The Forests of Silence

I'm home - Mozart Requiem Confutatis

It was cold. Too cold.

Brett slowly opened his eyes, feeling warm drops of water dripping from his head. When Brett looked down, he realized it was not water. It was a thin stream of blood trickling from his head and to the wooden floor.

Brett panicked, shooting upright. He was laying down on a floor of a stranger's house. He felt a long chain binding his arms and legs, restraining his movement.

Where was he? Why was he here?

The sudden movement made Brett dizzy and he kneeled down again, panting from a terrible headache. The world span under his eyes, like a mad circus.

"Finally, you're awake."

Brett took a glimpse of a pair of shiny leather shoes walking to him. He didn't have to look up to see who he was from the voice -

"Anthony..." Brett groaned through his clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry for our previous... barbaric actions. I hope you understand."

Anthony crouched down to meet Brett's eyes, smiling slyly.

"What do you want?" Brett glared at Anthony.

"You see, Mr. Yang. I had a bit of a problem...with your father."

Anthony sighed, lighting up his cigarette.

"You want one?"

Anthony handed a cigarette to Brett. Brett shook his head, no.

"We found a gold mine in Collenka. He promised me 50% of the share. He didn't keep the promise."

Brett's mind raced. He immediately thought of the cargo ship #2204 from Collenka that disappeared - the ship that John was looking for the other day.

"The ship #2204..?"

"Now we're talking!"

Anthony laughed and slapped Brett on the back. Brett coughed, shuddering from an intense headache again.

"And I have used up all the money to find that treasure so you probably have some idea how pissed I was."

Brett murmured softly, thinking back to that document.

"I read the contract a few weeks ago. It was because you bailed your investment a few months before the expedition......."

Anthony put his index finger on Brett's lips.

"Shhh, son. This is an adult talking. We - your father and I - had a promise."

Brett recoiled back, disgusted. He didn't like Anthony touching him in any way.

"So everything was going according to plan as I took care of your.... father..."

The drugs.

Brett bit his lips in anger.

"...and managed to re-route the ship on its way to Candra. And this is my baby here that was on that ship."

Anthony walked next to Brett where a massive iron safe stood.

"This safe contains net worth of gold that can buy an entire city in Handorr. The problem is, I asked different professionals around the country but the safe cannot be opened or be destroyed ...without the right key."

Anthony blew the smoke into Brett's face.

"Turns out the key is your father's ring - the Yang family symbol. You should know it very well."

Brett inhaled a sharp breath.

The ring he gave to Eddy.

Anthony smashed the cigarette under his shoes.