Regnum Aetern: Dual Rebirth

Soon, the car reached the four-way intersection where Adrian had been in the mind world when he obtained that analog wristwatch with the ability to control the time within the mindscape.

But unlike the empty roads he had seen there, this four-way intersection was so busy with vehicles that it would not be strange if a traffic jam happened here.

Taking a turn, the car drove for about a hundred meters before coming to a stop.

The two of them got out of the car, standing before a very tall building that looked distinct even in this area filled with apartment complexes and grand malls.

A soaring, sculptural high-rise featuring cascading terraces and a striking glass exoskeleton.

In his previous life, when Adrian was young, he wondered why their house looked so good.

Well, he knew the answer now.

This wasn’t just a house.

The two of them soon entered as the driver left to park the car. Adrian was going towards the lift, but The Fake happily took the stairs, and the pull forcefully dragged him along.

Soon, they reached the floor where Adrian had lived. Soon, the door opened, and a woman welcomed him with a bright smile.

"Aww, my baby boy returned from school? Come here, let Mom give you a welcome hug."

The woman had long black hair tied into a bun, and there was a small beauty mark near the corner of her lips.

This was Adrian’s mother in his previous life.

She hugged The Fake warmly, and he hugged her back with a giggle.

The Fake looked behind her shoulder, inside the hall. A tall man with short hair was sitting on a sofa, working on a laptop in his lap. Seeing him, The Fake’s eyes shone.

He broke the hug with his mother and spoke in a somewhat dramatic manner.

"Make way, for I have returned."

His mother giggled and stepped aside. He dashed inside, forcefully pulling Adrian along. The man noticed him approaching and turned around. His lips curled up into a smile as he spoke in a somewhat exaggerated tone.

"Oh! Look who is back. Is it my son?"

The boy cheered.

"Yes!!"

Adrian watched them all expressionlessly. Then he turned to look at the corner of the hall.

A young boy, looking about fifteen, sat behind a table full of books. He had features similar to The Fake. Though the boy’s focus seemed to be on the books, Adrian noticed him taking glances at The Fake and his parents.

This was Adrian’s older brother in his previous life.

’Things would’ve been so easy if I could just interact with him instead.’

There was no way Adrian was going to wait for years here for no reason, so he had decided that he would take things into his own hands now.

The Fake looked very happy now, but within a few years, that child was going to change completely. This memory would likely end when he turns eighteen, and the change is complete.

But what if Adrian could intervene and accelerate the process? If the point of all this was for Immutable to show him that change, then wouldn’t this all end whenever Adrian sees it?

Looking at The Fake, giggling happily while sitting on his father’s lap, Adrian’s gaze sharpened.

It was going to start soon.

’I am going to break his mind as soon as possible.’

***

Within the business world of modern-day Earth, there was a name that had existed for a long time.

Montross.

It was a company that had started in the early 70s and was known to make leather, but now Montross owned several MNCs in multiple different industries, thus becoming a conglomerate.

In a world where giant corporations rise and fall due to a single action, Montross had maintained its place and risen to the top.

But unlike most such conglomerates, all of Montross’ shares were owned by a single closely held group.

The Montross family.

All members of the main family were part of the board of directors, and one of them became the chairman. When the chairman’s children grow up, all the shares would be taken from the other family members and divided among the chairman’s children equally.

This would thus make the chairman’s family line the new main family, sidelining everyone else from being a stakeholder in Montross.

This process would continue to repeat over the generations.

This was why becoming the chairman was everything within this family. Those who failed would lose everything.

The process of becoming the chairman was simple. The child judged to be the most exceptional will be chosen as the chairman when they turn twenty-four.

But to prevent favoritism from the parents, the current chairman couldn’t choose among his children. He had to choose the next chairman from among his grandchildren.

And until now, the fight for the position of chairman had been extremely fierce in each generation.

But that was not the case in the current generation of Montross.

And it was all because of one boy.

Daniel Montross.

Born in the sixth generation of this family, Daniel began showing his talent as early as seven years of age when the child answered a question that his older brother was struggling with during a tutoring session at home.

When the teacher asked the young child how he knew the answer, the child answered innocently.

"I learned it while listening to you teach my brother."

The absurdity behind that innocent answer was that his brother was three years older than him and was learning about things that were advanced for even his own age. Yet this child had somehow understood everything.

This was the start.

It didn’t take long for the parents to discover Daniel’s true potential.

Be it art, academics, or athletics, Daniel excelled at everything to a degree that he couldn’t even be compared to others his age.

Although other family members continued trying in desperation, there was not a single cousin who could possibly challenge Daniel.

Within the Montross family, Daniel was already being treated as the future chairman.

***

Daniel giggled while sitting on his father’s lap.

His father smiled warmly.

"Son, there is a weekend coming soon; do you want us to go camping in the mountains? The three of us?"

Daniel’s smile widened, and he raised both arms in the air excitedly as he replied.

"Yes! Of course, we should go. Um, but... the three of us?"

His father nodded.

"Yes, son. Me, you, and your mom. The three of us. Oh, do you only want to go with Dad this time?"

Daniel tilted his head.

"What about Brother? Isn’t he coming?"

His father’s eyes widened a bit, as if only remembering now.

"Ah, how silly of me. Dad totally forgot your brother. Though he is busy studying, I would rather not disturb him. Still, we will take him along if this son of mine wants."

Daniel giggled once again.

But Daniel knew... that his father had lied.

He was well aware that his parents didn’t love his older brother as much as they loved him. After all, he was not stupid, and it was too obvious.

Still, he didn’t hate it.

It was not that he didn’t like his older brother. No, liking and disliking him had nothing to do with it. Daniel deserved the attention that he got from his parents.

’After all, I’m just that amazing.’

Just then, his mother walked closer and chimed in from the side.

"By the way, Dan, your final exams start next week. Have you prepared well? Mom wants her baby boy to give it his all, just like always." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Daniel replied instantly with a confident smile.

"No need to worry, Mom, I’m prepared, just like always."