Lucas Goldburn

Lucas Goldburn was a rather careless individual. He never cared for anything other than looking out for his own interests.

Having a Duke of an Empire for a father made it all the more easier for him to fulfil his desires. He never had to work hard to get the things he wished for.

It made him arrogant to be born with such privileges. He considered himself a blessed person and started to look down on those who didn't have luxuries like him.

However, he was still relatively tamer compared to some of the young lords of the FireBorn Empire.

That was until he befriended the Crown Prince.

They became best friends from the get-go due to the similarities in their choices and tastes in life. The Crown Prince Julius even started calling him a brother in front of the public which only served to boost his ego.

His father, Duke Lucius Goldburn, never meddled in his business and had left him to his own devices since he was not the heir to the dukedom.

He had no goals for the future, no ambitions of his own to work on. He had everything he wanted from the moment he was born.

This lack of motivation and boredom led him to seek new pleasures from elsewhere. He indulged in satisfying his carnal desires and when that wasn't enough, he sought out other means of obtaining such pleasures.

That's how he was introduced to 'Rave Spirit.'

It made him see the world from the eyes of an almighty being. He didn't have to painstakingly cultivate and reach the level of experts in order to feel like them.

He could just experience it through this powdered elixir. It showed him the real euphoria. The way to stroke his larger than life ego.

He couldn't imagine his life anymore without 'Rave Spirit'.

He even shared this joy with his brother Julius the Crown Prince, who got hooked onto this drug just as much as him.

They really were brothers from different parents.

Alas, with one more mouth to feed the drug, he found himself short on supplies. He couldn't possibly deny his brother the pleasure brought out by the miraculous powder.

They were too deep into this quagmire of intoxication.

That's what drove him to convince his father to give him authority over Timber Town. After all, he had learned from his suppliers that the drug came from the elven territory.

He never cared about the town or its people. So he appointed a mayor to look after the things and spent his days drinking and taking the powder.

When he had time, he would send some of it to the Crown Prince.

He was having the time of his life here in this remote town that acted as a bridge between his empire and the elven domain.

'Phew, finally I am back after a boring week of administering the dukedom in father's stead.'

Lucas heaved a sigh of relief as he locked himself in the confines of his mansion. He was ordered to look after the affairs of his father's territory while his father and eldest brother were attending the Phoenix Festival.

He came back to Timber Town as soon as he heard that his father was returning.

He was broken from his train of thought when he heard someone knocking on the door.

He ran a hand through his blond hair in frustration. He was just about to inhale a dose of his favorite drug after a long week of working.

"Come in," He spoke adjusting his hair and tidying his appearance.

Whatever frustration he was feeling left the window as soon as he saw who it was that entered his home.

"Young master Goldburn, here is the new batch of supplies you requested for." The servant placed a carefully wrapped package on the table and bowed humbly. "Shall I send it to the usual location?"

"Yes, how much is in there by the way?" He asked. "Is it exactly half a kilo like I ordered?"

"Indeed, Young master."

"Good, you can send it to the Capital," He waved off the servant.

'That should be able to last for at least six months if Brother Julius takes it in moderation.'

With a faint smile on his lips, Lucas took out a vial from his spatial ring. The vial had a bluish powder that felt cool to the touch when he poured a pinch of it on his wrist.

Lucas sniffed it lovingly before inhaling it in one go. His grey eyes glossed over and he hurriedly took a seat lest he fell on his butt.

'Hahaha…this is it! This is what I live for!' Lucas buckled over in sheer joy as the drug took effect on his mind.

It made him see and experience things far more vividly than he could ever hope to feel— be it in dreams or reality.

He closed his eyes tightly as the drowsiness overtook him and he drifted off into his heaven, dreaming about things that were far out of his league.

———

"Sigh, what time is it?" Lucas sighed as he looked out of the window. The crescent shaped moon was hanging high above the sky.

'Ah, it's night already. I should eat something.'

Lucas slowly stood up and wobbled towards the door. His body shook sporadically demanding more of the stuff he had taken in previously.

'It was only a small dose and I was asleep for the whole evening!' Lucas shook his head. There was no point in thinking about the aftereffects of taking the powder. It was too late for him to change anything.

He still remembered the first few days when he had started to consume it. He wouldn't get knocked out cold from just a small dose like this.

All it did at that time was loosen his tongue a bit and turn him into blabbermouth.

His cultivation was low. It didn't take much time for the drug to take complete control of his body. Now, all he could do was just be a slave to it with no hope of resisting.

It had an immediate effect on him now unlike before.

Slowly, he made his way downstairs where the kitchen was located only to be accosted by his main servant.

"What do you want?" He scowled.

"Young master, you have a letter from Lord Goldburn."

A letter with his family's wax seal was handed to him and the servant disappeared from the living hall.

He tore open the letter and read it as intently as he could with his addled brain. The contents of the letter did make him sobre up pretty quickly.

He was asked to keep an eye out for a group of three people. There was a probability that they would pass through Timber Town.

It wasn't the information about the trio that caught his eye. No, it was the fact that one of them had tortured and killed his aunt, Lady Denver, that got his attention.

And it made him angry for the first time in many months. There were few people he cared about and one of them was his aunt who had spoiled him from a young age.

"Fucking hell! I will kill this bitch if she comes anywhere near my town!"