Chapter 2

It so happened that I was born with mystic powers and the ability to perceive the metaphysical. Having seen the fate that awaited my entire family, I secretly altered it for them.

I ensured that Mom rose steadily through the ranks of academia, Dad amassed a ton of wealth, Whitney thrived in the entertainment industry, and Wendy developed a voice as sweet as birdsong.

Unfortunately, since one's fate and fortune were meant to be a secret, I couldn't reveal the truth to them. Otherwise, my powers would've been taken away from me.

My family treated me well, too. My parents spared no expense in raising me.

However, that all changed when Jeremy joined the family.

He was the orphaned son of my parents' close friends. Once he came along, the money slowly stopped coming my way. Eventually, I even had to ask my parents for money each time, even if all I needed was a measly ten dollars.

They used to wipe away my tears and reassure me by saying, "Jem has no family now. We're the only ones he can rely on. Besides, if we treat him badly, people will say we favor our children over him. You need to be more considerate and focus on what's best for the family, Nate."

So, I stopped crying about it. I watched as they doted on and pampered Jeremy in every way. He came from an illustrious family of artists, and because of him, the Stewarts received a great deal of attention by association.

I was happy for my family. I continued to help them change their original fates in secret.

However, when I got back home one day, I realized that the atmosphere was a little strange.

Whitney and Wendy, who hardly ever came home more than a few times a year, were already in the house. Jeremy sat on the couch. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he looked like he'd suffered a great grievance.

Whitney grabbed me by the wrist and screeched, "Do you have any idea how long Jem has been looking forward to getting into graduate school? Why did you have to be so willful? Why do you always insist on competing with Jem for everything!"

Her bodyguards dragged me up to the attic and shoved me inside.

"Stay in here and reflect on your actions! You can come out once Jem forgives you."

I felt the cloud of dark energy swarming toward me. I hurriedly lunged forward, trying to stop Whitney from shutting the door, but she'd already locked it from the outside.

"Don't lock me in here, Whitney! I'm scared!"

She knew that when I was five years old, I had accidentally been locked in the attic. By the time she found me, I'd come down with a high fever. I spent the night in the emergency room, and an entire day passed before I regained consciousness.

At the time, Whitney held me close and cried, admonishing herself for being such a terrible older sister and for failing to keep an eye on her little brother. She had even sworn that she would never let me go into the dark attic again.

After our family rose to prominence, she had even assigned someone to guard the attic specifically to keep me from wandering in there when I was bored.

Now, for the sake of her new little brother Jeremy, she had me thrown in here.

What I didn't tell her was that I hadn't stumbled into the attic by accident back then. I'd come up here to seal away the dark energy that plagued my family and doomed them. That was the only reason why their fates improved.

However, dark energy wasn't something that could be vanquished so easily. It stewed up here in the attic, developing a resentment for the being who locked it away. Now, it sought vengeance.

"Since you dared to steal Jem's spot, you should've known what the consequences are for that. In any case, you're an adult now. The attic shouldn't scare you anymore."

"No! Whitney, please! Please don't do this!"

Whitney's footsteps faded into the distance.

I could feel the cloud of dark energy slowly intensifying behind me. I didn't dare turn around.

Just then, I noticed a shadow flickering in the crack beneath the door, and my eyes lit up.

"Wendy!"

Wendy stood in front of the door, peering through the glass window at me with a slight frown.

"Wendy, do me a favor. Bring me the rowan branch in my room, okay?"

She nodded and walked off. It wasn't long before she came back upstairs carrying the rowan branch. I nearly cried with joy. I hadn't doted on her for nothing after all.

"Is this what you want?" Wendy asked while dangling the branch in front of me.

Thrilled, I gestured for her to slide it in through the gap beneath the door.