Chapter 18. The New Home.

  Kael clenched his fists and took a deep breath, every time he used magical power, the better he got at it. So now releasing a huge amount to jumpstart his adrenaline rush wouldn't be as difficult, he concentrated on the flow of it and decided to start releasing it throughout his whole body. As he did so a dark mist gathered around him, there was also a sudden wind... The output he was now giving out was incomparable to what he had exerted before, even Tenebrae barely held onto the ground due to sheer pressure Kael was exerting, it was truly overwhelming even for her.

  -''

  It was hard for Tenebrae to contain her excitement, the speed at which Kael was growing was truly something unheard of. She heard thousands of years ago that there will be someone who'll replace her day, she didn't believe it at the time... But now she had no option but to believe those words, she probably even found that someone... Suddenly there was a bright flash across the sky, Kael was indeed forcing his way out of the Limbo...

  -"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I FUCKING DID IT! DO YOU SEE THIS SHIT TENEBRAE!? HAHAHAHAHAH I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE IT!"

  Kael barely cared to contain his excitement, for him this was something new... Suddenly his vision went black, he slowly opened his eye, he saw that he was laying on some mattress in something that resembled a hut. He noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, he had no injuries on him that were when he was in the illusion and the Limbo. It seemed as if they didn't carry through. As he slowly got up he noticed that they were still in the slums, he also saw the revolvers and "The Dual Cursed Swords of Darkness" were laying by his side. Whoever took him here took extensive care of him and his weapons, suddenly he heard the door opening to the room, he quickly reached for his revolvers and pointed them at the door... He saw that frost walked in with a bucket of steaming water and a piece of cloth, when she saw Kael was awake, she dropped the bucket and cloth onto the ground. Before Kael could register, she lunged at him and embraced him crying into his shoulder...

  -"BUAAAAAAAA MAASTEEEEEEERRRR I MISSED YOU SOOOOOO MUCH! I THOUGHT YOU DIEEEEEED, YOU WEREN'T CONSCIOUS FOR 4 DAAYSSSSS! WE THOUGHT YOU FAILED IN RESCUING YOUR DAD, BUT WE NEVER LOST HOPEEEE BUAAAAA!"

  Kael didn't know what to do so he put the revolvers aside and patted her back gently. He heard Tenebrae laughing from the swords, she won the bet and he had to do the "favour" once she got her body back. He clicked his tongue in frustration, he had to fulfill his part of the bet someday, he thought that it wouldn't be long for some reason...

  -"By the way Frost...? Where's everyone? I know you're here, but what about Katrine and Mediae...? And most importantly... My dad, is he okay? I remember I healed him, but is he truly okay? I wouldn't forgive myself if he wasn't..."

  Frost, hearing this nodded her head immediately.

  -"Lady Mediae and Lady Katrine went out of the slums to do some grocery shopping for this temporary hideout, as for your father, I suppose he's currently outside. Want me to lead you to him, Master?"

  Kael nodded his head, he wanted to confirm with his own two eyes if his father was indeed fine. He carefully got up from the bed with slight assistance from Frost and put on a shirt he found laying around, it was slightly too small making his physique visible, but he didn't mind it. As he followed Frost outside, he saw they were in some shack in the slums, it seems they made it a temporary hideout due to Kael's house being burned down. As he finally stepped outside, he got slightly blinded by the sun, he was asleep for 4 days after all. Frost started walking in the direction where his father probably was, Kael caught up with her quickly and walked beside her. He saw that the people from the slums stared at him with either fear or admiration, after all, he killed the "Black Hook Gang" all by himself. It was a feat not many could achieve, especially someone who was from the city. Frost suddenly stopped and bowed down to Kael, it was clear to him that he should proceed onwards by himself. As he walked further he saw some small shack that resembled something of a washroom, so he decided to step inside. When he was inside he saw his father drying some clothes.

  -"Dad...? Are you.... Are you okay...? I-I'm sorry I wasn't quicker back then..."

  Xavier, hearing his son's voice turned around with a smile on his face, it was a gentle and warm smile clearly saying: "Don't worry"...

  -"Yes Kael, I'm quite fine as you can see hahahaha... But to be honest, if it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead by now... I should be thanking you, besides when I heard from the locals how you dealt with that gang, I couldn't believe you were my son hah... You've grown up so much…”

  Kael was so stunned hearing this that he couldn't even speak, he turned his eye patch from his left eye to his right eye to cover up that he's crying. He didn't want his dad to see him crying in such a moment, he just didn't want to allow his dad to see him like that... Suddenly he felt a tug on his eye patch, and it was being taken off, when he looked up he saw that his dad took off his eye patch.

