1 Shattered Fantasy

A pair of marvelous white doors with gold lining was closed shut with not a single sound exiting from within its enclosed room. It was nestled in a hallway with dozens of the same doors on either side.

The only difference would be the gold plaque above each room that leads students into the correct lecture hall.

In Lecture Hall E74, about 50 college students sat in the unlit space. Their only sources of illumination are their laptops and the flat-screen TV that displayed the female professor's presentation.

"Who can tell me what effect the discovery of Lunartium had on the gate weapon manufacturers?" asked the teacher with a gorgeous face as she adjusted the hairpin that held her bun of thick, black hair in place.

Over a dozen students raised their hands. For the rest, they either didn't know or were too lazy.

"Jason" The professor looked over to a young man in a black windbreaker and jeans. Her crimson eyes were glowing very noticeably as she gave out an icy gaze towards the man.

Jason was both scared but also mesmerized by how beautiful his professor is. He quickly snapped out of his dreamland as he remembered that harboring any thoughts towards this lady was seeking death.

"The stock values for those companies skyrocketed due to how it became possible to make weapons that were at least twice as effective for the same price as the conventional ones." Jason looked proud while saying this as he has always been someone with considerable knowledge of economics.

"Correct but did you know that the first day that Lunartium's potential was proved, the stock for all those companies had fallen by immense margins. Can you guess why?" asked the professor as she walked towards her desk and turned the lights back on.

The students proceeded to groan and blink continuously as they tried to adjust their vision.

"That's your assignment. Write a 2-page analysis on the effects of Lunartium on various markets." The professor picked up her gray suit jacket and wrapped it around her white dress shirt as she exited the hall.

As she gracefully walked out of the campus covered in greenery, the "Icicle Demoness" professor was being stared at by both the staff and students.

Everyone had a different gaze and different reasons for why their eyes wandered to her.

Some were jealous of her looks and riches while others admired her intelligence. Others looked at her in fear as they knew who she was engaged to.

The professor who looked to be in her early 20's walked into a cafe near the campus. It was designed to feel like a log cabin with beautiful wooden walls and floors.

The tables and chairs were made of luxurious dark wood as well.

"Cynthia, over here." exclaimed a young man that had short black hair and the same crimson eyes as the professor who is known as Cynthia. Cynthia Duketh.

The cafe was empty so it wasn't rude at all. Cynthia walked over to the man she realized that he had probably booked the entire cafe so they could have a quiet meeting even though it would only be a couple of minutes long.

Cynthia sat across from her oldest half-brother, Antoine Duketh, and the Duketh family lawyer, Mr. Jamison Miller. She noticed that Antoine's cup was practically empty as if indicated he had been waiting for a while now.

'I'm even 10 minutes early! How long has he been waiting here.' thought Cynthia.

She has always disliked the fact that Antoine shows up way before the set time. He is too punctual!

Cynthia once thought that being nothing could be wrong with always being on time but she got rid of that idea when she realized how annoying it could be if someone is too early.

It makes the other person feel bad about themselves every time while making them feel sad or pitiful towards him.

"I know that I may seem too cheerful given the circumstances but the news I have is something we should celebrate," said Antoine with his mellow voice as he stared Cynthia down with his crimson eyes.

Unlike Cynthia, Antoine's eyes gave off a warm vibe. They were bright and full of vigor. It went well with his handsome face that made the viewer pleased. It was made even more pronounced with his beige suit.

"Out with it! My precious time is being wasted on you," demanded Cynthia as she spoke in a tone that would send a shiver down anyone's spine.

Even the wizened lawyer felt like his nerves were frozen as his expression stiffened.

"As you wish. This file contains the deeds to 20% of Duketh Group shares. They are in your name." Antoine said with a wide smile as if her chilling presence did not affect him at all.

'Honestly, he might be the only one in the world except for dad that isn't affected.' Cynthia frowned and sighed softly. She took the file and look through the papers quickly and noticed that there was something more than just shares.

She immediately looked at Antoine and her frown became much pronounced.

"I don't know why I expected you to change!" Cynthia got up in anger as she hurried out of the cafe.

Antoine wasn't even given a chance to speak. He looked down at the scattered papers and saw the document that made Cynthia explode.

'Share Transfer Agreement' is what it read.

"Mr.Miller, why is this in here." Antoine's ever-present smile was gone along with his warm aura.

The aged lawyer was sweating bullets as he quickly kneeled on the ground with his head down.

"Please forgive me, young master! It was the orders of the young miss and young master Oswin." said the lawyer while trembling in fear.

If the pressure that Cynthia gave off was of an overbearing Ice queen, Antoine's was that of a demonic god.

"Those little sh*ts!" Antoine slammed his fist into the table in anger as the faces of his younger siblings appeared in his mind.

BANG! The table cracked into pieces and flew in different directions.

He left the cafe in the same angry manner as Cynthia did and got into a red sports car.

"All these years, I have tolerated those two for father's sake. The minute he's gone, they show their true colors." Antoine pressed on the breaks and rushed off.

He had made up his mind to punish his siblings even if it hurt his father's sentiment. Antoine does not believe in ghosts.

...

6 PM

Cynthia had finished all her work and gotten home only to find it empty. She stripped down and went to take a shower.

"Medicine has gotten so far. Should have invested in Lumina Cosmetics earlier." Cynthia was admiring her body that hadn't aged for over a decade now.

She was 35 but only looked 20 years old due to drinks that a certain pharmaceutical company had made. It helped maintain someone's skin to an ungodly degree. There were no side effects either.

