Benjamin awoke with a throbbing ache in his skull. His movements were sluggish as he forced himself upright on the couch. The dim lighting did little to soften the grisly sight before him-his sister’s lifeless body sprawled across the floor, her blood seeping into the wooden boards beneath her.

  Something within Benjamin had shifted. He had long been the architect of suffering, his orders having condemned countless lives to torment-driving some to the precipice of suicide, while others remained shackled in misery under the weight of his threats against their families. But for all the ruin he had sown, he had never killed. Never issued the command to take a life.

  From time to time, his thoughts had drifted to his sister. She had been the only member of his family toward whom he bore no hatred, though it would be a lie to say he loved her. And now, she was gone. Replaced by his first kill. Yet, as he gazed upon the carnage, no satisfaction stirred within him-nor guilt.

  He reached for his phone, calling one of his bodyguards.

  "Come up," he instructed.

  Moments later, the bodyguard entered, halting abruptly at the sight before him. His gaze flickered from Benjamin to the blood-soaked corpse on the floor. It wasn’t the murder itself that stunned him-it was the fact that Benjamin had done it himself.

  "It was self-defense," Benjamin stated flatly. "You know what to do. By tonight, this room will be back in order."

  The bodyguard gave a silent nod. Benjamin rose, straightening his disheveled clothing with a practiced indifference before heading toward the door.

  As he stepped out, he addressed another of his men. "Let’s get something to eat. My head’s pounding from hunger."

  The restaurant loomed ahead, but waiting at its entrance was Police Chief John.

  "Good evening, Mr. White."

  Benjamin barely broke stride. "John. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

  "There are pressing matters to discuss regarding Mr. Gerard’s murder."

  Benjamin let out a sharp exhale, irritation creeping into his voice. "You have impeccable timing.

  John's face remained impassive. "Mr. White, the situation is far more dire than you realize. A powerful flood has struck Thalas, cutting off all roads. At present, law enforcement has no way to begin an investigation."

  Benjamin smirked. "Then I suppose you'll just have to wait. The flood won’t last forever. You can investigate tomorrow."

  He turned to leave, but John’s next words stopped him in his tracks.

  "It’s more serious than that. When the floodwaters recede, there may not be a Thalas left to investigate. And as for the corpse… it may already be beyond reach.”

  Benjamin halted, his expression unreadable, before gesturing for John to follow. His concern was not for the investigation into his father’s murder-he had anticipated that hurdle-but rather for the calamity engulfing Thalas. A substantial portion of the White family’s wealth was tied to Thalas’s industrial sector, and an unprecedented disaster of this magnitude threatened to unravel years of carefully laid foundations.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Without hesitation, Benjamin produced his phone, showing John a video sent by one of his father’s bodyguards. The footage captured the crime scene, the corpse lying motionless amid the eerie stillness of death. Yet Benjamin’s mind remained fixed on another crisis entirely.

  He leveled his gaze at John. "Tell me everything you know about the flood in Thalas."

  John exhaled sharply, as though the very weight of the information burdened him. "Mr. White, this is no ordinary flood. It is an impossibility. The city is utterly impenetrable-it’s as if an immense waterfall, equal in size to Thalas itself, is cascading from an unfathomable height. Every attempt to breach it has failed, even with advanced cloud-seeding technology. The water remains unrelenting, unaffected by any intervention."

  A flicker of surprise crossed John's face as he realized that Benjamin was only now grasping the gravity of the situation. For hours, all of Cilicia had been consumed by the news-Thalas was all anyone could talk about.

  Benjamin rose to his feet, his movements deliberate. John followed suit.

  "I need to get to Thalas," Benjamin declared.

  John hesitated for only a moment before responding, "If you don’t mind, I’ll accompany you."

  The convoy tore through the highway, the police vehicle trailing close behind. Mountains loomed ahead, cradling Thalas on three sides. As the road ascended, the city should have come into view-but instead, a thick veil of ominous clouds hung over it, obscuring everything beneath.

  At the final rescue checkpoint, the vehicles ground to a halt. Benjamin stepped out, his sharp eyes fixed on the mist that rose like a fortress before him. A rescuer approached with urgency.

  "Mr. White, it’s too dangerous to proceed beyond this point. No one has been able to enter, and no one from inside has surfaced."

  Benjamin barely acknowledged the warning, his gaze locked onto the swirling clouds ahead. He took a step forward. Then another. And another.

  As he advanced, the first droplets of water struck his skin. A moment later, a relentless downpour engulfed him. He recoiled, crouching instinctively as the deluge intensified. It was unlike any rain he had ever experienced-the water pummeled him from every direction, its force unyielding. He tried to lift his head, but the onslaught was overwhelming.

  Disoriented, he lost his footing and collapsed. His breaths came in short, desperate gasps. He tried to call for help, but the words barely formed before the water invaded his mouth, choking him.

  Then, through the deafening roar of the flood, he heard a voice.

  "Sadist, murderer... Sadist, murderer..."

  The words slithered through the storm, wrapping around his mind like a noose. His horror deepened as the voice repeated the accusation, growing louder, more distorted. His ears rang, his lungs burned, and his vision swam with shadows that twisted and morphed into nightmarish figures.

  Panic seized him. He fought to scream, to claw his way back to reality, but the water swallowed every sound, every movement. His mind spiraled into the abyss.

  Then-darkness.

  When his eyes fluttered open, he was lying inside an ambulance. Oxygen flowed into his lungs, but his breath remained ragged. John sat beside him, watching in silence.

  Benjamin said nothing. For the first time in his life, he had felt true fear.

  His mind raced with questions. The rescuers had claimed that no one could penetrate the flood. Yet he had entered-only to be overwhelmed by something beyond comprehension. And John… John had managed to pull him out. If John had intended to let him die, he easily could have.

  The voice still echoed in Benjamin’s head, taunting him.

  His ambitions had been within reach-absolute power, the culmination of his life’s work. But now, everything hung in the balance. It wasn’t his wealth that he feared losing. It was the uncertainty of his adversary.

  Who-or what-was he up against?

  One thing was clear. This flood was no act of nature. It was an unfathomable force, an advanced technology beyond human understanding. And he had to uncover the truth before it consumed everything.