  -"You can cry, it's not unmanly or weak to cry in front of your father... Come on kiddo, let it out... I'm here, besides not only me... You have such amazing people that are constantly by your side, Tenebrae, Katrine, Mediae, Frost... If I didn't know you, I'd say you're a womanizer hahaha..."

  Kael, hearing this couldn't hold back anymore and wrapped his arms around his father, he cried like a small child... Those weren't necessary tears of sadness, he was happy, happy that he was able to save his father... He also wanted to say what he saw in the illusion but suddenly Tenebrae stopped him.

  -''

  He decided to follow her advice and not tell his dad for now, he didn't want his father to suffer from the knowledge that he got a chance to speak with his mom and sister... It'd be soul crushing for his dad, he knew they were dead, but knowing that a small part of their souls spoke to Kael could break him down completely... He decided to pull himself off from his dad and wipe his tears, after he did so, he put the eye patch back on over his left missing eye.

  -"So dad... We're gonna live in that shack in the slums for now or what...? I mean we have nowhere to turn, Mark is hiding after that Mag-Tech structure break-in... And we don't have any family to turn to..."

  Xavier hearing his son's question put on a pained face, he was correct, they had nowhere and nobody to turn to. They needed to survive now in the slums like the worst outcasts of society, but that wasn't that bad in his eyes, he knew that if anything happens then Kael and the rest will protect them with their life's. Even though they would probably need to do it constantly, since they were in the slums, he was ready to take it upon himself to support everyone with whatever he could. If it was being a father figure to Katrine in place of Mark, he'd do it, if it was helping Frost and Mediae with topics regarding his son, he'd do it... And if Kael needed to go to another side of the world to hunt someone down, he'd be more than happy to help as well... That was the least he could do for everyone, it wasn't much, but in his eyes it was enough...

  -"Let's go back Kael... Mediae and Katrine should be back from the shopping trip by now, besides those two wanted to see you as well... And don't mention it to Mediae, but she genuinely shed a couple of tears when she found out you were unconscious hahah..."

  Kael, heading this, chuckled as well, it was nice to him that so many people cared so much for him despite his obvious flaws. His father walked out first and Kael followed right behind him, he still had the image from that night he killed all members of "Black Hook Gang"... Over 60 people perished that rainy night, he held no regrets, none at all... They all deserved death, not only for their disgusting deeds, but for daring to lay their hands on his father. As they finally entered the shack, he saw Katrine chatting with Frost, when she saw him she was stunned. Before thinking twice she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him hugging him tightly...

  -"You've done that stunt again... First the Mag-Tech break-in... Now this... Please Kael... I beg you... Don't overdo yourself.... You don't have to, it's not always necessary... Please... Будь ласка, я тебе так сильно люблю..."

  Kael hearing this patted her head, he couldn't do anything else, apologizing and excuses wouldn't work... Suddenly Mediae approached him and bowed down in front of him.

  -"I see you're awake Master, I'm very grateful for your recovery. I do not wish to repeat something like that again, it's worse than the pranks Mistress Tenebrae pulled on me and the rest of the Royal Guard..."

  Kael, hearing this put his other hand on her head, he had to comfort her as well, even though she didn't show it openly...

  -"I don't promise anything, there will be situations where I'll probably end up in even worse conditions... So please, don't cry just because I was out cold for 4 days... C'mon, you can function without me, right?"

  When everyone heard that, they looked down... They knew he was correct, he'd sacrifice himself over and over again if it meant their safety. It hurts everyone equally... Kael decided to gently pry Katrine off and make his way to the room he was sleeping in…

  -"I'll go for a walk, I need some fresh air after being out cold for 4 days... Don't worry, I'll be back soon... And also don't worry about my safety hahah, I think my reputation is enough to make me safe... Besides I'll have the swords and revolvers by my side..."

