Chapter 17 : Inner tumoil and the past

Embra P.O.V

7:00 a.m

Finally done.

What time is it? Oh, it is almost time for breakfast. My gazes turn back from the clock to the two monitors where numbers are constantly changing and appearing. They are showing the stock market value and currency value of the whole world. For normal people, they may have a headache just after looking at these number for half an hour but, not me.

Since I am aware of my surrounding, the first thing I learned is numbers. My earlier memories are full of numbers that I am already proficient in calculus when I was seven and popular maths algorithm in ten. Numbers.. Because of my calculation power that I dip my foot in the field of the stock market since I was at the young age of ten.

Since then, I'd been learning the factors which made these numbers grow, lessen or completely change. Step by step, I enter into the field of 'Hacking'. I don't know whether I can call it talent or whatever, learning a programming language is as easy as learning maths for me. By the time when I was fifteen, I'd already hacked the NASA without them knowing.

Other network and system in the whole world fall under my hand when I was eighteen and I have too much information on my hand that I don't know what to do. Government secrets, powerful individual secrets and current developing technology are all in my hands and that is when I decided to play a dangerous game. A game where if I am caught once, I would be dead.

Since then, my life was on the line and I'd always remind myself every morning that I can die any given time and lose everything. My fear for death and fear for loss begin to lessen that by the time when I was twenty-one and started being a sniper and a hit-man, I no longer fear death. The reason behind my choice for a sniper is none other than to use the information in my hand effectively.

I cannot count how many men I have killed but, I am sure it is in the three-digits, maybe four. It is not because I am forgetful. It is just because, I stopped counting after three hundred. And, I begin to search for people who will work for me, loyal to me and never betray me. My first targets are the people who are 'dismal in distress' kind of people and retired former hit-man and assassin.

I steal when I want to, kill when I want to and take whenever I want to. My life was constantly up and down. Betrayal, backstabbing and falling in traps set up by who wanted to kill me are an everyday occurrence to me back in the days. There were many people under me that I myself killed too. But now, my life is becoming more or less 'stable'.

My age is nearing forty-two now and I already have everything, every luxury, that one could probably think of. A plot of land on the moon? A secret island? The most advanced technology? Women? Money? Cars? Private planes? Say it, I have it.

Do you want to know how much power I currently hold? Well, by my calculations, if I use everything in my arsenal, I can probably make a mess of the whole world and I am sure, undoubtedly, that I can probably destroy half of the world just by typing on the keyboard and a few words on the phone.

I could also make a little mess in the world stock market and currency just by typing a few commands on my computer right now. I myself am also proud of myself and I feel myself one of the most powerful individuals in the whole world. So, I wonder, was I wrong to kneel and act like a boot-licking coward in front of a woman. Was I pathetic to unleash my anger on three women? Was I wrong? Was I pitiful?

A man who possesses the power to destroy half of the world, becoming a boot-licking man. What a load of crap. Fu*k.

It seems my anger has yet to lessen, much less lessen. I pick up the nearby phone and order my head maid to prepare a bath for me and a few women.

An hour later, 8:00 a.m

I am in a wide bath, built exclusively for me and my use only. A woman is attending to my lower half while three women are attending to my upper half. I accidentally saw a cross mark on one of the women's arm. That is the cross mark, no, a symbol for Christianity. I was never a believer in any of the religion in the world but, I have at least learned about the Greek myth and Hindu gods in my leisure time.

Seeing the cross symbol on the women's arm, thoughts occur in my head. Thoughts about almighty and powerful gods, gods in myth and legends, gods of religion and gods in folktales. In every myth and every legend, gods are beings that no human or mortal can ever hope to understand.

In those myths, there are beings called gods that can change the whole world casually with a flick of one's wrist, who can potentially destroy a person's life and who can change the whole universe. And, of course, I do not believe them but, I still read them because their stories are interesting.

Gears in my head continue to work and my knowledge on myths and gods constantly flash in my head. And, I begin to think that my actions were not wrong. I begin to think that I was not wrong to act weak and coward in front of the woman called 'Keinnayi'. I begin to convince myself that I was just too prideful because of my power and authority that I forgot the basic knowledge.

I am just a pitiful mortal while the other party is the being that can even control time. Leaving aside the issue of her words being true or not, one thing I am sure, they have powers that I cannot understand and if I try to get my hands on them, I will be damned. Yep. That's the best path for you, Embra.

I just need to swallow my pride in front of her and her Valkyrie. Besides, I am not so poor that I cannot take care of two women. Yep. Just forgot about being pitiful and coward. Let's just accept this fact. I cannot harm those two.

Gears in my head, that are working at their full power, begin to slow down. I begin to calm down and reflect on my actions. I also begin to fell my heart that is now beginning to calm down my anger on those two. It took time but, in the end, I accepted the reality and at the same time, I decided to let them live under me till my death.

Now that my thoughts are clear and my heart calms down from anger, feeling of lightness appear in my chest. Yep. I am ready now. I dismissed the women who have been taking care of my lower half and come out of the bath. With the help of three women, I prepare for the day.

At the terrace of the palace, maids have already prepared for the breakfast and when I come, a maid informed me that Keinnayi and Sethar have already had breakfast and they are now looking around the island with the three maids who, I gave the order of taking care of them yesterday. Well, well, well. Aren't they like kids?

No longer thinking of them, I have my breakfast. I change my clothes to simple, long white shirt for winter, black Jean pants and a beige colour leather shoe. I choose a black leather coat that has a beige colour for its inner parts, along with the tartan scarf. I also pick up three rings and wear them each on my left thumb, left index finger and right index finger.

They each represent power, wealth and self-confidence. This is purely my personal point of view and, I really like to wear them on those fingers to show myself. Yep, I am a man who like to flaunt my wealth and power. As a final touch, I pick up a black leather watch and after fixing my hairstyle, I walk towards the stand mirror.

Not bad. Hm... I notice a few wrinkles on my cheek and at the edges of my eyes. Am I that old? Hm. I have to take care of myself. Last but not least, I walk towards the shelves where a few guns and knives are displayed. There are also a few gadgets underneath those shelves. I pick up two silencer guns, a recording device and three small knives.

After putting them in my belt, in my coat and my hand sleeves, I look in the stand mirror again to find whether I am missing anything. Seeing that there is nothing amiss, I walk out of the dressing room and come to the living room. There, the leader of my personal arm force, Delilah, is waiting for me. She salutes to me as soon as she sees me. After giving my handbag that has all of my personal devices to her, I walk out of my quarter.

Now. Let's start the day. What should I give the two of them? Something that will not easily bore them. .. Oh right. I just have the thing for them. With plans decided for the two women, I headed to the administration office, a floor below mine.