CRACK!!!
Within loud thunderclaps, huge veins of lightning danced in the sky.
A man in his mid-thirties kept looking at the sky from the 4th floor of a huge corporate building, not even flinching at the sudden thunderclaps.
Countless tall skyscrapers were visible from the window of the room the man stood alone in.
It was arguable whether any of the skyscrapers were more glorious than the building he was currently in, or if any of the 'humans' present in the building were as important as the man currently felt he was.
The man was the CEO of perhaps the biggest corporation in the world.
The office building he was in had 12 million square feet of floor area.
Normally, more than a hundred thousand people worked in this enormous space, but currently, nearly all of them were on leave—the corporation was mourning the loss of its creator.
Only a handful of individuals were on this floor, finalizing discussions about the future of this glorious corporation.
Twelve people sat around a rectangular wooden meeting table, fashioned with intricate carvings, while the main seat remained empty.
The lonesome figure of the CEO—the man with the responsibility to lead—stood by the curtain wall, staring at the ongoing thunderstorm as if finding relief in the chaos.
***
"We know you are grieving now, but we can't prolong our mourning..." an old man said, looking at the back of the CEO.
Another old man with a shaved bald head sighed, then said, "Iscar, you were closer to the chairman than any of us. He raised you to take care of the future of our corporation alongside the young master. You need to collect yourself and work harder starting tomorrow."
A dignified young man in his early twenties drank the remaining coffee from his cup, then said, "Cousin Cain has been tirelessly working for the past half-decade to eradicate the corruption in our corporation. He single-handedly uncovered the puppeteer."
The young man then looked at the emptiness in his cup with a distant expression, then at the empty main seat with an unreadable look, and said, "Sadly, the main culprit was our little uncle. This heartbreaking news may be the reason for our grandfather's sudden decline in health—little uncle was his only remaining son, after all. But I know Cousin Cain will not let his mourning get in the way of the future of our corporation, because I know he still has unfinished business left in the ranks of our organization. Many accounts related to corruption are not settled yet."
After the young man stopped speaking, others in the room voiced their thoughts.
Some raised concerns about falling stock prices of the companies under their corporation.
Some suggested creating memorials in the digital worlds of the games their companies had made—games the chairman had cherished and played with the young master.
Others proposed various ways to honor the chairman's memory, simply yapping, hoping to get their hands on some extra funds.
***
The man by the curtain wall finally turned to face the others at the meeting table, revealing a face marked by a landscape of scar tissue in place of his left side—puckered and taut, pulling the corner of his mouth into a long but almost imperceptible grimace.
Aside from the smooth, handsome, almost heroic features of the right side, the left side bore ridges and valleys of angry red and pale waxy white, like a dried riverbed.
His left eye was a shattered pane—the iris, if still present, obscured by a milky, opaque film.
The eyelid was partially fused, leaving the eye perpetually half-open in a vacant, unseeing stare.
***
Cain Iscar first looked at the young man who had called him cousin with a calm, trustworthy gaze.
Then, walking to the vacant chief's chair, he sat down and opened the drawer in front of him.
From within, he produced a metallic masquerade mask—mostly silver, with a black circle surrounding the hole over his right eye.
Cain, after wearing the mask, said in a heavy voice, "I will be trusting every one of you to help me keep the chairman's legacy as bright as he left it."
"I will be extensively focusing on nurturing new blood to further brighten the glory of our corporation."
"There are two major projects that need overseeing now. They have enormous future prospects: one is the cure for the plague caused by the miasma outbreak near the southern border, and the other is a chemical weapon capable of countering the upcoming monster tide from the northern wild forests."
"Both require strict supervision—we can't let the fruits of our labor be stolen again."
Cain listed possible individuals suspected of being moles from other corporations—some even suspected of having ties to rival nations.
Then he outlined tasks related to trust management, new investments in the pharmaceutical branch, and gave the green flag for a new heavy artillery gun factory near the northeastern military base.
***
One after another, the people in the room left after receiving their tasks.
Only four remained in the subtly extravagant meeting room.
Cain looked at the gallant young man and said, "David, you are in charge of internal investigations for now."
"After rooting out our internal problems, you can start preparing to take your rightful place as CEO."
"We can't let our juniors inherit a corrupted mess of a corporation."
Saying so, Cain looked at the two remaining old men and said calmly, but with a threatening glint in his right eye, "Elders, you two worked the longest beside the chairman."
"I'm leaving the responsibility of overseeing the chemical weapon development to Elder Dorn, and the miasma plague cure to Elder Bron."
The two elders—old baldy Dorn and old normy Bron—nodded and said calmly, "Glory to EmberWake, and progress to Pholz Ardst Dost."
Then they stood up and left, their faces calm, though their eyes betrayed caution and a hint of fear.
***
Lastly, the young man looked at Cain and said with a smile, "Goodbye for now, cousin. Be strong, but depend on me a little more."
Cain slightly nodded and said, "I'll be expecting great things from you, David. Go home, rest, and prepare for tomorrow and the long days ahead... Give my greetings to Delilah when you see her."
After their goodbyes, the young man left with a determined look in his eyes.
***
In the meeting room, Cain was left alone.
He once again found himself staring out the curtain wall.
Now, there was no thunderstorm outside—only a mild downpour of rain, hinting at the upcoming dreadful season of plagues.
Cain sighed and thought,
Old man, if you hadn't gotten in my way, if you hadn't failed in your act of showing me love, then I would've been happy even if I were a dog to your grandchildren.
But in the end, age got you.
You couldn't love me as your own, but finally, you let your guard down and trusted my competence.
Now, I will begin my silent conquest—overshadow your legacy, uncover the secrets of your blood.
Farewell, beloved chairman... farewell, grandfather.