She wore her nightgown and ate dinner afterward as she waited in the living room for her fiance.

Cynthia's phone rang as it played a popular pop song from 7 years back. The caller id read "My Light".

She instantly beamed while the icy aura was nowhere to be found. She picked up and said, "How much longer will you make your queen wait."

Cynthia had bright eyes and an eager expression as she waited for a response.

"I'm sorry...the plane is grounded due to a celestial storm. I won't be home before tomorrow afternoon." The voice was filled with remorse.

The hellish aura from Cynthia resurfaced as her phone and couch started to be covered in a layer of blueish ice. Her face had an ugly scowl but she soon shook her head and sighed.

The ice receded and she had calmed down. "Take your time honey. Nothing is more important than your safety." She tried to cheer up her fiance but knew it wouldn't work.

"Have a good night's sleep. I'll pick you up after work tomorrow. Good night. Love you."

"Love you too. Stay safe."

"I will."

Cynthia hung up the phone. She sighed once again. 'I haven't sighed this much since the day mother was hospitalized. I am thankful that she's fine now.'

Cynthia was depressed and lazy so she decided to just fall asleep on the couch while searching online for gifts to buy for her fiance's birthday.

....

6 AM

"F*ckin hell! What's wrong with this car?" Cynthia's mood was much better after a long, undisturbed slumber but was quickly ruined by her malfunctioning car.

She didn't know what was wrong with it. Cynthia had a Ph.D. in Economics and Finance, not Engineering like her fiance.

'It's been years since I took the bus. I miss those days but a car is still much better.' Cynthia decided to walk to the bus stop as she looked around her neighborhood.

It was awfully quiet no matter what time of day. It was eery but Cynthia liked this. Her life was chaotic and full of unwanted noise before. She needed a change of pace and choose this place.

SCREECH!

"Huh!" just as Cynthia heard the noise of a speeding vehicle, she felt a slight sting in her neck.

Her vision started to blur as she saw a black van approach her. It opened up and a group of masked people came out and dragged her in.

"We got her boss." she heard someone say as she blacked out.

...

8 AM

"Good morning." said a man with long purple hair that was tied up with a hairband in the back. He had a childish and very feminine face. He stared with stared at the tied-up Cynthia with his deep crimson eyes that were shrouded in malice.

Cynthia was awake and understood what was happening. Even after death, her father only sent her further into hell. She didn't want anything to do with the family business for this exact reason.

This is why she had moved to another city and found a new life with her new love. Leaving shares for her only brought her the true ire of her siblings.

She knew what was going to happen to her and knew that it was very unlikely anyone could save at her point so she had expected. she couldn't even use her powers for some reason.

"Well then, big brother Oswin and brother-in-law Derek, you can finish me off right now. I have no desire to hear you two blabber," said Cynthia. Her face was as stoic as ever and her gaze was nothing but icy.

The purple hair and red-eyed man, the younger brother of Antoine and Cynthia's older half-brother. behind him stood a handsome man with a wide smile that showed off his flawless teeth.

Cyan hair in a fade cut and glimmering golden eyes shone brightly as the sun in this dark room.

Derek Zayden, the cynical man that Cynthia had fallen in love with years ago but was someone who settled with her own younger half-sister, Lilliane. As she grew to be more mature, she realized how childish her affections were and never looked back.

"That just saves me time. I wouldn't want to spend my words on you either." Oswin Duketh did not hesitate to take out a gun and aim it on Cynthia's forehead. "As a courtesy though, are there any last words?"

"Ryan will not show mercy any longer," Cynthia said, void of any emotions. Oswin just scoffed at her words as he pressed the trigger and ended her life.

As she took her last breaths, Cynthia's life flashed across her eyes. Only two faces remained bright in a jumble of dark memories. The face of her mother and fiance.

She had plenty of regrets in life with the biggest being unable to live a comfortable life with her mother and lover. She had gotten over the past only for it to shatter her fantasy of a fulfilling future.

'I wouldn't really mind a second chance.' was her last thought.

BANG! Just as the gunshot went off, the doors to the dark holding flung open. Two tall men appeared and walked in with suits.

When they saw the dead body of the girl tied to the chair, their emotions became a mess. Their legs almost became weak but they held on.

One of the men's eyes started to glow a dangerous shade of crimson as the room suddenly became filled with murderous pressure.

Oswin and Derek struggled to breathe as they were lifted into the air by an invisible force. They tossed and kicked around as they put their hands on their necks in desperation. They were being strangled.

Before they could breathe their last, the man next to the furious Antoine flared up with a visible crimson aura.

His crimson hair and eyes had emanated more threatening power than Antoine.

"I'll do it myself," he said in a voice that sounded like a true demon god had descended. It was distorted and felt inhumane. Around him appeared thousands of red toothpicks with the length of a meter.

These spikes flew towards the two villains as they were stabbed in countless locations.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!" The two screamed in pain and it sounded like ghastly wraiths. They struggled for many seconds but it felt like a millennium to Oswin and Derek.

When the screaming ended along with their lives, the red-haired man looked at Antoine and only said two words.

"Do it."

"Are you sure Ryan?" replied the broken Antoine

Ryan nodded.

"I'll remind you that I can only remember 5 words of my choosing."

"Just do it." The mood was heavy as both men lost someone they loved and cared for with their lives.

Antoine took the gun off of Oswin's hands and said something before shooting himself in the head.

"Protect Cynthia. Find the demons."

Reality then proceeded to shatter in infinite fragments. Not long after, the pieces came back together but this time, they were in a different pattern.