《Unraveling Secrets》


 Chapter 1: The Ending of a Beginning

    In the barren fields lied a man covered in blood from head to toe. His body was in a mangled mess. There were wounds ranging from claw marks, bite marks, burn marks, and areas where his body was pierced all the way through, leaving a hole in his body. His body looked as if it had gone through hell and back.


    Lying there as his body turned cold, he could only think of all of his regrets. He had to many regrets to count from so he thought about the ones that bothered him the most. He wanted to know the answers to all of these questions he had but he knew he had no answer to them.


    ¡®Why am I always so weak? Why was I betrayed? Why did it end like this? Will I die not knowing where my parents went? Will I die just like this? Why am I so weak!? Why!? Why!? WHY!?¡±


    He started out just thinking about his regrets but he ended yelling them out into the void. He was angry and couldn¡¯t contain it within himself. He wasn¡¯t angry because he was betrayed, he was angry at himself. Angry at his weakness in not being able to see that he was going to be betrayed, angry at his failures in life, angry at his regrets, angry at not being able to find his parents, angry at leaving everyone precious to him behind, but most importantly angry at the fact that he was weak and not able to change or resolve anything.


    After his anger was all released, he now only felt the emptiness of the world. He felt how small his existence in the world was and that he was just another story of a adventurer being killed in the wild. It didn¡¯t matter what heroic deeds or heinous acts people have done in their lifetime; all of them will die in the end. He lost himself in his thoughts but they were interrupted by the howls and roars of the approaching monsters.


    ¡®I guess they¡¯re finally here. I guess all I can do is wait for my body to be torn to shreds and eaten.¡¯


    He had no hope of being saved or even being found. The place he was at was in the middle of nowhere and also known as a forbidden zone people aren¡¯t allowed to enter. He laid there waiting slowly for death to come. He didn¡¯t want to struggle, he didn¡¯t want to try, he didn¡¯t want to fight anymore, he had lost all hope.


    He had felt anger, loneliness, hopelessness, but all he could feel now was sadness. Tears streamed down his face but these weren¡¯t regular tears, he was crying tears of blood.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...i¡¯m so sorry mom, dad, aunty, my masters, my friends, my students, and my wife. I¡¯m going to be leaving this world before all of you. I¡¯m so sorry. All of you will be hurt knowing that I have died and all I wish for is that all of you will be able to move on. Mom, dad, if you are alive out there, i¡¯m sorry that I had to go before. I will never understand the pain of losing a child, but I can imagine how much pain you two will be put through when you find out about my death. Aunty, please take care of my wife. I¡¯m sorry that I have to go before you. You have always treated me like your own son and I have always seen you as another mother and i¡¯m sorry I have to go before you. My masters, my friends, and my students, i¡¯m thankful to all of you for the fun and hard times we had all been through. It was a good journey being with all of you and I hope every single one of you can live happily ever after. My wife, I am sorry that I wasn¡¯t able to leave you any children behind. If I had then you would never be lonely even if I¡¯m gone. I¡¯m thankful for all the good times and bad times we had shared together. No matter the moment, I always enjoyed being with you.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The man¡¯s speech had ended. This was his will and his final moments. Even though he knew no one would be able to hear his will, he still wanted it to say. He had accepted death and was ready to disappear into the void.


    The roars and the footsteps of the monsters were gradually getting louder and louder by the moment. The man laid down staring at the stars as his life flashed before his eyes. These were the most beautiful stars he had ever seen in his life. It was a light that brighten up his hopeless situation. Before he was filled with darkness but as he stared at the stars and the moon he felt something inside of him stirr. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had ever felt this feeling, in fact it was a very familiar feeling.


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I can¡¯t die. I won¡¯t die. I don¡¯t want to live my life anymore with all of these regrets! I¡¯ll get out of here and i¡¯ll go back and resolve every regret I had! I can¡¯t just give and let myself die here!


    The man hysterically laughed. This was the hardest he had ever laughed in his life. Even though the situation was not one he could laugh at, he did anyways. He though his body was in a mess he stood up and looked around. His was completely surrounded by monsters. No matter which way he looked, all he saw was monsters.


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! If i¡¯m going to die then I¡¯m going to die with one less regret. I¡¯ll take you all out so that you will never kill another person again. If killing you means that someone will have one less regret in their lives then that is good enough for me!¡±


    He ran towards the horde of monsters. Every time he killed a monster another would attack him. His wounded body was getting even more wounded. The only thing keeping him up was his desire to survive and the desire to save someone from regret.


    ¡­¡­


    In the barren fields lied a man covered in blood from head to toe but he wasn¡¯t alone. All around him was the corpses of hundreds and hundreds of monsters. This man was Kan Lock and he had died but he had died with one less regret.


    Kan Lock had died but this was not the end of his story.

 Chapter 2: The Beginning of the End

    In the remote corner of the continent lies the former Kingdom of Key. The Kingdom of Key was once a powerful and posperece Kingdom that was able to stand on even grounds with the surrounding Kingdoms but as time passed it can now only describe itself as a city-state. The downfall of the Kingdom of Key occured when its founder had finally passed away. The founder of the Kingdom was renowned for being the first ever master locksmith to master being a locksmith, a combat locksmith, and a mage locksmith. After his death the Kingdom of Key lost its backbone and had to ceded many of their lands to the other kingdoms to stop them from invading. Gone from its former glory, the city-state of Key was now only composed of the capital and three surrounding villages which in total barely reached a population of 10,000.


    The city-state of Key is surrounding from all sides by two neighboring nations and the vast ocean. The two nations that had whittled away the Kingdom of Key¡¯s power were the Kingdom of Spears and the Kingdom of Shields. In comparison to the city-state of Key, these two Kingdoms easily had populations in the millions.


    Although the sizes and power of the two Kingdoms and the city-state of Key is now vastly different, they all had a common origin. Every single Kingdom in this world were built upon legends of the founders.


    In the legends of the Kingdom of Spears, it was said that the founder of the country had found a spear that had the ability to pierce through deities. The founder fought with his spear and his army to conquered the land that is now known as the Kingdom of Spears. Another legends tell that when the Kingdom comes in face of a crisis the spear will once again awaken and choose a hero to defend the Kingdom from disaster.


    In the legends of the Kingdom of Shields, it was said that when the world was going to be destroyed by the stars a man came with a shield and blocked the stars. That man later became the founder of the Kingdom of Shields with his ability to block any attack and for saving the people. Another legend tells that the shield the founder first used is still protecting the Kingdom from harm.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Unlike the wondrous legends behind the Kingdom of Spears and Kingdom of Shields, the Kingdom of Key¡¯s origin was unknown. Legends say that the founder just popped out of nowhere and displayed his power to the world and in the matter of a few years the Kingdom of Key was created. The stories and legends behind the founder and his power were unknown and unclear to everyone. Eventually the Kingdom of Key just became well known for its locks and since the founder rarely showed himself, no one knew if it was even a man or woman. The kingdom elected someone else as the king of the Kingdom of Key and the founder became lost in the shadows of time.


    Even as time passed the city-state of Key could still exist because of its specially made locks that they sold to the other kingdoms. No other kingdom really saw them as a threat so they had no reason to invade the kingdom and waste their resources. Instead they used them for the locks that were known to be able to keep out any thieves and could only be broken through by an expert in locks.


    Besides the Kingdom of Spears and the Kingdom of Shields, the city-state of Key was also next to an even more powerful kingdom, the Kingdom of the Sea. In comparison to the Kingdom of Spears and Kingdom of Shields, the Kingdom of the Sea was much bigger. It was unknown how large the kingdom is but it was estimated that the kingdom had a population of billions. Considering how big the kingdom is, behind it were also many legends. One legend says that the Kingdom of the Sea may even be the oldest kingdom to ever exist. It was said that before the continent even existed, the Kingdom of the Sea was already established. Some legends even tell about how powerful the kingdom is. One legend tells how the King was once enraged by another person from the continent so he decided to flood the entire continent. Another legend tells how the King was sick of the people on the continent hunting his citizens so he decided to freeze the top layer of the ocean so no one was able to hunt his kind. It was not until all the kingdoms on the continent came together and appeased the King did he unfreeze the ocean.


    The city-state of Key was truly small in comparison to all of these powerhouses. Nothing in its arsenal could hold up against the other kingdoms but soon everything in this world will be shaken up. This is the beginning of the end and the entire world will begin to change.

 Chapter 3: A New Family

    In the city-state of Key lies the village of Clear View. Clear View was one of the three villages of the city-state of Key and it was the one furthest away from the capital. The closest village to the capital was the village of Night Fall and is 2 days away on carriage, the next one was the village of Iron and is 3 days away on carriage, and the last village is the village of Clear View which is 5 days away from the capital. Due to the distance between Clear View and the capital, they rarely had interaction with each other. The only interaction between Clear View and the capital are the check ups every three months. Every three months government officials would come collect taxes and materials while merchants also came along to sell and buy goods.


    The origin of the name Clear View came from where Clear View was built. The village was built on the base of the mountain that overlooked the ocean. Behind the mountain Clear View was built on is a vast forest and a mountain range. The only way to reach the village from the capital or any of the other villages is to go through the mountain path. Although the mountain path is rocky and dangerous, it is still a safer alternative than the forest. Staying on the outskirts of the forest is relatively safe but as you go in deeper it becomes too dangerous. Legends say that if you go in to far in, you¡¯ll meet dangerous and ferocious monsters. And if you don¡¯t meet monsters, you still won¡¯t be able to escape because something in the forest will distort your sense of direction so you won¡¯t be able to leave.


    In the village of Clear View was a house and in this house you could hear the groans and cries of a woman in pain and the worried steps of a person pacing about. The man paced back and forth with worry and anxiousness on his face. Sweat dripped down his face as he kept on pacing back and forth. This man was named Clive and the woman groaning is his wife Claire, who is currently giving birth.


    ¡°Is she alright? Is there anything I can do? Is she going to make it? Is the baby going to make? Oh god, why am I so useless. I can¡¯t even do anything for my beloved Claire.¡±


    ¡°Calm down Clive. Everything is going fine so far. The hardest part is almost over. It¡¯ll be just a moment before you find out whether your child is a boy or a girl. So just--¡±


    ¡°Aaaaggghh!!¡±


    ¡°Ok push Claire. You¡¯re almost there, just a little more and the baby will be out. Push as hard as you can.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°AAAAGGGHHH!!!¡±


    ¡°Here it comes.¡±


    ¡°Waaawaaaawaa!!¡±


    ¡°Wow aren¡¯t you just the energetic child.¡±


    ¡°Is it a boy or a girl?¡±


    ¡°It is a healthy young boy, Claire.¡±


    As the midwife, Jane, told Claire it was a healthy young boy, both Claire and Clive started crying tears of joy. Clive was now 30 and Claire was 29 but they had been trying to have a child for the last 10 years. For the last 10 years they tried and tried over and over again to conceive a child but nothing worked. Both of them were filled with anxiety and sadness because they didn¡¯t know if they would ever have a child or not. It was not until last year were all of their anxiety thrown out of the window because Claire had become pregnant. Although their worry of never having a child was gone they still had to worry about having a miscarriage or a stillborn. Hearing their child cry and cry, all of their worries were now finally washed away.


    ¡°Here you go Claire.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much Jane for helping me deliver him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem. We¡¯ve known each other for years so you can depend on me for things like this. So, what are you guys going to name him.¡±


    ¡°What should we name him Clive?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought up of a strong name for him. Let¡¯s name him Kaneous.¡±


    ¡°Rejected.¡±


    ¡°Why Claire. Kaneous is such a strong name.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s name him Kandict. It¡¯s such a proper and regal name.¡±


    ¡°Kandict is a dumb name in comparison to Kaneous.¡±


    ¡°What did you say Clive. Would you like to repeat that again CLIVE!¡±


    ¡°Uuuhh. I didn¡¯t say anything Dear.¡±


    ¡°So Kandict it is then.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts Clive.¡±


    ¡°Um. Why don¡¯t you just name him Kan since both of the names you suggest start with Kan.


    Jane suggested the name Kan and as soon as she did, the baby laughed joyously.


    ¡°Well, I guess he likes the name Kan.¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    ¡°It does.¡±


    ¡°Ok thank you for the name Jane. From this day onwards you are now named Kan Lock. Welcome to the family Kan.¡±

 Chapter 4: Everyday Life

    The days in the village of Clear View were usually tranquil. In the morning there is always silence until the time the men wake up and go to work but during this season there is another sound added to the men getting ready to work. It is the sounds of crying babies all over the village.


    The reason there are so many babies during the summer is because it is the season of fertility. The crops are planted during the spring and during the summer is when they all start to grow. Just like the plants act of planting seeds, humans also plant ¡°seeds¡± but during the winter season. During the winter season when it is cold, men and women are at home planting ¡°seeds¡± and during the summer is when these ¡°seeds¡± will have grown.


    This year was especially bountiful because 13 children were born in the village. Since so many children were born, every night and morning is especially noisy with the babies¡¯ cries for food. On this morning, one house in particular was extremely loud with the cries of a baby.


    ¡°WAAAWAAAWAA!!!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Kan, you don¡¯t have to cry anymore. Mommy will give you your milk right now.¡±


    ¡°I wish someone gave me milk when I cried.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to go to work.¡±


    Claire irritatingly looked at Clive as he joked around about wanting to be breastfed by her.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok if i¡¯m late. The guys will understand me wanting to spend every second with my beautiful wife and my cute son.¡±


    Clive laughed as quickly ran out of the house. He had teased Claire and was happy to be able to see her blushed face. She was usually a strong woman but there were times where even she acts embarrassed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like your father Kan. When he was younger he was such a flirt with the ladies. It was only when I tied him down was he ever bashful. It was said he conquered countless of women but what happened in the end. I conquered him.¡±


    Kan giggled and nodded his head as if he had understood what Claire had said to him. Seeing Kan nod his head, the smile on her face grew immense. She nudged his little nose a praised him for being such a smart little boy.


    Claire went to the kitchen with Kan strapped to her chest and prepared to make breakfast. She grabbed a few eggs to cook for herself to eat and a few fruits and vegetables for Kan to eat. She smashed the vegetables and fruits into a paste like substance so Kan would be able to eat it. As she was about to cook the eggs for herself, knocks came from the front door.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Who is it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me Jane, I came to check up on you and Kan.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Wait just a moment Jane.¡±


    Claire began tidying up the kitchen and took off her apron. She grabbed Kan¡¯s bowl of food and set it down at the living room table and then went to open the door. Jane walked in with a basket full of fruits ranging from apples, oranges, bananas, and many other kinds.


    ¡°Good morning Claire and good morning to you to Kan.¡±


    ¡°Good morning Jane. You can put that basket of fruits on the table on the living room table. Oh, can you also take Kan and feed him with the bowl of food on the table.¡±


    Claire gave Kan to Jane and Kan didn¡¯t resist or cry. Jane held him in her arms and Kan snuggled right in between her arm and her breast like it was the most comfortable seat in the house. Jane carried Kan and sat down on the couch and grabbed the bowl of food and began feeding him. Kan didn¡¯t resist and accepted the spoon of fruits and vegetables. While Jane was feeding Kan, Claire finished cooking her eggs and brought it to the living room table.


    ¡°Hey Jane you want some of my eggs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good Claire. I already ate before getting here.¡±


    Claire and Kan both quickly finished eating their food. Claire grabbed the dishes and went to wash them. As Claire finishing up the dishes, Jane played with Kan.


    ¡°So did you need anything Jane.¡±


    ¡°I just came to check on you and Kan. So how¡¯s life as a new mother.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been tiring but great. Waking up every night to feed Kan is tiring but it is worth it when I can see his cute little face when he is satisfied and goes back to sleep. I never knew having a child was so tiring but yet so fun.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sorry Jane. I didn¡¯t mean to...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, it¡¯s already been 8 years since I found out I couldn¡¯t have children.¡±


    ¡°Well if it¡¯s ok with you, you can come over every day and treat Kan as your own child.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just trying to make me take care of Kan for free?¡±


    ¡°Oh shoot, you caught me red-handed.¡±


    They both laughed and the mood was no longer tense. Even though Claire had said that just for fun to change the mood, it made Jane honestly happy. 8 years ago while Jane had gone out to travel to another village, her caravan was attacked and robbed. She was captured by bandits because she herself was quite the beauty. In that one month that she was held captive unspeakable horrors had been done to her body.


    When she was discovered by the village people who eradicated the bandits, her body was full of cuts and bruises. It was also then that the doctor told her body had been violated to the point where she would be unable to have children. Jane was depressed for many years because she knew that no man would want a women who was dirty and unable to have children. It was through the effort of Claire and Clive that helped her stand on her own two feet again. Jane was honestly happy with Claire¡¯s words because in some ways she would now have her own child.


    ¡°Thank you Claire.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Why are you thanking me Jane. You¡¯re going to make me blush.¡±

 Chapter 5: The Competition Date

    After running out of the house Clive took the path down towards the dock where he worked at as a fisherman. As he got closer to the ship he usually goes on, he heard two men in a heated argument and another man trying to stop them. One of them was a well built and burly man while the other one was a muscular and stocky man. The other man was a well toned man with a pretty boy face. These three were Clive¡¯s childhood friends Rob, Richard, and Dylan.


    ¡°My daughter is way cuter.¡±


    ¡°Do you even have eyes. You can clearly see that my daughter is the cutest.¡±


    ¡°We get it, we get it, your daughters are cute, let¡¯s get back to work.¡±


    ¡°Yo Dylan, what are Rob and Richard arguing over now. Wait, I bet they¡¯re arguing over something dumb again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, spot on Clive. Rob started telling us how cute his daughter was and Richard started fighting with him that his daughter was cuter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think my daughter is cuter Clive.¡±


    ¡°My daughter is clearly cuter, right Clive.¡±


    As the two were trying to pressure Clive into giving them an answer, Clive awkwardly smiled and didn¡¯t answer. After giving it some thought, a smile appeared on his face because he had come up with the perfect solution to their problem.


    ¡°Hey Dylan we both have newborn sons right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what about it.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we have our sons choose which of the two daughters are cuter. As they say children do not lie.¡±


    ¡°Can they even decide. They were both just recently born.¡±


    ¡°Right, so 1 year from now, all of you bring your family to my house and we can compete to see whether Rob or Richard¡¯s daughter is cuter. While we are at it, let¡¯s also have a small party.¡±


    ¡°¡°Sounds good, you¡¯ll see whose daughter is cuter.¡±¡±


    ¡°Ok now that your quarrel is done, let¡¯s get back to work.¡±


    In the village of Clear View all able body men worked either of four jobs. They could either work as a miner to get materials to make locks, work as a lumberjack who goes to the forest and gets wood, a fisherman who goes out into the ocean to catch fish, or a patrolman who goes around the village and it¡¯s outskirts to patrol. As for Clive, Rob, Richard, Dylan, and a few others they were all fishermen.


    As a fishermen their jobs were sometimes easy or sometimes difficult. Fish was one of the main sources of food for Clear View so there was the pressure of procuring fish on the fishermen. Sometimes they could obtain a large harvest of fish but sometimes they could come up empty. One of the most dangerous thing that could happen to a ship crew is going to far out into the ocean. In the ocean the fishing ships of Clear View only go out a certain distance as to not go in to far in the ocean. What lies beyond that point is countless of dangerous and unknown fish or even the citizens of the Kingdom of the Sea. It was unknown territory so no ships ever go that far. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    The four of them got on their ship and left the dock with their crew. At their usual area of fishing, Clive and Dylan both threw out nets while others did too. Rob steered the ship while Richard helped adjust the sails on the boat so they weren¡¯t part of catching the fish.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite the perfect day for fishing isn¡¯t it, Dylan. The skies are blue and the ocean is calm.¡±


    ¡°Yeah it is. Let¡¯s hope we have a bountiful harvest today.¡±


    Time slowly passed as the crewmen started to slowly bring back the nets. Most of the nets were filled to the brim with fish. This day was clearly going to be a good harvest for them with the amount of fish they are catching.


    ¡°Damn, look at this harvest. This amount of fish can last us for months. This calls for a celebration when we get back.¡±


    ¡°Yeahhh!!¡± ¡°Party!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to eat all the fish I can.¡± ¡°Aaaaaggghh¡±


    At that moment when everyone was in celebration, there was a shrill scream from one of the crew members. Everyone turned their heads to see what was happening and all they saw was blood on the deck.


    ¡°Oh shit, what happened? Why is there blood?¡±


    ¡°Jerry had his fingers bitten off by a fish. Does anyone have any medicine.¡±


    As everyone was panicking the fish was still trying to bite at Jerry. The fish was right next to Jerry¡¯s leg and it was ready to bite. The fish had razor sharp teeth and would be able take a chunk of Jerry right out of him easily.


    In that one moment Clive immediately grabbed a large hook and pierced it through the fish¡¯s eye. With the hook in the fish¡¯s eye, Clive flung the fish towards the side and away from others. The fish landed in an area where the equipment was kept. As it sporadically flopped around, Clive immediately grabbed a shovel and sliced it¡¯s head off.


    ¡°Clive, that was amazing. Good thing we had a combat locksmith on board with us.¡±


    ¡°That was a close one. How is your hand Jerry?¡±


    ¡°Thanks Clive. That damn thing bit three of my fingers right off and it would have done more damage if it weren¡¯t for you Clive.¡±


    As the fish lied there everyone started to crowd around the fish. Everyone was interested in what type of fish would have done so much damage. There were the occasional aggressive fish but not a fish with razor sharp teeth and hard as iron scales. They looked at the fish but no one knew what type of fish it was. Rob walked down from the steering wheel to check on the situation and as he looked at the fish, he knew what kind it was.


    ¡°I think that is a steel-skinned fish. I have gone further in the ocean before and have seen this type of fish before. It is said that this type of fish¡¯s scale could block almost all types of steel tool unless it was well made and that it¡¯s bite could even cut through steel.¡±


    ¡°Damn ain¡¯t that fish kind of scary. It could have bitten anyone one of us.¡±


    ¡°Good thing we had Clive on board.¡±


    Everyone thanked Clive for so quickly getting rid of the fish. Just thinking about what could have happened to them if the fish was in their net gave them shivers. They could only appreciate that Clive was here to stop the fish before it could attack and injure anyone else.


    Clive looked around and saw that everyone was uneasy and anxious about what just happened. Clive didn¡¯t want the atmosphere to stay this stiff so he decided to encourage them.


    ¡°Hey what are you guys so worried about. We¡¯ve been in these seas long enough to know that there are dangers so what are we afraid of. We just have to be ready next time and beat these fishes off.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like what Clive said we¡¯ve been here long enough to know the dangers. Look at our harvest today. When we get back we are going to party all night long with the amount of fish we have caught today.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°Yeahhh!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°All right men, bring up all the nets, let the sails down, and let¡¯s go home and partyyy!!!¡±

 Chapter 6: The Interruption

    As one year passed for the village of Clear View nothing much happened. After the incident with a sailor getting his fingers bitten off, nothing else happened. Some sailors have seen those fishes a few times but as they were already warned about these fishes, they dealt with them quickly. On this date, there were two men arguing while two women walked besides them holding babies. As they got closer and closer to the house on the hill their argument started to heat up even more then before.


    ¡°Today is the day that we will find out whose daughter is the cutest. Are you ready to lose Richard.¡±


    As soon as Rob blurted this line out Richard scoffed at his comment and retorted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean am I ready to win.¡±


    Both Rob and Richard kept on ranting about how cute their daughters were, while their wives watched on with helplessness in their eyes. This was not the first time that both Rob and Richard had butted heads with each other over something petty. When all 4 of them were younger Rob and Richard would always compete with each other to see who caught the biggest fish or who could skip rocks the furthest so this sort of competition between them was normal. Rob¡¯s wife was named Claudia and the child that was sleeping in between her arms was Mary. Richard¡¯s wife was Leia and her daughter was named Jessica.


    As they got closer to the house they saw Dylan with his wife Eliza and their son Leo in front of the house. As soon as Rob and them got closer to the house they were confused as to why Dylan and them had not gone in it yet.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you guys gone in yet?¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems that Claire has not made the food yet, so she told us to wait outside.¡±


    As soon as Dylan said that Claire was not done cooking yet, Claudia, Leia, and Eliza already knew what was happening inside the house. When they were younger, whenever Claire had tried to cook it was always a disaster. There were times when the pot would turn to ashes, the food being a blob of unrecognizable slime, or even burning down a house. It was only in the past few years was Claire able to learn how to cook. Even though she learned how to cook, it was only the most simplest of dishes like eggs, porridge, or a salad. Even then, when all three of them learned that she cooked these dishes and that they were edible, they all cried tears of joy for her. Claire was only able to cook simple dishes and nothing else so as they walked into the house they all thought to themselves ¡®What disaster are we going to see today.¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯re coming in Claire.¡±


    ¡°Hey Claire, do you need any help cooking.¡±


    Claudia had asked Claire if she needed any help but as they entered the house they realized that Claire didn¡¯t need any help at all. They were all shocked at what they saw on the dinner table because there was actual food on it. Food that looked edible enough to eat and they weren¡¯t simple dishes like eggs. There was a roasted chicken, steak, and even a stew of delicious vegetables.


    ¡°Hmph. I already know what you all are thinking. You guys all thought that I would just serve you guys plain food but behold.¡±


    ¡°Is it actually edible?¡±


    ¡°Someone punch me. Am I dreaming right now, Claire being able to cook.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°It looks edible. Besides it¡¯s appearance looking nice, it smells good.¡±


    ¡°Do you think this Claire is a fake Claire. She would never be able to cook something this good.¡±


    ¡°Hey stop making fun of me. Try it first before you diss me.¡±


    All of them grabbed a fork and they all slowly approached the roasted chicken. As their forks got closer to the chicken, beads of sweat could be seen on their head. They were all clearly worried that they might lose their lives today. In the past Claire had once cooked a perfectly fine looking steak but it was not safe to digest. For the next week or so they all had internal pains in their stomachs. They had now grabbed a piece of the chicken and put it in their mouth. Everything turned silent as the only thing that could be heard were the crickets.


    ¡°¡±¡°It¡¯s good!!!¡±¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Hehehehehaahaha!!! I told you guys it was good. I am no longer the old Claire. I am now SuperMommyClaire. Since I gave birth to Kan, I have been training everyday so I can give Kan the best dishes to eat. Hahahahahahaha!!!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. Claire can finally cook something more then just eggs.¡±


    ¡°This is just like seeing a child learn how to cook for the first time.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t agree more. This is good for Claire¡¯s level of cooking.¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel like you guys aren¡¯t praising me but making fun of me instead.¡±


    Everyone burst into laughter as Claire complained at their comments on her cooking. Clive walked into the room with Kan tightly holding onto him as everyone was laughing.


    ¡°Wow, Kan sure has grown a lot larger than the last time I saw.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, even though he still clings on to us like we are going to disappear or something.¡±


    ¡°Are you ready Kan.¡±


    ¡°Are you ready Leo.¡±


    ¡°¡°It¡¯s time to decide!!!¡±¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait. Let¡¯s eat first. Claire took her time in making all of this good food so we should eat it before it goes cold.¡±


    ¡°¡°Alright.¡±¡±


    Everyone prepared to sit down and eat at the dinner table but there weren¡¯t enough space so the men went and ate at the living room table as the women at with the babies. As they all ate, it was full of surprises every time they ate a different dish. Each dish was actually edible. They had thought that only the chicken would be edible but all the other dishes were edible too.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were so capable at cooking Claire. All of my suffering had not gone to waste.¡±


    ¡°Here you go Jessica, Aunty Claire made edible food and you¡¯re one of the first ones to try it.¡±


    Everyone laughed at Claudia¡¯s and Leia¡¯s joke because all of them had once been victims to Claire¡¯s cooking. As everyone finished eating, the wives started to take the dishes to the sink to clean while the guys took the children off of them. Rob and Richard were eagerly ready to start the competition and she which of their daughters is cuter.


    ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s get this competition star...¡±


    Before Clive could even finish his sentence alarm bells were going off around the village.


    ¡°Intruders.¡± ¡°Intruders.¡± ¡°There are intruders in the village.¡± ¡°Get all the women and children inside.¡±


    As the alarms went off Clive, Rob, Richard, and Dylan were all surprised. It was very rare for their to be intruders in their remote village. There would occasionally be the monster invading the village or a wild animal coming in the village but never intruders. Whenever it was a monster or an animal they were never described as an intruder so this occasion was a rare one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see what is happening. Claire take the girls and the children into the cellar.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go guys.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ain¡¯t nobody going to intruder in our village and leave scott free.¡±

 Chapter 7: The Search

    As night time approached for the village of Clear View, the village was unusually bright. As the alarm bells kept on ringing, all the men gathered around the plaza with torches in order to figure what to do about the situation. In this tense atmosphere, all the villagers were on alert and as soon as they saw four figures coming down the hill they all faced them and prepared to fight.


    ¡°Whoa, whoa. Calm down it¡¯s just us four.¡±


    As soon as the villagers realized that it was just Clive, Rob, Richard, and Dylan the atmosphere loosened just a bit. They lowered their weapons and gave them torches so they would be identifiable and help with searching for the intruders.


    ¡°So what is the situation right now. Do you guys know where the intruders are or how many there are?¡±


    As Clive asked the question to the villagers, they answered what they knew about the situation. One of the villagers had seen four people dressed in all black and one of them had a sack slung over their shoulder. He had tried to fight them and get back whatever was in the sack but had to retreat because they were skilled in fighting. He had decided to run and ring the alarm bells to notify that there were intruders. All of the events that the villager had described had mention happened about twenty minutes ago.


    ¡°Do you guys have any lead as to where they went.¡±


    ¡°Yeah we do. When I was fighting them earlier I saw them rush into the forest.¡±


    While Clive was asking the villager for details another villager urgently came running to the group. He was out of breath and was gasping for air. From head to toe he was drenched in sweat.


    ¡°Hey did you check every house and see if anyone was missing.¡±


    ¡°Haaah,Haah,haah. Jane. Jane. Jane is missing.¡±


    Although Jane was not born in the village and had no blood relatives in the village, everyone was still worried for her. She had already been with the village for over ten years and had helped out a lot around the village. Whenever anyone was hurt in the village or was giving birth in the village, Jane was always the one they relied on. Besides being skilled in medicine, Jane was also a very kind woman. Every week she would always check each house to see if they needed any help even though she didn¡¯t have too. She would check up on the health of the wives who have just given birth and the children to see if their conditions are stable.


    ¡®Fuck, why would they go after Jane. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s those bandits again but didn¡¯t we get rid of them. Damn!''


    Clive thought to himself and was infuriated at the prospect that it was those same bandits that once violated Jane. He was prepared to rush into the forest and search for those bandits but his train of thought was then interrupted by the voice of the mayor.


    ¡°I want two groups to be made. Half of them men will stay behind and protect our village while the best fighters will go into the forest and search for Jane. For those going into the forest, create groups of four to five men and find Jane. This is not the first time our village has faced difficulty and it will probably not be our last, but every time we have always come out on top. Find Jane!!!¡±


    ¡°YEAHHHH!!!!¡±


    As the village men were roaring and invigorating themselves in finding Jane, Clive turned around to look at Rob, Richard, and Dylan.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Are you guys ready to go. We are going to go straight into the forest and look for Jane.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°We are definitely going to find Jane.¡±


    ¡°We found Jane eight years ago and we¡¯ll find her again.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go then.¡±


    ......


    Somewhere in the forest, the rustling of bushes and the cracking of branches could be heard. The sound came from the four men who were rushing through the forest as fast as they could. On the shoulder of one of them was a sack and in that sack was Jane.


    ¡°Do you think we are far enough yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. We¡¯ll take the girl out to interrogate when we find a spot to hide in.¡±


    While they kept running they reached a small hill and on this hill was a cave that could fit all of them. Entering the cave one of the men used a magic spell that allowed him to scan the cave. It was a simple spell that could only sense a hundred feet where the user looked at but it was good enough for this situation.


    ¡°Take her out of the sack.¡±


    When Jane was taken out of the sack their was visible fear in her eyes. Her body was shaking, her face pale as ash, and cold sweat dripping down her body. She was afraid. Afraid that the events eight years ago will repeat itself.


    ¡°Ungag her. If you dare to scream or call out for help i¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Hey boss. Before you kill why don¡¯t we have some fun with her first.¡±


    The four men started laughing at the prospect of having a toy to play with for the night but Jane was shaking even more. Although Jane was shaking in fear there was a determination in her eyes. The determination to not give in to their whims.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Good girl. I just want to ask you some questions. After you answer them I may let you go.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your question.¡±


    ¡°Do you know of a Claire Renner?¡±


    ¡®Claire Renner?¡¯ ¡®Wait are they talking about Claire.¡¯ Jane thought to herself and was surprised but tried her hardest to not show it on her face. ¡®If they are looking for Claire then I¡¯m not going to tell them anything. I¡¯d rather die than betray Claire.¡¯


    ¡°Oh. What was that. I think I just saw a glimpse of hesitation in your face. So you do know Claire.¡±


    ¡®Shit, I couldn¡¯t hide my expressions.¡¯


    ¡°I do know a Claire but she is probably not the same one you are looking for. She has always grown up in this village and has never been outside of it. She has never done anything to offend anyone so this isn¡¯t your Claire.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha. Thank you very much. We were searching for a Claire who has grown up in the village of Clear View.¡±


    Jane¡¯s face turned even paler. She had accidentally confirmed the intruder¡¯s suspicions on Claire.


    ¡°Jane! Jane! Answer if you can hear us Jane! Jane!¡±


    ¡°Shit. They already caught up. Cover her mouth and we¡¯ll hide in the corner of the cave.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡±


    Jane¡¯s attempt at calling out to the villagers was interrupted by one of the black clothed figure hand. Jane was grabbed and they started to drag her towards the back end of the cave.


    ¡®I have to yell for help. This is my last chance. I can¡¯t let these people get away and harm Claire.¡¯


    Jane was set and determined to risk her life to alert the villagers. As Jane was being dragged from behind, she struggled and wiggled. With her struggle she had loosen the man¡¯s grip on her body. She then pushed him back with her body to get out of his grip but she did not have enough momentum to push him further. As the man was starting to regain his grip on her, Jane opened her mouth and bit down onto his hand then she dipped her body in preparation to jump and headbutt his chin.


    ¡°Fuck, this bitch.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯M RIGHT HEREEEEEEE!!!!!!¡±

 Chapter 8: Battle in the Shadows

    ¡°I¡¯M RIGHT HEREEEEEEE!!!!!!¡±


    ......


    ¡°That was Jane¡¯s voice. Where is it coming from.¡±


    ¡°Over there towards that hill.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    The four of them rushed towards the hill no longer caring in hiding their presence from the intruders. As they approached the hill they saw the cave entrance.


    ¡°Everyone slow down. I think they are in that cave.¡±


    ¡°What should we do.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I have a plan. I will go in the cave by myself and grab Jane then sprint out. When I exit the cave you guys will ambush them.¡±


    ¡°Clive that is way to dangerous. What can you do by yourself in there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Dylan. Don¡¯t you know who I am. I am Clive Lock, son of Jonathan Lock, a combat locksmith.¡±


    In the city-state of Key exists four types of locksmiths. A regular locksmith who creates locks out of any materials, a mage locksmith who uses magic to create locks and seals, a combat locksmith who can lock a person¡¯s combat ability or skills and unlock their own hidden power, andlegends say that when the Kingdom of Key still existed there was a fourth type, the Locksmith Sovereign. The Locksmith Sovereign was a titled given to those who could control all types of locksmithing.


    Clive himself was a combat locksmith who learned under his father. Jonathan Lock was the best combat locksmith who had appeared within thecity-state of Key within the last 1,000 years. It was said that he every punch he made on an enemy, they would die instantly because he had locked their blood flow. Jonathan Lock was also known for his elite troops of 500. They were known as the 50% Strong Corps because all of the members had 50% of all their potential permanently opened by Jonathan and composed of 50% of the nation¡¯s strength. He and his corps became the deterrence against other kingdoms invading but he had disappeared when Clive was 14.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. Good luck then Clive.¡±


    Clive walked into the cave but everything was pitch black. The furthest he could see was five feet in front of him. Before he walked any further he punched his chest and as soon as he punched himself, his presence had disappeared. He was still there in the cave but he was barely noticeable. Even if someone had walked past him and tried to recall his appearance or whether it was a woman or man, it would be very difficult. Clive had sealed his presence or aura just like how a lion would hide it¡¯s killing intent before pouncing on their prey. He then rubbed his eyes and poked his ears to enhance his vision and hearing.


    ¡®I can hear eight heartbeats. Three of them are coming from behind me so they are just Rob, Richard, and Dylan. In front of me though, four of their heartbeats are faint and calm while one is beating erratically. That must be Jane then. Those four are too calm for the situation. They must not be regular bandits then.¡¯The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Clive slowly walked towards where the intruders were with a sharp and dangerous glint in his eyes. He was ready to kill and slaughter all four of those men.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Boss, one of the men¡¯s presence just disappeared. He might have a concealment skill that is of a higher level then my skill, [Detect].¡±


    ¡°Shit. Ok, he might already be in the cave so throw some spike balls on the ground so when he steps on them we¡¯ll hear him wince.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already too late.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    All four of the men turned their heads to see where the voice was coming from but one of them couldn¡¯t because he was being lifted off the ground by Clive¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Boss. Help, help me, it hurtsssss.¡±


    Clive had appeared behind the four men and none of them noticed him. He had walked right by them but they had not seen him. Right now Clive¡¯s arm was inside the black clothed man who was about to throw the spike balls. He had enhanced the strength of his arm to 5% which made it as strong as steel. His arm had easily pierced through the body of the man and lifting him up was even easier.


    ¡°You can have him back.¡±


    Clive had thrown the man¡¯s lifeless body towards the boss and another one of the men. Clive then bent his body down and prepared to rush towards the man holding Jane. He arrived there in less than a blink of the eye. It was a speed not possible for a regular human but Clive had enhanced his legs to 10%. With his momentum Clive jumped and dropped kick the man. The man had splattered the caves of the wall in red. The man had died without even having a second to process what had happened to him.


    ¡°Fuck. Run, he¡¯s a strong combat locksmith.¡±


    As the last two men were running towards the exit of the cave, Clive picked up a rock the size of an adult man¡¯s grown hand. He then enhanced his right arm to 10% of his original strength and then threw the rock. The rock flew at incredible speeds and unfortunately for the boss of the group, the rock went straight through his waist and took a large chunk out of him. The other man kept running without looking back because he knew if he stopped for a second, death would catch up with him. Clive then slowly walked towards the boss of the group.


    ¡°Why were you after Jane? Who are you guys?¡±


    Clive roared for the man to answer his questions but instead the man laughed hysterically.


    ¡°Fuck You.¡±


    A massive amount of energy started gathering around the man. His entire body was bloating up like a balloon and he was about to pop. Clive immediately enhanced his entire body to 35% which was the limit his body could take. He dashed back towards Jane and covered her body with his so she wouldn¡¯t have to withstand the blast of energy coming from the explosion.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Someone¡¯s coming out of the cave. Prepare to fight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Clive.¡±


    As soon as the man saw the light coming from the exit of the cave, he was overjoyed that he had escaped but his view of the world suddenly changed. Everything he saw was upside down. ¡¯What, why is the world upside down?¡¯ He had died without knowing how it happened.


    ¡°Damn Dylan. I knew you created your own sword style but I didn¡¯t think it was this strong.¡±


    The man had his head swiftly cut off by Dylan¡¯s sword. As they were admiring Dylan¡¯s swordplay, intense rumbling could be heard and felt.


    ¡°What¡¯s that sound.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute. Isn¡¯t this the sound and feeling of a cave in.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit. Clive is still in the cave with Jane.¡±


    ¡°Clive hurry up and get your ass out of there!!!!!¡±

 Chapter 9: The Cave In (Part 1)

    In the pitch darkness were two people. One person¡¯s back was scorched black and the other person had blood dripping down the side of their face where streams of tears were also coming out.


    ¡®Who¡¯s crying?¡¯


    ¡°You can¡¯t die. You can¡¯t die Clive. You have a family waiting for you at home.¡±


    ¡®Who¡¯s voice is that? Ah, I can¡¯t move my body.¡¯


    Clive¡¯s body had been overworked through him trying to past the limits on unlocking his body and the black clothed man¡¯s explosion was far to close. The cave was far to small for the explosion not to reach Clive and Jane. The cave was only about 80 feet deep so the blast was still strong when it reached Clive¡¯s back.


    ¡°I have no choice then. I¡¯m sorry Clive, this is the only way I can think of saving you [Body Connection].¡±


    ''What...what are you...''


    ¡°AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!¡±


    After Jane used her skill the cave was now completely quiet. Both Jane and clive had passed out after Jane used her skill.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Richard go back and inform the villagers about the cave in. Tell them to bring pickaxes and any locksmiths. Dylan go with him a protect him from and animals or monsters. I¡¯ll stay here and wait for you guys.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Let¡¯s hurry Dylan.¡±


    Both Richard and Dylan rushed towards the village with the fastest speed they could usher.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Grandfather we have an emergency.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Ok. Catch your breath Dylan. What is the problem.¡±


    ¡°A cave in happened and Clive and Jane were in it. We need pickaxes and any locksmiths available.¡±


    ¡°What. When did it happened. We might still have time to save them.¡±


    ¡°It happened about ten minutes ago or so.¡±


    ¡°Ok, wait just a minute. Ring the natural disaster bell! Tell every men to come back.¡±


    Unlike the intruder alarm bell, the natural disaster bell had a loud and high pitch sound that even villagers in the forest and in parts of the sea could hear. As the bell rang all the village men and women gather towards the plaza.


    ¡°Are the intruders gone?¡± ¡°Have they been captured?¡± ¡°Why are they ringing the alarm bell for natural disasters?¡±


    The more the villagers gathered in the plaza the more confusion spread around. Everyone was asking each other questions which some had no answers to. The confusion got worse and worse and people started to become worried at the current situation.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°SILENCE!!!¡±


    The villagers immediately quieted down in front of Dylan''s grandfather, the mayor of Clear View. No one would defy the mayor¡¯s order no matter how old he was. Although the mayor was now 85 years old, he had always been the strength and backbone in the village of Clear View. On countless of occasions he had led the village out of numerous disasters. Eight years ago when Jane was kidnapped, the mayor immediately gathered the men to go save Jane. Even Jonathan Lock could not go up against the mayor. It was not because the mayor was physically stronger than Jonathan but because when Jonathan was younger, the mayor had bailed Jonathan out of many of his reckless antics and scolded him for them. The mayor had helped raised Jonathan to be the man he was, so Jonathan would never raise his hand against him.


    ¡°The intruders have been eliminated but we have another problem. Clive and Jane are stuck within a cave. It has not been confirmed whether they are dead or not but we will try our hardest to save them. All men who have just returned from the forest or sea, stay and protect the village. Those who had been guarding the village grab pickaxes, shovels, or whatever will help with the excavation. Any locksmiths available, please help us too.¡±


    The mayor¡¯s speech was clearly and loudly announced where every villager could hear it. The villagers immediately got to preparing to go save Clive and Jane. In the midst of all the villagers preparation was one woman who stood still and shocked, it was Claire. The announcement had been to much of a shock to her so she only stood there, tears streaming down her face.


    ¡°It... It¡¯ll be fine Claire. The village will definitely save Clive and Jane.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll be out of that cave in a jiffy.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to your house and cook a meal for Clive and Jane. They¡¯ll be hungry when they come out.¡±


    As Eliza, Leia, and Claudia tried to cheer Claire up, Claire just stood and didn¡¯t hear whatever they said to her.


    ¡®I...I need... I need to go save them.¡¯


    With determination in her eyes, Claire prepared with the other men to go save Clive and Jane.


    ¡­¡­


    In the pitch darkness Clive had woken up. To a normal person the tiny room would be pitch black but to Clive he could see perfectly. His enhancement through unlocking the power on his eyes had not worn off.


    Every time he unlocked a certain percentage of his body, there is always a timer on it. For Clive currently, every enhancement below 15% was semi permanent. It could last a very long time because Clive had trained his body through constant usage and breaking past his limits. Every percentage after 15% would drastically have a lowered time limit to it. At 20% the limit is 1 hour but every percent after that would be a decrement of 10 minutes then when it reaches 26% the limit becomes one minute with a decrement of 10 seconds and when it reaches 32% the limit is 5 seconds with a decrement of 1 second.


    Clive was now able to barely move his body. He then slowly pushed his body up against the wall to see his surroundings and he saw Jane in the corner of the room. Jane was lying on the ground rolling and writhing in pain.


    ¡°Hey Jane. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°AAAHHHH!¡±


    ¡®Shit, why is Jane in so much pain.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯ll be alright Jane, i¡¯ll help you endure the pain.¡±


    Clive slowly crawled towards Jane. With every inch he got closer, he could see that Jane was in intense pain. Her face was pale, her body was drenched with sweat, and there was blood dripping down the side of her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Jane. I¡¯m not doing this because I want to but have to.


    Clive then proceeded to remove Jane¡¯s shirt and her breast were then fully exposed to him. Her voluptuous breast were now fully exposed and staring at them, Clive blushed. Clive then moved her breasts aside then proceeded to put both of his hands in between the breasts. Clive pumped both of his hands like he was giving cpr. What he was doing was enhancing her heart beat so more blood would flow and repair her body. He had only unlocked 7% more than Jane¡¯s regular heartbeat because that is all her body could take. A regular person usually only had a 10% potential limit and on a daily based they only used 1-3% of their true strength. If Clive had increased Jane¡¯s heartbeat even more, it would be to much of a strain on her body.


    ¡°This is all I can do for you Jane.¡±

 Chapter 10: The Cave In (Part 2)

    ¡°Rob! Rob! We brought backup.¡±


    ¡°Great. Hurry and dig them out.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation? Do you know if Clive or Jane are alive?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know mayor. I¡¯ve been calling out their names for the past hour and still haven¡¯t gotten a response.¡±


    ¡°Ok got it. Combat locksmiths and mage locksmiths help sense if Clive and Jane are still alive.¡±


    The combat locksmiths and mage locksmiths all tried there various skills but none of them could sense if Clive or Jane were alive. These locksmiths were to weak and could not sense deep into the cave. The combat locksmiths were only the weakest of their kind and their potential stop at 15% and the most they could utilize was 7-8%. For the mage locksmiths it was said that masters of their skills could control the heavens and earth with a snap of their fingers. It was a legend based on the ability that mage locksmiths could lock and unlock mana and since every part of nature is made up of mana they could control it. But these mage locksmiths were only able to control a small amount of mana.


    The amount of mana a mage locksmith could control was based on the amount of mana their own bodies could withstand. The body is a vessel for nature¡¯s mana to course through and then be converted into a mage locksmith¡¯s own power. Unlike a combat locksmith, a mage locksmith was more difficult to train in because a regular person would virtually have no potential in training in magic. These mage locksmiths had potential of 5% but the most they could utilize was 3%.


    ¡°Mayor we can¡¯t sense them. They are either to deep in the cave or¡­ or they are dead.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s face turned grim. Clive and Jane could be dead for all they know. Clive had grown up in the village so many of those people who were present in the rescue were friends of him and for Jane she had already lived with them for the past ten years so she was basically part of the village.


    ¡°Get out of my way.¡±


    ¡°Waaaaawwaaaaa!!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Kan, SuperMommyClaire is about to save Daddy and Aunty.¡±


    An enormous magic circle appeared in the skies which covered the entire hill from above. Unlike the other magic circles the mage locksmiths made, this magic circle was filled with thousands upon thousands of lines of complex symbols. None of the other mages were able to comprehend these types of symbols and as they looked at them longer, it started to become painful to look at. As for the others it wasn¡¯t too painful to look at because it was all just gibberish to them because they didn¡¯t understand any of the symbols.


    ¡°I¡¯ve locked down all the mana in the skies and within the ground. I also locked the the hardness and strength to the rocks blocking the path to where my husband is, so hurry up and dig! The most I can lock down the mana is five hours so please hurry up!¡±


    Everyone was confused and looked towards Claire who had planted her hands on the ground. ¡®She was a mage locksmith.¡¯ ¡®How is she so strong.¡¯ ¡®She..she is controlling the heavens and earth.¡¯ As countless questions passed through every person¡¯s mind, there train of thought was interrupted by the mayor¡¯s roar.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Hurry up and DIGGG!!!!!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Mmmgghh, where...where am I.¡±


    Jane rubbed her eyelids to try and see if she could see better but all around her was darkness. The only thing she saw was a silhouette of a figure standing. Her body started shaking in fear remembering that she was kidnapped. The figure then spoke in a high pitched voice.


    ¡°Rise and shine Darling. Last night was soooo much fun *wink *wink.¡±


    ¡°What? Who...who are you? Where am I?¡±


    ¡°How cruel of you Darling. We ran away to this cave so we could elope.¡±


    The figure then dropped down to their knees and started sobbing like the love of their life just rejected them.


    ¡°Wait aren''t you. Ughh. What are you doing Clive? You better stop or i¡¯ll tell Claire.¡±


    ¡°Ah, i¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t tell Claire. She¡¯ll eat me alive if she found out what I did.¡±


    ¡°¡°Haahahhahaaha.¡±¡±


    They both burst out in laughter and all the pent up tension immediately disappeared. Both Clive and Jane for the past few hours had been through high tension moments but now they each had a good laugh and relaxed.


    ¡°Hey Jane are you ok now. Why were you in so much pain earlier.¡±


    Jane was silent for a moment and hesitant to tell Clive but then decided to tell him anyways because she could trust Clive.


    ¡°Clive can you promise me that you will never tell anyone about what I am about to say. This is a very big secret that I have never told anyone in the 36 years that I have lived.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can trust me Jane. I¡¯ll never tell a soul.¡±


    Jane prepared to tell Clive. She took deep breaths and calmed her mind so she could explain to Clive.


    ¡°Earlier when you were laying down over there, I saw that you were dying so I used my skill [Body Connection]. Before I came to the village of Clear View I was once a wandering healer. Healing is an uncommon skill that can¡¯t be learned and can only be borned with. I was one of those rare existances that could use the powers of healing. In my village I was adored as a saint child that could heal all wounds but my powers were useless when I really needed. One day a plague suddenly overwhelmed my village and countless amounts of friends and families died in front of me. No matter how hard I tried to heal them they never got better. The last to die in the village besides me was my little brother. On that day I tried healing over and over and over again but it didn¡¯t work and wished that I could carry half of his burden so he wouldn¡¯t have to suffer so much but in the end he died. The gods laughed at my misery that day, immediately after his death they had given me the skill [Body Connection]. [Body Connection] allows to share body and soul with another person. The skill can only be used once but whoever I use it on will be able to transfer over their pain to me. The amount they transfer over can be from 1% to 100% of the pain and damage. We will also be able to detect the lifeforce of one another and if I die the other person will be fine but if the other person dies, I will die along with them.¡±


    In the beginning of Jane¡¯s talk she had been calm and collected but as soon as she started talking about her past and how she lost her family, tears started coming out and her voice became hoarse and sad.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me Jane. Heh, I guess we are soulmates now aren¡¯t we.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I guess we are.¡±


    Clive blushed, not expecting that Jane would agree with him. An awkward silence arose in their small cavern.


    ¡°Cough, cough. Oh, I almost forgot. Jane why were those men in black after you.¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t after me...they were after Claire.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!?¡±

 Chapter 11: The Cave In (Part 3)

    Clive rushed towards Jane and sat in front of her with a serious look in his eyes. Unlike his usual playful self, the look on his face was they same one he had when he had killed those black clothed men.


    ¡°Are you sure they were looking for Claire.¡±


    With utmost seriousness Clive asked Jane to clarify on the whether those men were looking for Claire or not.


    ¡°I am not 100% sure but they said they were looking for a Claire Renner who had grown up in Clear View. The first name is the same and the last name is different so i¡¯m not entirely sure if they were looking for our Claire or not.¡±


    As soon as Jane mentioned the name Claire Renner, Clive¡¯s expression turned solemn. Silence once again took over the cave. Clive was silent and pondered over this problem while Jane was silent because she knew this was a big secret concerning Claire and Clive. She decided not to ask anything about it because she knew it was a matter not to be spoken of lightly.


    ¡°Jane. If both Claire and I disappear one day. Please...please take care of Kan.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Two hours had past since Claire had locked the entire hill. Even though they still had three hours left until Claire¡¯s magic would deactivate, every single villager there was picking at the cave with all of their strength. Every single time a villager would become exhausted another one would replace them. There digging and picking was efficient because the mayor had thought of this plan.


    ¡°Ok, we have dug quite a ways through. All locksmiths use your skills to see if you can sense Clive and Jane.¡±


    The two combat locksmiths and the one mage locksmith scanned the cave for any signs of life and when they scanned around they felt faint heartbeats.


    ¡°There are heartbeats. They are still alive.¡±


    Everyone was filled with relief. It would be too hard on their mental state if they had dug all the way into the cave to see the mangled corpse of their friends. Knowing that Clive and Jane were still alive gave them the courage and strength to keep on digging.


    ¡°Ok men. Dig harder. Clive and Jane are still alive and breathing. Dig like your lives depend on it.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The cave was silent. It was like there weren¡¯t any people in the cave with how quiet it was. After their first initial conversation almost two hours had already past. Jane was in her own corner thinking about the words Clive had said to her and Clive was in another corner thinking about future problems that would occur.


    ¡°Hey...hey Clive how are your wounds.¡±


    ¡°Good. I feel better but still a little weak.¡±


    Clive¡¯s body was truly in a miserable position. Usually unlocking 5% was easy but now he could barely use 2%. In comparison to his strength at optimal conditions, right now he only had the strength of any regular man on the street.


    ¡°Jane what I said earlier. You don¡¯t have to think to hard on it. I was only saying that ¡°if¡± we are gone. We won¡¯t disappear from Kan life¡¯s. We still have to teach him to be a wonderful man like his father.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s ok. I¡¯m sorry for not answering you earlier.¡±


    Jane looked towards Clive with determination in her eyes. Even if Clive had not asked her to take care of Kan she would already care for him as a son. Claire had already accepted Jane as a second mother of Kan so no matter what happens in the future she will always be Kan¡¯s mother.


    ¡°I am willing to raise Kan. No matter what happens in the future I will care and love Kan just like my own child.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Jane. I sincerely thank you for the care and love you show for Kan.¡±


    Silence once again reign over the cave. Both Clive and Jane again stopped talking to one another.


    ¡°Aahhh. This silence is too unbearable. Jane let¡¯s talk about something else.¡±


    ¡°Ok. What do you want to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about Kan. He is such an adorable monster. Whenever Claire or I aren¡¯t with him he always cries and only stops whenever we are holding him. Although it I find it so cute of him, I can¡¯t even go train without him being strapped onto my back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do understand the cuteness in Kan¡¯s actions. It¡¯s so adorable whenever I come and visit him and he clings on to me. He¡¯s just like a baby monkey.¡±


    ¡°Now that I think about it, the only time Claire and I could rest is when you come over and watch over him. You should come over more. Even though you only come visit him once in a while, he already treats you like a second mother.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad he treats me like a second mother. It would break my heart to ever see him reject me. I can¡¯t even imagine him not allowing me to coddle him in love and affection.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I totally understand that feeling.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, why did you describe Kan as an ¡°adorable monster¡±. I understand you calling him adorable but why a monster.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean to describe him as a monster because he is dangerous or anything but because some parts of him are monstrous. When I had examined his potential as a combat locksmith I was totally stunned. Even I could not see his potential and do you know what that means?¡±


    ¡°No. What does it mean?¡±


    ¡°It means that his potential far surpasses mine. My potential as a combat locksmith is 65% while my father had a 70% potential. Since my potential is 65% I would be able to sense Kan¡¯s potential if it was only a few percent more than mine but I couldn¡¯t see it. That means his potential is 10% more or above than mine. Although people say that my father is the strongest combat locksmith to appear within the last 1,000 years, I believe that Kan will become the strongest combat locksmith to appear since the founding of the Kingdom of Key.


    ¡°Wow, Kan is a monsterous talent.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t even the end of it. Claire also measured Kan¡¯s potential as a mage locksmith and unbelievably he also had monstrous potential in being a mage locksmith. Claire herself has quite the monstrous potential but even then she couldn¡¯t sense Kan¡¯s potential. My god, what kind of adorable monster had Claire and I made.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Claire is a mage locksmith.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡±


    In his rant in admiring his son¡¯s potential Clive had accidentally told Jane about Claire¡¯s secret in being a powerful mage locksmith.


    ¡°Jane. Please don¡¯t tell anyone about Claire being a mage locksmith.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Hey, are you guys all good in there.¡±


    Sunlight immediately poured into the cave and the darkness was parted. The villagers had finally pierced into the area where Clive and Jane were stuck at. Clive and Jane both walked towards the light and the person who had his hands reached out towards them.


    ¡°Gosh, Dylan. Could it take you guys any longer to get us out.¡±


    ¡°Shut up Clive.¡±


    Both Clive and Jane had the utmost trust that the villagers would eventually rescue them. Not once when they were in the cave did they ever doubt that they would not be saved. The trust between all the villagers ran thicker than blood.

 Chapter 12: Reunion

    Clive and Jane both walked out of the cave and as soon as the villagers saw them come out they cheered. There friends Clive and Jane were alive. It was a sense of great relief for all the villagers. Clive and Jane both waved towards the villagers and gave all of them there thanks for saving them from the cave. While Clive was thanking the villagers, someone rushed straight towards him with speed unimaginable for a regular person. If Clive had his regular strength back this tackle would have never been able to knock him down but even if he had his regular strength he wouldn¡¯t resist this person because it was his wife Claire.


    ¡°YOU GODDAMN IDIOT CLIVE!!! HOW COULD YOU GET STUCK IN A STUPID LITTLE CAVE LIKE THAT! DO YOU KNOW WORRIED I WAS!! YOU¡­ YOU...UWAAAAA!!¡±


    Having finally seen Clive safe and sound Claire had rushed straight towards Clive. Now lying on the ground in his embrace she let out all of her emotions. She let all the anger, anxiety, and love rush out as words towards Clive.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worry Claire.¡±


    Clive brought his hands up to Claire face and wiped away her tears. As he wiped away her tears he held her face and brought it closer and gave a her a kiss. They stayed in this position for a while without caring about all the villagers who saw them. Jane and all the villagers could only stare in shock at them as they embraced and kiss one another.


    ¡°Waaaawaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry Kan. I have to apologize to you to. Come over here.¡±


    Kan was strapped onto Claire¡¯s back so Clive had to take him out. When Kan was finally out of the straps, Clive brought his head down and gave him all the kisses on his forehead and cheeks. As the three family lied there, everyone one else could only watch in joy at their happy reunion.


    Jane stood not to far away and watched their reunion with both joy and sadness. She was happy that Clive, Jane, and Kan could meet each other again but also sad that she would never experience that type of familial love ever again. She reminisce in the memories when her family was still alive and how they had once showered her in love.


    The three of them lied on the ground until they started recollecting their emotions. Claire was done crying and was ready to come out of Clive¡¯s embrace. Figuring what his wife was doing, Clive did not hold her down in his embrace. Not forgetting about Jane, she stood up with her arms wide open, ready to accept Jane in her arms.


    The moment Claire readied her arms to embrace her, tears flowed down Jane¡¯s face. Doing the same thing Claire had done, Jane rushed towards Claire embrace. Now it was Claire and Jane on the ground while Clive had stood up with Kan in his arms.


    ¡°UWWAAAAAAUWAAAAA¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Jane. You¡¯ve been through a rough night. Cry your heart out. It¡¯ll be all fi...-mmghh-¡±


    Unexpectedly Jane had also kissed Claire. When Clive and Claire had kissed each other it was expected because they were husband and wife but now that Jane had kissed Claire, everyone was left in even more shock. And the way Jane was kissing Claire was actually more intense then when Clive and Claire was kissing. Jane was forcefully and skillfully using her tongue to attack and entwine Claire¡¯s tongue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look Kan. You are still to young for this.¡±


    Clive slowly put his right hand over Kan¡¯s eyes so he wouldn¡¯t see this sensuous scene happening. The kiss between Claire and Jane had still not ended yet. Claire¡¯s face was blushed red and every time she tried to escape from the kiss, Jane would hold her down and attack her mouth even further. Eventually Jane stopped and lifted her mouth away from claire.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Claire. All of my feelings just gushed out and I couldn¡¯t control myself...and I may have been a little bit jealous of Clive.¡±


    ¡°Eh. Ah. Oh. Uh. It...it...it¡¯s ok.¡±


    Completely beet red from Jane¡¯s attack, Claire was unable to clearly recognize what had just happened and could not answer Jane coherently. Both Jane and Claire slowly stood up and met each others eyes. Jane intently stared at Claire while Claire could no longer look at Jane¡¯s face without thinking about what had just happened. Claire looked towards the ground and briskly walked towards Clive.


    ¡°How was it. Better than mine.¡±


    ¡°Eh. Ah. Oh. SHUT UP!¡±


    Out of embarrassment Claire swiftly kicked Clive¡¯s leg to get him to shut up about what just happened.


    ¡°Kan this is the most embarrassed I have ever seen mommy been in years.¡±


    ¡°Wahahaha.¡±


    ¡°When you grow older and fall in love. Ask Aunty Jane on her techniques.¡±


    ¡°What are you teaching him you idiot.¡±


    ¡°Ah, nothing.¡±


    Clive had tried talking to Kan in a quiet voice but unfortunately Claire had heard him trying to teaching Kan some things. Out of anger Claire begin to kick Clive in the leg even more.


    ¡°Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Darling please forgive me. That actually hurts a lot.¡±


    ¡°*Cough *Cough. Now that we have saved Clive and Jane. Let¡¯s prepare to go back home.¡±


    The mayor coughed and got everyone''s attention from the unexpected scene that had just happened. Everyone''s attention was now finely on the mayor. In Claire''s mind she was grateful for the mayor finally getting the attention off of her.


    ¡°¡±YEAH!!¡±¡±


    ¡°Since it is still night time, and I know that all of you are tired, we will take our time going back home. Those who had just finished mining please stay in the middle of the group and those that have sufficiently rested up, create a circle around them to protect them from the dangers of the forest. Since it is dark be extra careful in where you go, always stay with another person so you do not get lost. Allright men and women let¡¯s go home.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    As the sun slowly rose above the ocean everything was calm. It was peaceful and quiet except for the cheers and cries coming from the village of Clear View. The vibrant sunlight shone on the village which reflected the mood of every single villager. The intruders were gone and Clive and Jane were alive. On that brand new day, the village celebrated the entire day until it was once again nighttime. The village of Clear View had once again overcome a crisis.

 Chapter 13: Preparation

    Today was a joyous day for Clear View. The intruders had been repelled and both Clive and Jane were alive. In celebration of the recovery of Clive and Jane from the cave, the entire village is throwing a large party. In the middle of the village plaza was rows upon rows of tables filled to the brim with foods and drinks. Even large kegs of alcohol were brought out. The entire village was not holding anything back when throwing this celebration.


    ¡°Oh, the irony. This celebration is for me and Jane being well but I can¡¯t even go out and celebrate. Oh, how tragic my life is.¡±


    Outside of the building the cheers of joys and clamor from partying could be heard but Clive was stuck within the clinic. The clinic was a neat wooden building that had multiple rooms for patients to rest in. In two of these rooms were Jane and Clive. Both of them still had to recover from their respective injuries.


    ¡°You can go party after you heal up.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take for me to recover Doctor Frank.¡±


    ¡°For a regular human it would take months for the kind of burns you have on your back but considering you¡¯re a combat locksmith, probably a week or so.¡±


    Before Jane had come to the village of Clear View and became Doctor Frank¡¯s assistant, Doctor Frank had been the only doctor for many years prior. Doctor was currently 80 years old and had been the doctor of Clear View ever since he was 20. Both the doctor and the mayor were monsters just because of their age. A normal person in Clear View usually lived til 70 but both of them had outlived 70 and were still healthy at their age.


    ¡°How long do you think a person can live Doctor.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Everyone dies differently so some live shorter lives and some longer lives.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I don¡¯t know when I am going to die so I should be out there drinking and partying to my heart''s content.¡±


    ¡°No can do Clive. You ain¡¯t going out to party and that is final. If you keep complaining I will bring Claire in here.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Hello Claire. I see you brought Kan with you.¡±


    Right now both Claire and Kan had entered Jane¡¯s bedroom. Since Jane was the doctor¡¯s assistant she had her own personal bedroom so her room was more decorated than the other rooms for patients. When Claire had entered the room she still could not look at Jane¡¯s because of what happened a few hours ago.


    ¡°Hey Jane. How are your injuries.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they aren¡¯t much. Clive protected me from more danger so I don¡¯t have that many injuries.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    The room turned silent. Neither of them talked to each other and the atmosphere became awkward.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s been quite a while since I last visited you. When Kan was born it was always you visiting us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah it has been quite a while since you visited me. You should come over more often with Kan.¡±


    It was once again silent. Not even Kan made a noise in this silent atmosphere but that was because he was asleep.


    ¡°Hey Claire can you look me in the eyes. It hurts being ignored and I have something to tell you.¡±


    Claire slowly raised her head and looked towards Jane. What she saw in Jane¡¯s eyes were the emotions of fear and anxiety.


    "What is it Jane."


    ¡°I love you Claire.¡±


    ¡°Uhwawawa. But...but i¡¯m married.¡±


    ¡°Let me finish Claire. I am not hoping for anything to come out of this, I...I just wanted to tell you my feelings. I¡¯ve been in love with you for 8 years. After that incident 8 years, I had contemplated on taking my life on numerous occasions. I felt that no matter how much I washed myself, I always felt dirty. I believed that no one would ever love me again because of what happened to me but you were there for me. Every day you came and visited me and no matter what you talked about, you talked about it with joy. You told me how your day was or how pretty the sky was or even how your cooking never turned out well but whenever you talked about it to me, you talked with a smile. I wanted to protect that smile, I wanted to be what made you smile, and that is when I found out that I loved you. It hurts when you avoid looking at me, it feels like you are rejecting my existence. Can we go back to how we use to be, can...can we still be friends.¡±


    ¡°Of course Jane, of course we can still be friends. I¡¯m sorry for not realizing your feelings and ignoring you earlier.¡±


    After they were done making up, they had gone back to how they use to be. They started talking about random topics like how Kan was so cute, how Claire¡¯s cooking has improved, or how stupid Clive was at times. As they kept talking knocks could be heard from Jane¡¯s door.


