The Breaking Point : Chapter - 02

The dim light of the flickering candle cast long shadows across the room. Zephyr Bishop sat on the cold floor, his knees drawn to his chest, staring at the spot where his uncle Jonas had last stood. The weight of the night bore down on him, heavier than he had ever imagined. His parents—gone. His uncle—slaughtered before his eyes. The silence was suffocating, the world around him crumbling, as if time itself was holding its breath.

It didn't feel real. How could everything be gone in a matter of hours? Just the other day, he was listening to his mother, her voice a soft melody as she shared stories about their family's traditions. His father, stern yet kind, lecturing him on responsibility, urging him to take his studies seriously and prepare for the world ahead. Uncle Jonas, full of warmth, his guiding hand a constant presence, always ready with a smile or a reassuring word. And now, all of them, reduced to memories and ashes.

The cold floor pressed against Zephyr's back as he leaned against the wall, his heart racing with disbelief. It felt like a nightmare he couldn't wake from. The world outside continued its relentless march, but inside, his reality had shattered, leaving behind nothing but an abyss of despair.

Zephyr's chest heaved as sobs wracked his body, the pain too much to contain. His heart felt like it was being torn apart, each pulse a reminder of the loved ones he'd lost. His fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his skin. The sharp sting was a welcome distraction from the storm raging in his mind.

"Why…?" Zephyr's voice trembled as he slammed his fist into the ground. The impact barely registered, lost in the swirling chaos of his grief. "Why did this happen?!"

With a guttural cry, he slammed his fists again—harder this time. Blood splattered onto the floor as his skin split open from the force, but he didn't stop. The pain fueled his anger, his helplessness, his overwhelming rage. Blow after blow, his hands broke against the cold stone, his knuckles raw and bleeding, but the fury consuming him numbed everything else.

"I wasn't strong enough!" Zephyr's voice cracked with despair. "I couldn't protect them!"

The room seemed to close in around him. Every shadow, every dark corner whispered of his failure. His body trembled violently, as if trying to escape the torment in his soul. He wanted to scream until his voice was no more. He wanted to break something; everything—just to match the shattered pieces of his heart.

And then, suddenly, the world stopped.

A firm hand grasped his wrist midstrike. The force of it sent a shock through Zephyr's body, as if snapping him back to reality. He looked up, through tear-blurred eyes, into the stern yet composed gaze of Kai, the man who had saved him from the brink of death.

"That's enough," Kai said, his voice low and commanding, yet not unkind.

Zephyr tried to pull away, but Kai's grip was unyielding. His body, weak and battered, could no longer resist.

"Let me go!" Zephyr yelled, his voice hoarse from the strain. "I have to do something! I have to—"

"You'll destroy yourself before you even begin," Kai interrupted, his tone calm but firm. "This is not how you honor the dead."

Zephyr's breath hitched. The words cut deep, slicing through the rage and pain that had consumed him. He slumped, defeated, tears streaming down his face as the full weight of his loss crashed down on him.

"They're all gone, Kai," Zephyr whispered, his voice breaking with sorrow. "My parents… Uncle Jonas… Everyone I loved… Why? Why did this happen to me?"

Kai knelt down beside Zephyr, his expression unreadable but his presence comforting in its quiet strength. "You're asking the wrong question, boy. It's not why it happened to you. It's what you do now that matters."

Zephyr looked up, confused and desperate. "What am I supposed to do? I don't even know who they were, who I am. My parents never told me anything about… this," he gestured vaguely to the world of violence and death that had erupted around him. "I don't even understand why anyone would want to kill them—or me."

Kai's gaze softened slightly, as if understanding the weight of the revelation about to come. He released Zephyr's wrist, rising to his feet and pacing slowly around the room, choosing his words carefully.

"There are things you do not know yet, Zephyr. Things about your family. About the blood that runs through your veins." Kai paused, his eyes flicking toward Zephyr, weighing whether the boy was ready for the truth.

"What do you mean?" Zephyr's brow furrowed, a cold knot of fear twisting in his stomach.

Kai sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly hesitant. "Your surname… Bishop. It was a false identity, a way to conceal something far more significant. The truth of who you are runs deeper than you could ever imagine. You're not just a regular boy. You are the last heir of the Darkborn Clan, an ancient bloodline that once ruled the world thousands of years ago."

Zephyr's heart skipped a beat. "The… Darkborn Clan?" The words felt foreign on his tongue, as though he were speaking a language he had never learned.

Kai nodded. "An ancient, secretive bloodline. Your family once ruled over this world, long ago, before time and history erased their legacy. They were feared and revered, masters of a forgotten power that few now remember."

Zephyr blinked, struggling to comprehend. "But… but I'm just… me. My parents never told me any of this."

"They couldn't," Kai said, his voice heavy with regret. "The knowledge of the Darkborn Clan has been kept hidden, even from its own descendants. It was safer that way, until now."

The room seemed to spin. Zephyr's mind raced, the weight of the revelation crashing down on him. His family… they were part of something ancient, something powerful. And now they were dead because of it.

"Are you saying… they were killed because of who they were?" Zephyr's voice shook with anger, the grief slowly morphing into a cold, burning rage.

Kai met his gaze, his expression grim. "Yes. Whoever targeted your family knew exactly what they were doing. And now they're coming for you."

Zephyr clenched his fists, the pain of his bleeding knuckles nothing compared to the fury rising within him. "Then I have to stop them," he growled. "I have to finish what they started. I'll make them pay for what they've done."

Kai's eyes gleamed with approval, but there was also a hint of sorrow in them. "Revenge won't be easy, Zephyr. It will consume you if you're not careful."

"I don't care!" Zephyr shouted, the tears returning, but this time they were tears of rage. His entire body trembled as he spoke, his vision swimming with anger and despair. "I'll do whatever it takes! I'll make them bleed for what they've done to my family!"

Kai regarded him in silence for a long moment, then nodded. "Very well," he said, his voice solemn. "If revenge is what you seek, then I will show you the path. But understand this—it will not be easy. The training I offer you will break you, body and soul. It will push you beyond your limits, beyond anything you've ever known. But in the end, you will become strong enough to face those who have wronged you."

Zephyr's breath came in ragged gasps, his heart hammering in his chest. He wiped the blood from his tear-streaked face, his resolve hardening like iron. "I don't care what it takes. I'll do it."

Kai's expression softened, a trace of pity in his eyes, but he nodded. "Then prepare yourself, Zephyr. For you will face the Void Essence Art—the most torturous and grueling training known to man."

Zephyr clenched his jaw, his determination burning brighter than ever. He would endure it. He had to. There was no other choice.

"I'm ready," Zephyr whispered, more to himself than to Kai.

But deep down, he wasn't sure if he would ever truly be ready for what lay ahead.