Eldridge is the Empire we were born.
On this day, Eldridge was swathed in a golden glow as the sun dipped low in the sky.
It was a place where wealth and power divided lives like a sad invisible wall of dread and death. How powerful power is, separate the privileged from the impoverished with but a mere word of mouth [an order]from the right mouth or from the wrong mouth would determine your destiny except you are powerful enough, you have the right connection(s) or if you are lucky enough to be chosen like My Father Joe Adira.
As I sat atop one of the swings i had erected at the garden close to Hannah's flat or quarters. Breathing loudly and thinking about how his life would be. Usually composed now panicking in his thoughts.
I was acutely aware of my divide as I stood in the sprawling yard of the noble Harrington estate, where I worked as a personal assistant to Hannah Harrington, the daughter of the family. My role was simple yet perilous: fetch water, run errands, and assist with whatever tasks she required, like an extra slave because that's how they saw all us (slaves). As the proud man that I am, I don't bring myself down because i know am worth more than these heirs both intellectually, by strength and by due diligence. I prefer to go my way to avoid troubles and any argument with the dumb fucks. I'm actually a catch, a babe magnet to girls of all classes with my jet black hair, pretty eyes that look like they are staring into your soul, and a a little fat to balance it all out from my mother,plus an athletic build from my dad.
I love to keep to myself i don't have any friends except my family and the few we got along others are just so-so i don't care about them and i know they don't really care about me.
Even the level my family is, if not that is no middle class, there is only rich or poor class, we would have been of the high middle class with the kind of wealth my father has. My Father was the royal's and nobles tailor. Do you know how much he earned from all those beautiful fits he created for them but alas no matter what type of money you have if you are not a noble you are not it, you are still poor.
My mother, the most beautiful goddess i knew, came from the previous third empire out of the seven empire that was, she was the princess of her empire before betrayals took her kingdom and family from her as well as the second empire. Her beauty caused troubles and wars, men fought, before she met my dad. After suffering, working inthe palace the palace grew tired of the princess of the old empire working for them and they wanted to keep her far from power never to touch power again sold her as a common slave to the second hand family the cashmere's. Where she was working as slave before my father swooped in and won her heart and finished the fight on her that have never been won before, bought her from the cashmeres and married her.
My Father being his confident, charming, handsome and smart self swooped in, and took the woman of his dream, after failing to woo her in his first attempt and succeeded after a while. Then a buffoon came to fight him for her hand. And as he wasn't a fighter, he has the right to choose his champion or forfeit. A challenge is normally issued for your honor but here this buffoon wanted to take his woman from him and he couldn't fight because he doesn't know how to.
If the fool succeeded it would mean something more than death, his honor and his love, the two most important for every man apart from life. All the ways he had to treat the idiot's fuck up because, one he didn't like his face, two the way he talked and his cocky attitude, so my dad bought his champion to fight for him which paying for the best is not a problem for him. He carefully chose and bought one very good one who beat the buffoon black and blue, a stupid fool who was stupid enough to overhype himself and lose focus and coordination during a fight.
Working under Hannah was because she is the woman of my dream, i had to do something to get her for myself. And i would be a fool if i didn't do nothing and i would hate myself forever. My mother was first surprised when i decided to work at the Cashmere, she knew her son was really smart, handsome, have a lot of pride and confidence in himself and if it was about money we were rich enough and i just smiled and told her the love was making me sick and told her that i would rather stay beside her as a slave than suffer apart because the heart is a tricky thing and she understood even though she reluctantly let me started working there.
The heart is tricky and troublesome, when it loves someone, you can't stop loving, its like there is no on or off switch. i would rather make her like me, make her fall for me even though it might be risky, i have other plans to accomplish but what are those to be, without having the woman of my dream at my side. I told her as we have conversations as we always do. though am not a mama's boy, I value elder advice to add to my life as a smart boy like my mum taught me, because they have been where i was just reaching. But i values her advice more, especially because I knows she loves me more than anybody in this world and wont lead me wrong.
Beneath the surface of the daily interactions with Hannah lay a tension that made every moment feel like a delicate dance on the edge of a blade.
I watched Hannah as she twirled in the yard, her laughter ringing out like music in the still evening air. She was a vision of grace and beauty, her long hair shimmering in the fading light. For a moment, he allowed himself to forget the chasm that lay between them, the weight of their social positions pressing down on him like a heavy shroud. She was the daughter of nobles, and he was just a worker—an expendable cog in the machine of her family's crazy bureacracy.
"Hey, Max !" Hannah called, her voice bright and carefree. He turned to her, forcing a smile despite the knot of anxiety in his stomach.
"Yeah?" I replied, trying to keep his tone casual.
"Can you help me find some pretty stones? I want to decorate my room!" she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Sure," I answered, his heart racing. The simple request was both a blessing and a curse. Every moment spent with her was a reminder of what I could never have. I followed her as she skipped across the yard, my pulse quickening with each step.
As we searched for stones, I couldn't help but steal glances at her. She picked up a small rock and held it up to the light, her face glowing with delight. "Look at this one! It's perfect!"
"Yeah, it is," I said, trying to sound enthusiastic. But inside, he felt a storm brewing. The more time I spent with her, the more I felt the pull of my emotions and soul, a longing that threatened to consume him. I knew I had to keep my distance, to remain just a worker in her eyes. Any hint of deeper feelings could lead to disaster—not just for me, but for my family, who would be affected mostly.
Suddenly, I heard the distant sound of laughter, and my heart sank. The Cashmere nobles were gathering for dinner, their voices carrying through the air. I glanced toward the house, anxiety creeping in. If anyone caught wind of my feelings for Hannah, it could spell trouble. The nobles were ruthless, and I was well aware of the consequences of crossing them.