    ¡°Claire are you done in there. I have to check up on Jane¡¯s condition.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m done Doctor Frank. Jane can you take care of Kan, the mayor and I are going to go talk to Clive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure.¡±


    Claire left Kan in Jane¡¯s embrace and Kan started mumbling. Kan had woken up earlier but was being breastfed so he couldn¡¯t interrupt their conversation.


    ¡°Did you get your feelings across Jane.¡±


    ¡°Yeah doctor. I did.¡±


    ¡°Mama. Maamaa.¡±


    ¡°Silly boy, I¡¯m not your mama.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°So did you figure out why those black clothed men were after Jane.¡±


    ¡°Was it the same bandits from 8 years ago.¡±


    ¡°No, it weren¡¯t those bandits. The situation is much worse than just regular bandits.¡±


    The atmosphere in the room was stiff. The room was the exact opposite of the festivities occuring outside in the plaza. It was like the rescue of Clive and Jane was not a joyous occasion at all.


    ¡°They were after Claire.¡±


    ¡°What they were after me.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s already time. Do you know which kingdom those men came from.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know which kingdom they came from but the self-destruction technique of one of the men was a dark-arts skill. I assume those men were hired from the Assassins Guild by some kingdom. Since we have killed all of the black clothed men we probably have a few more years to prepare before others are sent out to scout this village.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time to prepare do we. All of this is happening a lot earlier than I expected.¡±


    While Clive and the mayor were talking about what to do in the future, Claire was silent the entire time. She was worried about Kan¡¯s future. If worse comes to worse neither her nor Clive will be there to raise Kan. With Kan¡¯s high potential as both a combat locksmith and mage locksmith he would face problems in the future. Some people may see Kan¡¯s potential as great for the city-state of Key but some people may try to kill him because he has the potential to become to powerful.


    ¡®How can I protect my son. What can I do for him.¡¯


    ¡°Clive, we must prepare Kan for the future.¡±

 Chapter 14: Kan Lock

    ¡°You have to remember. Remember who you are. Remember what you need to do.¡±


    ¡®Who...who are you.¡¯


    ¡°Hurry before it¡¯s too late.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s going to be too late?¡¯


    ¡°This is our last chance. All of our hopes and dreams lay on you.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what i¡¯m suppose to do. What am I supposed to do?¡¯


    ¡°You have to wake up and remember.¡±


    ¡®What am I supposed to remember?¡¯


    ¡°WAKE UP! WAKE UP AND REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE! ...remember who you are.¡±


    ¡®Remember who I am? I don¡¯t understand? Who...who am I?¡¯


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Wake up. Wake up.¡±


    ¡°Mmgh, I don¡¯t wanna wake up.¡±


    ¡°KAN! KAN! Wake up and eat breakfast.¡±


    The rays of the sun was bright and shiny on this morning in Clear View. In a certain house the rays pierced through the open windows to shine on two people, they were Claire and Kan. Kan slowly rubbed his eyes and got up from his bed.


    ¡°Good. Now go wash your face and wake up your father.¡±


    ¡°Mmm. Ok, Mommy.¡±


    Kan walked out of his bedroom and walked towards the bathroom and washed his face. After washing his face he looked towards the mirror. He slowly brought his hands up and touched his face all around.


    ¡®Who am I?¡¯


    No longer thinking about the fading memories from his dreams, Kan walked towards his parents bedroom. As he stood outside of the door, he could hear snores as loud as thunder coming from the room. When he entered the room he saw his father sleeping soundly on the bed. Seeing that his father was still asleep Kan bent his body downwards in a running position.


    ¡®1,2,3. Ready. Go¡¯


    ¡°Wake up, Daddy!¡±


    Kan had ran from the door towards the bed and jumped up, ready to bodyslam Clive to wake him up. Clive suddenly opened his eyes and dodged Kan but as he dodged Kan he also grabbed him and lifted him in the air.


    ¡°Hahaha, not today Kan.¡±


    ¡°Wahahaha. I¡¯ll get you tomorrow Daddy. Oh, mommy said to go eat.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go then.¡±


    Clive carried Kan on his shoulders and walked towards the dinner table. Claire was bringing dishes of food and putting them on the dinner table. They all sat down and started eating. As they finished eating and Claire finished washing the dishes the atmosphere in the room became serious.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Hey Kan do you want anything for your birthday tomorrow.¡±


    Kan was turning 5 years old the next day. It had been a few years since the incident with the black clothed men. Nothing significant happened in the time that passed expect the increase in the frequency of occasional dangerous fishes being caught. Although times were peaceful now it was not going to last forever.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, can we invite Leo, Jessica, and Mary over tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll throw a party tomorrow for you then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show all of them SuperMommyClaire¡¯s best cooking tomorrow then.¡±


    The atmosphere had temporarily become less tense after discussing about the plans tomorrow but turned serious again after Clive and Claire looked at each other. They looked at each others eyes to confirm whether or not they were prepared to ask Kan a certain question.


    ¡°Kan do you want to become a locksmith? Now that you are turning 5 years old, Daddy and Mommy thinks it¡¯s time for you to start learning how to be a locksmith.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I do. Isn¡¯t that what Mommy and Daddy are. I heard from the villagers that Mommy and Daddy are really strong locksmiths. I want to be a strong locksmith too.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, Daddy and Mommy are strong locksmiths but becoming this strong isn¡¯t that easy. It took us years an years to be this strong and for you it will probably also take you years and years. Are you still willing to become a locksmith even if it is hard and will take a long time.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure Kan. It will be really, reallyyy hard and it could also be dangerous. Do you still want to be a locksmith.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I still want to be a locksmith. Daddy, Mommy, no matter how hard it is, I still want to be a locksmith just like you two.¡±


    Kan replied to Clive and Claire with a bright and vibrant small but this smile to them was to bright. They were both happy that Kan would admire them so much but also sad because of the future Kan would have to face in being a locksmith. If Kan had chosen not to become a locksmith than the both of them would have accepted his decision and allowed him to live a normal live away from the troubles of a locksmith. Kan wouldn¡¯t have to face people trying to kill him because of his talent or be hunted down. Now that Kan had chosen to become a locksmith, the two of them were prepared to do whatever they could to protect his future.


    ¡°Ok Kan. Starting the day after your birthday, we will start teaching you the skills of locksmiths. Let me warn you again Kan. It will be especially hard for a boy your age to learn the skills of a locksmith.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Daddy. I¡¯m ready.¡±


    What Clive said was not a lie. It would truly be hard for a 5 year old boy to start learning locksmithing skills. There bodies have not grown yet and would not be capable of handling the strain from combat locksmiths skills nor do they have enough mana to use a mage locksmiths skills. A regular child with potential in combat or mage locksmithing would start learning at the age of 10 to 13 because this is when there growth spurt occurs. A child¡¯s boy would grow rapidly and so would there progress in locksmithing. Since they were in a position where they won¡¯t know when they will disappear from Kan¡¯s life or not, they both decided to teach Kan at the age of 5.


    ¡°Alright then Kan. Let Daddy and Mommy check your potential in being a combat locksmith or a mage locksmith. Take off your shirt and lie down on the couch.¡±


    Kan lied on the couch and both Clive and Claire put their hands on his back. As their hands were on Kan¡¯s back they each had their own respective thoughts about Kan¡¯s future.


    ¡®I¡¯m so sorry Kan. Mommy won¡¯t be there to help you in the future.¡±


    ¡®Kan¡¯s back is so small. *Sigh. This tiny back will have to carry many burdens in the future. I¡¯m sorry Kan. I can¡¯t be there for and this is the only thing I can do for you.¡¯


    ¡°Wow Kan, your potential as a combat locksmith is 20%. That¡¯s pretty good.¡±


    Claire looked at Clive and understood what he was doing. Clive had restricted and concealed Kan¡¯s true potential.


    ¡°Amazing Kan, you also have a 10% potential in being a mage locksmith.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, Daddy, is that amazing?¡±


    Kan had adorably tilted his head and ask Clive and Claire his question but to them it was too painful to look at him. They had to lie to their own son to keep him safe and everytime they looked at his innocent face as they lied, it was like a knife was being twisted in their hearts.


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s amazing Kan. You can be a combat locksmith like Daddy and a mage locksmith like me.¡±


    ¡°Yayyy. I¡¯ll become a strong locksmith just like the both of you.¡±

 Chapter 15: Having Fun

    ¡°Mommy are we done yet. It¡¯s almost time for me to go meet Leo, Jessica, and Mary.¡±


    ¡°Yeah we¡¯re done.¡±


    Knocks on the door could then be heard as Kan stood up and put on his shirt.


    ¡°Kan are you ready to go play yet.¡±


    ¡°Ok Mommy, Daddy, I have to go now.¡±


    Kan jumped up and gave both Clive and Claire a kiss on the cheeks and then left for the door.


    ¡°Stay safe Kan. Come home before it¡¯s nighttime ok.¡±


    ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll be home later Mommy, Daddy.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°So where are we going to go playing today Kan.¡±


    ¡°OoOo. I know. I know. We should go play in the forest.¡±


    ¡°No Leo, my mommy says it¡¯s dangerous in the forest.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯¡¯ll be ok Jessi. My daddy has started teaching me how to use a sword. I can fight off any monsters.¡±


    ¡°I agree with Jessi. The forest is dangerous so where are we going Kan.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go visit Aunty Jane. I want to ask her something.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Ok.¡±¡±¡±


    ¡­...


    It was now close to noon and the sun was at its peak in brightness. On the way towards the plaza were four children side by side. The sun shined on their heads and each colored reflected off their hair was different. Kan had light brown hair, Leo had bright and shining blond hair, Mary had black hair but their was tint of blue in it, and Jessica had silvery blond hair. They now reached the front door of Doctor Frank¡¯s clinic but they faced a problem. None of them could reach the door knob. Even Leo who was the tallest amongst them could only reach the side of the door knob. They couldn¡¯t hold it and turn the door knob.


    ¡°Aunty Jane. Aunty Jane. Can you open the door.¡±


    Jane was reading a book at the front desk of the clinic until she heard the calls of Kan from outside of the door. She put down her book and got up to open the door but didn¡¯t. She stood next to the door with a smirk on her face and then she spoke.


    ¡°What¡¯s the password?¡±


    ¡°Oh, umm. Ah, Aunty Jane is very beautiful, I wish she was my mommy.¡±


    ¡°Ok, good.¡±


    Jane opened the door and let the four of them inside. This was clearly not the first time Kan had come over to visit Jane since Jane had set up a password for him. Every time Kan said the password it made her a little happy because it allows her to dream a little about a life where she and Claire are married and Kan is there child.


    ¡°Aunty Jane why do you have a password for the door.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s so I know it¡¯s Kan outside and not some dangerous person.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. Ok, that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°So what did you guys come here for.¡±


    ¡°Kan said he had a question for you.¡±


    ¡°So what is your question Kan.¡±


    ¡°Mommy and Daddy were talking the other day and I heard that Aunty Jane and Mommy kissed before. Did you and Mommy kiss?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Jane did not hesitate to answer at all. There was absolutely not a hint of embarassment or shame in her reply.  When she said it, she even puffed out her chest and had a proud look on her face as she answered. She had taken pride in taking Claire¡¯s lips four years ago.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Ok, thanks Aunty Jane. Mommy wouldn¡¯t tell me when I asked her.¡±


    ¡°Aunty Jane. Aunty Jane. Is ok for two girls to kiss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only seen mommy and daddy kiss. Is it bad for two girls to kiss?¡±


    Both Mary and Jessica curiously asked Jane for more details on two girls kissing. Jane looked at the two girls and saw that they had some fear and anxiety in their eyes. She knew that they had probably kissed each other or something like that before out of curiosity because they had seen their parents do it. But now the both of them were worried that it was a bad thing to do. On the other hand Kan and Leo weren¡¯t interested in the topic so they were off somewhere in the clinic playing.


    ¡°Prepare to take my holy sword excali...excali... Argh, just prepare to take my sword.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve fallen into my trap Leo. Your sword is now mine.¡±


    Leo had attacked Kan with his holy sword but it was useless. Leo had fallen into Kan¡¯s trap. Kan and Leo were initially fighting in the hallway but Kan had lured Leo into one of the rooms. In the room Leo had tried to slash Kan with his toy wooden sword but Kan had expertly grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around the sword and taken it from him.


    ¡°Give it back Kan. That¡¯s cheating.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give the sword back but that means I won.¡±


    ¡°NO. I¡¯ll get it back myself then.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°There is absolutely nothing wrong with two girls kissing each other. As long as two girls love each other they can do whatever they want with each other as long as they both agree to it. For both guys and girls it is wrong to force kisses on the other person. What I did to Claire was wrong so don¡¯t be like me, ok. I really loved Claire and forced my kiss on her but it was wrong because Claire did not love me like that back. We are still friends now because Claire loves me as a friend but not as a husband would love a wife.¡±


    ¡°Ok, thank you Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Aunty Jane.¡±


    Both Jessica and Mary no longer had a glum or worried look on their faces. They were both relieved that it was not a bad thing for two girls to kiss. After finishing her lecture to the two girls Jane went back and started reading her book. As Jane was reading, the two girls looked at Jane¡¯s book in curiosity.


    ¡°Aunty Jane what are you reading.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. The book is called How to Raise Children.¡±


    ¡°What!? Aunty Jane you¡¯re having a baby.¡±


    ¡°Is it a boy or girl.¡±


    ¡°Wait...wait...I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    ¡°Kan, Leo, Aunty Jane is having a baby.¡±


    Both Leo and Kan stop fighting and run over towards Jane after hearing the sudden announcement.


    ¡°Aunty Jane are you going to get fat like other girls.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to name the baby Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to tell my mommy and daddy.¡±


    ¡°WAIT!! STOP!!¡±


    All four of them stop and stare at Jane in fear since she had just raised her voice on them. All four of them looked like they were going to start crying which made Jane feel guilty. Jane calmed down and held all four of them in her arms and made her voice as gentle as possible and spoke to them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for scaring you guys. Aunty Jane can¡¯t have any babies anymore. The reason I am reading this book is because all of you are my children. No matter if you guys aren¡¯t my real children, I will still treat you exactly the same as my own children and I hope that I can help raise all of you into fine adults. I don¡¯t want any of you to grow up bad so I am reading this book so I can help raise all you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make you so angry Aunty Jane. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Aunty Jane. And thank you Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Good kids are able to apologize and realize their own errors. All of you are good kids.¡±


    After calming them down Jane went back to her desk and the four decided to stay and play at the clinic. The four played together but after a while Jane was also wrapped up in having to play with them. They were now acting out the final battle between the hero¡¯s party and the demon lord.


    ¡°Mwahahaha. You guys will never be able to defeat the great demon lord Leo. Now that I have the sword Sun Shatterer in my hands, you guys will never be able to save Princess Jane.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Please save me.¡±


    ¡°You evil person. I ,master locksmith Kan, will defeat you.¡±


    ¡°I ,Jessica the healer, will not allow any damage on us.¡±


    ¡°And I, Mary the uhh...super magical girl of the shadows sleeping in the night, will stop you.¡±


    ¡°Useless, useless, useless. You three will not win.¡±


    The epic battle between the demon lord and the heroes came to a stall until Princess Jane escaped from her binds. After escaping from her binds Princess Jane had grabbed both the demon lord Leo and the hero Kan and ran away. The story then ended with Princess Jane kidnapping both the demon lord and hero.


    ......


    ¡°It¡¯s starting to get pretty late. You guys should go home soon before it gets dark.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±¡±Ok.¡±¡±¡±¡±


    It was now almost sunset. Jane had opened the door and watched them as they all walked back towards their own home. As they left Jane felt a little bit lonely now that the clinic had once again become quite.


    ¡®I hope those kids can grow up into fine adults one day.¡¯

 Chapter 16: Mysterious Person

    It was now sunset and the rays of orange light fell down on all of Clear View. On the road that led up a small hill was a little boy who had just returned from playing all day. Further down the road was a person dressed in all black even though it was summer. As Kan walked home the mysterious person turned to look at Kan.


    ¡°Hey little boy do you live in the house up ahead.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I live up there with mommy and daddy.¡±


    The voice that came from the mysterious person was sweet and gentle and was clearly a woman¡¯s voice. She looked at him gently and saw that this boy was too innocent. He was not wary of her at all so she decided to give him some advice for the future.


    ¡°Little boy when strangers talk to you, you should be wary of them. Those strangers could be bad men who will take you away from mommy and daddy, ok.¡±


    ¡°Ok. But...but aunty isn¡¯t dangerous. Aunty has nice and kind eyes.¡±


    The mysterious lady was surprised at Kan¡¯s words. Maybe it was just luck but he had read her intent from just looking at her eyes. This was not a skill a young boy at his age should know.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me aunty, ok. Call me Big Sister since i¡¯m not old enough to be called aunty. Big Sister may be kind but other strangers may not be so be careful, ok.¡±


    ¡°Ok Big Sis.¡±


    ¡°Good, now can you do Big Sister a favor. Can you deliver these two letters to your mommy and daddy.¡±


    ¡°Ok Big Sis but why don¡¯t you just deliver the letters yourself?¡±


    Kan cutely tilted his head as he asked the mysterious lady a question. ¡®Wow, this kid is too cute.¡¯ The mysterious lady thought to herself on how she was going to avoid his question and then she came up with the perfect excuse to fool a child.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone but I am actually a super secret ninja that can only be seen by children. My powers make it so no adult can see me so it would be weird if your mommy and daddy just saw a flying letter come into their home.¡±


    ¡°Oooo. Big Sis. Big Sis. Can you also teach me how to do that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe when you are older. So can you deliver the letters for Big Sister.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, i¡¯ll give the letters to mommy and daddy.¡±


    ¡°Good. It¡¯s starting to get dark so hurry on home and be safe.¡±


    ¡°Bye bye Big sister.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Bye bye.¡±


    Kan walked towards his home and looked back to see if the mysterious lady was still there but she wasn¡¯t. She had disappeared the moment Kan started to walk back home. There wasn¡¯t a trace of her ever being there and she disappeared with the wind.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Mommy, Daddy, I¡¯m home.¡±


    Unlike Doctor Frank¡¯s front door knob which was unusually high, Kan could reach his home¡¯s own door knob but the door was locked. Claire was setting up dinner and when she heard Kan¡¯s call she went to go open the door but didn¡¯t. Just like Jane, Claire stood next to the door with a smirk on her face.


    ¡°What¡¯s the password Kan?¡±


    ¡°Oh. hmm. Ah, Claire is the best mommy in the world and no other mommy could beat her.¡±


    ¡°Good. Welcome home Kan. I¡¯ve missed you so much.¡±


    After opening the door Claire had picked up Kan and started kissing him on the cheeks and rubbing her face against his. She did all of this like she had not seen Kan in years.


    ¡°Mommy, why do both you and Aunty Jane have a passwords for the door.¡±


    ¡°What? Jane has a password too.¡±


    Confused as to why Jane had a password Claire thought of the possible reasons but didn¡¯t mind it too much. Having a password for Kan wasn¡¯t doing him any harm so Claire stopped thinking about it.


    ¡°Mommy has a password because mommy wants you to rely on me. When you grow up you won¡¯t rely on mommy anymore so mommy wants you to rely on me as much as possible right now.¡±


    ¡°Ok mommy.¡±


    ¡°Go and get ready to eat Kan. Go call Daddy too.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The three of them started eating dinner and started talking about how Kan¡¯s day was.


    ¡°Where did you go play today Kan?¡±


    ¡°We went to go play at Aunty Jane¡¯s place. Aunty Jane told me that her and mommy kissed before.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Claire turned beet red while Clive was laughing at Claire¡¯s embarrassment. Under the table Claire pinched at Clive¡¯s leg to get payback for laughing at her.


    ¡°*Cough *Cough. So what else did you do today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I met Big Sister earlier. She was wearing all black even though it was summer and she was really nice. She also had really pretty blue eyes. She also gave me two letters to give to mommy and daddy.¡±


    Both Clive and Claire had a serious expression on their face. It was unusual for letters to be indirectly given to them like this. Every villager knew each other so going to their house to deliver a message was the norm. The person was also wearing all black even though it was summer so must likely they were trying to hide their identity. This mysterious person had come to their village to deliver a letter so their could only be a few possibilities for the reason for the letters.


    ¡°Ok, mommy will clean the dishes so prepare for bed, ok¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°Is Kan asleep.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s fast asleep.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go then.¡±


    It was now nighttime but at the Lock household two people were exiting the house. Clive and Claire were leaving their house at night and in Clive¡¯s hand was the two letters Kan had given.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see the mayor to decide what we do with these letters.¡±


    ¡°Ok Clive. I hope these letters are just ordinary letters.¡±

 Chapter 17: Two Letters

    Clive and Claire were in front of the mayor¡¯s house and they knocked on the door. The door was opened and the one to receive them was Dylan. Since it was the middle of the night Dylan had his sword on him when he opened the door. Even if everyone in the village knew each other it was better to be safe than sorry so Dylan had his sword with him when he answered the door.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just Clive and Claire. What are you guys doing here so late.¡±


    ¡°Is the mayor still awake, we need to talk to him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah he¡¯s awake. Come on in.¡±


    Seeing the expression on their face, Dylan got Eliza to go sleep with Leo for the night. The mayor came over and saw both Claire and Clive¡¯s serious expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong did something happen.¡±


    ¡°Do you guys have an empty room we can talk in.¡±


    ¡°Yeah we have an empty bedroom in the back.¡±


    The four of them all walked towards the empty bedroom. After entering they locked the door and checked if the windows were locked. The room was bare of all decorations. The only thing in it was a bed, a desk, and table with a few chairs. Since the chairs weren¡¯t enough Dylan went to go get another one.


    ¡°Claire can you lock down the room.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I got it. ¡®All sounds are deaf to the ears of those outside. In this room only our ears will hear [Lock]¡¯.¡±


    Claire put her hand on the ground and said a small incantation to activate her magic. As soon as she said her incantation a magic circle appeared on the ground, roof, and on all of the walls. Everything they spoke in the room was only to be known to the four of them and no one else.


    ¡°If you guys are taking such drastic measures then what you guys are about to say must be very important then. So what is it.¡±


    ¡°Today Kan came home and he said he met a mysterious lady in black.¡±


    ¡°Kan also revealed that that lady had given him letters to give us.¡±


    ¡°What were in those letters.¡±


    ¡°We still haven¡¯t looked at them yet. We wanted you to also see them mayor.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s open them and see what it says.¡±


    ¡°Wait grandfather, Clive, Claire, have you guys checked if there is a trap in the letters.¡±


    ¡°We were also worried about that earlier so I had already checked the fluctuations of mana in the letters. There was nothing special about the letters except its contents.¡±


    The atmosphere in the room was stiff. Everything was silent as Claire slowly took the letters out of the black envelope. Their were two envelopes and one was black while the other was white. They had chosen the black envelope because it was a rarely used type of envelope that is only used to signify the urgency or importance of the letter. The contents of the letter was short and simple but contain a powerful message.


    Give us Claire Renner


    or be exterminated.


    Bring her to


    the Capital.


    ¡°THOSE GODDAMN FOOLS!!!¡±


    The mayor had slammed his hand against the table and shattered it. He was truly angry which was unlike him since he always acted calm and collected as the mayor of Clear View.


    ¡°Calm down grandfather. Being angry does us no good.¡±


    The mayor wasn¡¯t the only one angry at the situation. Clive was infuriated. The veins on his head could clearly be seen and his hand was clinched into a fist. If the mayor hadn¡¯t been the one in an outburst, it would have been him. Seeing the mayor get angry on their behalf made Clive less angry at the situation. Claire also slowly held onto Clive¡¯s hand to calm him down.


    ¡°Those dickless men in the capital have already fallen into the grasp of the other kingdoms. If Jonathan was still here this situation would have never happened.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°If only my father was still the military leader, the city-state of Key would never be this weak and submissive to other kingdoms.¡±


    ¡°Hey Clive do you know which kingdoms are after Claire or how many of them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know dylan. The Kingdom of Spears and Kingdom of Shields are the most suspicious ones for now. It would be great if it was only those two kingdoms since Claire and I would be able to escape but the problem is that we don¡¯t know if there are more.¡±


    The room was once again silent. Everyone was each in their own thoughts about the situation. The only thing that broke the silence was the silent sobs of Claire.


    ¡°I¡¯m...i¡¯m so sorry everyone. It¡¯s my fault that you guys are all involved in this. It¡¯s my fault that Clear View is going to be involved. I...I...i¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Come here Claire. It¡¯s not your fault. I¡¯ve loved you since the first day I met you and I will stop at nothing to protect you.¡±


    Clive had bought Claire into his embrace and for Claire she silently sobbed within his embrace. Even though she is usually a strong and confident woman, the weight on her shoulders were too much to bear.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok little girl. Both your father and grandfather left you in my care so no matter what, i¡¯ll do whatever to protect you. Don¡¯t cry because of the family you were born in, be proud of it. You are Claire Renner, the last princess of the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Key.¡±


    Claire silently sobbed until she collected her emotions. Her eyes were bit puffy from crying and her nose a bit red from sniffling.


    ¡°Thank you all. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s in the next letter.¡±


    Hello, if you are reading this letter then I am assuming you are


    either Clive Lock or Claire Lock. It was quite a coincidence that


    I was assigned to deliver the letter of threat to you. I just have to say


    that I am on your side. I know you are wondering who I am but I am


    sorry that I can not tell you my name. All I can say is that I owe


    Jonathan Lock a favor. Yes, Jonathan Lock is still alive but he is not in


    the city-state of Key right now. He is on a journey in order to find clues


    about the former royalty of the Kingdom of Key. Onto the main topic.


    The current ruler of the city-state of Key is allowing the other kingdoms


    to attack Clear View. I do not know which kingdoms are attacking


    but I do know that within the next 5 years or so the city-state of Key


    is going to write off Clear View¡¯s disappearance as a natural disaster.


    Whatever you guys decide to do, good luck.


    After reading over the letter everyone in the room was shocked at its contents. Jonathan was alive, the city-state of Key had betrayed them, and the village of Clear View was going to be attacked within the next 5 years. All of these shocking events was to much to digest.


    ¡°What should we do for the future?¡±


    The mayor posed this question for all of them but none of them had an answer. All they could do was think about it. Dylan was the first one to speak up.


    ¡°What if Clive, Claire, and Kan run away from the village?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do that. From what the second letter says, it has already been decided that Clear View is doomed. Even if we run away we can¡¯t abandon Clear View. It is where all our friends and family are.¡±


    ¡°This is quite a tough situation to overcome. If they run they are threatened with the destruction of the village but if they stay the village is also doomed.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we evacuate the entire village then.¡±


    ¡°If we do evacuate where would we even go to. Most of the villagers were born and grown in Clear View, there will probably be many who would refuse to abandon it. The closest village is about 2 days away from us and that is by carriage. The estimate time to arrive their on foot would take at least 4-5 days but evacuating an entire village of a few hundred would take even longer. There is also no guarantee that the village of Iron will accept us.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it hopeless then grandfather.¡±


    Everyone was stumped, this ordeal may be the hardest event Clear View has ever faced. Clear View had overcome many emergencies in the past but the scale of this one was levels above what they had faced in the past.


    ¡°Dylan, Claire, and Clive, I believe our only option is to fight. If we fight we may be able to find a ray of light in all this darkness. Even if we can not win this battle, in the confusion we may be able to allow everyone else to escape while we of the older generation fight off the intruders. What do you guys think of this option.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s face was grim as the mayor told them of his plan. He was telling them that him and a few old friends would sacrifice their lives to allow the younger men and women to escape with their children.


    ¡°If worse comes to worse we will rely on that plan but since we have a few years left until the attack, let¡¯s come up with other plans.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wrap this discussion up then everyone. We have been talking for a few hours and I think everyone here needs some rest.¡±


    ¡°Yeah we do. Ok then Mayor, Dylan. Claire and I will get going now then.¡±


    ¡°Have a good night Clive and Claire.¡±


    ¡°Yeah you too Dylan.¡±


    On this calm and quiet night none of the four of them could sleep easily. What they had just learned kept all of them up at night. They were worried about their future and the future of their family. Their lives were going to get complicated in the near future.

 Chapter 18: Invitation

    ¡°Mommy, Daddy, wake up. Wake up.¡±


    ¡°Mmm. What is it Kan. It¡¯s still early in the morning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not though Daddy. It¡¯s almost the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The day was almost noon. Both Clive and Claire had fallen asleep after what happened last night but since they were up so late, they didn¡¯t wake up on their usual time.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Kan, Mommy will go make breakfast right now....why do you have my apron on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Mommy, I already made breakfast. Since Mommy and Daddy were so tired I made breakfast for you.¡±


    Both Clive and Claire were shocked to here what Kan had said. He was only 5 and they hadn¡¯t taught him how to cook yet. The most worrying thing was what he cooked. Considering the genes he had, both Clive and Claire expected a disaster in the kitchen so they immediately got up and went to the kitchen. What they saw surprised them even more.


    ¡°Kan did you cook this by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, i¡¯ve seen Mommy cook a lot so I copied you. I couldn¡¯t make the really delicious stuff Mommy makes though.¡±


    Kan was sad that he couldn¡¯t make any complex dishes that Claire made but both Claire and Clive were extremely proud of him and even looked like they were about to cry. Kan had made edible looking eggs. Claire used to be a terrible cook and it took her years upon years just to cook simple dishes while Clive could cook edible foods but they wouldn¡¯t have any flavor to them, so seeing Kan cook edible looking eggs at such a young age was surprising.


    ¡°Clive. I...I think we made a genius at cooking.¡±


    ¡°Kan. We are so proud of you. Let¡¯s eat then.¡±


    The table was silent. Usually when they ate together they would have some small talk while they ate but this time there was absolute silence besides the sounds of utensils being used. Claire and Clive both savored their son¡¯s fish dish.


    ¡®It¡¯s delicious.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s so sweet and fluffy.¡¯


    ¡­¡­


    After finishing up breakfast, Clive and Claire could no longer look at Kan the same way ever again. In a few more years, Kan would be better at cooking then both of them.


    ¡°Kan did you tell your friends about your birthday party today?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I forgot Mommy. Can I go right now and tell them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah go ahead but be careful of strangers, ok.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Bye Mommy, Daddy.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In front of a house was three men swinging practice swords. One of them had white hair but his body was still muscular and filled with scars, the other person blond hair and refined muscles, and the last person was a young child with blond hair. This was the household of the mayor, Ranjer Light.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Leo, Leo, Leo.¡±


    Kan called out to Leo as he walked towards them. All three men of the Light household put down their swords as Kan walked towards them.


    ¡°Good morning Uncle Dylan and Grandpa Ranjer.¡±


    ¡°Good morning Kan.¡±


    ¡°Good morning little boy. It¡¯s rare for you to come visit us alone. Are perhaps here to train with us?¡±


    ¡°Ooo. Can I Grandpa Ranjer. Oh. I¡¯m sorry Grandpa Ranjer, I have things to do.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. It¡¯s ok little boy, maybe next time. So what are you here for.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me Grandpa Ranjer. I¡¯m having a birthday party later today and came to invite Leo and his family.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, Grandpa. Can we go. Please¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll come later little boy.¡±


    ¡°Ok, bye bye then. I have to go invite Mary and Jessica.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Leia you¡¯re pregnant. What are you going to name him or her.¡±


    ¡°We just found out i¡¯m pregnant so we haven¡¯t thought up of a name yet.¡±


    Claudia and Leia were both on the front porch of Rob¡¯s house. They were both talking about each others daily lives or the gossip that has been going throughout the village. At that moment thought, their conversation was interrupted by the greetings of a young boy.


    ¡°Good morning Aunty Claudi and Aunty Leia.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hello there Kan.¡±


    ¡°Morning Kan, what¡¯s got you in a rush.¡±


    ¡°I came to invite Mary and Jessica to my birthday party later today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, if you want we will tell them later.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Aunty Claudi and Aunty Leia can you guys also come with Uncle Rob and Uncle Richard too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah we¡¯ll come to but why do you need us adults Kan.¡±


    ¡°Mommy and Daddy looked sad this morning and having friends over will make them happy.¡±


    ¡°Ok then Kan we¡¯ll all come over later tonight then.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Bye bye.¡±


    Both Claudia and Leia watch as Kan run off into the distance with a surprised expression still left on their faces. They were both surprised at how perceptive and kind Kan was. Kids his age usually never give any thoughts about their surroundings.


    ¡°Kan is a nice kid.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I hope our kids could grow up like him.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Aunty Jane is very beautiful, I wish she was my mommy.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re by yourself today Kan.¡±


    Realizing that Kan was by himself today, Jane locked all the locks on the door. Kan had innocently walked in without realizing that he had walked into the den of a hungry tiger. Jane was smiling as she looked at Kan¡¯s tiny figure walk in. As soon as she finished locking the door she rushed towards Kan and picked him up.


    ¡°Ahhhh, i¡¯ve missed this softness of your cheeks. When you were here yesterday, I had to hold myself back but now that you¡¯re by yourself, i¡¯m not holding anything back.¡±


    Jane was holding Kan in her embrace and was rubbing her cheeks against his and kissing him on the cheeks too.


    ¡°Wahaha. That tickles Aunty Jane.¡±


    Kan was now sitting on Jane¡¯s lap while she rested her head on his.


    ¡°So what are you here for Kan?¡±


    ¡°I came to invite Aunty Jane to my birthday party.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, i¡¯ll go.¡±


    Jane had not forgotten Kan¡¯s birthday. She had already gotten him a gift but did not want to show it to him yet.


    ¡°Ok Aunty Jane I have to go now. I¡¯m going to help mommy prepare.¡±


    ¡°Ok Kan. I¡¯ll miss you but i¡¯ll see you later, ok.¡±


    Jane opened the door for Kan and Kan then scurried off back home. Kan had invited everyone he wanted to invite so now he just had to wait for everyone to come.

 Chapter 19: Birthday Party

    ¡°Mommy, Daddy, I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Welcome back Kan, did you invite everyone you wanted to invite.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did. Mommy do you need help in anything?¡±


    ¡°I do Kan. Can you help me prepare the food. I¡¯ll cook but can you hand me the ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Ok Mommy. Mommy where¡¯s Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Daddy¡¯s on an errand right now so he¡¯ll be back later tonight.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Clive was in the middle of the village right now looking lost. A few days ago Claire had ordered a cake to be made and the only person who could make one was the only bakery in town. This bakery had opened up a few years ago by a man named George Nice. George had moved to the village of Clear View from the capital because his business in the capital was not going well so he decided to retire in the village of Clear View.


    ¡°Where is this place? I¡¯ve been going around in circles for an hour and still haven¡¯t seen it. Oh wait is that it.¡±


    The bakery was truly in a desolate part of the village. It wasn¡¯t close to where all the other stores were instead it was off in a corner near the forest. The only other building near it was a home and the forest. Clive walked towards the bakery and entered it.


    ¡°Welcome. Are you here to order baked goods or pick up an order.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to pick up a cake for Claire Lock. I¡¯m her husband Clive Lock.¡±


    The baker stared at Clive for a moment then smiled and left towards the back to go pick up the cake.


    ¡°Here you go. A peca pen cake. Thank you for your order.¡±


    ¡°Thanks George. Well I have to go now so see you later.¡±


    A peca pen was a type of fruit that was sweet when eaten but if the fruit becomes rotten then it could become poisonous. Clive quickly left the building because he saw the stare of George and felt shivers on the back of his spine. It wasn¡¯t a menacing stare but one of desire, so Clive was quite uncomfortable being in the store.


    ¡°I hope I don¡¯t have to come here again.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m back with the peca pen cake Claire.¡±


    ¡°CLIVE!¡±


    ¡°Ooo a peca pen cake. Can I taste it Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Not yet Kan. You have to wait until everyone gets here, ok.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Mommy.¡±


    Claire had gently explained to Kan but as soon as she looked at Clive, she had a death stare. She was angry, incredibly angry at Clive, and as soon as Clive saw her face he knew he had messed up. He then realized that the cake was suppose to be a surprise for Kan. He stared at Claire for forgiveness but all Claire did was raise her hand and made a motion like she was crushing an apple. This was not the first time Clive had seen this gesture, it meant that when the sun went down and all the children slept, he would be dominated by Claire.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Mommy what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing Kan. Why don¡¯t we finish cooking?¡±


    Kan and Claire went back to cooking while Clive put down the cake and was about to go do his own things but knocks came from the door. Clive went to go open the door and Rob, Richard, Dylan, and their families came. Each of the family holding a gift in their hands. All the men sat down at the couch and started talking but the wives and children stared in shock.


    ¡°¡±¡±What!? Kan¡¯s cooking.¡±¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Wow Kan you¡¯re helping your Mommy cook.¡±


    ¡°Heh, even I can help my mommy cook.¡±


    ¡°You probably can¡¯t even help like Kan, Leo.¡±


    All of the wives were shocked at Kan cooking. Although Kan wasn¡¯t actually cooking, they were still surprised at the fact that he was helping prepare the ingredients. Knowing Claire they believed he would inherit her skills of cooking but they were wrong.


    ¡°Kan you can go play now, i¡¯ll have Claudia, Leia, and Eliza help me cook.¡±


    Kan went to go play with the kids while the other wives who were left in shock slowly regain their senses and helped Claire cook. While the kids were playing and the wives were cooking, the men were having a very serious conversation.


    ¡°Hey Clive do you still remember the competition 4 years ago.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is the perfect chance to finally find out.¡±


    Rob and Richard were both incessant on finishing the competition from 4 years ago. Due to all those events 4 years ago, everyone totally forgot about the competition until today. Just like 4 years ago everyone was gathered together so both Rob and Richard remembered the competition. As everyone was doing there own thing, Jane had entered and started helping the girls out in cooking.


    ¡°Ok, ok. We¡¯ll finish the competition from then. Hey Kan, Jessica, Mary, and Leo, can you guys come over here for a bit.¡±


    Hearing their names be called all of them came rushing towards the men.


    ¡°Ok kids, so this is what¡¯s going to happen. I¡¯m going to ask you a question and you have to answer truthfully ok.¡±


    All 4 of them nodded their heads in acknowledgement of what they were suppose to do.


    ¡°Who in this room do you think is the cutest girl?¡±


    ¡°Jessica.¡±


    ¡°Mary.¡±


    ¡°M...mary.¡±


    ¡°Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. I guess this didn¡¯t turn out as you guys expected it to.¡±


    The mayor was out of control in his laughter because of the kids answers. Clive did not specify that the question was towards Kan and Leo so both Mary and Jessica also answered. Everyone was shocked at the outcome, even the wives who had just finished cooking.


    Jessica did not hesitate to choose Mary and Mary also didn¡¯t hesitate in choosing Jessica. Leo¡¯s answer was the most normal out of all 4 of them. Leo had shyly chosen Mary as the cutest girl while Kan had chosen Aunty Jane. Kan¡¯s answer was oddest to everyone there because the guys thought that Kan would choose one of the other little girls but he didn¡¯t. When Kan had said his answer he had also run up towards Jane.


    ¡°Hehe. Thank you Kan. You are just too sweet.¡±


    Jane had picked up Kan as he ran towards her but on the side Claire looked at Jane with jealousy. Claire was sad and jealous that Kan had chosen Jane but she understood it because although Jane was the oldest amongst the girls, she still looked youthful and cute. As Claire was thinking all this, Kan had also seen that Claire was feeling sad so he wiggled out of Jane¡¯s embrace and walked towards Claire.


    ¡°Mommy, mommy. Don¡¯t be sad. Aunty Jane is cute but Mommy is the prettiest.¡±


    Kan¡¯s words made Claire incredibly happy so she also picked him up and gave him all the kisses.


    ¡°Ok, now that we are done with the antics let¡¯s eat.¡±


    After announcing that it was time to eat, Claire went and cut out a slice of the cake.


    ¡°Since it is Kan¡¯s birthday he will have the first slice of the cake.¡±


    Claire handed Kan the plate of cake and a spoon to eat it with. Kan took the spoon and cut out a piece of the cake and then ate it. Kan had taken the first bite and everyone was cheering but Kan dropped his spoon and the plate. As the plate and spoon dropped so did Kan. Kan was now on the ground holding his stomach and groaning in pain.

 Chapter 20: Second Meeting

    ¡®Where am I? Where is everyone? Wasn¡¯t it just my birthday?¡¯


    ¡°We meet again Kan.¡±


    ¡®This voice. You are that voice from a few days ago. Who are you? Where am I? Why am I here?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but we can not answer those questions right now. We only have a limited amount time so we will say what we need to say. Be prepared, in three years it will be the day Clear View disappears and everyone dies. You have to change the future. All of us before you have failed and you are our last hope. This one event will determine your future. If you can change the outcome for Clear View then you can change your future. Find Nicole Blaine, she should be in the village and is vital for changing the future and beware of a man named George Nice. Don¡¯t trust George...find Nicole...be prepared.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t understand. Why is this happening? Who are you? Who is Nicole?¡¯


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Kan? What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Kan!! What¡¯s wrong!?¡±


    Everyone was shocked. They didn¡¯t know what was happening to Kan. All they knew was that Kan was in incredible pain with his groans and cries. All they could do was watch in shock.


    ¡°Clive and Claire, let me check Kan.¡±


    Jane moved Claire and Clive aside and checked Kan¡¯s body. She tried to use heal on him but it did not work. The only thing Jane¡¯s type of heal could heal was wounds and injuries to the body but it could not do anything against poisons or any illness. Seeing that Kan was not being healed, Jane surmised that Kan was poisoned.


    ¡°What type of cake is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a peca pen cake.¡±


    As soon as Claire clarified what type of cake it was, they then realized that a peca pen fruit could be poisonous if it was rotten. If the ingredients were rotten then the cake would be poisonous.


    ¡°Kan¡¯s been poisoned. Clive carry him to Doctor Frank¡¯s clinic.¡±


    Clive did not hesitate at all. He immediately grabbed both Jane and Kan and dashed out of the door. Clive immediately unlocked 40% of his entire body without any hesitation, even if he would be injured afterwards he did not mind at all.


    It had been 4 years since he had used his limits. 4 years ago the amount he could unlock was 35% but his limit has increased to 40% after only 4 years. A normal combat locksmith would usually take years to increase their limits by even 1% but with Clive¡¯s potential being at 65% it was only a matter of time.


    Now that Clive had used 40% he was running at incredible speeds. If one was to look at Clive all they could see was a blur. In a matter of seconds they had arrived at the clinic. What would usually take 5-10 minutes to get to the clinic had only been a matter of 3 seconds.


    ¡°Doctor Frank! Please help me cure Kan. He has been poisoned.¡±


    ¡°What type of poisoning is it Jane?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a peca pen poisoning.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Ok, get him to a room.¡±


    Both Jane and Doctor Frank got to work. Doctor Frank grabbed all the necessary tools to mix the medicine and Jane had gone to grab all the herbs needed. Peca pen was not an uncommon poisoning around the village of Clear View. Since peca pen was common to see, it was not unusual for kids to accidentally eat a rotten peca pen. The most dangerous thing is that a rotten peca pen looks exactly like a fresh peca pen and only those who knew peca pen well enough could tell the difference.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t any regular peca pen poisoning. The fruit must have been rotten for years for this type of effect on a person.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything we can do for him Doctor Frank.¡±


    ¡°Poison if mixed correctly can become the perfect medicine. We need the original peca pen or one just as poisonous.¡±


    When the doctor finished his sentence Clive had already ran out of the building he had gone straight for the bakery at his limit. When Clive exited, Claire and the rest had reached the clinic.


    ¡°Kan, my baby Kan. You have to be okay.¡±


    Claire was already in tears. She was crying and praying that Kan would get better. The only thing she could do for Kan was hold his hands and pray that he would get better. At this moment Claire did not care about anything else in the world, she did not care that she was a princess, she did not care about the burdens she carried, and all she cared about was Kan¡¯s wellbeing right now.


    ¡­¡­


    George was getting ready to close his shop and was smiling as he closed up. He had accomplished a mission today so he was in a good mood but his good mood was interrupted by a loud crash. George ran out towards the front and his door was broken down and in the rubble was a man.


    ¡°YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH. WHERE ARE YOUR GODDAMN PECA PENS!!!¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down Mr. Lock. What is the problem?¡±


    ¡°YOUR DUMBASS PIECE OF SHIT CAKE POISONED MY SON!!¡±


    ¡°What!? I¡¯m so sorry Mr. Lock. I¡¯m so very sorry Mr. Lock. I¡¯ll go get those peca pens this very instant.¡±


    Seeing George be so apologetic made Clive a little less angry. He felt that George did not know that those peca pens were rotten so as soon as he brought out those peca pens, Clive immediately left instead of beating the shit out of George.


    In his fit of anger Clive did not sense that George was entirely calm during their ordeal. It was like he knew this was already going to happen so he was prepared. When Clive left he also did not see that George was still smiling.


    ¡®It¡¯s already too late for whoever ate that cake.¡¯


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Doctor Frank, i¡¯ve brought the peca pens.¡±


    Clive was exhausted, his face was pale, and blood was coming out of his nose and ears. He had unlocked his limits for far too long. Since his limits was 40% the most he could hold it was 3 seconds but he had been in this state for 6 minutes. He had truly gone beyond the limits of his body and he would definitely be injured afterwards. As soon as Clive brought in the peca pens he collapsed on the ground.


    ¡°Good job Clive. Someone take him to another room. Leave the rest to me.¡±


    Doctor Frank began to crush the peca pens and mixed it with other herbs to make a medicine.


    ¡°Is there anything I could do Doctor.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Jane imbue your healing powers into the medicine. Don¡¯t heal the medicine, give the medicine your healing attribute. This way the medicine would be at least 3 times as effective.¡±


    ¡°Ok Doctor.¡±


    Both doctor Frank and Jane got to mixing mixing the herbs together. It took them a few minutes to finish but they had completed it.


    ¡°Ok, now feed it to Kan. Open his mouth and force him to swallow it all. Don¡¯t allow him to spit any of it out.¡±


    ¡°Ok Doctor.¡±


    Jane put the paste of medicine into her mouth and fed it to Kan through mouth to mouth. In this situation Jane did not hesitate at all. Kan¡¯s life was in danger and she needed to do what needed to be done to save his life. As she put the medicine into his mouth she also further imbued her healing attribute into the medicine.


    ¡°Now the had part comes. Surviving this ordeal all depends on Kan¡¯s will power.¡±

 Chapter 21: Another Problem

    Jane and the Doctor looked at Kan in worry after giving him the medicine. The medicine was able to heal him up to a certain extent but there is always a chance it fails so it was up to Kan¡¯s willpower to resist the poison. Claire could only hold Kan¡¯s hand with sadness in her eyes. She could do nothing for her child right now. While they watched over Kan a loud crash could be heard from another room.


    ¡°Doctor Frank we a have an emergency.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Clive¡¯s body is spasming extremely violently. Rob was already thrown against the wall.¡±


    ¡°Ok let¡¯s go Jane, our job¡¯s not over yet.¡±


    Jane and the Doctor ran towards Clive¡¯s room and what they saw was horrible. Rob had already been thrown through a wall and Clive¡¯s body was all bloodied up. The other men were also injured from Clive.


    ¡°You ladies can you please go call on the other two combat locksmiths and a regular locksmith and tell him to bring chains.¡±


    Claudia, Leia, and Eliza had been able to do anything during this whole ordeal so they were just standing around. Hearing that they could help, they all ran out to call on the blacksmiths.


    ¡°Ranjer are you even using your full strength to hold him down.¡±


    ¡°I am Frank. You think I can easily hold down Clive. He has monstrous strength.¡±


    Right now Richard, Dylan, and the mayor was holding Clive down. Richard and Dylan were struggling the most right now because they were not combat locksmiths and for the mayor although he was a combat locksmith his potential was only 25%. Against Clive¡¯s out of control body they could barely hold him down.


    ¡°Jane i¡¯ll help hold him down so use your healing on Clive to calm his body down.¡±


    Doctor Frank immediately took the spot Rob was initially holding down and Jane walked up towards him. She put her hands on his stomach and started to heal him but what they all didn¡¯t expect was that Clive¡¯s body had a negative reaction to the healing. Jane¡¯s healing could heal any bodily wounds so it should work on Clive and it did. The only problem they did not expect was that as soon as Jane healed him, his muscles would once again break down.


    ¡°Jane stop healing him. If you keep healing him, we won¡¯t be able to hold him down. We have to wait for the other combat locksmiths.¡±


    A few minutes passed and all they could do was hold Clive down. After being awakened from the shock of Kan being poisoned, Claire walked towards Clive¡¯s room. What she saw made her drop to her knees and cry hysterically. Clive¡¯s body was breaking down and Kan was poisoned. The two people who mattered the most in the world to her were both upon death¡¯s doors and she couldn¡¯t do anything. Her mind could not take it anymore. All she did was sat there and cried and cried.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Hearing Claire¡¯s cries everyone else in the room also felt pained. They could not imagine the grief Claire was going through right now. If they were in her situation and all of their loved ones were dying, they could not handle that situation but this was a reality for Claire. Her wailing and crying made everyone else more determined to save both Clive and Kan.


    ¡°Doctor Frank we brought them.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Carl and Stan help us hold Clive down. Mr. Don please lock Clive down in those chains as we hold him down.¡±


    The three men who just entered immediately got to work and wrapped Clive within the chains. A regular locksmith may not seem like much in front of a combat locksmith or a mage locksmith but they were strong in their own right. The chains that are locking Clive down was some of Don¡¯s strongest chains and as soon as he put on the lock it will be able to even hold Clive down. Although there was immense strain on the chains and lock, it was not going to break anytime soon.


    ¡°From what I can see of Clive¡¯s strength, my chains will be able to hold him down for a week at most.¡±


    While everyone was tying Clive down, Claudia, Leia, and Eliza were trying to soothe Claire¡¯s breaking heart. All they could do was hold Claire in their embrace and allow her to cry her heart out.


    ¡°Doctor is there anything we can do to save Clive. My healing powers aren¡¯t working but there must be some other way.¡±


    ¡°There is one way to save Clive and that is to find the Blue Heart grass. It is an extremely rare plant that can only be found on the highest peaks of a mountain. I had once used this to save Ranjer¡¯s life when he had also gone through backlash like this. The problem is that I am unsure if even that plant will save Clive¡¯s life. Ranjer¡¯s backlash back then wasn¡¯t as horrible as this was.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go find it then Doctor. I can¡¯t bare to see Claire¡¯s life be ruined and destroyed like this.¡±


    ¡°You idiot! What can you do? I just told you that the plant could only be found on the highest peaks of mountains. What can you do to protect yourself. You¡¯re just a little girl.¡±


    ¡°But...but I have to try Doctor.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Jane, i¡¯ll go find it.¡±


    Hearing the talk about how her husband could be saved, Claire had come back to clarity. She had heard about their talk and was determined to find the plant. A fire of obsession burned in her eyes. No matter what, Claire had already determined that she will find the plant.


    ¡°Where can I go find it Doctor?¡±


    ¡°You can probably find it on the mountains where the road leads to the capital.¡±


    The doctor did not refuse to answer Claire at all. He saw the glint in her eyes. She was determined to do whatever it meant to get that plant even if it meant having to kill someone.


    ¡°Claire you have at least 7 days to find the plant. If you do not find it by then it is a guaranteed that Clive Lock will die. Without Jane¡¯s healing powers it would take only 3 days for Clive to die but if Jane continuously healed his degrading body then you are given 7 days.¡±


    ¡°Thank you doctor and everyone else.¡±


    Claire said her thanks and walked out of the door. When she was outside it was still the middle of the night. All the commotion that happened this night had only been about an hour. Claire then took off towards the skies. What Claire was doing was locking down the air where she steps so a platform is made so she could stand. If Claire had to walk on the ground she would have to go through many detours to reach the mountains so it would take her even longer to get their. Claire had decided to go over all those obstacles.


    This was the first time Claire had ever flown through the air. In the past she had once experimented with the concept of locking down the air to fly but it had failed. Now in a time of emergency she had no time to fail so she had learned to fly. With her monstrous potential as a mage locksmith it was not difficult for her to adjust the speed at which she flew through the air.

 Chapter 22: Plead

    Darkness reign supreme during the night. No light could be seen on this mountain and there was only the presence of nature, devoid of any human settlements. On this mountain was a single woman resting underneath a tree. Claire had travelled for about 3 hours and when she arrived at the mountain range she had chosen to rest. If she was to go up the highest peaks, she had to be at her peak condition.


    ¡®I¡¯ve rested enough, where is the highest mountain.¡¯


    The range of mountains was extremely vast and called the Bal Go Mountain Range. This mountain range also had a legend attached to it just like all the other kingdoms. It was named the Bal Go Mountain Range because it was said that the mountains was once the home of the legendary dragon Bal Go. Bal Go had the power to fight kingdoms all by itself and was feared and respected by all the surrounding kingdoms. It was said that before the Kingdom of Shields was made there was a different kingdom living in that area but they had angered Bal Go and so Bal Go destroyed their kingdom. Some people even assume that the Kingdom of Shields is the remnants of the previous kingdom.


    Even knowing about the legends surrounding the mountain range, Claire had decided to climb Bal Go Peak. Bal Go Peak was said to be the highest mountain in the range and was where Bal Go rested. Even if there were other tall mountains, Claire decided to go up Bal Go Peak because the higher the mountain the more likely the Blue Heart grass would grow.


    ¡®I¡¯ll head towards the middle of the mountain range. Legends say that Bal Go Peak is there.¡¯


    As Claire headed towards the middle of the mountain Range, her surroundings got colder and colder. She even had to start locking down the mana around her to stop the cold from attacking her body.


    In front of her was an extremely tall mountain. Even as Claire looked for the top of the mountain, she could not see it. The peak of the mountain was shrouded in cold white mist. Now that she was in front of the mountain the coldness had also reached its peak. Even though she had locked the coldness down earlier, it was now useless on this mountain. The cold was penetrating into her body even though she tried to lock the coldness out.


    ¡®This must be Bal Go Peak. This coldness is extremely different from any other I have felt before. It feels like it is trying to penetrate all the way through my bones. This cold doesn¡¯t mean a thing if I can find a Blue Heart grass.¡¯


    Claire began to ascend the mountain. She slowly ascend upwards the mountain by creating platforms but every time she ascended, her speed got slower and slower. The coldness was taking a toll on her body. Her movements and circulation of mana was becoming stiffer as she proceeded upwards. The only thing she was depending on now was sheer willpower.


    ¡®I have to go up. The higher I go up the easier it¡¯ll be to find the plant. I have to go higher. I will save Clive. I have to go up¡¯Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°ROOAAARRRR!!!!¡±


    An extremely loud roar had shaken the entire mountain. Even Claire who was in the air was not safe from the roar. The roar had blasted her from the air and she had crashed into the mountain. On impact with the mountain Claire had created a sizeable crater behind her. Claire coughed out blood and her ears were bleeding. She was totally unprepared for the roar.


    ¡®Is that Bal Go? Wait, no, it can¡¯t be.¡±


    Claire was surprised at there being a creature this powerful on this mountain. Legends say that Bal Go lived on this mountain but that was tens of thousands of years ago. She did not believe that there would be any other animals living on the mountain so she was not prepared for a battle to occur.


    ¡°How dare a human come upon my mountain!¡±


    The voice was extremely loud but it did not affect the surroundings. The dragon was directly speaking into Claire¡¯s mind. Her entire body and mind was being rattled by the dragon talking to her.


    ¡°Find...Blue Heart.¡±


    Claire could not speak clearly. Every single word that came out of her mouth came out with extreme difficulty. The pressure the dragon was exuding on Claire was incredible. She could barely resist it.


    ¡°Hah, just another greedy human. Everything on this mountain belongs to me. How dare you try and take something from me, Bal Vo.¡±


    There was clearly disdain in Bal Vo¡¯s tone. It did not like humans and it even held a strong resentment against them. It was ready to kill Claire at a moment¡¯s notice.


    ¡°Now tell me. Give me a reason to not kill you, you thief.¡±


    ¡°Please...I need...Blue Heart...My husband...dying...Please...I love...him...I...don¡¯t want...him¡­ to die.¡±


    Every single word was ushered with difficulty but Bal Vo did not care for Claire¡¯s suffering. Bal Vo did not bat an eye at Claire¡¯s situation.


    ¡°Hahahahahaha, how ironic. Hundreds of years ago I begged humans not to take away my child but what did they do. They took him away as I begged and begged them not to. You damnable humans called heroes had locked me down and stolen my only child. Many years later a human is now begging me for help. How hilarious, this is too funny. Why don¡¯t we play a little game you foolish human. I¡¯ll give you a slight hope of saving your husband but you¡¯ll probably lose anyways. What do you say human.¡±


    ¡°I...i¡¯ll...do anything.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha, i¡¯m going to die from laughter. I¡¯ll give you some hope and crush it in the end. If you wish to save your husband you have to grovel in this same spot for 7 days. If you can last for 7 days then I may or may not give you some Blue Heart grass.¡±


    Claire slowly stood up. After standing up, Claire then fell to her knees and planted her forehead on the ground. She was now groveling towards Bal Vo. She had not hesitated at all, even if it was only a chance of getting Blue Heart grass, it was still a chance.


    ¡°Please...I need...Blue Heart...My husband...dying...Please...I love...him...I...don¡¯t want...him¡­ to die.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha, you actually plan on doing this for 7 days. The coldness on my mountain is many times colder than any other mountain. I estimate you will only be able to last for 4 days before freezing to death. Hahahahaha, well see you in 7 days. I wish you the best of luck my dear little human.¡±


    ¡°Please...I need...Blue Heart...My husband...dying...Please...I love...him...I...don¡¯t want...him¡­ to die.¡±

 Chapter 23: Seven Days

    ¡°Did Claire come back yet?¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t come back yet.¡±


    Today was already the seventh day since Claire had left to go find the Blue Heart grass. Everyone was worried about what may have happened to Claire. When Claire had left she looked calm and composed but everyone knew that she was in a rush to go find the grass. They were worried that Claire may have pushed herself to hard and got injured or in the worse case scenario she had died in the mountains.


    ¡°Haah, it¡¯ll be fine, all three of us grew up with Claire so even when there are hard times for her she¡¯ll break her way through it.¡±


    Leia had tried to lighten the mood up in the room but it had little effect. Everyone was still silent and worried about the situation.


    ¡°We brought some food. You guys have been watching Clive for so many days so you guys should rest once in a while¡±


    For the past few days everyone involved with the incident did not leave the clinic. All the guys and Jane were there to watch over Clive in case he went out of control again. The only people who left the clinic in these past few days were Claudia, Leia, and Eliza. They had to take care of their own children so they would go home and be with them. Everyday they would visit the clinic and bring them breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The wives would bring them food while the children would go watch Kan.


    Kan was still in his bed and had not woken up yet. Even so, Leo, Mary, and Jessica would visit Kan and tell him about their days. Although they didn¡¯t have much to talk about, they still talked to Kan as he lied on the bed hoping that he¡¯ll wake up to the sound of their voices.


    ¡°Kan you have to wake up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Kan we still haven¡¯t finished who is the fastest runner yet.¡±


    ¡°Please wake up Kan.¡±


    Everyday the three of them would visit Kan and plead for him to wake up but he never should any signs of waking up. Today was no different. Kan¡¯s eyes were still closed and he showed no signs of movement. The three of them could only cry silently as their friend lied on the bed.


    ¡°Hey doctor how many hours does Clive have left before his body is beyond repair.¡±


    ¡°I estimate he has 6-7 hours with Jane healing him but Jane needs to rest.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok doctor. I don¡¯t need to rest yet.¡±


    ¡°But Jane.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok doctor.¡±


    For the past few days Jane had rarely rested. When she did rest, she had only rested at most 10 minutes. She did not want to risk Clive dying any sooner so she rarely rested.


    ¡°All we can hope for is for Claire to be back with the Blue Heart grass within 7 hours.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The days slowly passed by for Claire. The coldness had made it so every second felt painfully long. All she could do was persist in her grovelling and hope that Bal Vo would give her some Blue Heart grass.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    On the first day of Claire being there on the mountain, Bal Vo had flown by once to check on her. When Bal Vo looked at Claire, there was still disdain in it¡¯s eyes. It flew off laughing but Claire did not mind it at all.


    On second day Claire¡¯s presence had become weaker. The snow was starting to pile on top of Claire and her body became colder and colder. The temperature of her body and become incredibly low. Bal Vo once again checked on her and still felt the same about Claire, disdain for this gullible human.


    On the third day more and more snow piled on top of Claire. She could not even be seen anymore. The snow was piled on so much that not even a figure could be seen in the snow. If someone was to walk by, they wouldn¡¯t even notice that they had walked over Claire.


    ¡°Foolish human, I see that you can still persist. One more day and you¡¯ll be dead. Hahaha, I can¡¯t wait to enjoy myself some cold human popsicle. See you tomorrow then you human.¡±


    On the fourth day Bal Vo once again came to check on Claire. Bal Vo was surprised at the situation. Claire was still not dead.


    ¡°How surprising human. You still aren¡¯t dead. I guess i¡¯ll just have to wait until tomorrow then.¡±


    Claire did not react to any of Bal Vo¡¯s provocations, she had only repeated what she said when she first got there.


    ¡°Please...I need...Blue Heart...My husband...dying...Please...I love...him...I...don¡¯t want...him¡­ to die.¡±


    On the fifth day and sixth day, Bal Vo did not speak to Claire. Bal Vo could only stand there and watch Claire with confusion in it¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®How can a puny human last this long. It must be her greed. It has to be.¡¯


    On both of those days Bal Vo left confused but convinced that only Claire¡¯s greed was driving her forwards.


    On the seventh day Bal Vo decided to dig Claire out of the snow. Claire¡¯s entire body was pale blue. If one was to see her they would think that she was just a frozen dead body but Bal Vo could sense her life force. Even though it could barely be felt, it was still there. Claire was still muttering the same words she had been saying for the past few days. Although her voice was devoid of energy, she was still speaking.


    ¡°Please...I need...Blue Heart...My husband...dying...Please...I love...him...I...don¡¯t want...him¡­ to die.¡±


    Bal Vo was left in awe.


    ¡°Why do you persist human? Why are you trying so hard to get some measly Blue Heart grass? Why drives you to such extent? You¡¯re just another selfish greedy human.¡±


    Bal Vo had spoken directly to Claire¡¯s mind so she decided to respond back. She could barely utter any words through her frozen lips so she thought her words to Bal Vo.


    "Humans may be greedy and they may be selfish but that doesn¡¯t matter to me at all. I am my own person and I am not those humans you met hundreds of years ago. Every single human is different. All I came here to do was save my husband. He has been with me for so many years. He has protected me, loved me, and even sacrificed so many things for me. So I will save him. I want to spend more of my future with him and my son. I don¡¯t want him to die. Please give me some Blue Heart grass to save him.¡±


    When Claire had spoken to Bal Vo she had stared directly at Bal Vo. Bal Vo saw the determination in her eyes and the sadness within them. Bal Vo remembered her own past and how she once had those same eyes.


    When her husband was still alive he had once been severely injured and was on death¡¯s door. She had flown to other dragons territory to ask for help but none of them would help her. In the end she had watch her husband die.


    ¡°Human, tell me your name.¡±


    ¡°Claire Lock.¡±


    ¡°I will give you some Blue Heart grass. Human. No, Claire. Do you have any children.¡±


    ¡°I do. Why?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything bad to them. Instead consider this a gift. Tell me their name.¡±


    ¡°My son is named Kan Lock.¡±


    ¡°Claire Lock, in the future bring your son to me and I will bestow him a blessing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much Bal Vo.¡±


    ¡°You may go now.¡±


    ¡°I sincerely thank you for helping me save my husband.¡±

 Chapter 24: The Wait

    ¡°ARRGGGHHHH. AAAAHHHH.¡±


    ¡°Where are you Claire?¡±


    Clive had started spasming again. This time it was even more serious than the previous times. Clive¡¯s body was now deteriorating at an astonishing rate and Jane¡¯s healing could not completely keep up with it. Clive¡¯s body was covered in blood from his skin tearing off and the bed was drenched in his blood.


    ¡°Hold on Jane. I¡¯ll go get some more herbs to help you heal Clive.¡±


    The doctor had gone off to find some more herbs to help stop Clive¡¯s bleeding and start healing him. Doctor Frank came back with the herbs and plastered it on Clive¡¯s body but it¡¯s effectiveness was barely noticable.


    ¡°Shit, the effects of the herbs are to weak.¡±


    ¡°How long will he last Frank.¡±


    ¡°Clive¡¯s already in his final phase of deterioration. The most he can last is 20 minutes.¡±


    ¡°FUCK!!!¡±


    Everyone was losing hope after hearing the doctor¡¯s time limit for Clive. A close friend of theirs was going to die soon and they can do nothing about it. All they could do was hold him down so he doesn¡¯t attack other people. All they could do was hope for Claire to come back with the Blue Heart grass but as the time passed it was becoming more and more unlikely that she will come back.


    In that moment when all hope was lost, the door of the clinic was slammed open. The person that just came in was Claire and in her hand was the Blue Heart grass.


    ¡°Claire!! You made it.¡±


    ¡°Claire hurry and give me the Blue Heart grass.¡±


    The doctor hurried Claire to give him the grass. He only had less then 20 minutes to prepare the medicine or Clive would die for sure.


    Time slowly passed as the doctor prepared the Blue Heart medicine. Every second he picked apart the Blue Heart grass, he was tense. Sweat dripped out of all of his orifices because if he messed up the process in making the Blue Heart medicine then Clive would die. The only thing he could rejoice in was that he had previous experience in making the Blue Heart medicine. After 10 minutes or so the doctor finished making the medicine.


