Ci-ci turned back to find the beautiful blond woman looking up at him as though she was trying to see through something. "Frae? Is something wrong?"

Frae didn't respond. Her cool blue eyes looked down at Ci-ci's strong hand, rubbing his scarred knuckles gently, almost as though that action should have answered his question. "No matter what happens today. No matter what you hear. Know that I'm on your side, okay?"

Stepping forward, Frae lovingly adjusted Ci-ci's tie and straightened his black suit. After she was finished, she traced her small hand over his well trimmed beard.

Frae smiled, Ci-ci's appearance was truly easy on the eyes. Standing at 1.9 meters tall, his skin had a healthy caramel color to it and his eyes were such a light and warm brown that Frae got lost for a moment.

Ci-ci paused, taking a deep look at Frae's teary eyes. He could only sigh in his heart. 'You know me too well. But, that's only going to hurt you.'

Without a word, Ci-ci turned and walked onto the stage, steeling his heart so that he wouldn't look back.

Frae could only switch her demeanor entirely. Her eyes suddenly became eerily reminiscent of her father's, completely cold and arrogant. Any trace of emotion was gone. And maybe… it was because of this that Ci-ci wasn't willing to look back…

The crowd suddenly erupted as Ci-ci appeared. Women cheered loudly, shrieking out their love confessions. The men shouted as well. Ci-ci was a hero – someone to look up to.

This was a man of only twenty-two years of age, and yet he had accomplished so much.

Ci-ci had been tenured with Grandbell University ever since he was sixteen. And before that, he had attended at the age of fourteen.

He was a beloved lecturer, an ideal lover, and a genius inventor. The number of lives Ci-ci had touched was innumerable. But, the invention that won him this Grandbell Award in the category of Technology was head and shoulders above the rest – one that would quite literally change everything.

On West Continent, especially during its rebuild, much of the issues focused on energy, its renewability and its viability. Often, energy sources stemming from fossil fuels were much too damaging and completely unrenewable, and even renewable and clean energy sources like solar, wind, water and the like, weren't as efficient as was necessary.

However, Ci-ci flipped all of this on its head, creating a new form of energy that relied solely on the air we breathe. Ci-ci's words when he introduced his invention painted the perfect picture of his personality: "The air is 80% nitrogen. I just thought it was about time someone found a use for it."

Ci-ci smiled in his usual carefree manner, shaking the headmaster's hand.

Sharp blue eyes invaded Ci-ci's vision as the Headmaster took note of his daughter's position behind the curtain. Although Frae was out of the sight of the crowd, she was very much within the Headmaster's.

But, Ci-ci didn't seem too perturbed by the headmaster's small interrogation. "Headmaster Mortlock, is something wrong?" Ci-ci said, leaning forward with a playful whisper.

The headmaster shook his head, instead taking out a box covered in a lavender colored leather. It was about six inches wide and long, while also being quite thick. "Congratulations, Ci-ci."

Looking down at the box, the moment suddenly felt very heavy. 'This is step one.'

Smiling, Ci-ci took the box and finished his walk to the podium before waiting patiently for Headmaster Mortlock to return to his seat.

Taking his time, Ci-ci scanned the face of each and everyone of the VIPs who sat at the front. The collection of power would have been stifling for anyone else, but all Ci-ci felt was an endless disgust he kept buried deeply within himself.

So, much like he always did, he kept an amiable smile on his face. "Wow. I'm popular."

A light laughter spread through as everyone seemed intent on hanging onto Ci-ci's every word.

However, no one noticed the cold light in his eyes – a cold light that had focused on one man. But, Ci-ci quickly refocused himself. The light disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

"I can say without a doubt that many of you have no idea how much this award means to me. It's an amalgamation of my hard work, my determination, but most of all, it's a testament to those who have helped me, sometimes at the expense of their own fame and prestige." Ci-ci's words held a deep and reverberating truth to them. No one could doubt that he meant every syllable he spoke.

But, suddenly, Ci-ci laughed, his entire demeanor changing on a dime. "How laughable." Ci-ci took the award and tossed it into the crowd.