  As he finished speaking he walked into the room, he attached both of the sheathed swords by one side of his hips, and holstered the revolvers by either side. He felt quite heavy with this extra armament, but he'd have to get used to it nevertheless... He also found some hoodie and put it on as well, as he walked out he said his last goodbyes before walking out the shack. As he walked down the streets he heard how people called him by all sorts of names... "Harbinger of Death", "Abmionation", "Crimson Soldier"... He didn't mind being called such names, if they meant that he'd get recognised more, it was better for him. He suddenly walked past an alley, it was the same alley he saved Lilith in, sometime ago... In the same alley, he committed his first murder, he killed 10 thugs that threatened to beat her up and rape her along with her daughter. It was a bittersweet memory, he wondered if she was doing fine now that the "Black Hook Gang" is gone... He decided to find her, since he promised he'd give her some money from time to time. He decided to walk up to a local and ask him.

  -"Excuse me sir, have you seen an ex-prostitute named Lilith nearby recently? I have a certain thing to talk with her about... If you'd kindly reveal her location, I might consider rewarding you..."

  His voice came out threatening, despite him trying to sound as polite as possible. He probably got so used to scum in the slums that he just talked naturally like that to anyone from here. The local got startled and with a shaky voice answered his question.

  -"Y-yes mister Riggs... She's down the street in the house by the left... Pl-please don't hurt me... I have a family... I saw what you did with those gangsters... I don't wanna share their faith…”

  Kael hearing this just patted him on the shoulder and walked to the location the local provided him with, he didn't intend on hurting him, unless he'd lie or insult Kael. As he walked some people even moved out of his way, not from respect, but from fear. It was frustrating to him that people didn't like him or treated him well for what he had done, but because they were afraid of him. As he walked into the house there were some armed people inside, when they saw Kael the immediately got up and pointed their weapons at him. One of them had a pistol while the rest had machetes and knives, there were about seven of them. Kael didn't bother asking questions and pulled out his revolvers pointing them at the armed men. It was truly a stand off, whoever pulled the trigger first, would go down quicker than a blink of an eye. As the tense seconds passed, suddenly Lilith emerged from another room and got between the armed man and Kael.

  -"CAN YOU TWO STOP FOR FUCKS SAKE!? I JUST CLEANED THIS FUCKING HOUSE, AND I DON'T WANNA CLEAN UP BLOOD OR ANYTHING ELSE! DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND ME!?"

  Kael, hearing this lowered his revolvers, but still has his fingers on the triggers, the armed man did the same. After a tense silence Lilith took a deep breath. She quickly turned to Kael with both fear and respect in her eyes.

  -"And you... What the hell are you doing here? To check if I spent your money well? As you can see, I hired some security... Laura is in school in the slums currently, they'll go soon to pick her up as well... So yes I spent your money well..."

  Kael, hearing this, holstered his revolvers and threw a rolled up stack of money on the table, it was around 500 dollars. Lilith seeing this shakily reached for it and put it in her pocket. Kael took a calming breath, he was just ready to kill some people, and now he had to calm down.

  -"I told you I'd give you money from time to time, and besides, this is for possible collateral damage I caused 4 days ago... I suppose you saw the execution I made on 'Black Hook Gang' members and their leader...?"

  Lilith nodded slowly, she saw the sheer massacre that Kael left in his wake that night. It was disgusting, disturbing and scary... But for some reason, it was beautiful in it's own way... She didn't understand why she thought it was that way... She couldn't comprehend how such a massacre was beautiful, she thought that it maybe was due to trauma. She worked as a prostitute for that gang for a long time until she had Laura, then she had to pay them back for their "mercy" of letting her be their whore. When she didn't have money they cornered her that faithful day, that same day that she met Kael, he saved her for the first time. Him wiping out that gang was somewhat of a saving for her too... Suddenly Kael spoke to her again.

  -"I need a favour, I'm willing to pay with anything necessary... Do you know anyone who makes custom guns? I'd like to buy one, besides, you being an ex prostitute probably know such stuff.”

  Lilith hearing this nodded immediately, she knew a certain gunsmith who'd be willing to sell some custom guns to Kael for a rational price.

  -"Yes I know someone, but I'll reveal everything you need to know about them, when you pick up my daughter from school. That's the favour I want from you for my favour, besides when everyone will see that the 'Riggs' picks her up, they won't even get close to her..."

  Kael nodded immediately, picking up a kid from school wasn't that hard for him. As he was about to walk out, one of the armed men who Lilith hired, spoke up.

  -"Hey kid... You're Riggs right? Fucking hell I'm talking with a living legend hahahah... Watch it though, your reputation isn't built on respect now, but rather on fear... If you plan on staying in the slums for longer... You better change that... A small recommendation from an old man..."