    ¡°Claire take this medicine and directly insert it into Clive¡¯s heart.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    There was a reason why Blue Heart grass was called Blue Heart grass. The blue in its name came from the blue hue on the grass and how it could only be found in extremely cold places. The heart in its name came from the fact that it had to be injected through the heart and how it will revitalize the heart and increase the healing of a person¡¯s body. There was also another meaning to the name if both words are put together. If a mistake was made in the injection of the medicine into the heart then the person¡¯s heart would turn blue along with the entire body.


    The reason Doctor Frank was able to heal the mayor years ago with the Blue Heart medicine was all due to luck. The doctor had no other choice then to cut open the mayor¡¯s chest and insert it into his heart. By the luck of the gods, the doctor had done a perfect clean cut and done the operation fast enough where the medicine started to heal the mayor before he bled to death. Now he entrusted the operation to Claire because she was a mage locksmith.


    ¡°¡®Blood flows like water in one¡¯s body. Like a stream in the mountains, it brings life to all. But now I need it to stop. [Lock].¡¯¡±


    Claire had stopped all blood flow within Clive¡¯s body. She had done this so when she opened up his chest Clive would not die from blood loss. Claire then proceeded to compress a ball of air where she could put the medicine in. She also locked down the air to create a blade made of air and then pierced it through Clive¡¯s chest. As soon as she also brought down the blade, she had also brought down the medicine right behind it. The blade pierced through Clive¡¯s chest and now the medicine was in his heart.


    ¡°Good job Claire now we just have to wait. Considering Clive¡¯s injuries, it¡¯ll probably take a few hours for him to heal up to a certain extent.¡±


    ¡°Goo...good.¡±


    ¡°Claire?!¡±


    ¡°Her body is incredibly cold. There are frostbites all over her body. Jane start healing her right away.¡±


    Claire had suddenly collapsed right after giving Clive the medicine. Considering what she had been through the past few days, her body was clearly damaged. The only thing that kept her body up and going for the past few days was her determination to save Clive. Now that she had relaxed just a bit after giving Clive the medicine, her body had collapsed on itself.


    ¡°Doctor Frank, I have stabilized Claire¡¯s condition. It is only frostbites on her body. I should be able to heal her completely within a few hours.¡±


    ¡°Ok, good job Jane.¡±


    ¡°FUCK!! What kind of mayor am I. In a span of a few days I let an entire family get injured and now all of them are unconscious. I am a failure of a person. I could not even protect one person. FUCCCKKKKK!!!¡±


    The mayor was furious at himself. He was supposed to be the leading figure of the village and it was his job to protect his people but what did he do. He could do nothing to protect a single family and especially the princess he was entrusted with to protect.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it so hard Ranjer. No one could have predicted this entire situation.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Frank but I can¡¯t forgive myself for this. Everyone who has come and helped with the situation, on behalf of the Lock family I will thank you all. We could not have helped anyone without any of your help. Now that the situation has stabilized itself you guys can go home to your families and rest.¡±


    Everyone there for the past 7 days had little rest time. Every single person was stressed and worried so all of them were exhausted. Hearing that they can finally go rest, they were all glad to go back to their families.


    ¡°Thank you everybody, now we just have to wait for Clive, Claire, and Kan to wake up.¡±

 Chapter 25: Recovery

    An entire week passed after the day Claire had saved Clive. Claire had woken up the next day after Jane had continuously healed. Although she was not fully healed yet she had regained her consciousness. After a week had passed Claire was able to stand and walk again.


    The only problem was that both Clive and Kan had not woken up yet. When Claire first regained her consciousness she had asked about Clive and Kan¡¯s situation but Jane could only tell her that they were ok but had not woken up yet. That entire day Claire was worried about Clive and Kan¡¯s condition so Doctor Frank decided to bring them into the same room Claire was in.


    That entire week Claire could only lie on her bed and watch both Clive and Kan sleep. She watched them with worry in her eyes. She was worried that they may never wake up again. She could only watch and do nothing at all. Her body was still not in a condition where she could move yet.


    Sensing Claire¡¯s uneasiness, Jane would always stay by Claire¡¯s side and reassure her. She would stay with Claire and feed her or talk to her about anything that happened in the village. Jane felt the need to protect Claire and keep her away from mentally breaking down. Just like those many years ago when Claire had helped her out of her depression, it was now her turn to help Claire.


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll ever recover? What if...what if the will never wake up? What should I do Jane? I...I...I don¡¯t know what to do Jane.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Claire. Don¡¯t worry, the doctor and I can say that the both of them will certainly wake up. It may be many days until they wake up but they will wake up so don¡¯t worry Claire. Instead you should be happy Claire. You should be happy and smile. Clive or Kan wouldn¡¯t want to see you so depressed.¡±


    ¡°But...but what if.¡±


    ¡°There is no if Claire. Believe in them. There¡¯s no need to cry.¡±


    Every day for the past week Jane would come into Claire¡¯s room and hold her in her arms and console her. Claire would cry into Jane¡¯s chest until she fell asleep. Whenever Claire fell asleep Jane wouldn¡¯t leave her though. Jane would stay there an hold onto Claire¡¯s hand because she did not want Claire to feel alone.


    ¡°Thank you Jane.¡±


    As Claire slept she thanked Jane in her sleep.


    ¡®You¡¯re like a baby right now Claire. I hope I can make you smile again. The look in your eyes are too painful for me to look at. When will you wake up Clive, Kan.¡¯


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of me for the past week Jane.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Claire, it was just like taking care of a big cute baby.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, sorry Jane.¡±


    ¡°Now open wide. Aaa¡±


    ¡°Stop treating me like a baby, Jane.¡±


    They both laughed as they had gone through there small skit as a mother and a baby. Although Claire resisted being fed by Jane she still accepted the spoon full of food.


    ¡°Do you want to try walking today Claire.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Yeah, thank you Jane.¡±


    Claire¡¯s body had been frozen all over the place and she had rested in bed for an entire week so her body was still not back to normal. Jane lifted Claire off of the bed and as she did so, she made sure to put her hands on parts where Claire wouldn¡¯t want to be touched. Claire did not notice Jane¡¯s hands caressing her body though. Claire had just thought that it was normal for patients to be picked up this way because the day before, Jane had done the exact thing.


    ¡°Ok, Claire now try walking forwards.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got it. It¡¯s still kind of hard to walk but I can walk.¡±


    ¡°Now come back to mommy, Claire. Come to mommy and i¡¯ll give you a reward kiss.¡±


    ¡°Stop it Jane and I do not want that kiss either.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, sorry Claire. This is probably the only time in my life I am able to tease you like this. Clive was certainly right when he said that when you are embarrassed, you are the cutest thing ever.¡±


    Hearing Jane flatter her like that, Claire blushed and her face turned red. In her heart Claire swore that she would get Jane back for this but the only thing she could do now was walk towards Jane.


    ¡°Good job Claire.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks. It was pretty tiring walking. I guess being frozen to death isn¡¯t good for your body, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yep, I guess not.¡±


    Both Jane and Claire was having a good time being in each other¡¯s company. They were good friends and no matter what they did together, they had fun doing it.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Clive!?¡±


    Claire and Jane ran towards Clive¡¯s bed. He had woken up but now he was screaming hysterically. It was like he had just woken up from a nightmare and was in shock.


    ¡°Doctor! Doctor Frank! Clive has woken up.¡±


    ¡°Clive, Clive, Clive, Clive, oh Clive you¡¯re awake.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation Jane. Is Clive in pain again.¡±


    The doctor had immediately rushed into the room with his medicine bag but what he saw made him feel relieved. Claire was now crying within Clive¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Claire? Claire? Wait, where is Kan!? Is he ok Claire? Is Kan ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah. He is ok Clive. He just hasn¡¯t woken up yet. Why do you make me worry so much Clive.¡±


    After telling Clive that Kan was ok, Claire kissed him. Not letting him gather his thoughts at all she furiously kissed. She had thought that Clive may not wake up ever again so she kissed him to make sure he was really there.


    ¡°Mmgh...wait Claire. Mmmgh...wait let me. Mmmgh...Claire.¡±


    Clive had initially tried to put a struggle but eventually he could only moan out Claire¡¯s name. Clive¡¯s entire face was blushed red and this was the first time the doctor and Jane had ever seen Clive so meek and embarrassed. He was usually playful and confident but right now he was like a tiny mouse being pinned down by a tiger.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my Clive. I haven¡¯t seen this face in so long. You better promise me you won¡¯t make me so worried ever again.¡±


    ¡°Haah...haah...o...ok Claire.¡±


    After being pinned down and attacked by Claire, Clive could only shyly answer Claire. The doctor and Jane could only watch in shock as Clive was attacked.


    ¡°*Cough *Cough. Excuse me Claire, can I please check up on Clive¡¯s condition.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes doctor, go ahead.¡±


    Claire had gotten off of Clive and answered the doctor in her normal tone of voice. It was like what she did had never happened at all.


    ¡°Hmm. It seems Clive is completely healed up and he may be even stronger now.¡±


    ¡°*Cough *Cough. Doctor is Kan ok. Did the medicine work?¡±


    ¡°Yeah there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. The medicine has indeed worked but the only problem is that we don¡¯t know why he is still not waking up. His body is entirely fine but he still hasn¡¯t woken up. The only thing that I can say is that his body probably went through to much shock so now it is still recuperating because it still believes there is still poison in his body.¡±


    ¡°Ok thank you doctor. Thank you too Jane.¡±

 Chapter 26: Darkness(Part 1)

    ¡®Wait don¡¯t go. Where am I?¡¯


    Kan was left stranded in the darkness. He floated in the empty darkness. There was nothing there except for himself and the pitch black abyss.


    ¡®How do I get out of here? Mommy. Daddy. Is anyone there?¡¯


    Kan had called out into the darkness but there was only silence. This was an eerie silence, Kan could not even hear his own breathing or heartbeat. It was like everything was gone, dead and destroyed from the world. Kan became worried.


    ¡®Am...am I dead. No, I can¡¯t be dead. I just turned 5 years old. Mommy. Daddy. Where are you? Please come save me.¡¯


    Kan curled himself up into a ball and started crying. He was terrified, he didn¡¯t know if he was dead or not. If he was dead then he would never be able to see his Mommy or Daddy. He would never again see his friends or any of those kind villagers. He felt hopeless and alone. All he could do was call out for Claire and Clive but no matter how much time passed no one answered him.


    ¡®UWWAAAAUWWWWAAAAA. Where...where are you Mommy, Daddy! Where are you.¡¯


    ¡°Why are you crying so much Kan. You¡¯re already 8 years old¡±


    ¡®Mommy. Daddy. You guys came for me.¡¯


    Kan ran towards both Claire and Clive but he passed through them. It was like they were only a projection and had no physical form.


    ¡°I slipped on a puddle and scraped my knee, Mommy, Daddy. It hurts.¡±


    ¡®Is that me?¡¯


    ¡°Well it has been raining a lot so you should be more careful Kan. If it hurts too much then Daddy will carry you on his back.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m right here Mommy, Daddy. Why won¡¯t you answer me!? Why do you only talk to him.¡¯


    ¡°Ok, Daddy.¡±


    Before Kan had noticed it his surroundings had changed. It was no longer only the darkness that surrounded him. He was now back in the village he had grown up in. All the buildings were the same except that his parents looked a little older. On this day it was cloudy and looked liked it was about to be a downpour.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry Kan and Clive, it looks like there is going to be a downpour soon. We wouldn¡¯t want anyone getting sick.¡±


    ¡°Ok, hold on tight Kan. Daddy¡¯s going to dash his way home.¡±


    ¡®What...what is going on?¡¯


    The 3 of them ran home but they were not fast enough so they were all drenched. They all entered the house and so did Kan.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡®This is definitely my home. Why can¡¯t anyone see me?¡¯


    ¡°What do you say we all take a bath together so we aren¡¯t cold and wet.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Daddy.¡±


    Kan watched on with confusion in his eyes as this happy scene played out before him but everything was interrupted by a loud lightning strike. Kan walked out to look at the lighting strike while the other three were still in the house.


    ¡°That was some intense lighting wasn¡¯t it Kan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah it was.¡±


    As both ¡°Kan¡± and Clive were talking about the lighting strike they were once again interrupted by a different sound. This was now the sound of the village alarm bell going off. It wasn¡¯t just one alarm bell going off though, it was all of them. In total the village of Clear View had 4 alarm bells: Intruders, Monsters, Rampaging Animals, and Natural Disasters. At the moment the chaotic sound of all 4 bells were ringing out.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s going on Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Shit. Claire take Kan and run. I¡¯ll go meet up with the mayor.¡±


    ¡°BRING US CLAIRE RENNER OR BE EXTERMINATED!!! YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS BEFORE THE MASSACRE STARTS!!¡±


    Clive had started running towards the mayor¡¯s house while Claire had grabbed ¡°Kan¡± and started running towards the forest. Kan was left there hopeless as to what he should do. He did not know whether to follow Clive or Claire but in the end he decided to follow Clive towards the mayor¡¯s house.


    ¡°Dylan where is your grandfather?¡±


    ¡°He, he went towards the plaza where the voice was coming from.¡±


    Clive ran faster and faster towards the plaza while Kan could only keep up with his speed because he was floating. Even as he floated, he was still a ways slower then Clive.


    ¡°I will never hand a villager to you people. Whoever this Claire Renner is, whether she is a part of this village or not, you guys will not put a hand on her.¡±


    ¡°Kill him.¡±


    The mayor knew he could not defeat them so he had talked to make it seem that there was no Claire Renner in the village. He had tried to stall for time so Claire could run away. Every second he delayed meant a second longer that Claire could escape.


    The mysterious man in blacked had ordered his men to kill the mayor. The mayor resisted their attacks but there were to many of them and each person had a different style of fighting so the mayor could not adapt to them. 6 men had attack the mayor. One had a spear, a shield, a sword, a bow, a trident, and a hammer.


    The mayor had taken out a sword and repelled the attacks of them but he could not attack. Every time he tried to attack the shield wielder would intercept him then the rest would attack him from all angles. It was too difficult for one man to deal with six skilled fighters so eventually the mayor¡¯s stamina was worn down.


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Since I am going to die anyways i¡¯ll bet everything to take you 6 down with me.¡±


    The mayor¡¯s body immediately swelled up. He was going past and beyond his limits. The mayor was a combat specialist who only had a 25% potential but now he was unlocking 35%. He was sacrificing his body to take down these 6 people.


    The mayor fought valiantly but it was of no use. He had only managed to take down 3 of the people attacking him. The other 3 were injured but it was only scratches.


    ¡°Tch, what a hassle. Kill everyone if they don¡¯t know anything about Claire Renner. Don¡¯t leave anyone alive, including the women and children.¡±


    At that moment of the mayor¡¯s final moments Clive had arrived. Clive had seen the mayor get stabbed through the chest by the spear user. The mayor had also seen Clive and signalled with his eyes to run away but Clive did not listen to him.


    ¡°YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!!!!¡±


    ¡®Grandpa Ranjer. Why...why is this happening. Someone tell me please.¡¯

 Chapter 27: Darkness(Part 2)

    ¡°Hahaha, look who¡¯s here. If it isn¡¯t Clive Lock.¡±


    ¡°You bastards. How dare you kill the mayor.¡±


    ¡°Well, if he just told us where Claire was then he would have survived but he just had to go and lie that Claire isn¡¯t in the village. Now what are you going to do Clive. Give us Claire and we¡¯ll spare the village or will you have us massacre everyone just to find Claire.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on Clive?¡± ¡°Who are those men?¡± ¡°FUCK YOU GUYS!!¡± ¡°We will avenge the mayor!¡± ¡°Are they looking for Claire?¡±


    The villagers off to the side were confused. The battle between the mayor and the mysterious men had happened in only a few seconds. They could not yet comprehend what was happening. As time passed the villagers started processing the current events and confusion arose. Some were furious, some sad, some still confused, but they all knew that a major change was about to occur in the village of Clear View.


    Clive was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He didn¡¯t know whether to abandon the villagers or not. He could run away and meet up with Claire and then the both of them could run away but he couldn¡¯t do that. Everyone in the village was practically a part of his family. He had grown up here and knew everyone so he could not abandon them but he also couldn''t abandon Claire. Clive chose to fight.


    Clive unlocked his body and dash towards the man who was the leader. He ran at an incredible speed and was ready to punch straight through the man but it did not go that easily. As he was getting closer, weapons from all the other black clothed men attacked him so he had to retreat.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°Look Clive is fighting them.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s help him.¡± ¡°Get revenge for the mayor!¡± ¡°Protect our village.¡± ¡°ATTACK!!!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    Dylan had arrived and the scene before him was disastrous. The men had started to fight the black clothed men but it was a one sided slaughter. Although the black clothed men were only about 50 people and the villagers side had about three times as many men, it was of no use. The bodies of familiar faces was strewn all over the ground.


    ¡°Grandfather!?¡±


    Dylan had seen his grandfather¡¯s lifeless corpse on the ground. The situation was bad and as time passed more and more men were dying. Dylan could only see bodies fall one after another. As he looked around, he saw the women and their children off to the side. Instead of joining the fight right away, he gave an order. Since his grandfather had died no one was leading the villagers so he had to do it.


    ¡°Eliza take Leo and run away. Run as far as you can and do not stop for anything.¡±


    ¡°But what about you honey.¡±


    ¡°Daddy don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be ok. Daddy is just going to do grandpa¡¯s job for him.¡±


    Dylan looked at his wife and son for the last time and hurried them to run away. Eliza ran with Leo crying in her arms as he tried to get out of her hold. He looked at his wife and son for one last time before turning around towards the carnage. Dylan then took a deep breathe.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°EVERY MEN FIGHT FOR THE VILLAGE! WE WILL FIGHT AND WE WILL DIE FOR OUR FAMILIES! EVERY SECOND WE HOLD OUT MEANS OUR FAMILY IS ONE SECOND FURTHER AND SAFER! EVERY WOMEN AND CHILD RUN AWAY! DON¡¯T LOOK BACK NO MATTER WHAT! WE WILL ALL COME HOME SAFE AND SOUND! ALL MEN, FIGHHHTTTT!!!!!!¡±


    After finishing his speech in one breathe Dylan charged towards the middle of the mayhem with his sword drawn out. The men had low morals after so many of them were slain but after hearing Dylan¡¯s speech they were invigorated. They were not fighting to protect the village or even avenge the mayor, they were now fighting to allow their families to run away. All of the men roared and increased the strength of their attacks on the intruders.


    The women and children could only run away with tears in their eyes. They were useless to help the men fight but the one thing they could do was survive. As long as they survived, the village of Clear View would survive. When Dylan had finished his speech, the women cried even harder then the children, especially those who had husbands fighting right now. Dylan had said that the men would come home safe and sound but they knew that he was just saying that to increase moral. It was likely that all of the men were going to die on this day.


    ¡®Why? Why? Why is this happening? Make it stop. MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE!!!¡±


    Kan could only watch in horror as all of this happened. He could not do anything to stop it since he could not come into contact with anything. People he knew were all dying in front of him and he could only watch helplessly. Earlier both Rob and Richard had died in front of him. Both of them were fighting to protect their wives and children but in the end they were both dead lifeless bodies. Kan had seen the eyes of Rob in his final moments. Those dead lifeless eyes had stared straight at him but Kan could do nothing to help him. All he could do was cry and repeat his apologies.


    ¡­¡­


    Clive was in the middle of fighting 7 blacked clothed men. Each one of them were extremely skilled in their own fighting styles. Just like how the mayor couldn¡¯t deal with the different styles, Clive also couldn¡¯t adapt to it. The only thing helping Clive last was that he was able to dodge and deal more damage because he could unlock more power as a combat specialist.


    If he was to keep fighting he would be able to defeat them but he would be absolutely exhausted and wouldn¡¯t be able to fight anymore. Currently Clive was not using his absolute limits because he knew this was a battle for time. He had to last as long as possible so everyone else could have more time to escape.


    Clive was surrounded by those 7 men but suddenly a sword flew out of nowhere at incredible speeds and pierced one of those men. Clive looked at the sword and realized who it was, it was Dylan.


    ¡°That was a pretty good speech earlier Dylan.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Clive. How long do you think we¡¯ll last?¡±


    They both fought against the 6 black clothed men and the pressure on Clive immediately lessen a whole level. Their backs against each other and they spoke to one another. The tone of their voice was completely calm and it was like they were just talking over a cup of tea. One of the black clothed man tried to sweep Clive¡¯s leg but Clive brought down his foot and shattered that man¡¯s leg. As the man was incapacitated, Dylan bought his sword down and sliced off his head.


    ¡°At this rate we¡¯ll last about 20 minutes.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Are you really that weak Clive. What don¡¯t we give them 30 minutes.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. Sure lets give these guys a run for their money.¡±


    ¡®Daddy. Uncle Dylan. Why is this happening? Someone tell me?¡¯


    Kan¡¯s heart was broken. Everyone around him was dying and he could only watch. Tears endlessly flowed out of his eyes and no sound came out of his mouth because he had been crying too much.


    In that one moment Kan watched as Dylan was stabbed from behind and he cried harder and harder. Dylan had died and now more men were fighting against Clive. Kan watched as Clive was now all by himself fighting against the rest of the men. Every other person had died and know Clive was unlocking his absolute limit to fight these men.


    Kan watched his father fight but a bright light flashed through the sky. The light was blinding and covered the entire world. Kan had to cover his eyes so he wouldn¡¯t become blind. After uncovering his eyes everything was gone. It was once again complete darkness.

 Chapter 28: Memories

    ¡®What happened? Where¡¯s Daddy?¡¯


    Kan was once again left confused. All the events that happened to him was to much for him to process. He questioned if it was even real or not but it was to realistic to be fake. Once again he could only continue floating in the continual darkness.


    ¡®Were those my memories?¡¯


    Those events were to realistic and it felt somewhat familiar to him. The only conclusion Kan could think of was that they were his own memories. Every person and building was the exact same ones he knew of but a little bit different.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be my memories. Mommy and Daddy had said that I was 8 but I just turned 5. I also saw myself and I was taller and both Mommy and Daddy looked older.¡¯


    Kan pondered over those events trying to rationalize what had occured.


    ¡®Those memories were mine but they were also not mine. It felt like the memories of another me.¡¯


    An epiphany popped into Kan¡¯s mind and he thought about the memories and what those mysterious voices said. Those voices had told him to be prepared for the future and the memories he saw, everyone was older.


    ¡®Is this the future of Clear View? Is this what those voices were warning me about but how could they show such vivid images. Unless someone had actually experienced those events, would they be able to show it.¡¯


    Kan was sure that those were memories of the village of Clear View but he was unsure of whose memories they were. Kan had thought those memories were of another him but it couldn¡¯t be. What he saw in the memories was of the entire situation that occured. The Kan of that world had not been there to witness Clive fight so it could not be him.


    Now Kan was confused on whose memories he had seen and watched. He was able to roam freely in the world of memories so it was not like he was watching from someone¡¯s viewpoint but more like that entire world was created. This left Kan even more confused because who would be able to create an entire world off of memories.


    ¡®What is going on? Who were those voices? Who created that world of memories? And what was that bright light that ended those memories?¡¯


    ¡®AAAaaaaa!! What is happening!? Someone tell me please!?¡¯


    Kan was confused and frustrated. There were to many secrets around the events that happened and he didn¡¯t know the answers to them. Kan felt hopeless in not having the answers to all of these secrets. The thing that left him the most frustrated was that he still didn¡¯t know how to escape this darkness or whether he was alive or not.


    Kan hated the feeling of not being able to resolve problems. If there was a secret given to him, he would want to find the answer to them. If there were 2 people fighting, he would want to end the fight where both sides are happy. This was an obsessive trait of his that he would never be able to contain. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    When he had first met the mysterious lady he knew she was hiding something when he looked at her eyes. He had not pursue her secret because he felt that it was inappropriate but when he left, he had once turned back to look for her. He could not contain his desire to know what she was doing there or who she was, but she had disappeared. When he had to choose who was the cutest girl and he had chosen Jane, he felt Claire¡¯s sadness. He felt that there was a problem with his answer so he resolved it by also complementing Claire.


    Kan¡¯s obsessive trait had occur many times before but no one had noticed it, not even Kan himself knew of it. Every time he couldn¡¯t resolve a problem a stirring feeling would always occur within him and he would set out to resolve this feeling. Cause that stirring feeling within himself was another problem he wanted to resolve.


    ¡®What should I do? How do I get out of here?¡¯


    Kan floated there thinking about how possible solutions to his predicament. He didn¡¯t know how long he had been there for. Sometimes it felt like time passed incredibly fast and other times incredibly slow. He did not know how long he had been there for but he had been there long enough where he slowly got over the deaths he had seen. Although he still felt saddened when thinking about how so many people died, he had come to accept that he could not change anything about it. Those people had died in a different world and had not died in his. Kan swore in his heart that he would not let the villagers die in his world. A sudden flash of light enveloped Kan and the darkness.


    ¡®It¡¯s that light again.¡¯


    Kan¡¯s surroundings once again changed. The darkness had disappeared and now he was surrounding by trees. Kan looked around and saw trees but as he looked up, he saw that the skies were cloudy like a downpour was about to happen. Suddenly a streak of lighting struck down and Kan could hear familiar voices nearby.


    ¡°That was some intense lighting wasn¡¯t it Kan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah it was.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s Daddy and my voice again. Is the memories repeating itself?¡¯


    After the lighting struck down somewhere in the distant, bells could be heard. It was the same 4 alarm bells Kan had heard in the other memories.


    ¡®It¡¯s happening again. The alarm bells are going off and Daddy will run towards the village.¡¯


    ¡°Claire take Kan and run away.¡±


    ¡°But what about you?¡±


    ¡°Daddy what¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine don¡¯t you worry. Kan if it ever comes to it protect Mommy. I give you permission to unlock the power in your body.¡±


    ¡°Ok Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Be safe Clive.¡±


    Clive began running out of the forest and towards the village while Claire grabbed ¡°Kan¡± and began running further into the forest. Kan stood there for a second before floating with Claire and ¡°Kan¡± into the forest. Kan had decided to see what happened to Claire and ¡°Kan¡±. He thought that if he knew what happened to Claire then maybe he would be able to escape these memories.


    ¡°Hahaha, who would have expected that I would find stragglers all the way out here. I guess being put on outer patrol wouldn''t be so boring.¡±


    A man in black suddenly appeared up ahead in the forest. He was now blocking Claire and Kan¡¯s escape path. Claire stared at him thinking about what she should do. They both stared each other down but Claire decided to make the first move. She locked down the air behind The man to condense a blade. The blade of air flew silently as it flew towards the man¡¯s heart but it did not pierce through. The man had blocked it.


    ¡°Oh, shit. What type of strength is this. My life saving item barely blocked it. This type of power, you¡¯re a mage locksmith aren¡¯t you and a strong one at that.¡±


    The man immediately retreated knowing who he was up against but Claire did not let him go. She locked the air around him but it was too late, he had sent up a flare into the sky. Claire pierced him with another blade of wind and killed him. After killing him she began to run, she knew that the man had notified his allies that he had found their objective.

 Chapter 29: Another Side

    ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s going to happen to us?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine Kan. Mommy will protect you.¡±


    ¡°What about Daddy?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t you trust Daddy. He¡¯s one of the strongest combat locksmiths.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Daddy will be fine.¡±


    In truth Claire was extremely worried about what¡¯s happening right now. She didn¡¯t know if the village was going to be fine or whether Clive would live. She was extremely anxious but she couldn¡¯t show it to Kan. She had to stay strong for Kan and take him away to safety.


    ¡°There she is. Chase her and capture her alive!¡±


    The men had finally caught up with Claire and Kan. Claire increased her speed and ran. She didn¡¯t care that the men were coming from all over the forest because she knew she could handle them if they came one at a time.


    A man in black clothing ran towards them and attempted to grab Claire¡¯s leg but before he could, he had already fallen into Claire¡¯s trap. When the man ran towards them Claire had locked the hardness of the ground away and the man fell into a deep hole of mud where Claire immediately unlocked her lock and the ground harden around the man where he suffocated to death.


    ¡°Shit, don¡¯t get too close to her. Slowly surround her and corner her then we will all attack her together.¡±


    More and more black clothed men started together and the situation was becoming worse by the second. Initially there was only 5 men and she had killed 1 of them and hoped to kill more but they stayed there distance from her. A few minutes had passed and Claire could now see that there were about 15 figures in the surrounding forest.


    She could see that some of them had blood on their clothes or weapons and she knew what had happened. She was furious at these men attacking her village where her friends lived but she had to stay calm. If she lost her cool then the men would take advantage of that and attack her so she stayed calm.


    The men started to attack her because they had more numbers. Although they didn¡¯t fully attack her, they did light attacks to wear her down. There would be an occasion dagger thrown or arrow shot at her but they were deflected in. In the beginning it wasn¡¯t hard at all for Claire to block these attacks but being attacked by 15 men was tiring on her body. Slowly wounds could be seen on her body and blood came out. None of the attacks had hit ¡°Kan¡± at all, Claire did her best to block all the attacks.


    Kan could only float with Claire and watch with worry. Even though he knew these were all just memories it was still painful to see his mother get injured. Every injury she took made Kan more and more angry but also sad that he could do nothing to help. All he could do was watch as Claire got injured and pray that she would be safe.


    What Kan didn¡¯t see when he looked at Claire was that ¡°Kan¡± also had the exact same expressions as he did. ¡°Kan¡± also felt and angry and sad every single time Claire got injured. He felt hopeless in this situation.


    ¡°Mommy is there any way I can help.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Kan, Mommy will protect you.¡±


    They ran and ran but the black clothed men were still right behind them and there were now 20 of them that Claire could see. What Claire heard in the distant worried her, she could hear the sound water rushing and falling. In a few more minutes Claire had arrived at a extremely large river with a waterfall at the end of it. When she looked down the waterfall and saw that the distance down was extremely long. No person could survive that sort of fall.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Kan how would you like to help Mommy.¡±


    ¡°What can I do Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Grab some rocks and can Mommy leave it up to you to protect Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I can do that.¡±


    This was the only solution Claire could think of to escape this situation. She was confident that she could kill 20 of these men and with Kan¡¯s help it¡¯ll be a lot easier. Claire¡¯s aim wasn¡¯t to kill all of them though, it was to dwindle there numbers so it would be harder for them to find them when they run away.


    ¡°Mommy I got the rocks. What should I do with them.¡±


    ¡°When those scary men come out of the woods throw the rocks at them ok. Make sure to hit them really good.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    The men arrived from the woods and surrounded Claire and ¡°Kan¡±. ¡°Kan¡± began throwing the rocks at the men. If it was just a regular 8 year old boy throwing the rock then it wouldn¡¯t hurt too much but ¡°Kan¡± was a combat locksmith. Each rock that flew from his hand would be the same as an adult man throwing at their full strength.


    The initial rocks thrown at the men didn¡¯t hit anyone. Although the rocks would hurt if it hit, these men weren¡¯t hit by it because they were experts in fighting and could dodge these rocks. The most that came out of ¡°Kan¡¯s¡± rock is a minor inconvenience to them and this was what Claire was hoping for.


    The men that dodged ¡°Kan¡¯s¡± rock lost their focus for just a moment but this moment was enough for Claire to lock the mana around them and keep them in place. As they were kept in place Claire had already slit their throats with blades of locked air. In their initial attack they had already killed 5 men.


    ¡°Good job Kan. Let¡¯s keep this up.¡±


    ¡°Ok Mommy.¡±


    Although the same tactic did not work again, the men had become more wary of ¡°Kan¡¯s¡± rocks so there was more leeway for Claire to attack. Another 10 minutes passed and they had killed another 3 men, now there were only 12 left. This made Claire even more confident in there escape because every person they killed made it easier to kill the next person.


    In the next moment Claire¡¯s joy immediately disappeared. From the forest came out another 30 men and now both her and ¡°Kan¡± had to face 42 people. Claire had no confidence in protecting ¡°Kan¡± and defeating these men.


    ¡°Claire Renner surrender right now and we¡¯ll spare the rest of your village. We only need you and the secrets you hold.¡±


    ¡°Hah, like I can trust you.¡±


    Claire outright refused the man¡¯s conditions. She already knew that they would not keep their word. Everything that had occured today was all planned and no one else should know about it so they would erase everyone involved in the incident. Instead she turned around and looked at ¡°Kan¡±.


    ¡°Kan, i¡¯m sorry I have to do this. This may be the last time you see Mommy. I¡¯m so sorry and goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Wait Mommy, what are you doing. I can still fight.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye Kan.¡±


    Claire had thrown ¡°Kan¡± off of the waterfall. She had made a special bubble around him which would ignore all the elements around him so when he hit the water he wouldn¡¯t feel anything. This was the only way she could save ¡°Kan¡± but the plan was not over yet. She still had to buy him time so he could float away in the river down below.


    ¡°Hahaha, now it is time to vent my anger out on all of you.¡±


    ¡®Mommy.¡¯


    The entire time Kan could only watch with tears in his eyes. Claire had sacrificed her own life to save his. Although it was not him it was still ¡°Kan¡±. Without a moment of hesitation Claire had saved ¡°Kan¡¯s¡± life and Kan could only watched as this all happened. He felt immense grief at what was about to happen.


    Claire summoned an enormous magic circle in the sky. She was preparing to use her utmost limits. In the moment that Claire activated her magic, a blinding light flashed through the sky.


    Once again Kan appeared in complete darkness.

 Chapter 30: Wasted Time

    ¡®I¡¯m back here again.¡¯


    Kan looked around his surroundings and everything he had just seen disappeared like the morning mist. Everywhere he looked was now that familiar eerie darkness. Kan curled into fetal position and cried. Everything was just to much for him. He had just seen his mother potentially die and didn¡¯t know whether he was going to get out of here.


    Time passed and Kan eventually recollected his emotions. He wiped the tears off of his face and began reviewing what he had seen so far. Remembering the scene of his mother being attacked was painful but he pushed through. He needed to get out of this place and save his mother and father in his world. Kan reviewed both sets of memories and sought to find similarities.


    ¡®The day the tragedy happens is on a cloudy day. In both memories the lighting always strikes, then followed by the alarms. The men were looking for Mommy, but why?¡¯


    Kan found some similarities between both memories but the one he couldn¡¯t answer was why these men were looking for Claire. He knew that there sole objective was Claire and that Claire knew of some secret that those men wanted. They were willing to kill an entire village to find Claire so the secrets she knew was important.


    ¡®Maybe...maybe these memories are telling me to save Mommy. I want to save Mommy but what about everyone else. I want to save them too, I can¡¯t just let them die. What should I do?¡¯


    Kan was ambitious, he didn¡¯t want any sacrifices at all. He sought to find an answer where everything ends well for everybody. Whenever he thought of choosing to save just Claire or the villagers, a irritating feeling could be felt within him. He didn¡¯t want to choose sides so Kan decided to choose both decisions.


    A fiery determination burned within Kan. He was willing to do whatever he could to find the answer he wanted. He began thinking and thinking about both memories so he could find more similarities. The more information he had, the more he could be prepared for the future.


    ¡®I will save everyone but I don¡¯t have enough information. I need to see those memories again. I don¡¯t remember everything that happened. I need to see those memories again but how can I do that.¡¯


    Kan sat alone in the darkness speaking to himself. Instead of just trying to remember those memories he had decided to recite what he had seen and heard. This way the image of what happened would stay vivid in his mind but eventually he came to a stump.


    ¡®Everything I remember is too vague. I didn¡¯t investigate the surroundings and was too focused on Mommy and Daddy. If only I can see those memories again, then i¡¯ll go and investigate the village to find what day this happened.¡¯


    Stuck and confused, an outrageous idea popped into Kan¡¯s mind. He didn''t know whether this would work or not but he had to try. There was no harm in trying it so he did it.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡®Hey Darkness can you please show me those memories again.¡¯


    Kan¡¯s crazy idea was to speak to the darkness. Ever since Kan had first been here and heard the voices, he felt that the darkness wasn¡¯t normal. It wasn¡¯t like the regular darkness during nighttime. The darkness here felt eerie and alive like it was the insides of a living thing.


    A sudden light enveloped the darkness again. Kan didn¡¯t expect his idea to actually work. He had felt that the darkness may be alive and watching over him so he decided to speak to it.


    ¡®It worked.¡¯


    The scenery once again changed...or not.


    ¡®What nothing changed...wait.¡¯


    What Kan saw around him was still darkness but it was different from the darkness he was in a while ago. It was just dark, nothing like the eerie and alive darkness he was just in. The next moment he heard a very familiar voice.


    ¡°Ok, good job Kan. Don¡¯t use your eyes to try and feel the mana, use your entire body. Mana is like the ocean and we are like fishes. Every breeze you feel is mana, every piece of dirt has mana, and even the body has mana in it. You just have to feel it, don¡¯t force anything. Let it all come naturally. Yes, I can feel you move the mana. Good job.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Mommy, it¡¯s becoming easier to move the mana around.¡±


    Kan watched Claire teach ¡°Kan¡± how to manipulate mana. Kan watched with curiosity because he also wanted to learn. He didn¡¯t know whether he could learn it right now but he tried.


    Kan sat down and closed his eyes and followed Claire¡¯s instructions. He tried to feel the mana but he couldn¡¯t feel anything.


    ¡®Maybe I can¡¯t learn how to feel mana in this place.¡¯


    Kan was ready to give up but he didn¡¯t. He tried imagining himself as a fish in the ocean but that was it, he just imagined himself as a fish. He couldn¡¯t feel mana or anything of that sorts. He tried for a little longer but nothing worked. Kan felt sad that he couldn¡¯t feel the mana so Kan stood up ready to go investigate the village.


    ¡®Why do I feel so tired?¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Kan. You and Claire have trained enough. Let¡¯s go home and rest.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    All three of them headed towards the cave entrance. Kan watched as they left and floated unsteadily behind them. On a usual day the entrance to the cave would be bright and shining from the sun but not this day. The weather outside was cloudy and gloomy so barely any light came into the cave.


    ¡®What is this? My body feels so weak. They¡¯re walking too fast, I can¡¯t keep up.¡¯


    Clive, Claire, and ¡°Kan¡± were slowly getting further and further from Kan. It wasn¡¯t because they were going fast but because Kan was too slow. Something was happening to his body and Kan didn¡¯t know what it was.


    Everything was becoming blurry and the voices were becoming distorted.


    ¡°That...intense lighting wasn¡¯t it...?¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡±


    ¡®Wait...wait. What¡¯s...happening? I...have...to...investigate.¡¯


    That was the last thing Kan remembered before everything turned dark. Kan had fallen unconscious without knowing what had happened to him.

 Chapter 31: Again and Again(Part 1)

    ¡®Ugh...what just happened to me. No, it can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Kan looked around to see where he was and he panicked. Although all around him was still darkness, this was that eerie darkness. He panicked because he had planned to go and investigate the village but now he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡®I wasted so much time. Those memories could have given me a clue!¡¯


    Kan was angry at himself because he wasted his time in the third set of memories. Looking around in those memories could have been a great help to him but he had wasted it. Some time passed and Kan eventually calmed down. He began thinking about why he passed out all of a sudden.


    One reason popped into his mind and that was mana exhaustion. He had never experienced it himself but he had heard that it can happen to anyone who uses too much mana. If someone¡¯s mana runs out then the body¡¯s mechanism to recover is to put the body to sleep. Knowing this Kan was still angry at himself but also a little bit glad because this meant that he had been using mana. He has the ability to manipulate mana so he has a chance of becoming a mage locksmith.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t try using mana again. That was dangerous how I passed out like that. If I had use too much, I could¡¯ve died.¡¯


    Kan had figured out why he passed out but now he had to figure out had to go back into those memories. The only way that had worked was to ask the Darkness so he tried it again.


    ¡®Hey Darkness can you send me to that world again.¡¯


    A bright flash once again overwhelmed the darkness.


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡®It worked but i¡¯m not in the cave anymore.¡¯


    Kan looked around and saw that he was in his home. Although some stuff have changed, he could never forget the warm and comfortable feeling that the house gave off. Familiar voices could be heard but Kan didn¡¯t bother to listen on what they talked about.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite the cloudy day isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡®I have to see and find clues on what day they attack.¡¯


    Kan floated out the house and towards the plaza. In the first set of memories everyone had already been at the village plaza when those men attacked. It would be unusual for so many people to get there so fast after those men just appeared, so Kan had thought that the villagers were already there to begin with.


    Kan floated towards the plaza and his conjecture was correct, many of the villagers were already at the plaza. The villagers had set up stands around the area and were selling foods or items. This sort of event wasn¡¯t unnatural because every 3 months or so, people from the capital would come to Clear View. The villagers would sell their goods or trade their items for other items.


    Every 3 months a government official would come inspect and collect taxes from Clear View. When the official usually came other merchants would follow them because the official would have guards and all they had to do was pay the official to allow to follow them to Clear View. The official naturally wouldn¡¯t refuse because the bribes were sent directly to his pockets while the more people on the journey meant that it would be safer from monsters and bandits.


    ¡®The villagers are so busy. They are usually busy only when people come visit the village.¡¯Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Kan had narrowed down the month the black clothed men attacked, now he just had to narrow down the day. A single year on this planet had 12 months and 365 days and the officials would visit every 3 months.


    ¡®There are 4 possible months that Clear View is attacked. All I need to know now is whether it was the 3rd month of Spring, 3rd month of Summer, 3rd month of Fall, or 3rd month of Winter.


    ''This type of weather could occur in any one of those months. I need more information.¡¯


    Kan decided to float down and listen to the villagers¡¯ conversations. Anything he heard from them could be potentially a big clue in helping him save his village.


    ¡°Ooo. I¡¯m going to get myself some capital dishes.¡± ¡°Capital dishes aren¡¯t nothing special. It¡¯s all about the capital made knives.¡± ¡°I heard that their knives can slice through meat like it¡¯s a slime¡¯s body.¡± ¡°Did you hear about what happened last week.¡± ¡°I want a puppy from the capital Daddy.¡± ¡°I hope some hot chicks have come from the capital.¡± ¡°Anyone want to buy some refreshing beverages.¡±


    There was a lot of chatter going on in the plaza but one conversation had peeked Kan¡¯s interest. All the other conversation was done out loud and was usually about the people coming from the capital but one conversation was done in a whisper. Kan would have never heard it but he had floated right by them when they started whispering to each other. He honed in on the conversation and floated towards them. His ear was practically right next to their mouths but no one could see him.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know. What happened last week.¡± ¡°What, you don¡¯t know!? You see Jerry over there. He is an unlucky dude. A few years ago he had his fingers bitten off by a fish in the sea and last week he had his entire arm bitten off by a fish. No one is speaking about it because they don¡¯t want to hurt his feelings.¡± ¡°Damn dude. Jerry is one unlucky person. So what day did it happen.¡± ¡°Oh, I think it happened on¡­¡±


    A crash of lighting passed and the thunder roared. Everyone looked towards where the lighting had struck to make sure that no houses were hit by it. After the lighting struck the alarms rang and everyone panicked, unsure on what was happening.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Why are all the alarms ringing?¡± ¡°Someone find the mayor.¡± ¡°Does anyone know what is going on.¡± ¡°Look the water from the ocean is rising onto land.¡± ¡°My god is that a tsunami.¡± ¡°Everyone run!!!!!¡±


    Kan looked at the tsunami in shock. In the other 2 memories he had seen there was no tsunami at all. These memories were different from the others that he had seen and during his moment of shock he saw the fishmen rising out of the water. He had never seen any of these types of creatures before.


    ¡°RUN!!!! It¡¯s the citizens of the Kingdom of Sea.¡±


    ¡°GIVE US CLAIRE RENNER OR DIE!!!¡±


    The fishmen had the exact same demands as the black clothed men in the other memories that Kan had seen. Although the events occuring was different, the reasons for attacking was the same.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on? This isn¡¯t what happened in the other memories.¡¯


    Kan was confused. The situation was no longer as simple as he thought it was. No black clothed men could be seen but the most puzzling thing to Kan was that neither of his parents were here to fight against the fishmen. Time passed and Kan watched the villagers get slaughter one by one by the fishmen. No sign of Claire or Clive could be seen and sudden flash once again covered the world of memories. Kan was now again in the world of darkness and was even more confused then he had ever been.


    ¡®Why did the memories change?¡¯


    Kan slowly began analyzing the things that had just occurred to him. This set of memories was entirely different from the other 2 and that something must have happened to Claire and Clive for them to not appear and save the village. Those fishmen had now appeared out of nowhere in this set of memories but they had the same objectives.


    The problem was that Kan didn¡¯t know what had triggered for the events to have changed so much. Kan also couldn¡¯t make sure that a changed had also occurred in the 3rd set of memories.


    ¡®Something must have happened in the 3rd set of memories to make the events change so much or maybe each set of memories is independent of each other. There was also that conversation that I couldn¡¯t hear the end of. That may have been a huge factor in helping me save Clear View. AAaaa, I need more information!¡¯


    Kan made up his mind that he needed more information before he could come up with conclusions. He decided once again to dive into the memories.


    ¡®Darkness can you please send me into the memories again.¡¯

 Chapter 32: Again and Again(Part 2)

    Kan once again appeared in these memories but this time he was in the backyard of his house. ¡°Kan¡± and his parents were all planting vegetables and fruits or harvesting them. Kan once again didn¡¯t stay around to listen to their conversation. He immediately left for the village plaza.


    In the last set of memories he could not finish hearing about that one conversation so this time he had decided to hear the conversation out.


    Kan arrived at the plaza in a few minutes and floated around looking for those two men. After searching for a while he once again heard there conversation. Their conversation was going exactly the same as in the other memories. Kan observed and saw that they had the same expressions and tone as the last set of memories and it was almost identical. It was like he was watching the exact same scene as the ones in the 4th set of memories. Kan found this extremely creepy and weird.


    ¡®Why is this exactly the same but some things aren¡¯t. Going by this logic, every set of memories should be exactly the same but why are there differences.¡¯


    Kan stopped thinking about the reasons why and instead listened to the conversation. The conversation was reaching the point where it last stopped and Kan listened intently to figure out the events that had occured.


    As Kan was listening, thunder sounded out throughout the village and lighting flashed down off in the distance. The conversation had stopped at the exact same point as last time and Kan couldn¡¯t learn anything new from it. All the alarm bells rang once again like all those other times.


    ¡°GIVE US CLAIRE RENNER OR DIE.¡±


    The demands from the intruders once again echoed throughout the village. Kan had expected it to be the fishmen or the men in black but he was surprised at what he saw. The ones demanding Claire were beastmen. There were tigermen, lionmen, horsemen, giraffemen, monkymen, and sorts of other beastmen.


    ¡®What kind of secrets does Mommy have.¡¯


    The first 2 memories were the blacked clothed men, the 3rd memories were unknown, the 4th memories were fishmen, and these memories were the beastmen. Kan was surprised because so many races were after his mother.


    The beastmen started to attack the villagers and once again Claire and Clive were nowhere to be seen. Kan had become desentized to seeing the villagers be killed but this time he was still horrified. The other times the villagers had just been killed and over time Kan had come to accept that this was not real in his world. The villagers had already died and these were just memories but even he could not handle the brutality of the beastmen.


    Every villager the beastmen killed were eaten. If an arm was ripped off the beastmen would eat it and not a piece of the body would be left behind. Kan had to watch as friends were torn apart and eaten. He had even seen a person get pulled in half to the point where the upper part was separate from the bottom. The organs spilled all over the ground and the beastmen gathered and ate it.


    Kan could only watched terrified with tears dripping down his face. Eventually a flash of light erased the scene and he was once again in complete darkness.


    ¡®Maybe...maybe there are things that will always happen. The lighting, alarms, the attack on the villagers, and the end of that conversation will always happen. Maybe I can¡¯t change anything at all. Are all my efforts futile?¡¯Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Kan felt depressed. He knew that some things will never change and started feeling that he would never be able to change it. He wasn¡¯t confident that he could change it in his world. Kan sat there in the darkness contemplating on what to do. He felt like giving up because even if he did figure something out, it probably wouldn¡¯t be able to change the inevitable outcome of everyone dying.


    ¡®I...I shouldn¡¯t give up yet. There is a chance. No matter how small it is, I have to fight for this chance.¡¯


    Kan didn¡¯t know if his actions would change anything at all but he still wanted to try. He wanted to find the perfect solution or the irritating feeling in his body would never go away. Kan calmed down and prepared to go into the memories once again.


    ¡®I¡¯m ready. Please send me into the memories Darkness.¡¯


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Can I go to the plaza Daddy? I want to see the festival and the people from the capital. Please.¡±


    ¡°Sure Kan. We have been training for quite a while so go ahead and take a break.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Stay safe, ok.¡±


    ¡°Yeah i¡¯ll be back later Mommy,¡±


    Kan watched as ¡°Kan¡± ran towards the plaza. This was different from anything Kan had seen before. All the previous times ¡°Kan¡± had always been with either Clive or Claire but this time he was on his own. Kan was surprised at what ¡°Kan¡± was doing and what happened next surprised him even more.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are but I have a feeling that I must say this. A week ago Jerry had his arm eaten on Monday and today is also Monday. This happens on the 3rd month of spring so the beginning of March. All I know is that a tragedy is about to happen so I am going to try and get everyone to evacuate by blowing a part of the village up.¡±


    Kan was surprised at ¡°Kan¡¯s¡± words. It seemed like he knew what was about to happen but from what Kan could see was that ¡°Kan¡¯s¡± knowledge of the events wasn¡¯t too clear. He only knew bits and pieces about what is about to happen.


    Kan followed ¡°Kan¡± towards an empty house and in this house was boxes of black powder. This house was packed with gunpowder. ¡°Kan¡± began open the boxes and pouring all of it on the ground and now in the middle of the room was a large pile of gunpowder. ¡°Kan¡± began chanting and magic circles appeared around the gunpowder. The gunpowder started to compress down into a small ball of gunpowder. ¡°Kan¡± was locking the air around the gunpowder to compress it into a small ball.


    ¡°Kan¡± then set a fire under the ball of gunpowder but locked the flames away from the gunpowder. ¡°Kan¡± immediately ran out of the building and the lock on the flame slowly released itself. Kan floated out with ¡°Kan¡± even though he wouldn¡¯t be affected by the explosion. Before the explosion could happen, the lighting struck and the alarms went off.


    ¡°GIVE US CLAIRE RENNER OR DIE.¡±


    The intruders announced their demands and the explosion finally went off but it was too late. The intruders attacking this time were monster tamers and the monsters were temporarily spooked by the explosion but they recovered instantly and started attacking the villagers. Mistaking the explosion for a challenge from another monster all the other monsters became even more agitated and vicious in their attacks.


    ¡°I¡¯m too late.¡±


    Kan watched as ¡°Kan¡± began running away. He ran back towards their home and Claire and Clive were waiting in the front for ¡°Kan¡±.


    ¡°Are you ok Kan.¡±


    ¡°Did anything happen to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Both Claire and Clive stared at Kan with confusion but considering the situation, they didn¡¯t ask him anything. Like the first set of memories, Claire grabbed Kan and ran while Clive ran towards the village plaza to fight. Kan watched as a familiar scene played out.


    Eventually a flash of light occured and Kan was in the darkness again.

 Chapter 33: A Change

    ¡°Mommy, Daddy, today is the day they attack.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Kan we are already ready to fight them back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry Kan, Daddy and Mommy will beat back all those bad men. We have already told the mayor and the men to be prepare at a notice moments to fight.¡±


    Kan was once again in the memories and these were the 7th set of memories. He watched and was surprised at what was happening. ¡°Kan¡± had asked Claire and Clive for help in fighting back the intruders. This ¡°Kan¡± also had memories on the events that were about to happen but to what extent, Kan didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°When the lighting strikes and the bells go off that is when the intruders will attack.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    The Lock family waited and the lighting struck somewhere in the distance. After the lighting struck, the alarms went off and every person aware of the situation prepared to fight.


    ¡°GIVE US CLAIRE RENNER OR DIE!¡±


    ¡°GIVE US CLARE RENNER OR DIE!¡±


    Both of Kan¡¯s face paled. The situation was entirely different from the memories. In all the previous memories there was always only one group attacking the village. ¡°Kan¡± had believed that the villagers would be able to prevail if they were only up against one of the groups but the situation had changed. Kan watched and saw how prepared ¡°Kan¡± and his parents were and believed that they had a chance of overcoming this situation but not anymore.


    The two groups that were attacking were the men in black clothing and the monster tamers. The monster tamers came from the forest and blocked it while the black clothed men were in the center of the village. It was like they all appeared out of nowhere since nobody had noticed them before.


    ¡°Kan what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this.¡±


    Seeing the shock and horror in Kan¡¯s face both Clive and Claire knew something was wrong. Knowing that something was wrong with the situation they still had to do whatever they could to salvage the situation. The both of them ran out of the house in a hurry.


    ¡°Mayor the situation has changed! Send most of the men to go fight those monsters and send some with me to fight those men in black!¡±


    Clive yelled the situation out towards the mayor who was hiding in a nearby house with the other men. Hearing Clive¡¯s roar the mayor immediately got to ordering the men where to go.


    ¡°Claire go support those fighting against those monster tamers and i¡¯ll take Kan to Jane then i¡¯ll go fight those other men..¡±


    Claire did not question Clive and ran towards the forest. Kan watched as all of these events unfolded and was left even more confused than before. Seeing Clive run away with ¡°Kan¡±, he decided to stop thinking for now and just see what happens.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Jane open the door.¡±


    ¡°What is going on Clive.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to explain. Just take Kan and hide somewhere and if the situation gets any worse run away.¡±


    Saying what he needed to say to Jane, Clive ran towards the plaza where the black clothed men were. Jane could only hold ¡°Kan¡± in her embrace as he cried and muttered to himself. She could see that something was wrong with ¡°Kan¡±, his eyes were lifeless like he had given up on everything.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this...i¡¯m so sorry¡­ i¡¯m so sorry...I couldn¡¯t changed anything...i¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine Kan. Everyone will take care of the situation and tomorrow will be just like any other day.¡±


    Jane had tried to cheer up ¡°Kan¡± but it did not work as he kept on crying and muttering to himself.


    As all of this was happening, Kan watched for a bit before deciding that he had to go follow his father and see what happens. Kan floating towards the plaza and saw that there were already some bodies all over the ground.


    Clive himself had just arrived at the scene and what he saw enraged him. He was ready to unleash his limits but before that he looked at the black clothed men and who he saw surprised him.


    ¡°George Nice!?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, nice to meet you Clive. What a lovely day we are having aren¡¯t we. Hey Clive, you want to tell us where Claire is. Oh, wait. We already know.¡±


    ¡°You son of a bitch, you betrayed the village.¡±


    ¡°Well you can¡¯t call it betraying since I have always been on this side. I¡¯ve always been a spy keeping watch of the village.¡±


    Clive no longer spoke and dashed towards George but he couldn¡¯t reach him because he was protected by guards. Clive fought against the black clothed men protecting George and he was somewhat struggling. Although he could win it would take a while because he had to conserve his energy for the other men.


    Kan watched and this scene was all too familiar to him. It was an exact repeat of the first memories he had been through but now he knew the leader of the black clothed men. Just like the first memories, Clive fought and fought until a sudden light covered the world, sending Kan back into the darkness.


    ¡­¡­


    Kan thought about the differences in these memories then all the other ones he had seen before. This time the village was attacked by two different groups and Jane had appeared.


    While thinking about the differences in the memories, Kan had realized that this was the first time that Jane had appeared in all of the 7 memories. Kan had just assumed that Jane had ran away in the other memories but now that he thought about it, it was weird how his parents had never mentioned Jane at all in those other memories. Jane was a really close friend of theirs but they had not mention about saving her at all.


    ¡®Is there something important about Aunty Jane appearing.¡¯


    Kan thought about Jane¡¯s appearance but he couldn¡¯t come up with anything so he decided to observe her the next time he went into those memories.


    ¡®George Nice. That name, it sounds familiar.¡¯


    Kan thought about it for a while and finally remember who he was. It was the name of the person those voices had warned him of.


    ¡®I have to stop him no matter what.¡¯


    Kan had determined that when he went back into his own world he would differently get his parents to capture George. If George was stopped then the attack wouldn¡¯t happen at all. After finishing his review over the situation, Kan decided to once again enter the memories.


    ¡®I guess there is only one thing I can do for now. Darkness, send me there again.¡¯

 Chapter 34: Awakening

    Kan arrived in his house and saw ¡°Kan¡± speaking with both Claire and Clive. From the contents of their speech Kan concluded that ¡°Kan¡± had told them about how multiple groups would attack the village. Clive and Claire reassured ¡°Kan¡± that they had set up traps to take care of the two groups that were about to attack. They were confident that they could handle whatever was coming towards them.


    The same events played out and the lighting and alarms went off while the demands came in. Once again the demands were the same but now there was another group with them. This time it wasn¡¯t only the beast tamers and the black clothed men, there were also the beastmen.


    Clive grabbed ¡°Kan¡± and ran towards Jane¡¯s house while Claire also ran towards one of the groups. The same events played out and ¡°Kan¡± was now with Jane but this time Kan did not follow Clive but followed Jane.


    Jane and ¡°Kan¡± were initially hiding in the clinic but a beastman broke in so they had to run away. Jane held ¡°Kan¡± in her arms as she dashed through the broken door. While she ran the claw of the beastman stretched out and clawed at her back. Her back was now bleeding but she did not care about it. She was entrusted with the protection of ¡°Kan¡± so she was going to protect him with all she had.


    Jane ran and ran but the same beastman that had broken through the clinic chased her down. Jane had tried to weave around houses to lose the beastman but beastmen were excellent at tracking down their prey so Jan could only keep on running.


    Jane was starting to become exhausted, she had been running at her top speed for about 30 minutes and it was now taking a toll on her body. Her breathe became ragged and her speed slowed dramatically. The beastman was fastly approaching her and Jane was losing hope.


    ¡°Kan if it comes to it, run away all by yourself ok. Aunty Jane will protect you so just keep on running and don¡¯t look back.¡±


    ¡°No! I can¡¯t leave you behind Aunty Jane. I will save you.¡±


    Jane tripped on a rock and had fallen down with ¡°Kan¡±. Jane got up and saw that the beastman was quickly approaching so she decided to charge towards it. Jane did not care if she lived this or not. It was all a desperate attempt to delay the beastman so ¡°Kan¡± could have more time to escape.


    ¡°Kan¡± also got up and saw that Jane was running towards the beast but he did run away. He got up and grabbed a large rock. He ran towards the side so Jane wouldn¡¯t be blocking his path towards the beastman. He aimed the rock and then unlocked 10% of his strength in his right arm. 10% was going beyond his current limits because his actually limit was only 5%. The rock flew and struck the beastman directly in the head since it was distracted with Jane. The beastman did not die but it was knocked.


    ¡°Haahaahaa.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Aunty Jane.¡±


    Jane¡¯s body was starting to give up on her. She was too exhausted to move so the only thing ¡°Kan¡± could do for her was carry her on his small back. ¡°Kan¡± could no longer move his right arm so he could only hold on to Jane with his left hand so Jane wouldn¡¯t fall off his back.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Although it wasn¡¯t the most comfortable position and her legs were dragging on the ground, Jane still appreciated ¡°Kan¡¯s¡± efforts.


    ¡°Kan¡± ran and ran but they were still within the village where all the carnage was still happening. Kan was getting more and more exhausted by the moment and the only building he could see right now was the alarm tower. This tower was closer towards the edge of the village on a small hill where it could oversee the entire village and its surroundings.


    ¡°Kan, i¡¯m ok now so i¡¯ll carry you.¡±


    ¡°Kan¡± couldn¡¯t even reply back before Jane picked him up. Jane wasn¡¯t really ok at all but she felt that Kan was nearing his limits and she had rested up for a bit. In that moment where Jane had switched position a roar could be heard right behind. Three beastmen were only 500 feet away from them and considering that they were beastmen, they would arrive towards them in seconds.


    Jane began running towards the alarm tower and the beastmen had saw them and ran towards them. As they were about to open the door to the tower, somebody came out of it.


    ¡°Nicole!?¡±


    ¡°Jane!?¡±


    Jane and the woman, Nicole, knew each other. They both stared at each other for a moment before Nicole realized the predicament both of them were in. She saw the three beastmen right behind them so she killed them. All Jane saw was that Nicole had flicked her hand and the three beastmen collapsed.


    ¡°Those dumb beastmen can¡¯t follow a single order.¡±


    Jane looked at Nicole in confusion at her words and for her being there.


    ¡°What are you doing here Nicole? Well it doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s run Nicole.¡±


    Jane had gone out to grab Nicole¡¯s hand and urge her to run away from the village but Nicole avoided her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Nicole, we have to run.¡±


    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s nothing Jane. I actually came here to help the village out. You go on ahead with Kan and i¡¯ll catch up later.¡±


    ¡°No! You have to go with us. You are always reckless like this and that is why you were injured when I had found you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Jane, really. I wouldn¡¯t come only to something like this. I came with reinforcement and they will arrive in a bit so go on ahead first.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Jane reluctantly agree to Nicole¡¯s request and left towards the forest. Nicole stood there looking towards Jane¡¯s back as she ran away. The look in her eyes were one of sadness and guilt.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I lied to you Jane. I didn¡¯t expect to ever meet you or that little boy ever again but I only came here to help out two people. Everyone else will have to die.¡±


    A ruthless coldness appeared in her eyes as she had already condemned everyone else in the village to death. She only came here to help two people and everyone else she did not care about at all. To her everyone else was the same as worthless ants on the ground.


    As Nicole talked to herself, Kan looked at her and a thought popped into his head.


    ¡®That voice, it¡¯s that black clothed lady I met the other day. Nicole? That name was also mention by those voices.¡¯


    While Kan was in thought while a flash of light covered the world once again. The bright flash of light had happened the exact same time as Nicole started to walk down the road towards the plaza square.


    In the next moment Kan had believed that he would once again wake up again in that eerie darkness but he didn¡¯t. He had awoken to the sunlight glaring down onto his face and as he opened his eyes he was once again surprised at the faces of his parents staring at him in worry. He could see the tears streaming down the side of their face and the joyous expression plastered onto their faces. He had escaped the darkness.

 Chapter 35: Care and Love

    ¡°Kan! My baby Kan! I thought you were gone forever.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you woke up Kan. I wouldn¡¯t know what to do with myself if you never woke up.¡±


    Claire and Clive were crying their tears out as they held Kan within their arms. They had nearly lost all hope for Kan to wake up. Every single day that passed by with Kan not waking up, broke their hearts little by little to the point where it even affected their health.


    Seeing their sick and pallid faces, Kan also teared up just as much as them. He cried and cried like he had never before. He had just escaped a place where he didn¡¯t even know if he could escape or whether or not he was dead. All he could feel right now was the relief in being embraced in his parents arms. He had not felt this warmth or love in such a long time that he cried himself to sleep in their arms.


    ¡°Kan! Kan! What¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Jane was standing off to the side as the family united but as soon as she heard Claire shriek once again, she rushed towards Kan. She checked his pulsed and breathing and sighed with relief.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Claire and Clive. Kan is just sleeping right now. It seems that he had just cried all of his energy out. He¡¯ll be awake in just a bit.¡±


    Clive and Claire could only trust in Jane¡¯s word. Although they were still worried about Kan, they knew that Jane wouldn¡¯t lie to them so all they could do was wait. The both of them sat there holding onto Kan¡¯s hands as they waited for him to wake up.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Mommy! Daddy!¡±


    Kan immediately rose from his bed looking for Claire and Clive worried that they weren¡¯t there. Having been through so much in the darkness, he had thought that maybe what just happened was another set of memories. He looked towards the left and saw both of his parents smiling at him. Once again they brought Kan into their embrace.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Kan. Mommy and Daddy are right here.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t going anywhere so calm down Kan.¡±


    Kan began feeling both Clive and Claire to make sure that they were real and not fake. He began crying again as he felt that the both of them were warm. Clive and Claire allowed Kan to cry so more while making sure he wouldn¡¯t pass out again. Eventually Kan didn¡¯t have any more tears to cry out and recollected his emotions.


    ¡°Are you feeling better now Kan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Daddy, Mommy, how long was I asleep?¡±


    Clive slowly explained to Kan that he was out for an entire month, which shocked Kan. Kan felt that in the darkness time passed fast at times and slow at others but he had not expected that he was out for so long.


    After coming to terms with how long he was out Kan began reconnecting with his parents. Both Clive and Claire had a lot to say to Kan about the village and what has happened in the one month he was asleep.


    Claire began telling Kan about how much the village was worried about him. Every single day since Kan was poisoned, the villagers would come regularly to check up on Kan. Every time they came they would bring some gifts. They knew that they couldn¡¯t do anything for Kan while he was asleep so all they could do was bring gifts for when he woke up.


    Kan was grateful for all the villagers¡¯ kindness and especially towards Leo, Jessica, and Mary. Claire had also mentioned how every single day they came and visited him. Even though they didn¡¯t know when he would wake up, they would come and talk to him everyday. They told him stories on how their days went or even tried to tell him to wake up and go play with them.


    Kan felt an overwhelming amount of warmness in his heart and tears came out uncontrollably. Kan had been all alone in the darkness and felt immense sadness at all the events that had occured within those memories. He had watched friends and family be killed over and over again for so long that he felt useless and hopeless but now he only felt warmth.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Seeing Kan cry once again Claire picked him up and tried to calm him down. Holding him in her arms Claire felt joy and happiness. To Claire it had felt an extremely long time since she had held Kan in her arms. She slowly stroked the back of Kan¡¯s head and patted his back to calm him down. Kan was eventually soothed and stopped crying.


    The moment Kan stopped crying, knocking could be heard from the door to the room. Clive got up as to not bother Claire and Kan¡¯s bonding. Clive walked towards the door and opened it and 3 little figures dashed through the door.


    ¡°Kan you¡¯re awake!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re awake Kan!¡±


    ¡°Kan, you were sleeping for way too long!¡±


    Jessica, Mary, and Leo had rushed into the room with tears dripping and snot running. When they were at the door they had heard Kan crying and rushed into the room. They had not heard the voice of their friend in such a long time that they had rushed towards him. They were now surrounding Claire, badgering Kan about how he was doing or how much he has missed out on.


