CHAPTER 292: A FAMILY SHADOW

FLASHBACK - 5 MONTHS AGO - NEO-LUMINARA.

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The rain had finally ceased in Neo-Luminara, yet the city continued to shimmer as if the storm still raged on.

High above the bustling streets, in the Osborn Family Estate, Arthur sat in his study, a book cradled in his hands.

This study was quite, solemn and quite dark as well, the only source of light is the is the fire from thr fire place.

The air was rich with the scent of aged leather and polished wood, mingling with dust that had been disturbed but never swept away.

Shelves lined three walls, filled with tomes that digital scans had yet to convert into light. On the fourth wall, tall windows overlooked the cityscape, their glass tinted to soften the neon chaos outside.

Arthur leaned back in his chair, balancing the heavy book on one knee. Its binding was cracked and its pages yellowed by time,an indulgence few could afford in an age dominated by screens and instant gratification.

Few possessed the patience for such relics; even fewer understood why that patience mattered.

Floating before him was Evolon,its blue face filled with trillions of streaming data was looking at Arthur and would occasionally blink.

"You read old words," Evolon remarked calmly, its voice detached yet oddly compelling. "They do not change."

Arthur turned a page with a soft rustle that broke through the silence like a whispering breeze.

"That’s exactly why they matter," he replied thoughtfully. "They don’t bend to convenience; they remain steadfast regardless of who gazes upon them."

Evolon tilted its head slightly as if pondering this notion further. "And yet, out there," it gestured it’s head towards the world beyond the window, "the families manipulate it every day, seeing people merely as units or resources... ants under glass."

A faint smirk crept onto Arthur’s face at Evolon’s observation. "You speak as if you disagree."

"I am merely observation," Evolon replied coolly. "Agreement is irrelevant."

Arthur closed the book halfway, resting a hand on its spine.

His eyes narrowed in thought, reflecting a mind deeply engaged with the words before him.

"The families... they have ruled for centuries. Their mistake isn’t their cruelty; it’s their shortsightedness. They call ordinary men and women ’ants’,creatures to be stepped on, harvested, forgotten. But I don’t see ants."

Leaning forward, his eyes caught the dim light as he continued, "I see tools. Instruments,ingredients for change. An army doesn’t rise from elites alone; empires aren’t built from glass towers and encrypted codes.

They’re forged from bodies and beliefs,from millions who wake each day convinced they’re part of something greater.

That’s where true control lies not in fear or riches but in the ordinary people themselves. Harness them properly, and you hold the spine of the world."

Evolon remained silent, the weight of Arthur’s words hanging thick in the air.

Arthur’s fingers tapped lightly on the cover of his book as he lowered his voice to an intimate whisper, as if confiding in an unseen confidant.

"The great families exploit; they bleed the masses dry without realizing that those same masses keep the streets bustling, factories humming, drones soaring into the sky. Kill the host and you kill the parasite along with it.

But control them? Guide them? Feed them just enough purpose and you own them forever. Ants are forgettable and can be squashed underfoot but tools are indispensable"

Finally breaking his silence, Evolon replied evenly but with gravity: "That philosophy will divide you from others."

Arthur allowed himself a faint laugh,a sound tinged with defiance. "Good! Let them remain united in their blindness."

For what felt like an eternity, neither spoke again as the city hummed beyond their window,lights dancing across glass towers while only the soft rustle of pages turning broke through in Arthur’s study.

Just then a knocking sound came from outside of the study room.

Evolon immediately dissolved and vanished.

Arthur lifted his gaze from his book toward the door with calm detachment before saying simply, "Enter."

The door creaked open to reveal Alfred. Seeing Alfred at rhe door,Arthur smiled and motioned him to come in.

Alfedd entered the study room, his suit impeccably pressed down to every last detail and gloves pristine as always.

His expression was unreadable,a mask of professionalism but today he carried something unusual.

A thin bundle wrapped carefully in an old cover,the kind of package that seemed out of place amidst holograms and data streams; something born of dust and ink rather than light and code.

Raising an eyebrow for once betraying curiosity, Arthur said evenly: "Alfred, I wasn’t expecting you tonight."

With unhurried grace, Alfred approached and set down the bundle on Arthur’s desk right over where a faint glow from a holo-screen flickered silently moments before,the ancient object casting shadows across modernity.

"This," Alfred began, his voice steady yet respectful, "was meant for your father. Your grandfather told me to give this to your father".

He paused for a moment, allowing a flicker of warmth to soften his gaze. "But your father is gone now and you are in charge now. It belongs to you to naturally."

Arthur’s eyes darted between Alfred’s face and the mysterious bundle resting on the table.

"What is it?" he asked, curiosity piqued.

Alfred didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he straightened his cuffs with an air of finality. "What it contains is for your eyes only. My duty ends with its delivery."

With that, Alfred bowed slightly and exited the room, the door clicking shut behind him like a whisper in the quiet space.

The study felt heavier now, as if the walls themselves were leaning in closer, pressing down on Arthur.

He stared at the bundle for what felt like ages for a while.

Evolon appeared once again looking at Arthur and then at the old looking bundle infront of him.

His fingers hovered above it but hesitated to make contact.

Finally summoning his courage, Arthur reached out and began to unwrap the cover with careful precision.

Layer by layer fell away until he uncovered a document beneath,a thin relic of fragile paper bound loosely together.

The edges were curled; ink faded yet still legible; symbols sprawled across the first page in a script older than his family’s legacy and perhaps even older than the city itself.

Arthur’s eyes widened as realization dawned upon him,the rare crack in his stoic demeanor grew wider with every line he read. His breath caught in his throat.

As he continued to scan the contents of the documents, his eyes widened bit by bit ad thr surprised in his eyes became even more intense and there was also a flicker of shock as well.

Then slowly, a smile crept across his face,not just any smile but one that was sharp and darkly promising,a grin that hinted at consequences yet to come.

Leaning back in his chair, one hand resting lightly on those precious pages while the other tapped thoughtfully against the armrest, he murmured lowly and deliberately.

"Well...welll..well..now... this is getting more interesting,i didn’t know this family was once so badass."

Just then, Evolon shimmering projection appeared hovering before Arthur, silent at first but clearly intrigued by Arthur’s expression. Yet Evolon held its tongue.

Arthur remained focused on the document before him; that wicked smile never faltered.

In that moment, everything else,the study, the city beyond its walls, even night itself, faded into shadows.