Nicholas snapped awake as if on command without groaning or rolling around. His mind was immediately although his body lagged behind a bit but that did not stop him.
He looked at the window. Darkness. There was no light at all… it was way before sunrise.
'Perfect.'
He rose immediately and made his way to the bathroom.
The water was cold… exactly how he liked it in the morning. It shocked his system awake, removing whatever lag he was feeling.
Bathing and getting dressed took him less than twenty minutes and even with that, the sun still hadn't risen.
He stood in front of the mirror, fully dressed in combat gear made of dark fabrics. And reinforced joints.
It had a lot of pockets in all the right places just like every other combat attire. He looked like he was heading to war.
Without much fan fare he immediately made his way out. He wanted to get out as fast as possible before Auntie Penny woke up and the waterworks started again.
He couldn't handle another tearful hug this morning. Last night had been enough emotional exhaustion to last him a week.
He made his way downstairs carefully, making sure to avoid the creaky steps he had memorized years ago.
Unfortunately, he ran into Tessa.
She was standing at the end of the staircase, just staring at him arms crossed with one foot tapping gently against the floor.
She had the expression of someone who had been waiting for a while and wasn't particularly happy about it.
'Damn.'
"Good morning, Sister Tessa." Nicholas greeted her, keeping his voice light.
"Good morning, Young Master Nick." Tessa gave a simple bow then she added, "Sneaking off early in the morning?"
Before Nicholas could respond, she continued.
"I thought this was going to happen." She sighed. "Anyway, I added a tracker to your truck. Please do not remove it." Her voice softened by just a fraction. "It should set Auntie's mind at rest."
Nicholas just stared at her for a few seconds, and Tessa stared right back with neither blinking.
Finally, he nodded. "Okay."
Tessa was the main assistant of the family, and she had been for years.
She came into the family when his father, Auntie Penny, and Auntie Piper had started getting older, becoming a little too tired to be running after a growing boy so they had taken in a small kid from the street.
She had grown up in this house and taken over the housekeeping. Eventually started helping at the restaurant too.
Unlike the other maids who lived elsewhere and only came around for their shifts Tessa lived with them full time.
She was something akin to his big sister even though she still insisted on calling him Young Master.
"Do you promise not to remove it?" she asked.
"Yes. I promise I won't remove the tracker." Nichlas began climbing down towards her.
"And you promise not to go to any danger zone?" Her eyebrow went up.
"Yes. I promise."
When he finally reached the same ground level as Tessa, she suddenly lunged forward and hugged him.
'Another emotional goodbye,' Nicholas thought as he hugged her back. 'Just what I wanted to escape.'
She held on for a moment before slowly releasing him.
"Be careful."
She stepped around him, making her way toward her bedroom. "I'm going back to sleep."
"Sweet dreams," Nicholas said, smiling at her back as she walked up the stairs.
The moment she left his line of sight, the smile disappeared.
He turned around and walked toward the door that led to the garage but instead of opening it, he turned right and double-tapped the wall.
*Click*
The fake wall vanished, retracting into itself like it had never been there, revealing a door made of military-grade metal.
It was dark grey and reinforced… It looked like the kind of door that belonged on a bunker, not in a family mansion.
That wasn't all… A panel lit up on the wall beside it.
[Please confirm your identity]
Nicholas raised his right hand and placed it on the upper right side of the panel.
[Beep... Beep... Beep.]
The half of the lights surrounding the handprint panel turned green but there were no prompts this time. Just a silence.
"Nicholas Blackheart."
[Identity confirmed]
The door clicked open silently revealing a staircase that led underground.
'One of the benefits of having a mercenary dad,' Nicholas thought as he stepped onto the first stair. 'The gear he passes down to you.'
From the cars to the guns and the equipment… not to mention his father made sure to update his weapons every few years even if he was no longer working.
The last time he did was when he gave him access to the bunker a few months before he died.
Pushing all this to the back of his mind, he carefully made his way down.
The moment his foot touched the third step, the entire room lit up.
From his vantage point of view, the room looked less like a basement and more like a private military vault hidden beneath a noble estate.
Warm recessed lights set into the walls illuminated the worn steps with the staircase opening directly into the chamber, revealing a space built with function rather than comfort in mind.
Exposed ventilation ducts ran across the ceiling with long industrial light panels cast a cold white glow over everything below.
The floor was polished concrete that was smooth and immaculate, marked only by faint scuff scars left by boots and equipment crates over the years.
Even though he barely came here every surface seemed carefully maintained… Free of dust and clutter.
'The old man was organized. I'll give him that.'
At the centre of the far wall stood a heavy reinforced steel door, painted matte black and fitted with an electronic keypad and multiple locking bolts.
That was the vault… Inside sat the cards with the million-plus credits his father had left him and the skill stones.
To the left of the vault door stood several tall weapon cabinets… black steel frames with reinforced glass fronts.
Inside, rifles rested vertically in precision-cut racks. Each weapon was separated from the next with military neatness.
There were additional equipment cases and storage containers occupied the surrounding space.
The right side of the room was dominated by a long maintenance station. A heavy workbench stretched along the wall beneath rows of mounted equipment.
Multiple tool drawers, storage compartments, and rugged transport cases sat beneath the bench.
Above, the surface held cleaning kits, first aid kits, spare components, and maintenance tools… each arranged with meticulous care.
Covering much of the wall behind the workbench was a black modular pegboard system.
The room's colour palette was almost entirely composed of dark greys, matte black steel, and muted military tones.
The only contrast came from the bright overhead lighting reflecting softly from metal surfaces and the pale concrete floor.
Despite containing a substantial amount of equipment, the chamber felt surprisingly spacious.
Wide open floor space occupied the centre, allowing him to move freely, inspect gear, or prepare for operations.
There was no decoration or attempt at luxury. No personal touches at all.