    Claire sat Kan back on the bed and allowed him to talk with his friends. As they were talking more footsteps could be heard from the doorway. Claire then entered the room and right behind her was George. Clive glared at George but eventually let off his glare.


    Although he was still angry at George, he knew it wasn¡¯t George¡¯s fault. George had told him and the villagers that it was entirely his mistake and even apologized to them. From George¡¯s story it showed that the events that occured was all an accident. George had explained that all the previous experiments that he made with the peca pen fruits were all delicious so he had thought that he could save money by picking the peca pen fruits by himself. He didn¡¯t know that the ones he had picked up were rotten and was poisonous which led to Kan being poisoned.


    ¡°Hello there Clive and Claire. I heard from Jane earlier when I came in that Kan had woken up. I am so glad he had woken up. I wouldn¡¯t know what to do with myself if he never woke up. I have some leftover sweet filled bread, would you guys like to eat it?¡±


    Clive walked up to George and grabbed the leftover bread while thanking him for it. Just to make sure that the bread was safe, Clive took a bite out of one and it was pretty delicious.


    After Kan had been poisoned, George had worked hard on regaining the trust of the villagers and so far it has been good. Most of the villagers still order baked goods from him although some are still suspicious.


    Clive turned back to offer Kan and the other kids some bread but he felt intense killing intent. It was so strong that it could only be created from someone who held a lifelong grudge against another person. What shocked Clive even more was that the killing intent was coming from his own son. He looked at Kan¡¯s eyes and saw that there was an endless hatred within them as he glared at George. Clive saw this hatred and chalked it up to Kan not liking George because of the poisoning.


    The atmosphere in the room had turned cold and everyone was silent. It was full of joy but now it was silent because of Kan. The 3 friends had seen Kan¡¯s change in emotions and quieted down. Claire had also felt the change in the room and Kan¡¯s glare so she sought to calm him down.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Kan. I know that you may hate him because he poisoned you but it was an accident. Mommy is still angry at him too for hurting you but it was an accident so calm down, ok.¡±


    ¡°No Mommy. He¡¯s a bad man. He made you and Daddy suffer and will¡­¡±


    Kan stopped his sentence midway and didn¡¯t continue it. He didn¡¯t continue his sentence because if he said any more then George would become wary of him. Kan had stopped his sentence before he revealed too much information.


    Everyone else had noticed Kan¡¯s glare and that included George himself. Feeling the intense glare of hatred from Kan, George sought to come to a peaceful conclusion. Thinking about this he walked up towards Kan with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Hey Kan, I know you probably don¡¯t like me for what I have done but let me make it up to you. I will give your entire family free baked goods whenever you come to my store.¡±


    George had sought to tempt and bribe Kan with the prospect of sweets but Kan did not budge. Kan didn¡¯t respond and only kept on glaring at George. Feeling that his attempt at reconciliation fail, he quickly made his get away.


    ¡°I see that you aren¡¯t in the mood for baked goods so i¡¯ll take my leave now. Stop by my store anytime and i¡¯ll offer you the best of my goods for free.¡±


    As soon as George left the room and out of the clinic the atmosphere was no longer tense. Everyone still at the clinic started chatting again with Kan and the atmosphere was once joyful.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Fuck! How can that kid still survive the poison. I didn¡¯t expect there to be such a good doctor in town.¡±


    George was back in his bakery and thrashing at his failed attempt at murdering Kan. A part of his plan had failed and he was angry but he calmed down knowing that he still completed a part of his tasks.


    ¡°Haah. Haah. At least both Claire and Clive are injured. When we attack they won¡¯t be able to resist us at all. Yeah there is still nothing they can do. Hahahahahahahaha. And all of this is all thanks to my genius plan.¡±


    George hysterically laughed in his bakery as the sun went down. The sun set and the night fell and the next morning would be the start of a new day.

 Chapter 36: Jane and Nicole(Part 1)

    A week quickly passed by for the village of Clear View. These days were bright and peaceful with nothing extraordinary happening. The day Kan woke up was a joyous one and everyone in the village had visited Kan with gifts.


    On this morning within the clinic was a happy family sleeping. The only person awake within the room was Kan. Kan looked towards his parents and a smile appeared on his face, they were still there. For the past week, every time Kan woke up, he would cry for his parents thinking he was still in those memories. He was afraid that whenever he woke up, he would once again appear in that eerie darkness where he was all alone.


    Hearing Kan cry every night for them, both Clive and Claire decided to move another bed into the room so they could sleep with him. They didn¡¯t want him to feel distress and also wanted to spend more time with their son before they couldn¡¯t anymore.


    Kan stared at them with a smile on his face but eventually his smile disappeared. For the past week he had been pondering on whether to tell his parents about the events that were going to happen but he knew this would change the future. Kan had concluded that in those last few memories both his parents and the mayor knew when the village was going to be attacked and there was unexpected circumstances occurring.


    Kan was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. If he tells his parents about the future then unforeseen events would occur but on the other hand he can¡¯t solve the problem by himself. By the time the village is attacked he would only be 8 years old and he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything by himself. At the moment Kan was too weak to change the outcome of the village being attacked.


    ¡®What should I do? I¡¯m too weak right now.¡¯


    As Kan was thinking to himself, faint knocks could be heard from the door. Jane whispered and waited for someone to allow her in. Kan also quietly answered her as to not wake up his parents. Jane opened the door and walked towards Kan¡¯s bed.


    ¡°You¡¯re up pretty early aren¡¯t you Kan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good morning Aunty Jane.¡±


    Jane looked at Kan and smiled nefariously.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty sweaty Kan. You want to go take a bath with Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°Ok Aunty Jane. Last night was hot and I couldn¡¯t sleep with my clothes sticking onto me.¡±


    Kan agreed to Jane¡¯s request without thinking anything about it. Jane helped get Kan off of the bed and helped him walk. Kan still couldn¡¯t walk normally and was still a little bit wobbly as he walked but he was still better than when he first woke up. When he first woke up Kan could barely stand up on his own two feet. He had been asleep for an entire month and his muscles had experienced muscle atrophy.


    It took them awhile but Jane helped Kan walk towards the bathroom. On the way there Kan had almost fallen a few times but he had balanced himself out. At one point he even let go of Jane¡¯s hand and walked a little bit by himself.


    ¡°I see that you can walk better now Kan.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! By next week i¡¯ll be running again just like normal.¡±


    Jane smiled at Kan¡¯s enthusiasm. When Kan found out he couldn¡¯t walk he was quite sad but now he was excited on recovering soon. They had reached the bathroom and Jane reached towards the handle and opened the door. As soon as Jane opened the door, steam rushed towards the both of them. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°WOW! Aunty Jane we¡¯re having a warm bath!¡±


    Kan looked at Jane excitedly and this made Jane smile even more. She had woken up even earlier than Kan and prepared the bath. She had clearly planned it all out. A normal household would only bathe or shower with cold water because gathering the wood just for a bath was wasteful so it was only done on special occasions. Kan had rarely taken a warm bathe and he loved bathing in warm water.


    ¡°Hehehe, I prepared this just for you Kan. Ok Kan, can you take off your clothes by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah Aunty Jane and also thank you for the warm bathe.¡±


    Kan rushed towards the warm bathe and jumped into it. He was excited that he was able to bathe in warm water. Kan was already sitting within the tub while Jane was still grabbing soap to add into the water. Jane grabbed the liquid soap and poured some into the water to make it smell fresh.


    ¡°Aunty Jane, the water smells really nice now. What did you put in it?¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s my specially made herbal soap. It will leave you smelling good while also healing your body.¡±


    Jane got into the bathtub and grabbed a hold of Kan. Kan was floating and swimming around in the bathtub but he could only swim so much. Jane easily reached her hand out and grabbed ahold of him.


    ¡°Aaah, it¡¯s been so long since i¡¯ve held you like this Kan. You know I was so worried when you were asleep. Everyday I prayed that you would get better but you wouldn¡¯t wake up or show any signs of liveliness. I missed the happy and joyous boy who would always come over and play.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Aunty Jane.¡±


    Kan was now resting in between Jane¡¯s breast as Jane held him. Kan did not resist her because he felt the sadness within her voice. She was distraught over him being poisoned but never showed it to anyone. Now that she was with Kan, she could release all the pent up anxiety that had built up.


    Jane continued to hold Kan in her embrace but eventually calmed down and let Kan go. Kan floated away but he came back and gave Jane a hug. Jane felt that Kan would be uncomfortable within her embrace so she let him go but didn¡¯t expect him to come back for another hug.


    ¡°Thank you for worrying so much about me Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, it¡¯s ok Kan. You are basically a son to me so I have to take care of you.¡±


    Kan was hugging Jane and a thought appeared into his head.


    ¡°Aunty Jane do you know someone named Nicole Blaine.¡±


    ¡°Nicole...Oh, Nicole Blaine. I do know someone named Nicole Blaine but how do you know them Kan?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Uh. A while back before I had fallen asleep I met this mysterious woman and she said that she knew you. She also told me that her name was Nicole Blaine and that I should give you her regards.¡±


    ¡°Ok. She could¡¯ve have just stopped by and said hello.¡±


    Kan had mixed truths and lies within what he said to Claire. Although he did not like to lie very much, he needed to do this to find out more on Nicole.


    ¡°Hey Aunty Jane how did you meet Nicole?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I think I met her before I had come to the villager of Clear View. I think I had met her when I was around 20 years old. I had been traveling around the various kingdoms selling my heal...medicinal skills around. One night when I was resting on the road, I heard rustling sounds coming from the nearby forest and I immediately thought that it was a monster or wild animal but it was a man, about 30 or 40, carrying an injured little girl. In fact this man was also the one who had told me about the peacefulness of the village of Clear View which eventually led me to moving here. Now back onto the story, this man asked me if I had any medicine or knew where to find medicine for the little girl. From the look on his face he was panicking and distraught so I told him how I knew a little bit of medicine. The man brought the little girl to me and that was the first time I saw the skills of a combat locksmith. The girl¡¯s body was in chaos and my skills could help but it would take some time for her to heal. Her blood was flowing extremely fast in some areas and in some areas the blood was locked in place. Her young body couldn¡¯t take it so she was still unconscious. I raised my head to tell the man that she would take a while to recover and his face was filled with relief but immediately he told me that he had to go. He disappeared into the forest and I was left with this little girl who I would eventually learn was named Nicole Blaine.¡±

 Chapter 37: Jane and Nicole(Part 2)

    ¡°That¡¯s how I met Nicole. Do you want to hear more of the story Kan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I do Aunty Jane. I want to know more about you.¡±


    ¡°Ok, but let¡¯s continue after the bath. Your face is starting to look red and we don¡¯t want you getting injured more than you already are.¡±


    The both of them got out of the bath and grabbed their towels to wipe themselves. Before wiping herself, Jane helped Kan dry off. After drying themselves off they put on their clothes and headed for Jane¡¯s room.


    ¡°Kan go and stay in my room. We will continue our story in there but first, do you want anything to drink?¡±


    ¡°Can I have a glass of milk Jane.¡±


    Jane headed of towards the kitchen in the back of the clinic while Kan headed for Jane¡¯s room. Kan arrived at Jane¡¯s door and entered it. He sat on Jane¡¯s bed for a while but he started to doze off and eventually fell asleep on Jane¡¯s bed.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Mmgh.¡±


    ¡°Are you awake now Kan?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry for falling asleep Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Kan. Now where were we at in the story?¡±


    ¡°You met an injured man who was carrying Nicole, who was also injured.¡±


    ¡°Ok thanks Kan, so when I had met the both of them it was in the middle of the night in a secluded area. I had not expected to meet anyone but I did. The man left Nicole in my care and left immediately and what I could see from the situation, I think they were being hunted. The man left so the people following them wouldn¡¯t find me or Nicole.


    Nicole was still a little girl, around 8 or 9, and seeing the injuries on her body I vowed to myself that I would do anything to heal her. That night I did whatever I could to heal her.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you heal her Aunty Jane? Did you you use herbs to heal her? Early you said traveled around using your medicinal skills but didn¡¯t you learn from Doctor Frank.¡±


    Kan was curious about why Jane had lied early. Kan had seen in Jane¡¯s eyes earlier that she was lying about something when she was talking about selling her medicinal skills. Kan couldn''t hold back his urge to unveil Jane¡¯s secret and decided to question her.


    Jane didn¡¯t know how to answer him and was silent. After thinking it over, Jane decided that she couldn¡¯t lie to Kan so she might as well tell him about it.


    ¡°You¡¯re so observant Kan. This is a very big secret of mine and only a few people know so can you keep quiet about it?¡±


    ¡°Ok Aunty Jane, I won¡¯t tell anyone. I pinky swear on it.¡±


    Kan raised his pinky finger up towards Jane and she did the same and they swore on it.


    ¡°Ok let me get back to the story. I have special healing powers where I can use mana and cure physical injuries to a certain extent.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°That should do it. Why does such a young girl have injuries like these? Whoever did this is a terrible person.¡±


    I healed Nicole and stayed up the night to watch over her since I knew she and that man was being pursued. I wanted to make sure I would be able to grab her and get away at any moment but eventually I fell asleep. And when I woke up there was a cold sensation on my neck, it was a knife.


    ¡°Who are you!? Where is John!?¡±


    ¡°Wait! Wait! Wait! That man left last night and left you in my care. All of your injuries have been healed by me.¡±


    Nicole didn¡¯t believe me at first but after looking at her body and seeing that all her injuries were gone, she eased the blade off my neck. Even though she eased it off my neck it was still at a distance where I was still in danger.


    ¡°Who are you and how did you heal me so quick? My injuries were severe and I could have easily died...And...and thank you.¡±


    After all that questioning filled with hostility I thought that this girl dangerous but when she thanked me, she also had a kind heart that could differentiate between good and evil. My body eased after hearing her thank me.


    ¡°My name is Jane and I am just a wandering person who helps cure people with injuries. And the reason you were healed so fast is a secret of mine that I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    Nicole heard me out and realizing that I held a secret, she did not question me about it. She stepped away but she was still wary of me.


    ¡°Umm, do you know where you¡¯re going to go, if not why don¡¯t you travel with me.¡±


    I had asked her if she wanted to travel with me because when she had backed away, I saw in her eyes confusion and anxiety. I realized that she was still just a little girl who is now all alone and so I asked her. She didn¡¯t say anything but she did nod her head which I took as a yes.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s introduce ourselves again. My name is Jane Fallen and I hope you enjoy your time with me and you are¡­¡±


    ¡°Nicole Blaine.¡±


    She said her name and nothing else. After we introduce ourselves to one another we left the area. This would be the beginning of our time together.


    A few days later we finally reached a small town. For the few days we were together, I had constantly tried to speak to Nicole but she would not respond but I didn¡¯t give up. I knew she would open up one of these days.


    Before we entered the town Nicole had covered herself from head to toe to the point where no one would see her face. We then headed for the town gate and the guards checked our items and let us in. We both walked around and eventually found an inn where we could rest up.


    ¡°Hey Nicole are you fine with a single bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Sure, i¡¯ll sleep on the floor.¡±


    It was the first words she had uttered in a while and I found them to sad to bear. We both went up to our room and dropped off our gear. Nicole took a small blanket and put it on the floor. She was ready to sleep on the ground but I didn¡¯t let her.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep with me Nicole. It¡¯ll be much warmer for the both of us.¡±


    ¡°No thank you.¡±


    She had rejected me. Just remembering it again peeves me, I was being kind to her and she wouldn¡¯t accept it. I got irritated so I decided to force my kindness onto her. I grabbed her and forced her onto the bed in my embrace.


    ¡°You are sleeping with me no matter what.¡±


    Nicole tried to struggle out but she was still just a young girl so she didn¡¯t have the strength to resist.


    ¡°Struggle all you want. From now on you are sleeping with Big Sister Jane.¡±


    Eventually she gave up on struggling and accepted that she was sleeping with me that night. Nicole soon fell asleep and this time I knew she was truly asleep. For the past few days we were sleeping outside she would pretend to be asleep but I knew she was always watching the surroundings to make sure we weren¡¯t ambushed.


    ¡°John...John where are you?¡±


    She spoke in her sleep that night. I vividly remember her calling out for John because her voice was filled with sadness and the weakness of a little girl unlike her usual strong persona.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Nicole. Don¡¯t worry at all. Big Sister Jane will take care of you until you find John.¡±

 Chapter 38: Jane and Nicole(Part 3)

    The next morning I woke up before Nicole and I looked at her. Her face was so small and cute as she slept. She looked like an ordinary eight to nine year old girl but I knew that she had not lived an easy life. The only thing I felt that I could do for her then was to let her enjoy life as an ordinary girl without worry of being ambushed or attack.


    ¡°John...John...where are you.¡±


    Even in the morning she was still calling out for that man named John. The only comfort I could give her was my warmth but as I held her closer she woke up and pushed me away and jumped out of the bed.


    ¡°What were you doing!?¡±


    Standing away from the bed she looked at me with distrust and fear in her eyes but all I saw was a scared child. I calmly sat up on the bed and spoke to her in a calm fashion so she wouldn¡¯t be wary.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I scared you. You were crying out for John and I wanted to comfort you with my body. I thought you would feel better if you had the warmth of another person.¡±


    Her body eased up knowing that I wasn¡¯t trying anything dangerous but the expression on her face was still cold.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your warmth and forget everything you heard from me while I was asleep.¡±


    Although she was still trying to act cold and stern, I saw a small blush on her face as I told her that she was calling out for John. This made me incredibly happy because it showed me that she had other emotions.


    ¡°Hey Nicole why don¡¯t we go shopping for supplies today. You can also search around if anyone had seen John.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    We both got ready and headed out of the inn. We walked around looking for the items we needed but as we were walking, Nicole¡¯s stomach rumbled. She tried to keep a straight face but her stomach kept on rumbling which caused me to burst out into laughter.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we find something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll pay you back.¡±


    ¡°No need. Let Big Sister Jane treat you.¡±


    I saw a stand selling shish kebabs so I went over and bought some. I bought quite a few because from Nicole¡¯s stomach rumblings, I knew she was very hungry. I came back and gave her the kebabs to enjoy.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±


    She hurriedly ate the kebabs which I found too adorable. This made me want to pamper her even more so I dragged her into a clothing store. The clothes she were wearing were all in tatters from her injuries and she was hiding them underneath a cloak. I wanted her to have some nice clothes that she could wear normally.


    Within the store I had her dress in so many clothing that I don¡¯t even remember. Everything she wore looked good on her because she was a beautiful child. In those moments I realized that she would grow up into a beautiful woman who would break many hearts of men.


    After taking her to the clothing store, I dragged her into many other stores. Although she didn¡¯t show it on her face, I knew she was enjoying her time as a normal little girl.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Nicole, i¡¯m going into this store to buy a few herbs. You can stay out here or go in with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay out here.¡±


    I went in to buy a few herbs for my facade as an herbalist. I didn¡¯t really know how to use herbs to heal people so I usually just bought recommended herbs that will help with injuries. When I was finished I walked out of the store but I didn¡¯t see Nicole anywhere. I was worried and scared of what might have happened to Nicole. She could have gotten taken away by the people who were chasing her for all I know.


    I ran around asking people if they saw a little girl around eight or nine years old wearing a cloak. After a while no one knew who I was talking about so I got even more worried. Eventually a man told me that he saw her go into the alleyway with a group of men. I ran as fast as I could and saw Nicole surrounded by men.


    ¡°Who are you guys. Get away from her.¡±


    A ran into the group of men pushing them away and shielding Nicole away from them.


    ¡°Tch. Someone grab that little girl and that other woman.¡±


    ¡°Boss can we have fun with them before we sell them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch the little girl. She¡¯s perfect for the client and for that other woman, I get to have a taste first.¡±


    I was scared and terrified at the situation. These men were slave traders and we were in danger in being sold into slavery. My body was shaking in the thought of being treated as toy but I stood my ground because I had to let Nicole escape first.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you guys but can you let the little girl go. She¡¯s just a young child.¡±


    ¡°Let me think about it. Why don¡¯t you strip naked and let us have fun with you and i¡¯ll consider letting the little girl go.¡±


    Although I knew the chances of them keeping the promise was little, I still hoped that there would be a chance of them letting Nicole go. I was ready to take off my clothes but before that happened, Nicole took action.


    She took out a small dagger from within her cloak and leaped towards the leader of this group. Being caught unprepared the leader had his throat sliced by Nicole. While all the other men were in shock of their boss being killed, Nicole had already pounced on another man. In the matter of a second, she had slice the throat of two men and another second later she threw two daggers and killed another two men. Now there was only one man left and he was running away but before he could, Nicole threw another dagger and sliced his achilles tendon.


    ¡°Wait. Wait. I¡¯ll give you anything. Please, please let me go. I have a family to feed and i¡¯m only doing this because I was forced to.¡±


    ¡°Trash like you should die.¡±


    Nicole had killed the final man and she was covered in blood from head to toe but that didn¡¯t matter to me.


    ¡°Nicole. Nicole. Are you ok. Did you get injured or anything. Let¡¯s go Nicole we have to get out of here before anyone sees this. Ah. You¡¯re covered in blood. Ok, take my clothes and put it over yours.¡±


    I immediately dragged Nicole and ran towards the inn where we were staying at. I poured my flask of water onto a rag and began wiping Nicole¡¯s body so no blood would be left on her.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Nicole had asked me if I was afraid of her but I couldn¡¯t answer right away. I didn¡¯t know what I was feeling at the moment but I knew that I definitely wasn¡¯t afraid of her.


    ¡°Nicole what you did isn¡¯t something that I am used to seeing but you did it for me. You killed those scumbags to save me. If I was to be afraid of you, wouldn¡¯t that make me ungrateful. All I can say is that I am grateful that you had saved me Nicole.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if there was a correct or wrong answer to Nicole¡¯s question but this is what I believed at that time. Nicole began crying after hearing my answer that I wasn¡¯t afraid of her. As she was crying I came up to her and held her in my embrace.


    ¡°Why are you crying Nicole?¡±


    ¡°No one has ever thanked me besides John. Everyone else always calls me a freak of a child who only knows how to kill or a cold blooded monster. I don¡¯t want to kill anyone. I don¡¯t want to be hated by others but this is the only thing I know how to do.¡±


    Nicole cried and cried and the only thing I could do for her was stay by her side as she cried her heart out. She vented out all of her anger and frustration as I held her in my arms. When she was done crying her eyes out we left this city. We may have not found any clues on where John was but I think we found something equally as important, our bond.

 Chapter 39: Jane and Nicole(Part 4)

    After the day we left that town, Nicole slowly opened up to me. Although she still wasn¡¯t talkative, she still responded to me and helped me when cooking or setting up camp for the night. I knew that Nicole was finally opening up to me and that made be happy.


    ¡°Hey Nicole do you have any clue where to go to find John?¡±


    ¡°Firefly City. John told me that if we ever got separated, I should go to Firefly city but I don¡¯t know where it is.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm...Firefly city. That¡¯s quite far from where we¡¯re at right now. Ok, don¡¯t worry Nicole, i¡¯ll take you there and help you find John.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why are you helping me?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I don¡¯t really have a reason for helping. I am helping you right now because all I see is a lost child who needs help getting back home to her family. Spending time with your family is very important because you never know when you may lose them, so I want to bring you back to John so you can spend more time with him.¡±


    ¡°But John isn¡¯t my family.¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t? Even if he isn¡¯t your family you still do love him right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°If you still hold these feelings for him them then he is your family. Someone who can make you feel warm or at comfort is family.¡±


    ¡°John is my family?¡±


    ¡°Yep, and sooner or later I hope I can also be considered family to you. Ok, let¡¯s continue our journey to Firefly city.¡±


    On our way to Firefly city, the days passed by quickly. There were days where we spent sleeping under the night sky and days we slept in the beds within an inn but every second of it we spent it together. Those days I learned many things from NIcole and as a favor I also taught her many things.


    I was able to teach Nicole how to cook using wild plants and animals found in the forests but I also learned from Nicole about various types of poisonous plants or dangerous animals that I shouldn¡¯t deal with. Whenever we went into town I found it the perfect chance to always go shopping for clothes for Nicole and she would go along and let me dress her up. In town, Nicole bought various concealed weapons and she even taught me how to use some of them so I could protect myself.


    Our time together was fun and enjoyable. It was like I had little sister to take care of and teach many things too. In the time that passed, Nicole had opened up to me but she still refused to call me Big Sister Jane. Two months quickly flew by and we had finally arrived at Firefly city.


    Firefly city was a bright and vibrant city hence the name Firefly city. Besides the city being well lit and its vibrant citizens, Firefly city was also known for its large slums and shady organizations.


    ¡°So where do we go now Nicole?¡±


    ¡°John said to go to the house that coos at the rise of the sun and howls during the night.¡±


    ¡°What? What kind of riddle is this? Cooing? Howling?¡±


    ¡°Jane do you think the cooing and howling is referring to animals.¡±


    ¡°Yeah that does make sense. So a house with animals that coo and howls.¡±


    After learning about the riddle from Nicole, we decided to go look for a house that has animals but many homes had animals. After searching for hours we decided to stop and go eat at a tavern and maybe even ask around for clues. We arrived at the tavern and ordered our food and after eating we asked around but no one else had a clue on the house.


    ¡°Hey Missy, I heard you¡¯re looking for a house with animals that coos and howls right. Well, I might be able to help you.¡±


    ¡°Really you can help us.¡±


    ¡°Jane he seems suspicious. We shouldn¡¯t ask him for help.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Ok, Nicole.¡±


    I trusted Nicole¡¯s intuition. Many times on our journey Nicole had helped us avoid sticky situations so I had confidence in her opinion and I also agreed that he seemed suspicious.


    ¡°Ah, Missy no need to be afraid. I¡¯m not asking for much, i¡¯ll even do it for free. All I need from you is to ask the owner from the house to help me with something.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble but we will find the house on our own.¡±


    ¡°Haha, Missy. It¡¯s fine, I just hope you won¡¯t regret your choice.¡±


    The man was smiling but it was an unsettling smile so I took Nicole and immediately got out of that tavern. I knew that man was up to no good so I grabbed Nicole and ran towards an area that was crowded so we wouldn¡¯t be so easy to find. After calming down we walked down the busy street looking at the items being sold while also looking for an inn to stay at.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go find an inn away from there to stay in.¡±


    ¡°Jane there are some people following us.¡±


    ¡°What?! How many are there Nicole.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact number but there are about two to three men who have been following us for a while.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Hold my hand Nicole. Get ready to run on the count of three. 1...2...3...Go.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t easy but we ran in the crowd of people and I held onto Nicole¡¯s hand tightly so she wouldn¡¯t be lost within the crowd. We ran and ran until we were no longer within the crowded area and in fact we didn¡¯t know where we were.


    The area that was crowded was well lit and the houses were well maintained but the place we were at was dark and smelled horrible. The houses were old and decrepit like they hadn¡¯t been repaired in years.


    ¡°Haah...Haahhh...did we lose them Nicole.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel their presence anymore. Wait! There are multiple footsteps heading towards our direction. There are at least five people coming towards us.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Nicole.¡±


    I grabbed her hand and was ready to once again begin sprinting at full speed away from the slums. I knew that it wasn¡¯t a good thing to be in the slums because whether the people heading towards us are those men earlier or not, it was still not safe. Nicole stood still and I wasn¡¯t able to get her to run.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Nicole? We have to go right now before they catch up.¡±


    ¡°Jane, I can kill them.¡±


    She stared straight into my eyes and I was frightened by her eyes. They were the same ones when she had killed those five men two months back, they were cold and terrifying. During the past two months Nicole had been with me, she had never once shown me these eyes of her. She always had an indifferent look but you could tell there was some joy behind them but now her eyes were cold.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you kill anyone. I don¡¯t want you to continue your life of killing. I want you to be able to live life as a normal little girl.¡±


    ¡°But I can kill them. I can ambush and kill them when they aren¡¯t expecting us to fight back.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you, you would regret your choice.¡±


    While Nicole and I was in our little argument the people following us had finally caught up. It was that same man from the tavern that offered to take us to the house but with him was another seven men. In total there were now eight men who had us surrounded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold them off Jane. Run while away I hold them here.¡±


    She looked at me with a smile as she told me to run away. My heart broke as she told me to run away. She was ready to sacrifice her life for me, someone she only knew for two months.


    ¡°NO!!! If you don¡¯t leave, I don¡¯t leave. If you fight, then I will fight. I will stay with you and there is nothing you can do about it.¡±


    ¡°STOP BEING SO STUBBORN JANE!!! LEAVE RIGHT NOW!!! I don¡¯t want you dying with me!¡±


    I was surprised when Nicole yelled back at me. This was the first time I had ever heard her ever yell at someone. I was surprised but I was also incredibly angry at her. She was basically telling to run away and let her die. I couldn¡¯t do that and wouldn¡¯t do that. I would never leave and watch another family of mine die.


    ¡°I TOLD YOU NO!!! If you are willing to die for me then I refuse!!! I would rather die with you then run away!!!¡±


    ¡°YOU IDIOT!!! Just leave me and live!!! You barely even know me so just leave me to die and run away!¡±


    ¡°NO!!! You are my family so I won¡¯t allow you to die!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my family too so I won¡¯t allow you to die Jane! SO LEAVE!!!¡±


    ¡°NOOOOOO!!!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°What should we do boss? The two girls aren¡¯t paying attention to us anymore and have started to argue with each other.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Go and capture them.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I won¡¯t allow you guys to do that.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±


    As the boss of the group turned around, he realized that there was a man standing only a few feet away from him. What surprised him was that he hadn¡¯t sense the man at all or that none of his men sensed him as he walked towards them. In fact as the leader looked around, all of his henchmen were gone and the only people here was him, this man, and the two girls arguing.


    ¡°Wait. wait. Don¡¯t kill me. I haven¡¯t done anything wrong. I just heard two girls arguing and came to watch.¡±


    ¡°I guess my ears must not be working correctly then. I thought I heard you tell your henchmen to go and capture those two girls.¡±


    The boss of the group decided to give up on making excuses and tried to sneak attack the man by thrusting a dagger into the man¡¯s heart. His attempt was useless because before he could even grab the knife, the man had already touched them with his hand. As soon as the hand touched him, everything went dark and the boss of the group had died.


    The man wiped his hands and looked at the two girls arguing. He smiled as the two girls kept on arguing back and forth with one another.


    ¡°This is the first time I have ever seen Nicole so emotional.¡±

 Chapter 40: Jane and Nicole(Part 5)

    ¡°Haah...haahh.¡±


    ¡°Haah...haah.¡±


    ¡°Wait where did those men go?¡±


    Before we even knew it, the eight men had all disappeared. Nicole and I both looked in around in confusion but after scanning our surroundings there was a man sitting down. He was smiling as he sat there and when our eyes met he stood up. The next thing I knew, he was once again on the ground because Nicole had tackled him down.


    ¡°John! John! John!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Nicole, I won¡¯t go anywhere.¡±


    It took me a few seconds but I knew who that man was now. He was John, the man Nicole has been looking. Seeing Nicole cry was another expression I had only seen on her face once and it made me happy. She was starting to express her emotions more and more as time passed.


    After calming Nicole down, John stood up and walked towards me. Seeing him up close, I could tell that he was handsome man. His face was handsome and rugged but also full of scars which emitted a sense of manliness. I could tell in an instant that he was a man used to battles.


    ¡°Thank you very much for taking care of Nicole.¡±


    The first thing John did was bow his head and thanked me.


    ¡°Oh. Ah. You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to properly introduce myself last time so let me do it now. My name is John Stock.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Nice to meet you John. My name is Jane Fallen.¡±


    ¡°Jane...Fallen?¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing. Sorry about that Jane. It¡¯s late so let me take both of you back to my place.¡±


    On the way to John¡¯s place, I wasn¡¯t able to talk with him much. After crying her eyes out, Nicole had fallen asleep so John had to carry her on his back. We both didn¡¯t speak much because neither of us wanted to wake her up.


    After a few minutes of walking in the slums we arrived at a gated house. It looked like any other house around it but the only difference was that it had a steel fences surrounding the building. It wasn¡¯t like any other buildings didn¡¯t have fences but it was just rare in the slums.


    Standing in front of the gates really showed me how tall it actually was. It was about the height of two adult sized humans. John grabbed a key out of his pocket and opened the gate with it and as soon as we entered the house there were many dogs barking at us.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid Jane. Just stay with me and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    We both walked down the pathway towards the door to the house and the dogs walked around us sniffing at us and seeing if they should attack. Luckily John knew the dogs so he was able to make them all sit and wait. What surprised me was that Nicole didn¡¯t even wake up at the sounds of the dogs barking at us.


    We entered the home and the inside surprised me. From the outside the house looked broken down but within it, it was well maintained and didn¡¯t show any signs of being broken.


    ¡°Wow this place is so clean that you wouldn¡¯t expect it from the way the outside looks.¡±


    ¡°Haha, yeah it is. You can thank Kevin for all his hardwork in maintaining this place all by himself. Jane you can go ahead and sit over there while I go and put Nicole to bed.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    I led myself towards the couch in the living room and sat down. Having nothing to do I could only look around the house and appreciate how clean this place was. After looking around the place I saw a man look at me in shock from the kitchen. He was staring at me with a piece of toast still in his mouth.


    ¡°Uh. Hello there. My name is Jane and I am here with John.¡±


    ¡°John? John? Oh. John. You are here with John. Nice to meet you, my name is Kevin...Uh, Kevin Sueden.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Nice to meet you Kevin. This place is very comfortable so thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, John told me that you were the one taking care of this place and I just wanted to thank you for making it so comfortable to be in. It feels like you took a lot of time and effort in making this place comfortable.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. House arrangement is a hobby of mine that I enjoy. I wanted to make this place feel like a second home to anyone who decides to stay here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it does feel like home.¡±


    Kevin Sueden was a nice person. He didn¡¯t have any of John¡¯s rough and manly aura to him but he had his own charm that made it fun to chat with him. I also admired the details he had put into his hobby because I could see that he really loved house arrangement.


    ¡°Do you want anything to drink or eat Jane. I can make some tea or toast for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Kevin, can I have some tea then.¡±


    ¡°Alright, the tea will be ready in a few minutes.¡±


    As we both waited for the water to boil, John¡¯s footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs.


    ¡°Oh, Kevin you¡¯re here. Are you boiling tea, can you also make me a cup too. While you¡¯re still in the kitchen can you make me some toast too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, i¡¯ll make you a cup and some toast you slave driver.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t be disrespecting your elders like that.¡±


    ¡°What elder. You¡¯re only five years older than me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah and that makes me your elder. Back in my day kids would listen to their elders.¡±


    ¡°Elder my ass.¡±


    ¡°Pwwhaahahahaha.¡±


    In that moment I couldn¡¯t hold my laugh in. They were arguing with each other like little kids and I could see that the both of them were close friends. The both of them also began laughing at their antics.


    ¡°Sorry you had to see such an unrefined side of us Jane.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s ok Kevin. I can tell the two of you are very close.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve known each other for over ten years.¡±


    The tea was ready and Kevin served the three of us at the living room table. The atmosphere slowly changed and it was no longer joyous. The expression on John and Kevin¡¯s face turned serious and I knew they were about to start asking me questions.


    ¡°Once again I have to thank you for bringing Nicole here Jane. I¡¯m sorry and this may seem rude but can I ask you some questions.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead John.¡±


    ¡°Why did you bring Nicole here? What is your motive for coming along with Nicole?¡±


    ¡°All I saw was a lost little girl who was in trouble and I wanted to help her. I wanted to reunite her with her family because I know how important it is to spend time with your family before they all disappear.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for answering truthfully Jane. From your words and Nicole¡¯s attitude towards you, I can genuinely tell that you are a nice person. Earlier I saw that Nicole was angry at you and that was the first time I had ever seen her actually get angry. I can tell that she holds you very dear in her heart. I want to thank you again for taking care of Nicole and opening her emotions up. I have always been worried that Nicole would never be able to trust or open up to anyone else besides me but after seeing her with you, I am assured she will be able to open up to others.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem John. On my journey with Nicole, she was like a little sister that I had to care for.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Jane. So what are your plans now. I¡¯m thinking about leaving with Nicole in a few days and heading on back home. Do you want to come with us.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offer but I think i¡¯ll travel around doing my job a bit more.¡±


    ¡°Ok Jane. If you ever want to settle down you can go to the city-state of Key and live in a village call Clear View. Clear View is a beautiful small village built on the base of a mountain facing the sea. The villagers are all caring and loving so if you do decide to settle down, they will quickly accept you as one of them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offer John. Maybe in the future when I decide to settle down i¡¯ll go to the village of Clear View.¡±


    ¡°Jane if you do settle down in Clear View and it ever faces a crisis, go and tell the mayor to search for the dragon in the dragon¡¯s lair.¡±


    ¡°Umm? Ok. Why are you telling me all of this?¡±


    ¡°I just have a feeling. I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t explain it but I trust you with it. It¡¯s starting to get late so let¡¯s all go to sleep. Jane if you want to, you can go sleep with Nicole.¡±


    ¡°Ok, i¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Three days quickly passed by and it was time for me to leave Firefly city. During these days Nicole spent most of her time with John but she also didn¡¯t forget to spend time with me. She probably knew that I was feeling a little bit lonely without her so she also spent time with me.


    We were now at the east entrance of Firefly city. John, Nicole, Kevin, and me were all parting ways on that day. I felt sad parting ways with Nicole because it felt like my family was going to disappear from me but I knew that she had her own life to live.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to miss you Nicole.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to miss you too Big Sister Jane.¡±


    That was the first time Nicole had ever called me Big Sister Jane and it made me so happy that tears started falling. I didn¡¯t know if this would be the last time we met so it made me even happier to know that Nicole had accepted me as part of her family.


    ¡°Goodbye Nicole. Goodbye John. Goodbye Kevin. You guys all stay well and live your lives to the fullest.¡±


    I left on a carriage and soon the three of them became dots in the distant. This is how I met Nicole Blaine and also how we parted ways from one another.

 Chapter 41: Combat Locksmith

    ¡°That was how I met Nicole. So did the person you meet seem like the same Nicole I told you about.¡±


    ¡°Yeah she did. At first I thought she seemed like a cold person but she was very nice and she even told me to call her Big Sister.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. That does sound like Nicole and I guessed I rubbed off on her in a good way. She is going around calling herself a big sister now.¡±


    Jane laughed at Nicole¡¯s imitation of her but from her expression Kan could see that she was feeling melancholic. She was reminiscing on the times she had spent with Nicole.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not sad Kan, just a little angry that she didn¡¯t come say hi to me if she knew I lived here. It has been so long since I met her and I bet that she is a beauty by now. I wonder if she ever grew up to ever trust other people. Haahh, it really has been a long time.¡±


    Although Jane said that she wasn¡¯t feeling sad, Kan could see that she was. It has been almost 20 years since Jane had met Nicole and Kan could see that the both of them were really close to one another. Being unable to stand the sad look within Jane, Kan came up with a plan to make Jane feel better.


    ¡°Aunty Jane, let¡¯s look for her. I think she may still be Clear View.¡±


    ¡°Haha, maybe she is. I¡¯ll keep an eye out and if you do see her, lure her back to the clinic. When she gets here i¡¯ll give her a piece of my mind for not coming by and saying hello to Big Sister Jane.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I promise i¡¯ll find her for you Aunty Jane.¡±


    Jane smiled at Kan¡¯s enthusiasm for wanting to find Nicole for her but she didn¡¯t really have any hope of Nicole actually being in the village. Jane had decided that if Nicole had not come by to say hello, then she must have a reason not to.


    Kan could see the doubt in Jane¡¯s eyes but he knew that Nicole was still in the village. He knew that Nicole had been in the village in those memories and she was most likely the ones who rang the alarm bells. Kan could only assume that Nicole has been living within the village if she knew where the alarm bells were and her being there already before the attack even began.


    ¡°Kan. Kan. Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that sounds like Claire, Kan. Let¡¯s go to her and show her that you¡¯re safe.¡±


    The both of them walked outside of Jane¡¯s room and saw Claire across the hall. The clinic wasn¡¯t really big so most of the rooms were close to one another.


    ¡°Oh there you are Kan. Daddy has something he has to teach you today. Do you think you can walk to the backyard by yourself?¡±


    Kan¡¯s eyes glittered as Claire told him that Clive had something to teach him. The only thing that popped into Kan¡¯s head was that Clive was going to start teaching him how to become a combat locksmith. Immediately Kan let go of Jane¡¯s hand and sprinted to the door that led out back.


    ¡°Kan¡¯s such an energetic boy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah he is. I wonder who he takes after.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In the backyard of the clinic was an empty field. The clinic had an empty backyard because there was once a time where the clinic had too many patients and they needed space for them so the few trees there were taken down.


    On the empty field was a single person. It was Clive and he was sitting down adjusting his breathe while his muscles were bulging. His muscles looked like they would explode at any moment but in the next second they relaxed and Clive¡¯s eyes opened.


    ¡°It seems that my limit has improved. It has increased by 5% and I can open it up to 45% now. I can¡¯t believe how much that Blue Heart grass helped me improve my limit.¡±


    ¡°DADDDYYYYY!!!!¡±


    Kan came running out of the clinic at full speed towards Clive. Not slowing down at all, Kan tackled into Clive who was sitting down.


    ¡°Hahaha, Kan I know you¡¯ve been waiting for this day. Are you ready to become a combat locksmith.¡±


    ¡°Yes!!!¡±


    ¡°Ok, first calm down. We don¡¯t want you messing up.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you a few words before we start Kan. Becoming a combat locksmith is not easy at all and there will even be many times where you will want to give up and you can give up. But if you do give up, I forbid you from ever becoming a combat locksmith again. Being a combat locksmith doesn¡¯t mean just training your body, it also means training your soul and mind. Many combat locksmiths will only teach their students how to train their bodies but this is incorrect as a combat locksmith. What use is a strong body if you are unable to have courage in using this power to help others and what use is a strong body if you don¡¯t know how to use it effectively. This is why as a combat locksmith you must train your body, your soul, and your mind. Do you understand Kan Lock.¡±


    Kan was in shock and awe. This was the first time he had ever seen his father act so serious and with such a stern tone. This made Kan feel a sense of pride swell up inside of him that he was the son of such an amazing person.


    ¡°YES!!!¡±


    ¡°Ok, good job Kan. I will be teaching you how your grandfather taught me so be prepared. Your grandfather was a strict and harsh person that would push a person to their absolute limits and I will be the same. I will push you beyond your limits.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Ok, good. For now since you are still not fully recovered yet, we won¡¯t begin your training immediately. All we will be doing today is to get you to be able to feel the powers of a combat locksmith.¡±


    ¡°No, Daddy. I can do more today,  look my body is completely fine.¡±


    Kan began jumping and and running around to show Clive that his body was completely fine.


    ¡°ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! DO YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE!!!¡±


    Kan was frighten out of his mind. This was the first time his father had ever raised his voice on him and he was scared. Scared that he had done something wrong to anger his father. Kan was on the verge of tears.


    ¡°Listen to me Kan, I am not teaching you to become a combat locksmith just for fun. I want you to become a combat locksmith so you can live in this world. You have only lived in the village of Clear View your whole life so you may not know it but we live in a dangerous world. Everyone in Clear View are all nice and friendly people but outside of this village you must be aware of danger. You never know when you are attacked my monsters, beasts, nature, or even other humans. I want you to be able to protect yourself but most importantly the people precious to you. There will be many times you will feel powerless and lose all hope in being able to protect those precious to you, so I want to give you the power to change all of that. I want you to become a combat locksmith so you can reach your hand out and help others and help yourself. Do you understand me Kan Lock!¡±


    Clive was struggling to keep his stern attitude. He couldn¡¯t bare seeing Kan on the verge of tears but he had to do it. He had to teach Kan these lessons before it¡¯s to late. Clive didn¡¯t know whether Kan would understand or not but he had to set him on the right path.


    Even with tears in his eyes, Kan could see that behind his father¡¯s stern attitude was sadness and pain. Wiping away his tears, Kan thought back to all those memories he had seen in that darkness. Every memory he had seen, he had felt so hopeless and weak and all he could do was watch as everyone was slaughtered. Clive¡¯s words rang true as he thought of all those memories. He needed power, he needed the power to protect himself, but most importantly he needed the power to protect those dear to him.


    ¡°YES!!! I UNDERSTAND!!!!¡±


    Clive smiled at Kan¡¯s response. Looking at Kan he knew that his words had reached him. Clive could see a certain determination within his eyes and this made him incredibly happy. His son was started to grow up into a man.


    ¡°Good response! From today onwards we are now Master and disciple. Whenever we train, you will refer to me as Master and follow my orders.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    ¡°Ok good. Today I will help heal your body and see if you can feel the change in your body. I will be unlocking your body¡¯s natural healing power so you will heal faster. The goal for you today is to see if you can feel the changes.¡±


    Clive walked towards Kan and they both sat down. Clive sat down behind Kan and put his hand against Kan¡¯s back and began unlocking Kan¡¯s body. Since this was Kan¡¯s first time ever feeling his body be unlocked, Clive only opened a very small percentage.


    ¡°What you a sensing for is a change in your body. Look for where your body needs healing the most and sense it heal at a faster pace.¡±


    Kan closed his eyes and began sensing around his body. He didn¡¯t know what he was looking for so he searched anywhere that felt different. After a while he still didn¡¯t feel anything and he began getting worried.


    ¡°I...I don¡¯t feel anything Master.¡±


    ¡°Good. You¡¯re doing fine. I haven¡¯t unlocked anything so you shouldn¡¯t be able to sense any changes. Now you are aware of how to sense for any change, so be ready.¡±


    In that second that Clive told Kan to get ready, Kan felt an immense heat overwhelm his body. His body was getting hotter and he could feel that he was sweating profusely.


    ¡°My body suddenly got hotter Master.¡±


    ¡°Good, feel it. Specify where it is getting hotter.¡±


    Kan began to concentrate even more and felt that everything in his body was like a raging fire. His blood was coursing throughout his body rapidly but he could only see that it was everywhere. Kan couldn¡¯t tell where his body was healing the most but then he thought of the problem he had for the past week. Immediately he began sensing the muscles within his legs and he was correct. This part of his body was the hottest and healing the most out of everywhere else in his body.


    ¡°Dad...Master, I sense that the blood in my legs are more intense than everywhere else.¡±


    ¡°Good, but you aren¡¯t 100% correct. You are correct that the blood flow in your legs is more intense but it¡¯s not just the blood that is working harder, it¡¯s also the muscles fibers and bone trying to heal itself too. Besides your legs is also your arms, heart, and head. Both your legs and arms were something you used in your everyday life but you were asleep for a month so they had weakened considerably. Now the most important part of your body is your heart and your head. The head is instructing your entire body to work so it uses the most energy while the heart creates the energy that is pumped throughout your body. Since we are trying to heal your body faster the head must instruct where everything goes while the heart has to pump even more energy than normal. Do you understand Kan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think I do Master but I have a question.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just heal me completely? If you unlock more of my healing power than wouldn¡¯t I heal faster?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question Kan. Tell me what you think after I return your body back to normal.¡±


    Clive stopped took his hand off of Kan¡¯s back and stopped unlocking parts of his body. In the moment that Clive took his hand away, a sense of exhaustion overwhelmed Kan and Clive had to catch him before he fell onto the ground.


    ¡°What do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I feel really exhausted.¡±


    ¡°What you are feeling right now is the drawbacks of unlocking more than your body can take. Every combat locksmith has a limit that they would set for themselves because if they go over it, they can cause serious damage to their body. Since this is your first time ever unlocking your body, you felt exhaustion because your body is trying to adjust back to its normal state. You only felt exhaustion because I only unlocked a very small percentage over your limit but in some cases where you go way beyond your limits, you could end up permanently damage. That is why earlier I didn¡¯t want you doing more than your body could handle, so never go way beyond your limits unless absolutely necessary.¡±


    ¡°Ok Master I will not go way beyond my limits unless I need too. Wait Master, then will my limit always be the same?¡±


    ¡°Another good question Kan. Your limit will never stay the same unless you face a bottleneck. When you first start off as a combat locksmith, you limit will be very little but as you go beyond limits little by little then you limit will increase. For example let¡¯s say your base strength starts at 1 and your limit is 1.1. Whenever you unlock your strength at 1.1 and above you feel exhausted, but this also trains your body. If you keep on unlocking your strength at 1.2 then eventually unlocking your strength at 1.1 no longer makes you feel exhausted. Your new base strength is at 1.1 and your new limit is at 1.2.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I understand Master. So I should train a little over my limit so I can become stronger.¡±


    ¡°Yes, when you completely heal up I will push you to your limits and make you stay at it until you get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Kan. Clive. Come and eat breakfast before it gets cold.¡±


    Both Kan and Clive had been training for about an hour and Claire had come out to call them in for breakfast. Neither Kan nor Clive had eaten breakfast yet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Kan.¡±


    Clive was squatting down and was in position for Kan to climb onto his back. Clive smiled at Kan to get onto his back. Clive had loss his stern face and was back to his everyday self. Kan didn¡¯t hesitate and got onto Clive¡¯s back. At this moment they were no longer Master and disciple but just father and son.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go eat, Daddy.¡±

 Chapter 42: Another Mysterious Person

    ¡°Ok, see you later Daddy, Mommy, and Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°Stay safe Kan.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stay out too late.¡±


    ¡°See you later Kan."


    An entire week had passed since Kan was taught how to become a combat locksmith and he was now fully healed. His body was in perfect condition and he was now able to run and jump like he used too. But one thing did change during the past week, his body was now stronger. The constant unlocking of his body had allowed him to increase his limits by a little.


    During the past week, Kan had decided not to tell his parents or anyone else about the memories he had seen. The disaster was already dangerous enough so he didn¡¯t to add onto it an unknown factor.


    Now that he was fully healed, the first thing Kan decided to do was go and look for Nicole. Nicole is a major factor in saving the village. Although he didn¡¯t know how she would save the village, he had to trust those voices that told him about Nicole.


    Kan was heading towards the alarm tower because that is where she was in those memories. This was the only clue he had on her location so he had to check if she was there.


    On the way to the alarm tower every villager that he passed by would greet him and start a conversation. They would ask him how he was feeling or offer him some snacks. Kan had to stop and talk to them and he certainly wouldn¡¯t refuse the snacks that were offered. The trip to the alarm tower that would have taken only 15 minutes had taken an entire hour.


    Arriving at the alarm tower Kan looked around to see if any one was around but he didn¡¯t see anyone. This wasn¡¯t out of his expectations though, the alarm tower was located towards the edge of the village and wasn¡¯t too close to any other houses. The only people that would be here were the guards on patrol or the person in charge of the alarm bell.


    Seeing that no one was here at the moment Kan entered the alarm tower. As he opened the door, it squeaked like an alarm used to warn people inside.


    ¡°Hello, is there anyone here?¡±


    No one answered his question except the wind blowing through the cracks of the building. Hearing no one answer him, Kan continued his way inside the alarm tower. Each step he took the wooden floors would creak.


    The alarm tower was an old building that has been in the village since the it was first built. Back when it was first built the alarm tower was frequently used to warn the villagers of the monsters attacking. The monsters would come and attack the humans who were taking over their territory.


    Eventually as the village was built and settled down in area, the alarm tower was used less. In the present times the alarm was still used and monitored but there was less maintenance done on the building as there wasn¡¯t too many dangers in the area anymore. The last time it was used was four years ago.


    Kan walked up the stairs that led to the top of the tower. The tower was about three stories tall so it took Kan a few minutes to get to the top. At the top of the tower was a room for the guard to rest in and the four bells. Kan walked towards the room and opened its door.


    ¡°Hello, is anyone here?¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°ZZzzzZZzZzzz.¡±


    The only reply to Kan¡¯s question was the sound of snoring. There was a person sleeping on the floor in the room. The room was small but it had a blanket to sleep on, a desk and chair, and even a small bookshelf.


    ¡°Umm, excuse me are you the guard in charge here.¡±


    ¡°ZZzzZzzZzzZZzz.¡±


    The sleeping person still didn¡¯t wake up when Kan had walked towards him and spoke. Since the guard didn¡¯t wake up the only thing Kan had left to try was to physically wake him up. He pulled on the blanket and nudge the guard to wake him up.


    ¡°Excuse but I got a question. Can you wake up, please?¡±


    ¡°No. 5 more minutes please. I¡¯ll get to work later.¡±


    ¡°Hey Mister. Please wake up.¡±


    The man still didn¡¯t wake up to any of Kan¡¯s attempts. The only thing left Kan could think of to do is what he does with Clive. Kan walked back towards the entrance of the room and got into position. And on the count of the three he ran and then jumped towards the sleeping man.


    Kan was right above the man and was about to slam right into him but that didn''t happen. In the second right before contact, the man woke up and grabbed Kan¡¯s arm and threw him onto the bed.


    ¡°What!? Who are you?! Why are you attacking me!?¡±


    ¡°Ouch.¡±


    The man questioned Kan but after looking at his attacker, he realized that it was just a little boy. His guard against Kan fell down as he started to worry about what he just did to a little boy.


    ¡°Are you ok? How¡¯s your back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. There was a bed to cushion me.¡±


    Kan smiled at the man like nothing was wrong at all. The man was surprised at Kan¡¯s reaction. Although he didn¡¯t throw Kan to hard, an adult just slammed a child down onto the ground. It should still hurt quite a bit but the little boy brushed it off like it was nothing.


    ¡°Are you really ok? You don¡¯t have to try and act tough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really ok Mister. It didn¡¯t hurt to much.¡±


    ¡°Mister? Oh. Hahaha, it¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re ok. Wait aren¡¯t you Kan, shouldn¡¯t you be recovering.¡±


    Kan looked at the man curiously. He had never seen this man before but something about him seemed familiar. It was like this wasn¡¯t there first time meeting.


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration. Do I know you Mister?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s ok if you don¡¯t know me. I¡¯m always at this alarm tower and rarely go out but I do know you because all the events that happened a month ago.¡±


    ¡°Hey mister I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, before you ask me that question. Can you stop calling me Mister, i¡¯m not that old. Just call me Big Brother.¡±


    ¡°Ok Big Brother. Can I ask my question.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Um. Have you seen a lady¡­¡±


    Kan was stuck at what he was about to say. He was trying to describe to this man what Nicole had looked like but he didn¡¯t know what to describe. When he had first met Nicole, every part of her body was cover from head to toe. When Jane had told him the story of Nicole, she didn¡¯t describe any physical features of Nicole.


    ¡°...A lady about this tall, she has a very gentle voice, and pretty blue eyes like the ocean.¡±


    ¡°Oh, can you describe her more.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. She seems cold and distant when you first meet her but she is really nice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t help you without any more details. Why are you asking me in the first place?¡¯


    ¡°I had seen this lady here before and I wanted to see her again. Since you¡¯re the guard here, I thought you might have seen her. Can I come back later and give you more details so you can help me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be here all day.¡±


    Kan immediately left the tower and walked back towards the clinic. He needed to find Jane and have her describe Nicole¡¯s features to him. The man at the tower was hiding something and Kan needed to know if what he knew was Nicole¡¯s whereabouts or something else.

 Chapter 43: A Gift

    Kan arrived at the clinic after 15 minutes. This time on his way back when people tried to start a conversation with him, he had to tell them that he was busy. He was in a rush to go back and get more details about Nicole from Jane.


    As he reached the clinic, Kan reached for the doorknob and without even realizing it, he was able to reach it. Kan realized that he had grown taller and was now able to reach the unusually high doorknob but it was locked.


    ¡°Is anyone home!¡±


    Kan called out to see if anyone was home to open the door for him and a few seconds passed before the door opened. The one who opened the door was Doctor Frank.


    ¡°Excuse me, Doctor Frank, is Aunty Jane still home.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s in your parents room checking up on their conditions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Doctor Frank.¡±


    Kan walked towards his room in the clinic since he shared one with his parents. The closer he got to the room, he could hear the voices of his parents and Jane talking. From the way they were talking Kan realized that they were talking about something important. So instead of walking in right away, he stood by the door and eavesdropped on their conversation.


    ¡°So do you think we can meet with the mayor later. I have something I have to tell him and I think you guys should be there too.¡±


    ¡°Sure Jane, we¡¯ll go and ask the mayor if we can meet later.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Claire and can you keep this conversation just between us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah no problem.¡±


    ¡®What are they talking about?¡¯ Kan heard there conversation and it seemed that Jane had an important secret to tell his parents and the mayor. He didn¡¯t know what it was but it intrigued him. He didn¡¯t know if this secret had to deal with the upcoming disaster but he wanted to know. Every clue he figures out will help him prevent the disaster.


    He needed to find an excuse to go to that meeting. This was his only chance to be included so Kan decided to walk in on the conversation.


    ¡°Mommy, Daddy, what are you guys talking about. Can I hear about it too?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing Kan we were just having some grown up talk. You wouldn''t be interested in it.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Jane, that wraps up our conversation. Clive and I are going to go talk to the mayor right now. Kan why don¡¯t you stay and spend some time with Aunty Jane. She was talking about how much she missed you while you were asleep.¡±


    Both Clive and Claire brushed off Kan¡¯s intent on joining in on the conversation. Kan was stumped but he had another plan to enact later. As both Clive and Claire walked out of the room, Kan sat down on the bed across from Jane who was sitting on the chair.


    ¡°Aunty Jane, I went out early to go find Nicole but I couldn¡¯t find her.¡±


    Jane smiled at what Kan had said. She didn¡¯t expect that the first thing that Kan would do when he was fully healed up was to go and look for Nicole. She didn¡¯t really expect Kan to find Nicole but Kan still tried for her. This made Jane happy.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Thank you, Kan, but you don¡¯t have to try and find Nicole for me. Since you have healed up, you should go and play with your friends. You don¡¯t have to do this for me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Aunty Jane but I won¡¯t stop searching for Nicole. My friends are important to me but Aunty Jane is also important to me. I don¡¯t want to have fun by myself while Aunty Jane is sad. I want you and Nicole to be together so you can be happy. So I will do both. I will find Nicole for you and go play with my friends.¡±


    Kan smiled brightly at Jane as he declared that he wouldn¡¯t compromise. He was determined to find Nicole while also having time for his friends.


    Jane smiled and chuckled at how stubborn Kan was in making everyone happy. She came closer towards him and rubbed his head.


    ¡°Ok, then. I will allow you to look for Nicole but promise me this. You must put your happiness first before others, Ok. If you keep on trying to make everyone else happy, when will you ever have the time to achieve your own happiness.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°Good, is there anything else you wanted to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have a question Aunty Jane. What does NIcole look like? Earlier I went to search for her but I didn¡¯t know what she looked like.¡±


    ¡°That would be a problem in finding someone wouldn¡¯t it. Hmm, let me think for a second.¡±


    Jane thought back to the memories she had of Nicole. A few minutes passed and Jane began describing how Nicole looked.


    ¡°Nicole had black hair, pretty blue eyes, she was also slender, she had sharp eyes, and she had a mole on the left side of her chin. These are some things I remember of Nicole but this was all 20 years ago. She could look entirely different from what I know.¡±


    Jane¡¯s description of Nicole shocked him. This wasn¡¯t like the Nicole he remembered at all. During the eighth set of memory he had seen Nicole. She had silver hair and red eyes. Now that Kan thought about it, when he first met Nicole she had blue eyes but in the memories, she had red eyes but Jane also described her with blue eyes.


    ¡®Are they the same person?¡¯


    Kan was confused. He didn¡¯t know if there were two different Nicole¡¯s or the same Nicole. The room was now silent as Kan thought to himself. Jane looked at Kan as he was in deep thought.


    ¡°Is there something wrong Kan?¡±


    ¡°Um, Aunty Jane, have you ever seen Nicole with silver hair or red eyes?¡±


    Being asked this question, Jane began to think about what Nicole looked like again. She thought back to all the events that they had been through even the times when Nicole had killed people.


    ¡°Wait, I think there has been a time when Nicole had reddish eyes. It was when she had saved me from the bad men who tried to kidnap us. It wasn¡¯t completely red, it was more of a bluish red color.¡±


    Everything clicked into place as Kan thought about the description of Nicole. It was the same Nicole but it was some sort of ability that made her hair silver and her eyes red. From what he remember from the eighth set of memories, Nicole still had the mole on the left side of her chin.


    ¡°Thank you Aunty Jane, i¡¯ll go out again and ask around if anyone has seen Nicole.¡±


    Kan walked towards the door and as he was about to exit, Jane stopped him. Jane had just remembered something important that she had to give to Kane.


    ¡°Kan come here. I have something to give to you.¡±


    Kan walked back to Jane and stood in front of her. Jane reached for his hand and put something in it.


    ¡°This is kind of late but happy birthday Kan.¡±


    What was in Kan¡¯s hand was a small necklace. The chain was made out of silver while the gem hanging at the end was a green gemstone. It wasn¡¯t big, but it was a very nice and calm color. Just by holding it, Kan felt calm and peaceful, and it was like his body was being healed.


    ¡°This necklace will keep you save Kan. It took me a while to make but this necklace will heal you as long as it is in contact with your body. The gem is made out of condensed mana and it is imbued with my healing attribute.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Aunty Jane.¡±


    Kan left the room and Jane smiled as she watched him go. Jane had underplayed how hard it was for her to make the necklace to Kan. If he knew how she made it, Kan would be worried for her and she didn¡¯t want that. Jane had use her lifeforce to create the gem and the gem would always heal the user as long as she was alive.

 Chapter 44: The Dragons Den(Part 1)

    After going back to the man in the tower, Kan had described Nicole¡¯s features to him. The man replied back to Kan that he didn¡¯t remember anyone looking like that wandering around the alarm tower but Kan knew he was hiding something. When he had described Nicole¡¯s features, the man¡¯s eyes had barely shifted but Kan noticed it. The man was not disclosing all the information he knew.


    ¡°Thank you Big Brother. Find me if you remember anything about seeing Nicole, it¡¯s very important that I need to find her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, i¡¯ll let you know if I remember anything about this Nicole person. Stay safe on your way back home.¡±


    Kan decided to go back home after finding out that the man wouldn¡¯t give him any information on Nicole. As Kan left he made his search for Nicole seem urgent so if the man knew Nicole then he would report back to her. This was the only thing he could think of to do right now to get in contact with Nicole.


    Kan had spent the whole day talking to this man about Nicole but he had to leave because it was getting closer and closer to sunset. He had to get back to the clinic so he wouldn¡¯t miss his chance in joining in on Jane and his parents conversation with the mayor. He needed to find out whether this meeting will help him prepare for the future or not.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°...let¡¯s go Clive¡­¡±


    ¡°Ok, Claire¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhh...be quiet...Kan is still sleeping.¡±


    Clive and Claire were up and ready to leave the room but they didn¡¯t know that Kan was still awake. He had never fallen asleep since he came back from the alarm tower. He had been waiting for this time since he had been at the clinic. It was time to enact his plan.


    ¡°Mommy...Daddy....where are you guys going?¡±


    Both Clive and Claire were spooked by Kan¡¯s sudden awakening. Hearing Kan speak to them, Claire stare daggers into Clive. Trying to fix Claire¡¯s mood and to convince Kan to go back to sleep, Clive spoke to Kan.


    ¡°Um, Kan. Daddy and Mommy are just going to go out for a walk. We¡¯ll be back in a little bit so go back to sleep, ok.¡±


    Clive tried to give an excuse to Kan and hoped that Kan would accept it and go back to sleep but that didn¡¯t work. Kan being crying as they walked towards the door and both Clive and Claire were frightened.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Kan, Mommy and Daddy will be back in a bit. Please don¡¯t cry.¡±


    ¡°Nooo! Mommy and Daddy are going to disappear again. Uwaaaawaaaawwaa!! I¡¯m going to be left alone again.¡±


    Hearing Kan cry even more made their hearts break. This wasn¡¯t the first time they had experienced this but they still wouldn¡¯t be able to get used to it. The weeks after Kan had woken, he would wake up in the middle of the night crying in search of them. They could only imagine how lonely he was while he was in a coma, so they would always sleep in the same room as him to keep him company. They had thought that Kan had finally gotten over being alone but they were wrong as he was still crying for them right now.


    ¡°Ok Kan. Why don¡¯t you come with Mommy and Daddy then. We are on our way to see the mayor.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Hich..hich...Ok.¡±


    As Claire agreed to bring along Kan, he wiped away his tears. Kan¡¯s outburst was a mix of truth and lies. It was the truth that he would feel lonely without his parents but it was a lie that he couldn¡¯t sleep without them. He had already gotten used to sleeping by himself again, but this time he was driven by a goal. Without even realizing it himself, he had changed since he woke up from his coma. He was determined to save the village and he was doing things he had never done before. He was hiding secrets and telling lies to find any clues on how to save the village.


    Both Clive and Claire agreed to take Kan so all three of them walked towards Jane¡¯s bedroom. As they knocked on her door, Jane immediately opened it. Feeling sorry about not keeping the meeting a secret, Claire explained to Jane why she was taking along Kan. Seeing that it was just Kan, Jane didn¡¯t mind it.


    ¡­¡­


    In a room, with a few chairs and a table were five adults and a child. The people in the room were Jane, Claire, Clive, Kan, the mayor, and Dylan. Dylan¡¯s wife, Eliza, was asleep with their son Leo in another room while they were in this empty room bare of decorations.


    ¡°So what is it that you wanted to talk about Jane?¡±


    The mayor got straight to the point and asked Jane for calling them out. From what he heard from Clive and Claire, Jane wanted to talk about something important. The mayor didn¡¯t know what she wanted to talk about so he got straight to the point and asked her.


    ¡°Before I start talking mayor, can I ask you a simple question?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Do you know of someone by the name of John Stock?¡±


    ¡°John Stock?¡±


    Hearing that name, the mayor began to think if he knew of anyone by that name. Having lived so long and also travelled quite a bit, he knew a lot of people. As he thought of this name, he could think up of two people with this name but they were only acquaintances. He couldn¡¯t think up why Jane had asked this question.


