Obsidian (2022)

8. Dangerous but worthy goals

Chapter 8

Dangerous but worthy goals

"We crave what we think we deserve yet we are denied of it. In the absence of the actions to take it, anyone can see the senseless waste in living like a human being."

Focused on her reading, Darya almost didn't notice Kieran walking inside the room. She refused to look up at him or exchange any words.

Kieran knew very well he created a wall between them he had no use of, nor he wanted there, with the fight he caused.

He walked over wary of her mood and placed a plate in front of her with the same type of desert he stole from her before.

His dry insensitive humor seemed to anger her more than make her play along and the last thing he wanted out of this relationship was to make her an enemy. But he just couldn't stop teasing her and now it was a problem.

She took a look at the desert and then Kieran slid the plate even closer to her without saying anything.

If she didn't understand what he meant by it, then there was nothing more he could do.

She suddenly picked up the desert and took a bite out of it, chewing with a slight head nod like she was happy about it.

Kieran tried to repress his smile. He'd take that as apology accepted.

***

Deep on the ruins, Rin strolled through the abandoned part of Cerasus, where he and his father used to spear with wooden swords at the old training halls. There were many bittersweet memories of sweat, blood and calluses that later became a valuable investment in his strength. Cerasus was the only protected place that hadn't changed under the influence of his mother. The never-changing beautiful scenery brought him back to his childhood however today he couldn't bring himself to think about it. His mind was only set on revenge.

He could still see it vividly. The deep cut in his father's chest and the large portions of blood spilling out. His father's death was a traumatic experience he could never recover from. And to make matters worse he couldn't forgive himself for not having any memories of his father's murderers.

What was it that made him frozen like a piece of ice at the murder scene until the following morning when the guards found him in his father's office next to his corpse.

Was that too much for a young boy to handle? Was it a blackout due to fear and pain?

Rin didn't understand why he could never fully make out all of the details of his father's death. It was always flickers of lights that appeared in his vision but that was about it.

Later his mother burned the villa with the hope they can leave the memories of death inside. However, that hadn't worked for Rin.

Rin climbed back to Leola's residence, expecting some answers from Darya. He slid inside the room he had left her in and caught her staring at it with excitement, her hands clutching it as she first received it.

Kieran was sitting down in silence, fatigued like he had been told something shocking.

"So what did you find?"

"Your father is a genius," Darya said in a short breath.

Pushing pride aside, Rin looked at her worried. "And?"

"The dark book" is a collection of his research on unknown mater, which dissolves atoms on certain areas in the world, or if I'm being specific, they fall apart and what was once created with them is just gone."