  Kael, hearing this nodded and walked outside. There were some onlookers who thought he went inside to kill someone, but when they saw he wasn't covered in blood, nor were there any screams, they dispersed quickly. Kael didn't mind that and made his way to the school Laura studied in, he knew the general location of the school since there's only a couple in the slums, and she was probably going to the closest one here. As he was walking he saw something unusual, a dark mist was in some alleyway, then Kael remembered that the same mist took away the doppelganger Katrine in his illusion. He decided to investigate quickly, as he walked inside the alley he felt tremendous pressure, he was locked in place out of sheer fear. This pressure, it was like nothing he ever felt, he couldn't even fall onto his knees... Suddenly the mist flew closer to him and the pressure suddenly went away, Kael quickly dropped onto the ground and started hyperventilating, he never felt something like that...

  -''

  Kael thought to himself: "Small fucking amount!? Bullshit... I'd never achieve something like that even if I trained for hundreds of years..." He truly couldn't comprehend how something like this was "small", it was something truly bizarre to him...

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  -"Okay okay... Give me a second... Damn... What do you wanna talk about, and besides, who the hell are you? I never felt such a strong fucking pressure... I felt like I'd pass out standing hah..."

  The mist hearing this made a sound that resembled a purr of agreement... It was strange to Kael, but he quickly brushed this away since the mist had no physical body, and it was the only non-verbal way to show agreement.

  -''

  Mors... Kael repeated the name loudly to test how it sounded on his lips, but what bothered him was the name the mist was called back then... "King of Death"... It was something that sent shivers down his spine...

  -"If I can call you Mors, you can call me Kael... So we'd be even... And yea I don't blame you for your servants outburst... Sometimes even Frost and Mediae can act on their own and cause some trouble to me, so I get what you mean... Besides, you're not here to beg for my forgiveness right?"

  The mist hearing this was stunned... It couldn't comprehend that Kael figured it out so fast, it was something so bizarre to him... Suddenly he laughed out loudly, like he heard a good joke...

  -''

  Kael was stunned, he didn't know what to say or how to respond... He just has been declared war upon, he felt like Mors could just wipe him out here and there and act like nothing happened. He felt helpless, something he rarely felt nowadays...

  -''

  With that, Mors disappeared into nothingness, when Kael looked outside the alley, he noticed that not even a second had passed... He truly was in a pocket space... He stumbled out of that alley clutching his chest, it was still hard for him to breathe... Bystanders were staring at him in shock, he was quite recognizable in the slums, and a sight of him like this probably meant nothing good to them. He quickly collected himself and continued walking to the school he should pick-up Laura from, he needed to do it for Lilith revealing the information about the gunsmith. As he was approaching the school, he saw a woman near the entrance, she was better dressed than all the people in the slums. She probably was a teacher from outside of the slums teaching here, as he approached the school gates she stopped him.

  -"Uhmmm excuse me sir... I know that slums are a dangerous place... But please, do not walk in with your weapons... You can hand them to me, I'll gladly take care of them while you're picking up your child..."

  Kael didn't respond to her and tried to walk forwards, suddenly he felt something cold pressed to his throat. When he looked back, he saw that the woman was now holding a small knife...

  -"I'll ask you once again, 'sir'... Please give me your weapons, or you'll end up one head shorter... C'mon, chop chop..."

  Kael didn't respond again, instead he took out his revolvers and put them to her forehead. They were in a stalemate, one move from one of them would kill both of them. Kael lost his regeneration with the defeat of the doppelganger Katrine, meaning that every injury would be extremely dangerous for him. No matter how light or heavy it would be, suddenly Tenebrae started laughing inside his head. Kael hearing this clicked his tongue and lowered his revolvers holstering them, the woman in turn lowered her knife and hid it under her skirt where its sheath was hidden. Kael remembered that for the future. He never knew if he'd cross ways with her again, and if he did, it'd be a good thing to remember.

  -"I'm Ms. Victoria Park, I teach at this school. I'm from the city, what about you? You don't look old enough to be the father of a 12 year old or lower?"

  Kael, hearing this, clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.

  -"Kael Riggs, you may have heard of me, probably. I'm not from the slums but from the city as well, my house was burned down by the now extinct ‘Black Hook Gang’, well why extinct? I killed them all myself, every single one of them..."