    ¡°I do know a few John Stock¡¯s but i¡¯m not sure which one you are talking about.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. Ok. Let me relay his message and see if you understand it. I was told to tell you this by a man named John Stock about 20 years ago but with what happened with my life I totally forgot. It wasn¡¯t until Kan came to talk to be about my past did I remember his message. The message from him was that if I was ever to come live in the village of Clear View, and if the village was to ever be in a crisis, I should tell the mayor to go look for the dragon in the Dragon¡¯s Den.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon¡¯s Den!!!¡±


    The mayor was absolutely shocked at what Jane had just said. She had just mentioned about a secret of the village that was only known to a select few. Presently only three people knew of this secret and they were him, Doctor Frank, and Jonathan.


    ¡°John Stock? John Stock!? John Stock!! Hahahahaha, I never knew he would communicate to me in such a roundabout way.¡±


    The mayor was laughing and no one knew why he was laughing. Even Dylan had never seen his grandfather laugh so hard before. Everyone was confused except the mayor.


    ¡°Umm. Mayor why are you laughing so hard?¡±


    The first one to speak up was Clive. He was just as perplexed as everyone else was but he was the first to recover. Clive had asked the question everyone else wanted to hear the answer to.


    ¡°Hahaha. You should be the happiest one right now Clive. This message is from your father.¡±


    ¡°DAD!?¡±


    Clive was completely shocked, this was the first message he had heard from his father besides the letters from four years ago. Everyone else was just as surprised as Clive to hear that this message was from Jonathan Lock.


    While everyone was in shock, Kan was off repeating Jonathan''s message. He was in different kind of shock from everyone else.


    ¡®If the village was to ever be in a crisis, tell the mayor to go look for the dragon in the Dragon¡¯s Den.¡¯


    ¡®Is he talking about the calamity that will happen in a few years? How does he know about it and what is the Dragon¡¯s Den?¡¯

 Chapter 45: The Dragons Den(Part 2)

    ¡°Jane you said you received this message 20 years ago?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did Clive. I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t able to deliver this message sooner.¡±


    Jane felt guilty that she did not deliver this message soon enough. She knew that Clive had not seen or heard from his father for a long time and felt guilty about it.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Jane. It wasn¡¯t your fault. You didn¡¯t know it was my father and you have been through a lot since you¡¯ve been here.¡±


    Clive tried to calm Jane down but he could still see that she felt guilty about it. Claire also saw this and went to console Jane. Clive began thinking about everything his father has done over the past few years. From all his messages, it is a warning to them that something major is about to happen.


    ¡°Mayor do you think this message had to do with the letters from a few months ago.¡±


    ¡°Mostly likely. Jonathan probably found out all those years ago that the city-state of Key had dealings with other countries and disappeared because they were hunting him. He was trying to warn us all those years ago and luckily nothing happened, but now that we also received those lettersa few monthsago, we are mostly likely coming into face with a great calamity.¡±


    Everyone was quiet as the mayor spoke. They realized how dire the situation has become and how their country is willing to abandon them.


    ¡°Mayor, what is the Dragon¡¯s Den. How come I have never heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, grandfather. What is this Dragon¡¯s Den?¡±


    The mayor thought a bit before deciding to tell them about what the Dragon¡¯s Den was. This was a secret that only a few should know but considering the situation, he couldn¡¯t hold his secrets back.


    ¡°The Dragon¡¯s Den is a special formation creating by an ancient mage locksmith. No one knows who the true creator of this formation is but some people theorize that it was made by the founder of the Kingdom of Key. Only each passing mayor would learn the truth about the formation. Anyone else who learns of the secret will be silenced forever except the mayors most trusted aides. The special formation, once activated, is said to lock down all enemies within its range for weeks and sap all their energy and strength, which is given to all the residents recognized by the formation.¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t this formation on all the time then?¡±


    ¡°The reason why the formation is only used during emergencies is that it takes a long time for it to charge up. The formation must be activated and given a few years to absorb the mana from the world to fully function. The biggest drawback is that, in order for the formation to recognize friend from foe, it will take some life force of the residents. Even though this formation is powerful, there are also drawbacks from using it.¡±


    Everyone thought about the uses of the formation and realized that it was quite risky to use. If activated it would sap their life force but protect them from enemies.


    ¡°I think we should activate the formation, Mayor. We have to prepare for the oncoming calamity coming within the next 5 years.¡±


    ¡°What calamity?¡±


    Jane had asked that question to Clive who wanted to activate the formation. Just like Jane, Kan was also surprised about the talk of the calamity. Kan was surprised on how much everyone except Jane knew about the calamity. In all those memories he had been through, only in the last few memories were there any signs indicating that his parents knew anything about the calamity. Kan had assumed that it was just ¡°Kan¡± who told them about it and that is how they knew about it but now it was different. Kan hadn¡¯t told anyone about the calamity but yet they already knew almost as much as he knew.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡®Something very different is happening from the memories.¡¯


    Kan was getting anxious, everything was changing little by little but it was leading towards a different future. As Kan thought to himself, Clive and the mayor began explaining to Jane how they obtained the knowledge of the future calamity.


    It was then that Kan realized something. The letters he had given to to his parents a few months ago was where they got their information. The one who gave him the letters was Nicole.


    ¡®Don¡¯t trust George...find Nicole...be prepared.¡¯


    Kan once again remembered the words that were said to him by those voices in the darkness. Nicole was the wild card that could change the fate of the village of Clear View. He had to find Nicole.


    ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s get back to topic. Clive said that he wanted to activate the formation and I personally agree with him. Does anyone else have an objection.¡±


    Claire, Dylan, and Jane began thinking about their decision. Their decision could determine the life and death of all the villages so they had to carefully choose. If they did activate the formation, the villagers would slowly lose their life force but if they did then they would be protected from the enemies.


    ¡°I disagree. We should find another way that doesn¡¯t suck the life force out of the villagers.¡±


    ¡°I also agree with Claire. We shouldn¡¯t involve the innocent villagers without their consent.¡±


    ¡°I support the activation of the formation. If the calamity is truly coming then, I believe the formation will save us in the long run.¡±


    Claire and Dylan were opposed to the activation of the formation while Jane, Clive, and the Mayor were for it. It was 3 against 2 so it was decided that the formation was to be activated.


    ¡°I also don¡¯t want to take away the villagers life force so I will activate the formation and make sure the formation takes only a small amount of life force away from the villagers. It might take longer to activate but it will keep the villagers healthy.¡±


    The decision to activate the formation was decided and the meeting was soon coming to an end. The only thing left was to find the specific conditions of the formation.


    ¡°When will the formation fully be activated Mayor.¡±


    ¡°From what I know, it will take 3 years to fully activate or 4 at the most.¡±


    ¡°Is that enough time.¡±


    ¡°It should be. The letter said that within the time span of 5 years they will attack. The conflicts between the nations aren¡¯t small, so we should have enough time to activate the formation.¡±


    ¡®Yes, the formation will make it in time.¡¯


    Kan was ecstatic. He knew that the calamity will happen in three years and three months before he turned 9. The formation will be prepared before that happens and will help fight against the men who will attack the village.


    After being overjoyed in knowing that the formation will be complete in time, Kan began to think again. He began to wonder if the events would turn out as smoothly as he thought it would. Different events from the memories were occuring and he was unsure whether everything will end ok. Kan then decided that he needed insurance in case something went wrong. He still decided that he needed to find Nicole and the sooner the better. She would be the key to stopping the crisis.


    ¡°Ok, since its decided we will activate the formation, Clive come back tomorrow and we will go to the Dragon¡¯s Den where the formation is at.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Can I do anything Mayor.¡±


    ¡°Its ok Claire, I don¡¯t need your help immediately so just take care of Kan.¡±


    Claire felt useless at the moment. She was burdening others just by being in the village. Everything the Mayor is doing is to protect her and the village. If she wasn¡¯t in the village, then it wouldn¡¯t be in this predicament.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s end this meeting right here. Everyone go back and get a good night''s rest.¡±


    The meeting had ended and everyone went back to their own respective home and slept. The days before them would be long ones and this will be the best time to rest up.

 Chapter 46: Mage Locksmith

    ¡°Kan are you ready to become a mage locksmith today?¡±


    It was the morning after the meeting about the Dragon¡¯s Den and Kan was faced with a dilemma. He was not expecting his mother to train him in being a mage locksmith on this day. Kan had planned to follow his father and the mayor to the location of the Dragon¡¯s Den but now he had to choose to follow them or learn from his mother.


    Kan didn¡¯t want to refuse his mother but he also wanted to find out where the Dragon¡¯s Den was. After thinking and looking at his mother¡¯s eyes, he no longer hesitated.


    ¡°Yeah, I want to become a mage locksmith!¡±


    Claire smiled at Kan¡¯s enthusiastic response. She felt sad that she couldn¡¯t do anything to help the mayor prepare the formation but was energized from Kan¡¯s response. Even if she couldn¡¯t help them she could help train Kan.


    Kan noticed the change in Claire¡¯s mood and was happy that she was energized again. Even if he followed his father it didn¡¯t mean that he wouldn¡¯t get caught by them. His father and the mayor were both combat locksmiths and would surely be wary of their surroundings when going to the Dragon¡¯s Den. So Kan decided to just train with his mother and make her happy since she was feeling down.


    ¡°Ok, let''s head to the backyard then.¡±


    The place they had prepared to train at was the same spot where Clive taught Kan how to become a combat locksmith for the first time. They were in the backyard of the clinic but this time Kan was learning how to become a mage locksmith.


    ¡°Ok Kan, let Mommy explain to you what a mage locksmith is. You know the three types of locksmiths right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There are the regular locksmith who creates locks, the combat locksmiths who are able to open up and lock hidden strength in the body, and the mage locksmith who is able to manipulate the mana around the world.¡±


    ¡°Good, it seems you know your three types of locksmiths. Your definition of what a mage locksmith is able to do is slightly incorrect though. Unlike magicians who can conjure the mana into elements to their will through chants, mage locksmiths use their own mana to lock down mana. For example if a magician wanted to use water magic, all they have to do is chant a spell that will summon water and depending on the spell the power will be different. Now a mage locksmith can¡¯t just summon water as simple as a magician can. All we can do is lock down the mana and mold it into the shape we want it to be.¡±


    As Claire stopped talking, she raised her hand and in front of her was a spear made out of water. It had suddenly appeared and Kan was surprised.


    ¡°How did you do that Mommy, that spear appeared out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°That is where you are wrong Kan. This water spear didn¡¯t appear out of nowhere, I used my own mana to mold it into this shape.¡±


    ¡°But where did the water come from?¡±


    Claire was happy at Kan¡¯s curiosity. This meant that he was analyzing and looking at what was happening. This trait would help him as he grew as a mage locksmith.


    ¡°Good question Kan. When you start training in controlling mana you will eventually be able to sense the type of mana in your surroundings. You just can¡¯t see it right now because you haven¡¯t felt what mana is yet. The water from my spear was created from the water mana floating in the air. The air is full of different types of mana and all I did was use my own mana to locked the water type mana into the shape of a spear. Do you understand Kan?¡±


    Hearing Claire¡¯s explanation and presentation of what a mage locksmith could do made him excited. Many ideas and questions were flashing through his mind. He was thinking of the possibilities of what he could do as a mage locksmith and the restrictions he would face. He wanted to become a mage locksmith even more now.


    ¡°Mommy can you can the shape into anything? Can it be a sword, shield, bow, or even an animal!? Can I make it really big!? What if I put 2 types of mana or even 3 into a single mold!?¡±


    Claire could only smile wryly as Kan bombarded her with questions. He wasn¡¯t even giving her enough time to respond to his questions before he asked another one. Claire was extremely happy at Kan¡¯s curiosity.


    ¡°Ok. Ok. Let me answer your questions one at a time.¡±


    Kan became silent and his eyes were shining as he waited for Claire to start answering his questions.


    ¡°For your first question, the answer is yes. The shape of the mold you create depends on your creativity. It can be any shape or size you want it to be. What I am teaching you right now is only to make simple molds to contain mana but it can get more complex. For example you can even create formations like the one in the Dragon¡¯s Den depending on how you mold it. You can determine its size, its attributes its activation sequence, and even its purpose. All of this depends on the mage locksmith¡¯s imagination.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Now onto the question about putting multiple types of mana into one mold, the answer is also yes. There are many types of mana in the world but the main 6 elements are fire, earth, air, water, light, and darkness. You can combine multiple types of elements to create a new fusion of mana. For example if you combine fire and earth you can create many types of spells from it. You can create magma but depended on how you mold these two element you can also create molten spikes. But molding two elements is a difficult skill to accomplish so most mage locksmiths only focus on perfecting their strongest element. Once again all of this depend on the user¡¯s imagination.¡±


    Kan was in awe and was digesting all the information he was just told. More and more ideas flowed through his head as he sat there. No longer able to hold himself back he asked Claire to teach him how to become a mage locksmith.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy that your so eager to learn but remember this Kan. Even if you want to put your imagination to the test, remember your limits. Just like a combat locksmith, a mage locksmith also has their own limits. Unlike a combat locksmith who uses their bodies to determine their limits, a mage locksmith uses mana to determine their limits. If you ever feel sick or feel like you are going to pass out, immediately stop using your mana. When that feeling occurs that means that you are running out of mana and if you do decide to continue using mana it could result in you losing the ability to mentally function. Do you understand?¡±


    Hearing Claire warn him about the effects of mana exhaustion, Kan thought back to the time he had passed out during the third set of memories. He had tried to control and sense the mana around him and eventually passed out. ¡®So I did successfully control the mana.¡¯ He took Claire¡¯s warning to his heart because when he first experienced mana exhaustion everything felt distant and his body felt sluggish like he was walking through a swamp. In general it was a terrible feeling.


    ¡°Ok Kan. Come sit down and close your eyes. I¡¯m going to move the mana around you so it is easier for you to feel. Don¡¯t use your eyes to try and feel the mana, use your entire body. Mana is like the ocean and we are like fishes. Every breeze you feel is mana, every piece of dirt has mana, and even the body has mana in it. You just have to feel it, don¡¯t force anything. Let it all come naturally.¡±


    Claire¡¯s explanation was exactly the same as the Claire from the third set of memories that Kan had been in. This time Kan was determine to feel the mana and not pass out. Since he knew the basic concept of mana this time around it didn¡¯t take long for him to feel the mana circulating around his body.


    ¡°I can feel it Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Good job Kan. I thought it would have taken you longer to sense mana but this is also good. Now try and feel your own mana within your body.¡±


    Just like the times he was training with Clive, Kan began to sense his body. Since he was already used to sensing energy flowing through his body from his combat locksmith training, it only took a little bit before he was able to feel the sense of mana.


    ¡°Mommy I can feel my mana. It¡¯s faint but I can feel it coursing through my body.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now try and control the mana into one location and make it go outside of your body. When you do this remember to mold your own mana into any shape. I recommend molding it into a hand. Control it like you would control your own hands and brace yourself when it starts to come outside your body. As soon as it comes out, the mana in the world will try to invade yours, so keep a solid mold of your hand.¡±


    Kan followed Claire¡¯s instructions and concentrated all of his mana into his right hand. Claire had recommended him to mold his mana into a hand, so Kan decided to release it from his right hand. The mana was now concentrated on his right hand and now all he had to do was push it out from his body. The first parts of his mana hand to go out into the world was the fingertips.


    As his right thumb was the first to go out, Kan felt a different type of mana suppress his own. It was the mana from the world. Kan had braced himself but the mana in the world was more intense than he thought. He couldn¡¯t move his thumb any further, it was like his entire hand was trying to push against a mountain and it wouldn¡¯t budge. Sweat dripped down his head and his face was scrunched as he tried to fight against this pressure.


    Claire watched as Kan struggled against the pressure from the world¡¯s mana. She could sense that Kan was fiercely fighting against it and was waiting for him to give up. She wanted him to feel the difficulty of trying to become a mage locksmith early so he would know his limits. More time passed and Claire was surprised at Kan¡¯s determination. She had expected him to give up after getting two fingertips out into the world but currently the fingertips of all five of his fingers were outside.


    ¡®Good job Kan. At this rate you will be even stronger than Mommy when she was at your age.¡¯


    Claire rejoiced at Kan¡¯s strength but as more time passed Kan surprised her even more. All five of his fingers were now outside and the only part left was his palm. ¡®Is he really 5 years old?¡¯ Claire was seriously questioning Kan¡¯s strength. When she was his age it had taken her a day for her fingertips to come out and another day for her fingers to be outside. But it currently took Kan 30 minutes to do all this. ¡®He couldn¡¯t possibly get his whole hand out by today, can he?¡¯ She was in disbelief but soon angry.


    ¡°KAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!!!¡±


    Claire immediately locked the world¡¯s mana around Kan and then pushed his mana back inside of him. She was furious. When Kan was stuck in between the fingers and his palm, he had started to exert his mana to get his whole hand outside.


    ¡°I told you already Kan! Never go past your limits unless you are in a life and death crisis!! You know what could have happened. You could have lost all ability to think or even worse you could have died. Why are you and your father always so reckless!! Do you know how painful it is to never be able to see your loved ones again!!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mommy. I didn¡¯t want to disappoint you.¡±


    Kan tiredly spoke and Claire calmed down. She didn¡¯t realize that Kan was pushing himself to meet her expectations. She had put to much pressure on him to do good as a mage locksmith.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Kan. Just close your eyes and rest up for now. We¡¯ll continue our training tomorrow.¡±


    Kan closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep. Kan was now asleep but he had just taken the first step into becoming one of the best mage locksmith to ever exist.

 Chapter 47: Sparring

    In the middle of the field were two young boys facing each other. They stared into each other¡¯s eyes as they calmed their breathing. If one was to watch these two prepare themselves, they wouldn¡¯t think that it was just a spar between two young boys but instead a match between trained adults.


    One boy had blond hair that glowed as the sun¡¯s light shined on it. He was holding a wooden sword and was in position to dash towards his opponent. He wouldn¡¯t dare look down on his opponent, so he braced himself for the oncoming battle.


    The other boy had light brown hair but he didn¡¯t have a weapon in his hand. It wasn¡¯t because he was looking down on his opponent but instead his hands were his weapon. Just like the blond hair boy, he was ready at a moment''s notice to attack his opponent.


    What separated them was a distance of 50 meters. For these two boys it would only take seconds for them to bypass this distance and reach their opponent. The real battle would start the moment they met in the middle of the 50 meter distance. But for now there was only silence as they stared at one another trying to predict their opponent¡¯s moves.


    ¡°3!¡±


    The countdown was beginning and the two boys readied themselves. As soon as the countdown was done they would be ready to fight.


    ¡°2!¡±


    Although this wasn¡¯t their first time fighting, they still couldn¡¯t help feeling tense. When the countdown was done, it would be time for them to put all of their efforts into defeating their opponent.


    ¡°1!¡±


    The two readied their entire strength. The aura roiling off of these two young boys isn¡¯t what anyone would expect from children. Their aura was strong and intense and was comparable to a adults used to fighting battles.


    ¡°FIGHT!!!¡±


    As soon as the countdown was over the two boys dashed towards one another. If an ordinary person was to watch, all they would see is a dust cloud behind the area where the two boys stood at. The both of them were extremely fast but to the onlookers, they could see that the boy with light brown hair was faster.


    The blond haired boy could also see that his opponent was faster then him and he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. So he decided to attack first. Although his opponent was faster than him, he had an advantage in reach because he had a sword. His opponent was restricted to only the length of his arms.


    The blond haired boy swung his sword right down the middle aiming for his opponent¡¯s head but that didn¡¯t work. The brown haired boy had spun his body and dodged towards the left hand side of the blond haired boy. The blond haired boy was now faced with an incoming fist aimed straight towards his face but he wasn¡¯t fazed. Instead he was smiling like he expected this to happen.


    The blond haired boy pivoted back a little bit then spun his body towards his opponent. He was now swinging his sword from the bottom to the top where it would hit his opponent¡¯s right arm.


    Seeing that the sword was aiming for his arm the brown haired boy could have continued his punch and made contact because it was just a wooden sword but they were supposed to treat sparring like a real battle. In a real battle if he was to continue, his right arm would be cut off and he would be left weaken, so he decided to jump back instead.


    Seeing this as an opportunity the blond haired boy charged forward as the brown haired boy retreated back. As he was thrusting his sword towards his opponent¡¯s stomach, he looked up and saw that the brown haired boy was smiling. And he knew that whenever he was smiling during a fight, that meant he had set up a trap. He immediately stopped his advancement and jumped back.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    It was a wise move of the blond haired boy to step back because the brown haired boy had set up a trap on the ground. The ground the blond haired boy was about to step into was transformed into mud and this would have made him lose his footing.


    ¡°Nice try but i¡¯m not falling for the same trick again.¡±


    ¡°Haha, are you sure.¡±


    As soon as the brown haired boy said that the blond haired boy landed into mud. The blond haired boy had landed in the original spot where they had first clashed but this time it was mud instead of dirt. This was the brown haired boy¡¯s plan all along.


    Although the blond haired boy was now stuck knee deep in mud he wasn¡¯t worried. The sword style that he was taught had techniques that focused both in offense and defense. And he was more proficient in defense than offense. He could also see that his opponent was running out of breath and couldn¡¯t maintain his form any longer, while he still had energy to fight.


    The brown haired boy raised his hand and he made a ball of water in front of him. After condensing the ball of water in front of him he also condensed a ball of air and then he let it explode. As the ball of air exploded the ball of water was sent flying towards the blond haired boy.


    ¡°What is some water going to do to me.¡±


    The blond haired boy proclaimed that the ball of water was useless and he was ready to slice it in half but before it even reached him it exploded. Now he was entirely covered in water. He wasn¡¯t worried though the only probably is that he will be a little slowly due to his soggy clothes.


    ¡°Is that all you got. All you did was get me wet.¡±


    The brown haired boy walked closer towards the blond haired boy. And as he walked he once again raised his hands. This time the blond haired boy was ready for anything his opponent was about to do but before he realized it, his movements started slowing down. He noticed that it was getting harder to move but after a while he realized what was happening. His body was being frozen.


    The brown haired boy had started to freeze the water on the blond haired boy¡¯s body. Seeing that his magic was working, he readied himself to end the battle. In the next second the muscles in his legs pulsated and he began sprinting towards the blond haired boy.


    The blond haired boy knew that he was in a crisis but he couldn¡¯t move. He was frozen and trapped in the mud. Any second know he was about to lose to the brown haired boy. He didn¡¯t want to lose though. If he lost then he had to face the punishment from his great grandpa and he didn¡¯t want that. In the seconds that he was thinking to himself, a voice appeared in his head.


    ¡®You have learned the skill [Burnout]. Would you like to activate it.¡¯


    Without any hesitation he activated this skill. He didn¡¯t know what it was or what it did but if this gave him the chance to win then he would try.


    ¡°Raaaagghhhh!!!!¡±


    The ice melted off his body and he jumped out of the mud. Just as the brown haired boy was sprinting at him, he was now sprinting at the brown haired boy. This time his speed was just as fast as the brown haired boy.


    Not expecting the blond haired boy to escape his trap, the brown haired boy failed to defend against the blond haired boy¡¯s strike. His left arm was hit and was pulsating with pain. He was in shock, he didn¡¯t know where the blond haired boy¡¯s strength had come from.


    This time the blond haired boy was on the attack and all the brown haired boy could do was dodge and defend himself. He was unable to counterattack at all. The blond haired boy¡¯s attacks were stronger, faster, and more precise.


    In the span of 10 seconds they had exchanged many moves but as soon as the 11th second passed, the blond haired boy fell down. The two of them were both exhausted and out of breath.


    ¡°Haah...haaah...I lost again.¡±


    ¡°Haah...haaah¡­.haaa....You almost had me there.¡±


    A man walked up to the both of them. This man was very familiar to the both of them, it was the mayor. He looked at both of them and smiled. The two of them just had an intense battle that was very well fought. He walked towards the brown haired boy, who was barely standing, and raised his hand.


    ¡°The winner of this fight is Kan Lock. This makes his record 6 wins and 5 losses.¡±

 Chapter 48: Growth After 2 Years

    ¡°That was a good fight you two. Have some water.¡±


    Clive and the mayor were extremely proud of them. The two of them trained since they were 5 years old and 2 years later, they were both excellent fighters. Kan had trained his hardest in being both a combat locksmith and mage locksmith while Leo had trained his best at being a swordsman. The more and more they sparred with each other, the stronger they got. To Clive and the mayor, both of them were rising dragons that would become experts in the future.


    As Clive offered Kan and Leo water, they didn¡¯t hesitate to gulp it all down. Although the match between them had only been about 10 minutes long, they had both used their entire strength to bring down their opponent. Now that all their tension was gone, they were left exhausted.


    ¡°Hey Leo, how did you gain so much strength towards the end. I thought I had you perfectly trapped but then you bursted out with so much strength.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. While I was trapped, I felt that I was going to lose but as I struggled to escape, a voice said something in my head. It said that I had unlocked the skill [Burnout].¡±


    ¡°¡±WHAT!?¡±¡±


    The mayor and Clive were extremely shocked at what Leo had just said. They were astounded and yet confused at how young Leo had learned a skill. Kan and Leo looked at them in confusion because they didn¡¯t understand what was happening. The mayor realized this and began explaining to them.


    ¡°A skill is, as it implies, a skill or technique you are given. But by who or why, no one knows. There has been stories of people waking up and gaining a skill or even the story about how a knight defeated a beast and gained a skill the beast had. No one knows the requirement to gain a skill, but it is said that anyone can gain a skill. The ability of the skills can differ from person to person. Some of the skills that have been recorded include a skill that increases a person¡¯s chopping speed when cooking, a skill that summons shadow knights, or even a skill that makes a person heal faster. The only thing that is the same amongst all skill learners is that they all heard a voice when they were given their skills.¡±


    The mayor had explained all of this in one breathe. He was currently ecstatic and couldn¡¯t hide it. His great grandson had just learned a skill at the age of 7 years old. How couldn¡¯t he be excited for him.


    Leo¡¯s eyes were glowing as he heard the explanation from the mayor. He realized how important a skill was and was joyous about learning one.


    ¡°Leo, Leo, Leo! What is your skill!? What does it do!? Can you show it to me again!?¡±


    Kan was just excited as excited as the mayor and Leo. He had just learned about something entirely new to him. He once again felt a stirring feeling inside of him. It was itching at him and telling him to learn all the secrets behind skills.


    ¡°Wait don¡¯t say anything Leo. Let me tell the both of you right now, so listen carefully. Never tell the secrets of your skill to anyone unless you absolutely trust them. Skills are the trump cards of any person. If a person with malicious intent ever learns of your skill, this means they can easily bypass it and kill you. Now let me ask you again Leo, do you want to tell us about your skill?¡±


    The mayor asked Leo in all seriousness. He wanted Leo to make the decision because it was his skill and only his. If others were to find out about it, it could be used against him one day. Hearing the mayor¡¯s seriousness, Leo thought hard about what to do. He looked at Clive, Kan, and the mayor¡¯s face. He knew he could trust all of them and soon came to his conclusion.


    ¡°I want to tell all of you about my skill.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s all go inside and rest for a bit then.¡±


    They all went inside and Kan cooked up a small meal for all four of them. Besides training as a combat locksmith and a mage locksmith, he had also been improving his cooking. His cooking skills was at the level of Claire¡¯s cooking 6 years ago. He could now cook simple dishes and with help, he could even cook more complex dishes. As Kan was cooking, something unexpected happen.


    ¡®You have learned the skill [Chef¡¯s Kitchen].¡¯


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    Kan was absolutely astounded at what was just said in his head. He was just cooking and all of a sudden a message was spoken in his head. Clive, the mayor, and Leo were surprised at Kan¡¯s scream and came running to the kitchen. When they entered they could see that nothing was wrong so they were relieved.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Kan?¡±


    ¡°I...I...I just learnt a skill.¡±


    Kan uncertainty told them what just happened but none of them had a reaction. They couldn¡¯t process what Kan just said because they were all in shock. Leo just learned a skill and now Kan learned a skill. They were all shocked and could only say one word.


    ¡°¡±¡±WHAT?!¡±¡±¡±


    Everyone was silent after their initial shock. Suddenly Clive began to laugh.


    ¡°Hahaha!! Aren¡¯t our kids great mayor. Both of them learned a skill in a single day.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like skills are falling out of the sky right now. Hahahaha.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The shock was the strongest for Clive and the mayor. The two of them have lived longer than both Kan and Leo so they each have a few skills of their own but it took them years to acquire these skills. But in front of them now were two 7 year old kids with their first skills already. The only thing they could do was to laugh it off.


    ¡°Kan. I will ask the same question the mayor asked Leo. Do you want to tell us about your skill.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do.¡±


    Kan didn¡¯t hesitate in his reply at all. He didn¡¯t have any reason to distrust anyone in his group. They were all people he grew up with and knew.


    ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s eat first then we can talk about both of your skills.¡±


    Each of them quickly ate their food and washed their dishes. After eating, they headed towards the room which had been used to hold multiple meetings. Over the years this room became the place where they held all their important meetings. They entered the room and all sat around the table.


    ¡°Ok, you can go first Leo. If you want to know more details on a skill. just focus on the skill¡¯s name and a description should appear to you.¡±


    Leo followed the mayor¡¯s explanation and concentrated on the name of his skill and a detailed explanation popped up. There were many details describing what it could do, what level it¡¯s at, and even question marks in some areas.


    ¡°What does it say Leo?¡±


    ¡°It says that the skill name is [Burnout] and there is a description of the skill below it. It says: ¡°[Burnout] is a skill that will call out the rest of the user¡¯s energy into one strong burst of energy. This bust of energy will make the user faster, stronger, more precise, and more sensitive to the surroundings. But it will leave the user completely exhausted after the time has run out. At level 1 the time limit is 10 seconds. Every sequential level will add 10 seconds.¡± After the description it says what level the skill is at, and it currently says level 1. Underneath that is multiple lines of question marks.¡±


    ¡°From what you have described, it seems that it is a boosting type skill. It seems like the perfect trump card to use when your opponent underestimates you at the end of the battle.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa what is a level?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Let me see how to describe it. You can say that a level is a physical representation of your proficiency in something. For example when you first started swinging your sword, you could barely lift it. You can say your level  was at 1 but now you can swing it easily so your level in swinging has increased.¡±


    Kan listened with rapt attention as the mayor was explaining levels and skills to Leo. He was trying to absorb all the knowledge he could get from the mayor, so he could improve himself. He needed to quickly become stronger so he could protect everyone precious to him.


    ¡°Are you ready to talk about your skill Kan.¡±


    ¡°Yeah i¡¯m ready Daddy.¡±


    Kan began focusing on the name of his skill and exactly what Leo described appeared in his mind.


    ------------


    [Chef¡¯s Kitchen]


    ¡°[Chef¡¯s Kitchen] is a skill that will allow the user to cook anywhere he wants to. To use the skill all one has to do is call the name of the skill and their surrounding will become a kitchen. This kitchen will allow the user to cook food that has buffs or debuffs. Depending on the user¡¯s skill in cooking, the probability of a dish with a positive buff will increase. At level 1 all dishes will have a 3% chance of a buff and a 5% chance of a debuff.(Depending on the complexity of the dishes.  the probability changes). Each sequential level will increase probability, storage capacity, and the length of time food stays fresh.¡±


    Level 1


    Utensils stored: 0


    Food stored: 0


    ???


    ???


    ------------


    Kan began explaining his skill to all of them but as he explained more and more, they realized that his skill was not as simple to understand as Leo¡¯s skill. Kan¡¯s skill was more complex and not used for battle but to cook.


    ¡°What¡¯s a buff and debuff Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Buffs and debuffs in simple terms are used to support your teammates. There are some types of magic out there that can increase a person¡¯s speed or even strength, this is what a buff does. A debuff is a type of magic that applies negative effects on people like slowing someone down or even making it so there attacks are weaker.¡±


    ¡°Just like a combat locksmith right. We can increase our speed and strength through unlocking out body and others weaker by locking them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, correct. Being a combat locksmith does have abilities to buff and debuff others. But your skill is more uncertain. It doesn¡¯t specify what types of buffs or debuffs it can contain so you will have to experiment to figure out the different types. What is also interesting about your skill is that you can store things in it. It is rare to a have skill that is able to store items because that uses the concept of space magic.¡±


    ¡°You can say that Kan¡¯s skill is more of a support types skill, maybe a barrier type skill too since he is able to summon a kitchen. Why don¡¯t you try summoning your kitchen Kan?¡±


    After the mayor asked him to use his skill, Kan began concentrating on his skill. A few seconds later his skill was activated. There was now a small kitchen around Kan. There was a small table with drawers and also a small stove next to it. After looking around the kitchen Kan looked back at the mayor, Clive, and Leo and found that they were still looking at him and not the kitchen.


    ¡°Can you guys not see the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°What kitchen?¡±¡±¡±


    It seemed that the three of them couldn¡¯t see the kitchen and only Kan was able to. Now that Kan looked at the kitchen more carefully, he could see that part of it was inside of the mayor but he still didn¡¯t notice. His kitchen was only able to be seen and felt by him.


    ¡°There¡¯s a small kitchen right here with a table with drawers and a small stove. It seems that only I can see it and touch it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Interesting, this is the first time I have ever heard of this type of skill. It might not be used for combat but it seems useful for everyday life.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it does. You can cook anywhere you go.¡±


    Clive and the mayor weren¡¯t to impressed with the skill because they didn¡¯t understand it. It was the first time seeing this type of skill and they believed it was only useful to make food and nothing else.


    Kan felt differently than the both of them. He felt that this skill was extremely useful. He was able to store food in his skill so he didn¡¯t have to carry any food anywhere. There was no chance of him being stranded and having no food to eat. The most useful aspect of his skill was the buffs and debuffs. If he could get to the point where he could continuously create food with buffs then he could strengthen himself without the need of exhausting his combat or mage locksmiths abilities. Even the debuffs from his skills, if used correctly, could be very strong.

 Chapter 49: Cole Pierce

    ¡°Ok, now that we have talked about your skills, your training is done for the day.¡±


    ¡°Yay!!¡±


    Leo was ecstatic that his training was done. Although he loves training, it was rough and gave him no time play. The only time he could play was after training. Leo was excited but then he remembered that he had lost to Kan.


    ¡°Leo you have another 2 hours to train since you lost to Kan. Don¡¯t even think about trying to run away.¡±


    The mayor already had a grip on Leo¡¯s shoulder. He already knew that Leo was going to run away like last time but this time he wasn¡¯t going to let him. Leo could only give up when he felt that the mayor¡¯s hand was already gripping his shoulder.


    On the other hand Kan was free to do whatever he wanted since he won the fight. Unlike Leo who wanted to go and have fun, Kan didn¡¯t mind training at all. He loved the feeling of become stronger and stronger as he trained and he also had a goal that he wanted to achieve. He needed to become strong enough to overcome the disaster that was going to happen.


    Kan told Clive and the mayor that he was going to go train by himself and left the room. But as he was about to leave the room and go do some training, Clive spoke to him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overwork yourself Kan. Remember to pay attention to how much mana you have left in your body, and how much strain you are putting on body in.¡±


    ¡°Ok Daddy. I¡¯ll be careful this time. I won¡¯t make you and Mommy have to worry about me.¡±


    The last time Kan had gone to train by himself, he had fallen unconscious due to mana exhaustion. He had been training his control of ice magic in order to defeat Leo and forgot to pay attention to how much mana he had left and had passed out. Clive and Claire were extremely worried about his condition and was afraid that he would never wake up again. They didn¡¯t want a repeat of what happened when Kan ate the peca pen cake.


    Kan could still see that there was worry on Clive¡¯s face so he tried to assure Clive by explaining where he was going to train.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m going to be training with the mister from the alarm tower.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re training with Cole today. Give him my thanks for training you.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I will. See you later Daddy.¡±


    Clive trusted Cole with training Kan. Although Cole had only been living in the village of Clear View for almost 2 years, Clive trusted him. Cole had come along with the government officials who had come to pick up the materials and taxes as a mercenary in charge of protecting the caravan. When they arrived in the village there was a problem with drunken mercenaries harassing the villagers but it was Cole who had taken care of them. Clive was there and saw Cole defeating the other mercenaries but it couldn¡¯t even be called a battle. Cole had swiftly taken care of the 4 mercenaries in the blink of an eye.


    After the commotion was over, Clive went and interacted with Cole. After a few drinks with each other, they quickly bonded and began talking about life stories. Clive came to find out that Cole Pierce had once been a knight of the city-state of Key but was injured, so he had been discharged from duty. Seeing that his only skill was in fighting, Cole took up the job as a mercenary. From what Cole told him, Clive felt that the officials in power were blind to let go of someone so strong. Since the people in the capital didn¡¯t want him, Clive decided to ask Cole if he wanted to stay and live in the village of Clear View. With the oncoming disaster that was going to happen to Clear View, Clive wanted another strong person to protect the village. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Listening to Clive¡¯s proposal, Cole accepted it. He decided to live in the village Clear View as the watchman of the alarm tower, since there was no official person stationed there. In the year that Cole lived in the village, Clive had only met him a few other times. When Clive found out that Kan wanted to learn how to fight from Cole, he was happy about it. It was the perfect opportunity for Kan to learn how to deal with a different fighting style, since Kan only knew the fighting style of his and the mayor. Cole was a knight and eventually Kan would have to deal with the fighting styles of the city-state of Key, so it was the perfect opportunity.


    ¡­¡­


    The alarm tower was already close by as Kan walked towards it. Kan arrived at the door of the alarm tower and opened it. As soon as he opened the door there was a clicking sound and Kan immediately jumped and rolled backwards. An arrow had just been shot at Kan, but he was quick enough to dodge it. If he had stayed still then that arrow would have pierced through his head.


    ¡°Good job, but after an ambush always be ready.¡±


    A voice suddenly whispered these words next to Kan¡¯s ear as Kan had just landed. Immediately Kan used his left hand to grab dirt and throw it at where the voice came from while his other hand was concentrated on using magic. He molded his mana into multiple air blades and also shot it towards the voice. This was the fastest and easiest magic he could control.


    ¡°Good. Trying to blind your enemy while simultaneously attacking them. But there¡¯s not enough power or speed behind your attack.¡±


    The voice still sounded like it was right next to his ear but Kan still couldn¡¯t see him. He knew that Cole had skill that made him invisible but even if he knew about it, he didn¡¯t know how to deal with it. The only thing Kan could do right now was keep on running around and shooting balls of water to see if any of them would hit Cole.


    ¡°You can¡¯t aim randomly Kan. You are just wasting your mana at this point.¡±


    As Cole was talking, Kan stopped running around. He was now standing in one spot with no indication of doing anything at all. It was like he had given up the fight.


    ¡°Have you given up Kan. Let me end this then.¡±


    Kan didn¡¯t say anything back as Cole was talking. He stayed silent and looked around his surroundings. And then he smiled.


    ¡°My sword will be the sharpest of all blades. Become sharper and sharper and become the sharpest. [Wind Blade]!!!!!!¡±


    This magic that Kan was using was different than all the other magic he had used before it. The intensity and power of this magic was on a different level. All the other magic Kan had been using hadn¡¯t required a chant or even had a proper name. He had been using his own mana to mold the mana in nature into his desired shape and form. But this time he was forcing all the wind mana into his mold. If he made a mistake, his mold could explode and cause some serious backlash to him. The only way to control this type of magic was to create a chant and a name for it. Throughout history any powerful magic would need a chant and a name because without one, the magic wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain its form and power.


    The wind blade was in the shape of a broadsword and was heading straight towards Cole. It wasn¡¯t just luck that Kan had been able to figure out Cole¡¯s position. Earlier when he had been running around and shooting balls of water, it was all a part of his plan. He shot water around so the dirt on the ground would become muddy and easier to track footprints. This was also the reason why he had stopped running and stood at one spot. He needed Cole to start walking towards him so he could see the footprints.


    The wind blade was now closing in on where Cole¡¯s footprints had stopped at. And in the next second his magic made impact with the ground and mud was sent all over the area. Kan was excited when his magic made impact but in the blink of an eye his expression fell.


    ¡°Never celebrate too early Kan.¡±


    After the voice spoke, Kan felt two hands grab onto his right arm. It was a solid grip and even if he struggle he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape unless he severed his arm. In the next moment his world turned into a blur and then he was face first inside of the mud. There was now the cold sensation of a blade on his neck. There was nothing else he could do to turn the tables.

 Chapter 50: How Friends Are Made

    ¡°Can you get up Kan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks Big Brother.¡±


    Cole helped Kan up from the ground and the both of them were drenched in mud. Kan had it worst since he was slammed into the mud but Kan¡¯s magic had also successfully gotten Cole dirty.


    ¡°Go and wash yourself Kan. We can continue your training after you¡¯re all cleaned up.¡±


    ¡°Ok, why don¡¯t you join me too? You¡¯re also dirty.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s ok Kan. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll just go and get a change of clothes.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the first time Kan had asked Cole to shower with him and it also wasn¡¯t the first time he was rejected. Kan didn¡¯t know why Cole would always reject his offer because Kan found showering time, a time to bond.


    When he had first met Cole, Kan felt that Cole knew something about Nicole but as he spent more time with Cole, his goal changed into wanting to become friends with Cole. Cole was a kind and caring person but also strict when he needed to be. Even though Kan still wanted to find out more about Nicole, he didn¡¯t want to just use Cole as a means to find her. Kan instead decided that if they became friends, then maybe one day Cole would open up to him and tell him about Nicole.


    Kan would always invite Cole to go shower or bathe after training but he would always reject the offer. Kan felt dejected because showering was how he bonded with all his close friends and family. He knew that Cole had a reason for wanted to avoid showering with him but he didn¡¯t want to be insensitive and ask Cole.


    So instead he went to ask his parents about reasons why someone wouldn¡¯t want to shower with others.


    ¡°Well, Kan. Some people just aren¡¯t comfortable showering with others. Maybe they feel insecure about their bodies so they don¡¯t want to show others.¡±


    ¡°Cole was once a knight, so he probably has many scars from the battles he has been through. He probably doesn¡¯t want such a young child to see all of his scars.¡±


    These were the answers that Claire and Clive had given him but Kan didn¡¯t see this as a problem. Kan felt that Cole shouldn¡¯t feel ashamed of his body or even ashamed of his scars from battle. Instead he should be proud of it, so on that day Kan decided that he would always invite Cole to go clean themselves after training. He would continue this until Cole opens up to him and decides to shower with him.


    Today¡¯s invitation was another failure as Cole still rejected the offer to shower with him. Kan wanted to shower together with Cole and become friends. He also wanted to know why Cole is constantly avoiding his invitation, so he decided to ask him.


    ¡°Big Brother, why do you always reject my offer to shower together?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kan but Big Brother has many scars from his days as a knight and I wouldn¡¯t want to show it to you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind though Big Brother!! I want you to shower with me so we can become friends.¡±


    ¡°Friends?¡±


    Cole was surprised at Kan¡¯s concept of becoming friends. Never in his life had he ever heard of making friends through showering, so the only thing he could do was smile awkwardly.


    ¡°You never join me when I shower. You always just give me an excuse for not wanting to shower together. Do you not want to be friends?¡±


    Cole started to feel guilty about rejecting Kan¡¯s invitations. Thinking about the amount of times Kan invited him, it had probably been in the hundreds. The more and more he thought about it, the guiltier he felt. The last straw that broke the camel¡¯s back were the sad eyes that were currently looking at him. Kan was practically begging him to shower together. The only thing he could do was accept Kan¡¯s invitation.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°*Sigh. Ok, I will shower with you but I am not taking my clothes off. I will only be washing you, ok.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s great! Thanks Big Brother!¡±


    Kan was overjoyed at the moment. Although Cole wouldn¡¯t actually be showering with him, Kan was still happy. It was a small step towards them becoming friends. Eventually it could lead to the point where they could shower together. Kan was just too happy thinking about the future.


    The two of them walked towards the well next to the alarm tower. Since the alarm tower wasn¡¯t close to any other buildings it needed a way to secure water, so a well was built next to it.


    As they approached the well, Kan began to take off his clothes one by one. By the time he was at the well he was completely naked. Cole could only watch at how bold Kan was as he proudly stood there naked.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you embarrassed Kan?¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡±


    Kan was confused at what Cole had asked him, and Cole could see this. Cole didn¡¯t know what to say. Although Kan was very smart and strong, there were some parts of him that were quirky. Cole was also stumped at what to do. He could explain to Kan that he should feel embarrassed when showing someone your naked body but did he have the right to do this. He was just an acquaintance of Kan and wasn¡¯t his parents or anything like that, so what right did he have to reprimand Kan.


    ¡°Uh, nothing Kan. Let me get the bucket of water and wash you off.¡±


    Cole decided to not say anything about Kan¡¯s behavior. He didn¡¯t have the right to and someone else will eventually correct him on his behavior, right?


    Cole grabbed the wooden bucket next to the well and threw it in the well. He then began pulling the bucket by the rope attached to it. The bucket was now full to the brim.


    ¡°Ok, stand still Kan.¡±


    Cole rolled his sleeves back, before grabbing the bucket and pouring some water over Kan¡¯s head. The mud from their battle had already hardened up so the water helped wash some of it off. Seeing that not all of the mud had come off, Cole grabbed a piece of cloth he had in his pocket and began scrubbing Kan down.


    ¡°Hahahaha, that tickles Big Brother.¡±


    ¡°Ah, stay still Kan. I still have to scrub the dirt off of you.¡±


    ¡°Your hands and arm are very pretty Big Brother. They aren¡¯t rough or masculine like all the other men in the village.¡±


    ¡°Is that suppose to be a complement or an insult?¡±


    ¡°¡±Hahahaha.¡±¡±


    Cole hadn¡¯t realized it but he was slowly opening up to Kan. They were now just having fun talking to one another instead of always just training. Kan was happy that they were slowly becoming friends.


    ¡°Oh, you have a mole on your chin Big Brother. I never realized it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do. I usually hide it with makeup because I heard a rumor in the capital that women like men with a clean and fair face.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to hide your mole here though. You aren¡¯t masculine like all the other men in the village but you are still very handsome. I think many women in the village would like you just the way you are.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Kan.¡±


    ¡°Oh, why don¡¯t I introduce you to Aunty Jane. She is very pretty and nice.¡±


    ¡°Aunty Jane. Who is she?¡±


    ¡°Aunty Jane¡¯s full name is Jane Fallen. She is 42 years old but don¡¯t judge her by her age Big Brother. She is still healthy, beautiful, and kind.¡±


    ¡°Jane Fallen!?¡±


    Kan was surprised to hear Cole repeat Jane¡¯s name again. It sounded like he already knew Jane¡¯s name.


    ¡°Do you know Aunty Jane, Big Brother.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do. She saved me when I was a lot younger. It was probably when I was the same age as you were right now.¡±


    ¡°Good, then we can go and see Aunty Jane after training then.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s ok Kan. She probably doesn¡¯t remember me anymore and I wouldn¡¯t want to bother her.¡±


    Cole became silent but still continued to scrub Kan down. Eventually Cole felt that he had made the atmosphere awkward so he decided to talk about something else.


    ¡°How did you get this injury on your left arm?¡±


    ¡°Oh I forgot to tell you Big Brother, I won the fight against Leo today.¡±


    ¡°Good. Tell me how the battle played out.¡±


    Kan began to tell how the battle played out to Cole. He told him everything about the battle except the part where he and Leo both obtained their skills. He knew that skills were very important secrets and so he decided to not include it in his recount of the story. Eventually Kan was done talking about what happened and Cole was also done cleaning Kan.

 Chapter 51: Epiphany

    The forest next to the village of Clear View was massive. The inhabitants of the forest were all dangerous monsters and no human would dare enter to far in. But this time there were 2 humans running and jumping around the forest. The sounds of metal clashing echoed throughout the forest.


    ¡°You¡¯re still to slow Kan. You have to be faster than that to avoid me.¡±


    A dagger was thrown at Kan. Without hesitation Kan used the dagger in his hand to deflect the incoming dagger while also throwing another dagger where Cole¡¯s voice was coming from. After counter-attacking Kan kept on running through the forest. He was jumping over tree roots and weaving around the trees to lose Cole but nothing worked. Cole¡¯s daggers kept assaulting him endlessly.


    Kan was starting to run out of breath. They had been playing this game of cat and mouse for 30 minutes already and Kan still couldn¡¯t get away. No matter how much he climbed the trees or even change his paths, Cole was still able to attack him. It was at this moment that Kan wasn¡¯t paying attention that he tripped on a tree root.


    ¡°You need more training if you want to master the use of daggers and always pay attention to where you¡¯re running Kan. You have lost this battle.¡±


    Cole was already standing over Kan with his dagger up to Kan¡¯s neck. Kan was catching his breath as Cole began to explanation to Kan what he had done wrong.


    ¡°You lasted longer this time but you still couldn¡¯t escape from me. You couldn¡¯t calm yourself while you were running, so I could hear your rough breathing from miles away. Whenever you are being chased down, always calm your breathing. This way your pursuers won¡¯t be able to hear you. Another problem that I saw was that you weren¡¯t able to hide your presence. I have told you this before and i¡¯ll say it again, become one with your surroundings.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s take a break by the stream over there.¡±


    Kan got up and they started walking towards the stream. Kan was remembering what Cole had just told him. He was analyzing what he had done wrong and what he could have done better. Every time Kan would train, he would review over what he had just learned, so he could improve himself.


    This part of the forest was relatively close to the village so there was no real danger in this area. Since this area was close to the alarm tower they had trained here frequently. Cole had decided that Kan should train in the forest because being able to adapt to an uneven terrain would improve his skills vastly.


    After a few minutes of walking they had reached the stream. It was a very small stream with many fishes swimming in it. It was the peak of spring so many fishes were swimming vigorously in the stream. Off to the side was a very large rock they that had used many times to rest on.


    ¡°Big Brother i¡¯m going to hunt some fishes to cook.¡±


    ¡°Ok, be careful not hurt yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Kan stripped and dived into the stream. Kan opened his eyes and he could see where all the fishes were. The stream was very clear so it was not a problem for Kan to see the fishes. The only problem now was catching them.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Kan contemplated on how to catch these fishes. He wondered if he should use magic but he decided not to because lately he hadn¡¯t been using his combat locksmith powers as much. In the 2 years that he had been training, his limit as a combat locksmith had recently reached 5%. This was amazing for such a young boy who had only been training for 2 years.


    Kan unlocked 2% in his arm and swam towards a fish. He knew fishes were fast and tricky to catch, so his plan was to unlock the strength in his arm to instantly catch the fish. Kan swam and pushed his hand forward to catch the fish closest to him, but the fish easily dodged his hand. Kan tried it multiple times but he hadn¡¯t caught any fish at all. So for now he decided to go up for air.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡®So he¡¯s still trying to catch fish. This is going to be a difficult task for him if he doesn¡¯t learn how to use his own powers.¡¯


    Cole thought to himself as he watch Kan continuously bob his head in and out of the water to get air. Cole had usually caught the fish to eat and lately he had been allowing Kan to get the fish. Those times it was simple for Kan to catch the fish because he had used magic but this time it wasn¡¯t. Cole knew that this was a major roadblock in Kan¡¯s path in becoming stronger.


    Kan has been to reliant on his skills as a magic locksmith and not his skills as a combat locksmith. When he did use his skills as a combat locksmith, he would forget to use his skills as a mage locksmith. This was the problem with learning to many things at once. He would use one and forget the other. Kan needed to learn how to combine everything together if he wanted to become stronger. Cole knew this but hadn¡¯t told Kan because Kan wouldn¡¯t truly learn, if he didn¡¯t learn it himself.


    Cole went back to looking at the papers in his hands. As he read the papers his eyes turned cold and he sighed. But Cole¡¯s thoughts were soon interrupted by a sound coming from the forest.


    ¡®What¡¯s that sound?¡¯


    Cole heard some rustling from the forest. It was faint but was gradually getting louder. It sounded like teeths grinding against each other. It was soon that he realized what that sound was.


    ¡°KAN, WATCH OUT!!!!!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡®Why can¡¯t I catch these fishes? I should be faster and stronger than them, so why can¡¯t I get any?¡¯


    Kan began thinking and thinking about what the problem was and he was stumped. He couldn¡¯t think up of a reason why he couldn¡¯t catch the fishes but then he suddenly remembered what Clive and Claire had taught him.


    ¡°...What use is a strong body if you are unable to have courage in using this power to help others and what use is a strong body if you don¡¯t know how to use it effectively. This is why as a combat locksmith you must train your body, your soul, and your mind...¡±


    ¡°...Mana is like the ocean and we are like fishes. Every breeze you feel is mana, every piece of dirt has mana, and even the body has mana in it. You just have to feel it, don¡¯t force anything. Let it all come naturally¡­¡±


    ¡®I understand now!!!¡¯


    Kan closed his eyes and he no longer looked at the fishes. This time he was sensing the mana around him. He sensed the mana in the water, the mana in the fishes, and even the mana within himself. He had become one with the water. He was now a fish flowing freely in the stream. As all this was happening he unlocked 2% throughout his body and moved his hand towards a fish. Without any trouble he had caught a fish.


    Ecstatic, he swam back up to the surface so he could show Cole.


    ¡°Cole I caught a fish!¡±


    ¡°KAN, WATCH OUT!!!!!¡±


    In the moment that Cole had called out to Kan, Kan felt a burning sensation on his back. He had never felt this type of sensation before but it was painful. It felt like someone had slashed at his back with a burning iron rod. Before he knew it, he felt another type of pain coming from the front, and his world turned dark.


    ¡°YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!!!!!!!!¡±

 Chapter 52: Three Horned Bone Bear(Part 1)

    Cole could only scream out as he watch the bear attacked Kan. He had noticed the monster to late and didn¡¯t have enough time to save Kan. Kan had been attacked from behind and was thrown against a tree. He didn¡¯t know whether Kan was still alive or not but he vowed to destroy this monster.


    The monster was covered in armor made from its own bones and had three horns protruding from its skull. It was known as the Bone Bear and each bone protruding from its skull was an indication of its strength. The most horns that had ever been recorded on a Bone Bear was five, so the Bone Bear that appeared in front of Cole and Kan was a powerful member of its species.


    Even though Cole saw the amount of horns on this Bone Bear, he didn¡¯t care. Either way, he would do whatever he could to kill it.


    Cole was about to rush towards the bear but calmed down and realized what he really needed to do. He needed to save Kan first before dealing with the bear. Not waiting for another second, Cole dashed towards Kan. He needed to save Kan before he bled out or is eaten. Cole wasn¡¯t the only one to dash towards Kan, the Bone Bear knew that Cole was trying to save Kan. Considering the strength of this Bone Bear, it was not dumb instead it was very intelligent.


    Cole threw a dagger at the bear but the bear didn¡¯t even pay attention to it. The dagger then hit the bear¡¯s bone armor and was deflected. The bear¡¯s bone armor was too strong for Cole¡¯s daggers to pierce through. Seeing that it had no effect, Cole focused on reaching Kan instead of fighting.


    Comparing the two¡¯s speed, Cole was obviously faster but in his enraged state he lost time due to not making a decision quick enough. So the two of them were neck and neck in reaching Kan. In mere seconds the bear would reach Kan but in that moment Cole said something.


    ¡°[Blink].¡±


    In the blink of a second Cole had reached where Kan was at. Cole had used his skill called [Blink]. This skill allowed him to instantaneously increase his speed to the point of looking like teleportation. The only problem was that he could only use it within a certain range and had a limited use of it. He hadn¡¯t used it earlier because Kan was out of range but the moment he was in range, Cole didn¡¯t hesitate to use it.


    Kan was laying face down in a pool of his own blood, and that was when Cole appeared right about him. Cole¡¯s forward momentum had not slowed down at all, so he reached both of his arms and grabbed onto Kan. He was now holding Kan next to his chest as he rolled forward to lessen the impact.


    Right behind him, Cole could hear the sounds of numerous trees being toppled over. The three horned Bone Bear had crashed into the trees that Kan had been lying next to. Cole knew the trees wouldn¡¯t hurt the bear at all since it was covered in armor, but it would give them a few seconds of rest.


    Cole began checking on Kan¡¯s condition and he was in a terrible state. There were three large gashes on Kan¡¯s back, which was profusely bleeding. There was also bruising on his chest from when he was flung towards the tree, and there was even the possibility of multiple broken ribs and damaged organs. Kan was in a critical state and could die if he wasn¡¯t treated.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The only thing Cole could do to help Kan right now was try and stop his bleeding. Cole took out a bottle of medicine and started pouring it on Kan¡¯s back. Cole regretted not being more wary of the forest. When they had first started training on the outskirts of the forest, he had brought all sorts of medicine just in case one of them was injured by monsters, but since they only met weak monsters he became to relaxed. He had never thought that such a strong monster would appear in this part of the woods.


    The medicine that Cole had just used took immediate effect and stopped the bleeding on Kan¡¯s back. Cole was lucky that he had brought a high level healing item but this didn¡¯t mean that Kan was saved. It only meant that he would only live a little bit longer until he got proper help.


    ¡°URAAGGGHHH!!!¡±


    The three horned Bone Bear roared. It¡¯s roar was so loud and intense that all the surroundings trees shook and their leaves shivered in fear. Cole felt his whole body vibrating from the bear¡¯s roar and even felt like he was going to pass out. Cole stayed calm and kept his senses and began to run away from the bear. What the bear did was not recorded in any of the records kept on Bone Bears. This three horned Bone Bear had just used a skill and it was the only one of its kind to have it.


    Cole began running without any hesitation. He needed to get Kan to a doctor before his condition got any worse, but where would he find a doctor good enough to bring Kan back from the brink of death. Only one name popped up in his head.


    ¡®Jane. I need to find Jane.¡¯


    The only person that could save Kan was Jane, but the three horned Bone Bear wasn¡¯t going to  make it easy for them. The bear was right behind them as they were running. Cole was weaving through the forest with no problem at all but he still couldn¡¯t get away from the bear. The bear was bulldozing through all the trees and wasn¡¯t slowing down at all.


    In fact the bear was getting closer and closer towards them. Cole had to go around trees and that took up time, while the bear could go straight through the trees. Each second that passed, the bear got closer.


    ¡®Fuck, what should I do.¡¯


    Cole could stay and fight the three horned bear. It would take some effort but he would be able to kill it. The only problem is that Kan is with him. In the time that it took to kill the bear, Kan¡¯s condition could get worse. The other option was to go straight into the village and get Kan to Jane, but in that time the bear would wreak havoc in town.


    Cole¡¯s eyes turned cold and the atmosphere changed. Cole had stopped running away and layed Kan down next to a tree. He turned around and looked at the bear. The bear was rushing towards Cole with hunger in its eyes. Cole was about to be its next dinner.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kan.¡±


    Cole turned around to look at Kan one last time. And then he disappeared. He had abandoned Kan. Kan was lying on a tree, defenseless and weak, it was inevitable that he was about to become the three horned bear¡¯s next meal.


    Seeing that the other man was gone, the bear ran even faster with drool gushing out of his mouth. It was hungry and couldn¡¯t wait to taste Kan¡¯s body. He had kept his distance since he could tell that the bigger man was the most dangerous out of the two of them. The bear even felt a small hint of fear for Cole, which it had never felt before in its life. Living in the forest, he was always the one all the other monsters feared, but this time he had felt fear for Cole. But now that he was gone, he didn¡¯t have anything to fear anymore. It didn¡¯t have to hold back it¡¯s speed anymore and it began running at full speed.

 Chapter 53: Three Horned Bone Bear(Part 2)

    It was a regular day for Jane. She had already gone around the village and checked up if anyone was sick or injured, so she had nothing else to do. Since Kan or the other kids hadn¡¯t come to the clinic to play with her, she had time to herself. A hobby she had recently picked up over the years in living in the village, was reading books about taking care of children.


    Although she didn¡¯t have kids of her own, she had help delivered many babies in the village. She would go and check on each family to see if the children were fine, and naturally she became very attached to all the children in the village. She wanted to do her best in raising them when their own family couldn¡¯t.


    The book she was currently reading was called, ¡°How to Deal with Young Boys Growing Up(Ages 8-12)¡±. She had read the first volume of this book a while back and it had opened her eyes up to taking care of babies. Jane was currently reading this volume because Kan was going to turn 8 years old very soon and she wanted to be prepared.


    She really loved Kan, so she wanted to raise him right. She wanted to fulfill Clive and Claire¡¯s request for her to take care of Kan, if they ever disappeared. She didn¡¯t know if they would disappear, but she wanted to be on the safe side and read the book in preparation. As she was reading, a paragraph in the book stood out from the rest.


    ¡°During this age, boys will tend to act recklessly and emotionally. This will be a dangerous period in their lives because they will endanger their lives for their ideals. They do not yet understand that they are still weak children and are not invincible, so be ready to watch over them.¡±


    Jane suddenly felt uneasy. She didn¡¯t know why, but she suddenly felt that something terrible had happened. Jane couldn¡¯t sit still anymore, so she closed her book and left the clinic. This feeling wouldn¡¯t go away, in fact it got stronger and stronger by the second. For some reason, unbeknownst to her, she believed that this feeling was an indication that something happened to Kan.


    Jane began running towards Kan¡¯s house. She needed to know if this feeling of dread was just a false alarm or not. Running at her fastest speed, Jane reached his house in a few minutes. She stood in front of the door and tried to calm herself down. This feeling could just be a mistake and she wouldn¡¯t want to send Claire and Clive into a panic.


    Jane calmly knocked on the door and waited for someone to open the door. She waited for the door to open and it felt like she was waiting for years. The feeling of dread only grew stronger.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Jane. Come on in.¡±


    ¡°Claire. Is...is Kan home.¡±


    ¡°No, he should be at the mayor¡¯s place training right now with Leo and Clive.¡±


    ¡°Ok, thanks.¡±


    Jane was about to immediately leave for the mayor¡¯s place but Claire grabbed her hand. Jane looked back and saw Claire¡¯s calm and gentle face looking back at her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Jane? You can talk to me if you want to? ¡±


    Claire saw straight through Jane¡¯s facade. Jane had been trying to stay calm and collected but it only took Claire a single glance to see that Jane wasn¡¯t fine. Claire could see that Jane¡¯s eyes were full of fear and uneasiness.


    ¡°Hey Jane. What are you doing here? Looking for Kan.¡±


    Clive had just come back and saw Jane and Claire standing in the doorway. Jane swiftly turned and ran towards Clive.


    ¡°Clive, is Kan still at the mayor¡¯s place.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°No, he left about an hour ago to go train with Cole.¡±


    ¡°Cole? The watchman at the alarm tower?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The dread grew even more. The alarm tower was right next to the forest and Jane could only imagine what could have happened. As time passed, it felt like the dread was trying to consume her. Jane couldn¡¯t take it and fell to her knees and began muttering to herself.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Jane? Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°We have to find Kan. We have to find Kan. We need to find Kan!!!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on Jane? Did something happen to Kan?¡±


    Clive and Claire started to worry about Jane¡¯s outburst. What made them even more worried was what she had just said. She said they needed to find Kan with the most urgency in her voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what has happened to Kan, but I feel that something terrible has happened to him. We need to quickly find him.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Even though Jane¡¯s explanation of the situation wasn¡¯t clear, Clive didn¡¯t hesitate to listen to what Jane said. If she said that something terrible has happened, then he would trust her on it. Clive grabbed Jane and unlocked his body to 35% and immediately left for the alarm tower. Claire also didn¡¯t hesitate to thrown down her apron and began flying through the air. This time she had better control and speed of flying through the air.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s hurts! It hurts! It hurts so much!¡¯


    These were Kan¡¯s last thoughts as he was attacked by the bear and flung towards the tree. This was the most intense pain he had ever been in. Even worse than when he was poisoned.


    ¡®It burns!!! It burns so much!!!! It¡¯s so hot!!!¡¯


    ¡°WAKE UP!¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s cold!!! It¡¯s so cold!!! Why is it so cold!¡¯


    ¡°OPEN YOUR EYES!!¡±


    ¡®What is that white light. It feels like home.¡¯


    ¡°DON¡¯T BE FOOLED BY THE WORLD!!!¡±


    ¡®That green light. It¡¯s so warm and familiar.¡¯


    ¡°ACCEPT THAT GREEN LIGHT AND WAKE UP.¡±


    Suddenly Kan¡¯s eyes opened up but he was surrounded by darkness. He panicked and was afraid that he was once again stuck in the darkness. He was still naked and the only thing that was still on him was Jane¡¯s necklace.


    The necklace was warm and made him feel comfortable. The necklace was given to him by Jane on his 5th birthday and since then he has always worn it. In this darkness that made him feel isolated and helpless, the necklace made all those feelings disappear. He could feel Jane¡¯s warmth and kindness through the necklace.


    ¡°You have awaken.¡±


    A voice began speaking to Kan. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had heard this voice. The last time he had heard it was 2 years ago when he had been poisoned by George Nice. Since then he had many questions for these voices inside of him. But he had one thing to do before asking them his questions.


    ¡®Thank you very much for saving me.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank us, thank that necklace for saving you. That necklace did most of the work. All we did was wake you up. Don¡¯t forget to thank Cole for giving you medicine.¡±


    The voice replied back to Kan but Kan was confused at how it had talked about itself. It talked as though there were other people besides itself. Kan wanted to ask the voice about it but the last sentence the voice had spoken, made Kan remember what had just happened.


    ¡®Is Cole ok? What happened to him?¡¯


    ¡°He abandoned you and ran away. As we are speaking right now, it would only take seconds before the three horned Bone Bear kills you.¡±


    ¡®No, Cole wouldn¡¯t do that. We are friends. We showered together.¡¯


    ¡°Believe what you want, but I am merely stating what I saw happened. Ok, enough bickering. We only have a few seconds before the bear reaches you and we can¡¯t have you dying. So we will help you.¡±


    ¡®Wait I still have so many questions for you.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but your questions will have to wait until the next time we meet. The moment we help you fight off the bear, the World will notice our presence and will do whatever it can to destroy us. We will have to go into hiding, so we are counting on you to save Clear View.¡±


    ¡®Wait what do you mean the World will destroy you? Who are you guys?¡¯


    ¡°Good luck, Kan Lock.¡±

 Chapter 54: Three Horned Bone Bear(Part 3)

    The three horned Bone Bear was only a few feet away from where Kan was lying. Seeing that its dinner was so close, the bear opened its mouth to chomp down Kan. But before it could get any closer something unexpected happened.


