CHAPTER 38: INITIATION
The night passed, and Sunday also passed by, just like that, and soon it was Monday. It was not just any Monday, but the day when the head of the only hegemon family in Italy would be crowned.
It was already evening as their car drove into the Carlos mansion, located in the city of Palermo. He looked at the big house with many rooms. The house was being guarded by close to fifty guards; the party would soon start, so he was taken to the head room where there were rows of suits made by the top fashion designers in the country and one of the top ten in the world.
He picked a dark-colored suit, wore a shirt with long trousers and a belt, and draped a long coat over it. He looked at the two brand-new guns lying on the shelf as he put them in the pocket of the coat.
He walked out of the room and saw Laura downstairs, who was wearing a white evening dress; her aura was bright, which contrasted with the dark and gloomy aura surrounding him. But strangely, it complemented the aura as the aura around him turned a shade brighter, and the aura around her turned a shade darker.
Lucia, on the side, was wearing a blue evening dress, with Antonio wearing a black and white suit. Laura extended her hand; he took her hand and wrapped it with his as they made their way out of the mansion into the long limousine waiting for them.
The long limousine left the compound, surrounded by guards, and soon arrived at a hotel; they wanted to use the hall of the hotel. The two soon made their way into the hall of the hotel as the guards all stood outside, inspecting everywhere outside while also protecting him from the reporters.
There were politicians present, with the influential ones being the governors of states, along with the prime minister of the country and the vice president acting as the president. There were also countless CEOs of major corporations present because of the banquet.
The Carlos family was the strongest family in Italy, and it was on an international scale. Now that it had swallowed the three mafia families, its power was not something that could be looked down upon. Even though it had only started to run smoothly, the other countries where they had branches had also started to run smoothly in that short period.
The hegemon was back, and they saw how he used an iron fist to suppress his enemies and start the family again single-handedly. No one wanted to be targeted by him.
The spotlight shone on him the moment he entered the hall, and the music that was being played in the hall before was stopped as a man quickly approached him and attached a microphone to his shirt.
"Good evening, everyone," he greeted.
"I'm Wallace Ace, the head of the Carlos family. I don't have much to say, except that I will abide by the laws and act normal, just like the former head, but I won't just take it lying down if anyone is targeting me or my family. And for those that we work together, all I want from you is truthfulness and transparency. If all that can be achieved, then we can all live smoothly in Italy," he threw a series of threats down with a cold face.
"People say guns are beautiful, but that's only if the gun has not been triggered yet. If it is triggered, the damage done is very deadly," he smiled.
"Let's all enjoy our evening, then." Music began to play in the background as he danced around with Laura.
Midway into dancing, Antonio approached him and whispered into his ear.
"Hmm," he nodded.
The banquet ended; no one dared to approach Wallace, as they were the upper echelon of the country, so they knew what he did and the tricks he pulled to reach the stage he reached today.
After the banquet ended, instead of leaving, he was directed to the presidential suite of the hotel, where he saw two men and a woman waiting for him. They stood up with their brightest smiles the moment they saw him.
"Good evening, Mr. Wallace," they all greeted.
"To whom do I owe the honor for three pillars of the country to wait for me?" he said.
"Stop flattering us; even though you are young, your achievements far outstrip those of us three old hags. We were grown already, and we are just depending on the achievements of the past. Even though you just started, your achievements far surpass the three of us. It makes us wonder how much more achievement you will have by the time you reach our age," the man flattered him with a smile.
"What brings you here?" he got straight to the point.
"Um, about what you did to the president... please, how much more of those do you have?" the vice president asked.
"I have much more than you can think of, as it covers every inch of the countries we have our branch in," he answered. The three shuddered when they heard his answer. "Please, what can we do for you not to target us?" the VP asked.
"I have said it before," he replied.
"The Carlos family has the record ever since they started, but we've never had the chance to use it. If not for the family being on the verge of extinction now, I would not have to use it. So, as long as the country doesn't target our family, your secrets will be safe with us, and we will live a peaceful life."
"Us?" the VP asked.
"Yes, not only me," he clarified.
"Those working in our information agency also know about it, but they won't reveal it without my permission."
"Okay, then," the VP said.
"I will leave now," he stood up and walked out of the room.
They returned to the mansion that night. "Boss, I've prepared those you want me to prepare," Antonio answered.
"Let's meet at the living room, then," he replied.
Five minutes later, ten people stood in front of Wallace in the living room. They were ten of the top training guards of the family; they didn't have any attachments, family, or the likes. Wallace told Antonio to bring them.
He stood up. "You guys don't have any attachment, right?" he asked.
"Yes," they all said.
"And you want strength?" he asked.
"As long as the Carlos family stands, we want to gain enough strength to be able to protect the family," they said.
"What's your relationship with the family?" he asked.
"As long as the family stands, we will stand, and even if it falls, we will fall with it," they said at the same time.
"From now on, you all don't work for the family anymore; you work for me. You are my personal guards," he said.
The reason he did this was that Laura told him he must have personal guards he trusts, who can do anything for him and will be loyal. He would soon be leaving the country to go to some places and explore; there were things he would need people for his journey to do things he can't do, so he needed trustworthy people.
Thinking about it, he could now initiate eighty people. The dark orb inside him increased with every evolution, and now it's eighty. Out of those eighty, he only used three slots, so he decided to add ten more for his personal use. The remaining would be when it is truly important, and something in him was telling him that the orb will soon reach its limit; it's supposed to have a limit.
The only thing he didn't know was whether his power had a cap.
"You will all go through life and death situations with me. Are you willing to tread this path?" he asked.
"We are willing," they said.
"Kneel," he commanded.
"Bam!" Their knees hit the ground.
"Close your eyes," they closed their eyes.
"Open your mouth," they did as he commanded.
He cut his finger as he started the initiating process. Ten orbs made their way out of his body into their mouths. The ten people soon started to wriggle in pain as they felt every inch of their body spasming in pain.
"Don't you feel any changes in your body, to your powers?" he asked the three (Laura, Lucia, and Antonio).
"No, we only feel ourselves getting stronger with each evolution, and the space our power can cover also increases. A weapon is also forming inside us," Lucia said, as a long white sword appeared in her hand.
A spear appeared in Antonio's hand, while a halberd appeared in Lucia's hand.
"No side effects yet?" he asked.
"Nope," they said.
"Good," he said. "Antonio will prepare what I asked for, while Lucia will look for ways to do what she wants to do, and Laura will start office work on the start of our weaponry business. You train the ten about what they need to know."
He made his way upstairs.