It's formerly crowded streets were empty and silent, a testament to how rapidly the plague had spread. It was a town that had merchants, businessmen, and traders previously but none now. The people who ventured out wore a glove and mask, not wanting to fall victim to the deadly disease.
He walked back and forth, his thoughts troubled. He had attempted every cure, every remedy, but it was all to no use. The plague was moving too quickly, and there was nothing that he could do to halt its progress.
Kaidën looked in dismay as his family's condition only seemed to worsen. His parents were in his care, and Kaidën felt he could not stop them from deteriorating further. He began questioning whether anyone could possibly save them, whether they would certainly die from the plague.
Kaidën's family, the Valtorins, were barely managing to scrape by and pay the ever-growing bills, much less the increasing numbers of plague victims.
Kaidën's father, Duke Arin, had also brought in a group of specialists, such as healers, priests, and scientists, to discover a cure for the plague. They toiled night and day, but each avenue led to nothing.
The physicians had attempted every type of potential cure, ranging from herbs to magical draughts, but without success. The plague had been a mysterious and deadly illness, and nothing, not even all the medicine that was known at the time, appeared to have any impact on it.
As the plague grew worse, though, Valtorin's sickness got worse. The plague was a cruel and unforgiving killer and took its victims slowly and painfully.
It started with searing fevers and persistent headaches, went to wretched pallor, falling hair, and dry bones. It was more terrible later on, when flesh turned sickly-healthy ash, when form lost all its strength, and finally, when blood in the heart hardened into hard lumps to bring on a very painful and long-lasting death.
The Valtorins had lost everyone they loved except for one to the plague, and they knew they had to move fast if they wanted to rescue their city. Duke Arin had invested everything he had into the research, and it had looked like it had all been in vain.
****
It had been four months of study but finally the team had cracked it. They had created a medicine not only curing the plague but also restoring the victim to full health. The Valtorins celebrated, thinking that finally their suffering was coming to an end.
However, the celebration didn't last long as later that evening, a raging fire engulfed the research laboratory, killing all the scientists and reducing to ashes all the research documents. The Valtorins were once again starting from scratch, and all they had achieved was reduced to nothing.
The heart of Duke Arin was broken. He sped to where there was a fire raging like mad, his heart filled with grief. His arrival at the destination greeted him to a sight of utter destruction. The lab was reduced to ashes, and there remained about a scent that filled his nostril with ash and smoke.
Duke Arin knelt down, his heart heavy. He could not accept that all that they did was in vain. The shock and grief became too much for him, and he succumbed on his knees to a heart attack, as the family and workers rushed to his aid.
****
Kaidën's mother, Princess Sofia, was left with all the pieces. She grieved for her husband's downfall and for all of their efforts being undone. She knew they had to act fast and save their family and their city.
But luck did not favor them. The next day, the World Bank representatives, headed by merciless Lord Ravenswood, landed at Valtorin mansion. They came for the funds, and in their absence, they were ready to do whatever it took.
"You are in default on your loan," Lord Ravenswood growled. "Now you will settle what you owe you."
She didn't know what to do. She had no idea how she handled the debt collectors, and her husband, recovering from his heart attack, was helpless to do anything about it. She knew she had to think of something right away, or she would lose everything.
Kaidën, having witnessed what had transpired, was determined. He wished to do something for his family. What, however, could a boy like him possibly do against relentless forces arrayed against them?
While debt collectors were ringing at their doorstep, Valtorins' situation was the worst it had ever been. They had run out of money, medicine, and hope. The plague still raged all over the land, and the debt collectors besieged them.
Vandal's property, once a symbol of his riches and authority, stood on the verge of devastation. Its walls were shattered, its windows were in pieces, its once lovely gardens were overgrown with weeds.
Devastation hung over Kaidën's family, and there was no way out. Kaidën never lost hope, though. Kaidën was resolved that whatever needed to be done, however impossible, he would accomplish it and rescue his family.
As the day descended in the evening of Valtorin, Kaidën's clan had the night to themselves. They didn't know what transpired in the rest of the world for a couple of days, but they were certain they would have to cling on for dear life if they had any hope to survive.
To be continued....