The helicopter's blades chopped the evening air as it descended toward the sprawling Asterian estate. The mansion sprawled across the hilltop like a fortress of glass, steel, and stone, lights gleaming coldly in the encroaching darkness. Kai's stomach twisted with a mix of anger and dread. This was the place he had run from, the world he had abandoned—and now, there was no escape.
Richard's grip remained unyielding, his arms carrying Kai as if he weighed nothing. Every twist and kick, every curse spat in his brother's direction, was absorbed without effort. Kai's blue eyes burned with defiance, but even he knew he was powerless against the absolute control in Richard's hold.
"You don't get used to this," Richard said calmly, adjusting his hold so Kai couldn't writhe freely. "But you will learn. Father won't wait."
Kai hissed, struggling, fists pounding against his brother's chest. "I'll never go back there!" he spat. "You can't make me!"
Richard's smirk was faint but sharp. "Watch me."
The helicopter touched down on the landing pad with a thunderous thump, blades slicing through the night air. Kai's struggles increased, panic threading through every movement, but Richard only tightened his grip and stepped down. The wind whipped at Kai's hair and coat, the roar of the rotors masking his muffled yells.
Through the landing pad doors, the mansion's entrance loomed—immense, imposing, alive with quiet authority. And there, standing at the top of the grand staircase, waiting like a predator at the apex of his domain, was Leon Asterian himself.
Kai froze, his blue eyes widening. The man radiated control and power like an aura that could crush cities. Blue lightning arced faintly around his fingertips, the subtle hum of electricity filling the air like a warning. His gaze locked on Kai, piercing, suffocating, and absolute.
"Kai," Leon said, his voice smooth and cold, carrying effortlessly across the open courtyard. "You've run long enough."
Kai's chest tightened. This was the moment he had dreaded — the man whose power and influence had dictated every part of his life now stood before him, waiting. Not angry—Leon never truly raised his voice — but calm, certain, and inescapable.
Richard stepped forward, carrying Kai down the final steps. "He's here, Father," he said simply. "And he won't run again."
Kai thrashed again, his arms instinctively tightening around Richard's neck even as he struggled. The mix of instinct, fear, and reluctant reliance twisted inside him. He could fight Richard all he wanted—but the father waiting at the foot of the stairs was beyond defiance.
Leon's piercing gaze met Kai's. "Do you think you can hide from me?" he asked softly, the blue lightning flickering like the promise of storms to come. "From your blood, from your legacy, from me?"
Kai's jaw clenched. "I… I can," he growled, trying to shove the words past his fear. "I… I won't belong to you!"
Leon's lips curved faintly, almost imperceptibly, like a storm cloud shifting before the lightning strikes. "We'll see," he said, his voice carrying authority and inevitability. "Richard, set him down."
Richard obeyed, lowering Kai to the ground, but his hold never fully released. The tension in the courtyard was electric, literal and figurative, as father and son faced each other—Kai defiant, Richard poised, and Leon radiating a power that made even the wind around them tremble.
For the first time in years, Kai felt the full weight of the Asterian legacy pressing down on him. Running had ended. Hiding had ended. And the confrontatiom after 2 years.. Has begun.