"Hannah, maybe we should—" I began, but the words caught in his throat. The thought of telling her to be careful, to distance herself from me, felt like a betrayal. Instead, I forced a smile and picked up a smooth stone, tossing it lightly in her direction. "Catch!"
She laughed, her laughter ringing out like a bell, momentarily drowning out his worries. She reached for the stone but missed, and it landed at her feet. "Nice throw!" she teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Thanks," I replied, his heart aching at the sound of her joy. If only they could remain in this moment forever, free from the constraints of their reality. But he knew better. The world they lived in was unforgiving, and he had to tread carefully.
As the shadows lengthened, I felt the weight of the evening pressing down on him. I glanced around, half-expecting to see a pair of watchful eyes lurking in the distance. The nobles were always nearby, their power a constant reminder of the precariousness of his situation. I wrestled with the duality of my desires and responsibilities, torn between the warmth i felt in Hannah's presence and the cold reality of our social divide. The risk of letting my emotions show was immense, yet suppressing them felt like denying a part of myself. Each moment with her was a bittersweet reminder of the world we could never share, and the tension between hope and fear gnawed at my heart. With every shared glance and fleeting moment, i risk everything.
"Mike," Hannah said, her voice softer now, almost hesitant. "Do you think there are really treasures hidden in the woods?"
I looked at her, my heart pounding. "Maybe," I replied, keeping my voice steady. "But you have to be careful. The woods can be dangerous."
She nodded, her expression thoughtful. "I guess you're right. But sometimes, I wish I could just explore without worrying about anything."
Her words struck a chord deep within him, and he felt a surge of longing. He wanted to tell her that he understood, that he too wished for freedom. But the truth hung heavy in the air, a barrier he could never cross.
"Maybe one day," he said, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
As the last rays of sunlight faded, I knew I had to return to my duties. The evening was closing in, and with it, the reality of
my obligations. I felt trapped in my thoughts that drifted between my yearning for a life unrestricted by the rigid class structures, my sense of duty to my family and their expectations. The more time I spent with Hannah, the more I realized how much I longed for a world where our love could flourish without fear.
Yet, each step toward that dream felt like a betrayal of everything I had been taught to uphold by this society. The societal pressures weighed heavily on my shoulders, reminding me that my every move was scrutinized by those in power. The rigid class structures enforced a strict separation, dictating who I could associate with and how I should behave. Defying these expectations meant risking not only my own future but also bringing shame upon my family, a burden I could scarcely bear. I wondered how many others felt the same, trapped in roles they never chose but were expected to fulfill.
The constraints of society seemed to stifle the very essence of what it meant to live freely and authentically.
As I grappled with my own desires, I questioned whether true freedom was ever attainable in a world so tightly bound by tradition and expectation.
I often pondered how life had reached such a state, as i reflected on the saying that history is written by the victors, I mused.
If the rightful ruler had become the planet's ruler instead of the stupid man who foolishly let his wife control him and orchestrate his downfall. He could have seen it if he had looked and observed her actions instead of blinded by lust, things might be different now. Instead he listened to her and betrayed his best friend, who she hated because he didn't give her face or liked her back. Tales of friends where a stupid man betrayed his best friend, the most powerful man in the world who should have been the next king. Mainly for lust and she killed him back for it, because he killed the one she loved. And to top the whole bad news up, she is controlling and making the whole world suffer in a bureaucratic nightmare right now , unequal lives, split everything into seven empires that work for her and made slaves and kings on whims. She said because the world didn't let her be with her man, the whole world would suffer as she crazily rules from her tower at the center of the world. Most people don't even know why they are suffering or why they have power.
As I recalled the hidden truths i had discovered in the ancient books from my little cave in the forest. It was for the most powerful ascender to ever been born of this planet, the ascender called his cave his Fortress of soltitude where he came to train, cultivate, meditate, research, think and more.
He left his journal that he recorded his life journey and research in his cave in the forest.
I used his journal to train myself since i found it years ago and have been in stage one for three years slowly levelling up my attribute even though its slow because of low resources. Following how he trained and know the things i know about cultivation till the third stage and an inkling of the forth, just an inkling. I still needed as much information as I can get since the ascender's journal did not talk about the fourth stage only the rudimentary steps to break through, it talked extensively on being stage one for long to build the perfect base potential of strength and reaching cap for each of one's attribute at each level of cultivation, the bronze and gold rank skillset he practiced. Am his successor like he said in his book. The man was a Genius who discovered a lot of things and could have helped our lives a lot more from a nobody planet we could even be a tier one. Its a pity one of the ascenders can stay. Well until that appointed time for Planetary Conquest and if we can win or we would be consumed by other powerful planet in the conquest and due to the inequal state of the world and the lack of emergence and growth of powerful cultivators and ascenders to allow planetary essence denser than mana to come in and the used mana exhaled out instead the little mana keeps coming in through the veins with only a quarter of that little going out which is leading to congestion, poisoning and clogging up of the world mana veins.
I sighted deeply again as couldn't help but think of the betrayals that had shaped our world and is destroying it.
She looked at my contemplating face and kissed me, bringing me out of my thoughts.
I looked at her with the fire in my eyes, desperately trying to keep myself at bay, which i knew was impossible.
I miraculously held back, but then she kissed me again,this time longer than the first, breaking my remaining defence for her, comfortably and completely.
I kissed her back with two times the ferocity she kissed me with, which made her really happy as we kept just kissing and romancing in the dark till we went back home.