Heavy rain was pouring down onto the earth when a young man grabbed a glowing transportation stone and pressed it against his chest. Reciting something with his eyes closed, he didn't notice the figures approaching him.

Just as the stone began emitting a yellow light, one of the figures struck the young man with a chain made of strange bluish light. A loud scream echoed before the body of a barely alive person fell to the ground. A spurt of blood gushed from the wound. Breathing heavily, the young man said, "You... will... never get... cough the thing you're looking for... cough!" After uttering these words, he passed out.

The largest figure crouched down, grabbed the charred stone, and smiled. "Me not getting what I want? You don't understand the lengths I'm willing to go to get the Ether crystal. Hell, if needed, I'll go after each and every family member of yours. If that's not enough, I'll destroy the other families as well. Cryon, end him and burn his body. Make sure to leave behind no evidence."

"As you command, Lord Mdrassi."

Two figures flew away. Cryon held a small dagger, glowing with the same blue light as before, and thrust it deep into the young man's chest. The body quivered for a second and then stopped responding. Creating a blue flame with his hands, Cryon was about to burn the body when an arrow struck him first, piercing through his eye and leaving him paralyzed. A woman with striking golden hair flew toward him. With swift movements, she sliced his throat, and the lifeless body fell to the ground.

Without giving it a second glance, she rushed to the young man and grabbed him by his arms.

"Anton! Anton, please wake up!"

Tears streamed down her face. She tried to shake his body and screamed as loudly as she could, but to no avail. Anton was long gone.

After a while, a loud cry echoed. The bodies of Anton and the girl vanished, leaving behind Cryon's dead body.

...

With slumped shoulders and a deeply saddened expression, Johan walked alongside his parents and sister to the casket of his brother.

He just couldn't understand how this had happened. Just weeks before his death, they had gone to the cinema together, and now his coffin was in front of him. Tears streamed down his face as his father wrapped his arms around him.

"Johan, you have to be strong. Look at your little sister. If you're crying, what is she supposed to do?"

Looking at his sister Marie, he quickly wiped away his tears and pulled her closer. She looked up at him with snot dripping from her nose, tears flowing down her cheeks. She grasped his suit and nestled into it.

"We should greet the attendees, Mattheus," Sylvia, Johan's mother, said to her husband.

"You're right. Johan, take care of your sister. We'll greet the people who just arrived."

Johan nodded. He took Marie to the side and offered her some water he had received from one of the ladies who worked for his father. His family was extremely wealthy. As far as he knew, their family had a generational business. Inheriting from his ancestors, they owned everything from luxury clothing stores to mining businesses, with their main enterprises being crystal mining and electronics. Not only did his parents own companies, but so did their relatives.

The Von Parseval family lineage included their grandparents, Thimoeuss von Parseval and his first wife Carla von Parseval, along with two other wives, as well as his parents, Mattheus and Sylvia von Parseval, and their siblings, which included five sons and three daughters on the paternal side and three brothers and six sisters on the maternal side. Johan had a little sister named Marie and a brother who had just passed away. His name was Anton von Parseval, and he was 19 years old when he died. Marie, at 12, was about four years younger than Johan. Soon, he would celebrate his sixteenth birthday, marked by a grand ceremony due to family traditions he knew little about, but he couldn't care less about that right now.

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His brother had been found dead behind one of the companies his father owned. The entire family had been informed, and the burial was scheduled for today.

Lost in thought, Johan's attention turned to the entrance where his aunt and uncle arrived, accompanied by two of his cousins, Linda von Parseval and Niklas von Parseval, with their sons Mark and Luis. Johan knew all of them since he was little; they were some of the few relatives he had ever met, and they visited regularly. Mark and Luis were both eleven years old, around Marie's age. They had a good relationship, usually playing basketball together until they were out of breath, but today's circumstances did not allow for that.

Looking around, they spotted Johan and Marie. Giving them a comforting smile, Linda hugged Marie and patted her head.

"Auntie, Anton is gone!" Marie began to sob. Johan, who was about to tell her to stop crying, was interrupted by his uncle.

"Johan, it's okay. She's still a child, and so are you. She can't control herself after her brother's death."

"Yes, Uncle Niklas," Johan replied. "Where are Mattheus and Sylvia? Why are you all alone here?" Niklas asked.

"They went to greet the guests. They should be inside," Johan informed them.

"Well then, excuse us for a second. Mark, Luis, come here. Spend some time with your cousins until we're back."

"Yes, Father," both of them said in unison.

Soon, they left, and it was time for the burial. Johan and his parents walked to the grave, which some workers had dug, and waited silently until the coffin was lowered. Johan didn't get a chance to even look at Anton's deceased body. He had no idea why or how Anton died, or if he was murdered. His parents spoke around it, saying that the police were investigating and that he should be patient. But how could he possibly do that after such a sudden death?

...

As the day turned to evening, the guests began to leave. By 10 PM, only his parents, Niklas, and Linda remained. The three young ones went to sleep in his parents' mansion, about twenty minutes away. Johan sat outside alone, unable to stop thinking about what could have happened. His brother was one of the nicest people he knew, always doing what was right, yet now he had to die before everyone.

After sitting outside for a while, he heard loud noises from inside. When he peeked through the door, he could hear his father arguing with Linda.

"Linda, we cannot jump to early conclusions. There is no evidence that 'he' was the one who killed Anton!"

"I know, but you and I both know about his recent trip to Mythria. Who else could have done it?"

Silence filled the room for about a minute until Linda decided to leave. Startled, Johan hid behind a table next to the burial house. Linda exited with quick steps and left through the gates. Johan heard a car door slam shut as it drove away. His father came out as well, his face a mask of sadness.

After a while, his father went back inside, and Johan began to think about what his aunt and father had discussed before she left. 'Anton was killed? Who is 'he,' and where the hell is 'Mythria'?' Johan felt furious. Not only had they lied about his death, but they also concealed the fact that they might know who was responsible. The question that lingered the longest in his mind was about this place called 'Mythria.' 'Where in the world is that place supposed to be?'

As he pondered this, time passed until Johan decided to go to sleep as well.

Inside his room, his father was waiting.

"You've arrived, son. Come sit next to me. It seems there is a lot to discuss." Unsure what he meant, Johan silently approached the bed and sat down beside him.

"Where to even begin? It seems you overheard what your aunt and I were talking about earlier." Embarrassed that his father had caught him eavesdropping, Johan kept his head down.

"No worries. We would have talked about it very soon anyway." Intrigued by what Mattheus was saying, Johan began to pay attention.

"You're going to learn a lot more at your birthday ceremony in two weeks, but let me give you a glimpse of what is to come. As you've probably already realized about our family, we're extremely rich and influential. When it comes to the mining business, we're among the top three in the world. But that's not all. We have so much wealth that a normal person couldn't even dream of it in a million years. What I'm getting at is that we didn't just acquire this from nowhere. It comes from our bloodline, which goes back hundreds and thousands of years. The Von Parseval family. The first Von Parseval was Heinrich, the strongest among our ancestors. And by strength, I mean true strength. We're 'Rankers,' or more accurately, 'High Rankers.' You'll understand more in two weeks, but until then, know that whatever happened to your brother is being investigated and will come to light. Now go to bed, alright?"

Johan looked at his father, flabbergasted, but quickly stood up and went to bed.

"Johan, I know you, and I know that you're strong. You can do this." Mattheus left the room after turning off the lights. Johan went to sleep, reassured that his father had everything under control.