  Victoria hearing this gulped audibly, she heard the whispers and gossip of the "Heir"... But she never expected him to pick up a child from school, she was clearly afraid. She could kill anyone if they threatened the safety of her or the kids... But Kael? Even if she tried, she'd end up as either minced meat, or swiss cheese... The difference not only in strength but skill was clear, she only fought dummies and other colleagues when she trained some years ago... But Kael was different, he took out a whole gang from the slums on his own, while still being 16... Suddenly Victoria cleared her throat so as to not show any hint of fear when speaking to him.

  -"Ekhm... So mister Riggs...? Why are you here, I don't reckon you have a child... You're here to pick-up someone else's kid or kid's right...? I mean there's nobody you could kill in here... I think that nobody deserves it in your eyes..."

  Kael hearing this sighed deeply, it was annoying when someone assumed something about him. He spoke up, and as he spoke he raised his fingers one by one...

  -"First of all... It's just Kael, not ‘mister Riggs’ bullshit... Second of all... Yes I am here to pick up a girl named Laura, her mother is Lilith... Third of all... Who the fuck you think you are to dare to assume who I think deserves death and who doesn't huh...?"

  His voice was low and dangerous, a clear warning for her. She started stuttering, not being able to answer his question. She thought to herself that these few sentences said with this tone of voice said only one thing... "Don't fuck with me if you wanna live..." It sent shivers down her spine... She closed her eyes and started trembling, even though Kael was just a kid compared to her, his sheer skill, brutality and experience spoke volumes... She was afraid... Afraid of a 16 year old boy, suddenly she felt a sharp smack over her head. When she looked up, she saw that Kael was the one who delivered the smack...

  -"And the fuck you're breaking down for? Are you that soft or what? Holy shit I thought that you as a teacher in the slums will have balls of steel, with all due respect of course... But damn... How the covers can lie to the reader…”

  Kael after saying this chuckled to himself. Victoria couldn't respond to him, she was so scared that she thought a single word could get her killed... Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder and saw as Kael entered the school grounds...

  -"I'm just gonna pick up the kid I'm supposed to and then I'm gone, don't worry, I'll try to not spill too much blood... And besides, ask whoever the fuck is principal here, for more security... The current one is clearly lacking…”

  Victoria felt insulted hearing this, for her it was Kael saying she was incompetent at being a proper security for the school. She tried to follow him, but she stopped herself midway, she knew it was better than to annoy him further... Meanwhile on the inside, Kael searched for a secretariat, he wanted to know where Laura had her last class. He found it shortly after, when he went inside, the secretary was on the phone speaking to someone. When she saw him, she dropped the phone and was too stunned to speak... Kael decided to ignore her reaction and ask what he wanted to ask straight up.

  -"Hello, I'm here to pick up my friend's kid. Her name's Laura, and she's the daughter of someone called Lilith... Her mother was an ex-prostitute, slightly shorter than me, blonde hair, blue eyes... You know? She sent me to pick Laura up..."

  The secretary quickly put the phone back on it's place and nervously rearranged papers on her desk, she didn't expect "The Heir" to show up to pick up someone's kid.

  -"Y-yes of course... Laura, Laura, Laura... Uhmmmm... I-I think she currently has class in classroom 34C, please follow me... I'll lead you there Mister RIggs... And please... I beg you, don't hurt anyone here..."

  Kael was frustrated, people respected him because of fear, he didn't want that... And her daring to think that he would hurt someone in school, in front of kids, was something disgusting for him. He decided to follow her to the classroom regardless, he didn't want to scare her further so he didn't scold her. As they walked through the school, the students who didn't have classes and teachers alike stared at him. Kael was tall, slightly muscular and athletic, his left missing eye and weapons were bringing attention to him as well. Suddenly the secretary asked him something strange.

  -"Uhmmm Mister Riggs...? Can I ask you how tall and how much you weigh? I can't get my husband to be fit at all, even when I showed him the photos when you massacred the ‘Black Hook Gang’, it still wasn't enough motivation... He said that a 16 year old can't look like that..."

  Kael hearing this sighed deeply, he only weighed himself once and measured himself once as well. It was straight after his changes as well, so he didn't know exactly how much he weighed or measured currently, so he decided to shoot around his current looks.

  -"Well I'd be around 6'3 and 190 pounds... I don't know exactly since it's been some time since I weighed and measured myself... And don't ask me for my gym records, I don't go to the gym... And if I guess correctly, the swords are around 30 pounds total and I can swing them faster than some untrained eyes can follow... So yea, I don't know…”

  It was a shocking answer, a 16 year old like him could pull off such stunts with relative ease, but she didn't know that Kael constantly imbued small amounts of magical power to his body. It was a necessity for him to even fight like he fights, he's also worried that in the future, he might need to use extreme amounts of magical power to even function... The thought had him look at his own hands, he didn't know if in the future he'd be able to even move them on his own... Suddenly the secretary asked him if he's alright.

