CHAPTER 1: The Lost

"Mom, how did you and dad meet?" Zyrtec asks his mom and starts to smile sweetly as she checks her husband, who smiles too.

"Well, I was famous in our school, and your dad is a nerdy--"

"Shut up, hon. Don't tell him." His father cuts his mom off, and laughter starts inside the car.

"Well, but still, I'm a handsome nerdy, right? That's why your mom fell in love with me," his father adds, smiling and slowly intertwining his hand with his mom.

Zyrtec's dad, Paul, is driving while his mom is beside him. Zyrtec is happy on this occasion as they are going to celebrate his birthday in a park, as he pleaded with his mom to go there.

"Mom, dad, thank you for today." Zyrtec smiled as his father saw him in the car's mirror and smiled back.

"Aww, our son is being so sweet." his mother said.

Luna and Paul glanced at each other, and it seemed like there was news they wanted to share with Zyrtec, their son.

"Zyr, we have news for you!" his father stated.

"What is it?" Zyrtec became excited.

"I'm pregnant, Zyr" Luna said as she put her hands on her stomach bump.

Zyrtec was shocked and showed excitement. Having a sister or another younger brother was amazing, was what he thought.

But they didn't know something terrible would happen.

A truck with its drunk driver lost control and crashed into Zyrtec's car.

As Zyrtec heard a call from his father, he opened his eyes slowly as the situation unfolded so fast. He saw his mother with her eyes open but lifeless, and his father calling for him to get out of the car with his leg stuck.

"Zyrtec!! Can you hear me!?" Paul smiled, even though they were in a bad situation.

"D-dad..." Zyrtec stuttered.

"M-mom... is she dead?" Zyrtec added as tears started to flow.

"No, she's not. Will you please get out of the car? Hmm? Your mom and I will follow you, okay?" his dad lied.

The car was flipped over after the crash.

"O-okay, dad, I'll follow, okay?" Zyrtec said. He crawled slowly, feeling like something was bleeding and causing pain in his body.

"Zyr, my son..." Zyrtec was about to turn his head to look at his dad calling him.

"No, don't turn around, just crawl out of this car. I-I just want to say I'm sorry, Zyr, my son. Always remember that mom and dad love you," his dad said, and Zyrtec didn't know those would be his father's last words.

As he got out of the car, he saw many police and ambulances, calling for him to get out immediately. He ran.

"M-my mom and dad... they are in there, they will f-----" After a few seconds, the car they were in just moments ago exploded.

"N-nooo!!!!!!!!" Zyrtec cried and couldn't believe what was happening.

•

Zyrtec opened his eyes to the sight of a white ceiling. He couldn't feel his body. A man in white clothes, whom he recognized as a doctor, entered the room followed by two nurses.

"Good morning, you're already awake," the doctor smiled at him.

Zyrtec started crying again. "My m-mom and dad, where are they?" The doctor just smiled at him.

"They are in a place where they could be happy. Heaven," the doctor stated.

The doctor comforted Zyrtec, knowing he was too young to feel this way about losing his parents. Zyrtec gripped the cloth of the bed tightly while crying.

There was a knock on the door, and a man in a white suit entered. He seemed to be another doctor.

"What is it, Dr. Ryan?" the doctor asked.

"Well, it's amazing that the kid has no broken bones. Here are his X-rays," Dr. Ryan stated, glancing at Zyrtec who was crying.

"I'm going now, Doc," Dr. Ryan said and left the room.

"Yeah, it's really amazing," the doctor stated.

The doctor informed Zyrtec that it had been 2 weeks since the incident. He had been in a coma for 2 weeks, and Zyrtec cried for not being able to give a funeral to his parents. The government took charge of it and cremated his parents.

1 month passed.

"My Lord, are you sure you want him to be your descendant?" A man with a respectful voice spoke to someone addressed as "my Lord."

"Yes, it's indeed amazing that young man. Did you forget that I saved him from being dead and having a broken body from the car accident?" The voice speaking exuded superiority.

"Yes, My Lord," the other man said.

"I will follow your command, but when will you take him?"

"When he dies. That's the opportunity."

Zyrtec was sleeping as he heard voices. He didn't know where they came from or who they were. The voices were incomprehensible to him, and their words were unintelligible.

Zyrtec arrived home and walked towards the entrance, but memories of his parents flooded his mind. Every corner of the house triggered memories of his parents: running, talking, laughing, and even playing hide and seek together.

"Why did you leave me? You're a liar, Dad. You told me you would follow me with Mom," Zyrtec cried out, kneeling down inside their house.

Suddenly, Zyrtec noticed a black shadow on the floor, feeling like fire, engulfing him. Shocked and confused, he watched as the shadow seemed to emanate from his body, his hands emitting a fiery shadow.

"What is this? Fire? Shadow? Magic?" Zyrtec wondered aloud.

He chuckled, thinking he might be going crazy after his parents' death. Perhaps he needed psychological help.

After standing in front of the mirror for two minutes, he saw his whole body surrounded by the black shadow, resembling flames.

"Zyrtec, right?" A voice, with a hint of superiority he sometimes heard in his sleep, called out to him.

Startled, Zyrtec ran upstairs, locking himself in his room, hiding under the bed.

"You scared, little cat, huh?" the voice taunted.

"Who are you? Am I going crazy?" Zyrtec asked, his voice trembling.

"No, you're not. I'm Zion, the King of Darklight, and you're my descendant," the voice revealed, causing Zyrtec's heart to race.

"What do you mean? Why are you doing this to me?" Zyrtec questioned.

"You are my descendant of Darklight, but for now, you are still alive. We will meet in my world at the right time," the voice declared.

As the voice faded from his mind, the shadow dissipated, and Zyrtec suddenly lost consciousness. When he woke up, he had no memory of the voice or the encounter.