CHAPTER 23 :- BORN IN RUIN

The sky, a swirling mass of black clouds, unleashing a torrential downpour. Rain falls in thick, heavy sheets, drumming against the earth like countless hammer blows. Thunder growls deep and low, shaking the heavens as lightning streaks across the sky, its white-hot veins splitting the darkness.

The once-magnificent Rodriguez manor, now a ruin of charred stone and broken glass. Water cascades from the shattered windows, spilling onto scorched floors littered with smoldering debris. The skeletal remains of the structure stand defiant against the storm, walls blackened and weakened by fire, their edges crumbling as the rain pounds them relentlessly.

Shattered chandeliers lie in pools of water, their crystals dulled, their brilliance lost. The luxurious carpets, once rich with color, are now soaked and darkened, reduced to nothing more than sodden ash. Splintered furniture floats in the flooded halls, fragments of a past grandeur that no longer exists.Smoke still lingers in the air, curling weakly from the last dying embers. The fire that once raged through these halls—devouring wood, silk, and flesh alike—is no more. Now, only the storm remains, washing away the heat, the destruction, and the echoes of whatever tragedy unfolded here.For a brief moment, the entire manor is illuminated in stark, unforgiving light—every ruined detail cast into sharp relief before the darkness swallows it again.

The fire is gone. But the scars remain.

The enforcer stood before the ruined manor his black trench coat billowing in the storm as rain pours down yet strangely neither he nor his coat are not even wet. His green eyes stare into space it's unknown if he is looking at the dilapidated structure or if he was just starting off into space, "Staring off into space again, Draven" not bothering to turn to the side to look at his comrade,"If you're worried Eric is going to blame you for not saving his family, you don't need to worry, Eric never gave a damn about any of them they could all die and he wouldn't even blink an eye, so relax" his comrade a tall enforcer with tousled dark brown curls, slightly messy yet effortlessly charming. His hazel eyes shift between green and gold, constantly gleaming with amusement. A light stubble adds to his roguish appeal, complementing his strong but relaxed jawline and faint freckles across his lightly tanned skin. His mid-length hair falls just over his forehead, uneven as if self-cut or trimmed on a whim. A lopsided smirk , paired with slightly pointed ears, giving him a mischievous look. His crooked nose hints at past scuffles, but it only adds to his irresistible, troublemaking charm."it's not Eric that am worried about" the smiling man looked surprised "it's not?"

"Jatom Rodriguez - murdered and burnt in front of his own home, the wife tied to a chair and suffered the same fate.The entire manor torched as if someone wanted to erase all evidence." The smiling man touched his chin in a pondering expression "Hmm that does sound suspicious, oh! What about that kid jatom was always bragging about James was it?" "He's dead" "damn, sigh how did he die?" Draven's voice was flat " I killed him" "Hmmm, wait, what?!!" The smiling man exclaimed looking at Draven like he had grown an extra head, Draven just nodded Looking at the man dead in the eye " I killed him" he repeated "But he wasn't a boy anymore when I killed him" the smiling man looked at Draven confused "huh? What does that even mean?" "Exactly what I am saying, I killed him but he wasn't a boy when I killed him" the smiling man looked at Draven in confusing then understanding dawned on him and his face turned ashen " Elysium" he whispered, Draven nodded " An illegal shipment of Elysium serum happened in Nairobi district, when the cops got there everyone was dead only one survivor, and now an entire family was killed." "But wait Draven I seem to remember the family having three boys Eric's bastard brother, that creepy little boy, where is he? did he die too?" Dravens face darkened "He's missing" "missing? Do you think the killer abducted him?" "I don't know, but this all leads back to Elysium.And you are well aware of the amount of destruction such a drug could cause if left unchecked. I need to find this killer before they cause any more destruction." He says looking up at the clouds.

Meanwhile

Unbeknownst to them the killer was a 12 year old boy wearing a black hoodie with a katana in his hands.

Dio trudged through the relentless downpour, his black hoodie soaked but still clinging to him like a second skin. The rain beat down, blurring the neon lights of Neo Kyoto and casting shimmering reflections on the slick pavement. He always craved freedom, but now that he was free, a sense of disorientation washed over him. What was he supposed to do with this newfound liberty?

As he wandered the streets, the weight of his recent actions hung on his shoulders. He had crossed a line, a line he never thought he would breach. His thoughts spiraled as he replayed the chaotic events, the screams echoing in his mind, drowning out the steady drum of rain. He felt lost, both in the world around him and within himself.

