Bloodline

I stood frozen for a second after hearing Peter's words. "What kind of shit game are you trying to play, cunt?" I grabbed him by the collar, pulled him close, and punched him hard in the face, throwing him to the ground. He spat blood from his mouth. "Arthur... I'm telling you the truth. Why should I lie to you?"

I stood there, still in disbelief. "How can I trust you when your last name is fucking Cardigan, huh?"

Peter struggled to speak, his mouth still bloody from my punch. "Your last name's also Cardigan."

I went to hit him again. "Shut the fuck up, you son of a bitch!"

Serina stepped in, blocking me. "He's telling the truth. I'll explain the rest to you." She sat down, her eyes serious.

"Your father and mother were George Peter Cardigan and Monica Winzerina Cardigan. Your dad went missing a week before your birth, and your mom died giving birth to you."

I stormed up to her. "How the fuck do you expect me to believe this bullshit, bitch?"

She stood up, her voice calm yet firm. "Because… you don't know who your parents are, but we do."

I sat down, my heart pounding. "I don't understand any of this."

Serina sat on the floor beside me, placing a hand gently on my knee. "If you let us explain, it will all make sense."

I stared at her. "Fine. Explain it to me."

She took a deep breath. "Your dad, George Cardigan, was a stage actor. He went missing a week before you were born and was never found. No one looked into it except your mom, but she couldn't get any answers."

My mind was racing, disbelief still gnawing at me. "How do you know all this?"

"Vanessa told us," Serina replied softly.

I shot up. "Then take me to Vanessa."

Serina's face darkened. "I can't."

I stared at her, confused. "Why?"

"She's dead."

"What?!" I whispered, barely believing what I was hearing.

Serina continued, "After we met with her, we went back to see if we could find any photos or documents that might help us. When we got there… she was dead. It looked like she took her own life."

I interrupted, my mind swirling with questions. "How did Vanessa know all this? Walk me through everything that happened with her."

Serina nodded, her eyes flickering to a piece of cloth with the symbol of the Dusk Society on it. "Vanessa gave us this. She was the last remaining heir of the Cardigan family who knew about its dark past. She told us she expected you to come, but she thought you'd be with Peter, not me. That's when she told us everything about you and how you and Peter are connected. There was one more thing she told us about you."

She paused, her eyes intense. "Your father was believed to be the rebirth of the prophet Benevolet. The community believed it… but your dad and mom wanted to escape that life because they were afraid of what would happen to you. They didn't want you to be part of it. But then, your dad went missing, right before your birth. It was suspicious, but no one cared to investigate except your mom. She was the only one who tried to stop it… and she died giving birth to you."

A heavy silence fell. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Pain seared through me. My chest tightened as I fought to breathe.

Serina walked across the room, her voice quiet. "Your mom was kicked out of their community for refusing to sacrifice you. They wanted a Christian girl for the ritual, but they couldn't get one—Vanessa's daughter was only half-Christian. She tried to stop them, but her husband, who wasn't even part of the community, stopped her. He made the sacrifice happen. She left after that, and tried to go to the police, but they threatened her into silence. She never went to them."

I sighed, overwhelmed. "Then I guess it's a good thing I didn't grow up with that family. So, what now? We're stuck in the middle of the '80s."

Peter approached, struggling to stand. "Arthur, you just found out you're not an orphan, and that your family's a fucking nightmare, but you don't even seem shocked. If you want to cry or scream, it's okay. It's completely fine."

I took two steps back, my fists clenched. "This sadness, crying for shit—I'm past all that. This isn't the worst thing that's happened to me. I've been through worse, and… don't even ask me what it was."

Serina stepped forward, holding up a small vial filled with a semi-transparent blue liquid. "This is Rathoxile Metaphine. It's an enhancement drug that boosts adrenaline. It's rare but easy for a chemist to make. This drug will enhance your adrenaline, allowing you to control your mind in a way you can't while the rathadium takes over. With this, you can choose which timeline to travel to."