    The bear suddenly felt pain from its back. It was hurt and now bleeding. His bone armor wasn¡¯t able to help him at all, instead it was shattered. Every piece of bone armor on the bear was thick and powerful but one plate of bone had a hole in it and was cracked.


    It had been stabbed but what had stabbed it. The bear was confused, it didn¡¯t see anyone else around the area. It was going to eat the little boy, but he was unsuccessful and even had a piece of his armor broken. It was furious.


    The bear used it¡¯s skill again and roared. Everything around it shook and soon it was able to see the faint outline of a figure. It was the figure of the man who had disappeared earlier. Not hesitating the bear turned around and clawed at the man. It¡¯s attack had missed and the man was now standing on top of a branch.


    ¡°Is that the best you got. How weak.¡±


    Enraged, the bear ran towards the tree intending to bring it down along with the man. Although it didn¡¯t know what Cole had said, it could tell from the gestures that it was being insulted. Seeing the bear charge towards the tree he was standing on, Cole jumped to another tree. The bear followed and continue breaking down each tree Cole stood on.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡®Good, my plan work.¡¯


    Cole¡¯s risky plan had just worked and the bear¡¯s attention was now all on him. He knew that Bone Bears were prideful creatures, so he had used that against the bear. Even if a Bone Bear was to be hungry, pride was more important to them. Being injured by a small fry is basically an insult to the Bone Bears.


    The best plan Cole could think of was to use Kan as a bait. It was risky because, if he wasn¡¯t fast enough Kan would have been eaten, but it worked out. The moment Kan was defenseless and the bear had thought that it secured it¡¯s meal, it would let down it¡¯s guard. Cole used his invisibility skill and hid on a branch, and waited for the moment the bear¡¯s guard was down. In a split second, Cole used his skill [Blink] and stabbed it with his dagger.


    All of his other daggers wouldn¡¯t have worked because the bear¡¯s armor was too sturdy, but that didn¡¯t matter for this dagger. The dagger in Cole¡¯s hand was pitch black with three skull patterns on it. In contrast to the pitch black dagger, the skulls were completely white. Each skull was a different shape from each other, and after the bear was stabbed, one of the skulls transformed into a bear¡¯s skull.


    Cole continued to jump from tree to tree away from where Kan was at. He was waiting for the perfect opportunity for the bear to lose concentration or get tired. In the moment the bear loses its concentration, Cole was going to strike again. Cole was going to continue this hit and run plan until the bear either retreated or was weak enough to the point where he could kill it.


    Cole¡¯s plan was going smoothly and the both of them were quite a ways from Kan, but suddenly the situation changed. Cole turned back to look at the bear, but for some reason he could see a smirk on the bear¡¯s face. In the next moment, the bear stopped chasing after Cole and began running back towards Kan.


    Cole¡¯s plan had failed. It would have been fine if Cole had planned this for any other Bone Bear, but this one was particularly smart. It had realized that Cole was trying to lure it away from where Kan was at, so it had created a plan of its own. It was going to wait until they were far enough from Kan and then decide to run back towards Kan. This would cause Cole to panic.


    Cole had realized the bear¡¯s plan to late. The bear was already far away from where he was at and it was getting closer to Kan. Without any hesitation, Cole continuously used [Blink] 3 times. In a single day he could only use [Blink] 5 times, so he had used all of it up trying to save Kan. Even after using his skill, he still couldn¡¯t catch up.


    Cole had lost hope in catching up to the bear, but once again the bear did something unexpected. It turned around and tried to claw at Cole once again. Cole swiftly ducked down and cut his dagger up and sliced off the claws on the bear¡¯s right hand.


    The bear had thought that his surprise attack would have worked but instead he got his claws cut off. It had decided to turn around and deal with Cole because Cole had injured it earlier. Earlier when it had been stabbed, it had thought that it was just a fluke and that it wouldn¡¯t get injured again. It had underestimated the power of Cole¡¯s dagger because of its pride.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Cole smiled after cutting off the bear¡¯s claws. The bear¡¯s surprise attack was a blessing in disguise for him. The bear had stopped running and now it¡¯s attention was on him. But this time he wasn¡¯t going to run, he was going to kill the three horned Bone Bear right here and right now.


    Another skull on Cole¡¯s dagger changed its shape. This time 2 of the 3 skulls were now in the shape of bear skulls. The surprise attack of the bear had made Cole even stronger than before. If he wasn¡¯t confident in killing the bear before, now he was. Cole¡¯s dagger was special because every time he injured his opponent, his dagger would become stronger. Each skull that changes into the shape of his opponent¡¯s skull, would make his weapon 10% stronger. Currently his weapon was 20% more effective against Bone Bears.


    Cole charged towards the bear and slice at its snout. The bear was now wary of his dagger and dodged it. Cole continued to slice at the bear but the bear was swift and knew to avoid the pitch black dagger now.


    The bear was trying to distance itself from Cole but Cole wouldn¡¯t let that happen. The moment the bear backed up, Cole threw daggers at its eyes and snout. Even if the Bone Bear was known to have strong armor, it¡¯s eyes and snout weren¡¯t covered in it.


    The bear was starting to get restless. If the battle continued like this, then it would eventually lose. It had a feeling that Cole was still hiding his full strength. Another dagger flew towards its eyes while it was thinking to itself. Just like the previous daggers the bear brought up its left paw to deflect it, but this time it wasn¡¯t deflected. The bear felt pain coming from its paw and realized to late that it was the pitch black dagger.


    While it was paying attention to the dagger sticking out of its paw, the bear had failed to realize that Cole was already right in front of him. Cole jumped up and held the handle of the dagger and pulled it up, slicing half of the bear¡¯s paw off.


    ¡°Uraaaaggghhh!¡±


    The bear roared in pain, but still continued to attack Cole. Cole was in the air and it was the perfect chance for the bear. Cole knew that he was in a vulnerable position but he was ready to deal with any of the bear¡¯s attack. He had already immobilized one paw and the other had no claws. The only way for the bear to attack was with it¡¯s mouth, so Cole was prepared to deal with it.


    The bear did something no one would have expected. Not even the people who made the records for Bone Bears, would have known about this attack. The three horned Bone Bear had shot out two of its horns.


    One horn pierced Cole¡¯s shoulder while the other had pierced his stomach. Worst of all was that Cole had been pinned against a tree and couldn¡¯t move. Blood was oozing out of his wounds and from the impact, he had spit out a mouthful of blood.


    Cole could only watch as the bear began running away. It was running away but it was running towards the direction of Kan. It was still planning to take Kan home as a prize. Anger flared up in Cole¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°DON¡¯T YOU FUCKING DARE!!!!!¡±


    In an instant, his brown hair turned white as snow and his brown eyes turned as red as blood. He forcefully pulled the 2 horns out of his body and threw it at the Bone Bear. Simultaneously he kicked off the tree and as he did, the tree shattered into pieces. Cole was accelerating at a speed that was so fast that he was just a blur.


    The bear felt intense killing intent coming from behind him, but didn¡¯t stop running towards Kan. Kan was his only hope of escaping this situation. The 2 horns made impact and cracked the armor but didn¡¯t pierce through. The bear hadn¡¯t expected the 2 projectiles to do so much damage to his armor, but it was also beneficial to him. The 2 horns helped propel him closer towards Kan. But in that moment the bear heard Cole scream something.


    ¡°[Roar]!!!¡±


    The bear felt his entire body vibrating. His surroundings was vibrating just as much as he was. The Bone Bear was very familiar with this feeling, it was his skill [Roar]. The bear knew what his skilled did, but had never felt it for himself, since he wasn¡¯t affected while using it. It was a struggle for the bear to move. Kan was only a few feet away but if felt like he was miles away.


    After the bear had been affected by his own skill, Cole was now right behind him. Cole was still accelerating through the air, so he brought his dagger down and slashed at the bear¡¯s back. The dagger stabbed into the neck and followed the spine all the way out. Cole landed at a nearby tree and looked at the bear.


    It was still not dead. Even with all the wounds that had been afflicted on it, it was too tenacious. Cole grew even angrier as he saw that the bear now had its right paw laid on Kan¡¯s chest. Just a little strength in its arm and Kan¡¯s chest would be crushed.


    The bear stared back at Cole. It¡¯s breathing was rough and ragged but it had won the battle. Even with all his injuries, as long as he got away from here then it just needed time to recover. And when it recovered, it would come back and hunt down Cole. Right now the bear needed Cole to retreat and allow it to get away.


    The bear was using Kan to threaten Cole. Although no one spoke, Cole knew the intentions of the bear. It was taking Kan hostage, so it could get away. If he got any close then the bear wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill Kan. The bear could clearly see how much Cole cared for Kan, so it knew Cole wouldn¡¯t recklessly charge at it.


    The one factor none of them thought of, was Kan himself. In the stare down between Cole and the bear, Kan opened his eyes.

 Chapter 55: Unknown Power

    The moment Kan opened his eyes, Cole felt intense pressure weighing down on him. Cole broke out in cold sweat. He was afraid, even terrified of what he was feeling. His entire body was urging him to run away and get out of here immediately, but he couldn¡¯t move. Even his heart felt like it had stopped beating.


    ¡°Get your dirty paw off me, you filthy beast.¡±


    This sentence was said to the bear and the bear immediately did as it was commanded. Even though it was simple sentence, to the bear it had felt like a death sentence. If he hadn¡¯t done what he was told to do, it felt like it would die that instant.


    Kan stood up and looked at the bear. The Bone Bear felt even more pressure than what Cole felt. He was right in front of Kan and Kan was also directing all the pressure towards it. It was scared. Having lived in this forest for so long, it had felt this kind of fear before. It was the same kind of fear it felt when it encountered monsters stronger than itself. These monsters looked down on the Bone Bear and wouldn¡¯t even bother to kill it, and the Bone Bear knew that. No matter how much it struggled against these monsters, it had no chance of winning at all.


    Kan was emitting that exact same kind of pressure. The bear felt like an ant in front of Kan. It¡¯s animal instincts were telling it to run away, and it did. It didn¡¯t stay any longer to find out what would happened.


    The bear began running at its fastest speed. It didn¡¯t want to stay anywhere close to Kan. Without any hesitation, all the Bone Bear¡¯s armor shot off of its body. The armor on a Bone Bear¡¯s body was very important to a Bone Bear, and in any circumstances it would never abandon it¡¯s armor. A Bone Bear¡¯s armor would take years and years to grow, and is what allows it to survive in the wild. But this Bone Bear didn¡¯t hesitate at all to shed its armor to gain just a little more speed. That was how much it feared Kan at the moment.


    Kan and Cole stared at how fast the Bone Bear ran away. It was running at an incredible speed, and was gone from their view in a matter of seconds. Neither of them had the energy to chase after the Bone Bear.


    Cole stared at Kan in shocked. Everything that just happened, occurred so fast that Cole still couldn¡¯t process it. Cole contemplated whether this naked young boy in front of him was the same happy go lucky boy that came over almost everyday to train. The same boy that came over to play just because Cole looked lonely or even the same boy that would ask him to shower together, so they can become friends.


    They were different, the Kan that he knew and the Kan standing in front of him. Looking deep into the eyes of the little boy in front of him, Cole could see so many deep dark emotions. Those were the eyes of someone who had been through hell and back. They were not the eyes a 7 year old boy should have.


    Cole had seen these types of eyes before. Cole could only think of one person who has the same eyes as this Kan. This man had been betrayed, sacrificed his life to protect his family, seen his friends and family disappear, given up his ideals, and even abandoned his emotions.


    ¡°Who...who are you?¡±


    Cole could only meekly asked who this person was. This wasn¡¯t the Kan he knew. But Kan didn¡¯t reply back. All he did was stand there, but then he smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s me Big Brother.¡±


    Cole was shocked. The instant Kan smiled, his entire aura changed. None of that intense pressure was left and Kan was back to normal. No longer under pressure, Cole was finally able to relax all his muscles and breathe again. But as soon as he relaxed himself, his vision started turning blurry and then he fell unconscious.


    Cole was about to fall to the ground but Kan went up and supported him.


    ¡°Thank you Big Sister.¡±


    Over the years, Kan had suspected Cole of knowing Nicole, but today he finally realized that Cole was Nicole. Today he had concrete evidence that they were the same person. When he had woken up and scared the bear away, Cole was standing across from them. He had white hair and red eyes, just like how he remembered Nicole from the eighth set of memories. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Looking at Nicole¡¯s tattered clothing and injuries, Kan was grateful. Kan hadn¡¯t believed it when the voice within him had told him that she had abandoned him. For the past 2 years they had spent a lot of time together, so Kan knew that, although she was strict and ruthless when training, she was also caring.


    Kan picked Nicole up and began carrying her like a princess. It was easy for Kan to carry Nicole because she was slim and light, while he was also a combat locksmith. He unlocked 2% and began running back towards the village.


    Although the battle was over, he still needed to take Nicole to get her injuries treated. Through her tattered clothing, Kan could see two gaping holes on Nicole¡¯s body bleeding. She also had various claw marks all over her body but these were not as severe as the two bleeding holes. Besides getting Nicole treated, he needed to also get treated for his wounds. Jane¡¯s necklace had helped him through the worst of the injuries, but his body and organs were still damaged.


    ¡­¡­


    The first to arrive at the alarm tower was Claire. She immediately scanned the area for any signs of Kan or Cole but didn¡¯t sense anything. She grew more anxious because she couldn¡¯t find them. Clive soon arrived at the location with Jane in his arms.


    ¡°Are they here Claire.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t sense them.¡±


    Hearing this, Jane and Clive also grew more anxious. Clive began to think up of places Kan could possibly be at, but his train of thought was interrupted.


    All three of them felt an intense pressure overcome them. Clive and Claire braced themselves against this pressure and was able to keep their footing. Jane on the other hand couldn¡¯t, her knees gave out and she fell on her butt. Both Clive and Claire were stronger and had experienced more dangers in their lives, so they could stand up against this pressure, but Jane couldn¡¯t. They all stood still, staring into the forest where the pressure was coming from.


    ¡®Is that Bal Vo?¡¯


    Claire began to question whether this aura had come from the dragon Bal Vo. When she had gone to Bal Go¡¯s mountain range, Bal Vo had emitted pressure just as strong as this. Claire immediately scrapped the idea of it being Bal Vo because it would never leave it¡¯s mountain range.


    ¡°Clive be careful. This type of pressure is as strong as the dragon Bal Vo.¡±


    Hearing his wife¡¯s comment, Clive immediately prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. He stood in front of Jane and unlocked 40% of his whole body. The pressure on Jane lessened and she was finally able to breathe. She was terrified of what she had just felt and was even more worried about Kan.


    All three of them had their own thoughts about this pressure but after a few seconds passed, the pressure disappeared. It had disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.


    ¡°Clive i¡¯m going to go check out where the pressure came from.¡±


    ¡°No, you stay here with Jane and i¡¯ll go check it out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reckless Clive. I can fly so it¡¯ll be easier for me to escape.¡±


    ¡°No. What if the enemy is faster than you? What will you do then? My body is sturdier so I will go.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t go Clive. You¡¯re always endangering your life. I can¡¯t let you do that again. I¡¯m just going to scout out the area, so it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°No, Claire. Your life is too important to be put in danger. I can¡¯t let you risk your life like that. What if you die, what will I tell your grandfather, what will I tell the mayor, and what would I have to tell Kan. Kan needs a mother to return home too, so stay here and i¡¯ll go check out where the pressure came from.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how important my life is. What if you die Clive? There has been so many times you were on the brink of death. Do you know how I felt then. I was devastated. Kan would also be devastated if you died. He needs a father to come back to.¡±


    Clive and Claire continued to argue on who would go into the forest. They needed to go into the forest to check if Kan was there and to see what type of monster would emit that kind of pressure. They wouldn¡¯t let the other person go into the forest, because there was a high chance of the monster in the forest being dangerous. Going into the forest would mean that they had a high chance of dying. Neither of them wanted each other to sacrifice their lives.


    Jane could only watch as they kept on arguing. She was slightly jealous of their relationship. The two of them loved each other so much that they were willing to sacrifice their lives for each other.


    Jane kept her attention on the forest. For some reason she had a feeling that someone was coming towards them. And she was correct. A naked young boy came out of the forest with a woman in his arms.


    ¡°Kan!!¡±

 Chapter 56: Fulfilling His Promise

    ¡°Are you ok, Kan?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any injuries?¡±


    ¡°Did you meet a strong monster in the forest?¡±


    ¡°Why are you naked?¡±


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    The three of them bombarded Kan with questions. Kan didn¡¯t know who to answer to first, but he had something more important that he had to do.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little bit hurt but i¡¯m fine. More importantly Aunty Jane can you heal this person.¡±


    Being asked to heal this person by Kan, she didn¡¯t take another second to start healing. Jane kept on healing this girl and could only think that this person was lucky. Their were two gaping holes on her body but none of them had injured any vital areas. Her healing may seem almighty, but it even it wouldn¡¯t be able to heal any destroyed organs.


    The more Jane looked at the girl in front of her, the more familiar she began to look. It didn¡¯t take long for her to realize that the person she was currently healing was Nicole. Although this Nicole was taller, more muscular, and even more beautiful, Jane still recognized her. Just looking at Nicole¡¯s face made her remember how much Nicole has grown up.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Come here Kan, let me see your injuries.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Listen to Daddy Kan. We need to see if you¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Both Claire and Clive began to inspect Kan¡¯s body. He was injured, and it wasn¡¯t a small injury. There were three gashes on his back that had luckily stopped bleeding, and his organs were slightly bruised. These would have been life threatening damage to any child, but his injuries were slowly healing.


    It was then that Claire noticed the necklace that Kan was wearing. The mana within it was rhythmically pulsating like a heart. ¡®This must be what was helping him.¡¯ Claire knew about the necklace that Jane had given Kan. At the time she could sense that there was some of Jane¡¯s personal mana stored inside of it, but hadn¡¯t figured out what it did. But now she knew that it was what had helped heal some of Kan¡¯s injuries.


    While Claire was thinking about the necklace, Clive was talking to Kan and also stimulating his body to heal itself faster.


    ¡°How did you get these injuries Kan?¡±


    ¡°We were attacked by a Bone Bear.¡±


    ¡°A Bone Bear? How many horns did it have?¡±


    ¡°I think it had three horns.¡±


    ¡°Just three horns. Did you guys meet any other type of monster while in the forest?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we did Daddy. There was a really fast monster that ran by and took the Bone Bear with it. It was so fast that it was just a blur, and that lady over their, or you could call him Cole, was already passed out.¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    Kan lied about what happened. The voices inside of him had temporarily taken over his body to fight back the bear. When they had finished their job, they had told him to keep quiet about their existence because it could bring danger to them if anyone knew about them. Kan kept his promise to them and lied to Clive about the events that had occurred.


    ¡°Cole?! Wait, are you saying that beautiful woman is Cole? Cole wasn¡¯t a guy!?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I was just as surprised as you were Daddy.¡±


    ¡®Wow!¡¯ Clive was truly surprised that Cole was a female. Never in his mind had he thought that the man he shared a few drinks and stories with, was a female. It was actually quite embarrassing for him since he had told Cole some embarrassing stories about himself.


    Although Clive was worried about the monster that Kan had described, at the moment, his priority was to get Kan and Cole both healed up. He also didn¡¯t want to worry Kan, so he decided to put off the matter concerning the monster to a later date.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re checking out other women again, Clive.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that Claire. I¡¯m just appreciating beauty. You¡¯re the most beautiful woman I had ever set my eyes on. I would die 100 times just to be with you again. No, I would die 1,000,000 times just to spend my life with you. None of these other women would be able to compare to you.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Flattery isn¡¯t going to get you anywhere.¡±


    Although Claire was trying to act cold towards Clive, she was still blushing. Seeing that his flattery was working, Clive showered her with more and more compliments. Kan began laughing at his parents bickering. It was a normal occurance for them to bicker over small things, but in the end they would always make up. He had just been in a life and death situation, and he was glad to be back to his everyday life. He could only hope that these days could last forever.


    ¡°Jane are you done helping that, umm...lady.¡±


    ¡°Her name is Nicole, Claire. She is basically all healed up and she just needs to rest.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s head back to the clinic then. And I will be the one to carry Nicole, Clive.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Can I trust you to take Kan then, Jane.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, i¡¯ll also treat some of his wounds on the way back to the clinic.¡±


    Claire carried Nicole on her back and Jane carried Kan on her back. Clive was left with no task, so all he could do was try and appease Claire.


    ¡°I found her Aunty Jane. Now you and Nicole can catch up on the years you haven¡¯t seen each other.¡±


    Jane was surprised. Jane didn¡¯t think that Kan would hold onto such a silly promise he had made 2 years ago. Even she had nearly forgotten about it because she didn¡¯t expect Kan to actually find Nicole. But in the end he never forgot about their promise, and had even found Nicole.


    Tears began streaming down Jane¡¯s face. The book she was reading was correct about boys around Kan¡¯s age. They are reckless and put their lives at risk for their own ideals.


    Jane was carrying Kan on her back and she was healing him. She could see the severity of his injuries, and that the only reason he had survived was because of the necklace she had made. Without it, Kan could possibly be dead at this very moment.


    He was truly reckless. Jane knew Kan well enough that if he knew that Cole was related to Nicole, then he would do whatever to figure out Nicole¡¯s location. That was just Kan¡¯s personality. If he was given a choice to fulfill someone¡¯s wish and have another person¡¯s dreams destroyed or vice versa, then he wouldn¡¯t choose either option. If there was even a small chance of making everyone happy then that would naturally be his choice.


    Knowing that her small wish of being reunited with Nicole had led to Kan¡¯s injuries, Jane felt guilty. It was her fault that Kan was attacked, it was her fault that Kan had to feel pain, and it was her fault that Kan could have died.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry Aunty Jane. It¡¯s not your fault that I was hurt. It was my choice to find Nicole, and it was my weakness that led to me being injured.¡±


    Kan tried to wipe the tears off of Jane¡¯s face, but the tears wouldn¡¯t stop. This was another aspect that Jane loved about Kan. He was trying to be considerate of her feelings, even though he didn¡¯t need to. He was trying to take all the blame on himself, so she wouldn¡¯t feel guilty.


    No matter what she did, she would never be able to pay back Kan¡¯s kindness. Such a young child had severely injured himself just to fulfill a little wish of hers. Even giving her life to him wouldn¡¯t be enough. She could only say one thing to express her gratitude.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 57: Nicole and Jane

    Nicole slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. This wasn¡¯t the usually ceiling she was used to when waking up. Seeing that she was in an unfamiliar room, she raised her body and looked around. Looking at the window she could tell that it was already night time.


    Suddenly she felt rustling from under her blanket. She lifted the blanket and saw a very familiar boy. It was Kan sleeping under the blanket. He looked fine and wasn¡¯t in any pain. Nicole silently thought to herself how miraculous Jane was.


    She then began inspecting her own body. She looked at her clothing and realized that she had been changed out of her tattered clothing. Lifting her shirt up, she was expecting to see the 2 gaping holes but they weren¡¯t there. All she felt from that area was some slight discomfort. Her body was completely fine.


    Nicole lied back down onto the bed thinking about Jane¡¯s miraculous work. Both Kan and her had some serious injuries, and it had only taken Jane 1 day to heal both of them. It was the same as when Jane had healed her in the past.


    Nicole tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn¡¯t. She lied there staring at the ceiling hoping to fall asleep, but that didn¡¯t happen. Being unable to sleep she slowly crept off the bed trying not to wake up Kan. She walked towards and opened it, making sure not to be too loud.


    She stood in the hallway and saw many closed doors. None of them had lights on at the moment, but there was light coming from the end of the hallway. Nicole walked towards the light. Reaching the end of the hallway she saw a beautiful lady illuminated by a candle. She had dark brown hair that was glistening and still wet like she had just showered. Her hazel brown eyes were shifting from left to right as she read her book. She was beautiful, but Nicole could see the wrinkles that comes from the passage of time.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake Nicole. How are your injuries?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Nicole didn¡¯t know what to say or even how to act in front of Jane. They hadn¡¯t met in 20 years so she didn¡¯t know what to consider them as. Nicole didn¡¯t know if they were friends, acquaintances, or family. It had been such a long time since they had seen each other. She could only stand there in silence.


    ¡°Take a seat Nicole.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Do you want some tea?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve really grown up haven¡¯t you Nicole.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Silence once again reigned over the room. Nicole didn¡¯t talk, Jane didn¡¯t talk, and the little boy watching them didn¡¯t talk.


    Jane was starting to become irritated as the silence continued. Nicole hadn¡¯t changed at all. No matter how gorgeous she became, she was still trying to avoid opening up to her. It was the same as 20 years ago when Nicole refused to sleep in the same bed as her. Since she was acting the same, Jane decided to use the same tactic.


    ¡°You little brat Nicole. All these years and you¡¯re still trying to distance yourself from me. Come here.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Without a second''s notice, Jane got out of her chair and grabbed Nicole¡¯s head and smothered her in her breasts. Jane¡¯s actions were so abrupt that Nicole couldn¡¯t react in time.


    ¡°Why are you acting so distant Nicole? Aren¡¯t we family? Families don¡¯t have to hold their feelings back when talking to each other. So just talk to me Nicole!¡±


    Nicole felt tears dripping on her head. She hadn¡¯t realized that her silence had hurt Jane emotionally. ¡®I¡¯m so stupid.¡¯ Nicole finally realized how stupid she was acting, they weren¡¯t acquaintances, they weren¡¯t friends, they were family. A family was still family and nothing could change that.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...Big Sister Jane.¡±


    Jane was surprised at what Nicole just said, but she was incredibly happy. Her tears stopped and plastered on her face was an incredible grin.


    ¡°What did you say Nicole? I couldn¡¯t hear you.¡±


    ¡°Big Sister Jane.¡±


    ¡°I think I misheard you. Can you say it again.¡±


    ¡°Big Sister Jane!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said. I¡¯ve missed you so much Big Sister Jane!!!!¡±


    Jane was truly happy teasing Nicole. What made it even better for Jane, was that she could feel Nicole¡¯s face heat up. Jane knew that Nicole was utterly embarrassed to call her Big Sister Jane. They were both adults, so being forced to call Jane, Big Sister, was embarrassing for Nicole.


    ¡°Ok, good. Now what do you want from Big Sister, Nicole.¡±


    ¡°How have you been Jane?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s that.¡±


    Nicole had asked Jane a question, but Jane couldn¡¯t help teasing her.


    ¡°How have you been Big Sister Jane?¡±


    Nicole¡¯s face was beet red from embarrassment after being forced to call Jane, Big Sister. Jane was just so happy at being able to tease Nicole. She began talking about what had happened to her over the past 20 years they haven¡¯t. She talked about the good memories and even the bad memories. She didn¡¯t hold anything back when talking to Nicole. When Jane was done talking about herself, Nicole also told her what had happened to her life after they had parted ways. They talked and talked and talked through the night without sleeping at all.


    ¡­¡­


    Kan watched as the two of them talked about each other¡¯s life. Kan had been watching since the beginning and was happy that the two of them were able to open up to each other. It was getting late and Kan was getting tired so he went back to his shared room with Nicole and lied on the bed. He stared at the ceiling as he thought to himself.


    ¡®I¡¯m glad that I found Nicole. Aunty Jane will become happier with Nicole around. And I could take my time and eventually get her to help save the village. I have 1 year to figure out how to get Nicole to save the village, but how should I do it.¡¯


    Kan knew that Nicole was a key figure in saving Clear View. She knew his grandfather and she was the one who warned them about the disaster through the two letters. From all the clues that Kan had gathered up, he knew that Nicole held a major position in the attack of Clear View. From the way she acted in the eighth set of memories, Kan knew she was a leader in the attack of Clear View. But her actions in Kan¡¯s world was contradictory to the eighth set of memories. In this world she had warned them about the attack, but in the eighth set of memories she was also in charge of the attack. Kan couldn¡¯t figure out what Nicole was trying to do. She wanted to save them, but for some reason she is forced to attack the village.


    Kan needed to convince Nicole into not attacking the village, but he didn¡¯t know how to. Kan was thinking about various options, but eventually fell asleep.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡®Mmmgh. Did I fall asleep? What¡¯s that commotion?¡¯


    ¡°Is Doctor Frank here!! We have an emergency!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Jerry got his arm bitten off and is profusely bleeding.¡±


    Kan¡¯s face turned pale from what he just heard.

 Chapter 58: Sometimes You Need to Take Action

    Kan rushed out of bed after hearing all the commotion. His heart was pounding, he was afraid that the worst thing may have just happened. He prayed and prayed that he had just misheard what the villagers were saying. The moment he opened the door, his worst nightmares were realized. Jerry passed by his room in a stretcher and his right arm oozing out blood.


    ¡°Kan, don¡¯t look.¡±


    Claire was in one of the other clinic room and had also come out to check what was happening. She saw that Kan was also watching and covered his eyes, but he wasn¡¯t paying attention to her. He was in a state of shock. The disaster that was going to happen in a year was already starting.


    ¡°Kan. Kan. Kan!¡±


    Claire called out to Kan multiple times but he didn¡¯t reply back. It was not until Claire slightly shook him did he come back to it.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Kan? Why are you spaced out like that?¡±


    ¡°Huh...Oh. It¡¯s nothing Mommy, I just wasn¡¯t prepared to see all that blood.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that was quite a bloody scene. Why don¡¯t we go back home and i¡¯ll cook up breakfast for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Mommy. I¡¯m going to go out for a walk, so i¡¯ll have breakfast later.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Kan immediately ran out of the clinic. Claire was surprised at the way Kan was acting. He had never rejected breakfast before. She watched as he ran out and she knew that something was troubling him.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡®What should I do? What should I do? I don¡¯t have enough time. It¡¯s happening too early.¡¯


    Kan was currently sitting on top of a flat boulder contemplating on what he should do. He didn¡¯t have a plan to convince Nicole, he didn¡¯t know if the Dragon¡¯s Den formation was complete, and he didn¡¯t know how many groups were going to attack the village. Everything was going out of control from his expectations. Kan had believed that seeing all those memories had prepared him for the disaster, but the Jerry getting his arm eaten event happened too soon.


    His previous plans were to use this one year before the disaster to convince Nicole, give more time for the formation to activate, and become stronger. But now he didn¡¯t have time. He could only do his best and try to think up of any plans to convince Nicole.


    Time slowly passed and eventually it was afternoon. Kan had spent the past 4 hours in this place thinking up of plans but came up empty. No matter which plan he came up with, he wouldn¡¯t be able to hide how he got his information from Nicole. If he asked Nicole for help, she would be suspicious of him because no one should know that she is going to help attack the village. The chances of her saving the village would become nil because he would be too suspicious for knowing this information. He also couldn¡¯t reveal that he got all his information from seeing different memories of this disaster.


    ¡°Aaaaahhhhh!!!! What should I do!!!¡±


    Kan screamed out of frustration. He didn¡¯t have a solid plan to save the entire village. He screamed into the sky to release his pent of anxiety, but never did he expect someone to answer back.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we fight?¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Kan turned to look at who answered him, and it was Leo. He was standing atop a stack of lumber pointing his wooden sword at Kan. He was the one who had just challenged Kan to a fight.


    ¡°Oh, Leo. Sorry but i¡¯m kind of busy right now.¡±


    ¡°No you¡¯re not. All I see is you moping around. So let¡¯s fight.¡±


    Leo once again challenged Kan to a fight. He was being stubborn and wasn¡¯t going to let Kan go until they fought. Kan got irritated when Leo said that all he was doing was moping. He wasn¡¯t moping, he was trying to think up of a way to save the village. Kan was irritated with Leo but didn¡¯t have time to play his games.


    ¡°I refuse. I don¡¯t want to fight you. I have things to think about.¡±


    Kan prepared to walk away, but that was when Leo jumped in front of him to block his path. Kan tried to walk around but Leo would follow in front of him and block his path. Kan was getting angrier at Leo¡¯s antics.


    ¡°Move out of the way Leo.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll give you 2 options Kan. Fight me or Fight me.¡±


    Leo smiled as his index and middle finger waved about playfully. Hearing the 2 options he was given, Kan grew more irritated. Leo wasn¡¯t giving him any choice at all. ¡®Since he wants to fight then let¡¯s fight.¡¯


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s fight then. I¡¯ll win just like how I won yesterday.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    Kan dashed towards Leo. But unlike their previous battle, Leo stood still. He watched as Kan approached, paying attention to all of his surrounding. Kan arrived in front of him with a punch being thrown at Leo¡¯s head. Kan was putting all of his strength into this punch.


    ¡°Hmph, you think that¡¯s going to work again.¡±


    Instead of jumping back to avoid the punch that would break his sword, Leo did a sidestep. During his sidestep, Leo also tripped Kan and hit him on the back, propelling him forward. Normally Kan would have fallen onto the dirt but this time he fell into mud.


    ¡°Did you think I wouldn¡¯t notice that you had changed the dirt. Is this all you got Kan!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Kan jumped out of the mud and ran around the pile of lumber. The stack of lumber was taller than both of them, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to see each other if one ran around the corner.


    Seeing Kan run away, Leo jumped back onto the pile of lumber. He calmed his breathing and waited for any of Kan¡¯s attack. In the next second, a blade of wind flew from behind Leo, but it didn¡¯t hit. More and more multiple blades of wind flew towards Leo but none of them hit.


    Leo¡¯s defensive sword techniques was unbreakable. Every blade of wind was slashed down by his wooden sword.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Kan. Why are you hiding. Why don¡¯t you face me head on. You can¡¯t run away from your problems Kan. Nothing will change if you don¡¯t take action.¡±


    Kan was hiding behind another stack of lumber. From his position he could hear Leo¡¯s taunts as clear as day. Kan grew angrier at every taunt Leo threw out. He didn¡¯t know why, but it stung when Leo said that Kan was running away from his problems. He wasn¡¯t running away, he was trying to think up of plans to win.


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t going to come to me then i¡¯ll come to you.¡±


    Leo jumped to another stack of lumber, which was the exact same one Kan was hiding behind. Leo sprinted directly towards Kan location and jumped down and brought down his sword on Kan.


    ¡®How did he know I was here.¡¯ Kan was surprised at Leo finding his location so quickly. But he couldn¡¯t escape in time, so the only thing he could do was defend himself. He brought both of his arms up and unlocked 5% on them. He unlocked the limits on his arms because he couldn¡¯t underestimate Leo¡¯s strike.


    Although Leo was also a combat locksmith like Kan, he was vastly weaker. In the 2 years that he had been training, he could barely unlock 1% of his potential. This didn¡¯t mean that his strikes were weak though. Leo had learned how to control sword energy from his father and the mayor. Sword energy is a different type of technique than Kan¡¯s combat locksmith technique, but equally powerful.


    Sword energy relies on the user¡¯s speed, strength, technique, precision, flexibility and control. It requires the user to train all of these aspects and fused them into the sword. Each strike would then become more powerful every time the user trained.


    Leo¡¯s sword slammed into Kan¡¯s arms and Kan¡¯s guard broke. He couldn¡¯t hold his arms in that position anymore and had to dodge away. His arms were bruised and throbbing with pain. After dodging to the side Kan began to run.


    ¡®I need to finish this quick.¡¯ Kan was getting tired. Unlocking his limits on his arms used too much energy and continuously using magic was also taking a toll on him. He ran around the corner of the pile of lumber and began chanting.


    ¡°My sword will be the sharpest of all blades. Become sharper and sharper and become the sharpest. [Wind Blade]!¡±


    Leo turned around the corner and saw Kan¡¯s attack coming straight towards him. It was stronger than all of Kan¡¯s other attacks and even felt dangerous. But Leo wasn¡¯t scared of it at all. Rather it made him excited. He was able to test out a new technique he learned the day before.


    ¡°[Full Impact]¡±


    Leo swung his sword at the incoming attack. It made contact and Leo was pushed back but he didn¡¯t give up. He moved forward against the attack.


    ¡°AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!¡±


    Leo screamed with all of his energy and put all of his power into the attack. The pressure from Leo and the pressure from Kan¡¯s attack was too much for the wooden sword to handle. It broke in half but it had also cancelled Kan¡¯s attack.


    Kan watched in shock as Leo broke through his ultimate attack. He had put almost all of his mana into that attack and Leo still destroyed it. This was different from Nicole breaking through it because Nicole¡¯s strength was on a different level. This was Leo, someone his age who also started training around the same time.


    ¡°Haah...haaahh...haaahhh.¡±


    ¡°Haaah...haaaahhh..hhaaahh.¡±


    The two of them were exhausted, but still stared at each. The battle wasn¡¯t over yet. This time the first one to make a move was Kan. He was no longer running away or attacking from the side. This time he was facing Leo head on.


    Leo smiled as Kan took the first step. He also began running towards Kan, but unlike Kan he was laughing joyously.


    ¡°Hahahaha, there you go Kan. Sometimes you just need to take action instead of thinking so much.¡±


    They reached each other and threw out their punches. Kan¡¯s fist was faster and stronger because he was used to fighting bare handed. His fist made contact with Leo¡¯s face but Leo didn¡¯t flinch at all. Instead he counterattacked and grabbed Kan by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the ground.


    Leo immediately got on top of Kan and began throwing punches at his face. Kan brought his arms up and blocked the punches. Leo continued to throw hits but got tired and his position became weak. Kan took this opportunity to throw Leo off.


    They both got up and stared at each other again. This time they were even more tired, but they still didn¡¯t give up until a winner was decided. Blows and blows were traded, but each attack was so weak that if there were onlookers, they would think it was just to kids scuffling over a small dispute.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Haahhhhh...hhhaaaahhh¡­hhaaaaahhh.¡±


    ¡°Haaaahhhh...haaahhhhh...hhhaaaahhh.¡±


    The two of them were now lying on their backs trying to breathe in as much air as they could. All of their energy was gone but their hearts were still pounding loudly from the adrenaline of their battle.


    ¡°Thank you Leo.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Kan Lock more like Kan Blockhead. You¡¯re always overthinking things, Kan.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I guess I do.¡±


    After fighting Leo, Kan¡¯s mind was no longer clouded. All of the frustration from being unable to come up with a plan was all gone. Kan was grateful to Leo. Leo had challenged him because he knew that he was feeling frustrated. Leo¡¯s challenge had helped him realized that sometimes you need to take action for anything to change. He knew what he had to do to convince Nicole. Whether it worked or not, depended on Nicole, but Kan was sure it was going to work.

 Chapter 59: A Helping Hand

    ¡°What has you so confused Kan? I¡¯ve never seen you so frustrated on something before.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Kan kept silent. He didn¡¯t know whether telling Leo about the disaster would change anything or not. If he told Leo about the disaster it could potentially lead to unknown events from happening.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok if you don¡¯t want to tell me.¡±


    Leo could see that Kan was struggling to tell him what he was stressing over. Suddenly an idea popped into Kan¡¯s head. Maybe he could tell Leo about the incoming disaster and even get help from him. He only had to tell Leo the things everyone else already knew about the disaster. He could just leave out all the information that he learned through the memories.


    Kan was excited that this idea of his may actually work. From what he remembered in those memories, it seemed that ¡°Kan¡± was the one to reveal disaster to everyone. And from those memories that ¡°Kan¡± had revealed the disaster, the disaster was totally different from the previous memories. The factor that was making the disaster worse was ¡°Kan¡± revealing information he knew about the disaster.


    But in Kan¡¯s world everyone had learned about the oncoming disaster through Nicole and Jane. Kan hadn¡¯t revealed any of the information about the disasters from the memories he had seen. If his conjecture was correct, then it would be fine to reveal to Leo about the information on the disaster that the others already knew. It was a gamble but he had to risk it, he only had 7 days left before the disaster.


    ¡°Leo, I can tell you what I am worrying over but can you keep this a secret.¡±


    Kan had raised his body and was now in a sitting position. He stared at Leo with utmost seriousness and Leo could see this. He also sat down and looked at Kan. Although they had grown up together, he had never seen Kan so serious about something before. Leo braced himself and agreed to keep this a secret between the both of them.


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell a soul about what you are about to say.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Kan could see that Leo was prepared to keep this conversation a secret. So he didn¡¯t wait any longer and told him about the disaster. All the information he revealed to Leo was the information he had heard 2 years ago during the Dragon¡¯s Den meeting. Kan could see the disbelief in Leo¡¯s eyes, the event was too shocking for him to comprehend.


    Clear View is just a small village in the middle of nowhere, so why would it be attacked. Leo hadn¡¯t even suspected that such a dangerous event was looming over Clear View. His father and great grandpa hadn¡¯t shown any signs of worry at all. He was shocked, absolutely shocked that the peaceful days in Clear View were going to disappear soon.


    ¡°Is...is this true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know it¡¯s hard to believe but it''s true.¡±


    ¡°When. When is it going to happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I want to do whatever I can to prepare for it. Will you help me Leo?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t believe what he just heard. ¡®He wants to prepare for it. How? We¡¯re just 2 kids.¡¯ He looked at Kan once again to confirm what he just said. Kan was serious about preparing for the disaster. Leo could see the determination in his eyes. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Seeing how determined Kan was, he felt ashamed of himself. The first thing he had thought of when he heard about the disaster was to leave it all up to the adults. He hadn¡¯t even thought of trying to stop or prepare against the disaster.


    Kan was growing stronger and leaving him behind again. Every time they had battled, Kan grew stronger and the only thing Leo could do was struggle to keep up with him. He didn¡¯t want to fall behind Kan in strength, he wanted to be stronger than him. Once again Kan proved to Leo how much stronger Kan was than him. Not only was Kan physically stronger, he was even mentally stronger. Leo ushered all of his determination and replied back to Kan.


    ¡°I will. What can I do to help prepare for this disaster?¡±


    Kan began explaining Leo¡¯s role in preparing for the disaster. Kan needed Leo to figure out what percentage the Dragon¡¯s Den formation. The was Leo¡¯s main goal and his secondary goal was to try and figure out if the mayor had prepared anything else for the disaster.


    The plan was to have Leo interrupt the meeting between the mayor and Clive, which was on thursday. Over the past year or so, Kan had finally figured out that Clive and the mayor had their meetings every 3 months on the first thursday. The plan was for Leo to ¡°accidentally¡± overhear their talk and interrupt them. He had to act surprised at what they were talking about and stubbornly get them to explain to him what they were talking about. No one would diverge information to a child, so Leo had to force his way into making them explain.


    ¡°Do whatever it takes to make the mayor tell you the percentage of the Dragon¡¯s Den formation.¡±


    ¡°Ok, that should be easy. I won¡¯t report back unless I get that information from my grandfather.¡±


    Kan was happy at Leo¡¯s enthusiasm. Having Leo help him find out the formation percentage was a load off of his back. With such a small time frame left until the disaster, Leo¡¯s help was a blessing. Kan had more leeway to convince Nicole and make other preparations.


    ¡°What are you going to Kan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to figure out what my Mommy has prepared for the disaster. I will also go around and challenge my Mommy and Daddy to a fight. I will also ask Uncle Dylan and the mayor to fight me too. If there is enough time I will go challenge some of the other stronger villagers.¡±


    ¡°Wait you¡¯re going to fight all of them. That¡¯s insane. Each one is as strong as a dragon, so why do you need to test them?¡±


    ¡°I know they¡¯re strong but that gives me more of a reason to fight them. I need to see if they are ready to fight and I also need to see if i¡¯m strong enough to handle the enemies. This disaster will be very dangerous and I need to become stronger.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s an interesting way to get stronger, let me join you.¡±


    Leo laughed with excitement. He had never thought of to challenge all of these powerhouses to a battle. He had been afraid of them because he knew they were vastly stronger, but Kan didn¡¯t hesitate to fight them at all. If Kan was doing this to become stronger than he would also do it to become stronger.


    Kan didn¡¯t mind if Leo wanted to join him fighting the other villagers. The two of them spent the next hour or so reviewing what each of them had to do. Leo was now clear on what he had to do and Kan was also ready. The ended their plans and went back to their homes.


    Kan took his time as he went back home. He decided to walk around the village and enjoy the scenery. He wanted to burn the village into his memories because in a few days the village was going to be filled with blood and carnage. It was a good day, the skies were blue and there was even a cool breeze from the sea.


    Kan was feeling melancholic. He passed by the fields where he had played hide and seek with Leo, Mary, and Jessica, he passed by the lonely tree that was no longer lonely because he planted a friend for it, he passed by the boulder where people carved their dreams, and he passed by Doctor Frank¡¯s clinic. Kan was remembering all of his memories in Clear View. Those were happy times and they would stay with him forever. No matter what happens to the village of Clear View in the future, it would still live on forever in his memories.


    Eventually Kan made it home. Claire and Clive asked him where he had gone and he told them that he was playing with Leo. Since he hadn¡¯t eaten breakfast or lunch, Kan cooked himself some food and ate. He then went to bed and slept. He was exhausted after fighting Leo and needed the rest to prepare for the future.

 Chapter 60: His Father, His Master, His Goal

    ¡°Wake up Kan. It¡¯s time to eat breakfast.¡±


    Kan slowly opened his eyes and realized that it was already morning. The sun shined through his window and the birds sang. He had fallen asleep for almost the entire day. Although sleeping for the entire day interfered with his plans, he didn¡¯t worry about it. It wouldn¡¯t helped if he rushed his plans.


    Kan ate his breakfast and went with Clive to go train at the mayor¡¯s place. It was part of his daily training, but today he was going to challenge the mayor and Clive to a fight. Kan knew he couldn¡¯t win but he needed to find out how strong he currently was. He wanted to see how far he was from Clive and the mayor¡¯s strength.


    Kan did his regular training of sparring with Leo, stamina training, strength training, and training his combat locksmith limits. They were done with their training, and it was time for Kan to challenge his father. But first he went to talk with Leo.


    ¡°Leo, i¡¯m going to challenge my Daddy. You can challenge the mayor and after that we will switch opponents if we have energy.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    They both braced themselves. This would probably be the hardest battles of their lives. They had sparred with Clive and the mayor before, but they always held back their power. Kan didn¡¯t want them to hold back this time, he wanted them to use their full power.


    Having braced themselves, they each walked towards their respective opponent. Every step Kan took, he would muster up his courage. Every step Leo took, he felt nervous but excited at challenging a stronger opponent.


    ¡°Master, I have a request.¡±


    Clive turned around after hearing Kan call him master. Training was already over so Kan didn¡¯t need to call him Master anymore. He looked at Kan and could see a fiery determination in his eyes.


    ¡°Go ahead and speak.¡±


    ¡°I would like to challenge you to a fight.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Clive didn¡¯t see anything wrong with what Kan asked for. This wouldn¡¯t be the first time they were sparring so he agreed right away. But he could also see that there was a difference in Kan¡¯s request compared to the previous times he was asked to spar. He waited for Kan to speak his mind.


    ¡°Master, I don¡¯t want you to hold back when fighting this time. I want you to use all your strength to fight against me. I want to see how far down the road I am from you. I want to see how strong I am right now. Please, fight me at your full strength!¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Clive was extremely happy and excited at what Kan had just said. His son had just challenged him to a duel. Even at Kan¡¯s age, he didn¡¯t have the guts to challenge his own father. ¡®He¡¯s trying to get stronger.¡¯


    Although he was happy that Kan wanted to get stronger, he needed to know the reason why. It wouldn¡¯t be good if Kan wanted to become stronger just to be strong. Clive didn¡¯t want Kan to grow up into a power hungry person who would do anything for power. He wanted Kan to have a clear objective for wanting to become strong.


    ¡°Kan let me ask you a question. Why do you seek power?¡±


    ¡®Why do I seek power?¡¯ Kan began to ponder about his answer to the question. ¡®I want power to protect those precious to me? No that isn¡¯t it.¡¯ Kan thought of the contradictions to his goal. What if it were strangers in danger? Would he not save them because he doesn¡¯t know them. No, he would save them. ¡®I want power so I can protect everyone? Is that even possible.¡¯


    ¡®Why do I seek power then?¡¯


    Clive watched as Kan struggled to answer the question. On the inside Clive was extremely happy that Kan was trying to find an answer to his question. If Kan found his answer, then that would be his first step into training the mind and the soul.


    Clive had only been making Kan train in the body aspect of being a combat locksmith. Kan needed the foundation of the body before he could tackle the aspects of the mind and the soul. This question was to train Kan¡¯s mind and soul. The question would challenge Kan¡¯s reason for training. He had to use his mind to contemplate why he had started training in the first place and what his goal was after gaining strength.


    The only thing that had Clive worried was the soul aspect of this question. Soul is the most important one out of the three, in being a combat locksmith. Without the soul, a combat locksmith would never become stronger because they would lack the determination to move forward. They would become stuck in a murky darkness where they are unsure of why they even train. It could lead to a combat locksmith losing their mind if they don¡¯t train their soul.


    Clive could only hope that Kan would be able to find the reason why he trains, and that this reason conforms with his own belief. The worst possible outcome was to find an ideal that his soul doesn¡¯t conform with. In the beginning this fake ideal wouldn¡¯t matter, but along the path of being a combat locksmith, this fake ideal will eventually explode because it goes against the body¡¯s soul, or inner beliefs.


    It was in that moment that Clive could see a change in Kan¡¯s eyes. It was no longer murky and full of confusion, there was a shining light inside of it. Although it wasn¡¯t bright, Clive could see that it was undying and struggling against the murkiness. ¡®He found his ideal. Even if it is only a small portion of it, he still found it.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t been sure that Kan would find it, but he did, and at such a young age too.


    ¡°Master, I think I have my answer to your question. I don¡¯t know if this is the correct answer, but I believe it is.¡±


    Clive waited in anticipation. Kan was worried that his answer would be wrong, but there was no wrong answer. It all depended if Kan believed that was his answer. Clive was extremely happy.


    ¡°I want power to fulfill my selfishness. I thought that I wanted to protect those who were precious to me, but what about other people. I couldn¡¯t abandon those in trouble just because I don¡¯t know them. I want the power to fulfill this selfishness of wanting to protect everyone.¡±


    ¡°Good. Good. If that is your reason for seeking power then I won¡¯t hold back. Be prepared to face me head on Kan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, i¡¯m ready. Come at me whenever Master!¡±

 Chapter 61: Defeat

    While Kan was still thinking of an answer to Clive¡¯s question, Leo had already started his fight with the mayor. Like Clive, the mayor was happy that his great grandson wanted to challenge him. It was the perfect opportunity to show him what he should aim for in the future.


    The mayor charged at Leo, and Leo could only stay and defend himself. He couldn¡¯t move his body at all. The pressure the mayor was emitting had locked him down. Leo wasn¡¯t strong enough to fight against it, so he decided to brace himself as the mayor came to attack.


    The mayor appeared instantly in front of him and swung his sword down. Leo tried to use his own sword to deflect the mayor¡¯s attack but it was futile. It felt like he was trying to push back an entire mountain. His deflection had failed and he was thrown back. He rolled on the dirt and couldn¡¯t stop the momentum from the mayor¡¯s attack. It was not until he hit a tree did he come to a stop. The mayor hadn¡¯t held his power back at all.


    The impact from the tree had him winded. He got up and tried to catch his breath because he knew this wasn¡¯t the end of the battle. His entire body was shaking from pain, and he couldn¡¯t feel his hands because they were numb. It was a miracle that he was even able to keep a grip on his sword.


    He leaned on the tree and prepared himself for the mayor¡¯s next attack which was already coming straight towards him. The attack was aiming for his left shoulder. His attack was coming so fast and so strong that Leo could barely see it. This attack was going to decide the end of the battle. Leo felt hopeless but he didn¡¯t give up, he had a trick up his sleeve.


    ¡°[Burnout]!!!!!!¡±


    Leo wanted to at least land a single hit on the mayor so he used his skill. His senses rose, his muscles pulsated, and he could finally see the mayor¡¯s attack. He swung his sword with all his strength at the mayor¡¯s sword. It made contact but this time he wasn¡¯t completely overwhelmed. He was able to resist the attack just a little bit, but that was all he needed.


    The mayor¡¯s attack was slightly altered from its initial trajectory and made impact with the tree. The tree was pierced through but the mayor¡¯s sword was now stuck. Leo took this opportunity to attack the mayor. He jumped up and brought his sword down towards the mayor¡¯s head. This was his final attempt to deal damage towards the mayor. Behind this attack was his entire strength and energy.


    ¡°Good try Leo, but don¡¯t forget that we¡¯re also combat locksmiths.¡±


    The next instant Leo felt his entire body sapped of energy. It was like his entire body was sealed. He fell down but not before the mayor caught him.


    ¡°I...i¡¯ll get you next time grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Come at me whenever you want.¡±


    The mayor had won the battle. Although the battle had only lasted a few minutes, both of them used all of their strength to fight one another. The mayor would never hold back because it would be disrespectful to Leo as a warrior. That is why he used all of his strength right off the bat, giving Leo no time to recuperate.


    ¡­¡­


    Kan stepped back and looked at Clive. He didn¡¯t know why but he felt stronger than ever. After answering Clive¡¯s question, he felt a surge of energy coursing through his body. He had never felt this kind of sensation before; he scanned his body but couldn¡¯t tell what kind of energy was invigorating him. It didn¡¯t matter to him at the moment though, he was about to face the toughest opponent he has ever met.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    He could tell that Clive wasn¡¯t holding back. Just looking at Clive made him scared and weak in the knees. Clive was releasing killing intent so strong that it made it hard for him to breathe. If Kan was to compare Clive to the three horned Bone Bear, then Clive was at least 10 times stronger than it.


    Before Kan was even ready, Clive began his attack. He dug his right foot into the ground and kicked forward. Chunks of earth were now rapidly flying towards Kan. Kan was caught off guard but immediately summoned a wall of earth to block the incoming attack.


    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Kan jumped back as soon as his earth wall was broken. He didn¡¯t hesitate to shoot wind blades toward the earth wall as he saw Clive bash through it. But these wind blades didn¡¯t do any damage at all. Clive ignored these futile attacks from Kan and charged towards him.


    Kan landed a distance away and didn¡¯t hesitate to unlock his entire body while also covering himself in wind mana. This is what Kan had learned before he was attacked by the Bone Bear. He had learned that it was better to combine both skills of a combat locksmith and a mage locksmith together. He hadn¡¯t had time to train this combination so it used up a lot of energy.


    Kan had become considerably faster but that didn¡¯t matter in front of Clive. Clive immediately caught up with Kan. Kan shot out blasts of water and tried to slow Clive down by freezing him, but it didn¡¯t work. None of his attacks were working at all. Clive was like a raging bull that wouldn¡¯t stop until it was out of energy.


    The only thing Kan could do was to keep retreating. He couldn¡¯t afford to be hit by Clive at all. If he got hit even once then it would be his lost. But no matter how much he ran, Clive would be right behind him. If he didn¡¯t think of something soon then he would lose.


    Suddenly an outrageous idea popped into his head. He continued to run but as he ran his body was slowly being covered in different types of mana. First he was covered in earth, wind, water, and then fire. It looked like he was covered in fiery armor as he ran.


    When his armor of elements was done, Kan stopped running and turned to face Clive who was chasing him. Although his running stance looked weird in his armor of elements, he kept on running towards Clive. His only objective was to reach Clive.


    Clive was now in front of Kan and he immediately punched forwards without holding back. The armor of elements showed no resistance at all and he punched straight through its shoulder. Clive¡¯s eyes opened wide with shock, he hadn¡¯t hit Kan¡¯s body at all.


    That was when he realized that the armor of elements was starting to wrap and constrict around his right arm. As the elements wrapped around his arm, he saw the face of his son smiling. Kan¡¯s face was only inches away from where Clive had punched the shoulder of the armor.


    Clive hadn¡¯t realized it, but the armor that Kan had made was slightly larger than his actual body. Kan had thought of this plan while running away, and it would only work because it was his father that he was fighting against. Kan knew that Clive would attack a spot that wouldn¡¯t hurt him severely, so he gambled on the spot where Clive was going to attack. His gamble was a success because Clive had attacked the fake shoulder of the armor.


    Catching Clive by surprise, Kan jumped out of the back of his armor. His entire armor had mostly gathered on Clive¡¯s right arm and that was when he finished the final part of his plan.


    ¡°Explode!!!¡±


    The four elements on Clive¡¯s arm started to glow and finally it exploded. After it exploded, a cloud of dust filled the area. Kan watched in anticipation. This plan of his had used up all of his energy and mana. If this didn¡¯t work then he would have nothing else against his father.


    ¡°Hahahahaha, that was an interesting plan Kan. Using your height to your advantage was a good idea.¡±


    Kan¡¯s face fell as Clive walked out of the dust. He hadn¡¯t been injured at all and was fine, except his tattered sleeve. Clive slowly walked towards Kan.


    Kan didn¡¯t have any other plans to defeat Clive, but he wouldn¡¯t give up until he lost. With the little amount of energy left within him, he ran towards Clive and punched him. This punch had no strength behind it and was Kan¡¯s last efforts.


    ¡°Good battle Kan. When you grow up, you will definitely be able to defeat me.¡±


    And that was the last thing Kan heard before he felt all of his energy disappear from him.

 Chapter 62: Disappearance of Nicole

    Each battle had ended within a few minutes, so neither Clive or the mayor were tired. On the other hand Kan and Leo were both knocked out. They had used all their energy while fighting.


    ¡°They¡¯re both growing fine, aren¡¯t they mayor.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they are. They will be just fine without us in the future.¡±


    Kan and Leo¡¯s strength was excellent for their age. The mayor and Clive were happy that they were getting stronger because they will eventually have to live in the real world without their family.


    After 30 minutes or so, Leo woke up. And not soon after, Kan also woke up. They both looked around and realized that they had lost. It wasn¡¯t out of their expectation but they wanted to last longer in the battle.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re finally awake. Training is over so you guys can go off and do your own things.¡±


    Hearing Clive say that, Kan looked towards Leo. He signalled with his eyes, asking Leo if he still wanted to fight. Without hesitation Leo nodded his head. Leo could already see that whether he agreed or not, Kan would continue to fight. So he wanted to challenge himself too.


    ¡°Umm. Daddy I still want to fight.¡±


    ¡°Me too, grandpa. I want to continue fighting.¡±


    The mayor and Clive looked at these two kids in shock. ¡®They still have energy.¡¯ They hadn¡¯t expected for them to immediately want to fight again. Both of them had just gone through an intense battle where they used all their energy.


    ¡°Hahaha. I guess we¡¯re getting old mayor, these kids have more energy than us.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I guess this old man can¡¯t keep up with the energy of youths anymore. If the two of you still have energy to fight, then we¡¯ll accompany you.¡±


    ¡°Wait Daddy. Can we switch opponents. I want to try fighting Grandpa Ranjer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I want to fight you Uncle Clive.¡±


    Neither Clive or the mayor saw a problem with this and agreed to change opponents. Each pair of fighters got to their own respective part of the field and prepared to fight.


    Their battle began but the end results were the same. Both Kan and Leo had lost their battle. Even though they lost it didn¡¯t mean that they hadn¡¯t improved. Kan and Leo were satisfied with the result of their second battle. Each of them had landed a few solid attacks on their opponent. In their first battle, it was a struggle for them to even land a single solid hit, but this time they were able to at least land two solid hits.


    ¡°Hahaha, Grandpa Ranjer i¡¯m going to get 4 hits on you next time.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you¡¯re welcome to try again when you get stronger.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Clive, why didn¡¯t my last attack work on you.¡±


    ¡°Well Leo, if your opponent is stronger than you, you shouldn¡¯t try to compete with them in strength. You should look for any weakness and attack that.¡±


    Clive and the mayor began to talk about their battles toward Kan and Leo. Clive and the mayor were making them review their battles so they could see what they could improve on. They didn¡¯t tell Kan or Leo exactly what they needed to fix because that wouldn¡¯t help them learn how to improve themselves. It was better for them to figure out their mistakes and find a way to fix it.


    They talked and talked and it was already 2. They usually trained at 9 and ended it at 12 but they had gone for an extra 2 hours. Clive and the mayor decided to wrap up this training session and they all went their separate ways. Leo decided to go take a nap, the mayor and Clive went off to do their own things, and Kan was headed for the clinic.


    ¡­¡­Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Kan. Do you need something?¡±


    ¡°Good afternoon Doctor Frank, is Nicole still here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Jane should know where Nicole is at.¡±


    ¡°Ok, thanks Doctor Frank.¡±


    Kan went and checked the room Nicole was in first. He needed to talk to Nicole about stopping her attack on the village. He entered the room but didn¡¯t see Nicole. His next stop was to go to Jane¡¯s room.


    Kan walked towards Jane¡¯s room and didn¡¯t hesitate to open it at all. This place was like a second home to him and neither Jane or Doctor Frank minded him going around their rooms. They didn¡¯t have anything to hide and trusted Kan not to mess around in their rooms.


    Kan opened the door and slowly peeked through the door. If Jane was sleeping then he didn¡¯t want to disturb her. And exactly that, Jane was sleeping in her bed. Seeing that Jane was still sleeping, Kan decided not to bother her.


    ¡®Where is Nicole?¡¯ Kan couldn¡¯t find Nicole, so he also decided to peek into the other rooms. Some of them had sick patients and some of them were empty, but Nicole was in none of them. Since he couldn¡¯t find Nicole in the clinic, he decided to go to the only other place he thought Nicole would be at, the alarm tower.


    It took some time but he arrived at the alarm tower. He went to open the door but it was locked, which was unusual. Since it was an alarm tower it was usually unlocked so if there was an emergency, anyone could go in and sound the alarms. The only time it was locked was when Nicole accidentally locked it or didn¡¯t want to be bothered with guests.


    Kan knocked on the door hoping that Nicole would open the door, but she didn¡¯t. Kan waited but no one answered. He knocked again and waited, but once again no one answered. Since knocking on the door didn¡¯t work, Kan began calling out for Nicole.


    ¡°Nicole!! Nicole!!! Are you in there!!!¡±


    It was silent, no one answered Kan¡¯s calls. Hearing no one answer his calls, Kan became slightly worried. ¡®What if Nicole left the village?¡¯ Kan began to think of the worst possible situations. He needed to convince Nicole if he wanted to save the village.


    Feeling desperate, Kan decided to break into the alarm tower. Nicole could just be in town, but Kan was starting to have a bad feeling within him. This feeling overcame his sense of reason, so he decided to break in. He could only hope that he was just being over anxious on Nicole not being in the village.


    Kan unlocked his body and pushed the door with force. He used enough force to break it open but not to destroy the door. As soon as the door opened, Kan heard multiple clicking sounds. He jumped back and put his hands towards the ground and summoned a wall of dirt. The objects made impact with the wall and Kan could hear three objects making impact.


    He walked around the wall and saw that it was three arrows. One was aimed for the head, another the chest, and the last the stomach. This was intended to kill someone. Kan was shocked, and went to pull out the arrows. He looked at the arrowhead and saw some type of liquid on it. And then he remember what Clive had told him before.


    ¡°You see this liquid coming out of the fishes mouth Kan. This is a type of poison it uses to kill its prey faster. It''s not only animals that uses poison, humans also use poison to attack others. Some would smear poison on the weapons or arrowheads to make them more dangerous.¡±


    Kan was shocked. Why would Nicole set up such a deadly trap? He needed to know what she was hiding. Once again an intense feeling of wanting to resolve secrets welled up inside of him. He went inside the tower and was even more wary this time. Kan knew Nicole wouldn¡¯t set only one trap, she would set up multiple traps to surely kill the intruder.


    Kan was ready though, he had been training with Nicole for quite a while so he knew how to deal with her traps. He proceeded carefully and was met with many traps, but he was able to overcome all of them. Many of the traps were dangerous and Kan could tell it was meant to kill.


    He reached the top and didn¡¯t see Nicole anywhere. He was still careful as he approached Nicole¡¯s room, but no traps activated. The door to the room was also locked, but Kan knew where Nicole had hidden the key for this room. The key was hidden within the biggest alarm bell.


    He went up and grabbed the key and prepared to enter the room. The door opened with no problems and he didn¡¯t see anything wrong with the room. It was the same old messy room he was used to seeing Nicole sleep in. The only thing that caught his eyes were the tattered clothes on top of Nicole¡¯s bed.


    These were the clothes that Nicole had worn when they were attacked by the three horned Bone Bear. ¡®She was here.¡¯ Kan realized that Nicole had come back to change her clothes and left her old clothes. He went towards the tattered clothes and picked it up. There was nothing wrong with it so he put it back down.


    He looked around for a bit more but didn¡¯t see anything wrong with the room. He walked back towards the entrance, but he stepped on something. It was a tattered piece of paper. Kan picked it up and flipped it around to see what was on it. What it said confirmed Kan¡¯s worst nightmares.


    ¡°Come meet us.¡±


    It was only a piece of the entire letter, but it was enough for Kan to know that Nicole was no longer in the village. Besides this phrase on the letter there was also a symbol below it. It was a snake but it wasn¡¯t a regular snake. This snake symbol was made out of chains and was formed into the letter ¡®S¡¯.


    ¡°Nicole isn¡¯t in the village anymore.¡±


    This shock was too much for Kan. All of his plans revolved around convincing Nicole, and he can¡¯t do it, if she wasn¡¯t in the village.

 Chapter 63: Fox

    After reading the small piece of the letter, Kan began running around the village. He would ask the villagers if they had seen Nicole or knew where she went. But it was a waste of time because none of the villagers knew where she went. Kan didn¡¯t give up, in a hopeless effort he went around the village 3 times asking for Nicole¡¯s whereabouts. He was desperate, he wanted to believe that Nicole was still in the village.


    Before he knew it, the sun was already starting to set. Kan was covered in the orange rays of the sun as he walked back home. Everything he did was useless, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find where Nicole in the village. ¡®Jane! Jane might know where Nicole is.¡¯ Kan began running towards the clinic.


