Once upon a time, Nerissa Obsidian from the Land of Crystals was known as the one true heir to take over the Obsidian family legacy. But something changed forever that day after her fatherâs funeral.
There was another man standing by her father, Otto Obsidianâs grave. This mysterious man stood still like a shadow, tall and thin, with dark circles around his eyes.
His presence cast an eerie chill over Nerissa as she expected to be alone by her fatherâs grave so she could talk to him and say goodbye.
She didnât expect that talk to be positive as her father was always egoistical, shattering Nerissaâs self-worth and trust throughout her early years and youth. There was a lot of emotional abuse and gaslighting.
Yet she always wanted to believe that her father wasnât a bad person. She thought he was damaged and also abused as a kid, which is why he was acting this way. He was gone now, and Nerissa was left with his damage.
Nerissa examined this mysterious manâs face, who looked furious, clenching his fists by the grave. Nerissa approached him cautiously, her heart heavy with grief, but she wanted to get this out of the way so the man could leave her alone.
The mysterious man immediately changed his posture when he noticed Nerissa and extended a hand to introduce himself: âZephyr Obsidian.â
âHe must be a family member. Perhaps a distant cousin?â Nerissa thought to herself, but she was in for a big surprise because Zephyr continued, âOtto is my father.â
Confused, Nerissa confided in her mother, Rhyn. The encounter with Zephyr tore through her heart like a storm, revealing her fatherâs darkest secret and leaving her with thousands of questions.
She always wanted siblings, but why would there be a sibling she didnât know about? The thought of her father with another woman disgusted her. She thought her father was extremely loyal to her mother.
That was the only good thing! Nerissaâs voice screamed at her, refusing to accept the possibility.
But her mother Rhyn admitted that she caught Ottoâs affair with another woman once. This happened when Rhyn was pregnant with Nerissa.
Rhyn continued, âHe apologized and made me promise not to tell anyone as it would be a disgrace to Obsidian family name. As far as I know, he never saw them again but made sure the woman could take care of the kid.â
Nerissa looked devastated. She couldnât believe her ears. She wanted to say âI thought he loved you,â but she couldnât.
âHe promised they would never be a problem, but now that heâs gone, itâs a big opportunity for them to claim their rights,â Rhyn voiced her concern.
Nerissa stared at her mother, still in shock. Rhyn quickly got up and left the room, but before she exited, she turned to Nerissa, âThey just declared war.â
That night, Nerissa stared at the ceiling, thinking how her father must have felt not seeing his other kid grow up. Stop it, she thought to herself. It mustâve been painful, but this doesnât excuse his behavior. He just shouldnât have cheated on my mom in the first place.
Nerissa was unaware of a secret gathering in the Obsidian family room, where her father met his confidants to plan the future of the Obsidian family and their businesses.
But Rhyn was there, watching the meeting from a crack next to the back door. Zephyr sat in Ottoâs seat and demanded his fatherâs place across all businesses and in the family.
Rhyn knew these men would rather listen to another man than a woman, even though Ottoâs will named Nerissa as the sole heir. Rhyn turned to her confidant, Luna Quartz, âGet Nerissa. We must leave. Now.â
Nerissa washed her face and turned off the light when she was about to get in bed, but suddenly two men, commanded by a dark lady-like figure, barged into her room.
The two men held her tight as the woman looked around the room with a sense of victory. It was illegal in the land of crystals to spill even a drop of blood from crystal family heirs, so they proceeded to choke her with a pillow.
The dark lady-like figure approached her before they covered her face with the pillow. Nerissa noticed where Zephyr took his eyes and the large nose bridge.
But this woman had a darker vibe than Zephyr. Two spiders sat on both her shoulders, and she was wearing a long black dress with spider web designs.
Ottoâs mom whispered to Nerissa, âGoodnight, little girl,â and the men pressed the pillow on her face, leaving her breathless⌠until a voice pierced through the room.
âA bit overdramatic, donât you think?â
The voice belonged to Luna Quartz, Rhynâs confidant. The two men quickly let go of Nerissa and took out their knives to finish off Luna.
Luna fought these men with nimbleness like a cat, dodging their frantic attacks with a sense of calm and all-knowingness.
Nerissa watched her movements in awe, curious about her confident nature. After all, Nerissa knew Luna was a Quartz, an heir to one of the biggest crystal families, but why did she dedicate her life to serving Rhyn Obsidian?
When the two men were knocked off, Luna held Zephyrâs mom against the wall until Nerissa demanded she stop. She refused to stoop to their level, so Luna took Nerissa, and they went into hiding.
Nerissa refused to let Zephyr and those men win. With determination, she vowed to stand firm against injustices and division, just as her mother, Rhyn, did.
But as days turned into weeks, Zephyrâs presence cast a shadow over Nerissaâs rightful place as heir. The patriarchal families in the Land of Crystals favored Zephyr just as Rhyn predictedâŚ
He was a son born of scandal, yet he was welcomed with open arms, while Nerissaâs presence and entire life were dismissed in favor of this newfound half-sibling.
Nerissa pleaded to her mom many times that she wouldnât have dismissed Otto if they had given her a chance. Otto and Nerissa wouldâve shared all the businesses equally and run them together.
Rhyn wasnât in favor of the idea, yet she knew that would be the right thing to do. But Otto and her mom were the ones dismissing Ottoâs legal wife and heir and encouraging the Obsidian family confidants to do the same.
Nerissa refused to accept this unfair treatment. She stared at the edge of the cliff where her family palace sat; it was once a home but now turned into a spiderâs den. Perhaps literally⌠This thought made Nerissa curious about why Ottoâs mom had spiders on both her shoulders. Thatâs not possible, she thought to herself.
As she gazed upon the land of Obsidians, she couldnât help but wonder if she would ever find her way back home or if the arrival of her half-brother had altered her future forever.
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