Chapter 21: You Killed My Dad?

Ronald and I were both floored.

He'd already sent everyone else in the house away, so it was just the two of us left.

"Power outage?" Ronald got up, ready to check outside.

Before I could call out to him, I saw him suddenly freeze, not moving an inch.

"Ronald?" I called out, but got nothing back.

The neighborhood for government employees and their families was already pretty empty, and now it was pitch black. I could barely make out Ronald's silhouette, standing there like a statue.

Something was definitely off!

I rushed to the window and looked up. In the southeastern night sky, a tiny black void loomed ominously.

As my gaze locked onto it, a chilling sensation seized me, rendering me immobile.

Dread consumed me!

I was paralyzed, unable to budge an inch!

That black hole was a black spot formed by the alignment of Mars and Neptune.

When this kind of alignment happened, the Sinwaft was at its strongest.

I clung to my consciousness, terrified that the black hole would snatch my soul!

I had totally underestimated the stuff in Ronald's house.

Lorenzo had said that ordinary Malifact or Beneware could only minimally alter a person's luck or magnetic field over time.

But those really powerful treasures could mess with a person's mind and body in no time.

Of course, Lorenzo said he'd never seen such powerful treasures in his life.

Now, I might have stumbled upon one.

Or maybe the treasure itself was ordinary, but it got supercharged because of the alignment of Mars and Neptune.

Either way, I had to find a way to save myself and Ronald!

I tried over and over, but my body still wouldn't budge.

If this kept up, by the time someone found us, Ronald and I would be two corpses!

At best, we'd be two vegetables.

I was sweating bullets. I wanted to look away from the black hole, but I suddenly realized I could move my eyeballs!

In a pinch, my "evil eye" could still save me!

A cool sensation pricked my right palm—it was the Sunstrike!

Unbeknownst to me, I had been clutching the Sunstrike, granting me control over my eyes!

With bated breath, I attempted to shift my gaze sideways!

This circus-like move actually worked!

My gaze quickly shifted away from the black hole, and as the pressure lifted, I collapsed onto the ground.

"Ronald!" I shouted with all my strength, but Ronald still stood motionless in the dark. In desperation, I tackled Ronald onto the sofa and shoved the Sunstrike into his hand.

Then, I slowly got up, leaning on the sofa, and placed my hand on Ronald's head. The Sunstrike successfully suppressed the Sinwaft!

"Dad, are you home? Why is the power out?" A boy's voice suddenly came from the door, and I was stunned, thinking it was Ronald's kid. Why did he come back now?

"Don't come in!" I shouted with all my strength, but I was on the verge of exhaustion, and the kid didn't hear me.

Ronald's front door faced west, and the kid would walk around the foyer screen to the open living room, facing southeast!

"Dad!"

I heard the kid call out again, and then there was silence.

Ronald's breathing was normal now, and it looked like he would wake up soon.

I struggled to turn over, looking in the direction the kid had entered.

The streetlights outside were still on, but in the dim light, the living room was empty, with not a trace of any children in sight.

Something was amiss. I distinctly heard the child's voice calling out twice and then the sound of a key unlocking the door. How could there be no one?

I took a deep breath, feeling less suffocated in my chest.

Regaining some strength, I looked again, but the living room was still empty.

In the eerie silence, only Ronald's breathing, slowly returning to normal, pierced the air.

Ronald's breathing?

A sense of unease crept over me!

Ronald was supposed to be on my left!

So why was that breath creeping in from my right?

Before I could react, a voice sounded in my right ear. "Sir, where's my dad?"

It was the kid's voice!

I was so scared I almost passed out. I turned angrily and shouted, "Can you stop scaring me like that? You almost gave me a heart attack! Your dad..."

Before I could finish, my voice stopped abruptly. On the right side was an empty sofa, no one was there.

The kid was messing with me!

I was about to scold again when I suddenly remembered that the kid had entered facing southeast and must have been affected by the astrological alignment!

But even so, I should still be able to see him, right?

As I turned my head, the voice sounded again in my right ear. "Sir! What's wrong with my dad?"

I spun back to the empty space, my heart pounding.

"Where are you?" I demanded, my voice quivering.

"Sir, I'm right beside you!" the voice persisted.

"Enough of this game, show yourself!" I barked.

"Sir, can't you see me?" the voice taunted.

"Damn it, reveal yourself this instant! Come out in front of me!" My composure was slipping away.

The child's voice fell into a chilling silence.

A few moments later, a cold hand suddenly pressed on my shoulder! "Did you kill my dad?"