of the jungle even though the elephants are bigger than him. The wolves always have successful hunts, because they always hide themselves as sheep among the farm. And why humans are the most feared animal, because they have the strongest instinct to survive.
Creatures are always on the top of the food chain, not because they're much bigger and stronger, that's because they're capable of moving others without using their hands but their minds.
"A King that is loved by all is also the King who is feared by all..." she stated.
How funny a dead person can still control a perfectly human being through her writings. Mother, she is truly a genius, and that's why she did not die because she was giving birth to me. She died because they thought she was a witch.
"My dearest son..." the familiar figure once again repeated what my father just said. I instinctively grabbed the handle of the sword as I was waiting for him to attack. I pulled all my 'aura' to my body in case I was too late to attack him. He only chuckles.
"Marvelous!" he exclaimed and laughed. He was a creepy guy, that's for sure. His appearance is just like my father when he was in his prime but now, he is 67 years old, he was nothing but a frail old man who was waiting for his son to take his place.
I flinched as I felt his skinny hand on my wrist, as if he was trying to stop me from attacking the creepy figure near the balcony.
"My dearest son..." he repeated again, how can he say the words I always yearn when I was a kid, when I was still his dearest son.
I pull my hand away, it's not warmth that I felt, it was disgust. I know my real father is, I've been watching him the moment I open my eyes to reality. He was nothing but an old geezer who had uncontrollable lust towards everyone.
"That's right, push that old man away..." the figure slowly approaches me as his voice starts to change. I can feel my father behind me shaking, why is he afraid of it?
The unknown figure starts to change his appearance, is it the devil? Probably, what he did made my father shake in fear so much.
"Who are you!?" I tightened the grip on my sword, he was probably dangerous. Should I flee? But what about my father? I look back at the old King again, I feel empty, the only thing that gives me a reason to pity him is my brother, Lucian. This is the father he adored so much in his life, but at the same time, the same man I hated and envied the most.
"Why stop talking?" The moment I turned my head to look back at the unknown figure, he was now in front of me.
I can feel his breath against my skin, I can hear my heart beating so loudly. For the first time in my life, I was the prey that was being hunted by the wolf.
Black eyes with red bloody pupils staring right back at me. I couldn't move an inch, I could hear my father whining on the bed, but I didn't dare to move my head to look at him. Because I know, the moment I take my eyes off this monster, it'll devour me. It's a ghoul, just like my mother described in her diary.
"A devil with white hair with a streak of pink, symbolizes death and life. Black eyes with crimson red pupils and red pulsing veins around it. Sharp thousand teeth for eating and devouring their prey, not leaving any trail behind. And Pale skin as if it was a ghost, claws for their hand and terrifying sharp tentacles surrounding them, it was a ghoul, a grim reaper who'll devour any living things in their way" my mother stated in her diary.
I looked up at this monster as I met his wide open mouth with his sharp tooth showing to me. He opens his mouth wider as if it's sizing up my head, I can't die here just yet.
"Why are you here...Aether?" Suddenly my father broke the tension and the ghoul laughed. He slowly shrinks back to his form, just like my young father.
"You know why I'm here, my customer..." he replied with the voice just like my father.
"So you're here to devour me?" my father asked as he let out a little laugh, it made the ghoul enraged.
"NO ONE LAUGHS AT THE FACE OF DEATH!" he suddenly turned himself back to his form again making me draw my sword out and protect my pathetic father.
What was I thinking? Why did he call me here in the first place? Is he here to sell my soul instead to make him younger? By that time, I slowly lost my mind and let my 'aura' spill out. Was it fear? Sadness? Anger? no...
"I see..." the ghoul finally calms himself and goes back to my father's form.
"You must be the next King..." he continued, I can sense his gaze analyzing me from head to toe.
How terrifying this creature is, how he can copy any details in my father's body...
I gripped again in my sword and pointed straight at him, I rather die in a fight than dying in the most pathetic way possible.
But I was afraid of dying, not yet, it's not my time. I haven't achieved anything yet. I want to be stronger, the most powerful human and face gods to tell them, who decided to have them as our ruler? Why should we, humans, fear them?
The ghoul let out a small chuckle, as if he was laughing at me. Can he read minds? Did he think I'm absurd? I let my emotion get to my head again, making me spill more 'aura' into the room, it shakes. The whole land was shaking at the time, it probably makes the people wake up in the middle of the night. But I don't care, I just have to survive this.