Birth Of The Crafts-God

Chapter 1 - 1: Dead Again

[[DISCLAIMER: NOTHING IN THIS WORK IS REAL OR RELATED TO ANYTHING REAL. THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION.

"How is the re

"It is not something to be really bothered about. I've made my mark in the community and the world. Standing on the stage can get a little tiring, you know." Lucas replied.

Although he made it sound simple, Rachel knew that the truth was different. She was, after all, his number one rival, a member of his team from the last project, as well as his number one lover, albeit unrequited and unknown to Lucas.

Lucas Saunters. When a member of the science community thinks of the name, they imagine a world-class genius like Einstein or Newton. However, when those in the political and even military sectors recall his name, they think of a walking weapon.

Apart from some practical day-to-day creations, most of Lucas' discoveries had the potential to be disastrous, an equivalence almost rivalling WMDs (weapons of mass destruction). About seventy percent of Lucas' new discoveries were all capable of being turned into weapons, which attracted the attention of the military and also a ton of money being invested in his team and research.

Of course, this also attracted the envy and ire of some in the community, but Lucas never bothered about them. All he had in his eyes was his lab and research.

The side effect of being a walking knowledge bank of weapons was having the attention of the whole world on him. If it weren't for Rhodia being a top 5 world power, Lucas would have already been kidnapped by a foreign power and put under house arrest in a research facility.

But even then, Lucas had still either received countless invites or suffered multiple assassination attempts in the last six years.

Not many knew this, but as someone close to him and who had been paying so much attention to him, Rachel was aware of the burden Lucas carried.

"I understand. Rachel sighed as she sipped on the last glass of champagne.

The two remained quiet for a while, staring at the moon high up in the sky.

'It's been 37 years now. Are you guys doing okay?' Lucas got lost in his thoughts, staring at the moon. Those around him only knew him as Lucas Saunters, but only he knew that this was just his second shot at life.

"Lucas," Rachel suddenly broke the silence.

"Hmm?" Lucas turned towards her.

A stunning face that could steal the show and attention, even in a crowded place, stared at him. Even at the age of 32, there was no sign of aging on her, and she looked to be at the peak of her beauty: mature and regal like an empress, yet exquisite like a fairy. However, there was a complex mixture of emotions in the eyes of this incomparable beauty.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.

Just as the words left his mouth, Rachel leaned close and kissed him abruptly.

Being so close to each other, Lucas could smell the perfume on her, but his thoughts were distracted from that. He could feel her soft lips clinging to his and moisturizing them with the touch of her tongue.

What felt like an eternity but was in reality a mere two seconds brought the kiss to an end.

"...Rachel." Lucas felt confused.

Rumor had it that a young minister had once shown interest in Rachel, promising her a life filled with luxury and relaxation, but she had rejected him. And now that beauty had just locked lips with his.

"Don't say anything." Rachel stopped him with a smile on her face.

"Consider it my month's wages."

Saying that, Rachel suddenly took off, leaving behind a stunned Lucas.

"Was I just taken advantage of?" Lucas whispered.

Luckily, Rachel wasn't close by, or she would have buried him with her fists.

Feeling complicated about what took place as well as how to respond to Rachel's emotions, Lucas sighed once again and kept on drinking.

The dinner party went on, but Rachel was nowhere to be found. Lucas guessed that she felt too embarrassed and left early.

"It's about time we depart." A man in a black suit whispered to Lucas.

This was one of his personal bodyguards, an assigned agent from the state's secret security service, the Federal Interior Security Agency, or FISS for short.

Lucas nodded and left with him.

Outside, a limo guarded by two other suited men who were also FISS agents was parked waiting for him. Even then, the driver was one too. A sedan was parked ahead of the limo, and within it were two more agents. From this lineup, one could see how much the nation of Rhodia valued Lucas; after all, a single FISS agent was equivalent to five highly trained military agents.

Six FISS agents were the same as 30 military guards. Only the president had more FISS agents than Lucas, while the vice president was on par.

Apart from the FISS agents, Lucas usually had a security convoy made up of some men from the military with him. However, as this was a celebratory ball involving multiple influential and powerful guests, there was no need for a military escort. Overall, such an event would be peaceful, and no one would have enough guts to make a move there.

After Lucas got into the limo, the agent who escorted him sat shotgun, while the other two, who stood by the side of the vehicle, sat in the backseat of the sedan.

A few minutes after the group had left the venue, an estate appeared up ahead. It was a safe heaven made by the Rhodia government to house and protect important personnel who could be compared to national treasures.

"We are almost home, Mr. Lucas." The bodyguard, who sat in the passenger seat of the limo, said:.

Lucas nodded and didn't say a word. The celebratory dinner party had been eventful but ended in a complex manner for Lucas. For the first time ever, his thoughts were currently filled with a woman and not metal. There was no doubt that Rachel's actions today had shaken him.

'I guess I'll just sleep over it and deal with the issue tomorrow.' Lucas thought.

As the convoy approached the estate, they slowed down before the gate for the usual security check and clearance. Just as the sedan in front of them got cleared, something abruptly took place.

Boom.

"An explosion!"

The guards at the gate yelled. Some of them exited a building that stood by the gate and ran to the scene.

"Fire! Call the fire department and the bomb squad. Get a team here!" One of them, who seemed to be in charge, ordered with a shout.

"Whose car was that? Who was inside?" The captain asked one of the men who regularly handled vehicle clearance and security checks. As it was late in the night and he was inside the building, he failed to identify the vehicle.

"That, that…" The young man was stunned.

"Answer me!" The captain roared.

"That was a Hondian 43LMS. Only one person has that car apart from the president and vice president." The young man didn't give a direct answer but he believed this would be enough.

As expected, when the captain heard those words, he froze in shock.

"We are dead."