The Falor of Khaleus: Blade of the Empress

Chapter 2

I wiped the sweat off my brow as I balanced a tray of steaming dishes, skillfully weaving through the bustling crowd at my grandfather's restaurant.

"Excuse me, coming through," I called out politely, careful not to spill a drop of the piping-hot soup.

As I set the dishes at the customer's table, a middle-aged man with a kind smile nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, Adrian. You're a hard worker, just like your grandfather."

I offered him a small smile, grateful for the compliment. "No problem, Sir. Can I get you anything else?"

"No that will be all, you have been working here quite a while, and if I remember right. Your grandpa started you out as a dishwasher at age?"

"Age 12, Sir." I answered.

"Now look at you, you have become a real hard working man." He drank some of his soup. "So what are your plans after?"

"I do not know, I might go to college or stay here and run the restaurant."

"Well you are the co-owner of 'The Eclipse'. I am glad your grandfather decided to sign a partnership with you. The food has never tasted better."

I couldn't help but to laugh. "Don't let my grandfather hear you say that.

"The man laughed and we talked for a few more minutes, before I excused myself and headed to the back office where Dylan was working on some paperwork.

"Hey, any luck?" I asked,as he shook his head as I looked at what he was doing. "Did you call the bakery to see if they had any of that Honey White bread?"

"Ah, no. I haven't gotten to it yet." Dylan answered. "Just let me finish getting the payment details for this month's payroll done and I'll do it."

"Don't sweat it, Alex just arrived so she can manage the restaurant." I said as I grabbed the phone dialing the bakery. "Anything else we need from them?"

"We are also out of pita bread, rye bread, and those muffins." Dylan replied. "Did you get the shift's for the next two months set up, we had several employees ask for days off?"

"Yeah it is all ready, it just needs to be uploaded on Sunday, and those approved for their days off have already been written down on the calendar."

He nodded as I started talking to the Richard's Bakery giving them our order for the month.

☉☉☉

I step out of the restaurant into the crisp air, grateful for the break. The city's quiet hum replaces the buzz of conversation inside. I sit down, take a sip of my iced lavender coffee—odd but comforting—and scroll through my phone, letting the world fade away.

A tingling unease creeps in, growing stronger with each passing second. I glance up and freeze.

A soccer ball hangs in the air in front of me, suspended mid-bounce. A kid, mid-run, is frozen in time, his eyes locked on the ball. Everything around me—birds, cars, people—has stopped.

My heart pounds, the only sound in the oppressive silence. I try to move, but the air feels thick, heavy. Panic sets in.

Then, from the horizon, a golden light rises, expanding until it covers the entire sky. The air pulses with waves of energy, each one hitting me harder than the last. Pain rips through me as if my body is being torn apart. I double over, coughing up blood, my scream swallowed by the relentless light.

Amid the pain, I see a figure walking toward me. He moves effortlessly through the chaos, his presence powerful and surreal. He stops in front of me, his face calm, almost serene. I can't make out his words, but they're filled with a weight I can't grasp.