Abyss Progenitor

A while later.

The woman woke up with drowsiness weighing on her eyes.

Moments before, she remembered washing her laundry a few dozen meters away. Yet, now she was here, confused and lost at how she had appeared here.

"Did I hit my head?" she questioned herself, rubbing her head as she tried to stand up with great difficulty.

"Lisa! Are you alright?" a deep male voice sounded nearby, as a man who looked to be in his twenties rushed toward the woman. 

He had dark hair and eyes, thick brows and a sharp chin. The man promptly helped the woman to stand, as he made her lean on him, carrying her to sit on a nearby boulder.

"I am fine, Aron." the woman tried to appear strong, but eventually collapsed into his arms.

"Hah, overworking yourself as usual." Aron smiled endearingly at Lisa while brushing away lone strands of her hair.

Lisa smiled sheepishly, shyness and love shining in her eyes as she looked at the strong man that acted as her pillar.

"I know it has been hard on you for the past few months. Taking care of the family bakery and the house right after our wedding." Aron said lovingly, lightly patting away the dirt on her clothes.

Lisa buried herself deeper in his embrace, as his kind voice made her blush, her face lighting up in a romantic shade of pink.

"You are one to talk. You have been working hard to make my carefree life possible. Who else will work for days without a break, training new recruits at the viscount's estate." Lisa spoke, giving a light peck on Aron's lips.

"Haha, it is my duty after all. Who is going to train strong men to protect our town? I need to nurture a new generation of powerful warriors to pave a peaceful future for our family." Aron stated, lifting Lisa in a princess carry.

"Since it is my day off, why not make the best of it?" Aron grinned mischievously, making Lisa blush more as they headed for their home for a night of steamy passion.

Months passed as seasons changed. 

Eventually, winter arrived in Bluesky Town, adorning the hills and roads with a layer of thick snow.

In one particular house, a woman let out screams, as overwhelming pain shook her body. Multiple other women were circling around her, each performing a specific task.

Some were encouraging the woman to push, while others made necessary preparations.

After hours of painful labor, screams of a newborn rang in the room. Joyous laughter echoed alongside it as the midwives beamed wide smiles.

"It is a boy!" they announced while giving the baby to his mother.

In the next moment, a man barged into the room, his overgrown, thick beard added a charm to his masculinity. His dark brown eyes were filled with worry and love as he looked at the woman and the baby.

"Lisa!" he exclaimed, carefully embracing Lisa, who was on the verge of fainting. 

"B-Baby…look at our baby." she weakly mouthed, trying to catch her breath, as Aron finally looked down to see a beautiful baby boy who inherited most of his features.

"H-He looks just like you, doesn't he?" Lisa smiled, cradling the baby closer.

"He indeed does." pride and joy coursed through Aron's entire being. He was finally a father. 

The husband and wife, now father and mother, looked at their union's first creation.

The years seemed to pass by, making changes in the Highford family. 

After long consideration, the couple decided to name their son: Wade. 

"For he shall stand tall against the strongest winds alone." had quoted Aron, attaching great significance to the name.

Wade's development progressed gradually. He was taught to write and read by his mother, as well as told some legendary fairy tales to nurture him as a morally just person.

On one of the usual afternoons.

Wade was standing on the counter of his stall, looking over the busy marketplace as people came and went.

His attention often focused on the merchants who were keen to exploit their customers, finding new ingenious ways to save a couple more copper coins.

Inadvertently, Wade had learned to skillfully convince and lie just at the age of four. After three more years, he had almost become a professional at hoodwinking people with a straight face.

"Hey, how is that going, little Wade?" a short, old man approached his stall with a smile that would warm the hearts of many.

"Uncle Sam, long time no see." Wade greeted the man with a practiced expression, as even his eyes flicked with excitement.

"Oh, what a smile! If not for me being in business for so long and having a couple of grandkids of my own. You would surely have compelled me to buy the entire day's worth of bread." Uncle Sam laughed out loud, annoying the nearby stall owners.

Wade merely smiled at these words, quite used to the street etiquette: words that sounded grand but were akin to dust in reality.

"Say kid, want to earn a few more coins?" Sam said with a knowing grin, as he placed a small pouch on the counter.

Seeing that, Wade ridiculed the old man internally. His parents had taught him long ago about these kinds of shady people. Moreover, Wade had already come into contact with such dealings himself.

Not on one occasion had grown-ups tried to exploit his innocence to transport drugs to some deserted alleyways.

However, what his parents didn't know was that he actually dabbled in this stuff.

It had been over a year since he started taking gigs from various cooks of special orientation. The pay was good and he didn't have anything to complain about. Plus, he had gathered enough to open his own bakery.

In fact, he had even gained a reputation among special circles for his successful transportation.

Wade looked at the small pouch and then he swiped it off into his pocket. After that, he pulled out a small box of pretzels from behind the counter.

"Here you go, Uncle Sam." he handed it over to the old man. Uncle Sam gave him an appreciative smile and took the box, disappearing into the crowd.

After making sure that the old man was gone and nobody was paying attention to him, Wade quickly closed the stall and put on a cloak, blending into the crowd.

He walked through the bustling streets full of people, taking turns in specific alleys in a practiced manner, as he eventually arrived in front of the back door of a brothel.

Wade then knocked on the rusty metal door in a specific sequence, waiting for it to be opened.

A few moments later, a delicate hand grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into the building, as a sweet aroma assaulted his nose.

In front of him, a young woman in daring clothes stood while rubbing her legs together in an anxious manner.

"Have you got that?" she asked as her eyes darted through his body, making Wade feel uncomfortable.

Without waiting any longer, he took out a pouch given to him by the old man and handed it over.

The woman immediately snatched it from him, as she tore the thread keeping it closed, revealing a clump of paper shaped like a ball.

Delighted, the woman carefully unwrapped it, revealing reddish-white powder. Excited, she was just about to dive in when a cough interrupted her.

"What?!" her head turned around sharply to stare at Wade with venomous eyes.

"About payment…"

"Goddammit! I am going to deposit to your account as usual!" the woman barked in fury, as her eyes turned a bit red, clearly the substance was starting to affect her.

Wade smiled from below the hood as he promptly left the building and walked back to the bakery.

'It is so easy for them to be controlled by drugs.' Wade sighed, finding these people powerless and pathetic.

Wade wasn't a naive child. He knew that some people used drugs as a way to cope with their traumas and problems, but he despised this method regardless, as it looked more like avoiding and denying the issue rather than actually solving it.

In fact, he had tried to help some of them, only to miserably fail and almost lose credibility in the underworld.

"Human obsession with pleasure often leads to suffering and vice versa. Those people are using their free will against themselves. Although I feel this is wrong, I also can't help but exploit their obvious addiction to easy money." Wade quietly muttered, as he unlocked the door, pushing it open to reveal a hot and steamy environment.

There, a woman who was nearing her thirties was tirelessly kneading dough. Her beautiful brown hair was tied in a cute little bun, as her bright brown eyes were focused on the task.

"Mom, I am back." Wade said, as a genuine smile appeared on his face for the first time today.

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