"It seems everything is in order young master Marshall"
"…"
"…Young master?"
"Hmm? Ah, my sincere apologies Bertrand, I was lost in thought…"
"No need for worry. All your personal items have been accounted for and been moved to the proper areas."
"…"
"Young master?"
"…Apologies Bertrand, I seem to be in a bit of a daze today. Thank you for your hard work."
"Of course, young master. I will now head to the estate. As always, if anything crosses your mind, I will personally take care of it for you."
"You’re the best Bertrand. Be safe on your way."
With that, the kind middle-aged butler strode towards the front door of the luxurious high-rise. Watching his departing figure, Marshall remembers how much the butler had done for him since he was a boy. Whenever his parents were abroad, Bertrand took care of his every need. Over the years he had built a bond with him, that hovered on the edge of a father-and-son relationship. At the very least Bertrand’s reaction to that event was more fatherlike than his own biological father’s.
Just the thought of it caused Marshall to involuntarily clench his teeth and tighten his fists. Why did his own father show such disdain? Why did he abandon him? Marshall’s flaring temper was interrupted by a buzzing from his phone.
April: Have you settled into your new place already?
Marshall couldn’t help but smile reading the text, and he quickly responded
Marshall: Yeah. Bertrand just left.
April: Bertrand’s the best.
Before Marshall could answer April sent another text.
April: How’s your family?
The brief happiness that had appeared on Marshall’s face was quickly replaced with a visage of frustration and anger.
Marshall: Hell, if I know. The old man is somewhere, and mom is sure to be next to him. They could be in Antarctica for all I care.
April: That’s not fair to them, at least not your mom.
Marshall: Fair? Sure, she didn’t throw the blame on me, despite being proven innocent, but she just let him say whatever. She didn’t even try to refute it at all.
April: You know that it isn’t that straightforward, right Marshall? You are way too smart to believe that.
Marshall only stared at the text, choosing not to respond. Before he closed the messenger app, April sent one last message.
April: I’ll be here for you when you want to talk Marshall. Just text me whenever.
He read the text with a complicated expression. April was his childhood friend. As Marshall swiped through his old photos, he saw one of April and himself from their trip to Fiji the previous summer.
Standing at 175cm, she had a diamond shape face, a pale beige color that paired well with her long copper hair, which fell in natural waves. She had clear blue almond-shaped eyes that sat graciously in their sockets, paired with them was a perfectly proportioned upturned nose and thin rosy lips. Matched with the perfect face are an ample chest, wide hips, and a peachy behind. She was beautiful, no, gorgeous.
Marshall's feelings towards April were complicated…They were closer than friends, rather they were close enough to be lovers and often mistaken as such. He wasn’t afraid of rejection, and to be frank he wanted to settle his feelings after their trip from Fiji, but alas.
With a multitude of emotions swirling in his mind, Marshall tossed his phone onto the nearby coffee table and dozed off on the couch.
Meanwhile, in a classroom of a prestigious university, a beautiful copper-haired girl sighs and shows a dejected expression. This does not go unnoticed by her friend, who is sitting beside her.
"Boyfriend problems"
"Yeah…I mean no! Mara, stop saying that!"
"Easy April, you don’t want the whole class to know."
From the sudden outburst, other students are taking glances at the pair. April’s face reddens in embarrassment, and she pinches her friend’s waist in retaliation.
"Owww! Okay! Okay! I’m sorry!"
"…"
"I think you left a bruise…but seriously you two are basically married."
April’s expression contorts into one of anger as she threatens to pinch her friend once again.
"Sorry. Jeez…but seriously you’ve been so depressed lately, especially when you talk about Marshall."
Just hearing his name triggers a chain reaction of emotions and thoughts within April’s mind. Joy. Sadness. Longing. Desire. It was difficult to explain.
Marshall stands at 188cm, with an angular face, and lightly tanned skin. His straight, dark-brown hair was styled in a 6:4 part, his eyebrows were straight and underneath them were sharp violet eyes set regally within their sockets. A tall straight nose, thin slightly red lips, and his well-toned body completed his physical profile. He was handsome, devilishly handsome.
"Hey, April. You’re drooling."
With that April was roused from her thoughts. Realizing the comment, she pouts before once again pinches her friend.
"Okay! I’m done! See you later lover girl!"
With that Mara quickly gets up and escapes from the clutches of April’s pincers.
At this point, the copper-haired girl realizes that class was over, and after quickly packing her materials, she walks to her next class, still thinking about Marshall.
When Marshall wakes up the time is 10:17 pm.
"Guess I was pretty tired," He says while stretching and yawning.
After so, he hears a low grumbling sound that originates from his stomach. He knows that the fridge contains food, but they were merely ingredients, and he wanted to eat now instead of waiting.
With that thought, he grabs a coat from the closet, his wallet, and his car keys before heading out the door.
Soon he was sitting in a diner eating a burger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. As he ate, he watched the television in the eatery which was broadcasting the news.
"A-Rank Diver, Lincoln Hall, has just solo cleared an A-Rank dungeon and has been formally promoted as an S-Rank Diver by the Diver Association. Here is some footage of the new S-Rank Diver’s prowess."
The broadcast then cut to a montage of a fairly handsome man in his late 20s fighting against an innumerable wave of monsters, that looked like giant ants about 2 meters in length. Even from the television, they had a menacing expression due to their mandibles and their shell looked incredibly durable.
The same young man was shooting fireballs easily roasting the insects. He looked like he was having a good time, even when the 4-meter-tall queen ant came out. Lincoln didn’t use any advanced techniques, instead, he set the entire place on fire. Without care for the consequences, he shot countless fireballs at the flying queen ant while dodging her strikes and killing her subordinates. The video fast-forwarded to the point where the queen was taken down.
"The full unedited video is posted on the Diver Association site, and from what we know it took Diver Lincoln, 3 hours total to clear the A-Rank dungeon, Queen’s Colony. Next Crystal Lake…"
Divers. An occupation that began around 10 years ago. It was when these strange gates appeared throughout the world. At first, they seemed harmless, but a few days later, the initially blue gates changed colors to yellow then red. Those who were around at the time testify they heard a breaking sound, like glass shattering, just before monsters spilled out of the dungeons.
On that day about 20% of the human population was extinguished. Just when it looked grim, people started awakening supernatural powers. Those who were awoken became Divers and fought the monsters until the humans reconquered the lost land.
In the following months changes occurred with humans. Diver guilds were formed as well as Diver associations. Countries attempted to regulate divers through the association, while guilds became akin to private companies for divers.
A diver could come from absolutely nothing and eventually become one of the wealthiest and most powerful people. A true rag to riches possibility.
However, it did little to interest Marshall.
He was born into a wealthy family and his only dream was to discreetly increase his assets while he explored the world. He enjoyed reading books and learning about ancient civilizations.
Marshall paid for the meal, leaving a large tip, and walked to his car in the crisp early Spring night. Within 15 minutes he was in the parking garage of the apartment complex and walking towards the elevator.
Suddenly, Marshall hears glass shattering, and he stops and looks around to find the source of the sound. As he continues walking forward, he is abruptly swallowed by the darkness and disappears from the parking garage.
Come on guys, spare a sec to click/tap that heart! We need to boost this novel so the author will feel motivated to write more.
This looks very promising. Instantly bookmarked and added to reading list. Keep up the good work author ?.
@saturrn btw, Is there perhaps a release schedule, or maybe such has yet to be finalized?