  -"Are you okay Mister Riggs? You seem slightly gloomy, is something on your mind...? I mean not like you'd vent to me, I wouldn't even hurt a fly hahahaha..."

  Kael, hearing this shook his head, he didn't need to vent to anyone, besides she didn't know anything about this world. It still continued bothering him that in the not so far future, he could lose the ability to walk and move on his own and constantly require magic to move. He decided to brush those thoughts away for now, as they approached the classroom Kael took the lead and opened the door with a slight bang.

  -"Laura, you're coming with me, no arguing. Move now, pack your shit and we're moving out... And the hell y'all kids staring at? Can't a guy pick-up someone from school? Or is there something you all want...?"

  Before Kael could blink some kids approached him with their phones or pieces of paper, it seemed he became quite a celebrity amongst children of the slums. One of the kids stepped forward, clutching his phone tightly in his hand.

  -"Uhmmm excuse me Sir Riggs... Can we take photos with you and autographs... You really made the slums better by killing those bad guys, even just this much better... My mom was constantly beaten by them for money, for supposed protection... Now she doesn't have to fear anymore... Please..."

  -"Please Mister Riggs..."

  -"C'mon Riggs... Don't be soulless..."

  -"Sir Riggs, we beg you..."

  -"Just this much Mister Riggs..."

  Kael was stunned, he didn't know what to say and how to react. He knew that what he had done was brutal and borderline inhumane, yet... These kids idolised him like some sort of action hero or comic book one... He thought to himself he didn't deserve such attention, he decided to not waste the kids' time or ruin their day… He took a couple of pictures as well... After he was done he walked up to Laura.

  -"Pack your stuff, your mom sent me to pick you up. Chop chop, I don't have all day, besides I have better stuff to do... So be quick about it, I want some information from your mother, and every second wasted is every second later I'll achieve my goal..."

  Laura hearing this purposefully packed slow to annoy Kael, it was clear that she didn't like being ordered around. As she finished packing she quickly got up and poked up at Kael, without a word she kicked him in his knee... Instead of Kael falling down and rolling in pain, she was the one who nearly cried out in pain...

  -"You dumb little shit, you thought your little pathetic kick could hurt me? I've survived being shot, cut, stabbed, burned, thrown around... Your little kick is nothing but a mere pinch to me..."

  As he finished speaking he grabbed her shoulder tightly and shoved her to the exit, other kids were terrified of Kael at the moment. Just a minute or two ago he gave them autographs and took photos with them, and now, he was shoving their friend around and calling her names... After a while of sulking Laura finally asked Kael a question that's been bothering her.

  -"What are you? Because there's no way that you're a human like mommy or our guards... You're like a freak, a creep or something.... What are you...? I've heard what you did with those bad gangsters... Nobody could do it before..."

  Kael, hearing this, stopped for a moment and looked down at his hands, he truly wasn't human anymore considering his power and everything else... Suddenly he heard Tenebrae teasing him again...

  -''

  He clenched his fists rightly and smashed his fist into a nearby wall, the impact was powerful enough to shake the whole building. The lights flickered and specks of dust kicked up from everywhere, Laura knew Kael was powerful... But not to this degree...

  -"Uhmmm K-Kael...? You're okay-"

  -"Move..."

  This one word was said with so much venom and rage that it made Laura's skin crawl, she was sure she'd have nightmares because of Kael... But she didn't understand that he wasn't mad at her, he wasn't mad at anyone but himself... It was all his fault that he was so weak that he'd probably lose his humanity someday... As he was walking behind Laura he suddenly decided to look down onto his hands again... He saw something terrifying, it was a vision... He was in his "Darkness Release" state, but something was different... His hands resembled something more sinister, something like claws... The swords on top of his wrists were translucent and released a small black mist around them it seemed they were permanently set on fire, the black flames even though small, radiated off enough heat that Kael could feel his skin being burnt... When he looked down he wore a mix of armour and some modern clothes, he decided to reach up to touch the eye patch over his left eye... It wasn't there... His left eye... It was somehow restored... Suddenly he snapped out of the vision and leaned against a wall to catch his breath... He didn't understand what that vision was... Or what happened to him to be in that state in that vision... Laura seeing this immediately went to support him for some reason, she didn't understand why she did so... She was extremely scared of Kael, terrified even... Yet she felt the urge to help him...

