Time passed slowly. Inside the grand hall, the bodies of Kael's parents lay inside two pristine coffins.
The police guarded the perimeter, but the room itself was packed. Within a few hours, the hall filled with high society—wealthy elites, famous celebrities, and powerful ministers.
Yet, none of them were truly mourning. They sat in clusters, whispering and gossiping among themselves.
Kael stood near the edge of the room, dressed in a sharp black suit. The wind swept through the open terrace, making his hair wave gently.
Sara approached him quietly, wearing a simple black dress. She looked at the center of the hall. "Kael, your parents are over there."
Kael opened his heavy eyes. He looked down toward the coffins. His expression was cold.
"Look at them, Sara," Kael said, his voice laced with a bitter taunt. "Those people are only here to watch me fail. They want to see the Redgrave Group fall apart."
He gripped the balcony railing. "But they don't know that from today on, the Faceless Chairman will be their worst nightmare."
Sara looked up at him, her eyes filled with concern. "How will you do it?"
"Just wait and watch," Kael replied coldly. "First, I am going to find out who killed my parents."
Sara nodded, understanding his pain. But a sudden doubt crossed her mind. "Kael... what if the killer wasn't human?"
Kael's grip tightened on the railing until his knuckles turned white. "Before this happened, Mom warned us not to leave anything behind if something bad was about to happen. And look what occurred."
Seeing his rigid posture, Sara wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Kael, if you feel lonely, remember that we are with you. If you want to cry, cry. I am right here."
At those words, Kael's composure broke.
Tears finally spilled from his eyes. All the bottled-up anger, crushing guilt, and deep sadness washed out of him at once. He wept silently against her shoulder.
After a long moment, Kael pulled back slightly and looked at her. "What about you, Sara?"
"Nothing," Sara whispered, her voice trembling. "I can manage."
Kael stood up straight, pulled her back into his arms, and hugged her tightly. "If you want to cry, you can cry too."
Sara couldn't hold it back anymore. Though she tried to stay strong, tears began to stream down her face.
Renjiro sat quietly on the rooftop stairs, waiting.
Kael communed with his spirits. He gave a silent command to every soul under his control: Take physical form. Hide your wings, your halos, and your horns.
In an instant, the supernatural entities shifted. They transformed, looking exactly like ordinary humans dressed in formal black attire.
The time came to move. The souls stepped forward, lifting the heavy coffins with ease, and carried them outside.
Two massive, beautifully decorated black hearse vans were waiting. The coffins were carefully loaded inside. The vans began to drive toward the graveyard at a slow, constant speed.
Kael followed closely behind in a sleek black SUV.
On the streets, every driver who saw the two black vans immediately pulled over to give them the right of way. Behind Kael's SUV, a massive, unbroken line of luxury black cars followed the procession.
Inside Kael's vehicle, the silence was suffocating. The only sounds were the low hum of the engine and the blast of the air conditioner.
Renjiro was behind the wheel. Sara sat directly behind Kael, with Drakes and Vajr beside her. In the very back row sat Azune, Xiyan, and Nyxara.
Kael's eyes were locked on the hearses ahead. Finally, he broke the heavy silence.
"Look at them, Renjiro," Kael said softly. "They want the Redgrave Group to fall. But I will make it grow bigger than ever."
He paused for a few seconds before asking, "Will you help me?"
Renjiro nodded firmly, his eyes fixed on the road. "You are right, Kael. I am with you."
From the back seat, Sara gently placed her hand on Kael's shoulder, offering silent support.
Within minutes, the procession arrived at the graveyard. A massive crowd of news reporters was already waiting at the gates, their cameras flashing.
Kael felt lost. His eyes were empty as he stepped out of the SUV, staring blankly at the vans. He reached out and tightly gripped Renjiro's hand for stability. Behind him, the souls stood perfectly still, their faces completely blank.
A reporter whispered loudly into a microphone, "Look at those five people beside Kael Redgrave. They have never been seen with the Redgrave family before, but they are standing by his side now."
Soon, the bodyguards, butlers, and servants arrived, all clad in black. Some of them bowed deeply in front of the coffins, paying their final respects. One by one, the guests walked up, placing flowers on the coffins to show their gratitude.
Suddenly, a light drizzle began to fall.
Kael looked up at the grey sky. "Even the gods are crying today."
As if responding to his words, the rain instantly intensified, pouring down heavily on the crowd.
Almost everyone immediately opened their umbrellas. But Kael, Sara, Renjiro, and the souls remained standing uncovered in the downpour. Nearby, Uncle Alex Vrenj and Uncle Warner refused umbrellas as well, standing soaked out of sheer respect.
Sara leaned in, resting her heavy head on Kael's right shoulder, her tears mixing with the rain. Kael gently tapped her cheek to comfort her.
The reporters captured the moment. The image of the grieving young heir standing in the torrential rain struck a chord with the public. Within minutes, the news article went viral, completely choking internet traffic worldwide.
The pallbearers stepped forward to lower the coffins. Kael, Renjiro, Drakes, Xiyan, and Vajr stepped in to help. Together, they lowered Elara and Adrian Redgrave deep into the earth.
Once the burial was over, the crowd began to disperse. Soon, everyone had left except for the Vrenj and Warner families.
Mr. Vrenj walked up to Kael, his face full of sympathy. "Kael, you should move into my house for now. There is plenty of room. My children are currently living abroad."
Kael managed a polite nod. "Thank you very much, Uncle. But first, I need to check something at my house."
Mr. Vrenj nodded understandingly.
When Kael arrived back at the family bungalow, police cruisers were parked outside. Kael walked up to the lead inspector. "What happened, sir?"
The inspector looked at Kael with a deeply unsettled expression. "Young man, we found something. We don't know if you will believe us, but something incredibly strange happened to your parents."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "What could possibly happen that would make me doubt you?"
Without speaking, the inspector pulled out a tablet and pulled up the security footage from the bedroom. "Take a look."
Kael watched the screen closely. After a moment, he handed the tablet back with a calm face. "Alright. It looks like it might just be a digital glitch."
The officer sighed in relief. "We hope so too."
The police wrapped up their notes and left the estate. Kael walked inside the house, where the forensic team was still dusting the room for prints. They were checking every square inch, but because so many people had already contaminated the area, they couldn't find a single solid clue.
Exhausted, Kael sat down on the stairs. He placed his elbows on his knees and rested his forehead in his hands.
Sara walked over and stood beside him. "What was really on that footage, Kael?"
Kael took out his phone, opened the transferred file, and handed it to her. Renjiro leaned in to watch over her shoulder.
The footage played out in grim detail.
A humanoid entity entered the bedroom. A thick, suffocating black aura radiated from its body. Behind it, two pitch-black, shadow-like figures stepped out of the darkness. Without mercy, they executed Elara first, and then Adrian.
Renjiro's eyes widened in genuine shock as he stared at the dark entities on the screen.
"They are the Army of the Shadow Monarch," Renjiro whispered, his voice trembling. "Someone has obtained the power of the Shadow Monarch."