The world watched in shock. What had just happened?

Frozen, cold lights flashed through the eyes of the VIPs. Was this a joke? They had put a hold on everything just to be here.

However, Ci-ci's next words seemed to snap everyone out of their dream-like states. This was real. And this was happening.

"Accepting an award like this is beneath me."

Cici walked away from the mic, heading toward the curtain opposite to Frae. But, he left behind something that only the VIPs at the very front caught, something he made sure even the drowning sounds of cameras and shocked gasps couldn't cover.

"Why would I accept a fake award? Enjoy your power for now. I'm coming."

**

Later that day, Ci-ci walked along the road of an upper-middle cla.s.s neighborhood.

Because of the nature of the things that had occurred a hundred years prior, the West Continent was now an odd mixture of highly advanced technology and 21st century-based ones. As such, homes now looked not much different from how they looked back then.

Ci-ci ignored the buzzing of his phone. It seemed he was being flooded with endless calls, messages and mentions. He was quite aware that he could turn it all off, but he was relis.h.i.+ng in the feeling.

Soon, he reached a decently sized home. Ci-ci slung his suit over his shoulder, undoing his uncomfortably tight tie as he walked up to the four-car garage.

The only reason he hadn't driven to the event today was because he knew quite well that he would need to slip away inconspicuously. And despite his fame, Ci-ci's home address was something he kept the tightest of locks on. Even Frae had no idea where he lived.

Slipping through and into the garage, Ci-ci headed toward the bas.e.m.e.nt door, locking himself in before he walked down a dark set of steps.

Ci-ci always maintained this bas.e.m.e.nt better than even the rest of the house. So, the steps were completely silent. A soft carpet covered it, partially hiding the pristine dark wood.

Reaching the last step, Ci-ci entered a dimly lit area to find what looked like an elegant underground garden.

Bulbs of light hung in the air, floating. Ci-ci smiled silently to himself. These were actually prototypes of a renewable form of energy he created. They were meant to create power like the sun did, but, scaling them up to a level where they'd be useful on a practical level was much too dangerous. That being said, lighting a small underground garden like this was very much possible.

However, maybe the most striking oddity of this underground garden was the king-sized bed placed directly into its middle. A bed that held an aged black man who seemed to be staring into the distance absentmindedly.

Ci-ci frowned at this sight, reaching into his pocket for his phone. After ignoring the notifications, he found the application he was looking for.

"Why stare at a blank wall, dad… You can turn this room into anything you like." Ci-ci tapped on a few settings, and suddenly the blank walls became a serene lake. It felt so real that it was really as though Ci-ci and his father had stepped out and into a fairy-like world.

Ci-ci's father showed no obvious reaction, even as Ci-ci sat silently on the edge of the bed.

Suddenly, Ci-ci's father spoke after a long silence. "Who are you?"

The words were like knives stabbing into Ci-ci's heart. Yet, he steeled himself and answered. "It's me dad. I'm Lucius."

"Lucius?" Ci-ci's father looked over to him with a look of slight confusion. "But… My name is Lucius. How can you be Lucius too?"

Ci-ci's jaw clenched as he tried to calm his emotions. It wasn't the first time he dealt with this, but somehow, the pain never lessened. He couldn't remember the last time his father recognized him properly, but it was clear the days he did were becoming further and further apart.

"You and mom named me after you, dad." Ci-ci's voice came out hoa.r.s.ely as he explained.

"Mom? My wife?..." Ci-ci's father looked off into the artificial lake projected to the wall. "Where is she?"

Ci-ci took a deep breath. "She's gone."

"She's gone… gone…"

"Do you want anything, dad? Something to eat? Drink?" Ci-ci tried to change the subject. Technically, his father could command for anything to appear to him from upstairs, but Ci-ci was always worried he'd forget.

"What's her name?" Ci-ci's father asked softly, ignoring his son's question.

"Her maiden name?" Ci-ci knew what his father wanted to ask, but, he asked anyway.

"No… The name we share…"

Ci-ci bit the inside of his lip until he felt the metallic taste of blood.

But, closing his eyes, he still responded. "Aelinor Grandbell."