Ethan is Poisoned

~ At the same time in another realm called Ethearea ~

In a sprawling mansion nestled amidst lush gardens, a tale of treachery and darkness unfolded.

The opulent halls echoed with unknown, hidden behind gilded doors and lustrous marble.

"Mom, I hate him" a young boy could be seen complaining to his mother with a hideous face.

"Kieran my dear, don't get yourself all worked up huh!

I have found a way to end him now" The woman who is the mother of the young boy replied with a cruel smile on her pretty but poisonous face. The woman, Kieran's mother is the second wife of Jonathan Hastings, the family head of the Azure Crane Clan.

Azure Crane clan is known for its mastery of aerial combat and wind-based cultivation techniques.

"What's the plan, Mom?" the young Kieran asked.

"Haha," Kieran's mother laughed and said "Go inside your room for now boy, you will soon find out," she said with a strange smile on her face.

"Okay Mom" Kieran replied.

Kieran, an 8-year-old boy laughed and went into his room, leaving his mom inside the big room.

"Victoria, you bitch! I will never allow you to have a child in this house, you want to give your husband an heir? Dream on!

My son is destined by heavens to be the next clan leader and no one is gonna stop that." she laughed venomously.

Victoria Hastings, the first wife of Jonathan Hastings is a compassionate and elegant woman who hails from a prestigious lineage. With her graceful demeanor and captivating sight, she is known for her philanthropic efforts and dedication to various charitable causes. Though the second wife gave birth before her, she was very respected and her son was held in high regard. The name of her son is also called Ethan and Victoria possesses a deep affection for her son. But despite this, it was unknown to her that her husband's second wife is already plotting a devious plan against her son.

-----

"Ethan" a sweet voice was heard and a beautiful silhouette came into view of Ethan.

"Mom" Ethan replied with a smile on his young handsome face when he found out it was his mother.

"You will soon start your training and I want you to be a good boy ok? You'll take the Spirit Roots test two years to this moment.

"Mom, I don't want to practice martial arts," Ethan protested

"Eh?" Victoria was surprised and then quickly said.

"Dear, you have to cultivate, this world is only for the powerful ones, this is a world where the strong prey on the weak. Don't you wanna be powerful? Look at your elders and your father, you don't want to be like them?" she asked with a smile.

"I want to be like those people that fly through the sky like birds in the sky," Ethan said innocently.

"Hehe," Victoria laughed loudly and said "Oh dear, you will be able to fly, capture the spirit beast, and fight the bad guys only if you are a cultivator," Victoria said to her son.

"Really?" Ethan asked with excitement.

"Yes," Victoria answered with a smile.

"Yay! I will be able to fly" Ethan said with a cheer.

"Yes, son. So don't say you don't want to be a cultivator again ok?" Victoria said.

"Yes, mom!" Ethan said.

Victoria stood up and said, "I will be back soon, let me go and ask a maid to prepare your dinner." Victoria said with a smile while walking outside but she failed to notice a strange silhouette that was standing at the side wearing a black cloak. The person in a black cloak smiles hideously while looking at Victoria's back as she was making her way into the maid's quarter, then the cloaked man entered Ethan's room.

"Hmm?"

Victoria suddenly stopped and look back, she scan all her surroundings, her spiritual senses covering the surroundings but she discovered nothing.

"Did I sense wrongly?" she muttered,

"I suddenly felt an eye on my back but there is nothing here?" she said and then turned back, wanting to check on her son just to be sure everything is okay.

'Cough!!!'

She started hearing a coughing sound coming from inside the room when she arrived in front of Ethan's room.

"Ethan?" she said incredulously, increasing her pace while storming inside the room.

"What is this?" she asked herself when she noticed a strange substance in the air. She looked at Ethan and to her horror, her son's face was deathly pale and he was coughing heavily.

"Shit!"

This is poison, my son has been poisoned" she exclaimed and flashes to Ethan's side, checking his pulse.

"This poison has already sipped deeply into his body," she said with red eyes.

"Who is it?"

"WHO POISON MY SON!!!"

She screeched.

"Did someone just mention poison?"

"You heard it too?"

"That should be first madam's voice, did something happen to her son?"

"Who dares to poison the young master?"

The maids and servants started whispering among themselves, baffled by what might be happening in the first madam's quarter.

-----

An old man could be seen making his way into a particular hall with panicked eyes.

~ Inside a Big Hall ~

"The Whispering Willow Clan is becoming more audacious nowadays," an elder with a bushy mustache said with anger writing all over his face.

"I agree! What the first elder said is true, the Whispering Willow clan is becoming more and more arrogant. They even attacked one of our clan's servants that was sent to collect some spiritual herbs today" another elder said in support of the first elder.

"That's not the only one, one of their clan members beat up one of our clansmen 'till he was left bedridden for I month," a woman said.

"Clan leader, I think we should demand an explanation from them." an old man said among the elders.

"Well..." Jonathan Hastings was still saying when.

'Bang!'

The main door that enters the big hall was banged open.

"Who is it?" the second elder said with an angry face. An old man quickly made his way to the front of the elders and the clan leader.

"The...there is an emergency!" the man said in a tempting voice.

"What happened? Speak!" the first elder said.

"It's the young master, young master Ethan," he said.

"What happened to Ethan?" Jonathan Hastings exclaimed loudly.

"He..he... I think he is poisoned" the old man.

"What?????" Everyone yelled out in surprise and they were enraged immediately.

"Ethan? My Ethan?" Jonathan Hasting asked in a sonorous voice, flashing out of the hall to Victoria's quarter.

"Who could it be?"

"Who dares to poison the young master?"

"How is this even possible?"

"If I catch the perpetrators, I'm gonna shred him/her to pieces." the elders started clamoring and shouting with anger.

In Ethan's room, Victoria Hastings could be seen by the family physician, the physician was still checking something when Jonathan Hastings suddenly flashed inside at top speed and said "What happened to him"

"Dear!" Victoria Hastings cried out and jump onto her husband's embrace, crying.

"Don't cry dear, he is still alive"

"What happened here? What is going on?" a woman was seen rushing inside the room with a worried look.

"Precious dear, don't worry, everything is under control," Jonathan Hastings said to his second wife. Precious Hastings is the second wife of Jonathan Hastings and the mother of Kieran.

"Ethan was poisoned?" Precious Hastings asked, clearly aghast.

"Who dares?" Precious Hastings cried out.

"Ahem," the physician's voice was heard and everyone looked at him.

"I think everyone should now excuse us except the Clan leader," he said.

"Okay. Wives, can you please give us a moment."

"A moment?" Victoria Hastings said.

"Yes, darling" Jonathan replied.

"Okay," Victoria said and they were both precious and he left the room.

"What now?" Jonathan asked the physician

"Sigh...I think we have a problem...!" the physician said.

---

Precious stood beside Victoria, consoling her but unknown to Victoria, a strange smile could be seen on her Precious' face.