  -"Kael you're okay...? Holy... You're heavy... How much do you weigh again...? And isn't it kind of not nice for a 12 year old girl to carry you...? Or rather help you walk... Geez... I knew you were tall and heavy, but not this much..."

  Kael didn't respond and instead pushed himself up while panting, he didn't understand why he saw that vision... Suddenly he heard Tenebrae... She was terrified... Like she had just seen something terrible..."

  -''

  Kael didn't respond to her as well, he couldn't comprehend what was happening just now... It was all too much, and now Tenebrae is questioning him why? Why what? He couldn't understand a single second that was going on around him... He pushed himself up harder and walked further without the assistance of Laura, he felt the immediate effects of his "Darkness Regeneration" curse being gone... He was now just a human that was just way above ordinary in physical performance and magical power... But he was still just a human…

  -"Laura... You can't tell anyone what happened just now, I need to figure out why it happened to me, and I need to do it by myself... FUCKING HELL! I'm sorry... I just couldn't hold myself back kid... Hope you'll forgive me..."

  Laura jumped back, she didn't understand why Kael was acting this way... She saw the image of him being a myth, a legend, something terrifying... The image of The Heir... Shatter in front of her, Kael isn't The Heir and The Heir isn't Kael, they're two people in one body that switch places when needed... Even though she was 12, she saw how broken Kael was... He barely kept everything together, suddenly he turned around...

  -"Lead me to the closest shop, kiosk or whatever the fuck is the closest shit... I need to buy something to calm down, or I think I'll go crazy over here... Chop chop... I don't wanna lose my sanity, yet..."

  She quickly nodded and led Kael to a nearby corner shop, once he was inside he slumped over onto some shelves with products... He quickly collected himself and walked over to the counter...

  -"16 pack, red thin ones... Yea those ones with the camel on em, fuck I need it so badly..."

  The shopkeeper didn't even ask Kael for an ID, he knew that Kael was The Heir... He just gave him the cigarettes without asking for money, once Kael got his hands on the cigarettes, he quickly went outside. Once he was outside, he pulled out one of his revolvers and shot up in the sky, he used the heat from the barrel to light up the cigarette... He took a deep drag and started choking slightly, but nevertheless he finished the cigarette in a few long drags... It was his first time smoking cigarettes, he never did it before or even thought of doing it... As he was about to reach for the second cigarette Tenebrae stopped him.

  -'’

  Kael gritted his teeth and crushed the second cigarette in his hand... He knew what he was doing was just being weak, and he didn't want to be weak. He quickly brushed off his clothes and took a deep breath to calm down before turning to Laura.

  -"Let's go... I feel better now, and besides, don't tell anyone what you've seen... I don't wanna make anyone stressed about my condition... Fucking hell, what's going on with me...? And what's this feeling..."

  The feeling he was talking about was a strong déjà vu feeling, like he felt someone he knew was close around him. He brushed it off as for now and placed a gentle hand on Laura signaling her to keep going. As they were walking that feeling grew stronger by the second, not only that déjà vu feeling, but also a strong feeling of disgust was growing in Kael... Like he knew something malicious was about to strike, and he felt like he knew what it would be, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly... They were nearing the house where Lilith lived with Laura, Kael would get his information about the gunsmith now. He wanted to buy a present of sorts for someone, and he wanted the present to be useful, that's the only idea he came up with. He finally entered the house with Laura, but there was something off... There weren't any guards that were before and everything was quiet, too quiet... He quickly took out his revolvers and aimed them in front of himself, he kept his fingers tightly on the triggers...

  -"Whoever is there, come out with your hands up... Otherwise I'll blow your head up like a fucking watermelon, you have 10 seconds... When the countdown reaches zero... I'll light up this house like a Christmas tree..."

  Seconds ticked, and even before ten seconds had passed, Kael aimed up and shot a couple of shots. He thought this would be enough to make whoever the hell that was, would come out from sheer fear... Because Kael didn't fuck around anymore when it came to someone close to him... Suddenly Lilith came out with her hands raised, she had her clothes slightly torn and visible bruises. Kael didn't care and pointed his guns at her immediately, he knew it could be that wicked woman that appeared in illusion sometime ago...