I raised an eyebrow. "But the bitch at the lab said it could only let us travel to the past."

Serina nodded. "That's true. But with the rathadium in your system, your mind gets paralyzed. This drug helps override that, letting you use your mind to travel."

I was skeptical. "But what does our creepy family culture have to do with those assholes who tied me up and the kid who went missing in our town, only to be found dead?"

Serina's expression hardened. "Those people want the rathadium in your blood. And Kevin—Peter will explain that."

Peter stood up, wincing in pain, his face grim. "Kevin was our family. His mom, Merlin, is part of it too."

I frowned, confusion clouding my mind. "So Kevin's not dead?"

Peter clenched his jaw, his voice low. "Kevin is dead, Arthur. But they didn't just kill him. They took something from him first."

I stared at Peter, heart racing. "What do you mean?"

Serina exhaled sharply, handing me a worn journal. The pages were yellowed with age. "Vanessa had this. It records every missing child in our town… and notes on Kevin."

I flipped through the pages, my pulse quickening. When I reached Kevin's name, I froze. Written beside it was a chilling phrase: "Extraction complete."

My grip tightened around the journal. "What the fuck does that mean?"

Peter wiped the blood from his mouth, his voice grim. "They were harvesting rathadium from him."

A cold shiver ran down my spine. "What?"

Serina nodded. "Kevin had it in his blood, just like you. Your family isn't just some creepy cult, Arthur. They're experimenting—and Kevin was their latest test subject."

I took a step back, shaking my head. "No… this is insane. I'm British, Peter's Australian, and Kevin's part Asian… How the hell are we related?"

Peter's voice was heavy with truth. "Our family is all over the world, Arthur. They're after you now. They need more rathadium. And now that they know you exist, they won't stop."

A cold silence settled over us. My mind was reeling. I thought I was just an orphan. Now, I was the fucking centerpiece of something much bigger, much darker.

Serina broke the silence. "We need to move. Now. Before they find us."

I looked at the vial of Rathoxile Metaphine in her hand. This could be our ticket out of here… or it could be the end of us.

Peter struggled to stand, his voice tense. "We've got one shot at this, Arthur."

I stared at the vial, weighing the risks. Then I looked at Peter and Serina. A decision had to be made.

The choice was mine.

1. Take the drug and control the time jump.

2. Try to fight our way out of this era.

3. Find out more about my family's past before making any move.

I clenched my fists.

"...What's our next move?"

Serina didn't answer right away. She just stared at me, waiting. Peter's gaze was locked on me, filled with urgency.

"We don't have time, Arthur," Serina finally said. "If they catch us, we're dead. All of us."

I took a deep breath, trying to clear my mind. My whole life had been a lie. I wasn't just an orphan. I was part of a dark, twisted bloodline—and they were coming for me.

I looked at the vial again, my heart pounding.

Peter stepped closer. "Arthur… we have to do this. We can't stay here."

I clenched my jaw. My gut told me running wasn't enough. Not yet.

"...No," I finally said.

Serina's eyes widened. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

I tightened my grip on the journal. "I'm not leaving until I know everything. If they're coming after me, I need to know why. I need to know what the hell they're planning."

Peter's frustration was evident. "Are you insane? We don't have time for this!"

I turned to Serina. "Where did Vanessa find this information? Where was she living?"

Serina hesitated. "An old motel outside town. Room 206."

I stood up, determination hardening my voice. "Then that's where we're going."

Peter groaned. "Arthur—"

"I'm done running blind," I snapped. "If we don't understand what we're up against, we're walking straight into another fucking trap."

Serina and Peter exchanged a glance. Then Serina sighed. "Fine. But we go in and out fast."

I pocketed the journal, then grabbed the vial from her hand. "Just in case," I muttered.

Peter shook his head. "I swear to god, Arthur, this is the dumbest idea—"

"Then stay here and wait to die," I shot back, already heading for the door.

Serina followed without a word.

Peter groaned, but finally cursed under his breath and limped after us.

As we stepped into the night, I felt it.

The storm was coming.