Bloodbound Secrets

Chapter 1: The Question That Changed Everything

The fields stretched endlessly beneath the dying light of the sun, their golden hue fading into deep amber as dusk settled. A gentle breeze carried the scent of freshly turned soil, rustling through the leaves of the towering oak tree where Roy sat, watching his father work the land. It was a sight he had seen every day of his life—his father's strong, calloused hands digging into the earth, his steady breath in sync with the rhythm of nature. Yet, tonight, something felt different.

Roy's fingers tightened around the rough bark of the tree as he swallowed the doubt that had been festering inside him for years. His voice was quiet when he finally spoke. "Father… is this all there is to the world?"

John paused, his grip on the wooden handle of his spade faltering for the briefest moment. He didn't turn to face Roy immediately, as if measuring the weight of the question before acknowledging it. Finally, he let out a slow, measured breath and leaned against his tool, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "Why do you ask, son?"

Roy hesitated. How could he explain the unease that had haunted him since childhood? The stolen glances his father exchanged with strangers, the tense silence that followed whispers in the village, the way his mother's expression darkened whenever the past was mentioned.

"I just feel like… there's something more. Something you're not telling me." His voice was firm now, demanding.

The silence that followed was thick, stretching between them like an unseen force. Then, for the first time in his life, Roy saw something unsettling in his father's expression—doubt. Fear. A hesitation that didn't belong to the unshakable man he had always known.

John exhaled sharply, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. "Roy, some truths are better left buried."

But Roy had made up his mind. He wanted answers. And he would get them—no matter the cost.

To be continued…