Turning a corner, he spotted a narrow alleyway partially obscured by shadows. The flickering light from a faulty streetlamp barely illuminated the entrance, beckoning him like a refuge from the storm. He hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the bustling street filled with oblivious pedestrians, their laughter mingling with the sound of rain.

He stepped into the alley. The narrow passage offered a stark contrast to the lively streets—quiet and shrouded in darkness, it felt like a cocoon. As he moved further in, the echoes of the city faded, replaced by the soft splatter of raindrops against the cold concrete walls. This was a place where he could think, a momentary escape from the chaos.

He leaned against the damp wall, feeling the cold seep through his clothes. His heart raced as the reality of his actions settled in. I did it, I killed my family, but why don't I feel anything? he wondered, with confusion. The darkness around him felt suffocating, but at the same time, it was comforting—a place where he could be alone with his thoughts.

As he stood there, the rain began to ease, turning into a light drizzle. He closed his eyes, letting the water wash over him,Then he heard it - a scuffle, a grunt of pain and something hitting the ground, Dio's gaze snapped towards the noise and before he realized, he was already walking towards the noise, when he round the corner he saw two men beating a boy about 16 years old, one of the men, a bald thug with piercings on his lips grabbed the boy by the collar and lifted him up "where's my money kid or I swear I'm gonna go to your shop and break the legs of that sister of yours." "No pls not my sister I promise I would give you your money, it's just you're collecting the money earlier than normal, I just need more time."

The other thug a scarred man with yellow teeth grinned at the boy "nah I think it's only when you loose something valuable that you think about the consequences of your actions" he said taking out a pair of scissors "Am thinking your your left eye" he said with a grin, the other thug laughed wickedly "yeah shags do it." He said gripping the boy tightly so he could not run. "No, pls stop! Am begging you I'll give you your money pls, stop! Stop!" The boy cried but to no avail as the scissors move towards his eye, "Now hold steady now you don't want me to make a mistake and kill you do you?" " No please! please!."

"You've killed?"

A voice suddenly fills the air startling the two thugs from what they were doing, they turned as saw a kid?

With snow white hair, and pale skin but his head was down, his white hair covering his face. "Damn it's just a kid, get outta here kid before we pluck one of your eyes out too" the bald thug said turning back to the kid whose eyes they wanted to gouge.

"I asked you a question" they heard the kid say.

The scarred face man turned to face Dio with an annoyed expression,",kid it seems you truly want to die today." He says walking towards Dio." No I just..I am looking for answers." "Oh yeah and whats that." Dio finally lifted his head showing his intense red eyes"when you kill what do you feel?" The thug stumbled back in fear from the feeling those eyes gave him, then feeling embarrassed angrily swung his hand at Dio "what type of foolish question is that!" But.. his hand stopped mid swing as a small delicate hand held his wrist, he couldn't budge an inch, terror crawled up the thugs spine, "I asked what do you feel when you kill." The scarred man stammered, eyes darting like a cornered rat."I...I don't know." Dio studied him, unblinking. "You don't know?" Dio asked his voice cold, "guess." He said applying more force to the thugs hand hat the sound of bones breaking sounded in the alleyway the bald thug just hid in a corner. "Ahh!! Powerful! I feel powerful, I love as I have absolute power over their life and death" the thug shouted as the pain became too much,Dio looked down contemplating for a moment then looking up at the thug asked "and when you finally do away with the person that has betrayed you before, what would you feel?" "Satisfaction I would feel satisfaction..Ahh!!" He screamed as Dio squeezed harder his eyes cold "then why can't I feel anything." "I don't know...Ahh!! Pls I don't know" Dio looked at the thug intently then sighed "useless." He said releasing him and sitting down on the damp alley floor. Both thugs exchanged quick looks and ran away. Whispering awakener as they passed, it remained only the boy, whose eyes they were trying to gouge. The boy shakily stood up and with careful, cautious steps came to Dio and bowed his head "Thank you for saving me Mr awakener" but Dio doesn't respond "his eyes were hollow and empty" with Dio not responding the boy just stood there awkwardly, then Dio spoke "Do you have food" the question caught the boy off guard "ah yes.. yes, we have food" sigh"then lead the way" Dio said slowly getting to his feet. And started walking towards the alley entrance, though he had a small frame he exuded emptiness like someone that wasn't even here, with his black katana in his hand. "Are you coming?" he heard Dio voice call out, "ah, yes Mr awakener."