    He felt absolutely dumb because he should have gone and seen Jane first before asking around the village. Jane would be the most likely to know where Nicole was at, but in his desperate state, he wasted time asking the villagers.


    Kan was covered in sweat as he arrived at the clinic. He banged on the door and called out for Doctor Frank and Jane. It was then that Jane opened the door for Kan. She could hear the distress in Kan¡¯s voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Kan? Is someone hurt?¡±


    Hearing Jane¡¯s anxious voice, Kan realized that he had made her worried for nothing. He slowly calmed down and got his breathing together.


    ¡°Sorry to worry you Aunty Jane. Nothing is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You look pretty tired and it seems that you¡¯re worried over something.¡±


    ¡°Haha, i¡¯m just tired from training. Oh, Aunty Jane do you know where Big Sister Nicole is? I¡¯ve been looking for her but I can¡¯t find her.¡±


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re looking for Nicole. She actually left this morning.¡±


    ¡°Do you know when she¡¯s coming back!¡±


    Kan excitedly asked Jane. This was his first clue on Nicole¡¯s whereabouts. If he knew when Nicole was coming back then he would be able to adjust his plans. There was a sliver of hope for saving the village of Clear View, if Jane knew when Nicole would be back.


    Seeing Kan so interested in Nicole, Jane was slightly jealous. He was giving all of his love towards Nicole. A devious smile appeared on her face. She had come up with a plan to tease Kan.


    ¡°Hmmm, I guess you like Big Sister Nicole more than you like Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°No, I like you just as much as I like Big Sister Nicole.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I don¡¯t know about that. You¡¯re just saying it, why don¡¯t you prove it by giving Aunty Jane a kiss on the cheek. Do this and i¡¯ll tell you when Nicole is coming back.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Aunty Jane.¡±


    Kan tried to kiss her on the cheek, but Jane wasn¡¯t going to make it easy. She stood there with her chest puffed out, while watching Kan struggle. Although Jane wasn¡¯t tall, she was still taller than Kan. She watched as Kan tried to jump up and peck her cheek, but she wouldn¡¯t budge from her position.


    Kan was getting impatient but he knew Jane was having fun, so he played along. Jane wouldn¡¯t budge at all, so Kan decided to use drastic measures. He raised both of his arms and aimed for Jane¡¯s weakness.


    ¡°Take this Aunty Jane.¡±


    ¡°Ahahahaha, st...stop it Kan. That tickles.¡±


    Kan¡¯s plan was to tickle Jane¡¯s armpits to get to crouch down. He knew that Jane was extremely ticklish there. But there was one thing that Kan didn¡¯t expect though. His plan was successful in making Jane crouch down and she was now eye level with him.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Kan didn¡¯t expect the strength of Jane¡¯s breasts. The moment Jane crouched down to protect her armpits, her breasts swiftly came down and smacked him in the head. There was enough force to push him away from Jane.


    ¡®Oww, I never knew boobies were so strong.¡¯ On this very day, Kan learned a lesson that he would never forget for the rest of his life.


    Although he was smacked away by Jane¡¯s breasts, Kan didn¡¯t give up yet. He jumped towards Jane and gave her a peck on the cheek while she was distracted with what she had done to Kan. Jane was knocked off balance and fell on her back with Kan on top of her.


    ¡°Are you ok Kan?¡±


    ¡°I did it Aunty Jane.¡±


    Kan smiled back at Jane¡¯s question and Jane could tell he was fine. Seeing that he was fine, she decided to hug and squeeze him. He was just to adorable that she didn¡¯t want to let him go. Even though she lost this little battle, she was satisfied with the end results. She was able to get Kan to kiss her on the cheek and she was also able to hold and squeeze him. Over the past few days, Jane had been stressed over too many things and being able to play with Kan was the best stress reliever.


    ¡°Ok, you won Kan. I¡¯ll tell you when Nicole is coming back. She said that she¡¯ll be back in 3 to 4 days.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Aunty Jane.¡±


    Kan gave Jane another peck on the cheek before leaving the clinic. He felt extremely relieved after learning when Nicole was coming back. Although the day she came back was very close to the date the disaster happens, Kan was sure he would be able to convince her to back out of the battle.


    It was already dark as Kan walked back home. Even when it was dark, he was very familiar with the path back home. He was already close to home and could see the lights coming from the windows of his home. But suddenly everything became dark.


    ¡®What!?¡¯ Kan was confused. It wasn¡¯t the darkness of the night. Everything was pitch black, he couldn¡¯t see anything around him. But this also wasn¡¯t that eerie darkness that he was familiar with. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ It was in that moment that Kan¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the one cursed by the Heavens. A cat, no a dog. Wait it can¡¯t be! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I finally found it!!. A fox!! A fox has been born!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! The Heavens shall fall, the Earth shall shatter, and in the end, this domain shall be mine.¡°


    Kan was shocked. He didn¡¯t know what this person was talking about and couldn¡¯t tell where the voice was even coming from. It felt like the voice came from outside, but it also felt like it was talking from within him. The worst feeling was that it felt like his entire body was being analyzed by this unknown person.


    ¡°Let me give you some fortune young fox. Eat this pill and you shall become a king amongst men.¡±


    A box was thrown in front of Kan and within it was a small green pill that glowed. Kan didn¡¯t know why but he couldn¡¯t control his body. His arm was reaching out to grab the pill and his mouth opened by itself. But Kan didn¡¯t truly mind taking the pill. If he could trust this voice then wouldn¡¯t he become strong. Strong enough to protect the village, strong enough to hunt those attacking his village down.


    A strange glint glowed in Kan¡¯s eye and he didn¡¯t refuse eating the pill. It was like his mind and body had been taken over. His sense of reason was no longer there. His hand came closer with the pill and in the next moment the pill was in his mouth.


    ¡°Good. Good. Good. Time is not yet ripe for this fox. I shall come again when you have fully grown.¡±


    The darkness disappeared and that person or thing was no longer around. As soon as that person left, Kan spat out the pill. Kan had almost eaten the pill, but a familiar voice within him snapped him out of his trance. The voice had taken over his body and held the pill within his teeth not letting it touch anything else.


    ¡®Tha...thank you.¡¯


    ¡°Never trust that man. No matter what he says, never trust him. If you find the chance, take that pill and discard it in a pit of lava. It is too dangerous for consumption.¡±


    ¡®Ok, i¡¯ll do that. Who was that?¡¯


    ¡°He is an evil man, no an evil monstrosity. We weren¡¯t supposed to appear so soon. Sorry Kan but we won¡¯t be able to talk to you for a long time.¡±


    The voices trailed off and became weaker towards the end of their speech. Kan was now all by himself with so many questions darting through his mind.


    ¡®What does he mean when he called me a fox?¡¯


    Kan arrived home and went to sleep with this question stuck in his mind. So many things were happening in his life, and many of them he didn¡¯t have answers too. He was restless because of the stirring feeling within him, he had so many questions but he didn¡¯t have any answers.

 Chapter 64: Training with Claire

    It was a normal day for the Lock family. Clive, Claire, and Kan were all eating breakfast around the table. Kan still had many questions about his encounter with that unknown person, but he had a goal he had to accomplish today. Kan finished his breakfast and washed his dishes. Both Clive and Claire were also done eating.


    Clive up and went to his room to get ready for his job. Clive was one of the fishermen of the Clear View, and today was the day his group went out to catch fish. The fishermen groups in Clear View worked in different schedules and Clive¡¯s group usually went out once every two weeks for about 3-4 days. But since it was almost time for the inspection from government officials, Clive¡¯s group would come back in 1-2 days.


    ¡°Bye Daddy. Have a safe trip.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye Kan.¡±


    ¡°Stay safe out their ok. Don¡¯t be reckless like you usually are.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Ok. I will. I won¡¯t worry you or Kan this time.¡±


    Kan and Claire said their goodbyes to Clive. The days that Clive were gone, Kan wouldn¡¯t be training in his combat locksmith skills. He would be training in his mage locksmith skills with Claire. Kan¡¯s regular schedule for training with Claire usually lands on the weekends, but since Clive wasn¡¯t going to be here to train him, this time would be taken by Claire.


    ¡°After you¡¯re done with those dishes we¡¯ll start our training ok.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Kan quickly finished up the dishes and went out to their backyard. Claire was already there waiting for him. She was waiting within a magic circle that she had drawn up. It was made so it would lock them within the space they were training in, so none of their magic could damage the surroundings.


    ¡°Ok Kan. We¡¯ll start off with our regular training. Let¡¯s see how many wind spears you can make today.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Kan began to use his mana to mold 4 wind spears. And there was even a tiny 5th spear that could be seen. Claire walked around and inspected each of these wind spears.


    ¡°Hmm. The first 3 are ok but the 4th one is weaker than the first 3. Kan, you should focus on quality over quantity. Instead of trying to create a 5th spear, you should focus on stabilizing the 4th one.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Ok, onto the next one. Now make your spears out of earth.¡±


    Kan made his spears out of earth for his next test. After that he made them out of water, then fire, and his final test was to make 4 spears out of all the elements. Claire was testing out Kan¡¯s ability to control mana and his endurance.


    ¡°Hmm. Which one do you think is the hardest element for you to control, Kan?¡±


    ¡°I think its fire Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Correct. From all the elements, you have the most difficulty controlling water and fire. How should you fix it?¡±


    ¡°I should practice it more.¡±


    ¡°Yes. From now on I am banning you from using earth and wind until your control in fire and water is just as good.¡±


    ¡°Even in sparring, Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Yes even in sparring you must only use fire and water.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡±


    This was going to be difficult for Kan. He was planning on challenging Claire to a battle, but not being able to use his strongest elements put him at a disadvantage.


    ¡°Mommy can we battle after we¡¯re done training. I want you to fight me with all you have without holding anything back.¡±


    Claire took a moment before answering Kan¡¯s request. She didn¡¯t want to hurt him but she could also she the seriousness in his eyes. Seeing his determination, she decided to agree to it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fight you at full strength, but you still can only use fire and water magic. I¡¯ll also permit you to use your combat locksmith techniques.¡±


    ¡°Ok, thanks Mommy.¡±


    They continued on their regular training. Claire tested Kan¡¯s casting speed, his control, his creativity, and even a little bit on how to create magic seals. This was the first time that she decided to teach Kan how to create magic seals, so Kan was confused, but it didn¡¯t take long for him to get a good understanding of how they worked.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Just like stronger magic, magic seals needed an incantation to fully display its power. But the one difference with magic seals was that you also had to draw out a seal. Depending on what types of effect you wanted the seals to have, it needed different letters and characters imbued in it. These characters in magic seals come from an ancient language and there are many of them but Claire only taught Kan the basic outline of the seal.


    ¡°Ok, that concludes today¡¯s training. Before we get to our battle, let¡¯s make lunch to eat.¡±


    They both went to the kitchen was about to cook but Claire remembered something.


    ¡°Kan have you tried using your skill yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I haven¡¯t Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Ok, use your skill and let Mommy see what type of skill it is.¡±


    Kan had been so busy these past few days that he didn¡¯t have any time to test out his skill [Chef¡¯s Kitchen]. He was excited that he had learned a skill but with the Bone Bear incident and the Jerry incident, he had totally forgotten to test out his skill. He used his skill and once again a small kitchen appeared around him.


    ¡°Mommy I¡¯ve used my skill but you probably can¡¯t see it. Last time I used it, the mayor, Leo, and Daddy couldn¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. Interesting, I can¡¯t see it but I can somewhat feel that the surroundings had changed. Why don¡¯t you try cooking something.¡±


    ¡°Ok, i¡¯ll cook some eggs for us to eat then.¡±


    Kan grabbed a pan and laid it on top of the stove from his skill. The stove was made from some magic formation and all he needed to do was press a button to start it. There was even a knob to adjust the temperature. It was different from the stove in their home. The stove in Kan¡¯s home didn¡¯t have a magic formation on it that made it this simple to heat up. They had to put in wood and burn it for the stove to heat up. HIs skill was definitely more convenient.


    He cracked the eggs on top of the stove and waited for it to cook. While he waited for it to cook he was curious about some parts of his skill. ¡®What does it mean when it says utensils and food at 0. Can I store things in it like a chest.¡¯ Since he was curious, he decided to test it out by putting a knife within the drawer formed from his skill.


    ------------


    [Chef¡¯s Kitchen]


    ¡°[Chef¡¯s Kitchen] is a skill that will allow the user to cook anywhere he wants to. To use the skill all one has to do is call the name of the skill and their surrounding will become a kitchen. This kitchen will allow the user to cook food that has buffs or debuffs. Depending on the user¡¯s skill in cooking, the probability of a dish with a positive buff will increase. At level 1 all dishes will have a 3% chance of a buff and a 5% chance of a debuff.(Depending on the complexity of the dishes.  the probability changes). Each sequential level will increase probability, storage capacity, and the length of time food stays fresh.¡±


    Level 1


    Utensils stored: 1


    Food stored: 0


    ???


    ???


    ------------


    The number changed. ¡®I guess I can store utensils in this drawer. I guess I can also store food. But how much can I store in it and how long does the food last.¡¯ Kan began putting other utensils within the drawers, but as soon as he tried to put in the 6th item, it got spat out. He could put it in the drawer but a second later it would be shot outside.


    ¡®I guess I can only store 5 utensils. Now what about the food.¡¯ The eggs that he was cooking was done and he put them aside. He began to cook another 5 eggs and tried to store them in the other drawer. He was only able to store 3 dishes before he couldn¡¯t put anymore in. ¡®I can only put in 3 dishes, but what about raw ingredients?¡¯ Kan took out the 3 cooked eggs and replaced it with raw eggs. But once again he could only put in 3 eggs. ¡®I guess it''s better to put in an actually dish then raw ingredients. Now how long can it last before the food becomes bad.¡¯ He once again replaced the raw eggs with the cooked eggs.


    But before he stored them he checked if any of them had buffs or debuffs on them. He inspected each dish but they were all ordinary. ¡®How do I put buffs and debuffs on the dishes.¡¯ Kan wanted to test it out but remembered that he still needed to fight Claire and the other villagers.


    While Kan was doing all of his tests, Claire could only watch in shock. Kan was cooking on air. She could see Kan holding the pan and flipping the eggs, but couldn¡¯t see what he was cooking on. Kan was also making utensils and dishes disappear out of thin air. There were even times when utensils and dishes were shot out of nowhere.


    ¡°Here you go Mommy, here are your eggs.¡±


    ¡°Your skill is amazing Kan. It¡¯s a space type support skill. It may not have any uses in battle but nonetheless it¡¯s amazing for everyday life. Can you tell me the specifics of it.¡±


    Kan began to explain his skill in detail to his mother. Claire¡¯s eyes glowed as she heard the description of his skill. It was extremely useful. It could store food and utensils, but the thing that interested Claire the most was the buff and debuff effects of his skills. This aspect would allow Kan to buff other people but also use it to debuff others. If used correctly this would be great for war and assassination attempts. He could cook large batches of food with buffs which would make the soldiers even stronger. He could cook food with debuffs and feed it to the enemies to make them weaker too. It was an excellent skill.


    Although Claire thought about these uses for Kan¡¯s skill, she decided not to tell him about it. He was too young and she didn¡¯t want to implement these dangerous ideas in him. It was his skill and it was best that he figured out what he wanted to use it for.


    ¡°Kan, your skill is an amazing one and you shouldn¡¯t tell others unless you absolutely trust them, ok. And be careful on how you use.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Mommy. Daddy said the exact same thing about my skill.¡±


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s finish eating and then we can fight. And remember that you should also level up your skill from now on.¡±


    ¡°Ok, but how do I level it up, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Usually to level up your skills, it requires you to keep on using the skill. The more you use it the more the bar next to the level goes up. But there are some skills that requires you to do certain things to level it up.¡±

 Chapter 65: Claires Plans

    ¡°Are you ready, Kan.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°On the count of 3 the battle will begin.¡±


    Claire began the countdown and Kan was extremely nervous. He had never seen Claire go all out before. Every time they sparred she would always hold back, and from what Kan heard from his father, Claire was extremely strong.


    ¡°If your mother and I were to battle from a distance, I would only have a 10% chance of winning. Even if it was in close combat I would only have a 60% chance of defeating her. So no matter what, never get Mommy angry, ok.¡±


    While Kan was reminiscing over Clive¡¯s evaluation of Claire, the countdown had already reached 3. Kan decided to make the first move and close the distance between them. But Claire was faster than him and already shot a blast of ice towards him.


    As soon as it was half way from where Kan was at, the chunk of ice split off into multiple smaller chucks. Seeing so many ice projectiles coming towards him, Kan decided to use fire to melt the ice. He made a wall of fire and it made contact with most of the ice projectiles. The moment there was contact, a large amount of mist was created.


    ¡®Shoot, I can¡¯t see anymore.¡¯ Kan jumped back and was ready to send out wind blades to clear out the mist, but his back touched a wall. Kan was shocked, there shouldn¡¯t have been a wall there. Suddenly, he realized that it was a wall made out of wind mana. But it wasn¡¯t just one, he sensed 5 of them. He was surrounded by them and was now trapped within a box made of wind.


    Knowing how strong his mother was, he wouldn¡¯t be able to break out of the entrapment. ¡®The only way out is down.¡¯ He prepared to control the earth beneath him but he couldn¡¯t. Instead the earth became mud and rapidly rose up and covered everything except his head.


    Kan could barely move. In the next instance the wind surrounding him spun the mud around and harden it. The mist was also blown away and Kan could finally see Claire again. She hadn¡¯t moved at all. The next thing he saw was 2 tiny seals flying towards. They were made up of complex symbols and he didn¡¯t know what they did, but he knew that if he didn¡¯t dodge it, then he would lose.


    Kan unlock his body and was ready to break through the earth trap, but he was to slow. The first seal made impact with his head and the second seal made impact with the earth trap. Kan didn¡¯t feel any different so he struggled to get out, but he couldn¡¯t. It felt like the more he struggled, the harder it became.


    ¡°It¡¯s my win, Kan. The seal that touched you and the trap made it so the more strength you used, the stronger the earth would become.¡±


    Kan was sad at the outcome of the battle. They had just started the battle and he had already lost. He didn¡¯t even have the chance to struggle. He was sad but he truly knew how strong Claire was now.


    Claire could see that Kan felt dejected at his lost, but she could also see a determination to grow stronger within him. Just like Clive, she was happy that her son wanted to become stronger. Since their battle was over, Claire released all of her magic and even undid the seal on Kan.


    Looking at Kan, Claire realized that he was all dirty now. When they were battling she hadn¡¯t taken into account how dirty Kan would be after she trapped him in earth.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go take a bath Kan.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Kan and Claire both went inside their house and went to the room with the bath. It was empty and didn¡¯t have any water in it. Kan watched as Claire filled the tub up with water, and she placed a seal on the tub. The seal was a simple one, and all it did was heat up the water in the tub.


    ¡°Mommy, can you teach me how to make that seal.¡±


    ¡°Sure. It¡¯s a relatively easy one so you should be able to learn it.¡±


    Claire began to explain what each symbol meant and how they all worked together. The symbols drew mana from the user and activated the heating component. It didn¡¯t take long for Kan to understand the concept behind it.


    ¡°The hard part about this seal is adjusting the heat. If you aren¡¯t careful the water might become boiling hot or not hot at all.¡±


    Kan was successful in making his own seal, but he couldn¡¯t control the temperature perfectly. ¡®This is harder than I thought.¡¯ The seal was sucking away his mana, and the seal wasn¡¯t making the water hot enough. The next second his seal came undone.


    ¡°Ok, that was a good attempt. I¡¯m surprised that you were even able to form a seal after such little instructions. Ok, let¡¯s wash you off before going into the bathtub.¡±


    They both cleaned their bodies before getting into the tub. Claire had reset her own seal, so now the water was at a perfect temperature. Kan was feeling all the stress washed away as his body was submerged in warm water. He took this moment to calm himself down before asking Claire questions.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Mommy, do you know anything about being called a fox.¡±


    ¡°A fox? What do you mean, Kan?¡±


    ¡°Well, the other day I overheard someone being called a fox and I wanted to know what that means.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure what that means, but there many legends surrounding animals and monsters. Many races have there own legends regarding monsters. For example, us humans see dragons as evil powerful beings who rules and take whatever they want. On the other hand lizardmen, who are said to be descendants of dragons, view them as their Gods. I¡¯m sure if you do some research on foxes, you¡¯ll be able to find legends on them.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Mommy, but our village doesn¡¯t have a library where I can find information. The only place with a lot of books is Aunty Jane¡¯s place.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you are correct. If you ever visit the capital then you can look for a book on legends there. They have a large library that contains a vast amount of knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Mommy. Let¡¯s all go there as a family.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll all go there as a family, Kan.¡±


    Kan promised himself that he would go the capital with his family. He was going to save the village, he was going to save the villagers, he was going to save his family, and he was going to save the future where he would be able to spend time with his family. This is why he had gone through so much to prepare his plans. And now he needed to know what Claire had planned for the disaster.


    ¡°Mommy, when is our village going to be attacked.¡±


    The atmosphere in the room changed. Claire and Clive had avoided speaking about this topic to Kan, and even believed he had forgotten about it. He didn¡¯t need to worry about it, they would be the one to take care of it. But now that Kan brought it up himself, Claire didn¡¯t know how to answer it.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Kan. You don¡¯t have to worry about that at all, Mommy, Daddy, and all the other adults will take care of it. All you have to do is be a kid. Oh, by the way, is there anyone you like, Kan. Let me guess, is it Mary or Jessica.¡±


    Claire tried to change the topic, but Kan was adamant on figuring out what she had planned. He was resting on Caire¡¯s chest, but when she tried to change the topic, he distance himself from her. He stood up and turned around to look at her. He could see that she didn¡¯t want him to worry over the problem, but he was already determined to save the village.


    ¡°Stop treating me like a kid, Mommy!!! You¡¯re trying to make the problem seem insignificant, but I already know that the village is in serious danger! I can¡¯t help but worry that everyone I love and everything I care about will be destroyed!! I want to know what¡¯s going to happen, and I want to help save Clear View!¡±


    ¡°Kan¡­¡±


    She had never seen him so emotional over something. This was also the first time he had ever talked back to her. ¡®He¡¯s growing up.¡¯ Kan was starting to have his own independent thoughts and feelings over things. He was no longer the ignorant child who would just follow her and Clive¡¯s orders just because they were his parents. He was asserting his own independence.


    Claire could only be happy that Kan was growing up, but she was also conflicted on whether to tell him or not. Should she burdened her own son with their family''s past or should she just never tell him so he would never have to worry about it. She bit her bottom her lip as she considered her choices. She was conflicted on what to do, but she could also see that Kan wanted to know. ¡®I...I...I should tell him. He¡¯s no longer an ignorant child. I don¡¯t know when I might disappear from his life, but he needs to know our family¡¯s history.¡¯


    ¡°Kan, come here. I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know, i¡¯ll tell you everything about our family, and i¡¯ll tell you all our plans for the future.¡±


    Kan could see the sadness and weariness within Claire¡¯s eyes. In that moment, Kan felt like his mother had aged drastically. He complied with what Claire wanted, and sat in between her legs again.


    ¡°Let me tell you this Kan, you don¡¯t have to worry about the village being destroyed. The mayor, Clive, and I have been preparing for a long time. The last time I heard from Clive about the Dragon¡¯s Den formation, it was already at 50%. It only needs another 2 years before it¡¯s complete. Even if we were to be attack before the the formation was complete, I have made other plans to deal with that. I have already set up a large teleportation formation that will teleport all of the villages outside of the village. I¡¯m still tinkering with the formation so I don¡¯t know where exactly the villages will be teleported to. It takes about 30 minutes to activate, so I also made another plan to stall for time. I have made about 50 magic golems to hold the enemies back and if that isn¡¯t enough, i¡¯ve also set up trap formations that will only activate on anyone other than the villagers.¡±


    Kan was shocked at how well prepared Claire was. With this amount of preparations, they should be able to defeat the opposing groups. In the eighth set of memories there were 3 groups attacking the village and each group had about 50 people. If Kan added all the able bodied men in the village and the magic golems together, it would total about 200. ¡®But how strong are the magic golems.¡¯


    ¡°Mommy, what are magic golems and how strong are they.¡±


    ¡°Regular golems are just made from dirt, but they could be made from other materials. I decided to make my golems out of boulders so they are sturdier. Each one is about 2 meters tall and they are also able to use magic, hence the name magic golem. 10 of them can use simple earth magic, another 10 can use simple fire magic, another 10 can use simple water magic, another 10 can use simple wind magic, and the last 10 are able to use all 4 elements. In terms of strength, a single magic golem would take up to 15-20 villagers to defeat it.¡±


    Kan¡¯s eyes glowed, the magic golems were stronger than he had even imagined. The chances of the village being destroyed were getting lower and lower. And if he convinced Nicole¡¯s group to not attack, then the chances would become even smaller.


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re amazing. Those people attacking the village won¡¯t even see this coming.¡±


    Claire could hear how happy and relieved he was knowing how well prepared they were. Claire knew this wouldn¡¯t be enough to protect the village though. Her family held a secret that so many other kingdoms wanted. She didn¡¯t know whether their preparations were even enough to deal with the attacks of so many kingdoms.


    Claire sighed before she began to talk. Kan could tell that this was a sigh of sadness and grief. He was excited at how prepared they were, but after hearing Claire sigh, he readied himself. He knew that his mother held many secrets and divulge him on some of them.


    ¡°Let me tell you about my past, Kan. The past of the former princess, Claire Renner.¡±

 Chapter 66: Claire Renners Past(Part 1)

    ¡°Your Mommy was once the princess of the city-state of Key. No, I was once the princess of the Kingdom of Key. Remember this Kan, no matter what, our nation will always be known as the Kingdom of Key. Never lose the pride in the founder and ancestors who staked their lives to build this kingdom. If we were never betrayed that day, you would have continued on to be the prince of this kingdom. It was all that man¡¯s fault. He betrayed all the trust that my father had in him! He didn¡¯t even think twice when he killed my father and brothers!¡±


    Kan was stunned at everything Claire just told him. His family was part of the royal family who ruled the nation. This thought had never even occurred to him, he had lived his who life as a simple villager. Finding out about his bloodline wasn¡¯t what really shocked him though, it was the amount of hatred in Claire¡¯s voice when talking about her father and brother¡¯s killer. He had never heard her openly curse and loathe someone from the very depths of her soul.


    Kan could feel her shaking from anger. Kan turned around and saw Claire¡¯s hatred filled eyes. Seeing Claire like this, Kan felt scared of her. He had never seen Claire so angry before and he didn¡¯t like it. This wasn¡¯t the Claire he knew, the Claire he knew was a kind mom who scolded him when he needed to be scolded, she would always comfort him whenever he felt distressed, and even bickered with Clive over small things. All he could do was give her a hug and try to console her grief.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Mommy. I¡¯m here for you.¡±


    Feeling Kan embrace her and trying to comfort her, she calmed down. Just the thought of her most hated enemy had blinded her with anger, but her loving son had brought her back to reality. Claire sighed and hugged Kan back.


    ¡°Mommy, how many uncles or aunts did I have? Who was grandpa? Were they all nice people like Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they were all kind people just like Mommy. Mommy had 2 brothers, Lance Renner and Tristan Renner. Lance was 8 years older than me and Tristan was only 4 years older than me, which made me the youngest out of the 3. Since Lance was the first born son, my father raised him strictly so he could be become the next king of the country. Tristan on the other hand was more mischievous and free spirited. He would always get me involved in his pranks, and whenever we got into trouble, it would always Lance who protected us. Although Lance seemed cold and distant towards others, Tristan and I knew that he was a kind older brother because he would always dot on us. Once in a while, although he was busy, he would take time to bring us snacks and play with us. They...they were the best brothers I could have had.¡±


    Claire momentarily stopped her story and began to cry. Kan could feel the sadness in Claire¡¯s voice as she remembered her brothers. Kan felt a tinge of pain from within him as he listened to Claire cry. Hatred was slowly building up within him for whoever made his Mommy so sad.


    ¡°Sorry, Kan. I¡¯ll continue my story. Your grandpa¡¯s name was Rike Renner and your grandma was Victoria Renner. I didn¡¯t know my mother that well because she died soon after I was born. From what my brothers have told me, although she was part of the royalty, she never discriminated against the lower class. She treated everyone the same as her own kids. Haha, my brothers also told me that she would walk around the castle treating all the maids, butlers, and even soldiers like children. She would check if they were sick and even gave them candy for their hard work. I wish I could have met her once in my life.¡±


    ¡°My father, Rike Renner, was a kind but also strong person. Even after my mother¡¯s death, I heard from my brothers that my father was unfazed by it. That is what they initially thought, but over the following years, they found out that our father was the one most affected by it. Sometimes at night they would peek through his room and see him crying while holding our mother¡¯s ring. Even when he was going through so much pain, he tried to seem joyful in front of us so we wouldn¡¯t feel worried. My brother Lance began to further increase his knowledge and experience so he could help alleviate some of our father¡¯s stress, Tristan also took his studies more seriously even though he still played pranks here and there, and I was too young to understand how to help them, so I did my best as a princess and didn¡¯t bother them.¡±


    ¡°Everything was fine for our family until my brother Tristan disappeared. This was the downfall of our family and the nation.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡­¡­


    I still remember that day very vividly. I had turned 8 years old not that long ago and my father had thrown me an extravagant party. During the party everyone was having fun, but I could see that my father had not eaten much at all. So the week after that, I wanted to try cooking something for him. I heard from my brothers that our mother would always cook cookies for him to eat, so that morning I had asked one of the maids to teach me how to bake cookies, but all of them ended in failure except for one. I was proud of this cookie and was on my way to my father¡¯s room. Before I could even get to the room, I could hear my father angrily shouting.


    ¡°What do you mean the second prince disappeared!!! How can he disappear out of thin air like that you fucking idiots!! Weren¡¯t there any traces left behind!¡±


    ¡°I-I-i¡¯m sorry your highness. We couldn¡¯t find anything within a 50 mile radius. No traces of the carriage and no traces of any of our soldiers at all.¡±


    ¡°Incompetent idiots!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!! Tell Jonathan to come to my room immediately!!!¡±


    I was shocked hearing that Tristan had disappeared. I was worried and scared, the kind brother who would always play with me and get me involved with his pranks had disappeared. I ran into my father¡¯s room hysterically asking where my brother was.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Claire. Don¡¯t worry about it, Daddy will find Tristan and bring him back home.¡±


    My father couldn¡¯t do anything else to calm me down. He kept on reassuring me that Tristan was going to be back home before I even knew it. Looking back on it, he was even more distressed than I was. His reddish brown hair was disheveled as he had been pulling at his hairs out of anxiety, and his face looked even older.


    In was in that moment that the doors opened and a man with a rugged face full of scars came in, and following behind him was a young boy with light brown hair just a little bit older than me. The two of them were both wearing light armor that only covered their vitals and they weren¡¯t carrying weapons. That boy I met that day was your father, Clive, and your grandpa, Jonathan.


    ¡°Jonathan greets you, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Quit the act and stand up. It¡¯s an urgent matter.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem Rike?¡±


    This was the first time I had ever heard my father be called by his first name. I didn¡¯t know who this man was but I could tell that he was very familiar with my father. I looked at Clive and he smiled and waved at me. Back when your Mommy was 8 years old, I didn¡¯t have any close friends besides my brothers. All the other maids and butlers treated me with respect and never got close to me. This was the first time a boy had acted so intimately towards me so I didn¡¯t know how to react. I looked away from him, but I knew that I was blushing. That was when I remembered that I still had my cookie to give towards my father but I wasn¡¯t able to give it to him.


    ¡°Tristan has gone missing from his trip to the Kingdom of Shields. I want you and your men to do whatever you can to find him. And let me tell you this Jonathan, I don¡¯t want this to ever happen again.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Rike. I¡¯ll do everything in my power to find your son. Clive, your new mission is to stay and protect Princess Claire with you life. Do you understand.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Rike, i¡¯ll report back after i¡¯m done with my investigation.¡±


    ¡°Good, hurry and find my son, we don¡¯t know if his life is in danger or not.¡±


    Jonathan and Clive left the room after they were given their missions. I was left alone with my father. This was the perfect chance to give him my cookie. My brothers told me that our mother would always bake cookies for our father whenever he was stressed. I thought that my cookie will help him but I couldn¡¯t give it to him.


    ¡°F-Father, I made some¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Claire. Can you leave me only for the time being. Father is busy at the moment.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t able to finish my sentence and left feeling dejected. The moment I left the room, Clive was standing right there.


    ¡°Greetings Princess Claire, my name is Clive Lock and from now on I am your personal guard.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen to his introduction and left before he could even finish. I ran towards my room with tears dripping down my face. In that moment I was depressed that I wasn¡¯t able to give my cookie to my father. I wanted him to eat it and praise me on how good it was, but that didn¡¯t happen. I ran towards my room as I cried, and along the way I threw the cookie away.

 Chapter 67: Claire Renners Past(Part 2)

    I cried and cried in my room. I was sad that my father hadn¡¯t eaten my cookie, but I was mostly sad at how I wasn¡¯t even able to help him. Lance was already helping our father deal with signing off documents, even Tristan had been going around the capital helping deal with criminal activity before he disappeared. I was the only one unable to help our father and that made me frustrated.


    ¡°Princess Claire are you in there.¡±


    ¡°Go Away!!! I don¡¯t want to talk with anyone right now!!¡±


    After my command, the person at my door was silent. I had thought they left and began to cry even more. I was crying so much that I didn¡¯t even realize that the person that knocked on my door was Clive.


    ¡°Hmm, I wonder what this cookie I found while chasing Princess Claire tastes like. Ugh, it¡¯s so sweet.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t left, instead he was speaking exaggeratedly loud so I would be able to hear what he was doing. In that moment I was extremely angry at what he was doing. I was angry that he was eating my cookie that was meant for my father, it wasn¡¯t meant for anyone else. I angrily stomped towards the door and flung it open. In front of me was that same boy I had met a while ago licking his fingers with crumbs on his face.


    ¡°What are you doing! That wasn¡¯t meant for you!!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, who¡¯s is it then? I remember a grumpy little princess throwing this away. Since it was already thrown away, why couldn¡¯t I take it for my own then?¡±


    ¡°¡®Grumpy little princess¡¯. How dare you call me a grumpy little princess!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you one? You¡¯re just a grumpy little spoiled princess who was just about to waste food. Do you know how much time and effort were put into the ingredients you used for your cookie? The sugar, the butter, the flour, and even the eggs. All of these were grown by your citizens, and what for, to just barely be paid to live. They all have their own families to feed and you were just about to throw away all their hard work because you were unhappy.¡±


    This boy I barely knew was furious and he was even berating me. No one had ever talked down to me like this before and I was angry. The things he was saying I didn¡¯t understand, so I could only respond back with anger.


    ¡°Shut up!!! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You don¡¯t know anything about me!¡±


    I slammed the door shut on your father, and jumped back towards my bed. I was sad that my father didn¡¯t eat my cookie, but now I was also furious at Clive. What he said really struck me because I had never thought about how much work was put into those ingredients. But me being young and emotional, I wanted to deny it. I wanted to deny everything Clive had said to me. I didn¡¯t want to accept being called a ¡®grumpy spoiled little princess¡¯, but deep down I knew I was a spoiled princess, which made me want to deny it even more. With all these emotions swirling within me, I cried my eyes out until I fell asleep.


    ¡­...


    A week passed after I had met Clive. That entire week there was no news about my brother Tristan. Lance had come and checked on my condition every few days when he had time. He knew that I was the closest to Tristan and knew that I would be devastated. It was comforting that Lance would come once in a while to visit me even though he was busy.


    There was one thing during that week that I couldn¡¯t accept though. Clive was still around and had not left. He followed me wherever I went, and I promptly ignored him. I didn¡¯t want to see him or talk to him at all. Even when I asked my father to get Clive away from me, he said that it was for my safety that Clive stayed by my side. I even told Lance about the situation and his response was the same as our father.


    But on this day it was different, I woke up and had my maids dress me. I walked out of my door expecting Clive to greet me as usual in his sarcastic tone. For the past week every time I opened the door, he would say something along the lines of ¡°Good morning, oh holy royal Princess Claire.¡± I usually ignored him, but since he wasn¡¯t here to greet me, my routine felt off.


    ¡®Humph, why do I have to bother where he is.¡¯ I stopped thinking about Clive and walked towards the room where my lessons were held. I was a princess so I was expected to know things a princess should know like dancing, greetings, charm, and various other things. That day I was going to learn about the history of the capital and the residents.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°From our lesson last time, you should know that the capital is separated into 5 different classes: The royalty, the nobles, the citizens, the beggars, and the slaves¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t really remember much from that tutor because I zoned out. ¡®Humph, that annoying boy is finally gone from my life. I hope he never comes back.¡¯ I didn¡¯t even realize it myself at the time, but all my thoughts were already filled with thoughts of Clive.


    ¡°Citizens are the one to grow our plants and make other necessities for living. The city and nobles gain money through taxing the citizens when they sell their produce.¡±


    This was the one thing from the lecture that had caught my attention. It was when he mentioned how the citizens produced our necessities that I remembered what Clive had berated me on. So I decided to learn more about the circumstances.


    ¡°Um, Mister Shallow, how long does it usually take for our citizens to grow plants and stuff. For example how long does it take for wheat to be turned into flour.¡±


    ¡°A good question Princess Claire. Wheat is usually planted within the fall season and harvested during the spring or early summer. So approximately 7 to 8 months for the wheat to grow. This is only the first process in making flour but also the most difficult. The weather, soil condition, and insect invasions are factors taken into account when growing wheat. Depending on the conditions, the harvest could be bountiful or even scarce. Moving on, the next process is to harvest the wheat. Depending on the size of the field, it could take days for the workers to gather up all the wheat. The next step is¡­¡±


    He continued to explain the process and I was shocked. I hadn¡¯t realize how much effort was put into growing ingredients. I continued to ask my tutor how other crops and items are grown and made. The more he explained to me, the more I began to feel guilty.


    I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but everything Clive had said that day was correct. I was a spoiled ignorant princess and that was a fact. I didn¡¯t even know how much our citizens worked to grow the ingredients used for my cookie. After that I couldn¡¯t pay attention to the other lessons I had, all I could think about was how correct Clive was. There was this annoying feeling within me that wouldn¡¯t disappear.


    I didn¡¯t know how to make it disappear, but I knew that I needed to talk to Clive again. When my lessons were all over, I ran out of the room and went searching for Clive. I asked the maids and butlers where Clive was, but none of them knew. I didn¡¯t know where he could be at either, I only knew his first name and how he was a boy a little bit older than me with light brown hair. I didn¡¯t know how long I searched for him, but I was already drenched in sweat. That annoying feeling within me still wouldn¡¯t leave, it was pushing me forward, telling me to find Clive.


    After searching for a while, I finally found him. He was at the training grounds fighting against one of the knights. In comparison to the knight he was facing against, Clive was only half of his height but he was holding his ground. He was drenched in sweat, but he continued to fight.


    ¡°Can you believe it, this is already his 5th fight of the day.¡±


    ¡°Of course I can, he¡¯s Jonathan¡¯s son. He¡¯s only 9 or 10 and he already won 2 fights out of 5. He¡¯s going to be as strong as his father when he grows up.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you guys. You want to hear another story I heard about Jonathan¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that since he was 8 years old, he has been following Jonathan into skirmishes around the borders with other kingdoms.¡±


    ¡°For reals?¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be true, my first battle was when I was 16. That¡¯s half my age when I had my first battle.¡±


    ¡°No, I swear it¡¯s true.¡±


    I was surprised when I heard the chatter of the other knights. I didn¡¯t expect Clive to had gone through so much, he was only a year or two older than me. In comparison, I have stayed within the castle my whole life doing nothing significant at all.


    I remember intensely watching Clive fight. Every attack he made would be blocked by his opponent, and every attack from his opponent made contact. At the time I had no experience in actual combat, but I knew that Clive was losing.


    But against all odds, Clive won the battle. When his opponent had gotten used to Clive¡¯s fighting style, that was when he turned the tables. His opponent had expected him to attack from the front just like all the other times, but he didn¡¯t. Clive slid right under his opponents legs and attacked the back of the knee. When that happened, his opponent fell down to his knees and Clive threw an attack towards his head, but stopped before making impact.


    ¡°The winner is Clive Lock.¡±


    I was shocked, everyone else was shocked, we had all believed that Clive was going to lose the fight. I watched as Clive helped his opponent up, and all the other knights gather around them. All the knights were joking around with Clive and I could see that Clive had already become their friend. He was smiling and joyously talking with the older knights, and all of this only took him a day to befriend them.


    I didn¡¯t know what I was feeling during that time, but I know that I was jealous of Clive. He was able to befriend all of these knights in a matter of a day. The thing that vexed me the most was that he was able to do things I couldn¡¯t even though we weren¡¯t that different in age. He was challenging knights stronger than himself, he wasn¡¯t discouraged when he lost the other battles and continued to fight, he knew more things about the citizens than I did, but most importantly, he was enjoying a life that he had chosen for himself.

 Chapter 68: Claire Renners Past(Part 3)

    ¡°Oh-It¡¯s Princess Claire. Greetings, Princess Claire.¡±


    Everyone finally noticed that I was there watching them, and began to greet me. I smiled and waved back to them.


    ¡°Do you need something from us, Princess Claire.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to bother all of you while you are training, but can I borrow Clive for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead princess, don¡¯t mind us. Clive!!! Princess Claire wants you for a bit.¡±


    Hearing his name being called out, Clive came running up towards us. He formally greeted me just like all the other knights, but I could tell his tone was different. It wasn¡¯t one of praise or reverence, it was over exaggerated and fake.


    ¡°Your servant answers your calls! Princess Claire, what can I do for you!?¡±


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    That was the one thing I said to him at that time. I didn¡¯t want anyone else seeing what I was going to say to Clive so I took him to a more secluded area. But on the way there, Clive wouldn¡¯t stop talking.


    ¡°Where are we going Princess Claire? Oh, are you doing what I think you¡¯re doing. Are you going to confess your love to me. Oh, how blasphemous my looks are, it has even captured the heart of the princess. What can I do though, my charm will bewitch women wherever I go.¡±


    I remember being so furious as Clive continue to brag about how his looks charmed me. I don¡¯t even remember how how held in my anger at him at the time. Even 30 years ago, your father was still exactly the same, always joking around.


    After a few minutes of walking we finally arrived at one of the gardens. I usually frequented this garden and had tea there. The only people passing by this garden would be the occasional maid or butler, so it was the perfect place to talk with no one interrupting us.


    ¡°Clive I have something I want to say to you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you really going to confess?¡±


    ¡°Stop it, Clive!!! I have something serious to say!¡±


    After my outburst, Clive turned quiet. I looked at him and this was the first time he looked so serious. Usually he had this stupid smile on his face, or his fake sarcastic smile. But he was completely serious this time.


    Seeing him being so serious, I started to get nervous. My words wouldn¡¯t come out of my mouth, it was like a frog was stuck in my throat. A few minutes passed by without me saying anything, but Clive was still paying attention to me without making any snarky comments. I mustered up all my energy and said what I wanted to tell him.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m sorry, Clive! I never realized how much effort our citizens had put into growing the ingredients for my cookie! I¡¯m sorry that I disrespected my citizens hardwork when I threw that cookie away.¡±


    The area was silent. I was done with confessing what I wanted to say to Clive, but Clive was completely silent. I didn¡¯t know what I was looking for when I apologized to Clive, but I felt the need to do it. That annoying feeling within me finally disappeared when I apologized to him. It was like a caged bird who was tied down, being freed and able to fly again. I had never felt so better before.


    ¡°Hahahahaha, is that all you wanted to talk to me for. I thought it was something more serious. I¡¯m sorry for laughing, Princess Claire.¡±


    I was embarrassed and furious all at the same time when Clive bursted out into laughter. It took all my courage to apologize to Clive but he just laughed. I was staring at the ground in embarrassment and looked up to berate Clive, but I couldn¡¯t. The moment I looked at his eyes, it was mesmerizing. There was so much kindness and tenderness in them and somewhere I could see gratefulness towards me.


    ¡°Thank you, Claire. Thank you for understanding the struggles of us ordinary people.¡±


    It was just a few simple sentences, but my entire faced began burning up. I couldn¡¯t see my face but I knew that I was blushing immensely. I didn¡¯t know why Clive¡¯s response had made me so happy but it did. I felt all giddy and happy inside knowing that Clive had accepted me.


    ¡°If you want, i¡¯m willing to taste test all your cookies before you give them to your father. Because right now, your cookies taste terrible.¡±


    ¡°S-Shut up!...B-But i¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡±


    What Clive didn¡¯t know at that time was that he was going to be my taste tester for life. Don¡¯t tell your father, but whenever he ticked me off or flirted with another woman, I would make the food he tasted super spicy, bitter, or just outright unpalatable. Now that he knows I can cook good meals, I can¡¯t use this tactic anymore.


    After that day I reconciled with Clive, months passed by in the flash of an eye. These were the most enjoyable times I had ever had in my life. Clive was with me every single day, there were times he was really annoying and irritating, but I enjoyed my time with him. I would see him flirting with the maids around our age, and I got back at him by making him taste my food. Sometimes I would watch him spar with the knights, and those times he was the coolest. He wasn¡¯t joking around or even teasing anyone, he was putting his all into winning his fights. I loved that aspect about him.


    During these times Clive also taught me a lot about the lives of the common people. He told me about the village of Clear View where he grew up, he talked about his friends, and even talked about funny stories that happened there. He also took me outside of the castle to look around the capital, which I had rarely seen. The times I had gone out into the capital with my father, I had only seen the richer areas of the city. I had believed that the rest of the city was like it, but I was wrong. Clive took me to the other areas, and that was when I realized how small my world was. There was a marketplace full of lively people trying to sell items, a guild for adventurers, a blacksmith¡¯s shop, and many other stores.


    The more he showed me, the more my world opened up. He took me near the slums and I could already see how different this area was from everything else I had seen. The buildings were decrepit, the sanitary conditions were terrible, and I even saw people dying on the streets from starvation. Some of them were just skin and bones as they lied there. Seeing all these people, I felt terrible. I hadn¡¯t known any of this before, I was ignorant. I was angry that nothing had been done to help these people.


    I used this as fuel to further my studies. I wanted to learn more so I could help my citizens. I didn¡¯t want more starving citizens dying on the street, I wanted to find a way where every family could live comfortably in a home. But I couldn¡¯t do that, I was just a little girl who held no power. That is why I studied more and more so I could find a way to help my people.


    But my hopes and dreams were destroyed before I could even achieve anything. A month before my 9th birthday, my father suddenly collapsed.

 Chapter 69: Claire Renners Past(Part 4)

    ¡°Father! Father! Father, are you all right!?¡±


    I bursted into my father¡¯s room after hearing he had collapsed. The news had spread quickly within the castle and by the time I got to his room my father was already awake. I was extremely relieved that my father was already fine because when I heard that he had collapsed, I was scared that it was something serious.


    ¡°Here you go, Rike. Drink some of this herbal tea. All the herbs put into this have effects that will recover your body.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Phil. You¡¯re always taking care of me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it brother. Father is off exploring the world, and Mother died a long time ago, so who else is suppose to take care of you when you¡¯re sick.¡±


    The man who was taking care of my father was my uncle, Phillis Renner. This bastard is the one who would betray my father and take over the kingdom. My father was too trusting of him and hadn¡¯t realized that behind the scenes, Phillis was making plans to overthrow him.


    Phillis was his younger brother, and my father dotted on him so he didn¡¯t even have a clue of his evil side. Phillis was a conniving fox who tricked my father. Since Phillis was the second son, he had 0 chances of becoming the king of our nation. Even though he wasn¡¯t able to become king he still helped my father and because of that, my father trusted him. He felt bad for Phillis because he knew Phillis wanted to become king and so he allowed him to be part in political affairs. Phillis took care of the nobles¡¯ affairs and communication with other kingdoms.


    ¡°Claire, Daddy¡¯s all fine now. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    I cried within my father¡¯s arms. A little while later Lance entered the room and he had the exact same reaction as me, he was worried. The only people within the room was me, Lance, my father, Phillis, and a few doctors, while Clive was waiting outside of the room.


    ¡°Father are you fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt you, your majesty. From my analysis of your condition, I believe that you should rest for a few months before continuing your duties as a King.¡±


    My father¡¯s face fell. He had a troubled look on his face as he thought about what to do about his situation. He was the King of this nation and needed to rule it, but he couldn¡¯t. After a while his face no longer looked gloomy, and instead now looked decisive.


    ¡°Ok, I understand Doctor. Lance, I have a mission for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes! What is it Father.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already 17 and almost an adult, so I am willing to entrust this task to you. You are still young and inexperienced, but this will be a valuable for you as the future King. From here on until I get well, you will now be the pseudo-King of this nation. I hope you will be able to show results that satisfy me and our citizens.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father! I will not disappoint you or our citizens!¡±


    Lance had gotten on one knee and kneeled down towards our father. This was the most important task that was ever given to him by our father. There was now a massive weight put on his back with the responsibility of ruling the nation.


    ¡°Since you are still young, I will have your uncle Phillis direct and help you as King. Are you fine with this Phil.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will gladly take the position as my nephew¡¯s advisor.¡±


    ¡°Good, then consider this matter done with.¡±


    Everyone in the room was shocked at what just occurred. But none of us had noticed that one person wasn¡¯t completely shocked like the rest of us. I saw his face and saw that there was a smile on his face. At that time I believed that he was smiling because he was happy because of Lance, but I was wrong. Behind that smile was evil, it was like he had expected this to happen since the beginning.


    Later that day, Lance¡¯s appointment as pseudo-King was announced, and it became the talk of the town. It was even to the point that it had reached the village of Clear View which was the furthest from the capital.


    None of the citizens complained about Lance¡¯s appointment because he had already built a reputation for himself. Our father took care of the bigger problems our nations dealt with, and Lance on the other hand, took time to deal with the smaller affairs in person. The people already knew that Lance cared for the people to the point where he would do menial tasks. The only thing they were worried about was his experience as a ruler. He had never taken on a task this big and he was only 17 years old.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    I wasn¡¯t worried about Lance as the pseudo-King though. I trusted in him and was happy that he had the chance to show off his skills. The only thing I regretted at that time was that Tristan would never be able to see Lance becoming the King. Many months had already passed since Tristan had disappeared, and there was only a very slim chance of him being alive.


    Many people assumed that the Kingdom of Shields had kidnapped Tristan, but there was no evidence leading to them. When Tristan had disappeared he was coming back from the Kingdom of Shields. He had gone to the Kingdom of Shields to propose to the daughter of the Elso household. The Elso household was a mid-class noble family and was well acquainted with our family. Their household was formerly a low-class noble family but after their 3rd daughter, Sera Elso was born, everything changed. That daughter was extremely beautiful so other nobles showered them in gifts hoping to get her hand in marriage. What no one else knew, expect for me, was that she and my brother Tristan had fallen in love with each other. They had met at a party in our nation, and were inseparable. The entire time she was here, she would spend it with Tristan.


    The Elso household was the first suspect, but nothing was found on them that connected to Tristan¡¯s disappearance. The next few suspects were the other nobles who were also interested in Sera, but once again nothing was found. The only clue on Tristan¡¯s disappearance was an eyewitness account. Someone had seen Tristan¡¯s group a few miles from where they had disappeared, and this was used to approximate their location. So many months had passed and no one believed Tristan could still be alive, but to this day, I still believe that he is still alive.


    Everyone had believed that Lance would have been a good ruler, but that wasn¡¯t what happened. During his first week as a ruler, he made a few changes here and there, but nothing too significant. As the second week came around, major changes were made. The army was weakened, the citizens were taxed more, the nobles had more power, and even the King¡¯s power was diminished.


    Before all these changes were implemented, my Father¡¯s ruling couldn¡¯t be called perfect, but it was decent. The taxes on the citizens weren¡¯t too high, there was a strong army to protect the people, and the nobles never had enough power to control the entire nation. But now, the citizens were suffering more than ever.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that this was my brother Lance ruling the nation. He was never this crazy with power, he was a kind older brother who cared for the people and his family. I was angry and confused, but most importantly I wanted answers. I stormed off towards my brother¡¯s room.


    ¡°We have to be careful Claire. Something is very wrong with the kingdom right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Clive. Lance is my brother, I can convince him that what he is doing is wrong.¡±


    As we neared his room, I could see 2 guards in front of his room. The weird thing was that I didn¡¯t recognize them at all. I have watched Clive sparred with many of the knights in the castle and I remembered all of their faces, but I didn¡¯t recognize these 2. Another thing off with them was that their uniforms were different. The regular knight uniforms consisted of the colors black, gray, and white, but these 2 had only black and red on their uniforms.


    ¡°Halt, who are you?¡±


    ¡°Who am I?! How dare you not know that I am the 1st princess of this nation! I am here to see my brother.¡±


    The 2 of them looked at each other and questioned one another. My pompous act and attitude had worked and they proceeded to open the door for me. I walked in with Clive and as we passed by the 2 guards, I could see an emblem on their uniform. It was in the shape of an ¡®S¡¯ and looked like a snake made out of chains. It probably symbolized what group they were with, but I didn¡¯t recognize it.


    We entered the room and it was dark. The only light entering into the room was from the opened doors and the slight openings from the blinds. The room was stuffy and all over the ground it was scattered with papers. The 2 people in front of us was Phillis and Lance. Phillis was standing next to Lance, while Lance was furiously going through the stacks of papers.


    ¡°This is for the better of the Kingdom. It will bring prosperity. I have to do this. This is for the better of the Kingdom. This is for the better of the Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Lance!¡±


    I called out to Lance, but he didn¡¯t reply back. He continued to mumble to himself and work through the papers. It was like he was in a trance and couldn¡¯t hear me so I called out to him again. Again, he didn¡¯t answer me.


    ¡°What are you doing here Claire?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Phillis, what¡¯s wrong with my brother?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Claire. What he is doing is for the greater good of our Kingdom.¡±


    Phillis talked to me like there was absolutely nothing wrong, but I knew something was off. The smile on his face as he talked to me gave me chills. It was one of pure happiness, but his eyes were full of piecring coldness. This entire situation was wrong. My brother would never enact those cruel rules that destroyed the lives of the citizens.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my brother. What have you done to him Uncle Phillis!? These rules and laws would never be accepted by my brother.¡±


    ¡°Why would you say that Claire? Everything that has been done was all done willingly by your brother.¡±


    ¡°No! You¡¯re wrong!! My brother would never be this cruel!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you hear it from him yourself then. Lance tell Claire your goals.¡±


    At that moment, Lance stood up from his chair and looked at me. ¡®That¡¯s not my brother.¡¯ Just looking into his eyes, I felt like I was being absorbed into a deep darkness. His eyes were distant and clouded. Normally he had a cold piercing gaze, but behind that you could still see gentleness. At the moment I couldn¡¯t see any of that gentleness, all I could see were the eyes of a madman.


    ¡°Let me tell you Claire. All I have done is for the greater good of our kingdom! Every action, every plan, and every law is for our nation! I will bring prosperity! I will bring life! I will bring joy! I will become the best King that has ever ruled this nation!!! Anyone who dares to interfere will be EXECUTED!¡±

 Chapter 70: Claire Renners Past(Part 5)

    I stared at my brother in shock. Everything he said was a twisted version of his ideals. I knew Lance wanted to improve the nation, but the way he was currently going at it was twisted. I couldn¡¯t say anything back. It wasn¡¯t until Clive shook me out of my stupor that I realized that the situation was dangerous.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Claire, it¡¯s not safe here anymore.¡±


    Clive forcefully dragged me out of the room. Phillis or Lance did nothing to stop us, but I could feel their cold gazes on my back. It wasn¡¯t long before we arrived at my room. Clive had basically carried me there because I was still stunned from what my brother had said.


    ¡°Claire! Claire! Claire!¡±


    ¡°Huh, what.¡±


    ¡°Snap out of it Claire! We have to leave the capital immediately. Your life is in danger.¡±


    ¡°Wait-what. What are you talking about Clive? I can¡¯t leave yet, I need to go save my brother and my father. They¡¯re also in danger!¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t, Claire. We don¡¯t have the power to go and save them. Uncle Phillis has most likely taken over the entire nation already. The only thing we can do is run away. If only my father was here, we would be able to save them.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I...¡±


    At that time I felt hopeless. I was on the verge of crying, realizing how weak I was. I didn¡¯t have the strength to save my sick father, or Lance. I had tried to become smarter, I had tried to become stronger, but in the end I was still a useless princess who couldn¡¯t do anything for her kingdom. I could only rely on one person to fix everything and that was my father.


    ¡°Clive I want to see my father. He¡¯s the only one who can stop Lance right now.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t visit him Claire. My mission is to protect you and only you. I will do whatever to protect you, and seeing your father right now is to dangerous.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! I need to see him, Clive! Father is the only hope of saving our kingdom right now!¡±


    I stared down Clive and I wasn¡¯t going to back down. No matter what, I wanted to see my father because he could save the kingdom from disaster. I continued to stare down Clive and eventually he gave up and agreed with me.


    ¡°Ok.Ok.Ok. I give up, we¡¯ll go see if your father can save the kingdom, but if he can¡¯t, we are leaving tonight no matter. My mission is to protect you and i¡¯ll use my life to do it.¡±


    I could see in Clive¡¯s eyes that he was anxious about the entire situation. He was still trying to protect me even though his life was also in danger. I was grateful for Clive being there with me. Even when I was being selfish, he was still willing to help me. If I was by myself, my body and heart wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with this situation, but Clive was there for me. Just him being with me was enough to keep me calm and collected.


    ¡°Here take this. You remember how to use it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Clive handed me his sword. Although he was a combat specialist, that didn¡¯t mean he only used his fists in battle. His sword wasn¡¯t used that often, but it was convenient when he needed to hide his skills or chop up meat for lunch.


    ¡°How are we going to get to your father¡¯s room? Phillis has probably already surrounded his room.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that Clive. Help me push my bed.¡±


    Clive and I pushed the bed away and used it to block the door just in case any of Phillis¡¯s men came. The spot where the bed was placed looked completely normal, but there was a secret passageway under it. The key to opening the door was to use a special type of magic formation to open it. This formation was passed down from our ancestors so only the royal family knew of it.


    The floor opened up showing a staircase that led downwards. We walked down the stair, but before that, I closed the door. It was completely dark so I had to use magic to illuminate the area.


    ¡°Do you know where you¡¯re going Claire?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. I know this place like the back of my hand. I would even go as far as to say that I can walk through this labyrinth with my eyes closed.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s get going. We need to quickly do this before Phillis¡¯s men come after us.¡±


    The labyrinth was completely made out of stone and had many branching pathways, but that wasn¡¯t a problem. It was wide enough that 2 full grown adults could walk side by side, and as tall as 2 adults stacked on top of each other. So for the 2 of us there was a lot of room to walk.


    30 minutes passed by and we had only seen the occasional rodents and spiders. Not only were there rats and spiders, there were also different types of monsters lurking in the labyrinth. We saw a few ghost floating around, a few Living Statues, Vampire Bats, and Flickering Shadows. After 30 minutes had passed, we had our first encounter with a human.


    ¡°What should we do Clive?¡±


    ¡°We can only see one person, but there¡¯s probably a lot more in this labyrinth. We can¡¯t risk alerting them.¡±


    ¡°Wait I have an idea Clive. There should be a lot of guards around my father¡¯s room so we need a distraction.¡±


    I began explaining my plan to Clive. It was a very simple, but effective plan. We were going to lure those monsters we had seen, towards the guards. This would cause a commotion and give us a chance to slip into my father¡¯s room.


    ¡°What if we get caught in between the monsters and the guards?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Clive. There¡¯s a few secret passages up ahead. We can bring the monsters toward the guards and jump into the secret passage.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s do this then.¡±


    We ran back the way we came and disturbed the monsters. The monsters were now chase right behind us. It was a dangerous plan but I was confident it would work.


    ¡°How much longer until we reach them, Claire.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there! Just keep running!¡±


    ¡°Hey what¡¯s that sound.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you hear it? It sounds like clopping or stomping.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably just monsters walking around.¡± ¡°Wait, what is that?¡± ¡°Holy shit, that¡¯s a whole horde of monsters!!¡±


    ¡°Now Clive!¡±


    I grabbed Clive¡¯s hand and jumped towards a wall. I¡¯m sure Clive was surprised at what I was doing because it looked like an ordinary wall, but it was a door. I drew a small magic formation and casted it at the wall, and it opened. It was a small passageway where we had to crawl, but it was fine because our bodies were small.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Wow, that was close. How do you know about these passages, Claire?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, my brother Tristan used to play pranks on everyone in the castle, and he would use the labyrinth to escape. He would take me along to play his pranks, and eventually I learned the layout of the labyrinth.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, your brother seems like a fun person, but in comparison you¡¯re such a grouchy princess.¡±


    ¡°S-Shut up!¡±


    Even in such a serious situation, Clive was still able to joke around. Some people may find his jokes inappropriate for the time, but it really calmed me down. My high strung nerves were able to relax a little bit.


    We went through many twists and turns, but eventually we reached an exit. I unlocked another door and walked out of the crawlspace. The area we walked out of was empty, and there clearly wasn¡¯t any exit. We had almost reached our destination.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing here?¡±


    ¡°My father¡¯s room should be right behind that wall over there.¡±


    We walked up to the wall and I was ready to unlock it, but I stopped myself. I could hear someone talking from the other side of the wall. Even though it was faint, I could tell it was Phillis talking.


    ¡°Clive, come here. Uncle Phillis is in my father¡¯s room. See if you can hear their conversation.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°You should tell me brother. I have already taken over the nation, so just give it up. Tell me where father is hiding it!!!¡±


    ¡°N-never. I finally understand why father never told you his secret. I should have never trusted you Phil.¡±


    ¡°HAHAHA! It¡¯s too late to regret it now, brother. I will finally become the king of this nation. Father loved you so much and even raised you to become king, but what can he do now. He didn¡¯t care for me, he had no hopes for me at all, but now i¡¯ll show him, i¡¯ll show all of you that I can be King. HAHAHA!!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, how despicable.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, if you won¡¯t tell me now, i¡¯ll find another way to make you say it. What if I kill you daughter in front of you. You know what, I have a better idea, I can violate her in front of you. Even though she is still young, she looks gorgeous just like mother.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T YOU FUCKING DARE TOUCH HER!!!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha, what can you even do in your current state, brother. Hehe, i¡¯ll be back and so will Claire. Just wait for the party to start.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    I looked at Clive and could see that he was shaking. His fists were clenched so tight that I could feel an intense killing aura from him. I asked him what he had heard, but he hadn¡¯t told me the whole truth. He only told me that Phillis was threatening my father for a secret my grandfather had. It wasn¡¯t until years later that he told me about Phillis plan to violate me. Just thinking about it brings shivers down my spine. I had always thought he was a kind uncle, but he had been looking at my body not as a niece, but as a woman. It was then that we could hear a door open and close. Phillis had finally left and we prepared to enter. But before we entered, I heard my father leave out a loud sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Tristan. I¡¯m so sorry Lance. I¡¯m so sorry Claire. If only I had noticed Phil¡¯s evil nature, I could have stopped him.¡±


    The wall opened up and I could see my father. He had changed so much in the time I hadn¡¯t seen him. The last time I saw him was a week ago and he still looked healthy, but now he was basically a different person. His reddish brown hair had almost all turned white and his body was basically skin and bones. He no longer had his imposing body and kingly aura around him. He looked like an old man on his deathbed.


    ¡°FATHER!!!¡±


    I jumped into my father¡¯s arms with tears gushing out. He had changed so much and I could tell that he was dying. I didn¡¯t want to accept that. He couldn¡¯t be dying, he was my father. A strong and strict King, but also a loving father. I couldn¡¯t say anything, the tears were coming to fiercely and my throat was becoming dry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry Claire.¡±


    ¡°F-fath-uuuwwwwaaaa!!!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Claire. Don¡¯t cry. It¡¯ll be fine. Daddy¡¯s right here.¡±


    My father could only try and console me as I continued to cry my heart out. I don¡¯t remember how long I cried, but eventually the tears stopped coming out. I had cried all of the tears out of my body.


