Cain was walking across the floor of a bamboo building. Calling its design "modern" might be a stretch.
No one else in the entire region owned bamboo buildings. Only a few elites used bamboo flooring in their homes, usually to show off their wealth.
The bamboo house Cain was walking in was the largest among the handful that existed in the small mountain village of Sikai—2,300 km away from the headquarters of the EmberWake Corporation.
Seventy years ago, after a devastating war between continental superpowers, humanity lost many of its habitable regions. Radiation zones left behind by the war had birthed horrifying monstrosities.
The mountain village and several hundred square kilometers of surrounding terraced farmlands were owned by the EmberWake Corporation. Only select and important members of 'Pholz Ardst Dost' were permitted to visit the village.
This area had once been a favorite leisure palace of the late chairman of EmberWake Corporation. He had also been the last clan head of Pholz Ardst Dost, a clan founded by the 'dost'— companion of the 'ardst'— bearer of 'pholz' — brilliant flame.
Nine days had passed since the chairman's death. Now, all his immediate family, a few of his high-ranking illegitimate children, and a handful of his trusted aides were gathered on the ground floor of this bamboo building.
According to his will, the chairman's body was to be cremated along with the entire bamboo village. His body now lay atop a bearskin, covered by a white shroud embroidered with gold.
One by one, everyone present paid their respects in order of importance in the corporation, from the least important to the most. Cain was the second last. He kowtowed and touched the chairman's feet with his forehead, holding the position for several seconds, as if in silent prayer. Then he stood up, bowed slightly, and looked toward the covered face of the chairman. In a trembling voice, he said, "Thank you for everything." From start to finish, Cain's acting was impeccable, no one would suspect Cain to be the cause of the Chairman's sudden death.
Cain then left the building, leaving only a teenage boy behind, and walked toward the outskirts of the mountain village, where a crowd had gathered. A servant approached him with a suitcase. Cain opened it, took out a familiar silver mask, and put it on.
Looking back at the village a few hundred meters away, Cain saw a fire break out in the bamboo house where the chairman's body lay. Moments later, the teenage boy emerged through the village gates and walked toward the crowd. Everyone bowed in respect. The teenage boy met the gazes of few.
Some of them called the boy brother, others, Little John. Cain simply nodded at him.
Soon, raging flames consumed the entire bamboo village. Seeing so much bamboo wasted, Cain sighed inwardly.
The market cost of that much bamboo was enough to support a middle-class family for years.
Seeing the village in fire, some in the crowd muttered words like beautiful and magnificent. In the EmberWake family, the clansmen were obsessed with fire.
Cain stared into the inferno, and a chill crawled down his spine. In the dancing flames, he saw a furious wraith formed by the fire—a wrathful face that looked upon him with a mixture of fury and disappointment. The face of the chairman.
Cain felt fear, not because of the wraith but because of his pyrophobia. But even as his skin tingled with dread, he mocked himself inside.
'It's just my imagination. No one else seems to see it.'
Still, that face stirred something deep within—something he had tried to forget. He had only seen the Chairman making that face once in his life.
***
Cain was eight years old when he got the chance to study at the Academy of Technological Progress, or ATP—a prestigious institute established by the EmberWake Foundation to train the next generation of the corporation's employees.
A nationwide aptitude examination was held every three years for children aged five to ten. The test had three phases: Reasoning, General Knowledge, and Physical Resilience.
The year Cain took the exam, nearly 15 million children participated. Out of those, only 15,000 were selected to study at ATP. Another 75,000 were admitted to various branches of the National Defense and Monster Extermination Academy (NDMEA).
Cain's orphanage could only afford to send one child to the academy—if any qualified at all. That year, three children from the orphanage qualified, but Cain had the best prospects, so he was the one chosen.
Even qualifying the exam with a rank within first three hundred thousand was enough to receive seats at other prestigious institutes.
Cain studied at ATP for four years. His academic scores were consistently in the top 50, and his physical resilience ranked among the top 100.
In his fifth year, he was adopted by the EmberWake Foundation.
The corporation was known for welcoming talent. Many high-performing students from ATP and NDMEA were adopted by the foundation. Most employees of EmberWake had once received the foundation's patronage. It was a system designed to inspire loyalty.
The EmberWake Corporation controlled the nation from behind the scenes. The government was merely a façade. EmberWake personnel occupied administrative posts, judiciary roles, and other vital positions.
The southern nation of Dzonal had formed after a decade-long depression that followed the continental war. EmberWake had played a leading role in Dzonal's creation—providing aid, rebuilding infrastructure, and protecting its borders from rival nations and Monster.
By the time Cain was 14, he was well-known among the academy's elite. He was expected to climb high within EmberWake. He had even become close friends with several EmberWake scions.
But back then, Cain had no idea that he was being raised as a tool—robbed of his freedom for the rest of his life.
Cain was talented but that talent was not enough to get special treatment from EmberWake. Cain knew that, even in the orphanage he received special treatment, the reason was unknown to Cain.
The special treatment that Cain recieved was to be the tutor of the young master of EmberWake. But that was still a few years later.
First Cain was to face the betrayal of EmberWake, the corporation he dreamt to be a part of. A betrayal from the scions of EmberWake that Cain thought to be his friend.