  -"If you're truly Lilith, say something you only know about me... Or you only know what I did, time's ticking, if you don't answer me... I'll blow your head up, and I don't care if Laura will see this..."

  Laura, seeing this immediately rushed forward and stood in front of Kael blocking his sight, if he pulled the trigger right now, he'd kill her as well... Seeing this he holstered his guns, he knew arguing was pointless... After he did so, Laura immediately rushed and embraced her mother, it was a bittersweet sight for Kael... Seeing as a child embraced her mother, who was in an extremely bad state... Suddenly Lilith answered Kael after a tense while…

  -"I'm sorry for scaring you Kael... And if you wanna know if I'm me, you gave me 1000 dollars when we met and after you rescued me... Happy now? And we were attacked by something, someone who resembled you... But it wasn't you I know for sure..."

  Kael, hearing this immediately knew who it was, he clenched his fists tightly and smashed his fist into the wall, shattering it and shaking the whole building. That wicked woman was after everyone else, not only him. He decided to question Lilith.

  -"Did that 'me' have a wicked and disgusting sense of humour? I need to know, answer quickly, it's extremely important to me, if yes... I'll deal with that bitch quickly and swiftly..."

  Lilith hearing this embraced Laura even tighter and nodded with tears in her eyes, it was clear that whatever happened here, left a deep scar on her psyche. Kael couldn't bear it anymore, he needed to end it once and for all... Suddenly Lilith spoke to him again.

  -"If you take care of whatever that was... I'll not only reveal the info about the gunsmith you're searching for, but I'll also leave a good word for you... Just please, take care of whatever or whoever it was..."

  Kael hearing this immediately perked up, this was too good to pass on without a thought. He decided to think about this again, there were practically no downsides to this deal. He'd get his revenge and information that he wanted, Lilith would also have peace of mind... He decided to question her further.

  -"Where are the guards? I remember that you hired some, but where are they? I suppose they're dead by now, seeing how the doppelganger power surpasses far beyond human comprehension... Fucking hell, I'm scared how strong she is without upholding the illusion..."

  Lilith and Laura didn't understand a single word coming out of Kael's mouth, they thought that he was just strong and good, that this was all... They didn't know about magical power, ancient beings or anything else that Kael knew about. It sounded like gibberish to them... Suddenly Tenebrae spoke up from the swords loud enough that everyone could hear.

  -''

  Laura and Lilith were stunned at this, they didn't understand anything anyways. Nevertheless they decided to trust Kael and that mysterious voice that was Tenebrae. Kael decided to question her since the doppelganger said that she has unfinished business with her, besides, he was extremely curious what that unfinished business was.

  -"Oi old pervert, what the hell does that bitch want from you anyways. I mean her master or whatever said that you and her have a lot of unfinished matters from the past, mind telling me why it all began? C'mon, be quick about it as well..."

  Tenebrae hearing this suddenly went quiet, it was slightly unusual for her to be so quiet in such situations. Kael was slowly growing impatient and decided to try pressuring her, but before he did so, she asked him a surprising question...

  -''

  Kael didn't understand why she was so defensive about that, he clicked his tongue as a sign of agreeing. He was ready for anything... Murders, rape, drugs, wars, genocides... Everything, nothing would shock him...

  -''

  Kael was stunned, he couldn't say anything... He couldn't think of anything to say, when he looked over onto Lilith and Laura for support, he found none... He decided to take a deep breath before exploding...

  -"YOU DID FUCKING WHAAAAAAAAT!? YOU'RE FUCKING TELLING ME, THESE THOUSANDS OF FUCKING YEARS OF FUCKING CONFLICT, WERE JUST BECAUSE YOU SLEPT WITH HER FUCKING BROTHER!? THE FUUUUUUUUCKS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

  Lilith and Laura were completely stunned, they expected something entirely different as well... After that Kael just couldn't do anything but kick a bucket nearby, it went flying into the wall making a sizable hole in it. He just couldn't comprehend why that woman would go to such lengths to get revenge over something so simple...

  -"YOU TWO BITCHES ARE FUCKING CRAZY! AGHHHHH FOR FUUUUUCKS SAKEEEEEEEE! I WISH I COULD STRANGLE YOU RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE SO FUCKIN! AGHHHHHHH!"

  After that Kael decided to quickly run out of the house and search for the doppelganger, he'd finish this today, once and for all... He searched for spikes of magical power but he couldn't find any, so he decided to do something stupid…