    ¡°Greeting, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for protecting Claire, Clive. Your father has raised you well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your praise, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to put this on you, but can I count on you to continue to protect Claire.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Highness. I will risk my life to protect Claire.¡±


    ¡°Good. Claire are you done crying.¡±


    ¡°F-Father¡­¡±


    ¡°Clive come closer. I have a mission for the both of you. But let me ask you this Clive, where is your father right now.¡±


    ¡°My father is currently fighting on the frontlines against the other nations while also searching for Tristan on the side. Lately the attacks from the other nations have become more fierce, so he hasn¡¯t had time to come back.¡±


    ¡°I see, so you have already betrayed our kingdom, Phil.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, your highness. Are you saying that Uncle Phillis is helping these other nations?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Over the past years, there would only be the occasion skirmishes once every 5 to 10 years, but the past 3 years, they have been attacking more frequently. I thought it was weird that their attacks increased in intensity, but it makes sense now. Phil has told them what my father has discovered.¡±


    ¡°Father, why is all of this happening? Our nation hasn¡¯t even done anything wrong so why are we being punished? Why!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Claire. I¡¯ll tell you the reason why all of this is happening, but you must absolutely never tell anyone unless you completely trust them. Clive i¡¯ll allow you to also hear it, your father already knows about this, so eventually you would have learned about it. All of this is currently happening because my father, Vagrand, discovered a secret that pertains to our kingdom¡¯s past.¡±


    ¡°5 years ago, my father discovered the founder of the Kingdom of Key¡¯s secret vault.¡±


    ¡°Y-y-you mean the Locksmith Sovereign. The only person to ever master all 3 aspects of a locksmith.¡±


    ¡°Yes. He had discovered a map that led to the vault, but he couldn¡¯t open it. Since the vault was created by the Locksmith Sovereign, it was extremely difficult to get in to. As he was looking around the vault, he discovered that he needed to find 3 keys to open it. But that wasn¡¯t going to be an easy task, the 3 keys were scattered throughout the world. This is why my father still hasn¡¯t come home after so many years.¡±


    ¡°But what does this have to do with other kingdoms attacking our nation, father?¡±


    ¡°It does, Claire. You may not know it, but during the founder¡¯s prime, he went and stole many kingdoms founding treasures.¡±


    ¡°What are founding treasures?¡±


    ¡°Founding treasures are legendary items that the founders of each kingdom used during their lifetime. Not many know this, but each kingdom wasn¡¯t built on just a single founding treasure. The Spear Kingdom¡¯s main founding treasure is the spear, but another one is his ring that is able to cover the spear in flames, significantly increasing it¡¯s damage. And this exact founding treasure was stolen by the Locksmith Sovereign. The importance of a founding treasure is even more important than the ruler of a kingdom, so that is why many people want to find the founder¡¯s vault where he hid these treasures. But even after so many years of them searching our nation, they still couldn¡¯t find it, so now that they know someone has a clue on the whereabouts, they are trying their best to find your grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Father, how did Uncle Phillis come to find out about this secret.¡±


    ¡°I truly don¡¯t know. When my father had told me about this secret, he had sealed the entire room shut so no one would be able to hear our conversation. The only person I had ever told this secret to was Clive¡¯s father and I would never doubt him. He has been through life and death with me even before I became King. I can only assume that Phil had someone extremely powerful spying my every move. And I hadn¡¯t even suspected him at all.¡±


    ¡°Your highness, what was the mission you were going to give me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you for reminding me. I want you to take Claire and leave the capital immediately. Go and find your father, and tell him to serve under Phil until he discovers everyone working with him. I don¡¯t have much long too live, but tell Jonathan that I trust him to annihilate everyone trying to destroy our Kingdom. Tell him that this is his last mission from me, and that he was a good friend.¡±


    ¡°F-father.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry Claire. Very soon, Daddy can¡¯t be with you anymore, so I want you to stay strong. I want you to live your life to your fullest and to enjoy it. Can you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°Y-y-yes.¡±


    ¡°Good. Clive, take Claire and leave immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Claire.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, father.¡±

 Chapter 71: Claire Renners Past(Part 6)

    It was at that moment that a magic formation glowed beneath our feet. I didn¡¯t understand it because it was too complex, but it was a teleportation formation. The next thing I knew the scenery had changed. We were no longer within my father¡¯s room, we were next to a small barn in an opened field and the sun was setting. Looking behind me I could see the walls protecting the capital and realized that I was finally leaving the capital for the first time in my life. But I felt terrible because I didn¡¯t want to leave the capital in this sort of circumstance. I wanted to travel outside the city with my brother Lance, with my brother Tristan, and my father. I wanted to enjoy visiting the other villages, camping outside, looking for food in the wild, but I wanted to do all of this with them.


    After being teleported, that was the last time I would ever see my father. His body was skin and bones while his hair was all white, and he didn¡¯t look anything like the father I knew. But there was one thing that was the same, his smile. Even when he knew he was going to die very soon, he still smiled. The only thing I could do was smile for him.


    But now that I was no longer with him, I could feel the tears seeping out. I couldn¡¯t hold them back anymore. My brother Tristan still hadn¡¯t been found, my brother Lance is being controlled, and my father was going to die. Realizing that all of this was happening, all my emotions flooded out and I began to wail like a banshee.


    That entire night I cried and cried. Even when the tears wouldn¡¯t come out anymore, I still cried. The only thing that calmed me down a little was that Clive was with me. When we slept in the barn that night, Clive held my hand and didn¡¯t let go. Even as I cried, I could feel the warmth and comfort from Clive¡¯s hand.


    The next morning we stole some cloaks from the barn and covered ourselves. We also took a horse since we didn¡¯t have any other way to get to the frontlines. The days following that were a blur. Every scenery I saw was something new, but during that time I didn¡¯t have the heart to enjoy it. I was depressed and everything I saw was colorless.


    An entire week passed by and we could finally see the walls of the frontline. It was one of the two great walls that protected our nation. One of the great wall is on the west side of the nation protecting us from the Kingdom of Spears and one at the north protecting us from the Kingdom of Shields. There isn¡¯t any wall from the south and the east because the Kingdom of Sea rarely involved itself with human affairs.


    The wall we approached was the western wall. Just a ways from the wall we could see tents set up all around the area. There were also a few stalls with people selling goods. But most of the people I could see were soldiers.


    ¡°Halt! Who are you?!¡±


    ¡°Heh, it¡¯s only been a year and you can¡¯t even remember me, Rick.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Clive. Go on ahead. Why are you in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Rick. I have to go and meet my father.¡±


    ¡°Oh, your father isn¡¯t here right now. He¡¯s out on the frontlines.¡±


    ¡°Ok, i¡¯ll go and wait at his tent then.¡±


    ¡°Wait before you go, who¡¯s that behind you.¡±


    ¡°Uh, she¡¯s...uh my friend.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I won¡¯t bother you with it anymore. Just go on ahead you lovebird.¡±


    After passing the guard we headed closer towards the wall. All around the wall were many tents, but there was clearly one tent that was bigger than the others. I assumed that this was Jonathan¡¯s tent because we were headed towards it, but I was wrong. Clive turned the horse and we arrived in front of a tent that was the same size as all the other soldiers. He entered the tent like it was a natural thing for him to do.


    We had expected the tent to be empty but we were wrong. There was a woman in there, but what shocked me the most was what she was doing. Her face was buried in a shirt and we could clearly hear her sniffing it like a dog.


    ¡°Abby, I thought I already told you to stop sniffing my father¡¯s stuff. One of these days he is going to find out and his image of you will be ruined.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    That woman turned around and stared at us in shock. She was very pretty. She had wavy hazel brown hair that reached her waist and a pair of glasses covering her green eyes.


    ¡°Clivveeee!!!! Your back.¡±


    That woman jumped towards Clive and embraced him. Clive didn¡¯t even resist, it looked like he was already used to this happening. But it still made me a little irritated that he didn¡¯t resist.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much Clive. Oh wait, who is this? A-am I about to become a mother-in-law.¡±


    ¡°This weird lady is your mother?¡±


    ¡°N-¡±


    ¡°Yes I am. Nice to meet you, I am Abigail Euper, Clive¡¯s soon to be mother.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t accept it so easily Claire. This woman isn¡¯t my mother, she is just a soldier hopelessly in love with my father.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how embarrassing. You can¡¯t just be telling everyone about my feelings, Clive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure everyone except my father realizes.¡±


    ¡°Hehehahaha!!!¡±


    That was the first time in an entire week that I had a good laughed. I had been so depressed over everything that had happened, but seeing Clive and Abigail bicker made me remember my brothers. Whenever Tristan got into trouble because of his pranks, it was always Lance who cleaned up his mess. Since our mother had passed away and father was so busy, Lance was a mother-like figure who would scold Tristan and I, or comfort us.


    ¡°There you go. You look much more beautiful smiling.¡±


    Before I even knew it, Abigail embraced me and began to gently rub my head. It was a mysterious feeling, I felt absolutely calmed and comfortable. It was so warm, so incredibly warm that every negative feeling was washed away. It was like being in my mother¡¯s embrace, even though I don¡¯t remember that feeling. The tears began pouring out and I began to cry.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok to cry. You shouldn¡¯t bottle up all your feelings. You¡¯re here right now and don¡¯t have to worry about anything. Just cry it out.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡­¡­


    I don¡¯t remember how much time passed, but by the time I woke up, it was already night time. That comforting warmth still wrapped around my whole body. I wanted to stay in that position forever. I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about me being a princess, I didn¡¯t have to worry about the kingdom, I didn¡¯t have to worry about the future at all, but I knew I couldn¡¯t stay like this. I slowly opened my eyes and the first thing that greeted me was Abigail¡¯s gentle green eyes.


    ¡°Good morning Claire. Oh wait, or is it good night since it¡¯s night time?¡±


    Abigail laughed at her own comment, and I slowly got up from her lap where my head had been resting. I looked around the room and it was the same room I had first seen Abigail sniffing a shirt, but this time there was another person in the room. It was the same man with scars all over his rugged face that I had seen a year ago, Clive¡¯s father, Jonathan.


    Clive was currently telling his father what had happened in the capital. I could see the various emotions that went through Jonathan¡¯s face: Worry, anger, and sadness. Unlike me who had been depressed after all the events that happened, Jonathan immediately got to planning for the future. He began to instruct Clive on what he had to do and eventually he came towards me.


    ¡°Good morning Princess Claire. I know that you have been through a lot these past few weeks, but you must keep your head up. Rike wouldn¡¯t want you to stay depressed like this, rather he would want you to smile and stay happy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mister Lock.¡±


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s better. Ok, let¡¯s talk about your future Princess Claire. For now, I plan to have Clive take you the village of Clear View, but in a very roundabout matter. The first thing Phillis will probably do is look for clues around me and my army, since i¡¯m the only person you can rely on. So I plan to have you leave immediately tomorrow, so no one in the army sees you. If he finds no clues on your whereabouts here, then next he will probably check the village of Clear View. I will have you leave for the Kingdom of Spears and live there for a year before coming back to Clear View. I know Phillis¡¯ personality very well, at first he¡¯ll observe Clear View for a few months at most and eventually stop. He¡¯ll come to convince himself that you guys aren¡¯t there, so he¡¯ll stop spending resources to observe Clear View.¡±


    ¡°Big Boss Jonathan, do you really think it¡¯s a good idea to send only Clive to protect Claire.¡±


    ¡°Abigail, you¡¯re calling me Big Boss too.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, sorry. Everyone¡¯s been calling you Big Boss and I wanted to join in.¡±


    ¡°Haah, I don¡¯t mind but let¡¯s get back on topic. I think this is the best option for Clive and Claire to survive. The less people, the smaller the chance of them being discovered. Do you understand, Clive, Princess Claire.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s all. Go ahead and get all the rest you can before dawn comes. Claire, don¡¯t be so worried, i¡¯ll do whatever I can to protect Rike¡¯s dreams.¡±


    After Jonathan was done explaining his plans, Abigail took my hand and led me to her tent. Clive stayed behind and continued to talk to Jonathan. It didn¡¯t take long for us to reach Abigail¡¯s tent, it was only about 3 tents away from Jonathan¡¯s.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a bath Claire. I¡¯m sure that Clive just rushed here without giving you time to properly clean yourself. That kid may try and act like he¡¯s popular with girls, but he knows nothing about them.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Abigail suggested taking a bath because in the middle of her tent was a tub. It was going to be the first real bath I had in a week. During the time I was coming here with Clive, we only rinsed our body with cold water. I was glad that I would be able to take a bath. As I was undressing, Abigail was locking down the tent while also creating water for the tub.


    ¡°Abigail, you¡¯re a mage locksmith?¡±


    ¡°Yep and can you stop calling me Abigail. Just call me Abby like Clive. There is a very high chance that I will become your Mother in the future.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Shishishi. Let¡¯s get in the bath before we talk.¡±


    Just like that I got into one side of the bath. It was incredibly warm and comforting. But before I even knew it, Abigail got into the bath right behind me. The next thing I knew, I was laying on soft bouncy marshmallows.


    ¡°You want to know why I said that I will become your mother in the future?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am curious.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you marry Clive and I marry Jonathan then wouldn¡¯t I become your mother. It is as simple as that.¡±


    ¡°W-w-ww-wait, why would I marry Clive?¡±


    I was extremely flustered at what Abby proclaimed. Everything she said was just so outrageous and it surprised me.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t you like Clive?¡±


    ¡°I-I-I wouldn¡¯t say that I like him. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t get him out of my mind. Or like I just keep thinking about him. It¡¯s like a sickness that just won¡¯t go away. I-I wouldn¡¯t call this love.¡±


    ¡°Hhmmmmmm, whatever you say Claire. But you better be careful, if you aren¡¯t, then one of these days Clive is going to be taken by some other girl.¡±


    ¡°He-he¡¯s going to leave me?¡±


    ¡°You never know Claire. The future is always uncertain.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why, but my tears started coming out again. The thought of Clive leaving me made me feel so empty. I was scared. The days where he would play with me or eat my cooking would disappear. Those happy days would be gone forever and I would be alone again. I didn¡¯t want to be alone. Clive has always been there for me, and I wanted to be a part of his life.


    ¡°Ah, i¡¯m sorry Claire. I didn¡¯t mean to make you cry.¡±


    Abby began comforting me as I sobbed at the thought of Clive leaving my life. Before I even knew it, Clive had become an irreplaceable piece in my life.


    ¡°Have you calmed down, Claire?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡±


    ¡°That aching you feel in your chest, I won¡¯t tell you what it is, but I have felt it before. Let me tell you the story of how I fell in love with Jonathan. I joined the army 5 years ago as an assistant to Jonathan. At first I thought that Jonathan was a cold and unapproachable person, but I was wrong. There were a few times where Jonathan talked about Clive, and these were the only times he truly showed emotion on his face. I didn¡¯t know at that time but I was slowly falling in love with Jonathan. It was not until 2 years ago did I decide to pursue my love for Jonathan. I knew that Jonathan¡¯s wife died when giving birth to Clive, and I knew that he was still not over her, so I kept my feelings to myself. 2 years ago we were transporting supplies, but we were ambushed. Jonathan stayed behind to fight to allow the rest of the group to retreat. He was all alone fighting for his life. That night I was unable to sleep because all I could think about was if Jonathan was ok. All I could do was lull the crying Clive to sleep and wait for Jonathan to come back. Jonathan finally made it back to the base, but he was severely injured. I couldn¡¯t do anything for him as he was in anguish as the doctors tried to heal him. I was scared, so scared that Jonathan was going to die. I didn¡¯t want him to die. I wanted to live a long happy life with him. I wanted to bear his children. I wanted to see my grandchildren. I wanted Clive to be happy with his father. All I could do was pray that he survived and he did. That was when I decided that I would do whatever I could to become a part of Jonathan¡¯s life. I wanted to make him happy.¡±


    I was surprised about her story, but admired Abby¡¯s determination. She had discovered who she loved and was ready to dedicate her entire life to Jonathan. ¡®Can I dedicate myself to Clive like Abby¡¯. I didn¡¯t know if I had the same strength as Abby to take action. I didn¡¯t know what I feel for Clive.


    ¡°Welp, why don¡¯t we get out and sleep, Claire?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    We both got out of the bath and dressed up. I was still wondering about my feelings for Clive. I got into the bed and Abby also got in and hugged me from behind. She patted my head and once again my body was wrapped in her motherly warmth.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to think about your feelings. Don¡¯t just bottle it up. You have to think about your future, Claire.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Abby. I don¡¯t know how I feel about Clive, but I do know that I feel something for him. And I support you in your pursuit of Jonathan.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Claire. Before you even know it, we¡¯ll become one big happy family. I¡¯ll be your Mother, Jonathan will be your Father, Clive will be your Husband, and maybe you¡¯ll even have a little sister or brother by next year. Hehehe, I can¡¯t help but smile for the future. Good night, Claire.¡±


    ¡°Good night, m-m-mother.¡±

 Chapter 72: Claire Renners Past(Part 7)

    After that night, Clive and I made our way to the Kingdom of Spears. On the way there we met with our fair share of problems, but after that it was smooth sailing. We decided to live in a secluded village under the alias Julia Fem and Rick Dou. The story we presented to the villagers was that we were orphans of war. Our village neared the border of the Kingdom of Spears and the Kingdom of Key was destroyed in a skirmish and we lost both our parents. Just like the villagers in Clear View, everyone in this village were very kind, even to strangers.


    During the first few weeks in the village we lived within one of the barns and helped with miscellaneous tasks. But eventually one of the villagers wanted to adopt us. It came as a surprised to both Clive and I, because we had decided to keep our distance from the villagers.


    The person who wanted to adopt us was a woman named Jill Smith. She was a woman in her early forties and she wasn¡¯t married. Similarly to us, Jill wasn¡¯t a native to this village. She had settled in this village during her late twenties.


    We already somewhat knew who she was during our first few weeks in the village because she would always bring us snacks to eat during our miscellaneous jobs. She was a very kind and caring person. So when she asked us if we wanted to be adopted by her, we refused. We didn¡¯t want to bother her or anyone in this village more than we had too. We just needed to live in this village for a year before leaving.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if both of you don¡¯t want to be adopted, but why don¡¯t the both of you start living with me. I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s uncomfortable living in that barn.¡±


    ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am but we have to refuse your offer. The barn is good enough for us. Letting us live in the barn is already a blessing from the villagers. We wouldn¡¯t want to impose on any of you more than we already have.¡±


    ¡°It may be fine for you, young boy. But have you thought about the young lady by your side. Have you thought how uncomfortable it must be for her to live in a barn surrounded by animal feces and sleeping on hay. How mentally straining it must on a young girl in this new uncomfortable environment.¡±


    ¡°I-I...¡±


    Clive was stunned. I know that Clive had good intentions when he wanted to stay secluded in the barn. He wanted us to stay inconspicuous so he could protect me, but at that time living in a barn was too much for me to handle. Before this I had been living a pampered life. I had the finest bed, the finest pillow, and the cleanest environment to live in. Living in a barn was taking its toll on me.


    ¡°So how do you feel about your situation, young lady. Are you fine with it?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, whatever Cl-R-Rick has decided is good.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Miss Jill. We¡¯ll take you up on that offer. I¡¯m sorry, Julia. I haven¡¯t been thinking about your feelings at all. I¡¯ve been such a selfish idiot! I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Good, I would have kicked you out if you didn¡¯t reconsider your answer. I don¡¯t know what you two have been through, but you guys can only depend on each other from now on. No matter what, you must listen to each other, you must care for each other. This is the only way you two can survive in this world.¡±


    Clive and I were surprised. We barely even knew this person, but she was trying to teach us life lessons. She was trying to strengthen Clive and my relationship.


    ¡°T-thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you very much, Miss. I don¡¯t think I would have realized how selfish I¡¯ve been until you pointed it out. But I have a question, why are you helping us out so much?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can see both of your potential as locksmiths.¡±


    Clive grabbed me and bursted out of the house. He carried me towards the forest as fast as he could. He didn¡¯t want to risk another second being within Jill¡¯s house. We didn¡¯t know whether Jill had good intentions or bad intentions, but Clive didn¡¯t want to risk it being the latter. On our journey here, there had been have few risky situations where a person seemed good, but actually had bad intentions.


    ¡°Claire, do you sense her.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t, but I feel like we¡¯re still being followed.¡±


    ¡°Shit. Claire if worse comes to worst, i¡¯ll try and hold her back while you run away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s if you can hold me back.¡±


    ¡°W-what?!¡±


    Clive¡¯s entire body stopped moving. An immense pressure was holding both of us in place. Clive was carrying me and I was prepared to counter any attack, but I couldn¡¯t do anything.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Good reflexes, young boy. The moment you felt that there was any chance of danger, you immediately fled. But you need to be better at reading people. You fled even though I didn¡¯t have any ill intentions towards you.¡±


    ¡°W-w-who are you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me, young boy! I am not done speaking!¡±


    Clive immediately fell down to his knees like a mountain was suddenly placed on his back. He couldn¡¯t do anything to resist.


    ¡°Now what about you young lady. Are you fine with this? This young boy was willing to risk his life for you and are you just going to accept that? Without even trying to fight back or even trying to convince him to run with you, you¡¯re just going to let him die.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t want that. I didn¡¯t want Clive to die, but what can I do. No matter what I do, would I be able to save him? I couldn¡¯t save my father, I couldn¡¯t save Tristan, I couldn¡¯t save Lance, I couldn¡¯t save the kingdom, and I probably can¡¯t save Clive even if I wanted to.


    ¡°Let me tell it to you straight, young lady. STOP BEING SUCH A SPOILED LITTLE BRAT!!! What you¡¯re doing is waiting for a change to happen. You aren¡¯t even trying a tiny bit to change your future. All you do is wait for someone else to help you. The only person who can change the future is yourself.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I. WHAT CAN I DO!!! I can¡¯t do anything!! I¡¯m just a weak little girl!! I¡¯m useless, weak!! I can¡¯t save anyone at all!!! What do you want me to do about it!!! Just a year ago I was living a normal life, but everything is all fucked up!!! I didn¡¯t want any of this to happen!! I just wanted to live a happy normal life!! Why can¡¯t everything just go back to normal!!!! I-I-I¡­ UWWAAAA!!!¡±


    I began to cry my heart out. All the feelings that I had bottled up started gushing out. I had never let Clive see any of these feelings within me because I didn¡¯t want to bother him, but now I couldn¡¯t hold anything back.


    ¡°What if I could give you the power to change your future? What would you do?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I can give you strength. Do you want it?¡±


    ¡°I-I want strength.¡±


    ¡°Good, then from this day forth, the both of you are now my apprentices.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    After that day we were forcibly turned into apprentices, the following months would consist of harsh training everyday. The kind and caring woman turned into a harsh instructor that worked us to the bone.


    Jill had the strength to back up her strictness. She is the only person I know that trained as a combat locksmith and mage locksmith. Most people didn¡¯t have the talent or dedication to become a mage locksmith and combat locksmith because it was extremely difficult. Even those who did attempt it, they were either idiots or geniuses. Jill was the later. She was extremely strong to the point that Clive believed that even Jonathan would struggle against her in a battle.


    Most of the techniques that I learned as a mage locksmith came from Jill. Before meeting Jill, I had already began training as a mage locksmith so my foundation was stable. Jill opened my world up of being a real mage locksmith. All the techniques and lessons she taught me was always exciting and fascinating to learn. Many of techniques were unlike anything I had read in the library.


    During our entire year in that village, Jill never asked about our circumstances. I¡¯m sure that she knew that the two of us were hiding secrets from her, but she didn¡¯t bother to ask us about it. She had already distance herself from the Kingdom of Key, and didn¡¯t want anything to do with it.


    Eventually a year passed by. It was finally time for us to go back to the Kingdom of Key. But deciding to go back was not an easy decision for Clive and I. We were still so weak, but under the tutelage of Jill, we were slowly becoming stronger. Clive and I finally made the decision to train under Jill for another year before going back to the village of Clear View. We still needed to become stronger.


    ¡­....


    ¡°During these two years that you have been training under me, you both have improved tremendously. The moment I first met you two, I knew that the both of you had immense talent.¡±


    ¡°¡°Thank you master.¡±¡±


    ¡°From this day onwards, the two of you are no longer my students. If you decided to stay longer, I could have taught the both of you more, but you have your own lives to follow. So journey forth into the world and continue to learn.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for everything during these past two years, Master.¡±


    ¡°Master Jill, if there ever comes the chance, I will come back and win against you in a fight.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, farewell my students.¡±


    It was a brief farewell, but the two years with Jill were irreplaceable. I arrived at the village when I was 10 years old and left as a 12 year old girl. During these two years all I had to think about was becoming stronger, but now that we were leaving, I was reminded of my burdens.


    The journey to Clear View took a month and was longer than the journey to the Kingdom of Spears, but it was significantly safer. There were no enemies trying to kill us at every corner. It was like the person named Princess Claire never existed in the Kingdom of Key.


    On the way to Clear View, we learned about the current situation within the kingdom. In the capital, tensions were high. Half of the military sided with the nobles and the royalty while the other half sided with the citizens. Those who sided with the citizens were being led by Clive¡¯s father. The tensions were so high that the kingdom was on the verge of a civil war.


    The closer we got to Clear View the more we learned about the events that happened during the past two years. One day we heard a rumor that the body of Princess Claire was found about a year ago. The thing that surprised me the most was that Clive was not as surprised as I was about this news.


    Just from seeing his expression, I knew that Jonathan had probably done something to keep Uncle Phillis attention away from me. I could only hope that the body that was found wasn¡¯t a real girl. I feel guilty just thinking that some innocent girl could have been sacrificed to keep me safe.


    More time passed and our journey finally came to its final destination. After 2 years, we finally arrived at the village of Clear View.

 Chapter 73: Claire Renners Past(Part 8)

    We rode our horse into the village¡¯s premise and the view shocked me. The glistening waters and the quaint atmosphere was beautiful. This village wasn¡¯t busy or bustling like the capital, it was calm and peaceful. If this village was going to be my home, I didn¡¯t mind it.


    ¡°Is that Clive.¡±


    ¡°Is it? Wait, it is!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s that person sitting behind him.¡±


    There was chatter in the distance. I could hear it clearly because they weren¡¯t trying to hide their voices at all. It was three boys and they started approaching us. Not knowing what to do I clung to Clive¡¯s back even more, trying to hide my presence.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. They¡¯re my friends.¡±


    Clive got off the horse and helped me off. We got closer and so did the three boys. The next moment, Clive was bombarded with questions.


    ¡°You went to the capital and brought home a girl!? Ahhh, i¡¯m so jealous!!!¡± ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°How was your trip?¡± ¡°If I go to the capital maybe I can get a girlfriend too.¡± ¡°No way. No one would want to date you Richard.¡± ¡°Shut up Rob.¡± ¡°I think my father would like to meet with you Clive.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, long time no see guys!!!¡±


    I watched as Clive joined in their conversation. He started answering their questions and joking around with them. I could tell that he was good friends with them because I had never seen him smile so much before.


    ¡°Sooo, who is the girl?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, tell us who she is.¡±


    ¡°Ummm, she¡¯s¡­¡±


    Clive was struggling to come up with an introduction for me. ¡®Well, I can¡¯t let Clive do all the talking.¡¯ I needed to speak for myself. I can¡¯t hide behind Clive¡¯s back for the rest of my life.


    ¡°It is nice to meet all of you. My name is Claire Fem, and I have been under the care of Clive¡¯s father, Jonathan. I hope we can get along.¡±


    ¡°Oof, my heart. It¡¯s skipping beats just from that smile. Mah hearts gonna explode from your beauty!!!¡±


    ¡°This feeling in my chest. It¡¯s BURNNNING! That smile is too beautiful for this world!!!¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you Claire. My name is Dylan and those two idiots are Rob and Richard. We are Clive¡¯s friends.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you have some funny friends Clive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re quite unique. Dylan did you say the mayor wanted to see us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, everyone in the village was told to send you to the mayor if you guys ever came.¡±


    ¡°Ok, thanks. Let¡¯s go Claire.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, the angel is flying away. Our destinies were not meant to be. Oh, how sad it is to be separated!!!¡±


    ¡°Oh, the goddess is gone. Our hearts were never meant to be connected. All I can do is worship you from afar!!!¡±


    ¡°Can you idiots stop trying to compete over the stupidest things. You¡¯re going to scare Claire away.¡±


    ¡°Shut up Dylan. You have a girlfriend already, let us do what we want.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this will be the first time I agree with Rob. Do you know the pain of watching you act all lovey dovey with Eliza everyday? Do you!!!¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, tell him off Richard. Everytime we see you flirt with Eliza, I feel like crying tears of blood. Always being so cute with one another. Go and act cute somewhere else. Why are you always doing in front of us. Acting all shy trying to hold hands, even give each other pecks on the cheeks, and even feeding each other!!! It makes me so jealous!!!¡±


    ¡°Single boys unite!!!!¡±


    ¡°YEAHHHH, SINGLE BOYS UNITE!!!!¡±


    ¡°S-Shut up. Why are you guys agreeing on the stupidest things!!!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°YEAHHHH, SINGLE BOYS UNITE!!!!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you have very interesting friends Clive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they may be weird, but they¡¯re good friends. I hope you can be friends with them too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll be my first friends besides you.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I guess all your friends are going to be weirdos then.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for us to reach the mayor¡¯s house. It was like any of the other houses. It was made out of wood, but the only notable difference is the large yard. Clive began knocking on the door and we waited. A few seconds passed before the door opened. The person who opened the door had a large build and had a head full of white hair with a few streaks of black. Before I knew it, this man who was older than my father got onto one knee and bowed his head.


    ¡°Greetings Princess Claire!¡±


    ¡°Greetings, you may stand. Umm, can you drop the formalities. I no longer have the qualifications to be princess anymore. Right now i¡¯m just a regular girl.¡±


    ¡°Not with that attitude I won¡¯t. Remember this Princess Claire, no matter the situation, you will always be the Princess of the Kingdom of Key. I will not drop the formalities until it is ingrained in your head that you are our Princess.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to the mayor. In my mind I had already given up the title of Princess. I was ready to live my life to the fullest as Claire Renner, the regular citizen. But being reminded like this made me realize that I am still running away. Just like what Jill had told me, I am still being a spoiled brat who is waiting for a change to happen. I thought I understood her words but I still had much more to learn. I can¡¯t just give up the title Princess and expect everything to be ok. I have the responsibility of being the Princess for my people.


    ¡°I-I...Thank you mister and i¡¯m sorry. I thought I could just give up my title as Princess just because I wanted to, but now I know that there are still people like you who will always believe in my as the Princess. I know that I must uphold my duties as Princess, but I don¡¯t know if I could ever meet up to your expectations. I don¡¯t know if I could ever be a good Princess.¡±


    ¡°Good, as long as you recognize that you are the Princess of our Kingdom. You are still young right now, so use your time and build yourself into the Princess you want to be.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Please come in, we have a lot to speak about.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Go ahead and ask any questions you have. A lot has happened within these last two years.¡±


    ¡°Mayor, how is my father?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure Clive. That last time Jonathan contacted us was about half a year ago. At that time he sent a messenger to check and see if you guys have arrived yet. I¡¯m pretty sure that he was worried that you guys didn¡¯t arrive at the time that was scheduled. But knowing you, I believe that Jonathan trusted you to protect Claire.¡±


    ¡°Thank you mayor. Sorry for coming late. We decided to train and become stronger before coming back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, who did you train with while in the Kingdom of Spears.¡±


    Clive and I began retelling the mayor our journey after leaving the Kingdom of Key. We told him of our experience with our temporary Master and how we became apprentices. The only information we withheld from the mayor was Jill¡¯s name. We knew that Jill had some ill will towards the Kingdom of Key and spreading her name wouldn¡¯t do her any good.


    ¡°Someone stronger than Jonathan. I can¡¯t even imagine that. Well, do you have any more questions.¡±


    ¡°W-w-what about my father? And my brother?¡±


    ¡°Please prepare yourself Claire. This isn¡¯t going to be a pleasant story.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, please tell me.¡±


    ¡°Ok. About two years ago, your father died of an illness. Although they say it was an illness, Jonathan informed me that it was poisoning and mostly likely from Phillis. A grand ceremony was held for Rike. I don¡¯t know if Phillis did this out of sentimentally for Rike or just to look good in front of the citizens, but it¡¯s most likely the latter.¡±


    ¡°F-father¡­¡±


    Tears began falling. My father was dead. My father who raised three children after mother died, my father who would play with Tristan and I, my father who would scold us for being mischievous, my father who would always show a strong smile even when he was suffering, and most importantly my father who smiled for me even on his deathbed. My father was no longer alive.


    ¡®I can¡¯t cry. I already decided to be stronger. Isn¡¯t this why I trained so hard for those two years. I can¡¯t cry!¡¯


    ¡°A-and what about my brother, Lance.¡±


    ¡°Lance is still in position as King, but he has no real power. Currently all the power is within Phillis¡¯ hand. About a year and a half ago, everyone hated Lance. His ruling was terrible and made the citizens suffer, but half a year later, everyone was in love with Phillis for saving them. Currently Phillis is seen as a hero who saved this country from ruin, but I know that this is all a part of Phillis plan. During the beginning, he propped Lance up as a terrible King who made everyone suffer just so he could swoop in and prop himself up as a hero. To make himself seem even more benevolent, when Phillis came into power he ¡°forgave¡± Lance and allowed him to still be king. The story everyone believes in is that Phillis should be the true King but because he is so kind, he is giving his nephew another chance to rule. But in reality, Phillis now has complete control of the country.


    And within this last year, the changes in the law and rules were less harsh and reverted some of the previously outrageous changes. Now everyone thinks that because of Phillis¡¯ influence the Kingdom is starting to prosper again, but in fact it is still worse now than when Rike still ruled. This dramatic change from extremely bad to normal made everyone forget how good the times were when Rike still ruled. But even now there is still suffering for the poor. The majority of Phillis¡¯ change in the government and laws benefited the wealthy and the middle class. Anything under the middle class suffers, but because the majority of those involved in the government comes from the middle class to the wealthy, no one minds these changes. And this leads to the current situation of the country. There have been rumors that there is a high chance that there will be a civil war between the poor and the rich. I currently know that those supporting the poor is being led by Jonathan while the other side is being led by Phillis. Somewhere in the near future war is going to break out.¡±


    My heart sank. The situation was more grave than I could have ever thought. My Kingdom was on the verge of self-destructing and I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. All I could do is leave it to Jonathan to defeat Phillis and bring back peace.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Claire. No matter what happens in the future, I will always protect.¡±


    Clive grasped my hand and I felt some relief from it. It gave me some strength to not break down. I had to stay strong for myself and for my Kingdom.


    ¡°Well said Clive. I will stake my life to protect your wellbeing Claire. I have been entrusted by your grandfather Vagrand to shelter any of his children if the time ever comes. Now that you need me, I will shelter you with my life.¡±


    ¡°Mister.¡±


    ¡°Just call me mayor. Everyone calls me that.¡±


    ¡°Mayor, you know my grandfather?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vagrand and I go way back. I was once the personal guard of Vagrand just like how Clive is with you right now. In fact I was also the one who recommended Jonathan as Rike¡¯s personal guard. Naturally we became close friends. Before Vagrand left on his journey, he had entrusted me to shelter any of his children during there times of need and now is the exact timing to fulfill my promise. Now, why don¡¯t we stop right there. You guys have just come back from a long journey so why don¡¯t you rest for the day.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Where am I going to live mayor?¡±


    ¡°No need to worry about that Claire. You will be living with Clive in his house. This is the best way he can protect you.¡±


    ¡°W-wait what. I¡¯m going to be living in the same house as Clive.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything, I swear.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this dangerous mayor?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem Claire? If Clive tries anything, I give you the permission to destroy him.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, ok that¡¯s fine then. You better not try anything funny Clive.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    After that day, my life in Clear View was peaceful. The villages were very nice and quickly welcomed me in. I was even able to make friends with Eliza, Claudia, Leia, and Clive¡¯s friends. The days went by quickly. Each day was normal and peaceful. I would help around the village, test my cooking on my fiends, play around, or train. These were blissful times for me who didn¡¯t have any friends within the castle.


    A year quickly passed by and I was now 13 and Clive was 14. This year was a terrible year. One day a merchant from the other villages came and told the villagers about the situation in the capital. Apparently the rebels were taken down and there was no more need to fear for a civil war.


    The rebels were the group being led by Jonathan. No one who knew Jonathan would believe this news. Jonathan was probably the strongest person they ever knew, but the shock was the greatest for Clive. Clive couldn¡¯t believe that his father was defeated. In his eyes his father was his role model. An invincible person who would never lose to anyone, not even an army. Everyday he waited for news from Jonathan saying that he was fine but it never came.


    Day after day no news of Jonathan came. But Clive¡¯s heart didn¡¯t break. On the outside he was the same boy who would smile and joke around with his friends. Nobody, except for me, knew how much pain Clive was going through. The times he went to his father¡¯s room holding his clothes to sleep were numerous. The times he cried out Jonathan¡¯s name in his sleep was innumerable. He was going through so much pain, but he never showed it to anyone. He was just like my father after my mother passed.


    I wanted to relieve him of some of his grief, but I didn¡¯t know how. I wanted him to share his pain with me. I wanted to be able to shoulder his troubles like how he has shouldered my troubles. There was only one idea that I could think of.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Hey Clive. How are you feeling.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling pretty good. I have so much energy that I feel like I can beat Master Jill in a race.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible no matter how much energy you have.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha, I probably need more than 100 times more energy than I have right now to beat her. So is that all you want Claire?¡±


    ¡°Um, I have something else I want to talk about. But first, can you close your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, are you going to kiss me. I don¡¯t think my heart or my body is ready for this. But if you must, take me away.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I don¡¯t know? Am I going to give you a kiss or not?¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you serious. I really don¡¯t think i¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you stay quiet then it may or may not happen.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Here I come. Are you ready.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How cute. You¡¯re blushing so much. You¡¯re always the one teasing me but now the tables have turned. I might get addicted to doing this.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting closer Clive. Can you feel my breathe. I¡¯m an inch away from your lips. The question is, am I going to kiss you or not. Time to find out.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°WAHAHAHAHAHAHA, stop pl-please s-stop, WHAHAHAHA, don¡¯t t-tickle m-me. *Mghm*Mghm*Gulp.¡±


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°Ack. It¡¯s still too sweet.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, I was never able to give my cookie to my father when he was feeling down, but I can for you. So i¡¯m going to make you eat my cookies until you feel better.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    ¡°Are those tears of joy I see. Hahaha, I guess my cookies are working already.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you Claire.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I¡¯ll always be by your side and make you cookies whenever you¡¯re down, so you better be happy.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, y-yeah.¡±

 Chapter 74: Different Styles

    ¡°And that wraps up the story of Claire Renner. I became part of the village and everything was peaceful. The only notable events were what happened to Jill, the peca pen cake incident, and the two letters from Clive¡¯s father. So, do you have any questions Kan?¡±


    The story Kan just heard from Claire was just too shocking for him. Claire had been through so much and was carrying so many burdens. The emotions within Kan were swirling wildly within him. He felt sadness, anger, happiness, and so many more emotions during her story. But now there was a glint of determination within his eyes.


    ¡°Mommy, have you given up on being the Princess of our country.¡±


    Claire was shocked at Kan¡¯s eyes. He was staring straight at her with so much emotions in his eyes. The only thing she could do was answer him truthfully.


    ¡°Of course I haven¡¯t given up on returning to the throne. No matter how many years pass by, I am always ready to stay as the Princess of our country. One day, I will return and dethrone Lance and Phillis.¡±


    ¡°Ok Mommy. I promise you right here and now that I will do whatever I can to make you the Princess of our kingdom. No, I will make you into the Queen of the Kingdom of Key. I will bring back everything that belongs to you!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, thank you Kan. I appreciate your feelings. Let¡¯s get out, we¡¯ve been in the bath long enough.¡±


    ¡°No matter how long it takes, no matter how much hardships I have to face, I will make you into the Queen of this Kingdom.¡±


    Claire had gotten out first and had not heard what Kan muttered to himself. She had thought that Kan was just trying to be nice and comfort her, but she had overlooked his determination. He was all to serious when he promised her that she will become the Queen of the Kingdom of Key one day.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡®What can I do to make Mommy into the Queen?¡¯ Kan began pondering this question as he walked out of the house. He thought about how to expose Phillis¡¯ deceitful acts to the public, he thought about how to defeat the kingdom¡¯s army, he thought about how to deal with the other nations, but he couldn¡¯t come up with a single decent plan.


    ¡®I¡¯m too weak right now.¡¯ That was the conclusion that Kan had come upon after thinking about the many problems he faced. He was always too weak to deal with any of them. What he needed the most was power. The power to change people¡¯s lives.


    Kan shook his head and slapped his face to concentrate on the problem at hand. He couldn¡¯t be thinking about future problems if he isn¡¯t able to overcome the immediate crisis. He only had 5 days left until the disaster and he needed to do whatever he could to further prepare.


    The first thing Kan planned to do was challenge the villagers to battle. He wanted to see how strong he was and how strong the villagers were.


    ¡­¡­


    By the time Kan was done challenging the villagers, it was already night time. He had spent most of his time battling the strongest villagers, and he learned a lot from his fights. The first few people he challenged were the men who boasted about their strength. They weren¡¯t locksmiths but they had built muscles over the years of hard labor. Out of the 5 men he fought, he had won 4 of them. The 4 matches he won was relatively easy because none of the men trained fighting techniques, but his opponent during the last match had trained in close quarter combat. Kan had thought that he would be able to win against him because he was a combat and mage locksmith, but it was an overwhelming defeat. The opponent had not given him any chance to retaliate at all, and before he knew it, he lost.


    The next group he decided to challenge was the patrol group. The patrol group consisted of men and women who would patrol the outskirts of the town. They would fight off monsters, beasts, and even bandits, so Kan already knew they were relatively strong. But this time it was an outcome that Kan had not even expected. He had lost all his matches against the patrol group. He had challenged 5 of them and had lost all of the matches. 4 of them were men and one of them was a woman.


    2 of the 4 men wielded swords and Kan was confident he was able to defeat them because he was used to fighting opponents with swords, but he was wrong. He was so used to the style of swordplay that Leo and Dylan used that he had expected the 2 men to use a similar style. That was Kan¡¯s first major error since their sword style was different. It wasn¡¯t as strong or polished as Dylan¡¯s swordplay, but the 2 Kan fought against were well trained in that style.


    Kan¡¯s next opponent used a greatsword. This was the first time he had ever fought someone with a greatsword and it was a good learning experience for him. Kan had expected his opponent to be slow but that was not the case. Every time his opponent swung his greatsword, Kan was able to dodge it since it wasn¡¯t that fast. What Kan had not expected was his opponent¡¯s foot techniques. When Kan dodged a sword attack, the next moment he would be met with a strong kick from his opponent. His opponent was riding on the momentum of the greatsword¡¯s swing to bring in kicks. Kan was unprepared and lost that battle.


    Kan¡¯s 4th opponent used a sword and a shield. This was the opponent Kan was most worried about. Having a sword and shield meant that this person had both offense and defense. But once again his views were once turned upside down. His opponent did not use his shield for defense at all. He was using both the shield and sword as offensive weapons. Kan was continuously bashed and pushed back by the shield while a sword was also being swung at him. Kan¡¯s inability to deal with both weapons made him lose.


    His last opponent from the patrol group was a woman who use a rapier. From looking at her short a thin stature, Kan thought that his opponent would depend on their speed to overwhelm their enemy. This time he was correct and she did depend on her speed. But who in the world said that if you depended on speed, you couldn¡¯t also have power. Her rapier thrusts were so strong that the wind pressure from each attack was leaving cut marks on Kan¡¯s body. Kan was so concentrated on the rapier in her right hand that he totally forgot about her left hand. What ended the match was a left hook punch that sent him flying


    After being beaten black and blue by the patrol group, Kan said his goodbyes and left for his next challenge. The next group he was going to challenge were the hardest group to fight. It was the locksmith group. Besides his parents, the mayor, Dylan, and Leo, there were about 20 other locksmiths. This time he was going to challenge the strongest 5.


    Kan¡¯s first opponent was a combat locksmith named Carl. Carl had once helped hold down Clive when his body was breaking down because of going over his limits. Clive had even once praised Carl as a combat locksmith: ¡°He doesn¡¯t have the strongest potential as a combat locksmith but he knows how to make use of what he has. You should try fighting him.¡± This is why Kan had decided to fight Carl as his first opponent.


    ¡­¡­Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Are you ready, Kan.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, I¡¯m ready to go at anytime.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s begin then.¡±


    The moment Carl signalled the start of the battle Kan combined water and fire magic to create a mist to hide his presence. From what Kan could see, Carl had not moved at all from his position. Kan was suspicious of what Carl was up too, so Kan decided to stay his distance and shoot ice magic at him. Kan created 2 ice spears and sent them flying to Carl and when they were about to reach him, Kan had to immediately duck down. His own ice spears were sent back to him at twice the speed.


    ¡®Is he also a mage locksmith?¡¯ Kan could only think of this as the possible solution because only mage locksmith could control magic. ¡®If so, he can¡¯t be that strong in combat locksmith and mage locksmith.¡¯ Kan learned from his parents that most locksmiths focused on one aspect, but there were also those who learned other types of locksmithing as an auxiliary skill. Even if they focus in combat locksmith and is a mage locksmith as an auxiliary, one should still be weaker than the other.


    Kan continued to send out ice spears, but each one was sent back at twice the speed. He was wasting mana sending out ice spears, so Kan decided to close in the distance. Since the beginning, Carl had still not moved at all, he was like a statue.


    Kan closed in and launched out a flurry of punches, but it didn¡¯t feel like he was doing any damage. The moment he hits Carl¡¯s body it feels like all the force behind his attacks disappears. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯


    Carl began to move and punched his fist towards Kan¡¯s stomach. Kan could only look at the attack and couldn¡¯t dodge it. It was coming towards him too fast, so he brought his arms together to block the area of impact. ¡®Aaghh, why is it so strong?¡¯


    Kan was sent flying back and he tried to recover his stance, but the momentum was too strong and he fell onto his back. His arms were throbbing with pain and he gasped for air.


    ¡°W-what happened?¡±


    ¡°Kan, let me give you a word of advice. Not all combat locksmiths fight the same. The power to lock and unlock our bodies can be used more than just to strengthen our bodies. Think about what you can lock and unlock. Like a mage locksmith, everything depends on your imagination¡±


    ¡°What can I lock and unlock?¡±


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s enough. You have lost this battle. Go home and think about what I said today.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for accepting my challenge today.¡±


    Kan stood up and bowed his head to Carl. Carl¡¯s question still perplexed him, but he needed to go onto his next challenge. It was slowly getting closer to sunset so he had to hurry.


    ¡­¡­


    His next opponent was Stan, a combat locksmith. From the stories Kan had heard, Stan was also known as Death Grip Stan. It was said that as a combat locksmith, he focused on strengthening nothing but his hands. He could strengthen his body like any other combat locksmith, but his strongest parts were his hands.


    Because Kan knew of Stan¡¯s nickname, he was wary of Stan¡¯s hands, but it was futile. When the battle first started, Kan used magic and stayed far away, but magic was useless. Unlike Carl who deflected Kan¡¯s magic, Stan crushed them with his hands. Eventually Stan closed the distance and began attacking. Stan used his hands like claw and had ripped away some of Kan¡¯s clothes. Fighting against Stan, Kan was reminded of how the Three Horned Bone Bear fought. The attacks were relentless and ferocious, and Kan could barely dodge it. Finally Stan got a grip on Kan¡¯s arm and Kan had lost. No matter what he did, he could not get away from Stan¡¯s grip.


    Kan¡¯s next opponent was Madam Tres. She was a mage locksmith who focused on seals and had even taught Claire a lot about seals. The moment the battle began, Kan had already lost. He couldn¡¯t move at all from where he was at, every single fiber of his boy was stuck. It was not until Kan looked at the ground did he see the seal. Madam Tres had won before the battle even began.


    ¡°Ohoho, you should always be aware even before a battle begins, little Kan.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for the lesson, Madam Tres.¡±


    Kan¡¯s next battle was against the mage locksmith, Sil. He specialized in water magic which was one of Kan¡¯s weakest element. Kan was ready to learn a lot from his battle with Sil. Before the battle began, Kan was already wary. After losing to Madam Tres, Kan knew to be ready even before the battle began. Kan observed his surroundings and then the battle began. Kan stared down at Sil, but suddenly his vision was colored in blue. There was a bubble right in front of him and before he recognized what was happening, the bubble exploded. Kan was quickly closed his eyes and was temporarily blinded. The next moment, Kan¡¯s body was frozen and he had lost this battle.


    ¡°Kan, if you¡¯re going to be observing your surroundings. Don¡¯t make it to obvious and try to not be tense. You were late to react because your body was to tense.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Kan¡¯s next opponent was the most mysterious out of everyone he had fought today. He was going to fight Don, a regular locksmith or also known as a material locksmith. Legends passed down through the history of the Kingdom of Key state that the founder first started as a material locksmith. It has also been debated that the founder learned as a combat and mage locksmith before decided to master material locksmithing.


    Within the Kingdom of Key, material locksmiths were both a common and a rare thing. Most would want to become a combat locksmith or mage locksmith, but if one has no talent in either of those many would choose to become a material locksmith. But those who can truly become a master material locksmith is even more rare.


    Kan was excited, this would be his first look at a material locksmith. He has experience in both combat and mage locksmithing, but a material locksmith is unknown to him. ¡®How do they fight? How do they create things? How strong are they?¡¯ These were some questions swimming through his head as he was about to fight.


    The battle began and Kan stayed where he was at. He was being cautious and this time he was trying to not show his emotions on his face. Don slow pull out a chain from his bag. Don was an old man so the time he took out the heavy chain was quite a while. Kan didn¡¯t want to rush him and just waited for Don to make the first move. Don then threw the chain forward and it looked like it was going to fall to the ground.


    Kan was still wary and kept watch as everything was happening. Before the chain made contact with the ground, it had broken into hundreds of pieces. The chains were no longer linked up and the hundreds of pieces of chains rushed towards Kan at incredible speeds. Kan watched in awe, everything had happened to fast. He tried to dodge the pieces of chains, but there was just to many of them. The ones he couldn¡¯t dodge imbedded into his skin but he didn¡¯t feel any pain. He continued to dodge but every second that passed, it was becoming more difficult. The chains were ricocheting against one another and was gaining speed. Suddenly all the chains stopped and so did Kan. It was voluntarily though, he couldn¡¯t move his body. The chains imbedded in him began to combine again. And finally the chains floating in the air forcibly combined with the chains in his body and dragged him to the ground. Kan was chained to the ground and had lost the battle.


    ¡°Mr. Don, what just happened? How were those chains moving by themselves? Can I learn how to do that?¡±


    ¡°Hohoho, is this your first time experiencing the strength of a material locksmith.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. How does it work Mr.Don.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that is not an easy question to answer, Kan. To sum it up, you must forge what kind of lock you want and you have to engrave it¡¯s properties during the process of creating it. Depending on the material, it can affect the strength and properties of your lock.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand it, but can I come back another day and learn, Mr.Don.¡±


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re welcome any time.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Today was a good day. I learned so much and still have so much to learn. Think of what you can lock or can¡¯t lock, the different fighting styles, always be aware even before a battle, the deception your opponent gives you, to focus on one aspect or many, and a material locksmith. How can all of this make me stronger. What did I do wrong or right today.¡±


    Kan began muttering to himself as he walked back home. It was already night time and Kan was absolutely exhausted, but he still had to review his battles. It had already become a habit and most importantly, he could make himself stronger.

 Chapter 75: Negotiations(Part 1)

    The moment Kan woke up, he was excited. This could be the day Nicole was coming back. 2 days had passed since he had challenged the villagers. Kan was excited that Nicole could be coming back, but he was also nervous. There was only 3 days left, including this day, until the disaster. He could only hope that Nicole came back today so he could convince her to help him save the village of Clear View.


    After getting up and eating breakfast, Kan decided to do his daily training. Even if there was an incoming disaster, Kan knew that he shouldn¡¯t skip out on his training. He knew that spending his time worrying about the disaster wasn¡¯t healthy for his mind, so it was better to just train and become a little bit stronger in the small amount of time he had.


    While running his regular route around the village, Kan began reviewing everything he had prepared the past 2 days. During these 2 days he had learned a lot more about seals from his mother and Madam Don. The two seal he had managed to learn was one that slows an opponent''s movement and one used to sense another person¡¯s presence. These seals were important to Kan¡¯s plans for the future.


    The seal used to slow down an opponent was very useful in battles. But the only drawback of this seal was that the effectiveness of the seal depended on the users strength. If Kan¡¯s opponent was stronger than him, then his opponent wouldn¡¯t be affected as much. The other drawback was that this seal took some time to draw and in the middle of a battle, a second lost can lead to a crucial mistake. Madam Don and his mother had made it seem so easy and quick to draw, but it wasn¡¯t as easy for Kan.


    The other seal was used to sense the presence of other people. To sense other people¡¯s presence, you first had to seal some of you mana, or spread it, until someone else¡¯s mana interfered with it. This one was somewhat easier to use but also more draining because of the way Kan was using it. The stronger one made the seal, the larger the range it could sense people. Besides being able to use it in the moment, this seal could also be used to sense an area for a long period of time. Kan had planted a seal at the doorstep of the watch tower so he would know if anyone entered. Not only did he placed one there, he had also placed one at George Nice¡¯s bakery.


    About a year ago, George had left the village and supposedly returned to the capital because of family matters. During that time, Kan had investigated the bakery but he couldn¡¯t find anything there. But now that the disaster was going to happen soon, Kan needed to be wary of George again. He knew that George was going to be one of the leaders of the attack.


    Kan¡¯s limit for the Sensory seals were 3, but 2 was already draining enough so he decided not to create a 3rd one. He still needed enough mana to use in training.


    Besides dabbling in seals, Kan had also learned a lot more about Material locksmithing. It amazing the first time Don showed him how material locksmithing worked. The first thing Don created to show Kan was a padlock. Don used regular iron and made a padlock. The process seemed normal enough, but Kan could sense that Don was engraving mana into the padlock.


    ¡°What do you think I did, Kan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is correct, but you were using mana to engrave something into the padlock. It¡¯s kind of like how mage locksmith create seals.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, very observant, Kan. It is very similar to how mage locksmiths create seals, but not only did I use mana I also used my own energy. Being a material locksmith doesn¡¯t mean that we don¡¯t utilize energy from our body like combat locksmiths or mana like mage locksmiths. In fact, being a Material locksmith means combining both aspects into one to create the strongest locks. Now look at this padlock and its key, do you know what has been added to it.¡±


    ¡°It looks like you added durability onto the lock. And there are other additionals but i¡¯m unsure what they do.¡±


    ¡°Good, you have a keen eye, Kan. The lock¡¯s durability is strengthened but I have also added certain conditions to it. If anything other than that key is inserted into the keyhole then the lock will harden even more. It will be more and more difficult for any person to break it through force.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, if you want to learn more, I don¡¯t mind teaching my skills to you. I am the only Material locksmith in this village and I would be glad to have someone inherit my skills and techniques.¡±


    ¡°I-I am grateful Mr.Don. I would love to learn from you but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Kan. I know that you are learning a lot as a combat and mage locksmith. I just hope that one day that you will keep your interest in Material Locksmith. Many people believe that Material Locksmiths are worse than Combat and Mage Locksmiths, but I don¡¯t believe that.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t believe that one is better than the other. I believe that the strength of a true Locksmith comes from combining the skills of a Combat, Mage, and Material Locksmiths.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    While reminiscing about what he had learned these past 2 days, Kan was almost done with his 5th lap around the village. There was only one thing that had been bothering him these past 2 days. He still couldn¡¯t figure out the question Carl had left him: ¡°Think about what you can lock and unlock.¡± Kan was still stumped over this question and he didn¡¯t want to ask anyone for help. He wouldn¡¯t truly learn the answer to this question if he cheated and ask for helped.


    While Kan was lost in thought and finished his final lap around the village, he felt one of his Sensoy seals go off. It was the one at the watchtower. ¡®Nicole¡¯s back!!¡¯


    Even though he was tired and sweaty from his training, Kan began running towards the watchtower. He didn¡¯t hesitate to to unlock his body to make himself faster. Thinking about how to go even faster, Kan used magic and created a gust of wind that pushed him from behind. It didn¡¯t take long for him to reach the watchtower. The door to the watchtower was closed but he knew someone was inside. And without any of the traps being activated, it could only be Nicole.


    ¡°BIG SISTER NICOLE, ARE YOU HOME!!!!!¡±


    Kan was just too excited that he couldn¡¯t contain his emotions. He continuously pounded at the door while calling out Nicole¡¯s name. If he continued anymore, it would seem that the door was going to break down.


    ¡­...


    While Kan was beating down the door, Nicole had just dropped off her luggage in her room. ¡®What is that boy doing?¡¯ She was shocked because Kan was yelling so loud and pounding her door so much that she could hear him even if she covered her ears. Nicole quickly walked down the stairs, afraid that her door was going to be broken.


    ¡°Stop!Stop!Stop! You¡¯re going to break down my door, Kan.¡±


    The moment she opened the door, she saw the smiling face of Kan. He looked so happy and excited like he had just found a pot of gold. But it¡¯s not like Nicole didn¡¯t like Kan¡¯s carefree happy smile. It actually brightened up her day. These past 2 days had been tense and depressing so seeing Kan¡¯s smile, made her a little happy.


    ¡°Good morning, Nicole.¡±


    ¡°Good morning to you too. So, why are you trying to break down my door so early in the morning?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I wasn¡¯t trying to break down your door. I just really wanted to see you. I felt that you were home so I rushed here and I wanted to be the first person you see.¡±


    Nicole smiled wryly at this foolish boy in front of her. She could see that Kan was drenched in sweat, probably from training, and he was also out of breathe. She could only see Kan as a foolish boy for rushing to see her even though he was tired. ¡®I see, so that Sensory seal was his.¡¯ Nicole had already sensed an abnormality the moment she got close to the watch tower and after a few second she found the Sensory seal. The Sensory seal was very weak and amateurish, so Nicole didn¡¯t mind it too much. But to lure whoever was using it, she triggered it.


    ¡°So how did you figure out I was home?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. These past few days I have been training and learned about seals¡­¡±


    Nicole listened as Kan began to retell everything he had learned the past 3 days. Once again, Nicole can only be impressed at what Kan told her. He was already learning about seals, material locksmithing, and how to deal with different types of fighting styles. And how old was he, only like 7.


    ¡°So why were you in such a hurry to meet me?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. But can we take a bath first Big Sister Nicole. I¡¯m all sweaty.¡±


    ¡°Umm, you can go to the well and wash yourself.¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s take a bath together.¡±


    ¡°Oh right. I don¡¯t have a bath so we can¡¯t bathe together.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I knew you were going to say that so I built a bath already.¡±


    ¡®What.¡¯ Kan grabbed Nicole¡¯s hand and started walking towards the well. From a distance away, Nicole could see that there was a small shack by the well. Before she left there wasn¡¯t a shack here, so it had been built in the 3 days she was gone. ¡®Why is this boy so obsessed with baths?¡¯


    ¡°Tadaaa, I created a bath that is fully private. I know that you are shy in showing your body, so there is a roof and walls covering all sides.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the problem for Nicole though. She just wasn¡¯t used to bathing with another person so she felt awkward taking a bath with Kan. But seeing the effort Kan had gone through to take a bath with her, she gave up on resisting.


    ¡°Ok. Ok. I give up. I¡¯ll take a bath with you.¡±


    Nicole and Kan took off their clothes and hung them in the small compartment. Nicole was surprised at the attention to detail that Kan had put into this bath. After the entrance door there was another door that led to the bath. In that small space there was a small compartment to put there clothes. Before entering the bath they wrinsed there bodies.


    ¡°Is this warm water?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I learned from Mommy how to create a Heating seal. I don¡¯t have perfect control on adjusting the temperature yet, but I can keep the water warm at least.¡±


    ¡°So what did you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Big Sister Nicole, I want to negotiate with you about the attack on the village.¡±

 Chapter 76: Negotiations(Part 2)

    ¡°What are you talking about, Kan? What attack?¡±


    Nicole replied as normally as she could, but countless of questions fluttered through her head. ¡®How does he know about the attack? Has the plan been leaked? Is this really Kan?¡¯ As soon as these questions popped up, she calmed herself and answered. She needed to fish out more information from Kan.


    ¡°Big Sister Nicole, will you help me save the village of Clear View. I don¡¯t want anyone to die. I want to save everyone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about Kan. Clearly explain it to me, and I can try to help you.¡±


    ¡°Stop playing dumb Nicole. I already know that you are working under the Kingdom to attack this village in 3 days. I just want us to talk truthfully to one another.¡±


    ¡®Did he just call me Nicole? How much does Kan know about this plan? This should have been an absolute secret.¡¯ Nicole continued to listen to Kan¡¯s words to figure out any kind of information. But looking at the expression on his face, she could tell that he was desperate. He was desperately pleading her to help save his village.


    No matter how much Kan pleaded, the plan was already set in stone. Nicole had already prepared her feelings to abandon this village and save only those who she needed to save. She was ready to act ignorant in front of Kan.


    ¡°I don¡¯t anything about this attack you¡¯re talking about Kan. It¡¯s already been a few years since I left my life as a knight in the capital. I haven¡¯t been in contact with the Kingdom since then.¡±


    ¡°That was the life of Cole Pierce, not you. That was a facade you created to hide your identity. The one I want to negotiate with is Nicole Blaine. The girl who worked under my grandfather, Jonathan, the girl who was healed by Jane Fallen, the mysterious woman in black who gave me 2 letters, but most importantly, my master who taught me about assassination techniques.¡±


    Nicole was surprised. Kan knew so much more about her than she thought he did. He already knew that she was working for Jonathan and he even knew her personal story with Jane. Even the techniques she had been teaching him, he had already realized what they were used for. Nicole had only taught him these techniques, but never told him what they were specifically used for. Nicole was starting to realize that even she had underestimated Kan.


    She had only thought that he had talent in fighting, but never realized how observant and astute he was. The imagine of Kan in her mind was always the ignorant happy boy who had a thirst for strength. Even she had been fooled by his facade.


    The only question left in her mind was how Kan knew the exact date of the attack. If Kan knew the contents of the letters then she wouldn¡¯t be surprised that he knew an attack was going to happen, but the specific date was never specified.


    This was too suspicious. Only a select few elites of each kingdom should have been privy of the exact date. ¡®Is there a traitor? Or is Kan being manipulated?¡¯ Nicole began staring at Kan suspiciously. She was trying to sense if there was anything off with the way Kan was acting. She wasn¡¯t an expert in magic, but she did know that some Shadow Guilds had the ability to control people.


    During the Three Horned Bone Bear attack, Kan¡¯s atmosphere had once changed. It was like he wasn¡¯t himself and that someone had possessed. Nicole was suspicious that this could be the same person controlling Kan once again. She didn¡¯t trust that entity that had once controlled him.


    ¡°Kan answer my questions truthfully. If your Mom and Dad were to get into a fight and stopped talking to each other, who would you side with?¡±


    ¡°Mommy and Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Answer the question.¡±


    ¡°I would find a solution to get them to make up. I don¡¯t want Mommy and Daddy to not talk to each other. Whenever they are together, they have the most fun.¡±


    ¡°If your Mom and Jane¡¯s life were in danger and you could only save one. Who would you choose?¡±


    ¡°I will save both of them. No matter what I have to do, I will save both of them.¡±


    ¡°If you had to sacrifice your life to save another, would you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Kan had not hesitate to answer any of the questions. Nicole knew Kan¡¯s personality well enough that these were answers straight from his heart. It was the same selfless boy who cared more about others than himself. She didn¡¯t know how he knew the exact date, but she knew that the person in front of her was definitely Kan.


    ¡°Nicole, let me ask you again. Will you please help me save the village of Clear View?¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you know so much information, but I have no reason to help Clear View. Even if its a request from you, Kan. I have my own objectives.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know that you are here to save Mommy and maybe Daddy. This is why I want to negotiate with you. I just want you deal to with your group that is going to attack.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re saying that there is going to be more than one group.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know that at least 3 groups will attack this village, maybe more. I just want you to deal with your group.¡±


    Nicole was extremely shocked. Kan even knew that multiple groups were going to attack the village. ¡®How much information does he have.¡¯ Nicole calmed herself down and continued to talk.


    ¡°What benefit is there for me? It is too risky for me to try and betray them.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the perfect opportunity for you to deal with the enemies from other countries. I know that this group will consist of people from different countries. And I know that you are not working under King Lance or Phillis the advisor. You are personally working under my grandfather, Jonathan. Having worked under my grandfather, i¡¯m sure you know that King Lance and Phillis have been unjustly ruling this kingdom, favoring the rich and ignoring the poor. Since my grandfather fought for the poor, i¡¯m sure you feel the same as him, wanting to give the poor better treatment. That is why your objective this time is to save Mommy, the rightful Queen of this Kingdom. Only she can change the current conditions of this Kingdom. I¡¯m not sure why your group has waited so long to bring back Mommy to the throne, but i¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been slowly accumulating power to overthrow King Lance. Am I correct so far, Nicole.¡±


    This time Nicole couldn¡¯t even reply back to Kan. Everything Kan had just said was exactly spot on. Her objective this time was to retrieve Claire and Clive. Ever since 20 years ago when Jonathan¡¯s group was almost exterminated, they had been slowly building up strength. They had been making connections with other resistance groups all across the countries to become stronger. It was almost time to retrieve Claire, but the order to attack the village had come. Claire and the various resistances were going to use this chance to retrieve Claire.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your silence as confirmation. Like I said early, this is a great opportunity for you and your group. This attack on the village will be a conglomeration of various elites from different countries. During all the chaos, it would be the perfect opportunity to take some of these elites out. Losing elite fighters will cause the kingdoms to be in a state of panic for a while. During this time you could use it to go into hiding while gaining more power or even overthrow King Lance. What do you say, Nicole.¡±


    ¡°There is a major flaw in your plan, Kan. Taking out an elite is not as easy as you make it seems. Each one is quite strong on their own.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this why assassination techniques were created. To take an opponent by surprise while they are vulnerable.¡±


    ¡®How can he be so confident?¡¯ Nicole was truly confused at the situation at hand. Kan was acting so differently than he had ever been. She had never seen him interact like this with anyone at all. It was like she was talking to someone entirely different.


    Thinking over Kan¡¯s proposal and suggestions, they weren¡¯t too bad of ideas. She had other accomplices within the groups attacking the village, so if they could coordinate an attack against a few elites then it would be a major blow against the other kingdoms. One of the many problems is the risk of getting caught. How were they going to get away if they assassinate a few elites. Even if a few were killed, there would still be other elites to attack them.


    ¡°Tell me Kan. What makes you so confident that you can save the village if I hold back a certain group.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be truthful with you Nicole. There are two factors that make me extremely confident that we can overcome this disaster. First is Mommy¡¯s golems, but they aren¡¯t regular golems, they are Magic Golems. Second is the Dragon¡¯s Den Formation.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon¡¯s Den Formation? I¡¯ve known about Claire creating golems, but what is this formation.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon¡¯s Den Formation is an ancient formation that has been in this village since its creation. Once activated, the formation will lock down anyone not recognized as a villager. To be recognized as a villager, you must sacrifice some life force to the formation. Not only will it lock down enemies, it will also sap away their strength and energy, and give it to the villagers. Over time the enemies will lose strength while the villagers are empowered.¡±


    Hearing about the golems and formation, Nicole began rethinking the odds of Kan¡¯s plans being successful. Although the chances of beating the enemy back is higher, what of it. Even if there were golems and a special formation, they couldn¡¯t possibly kill every enemy. The difference in number and strength is too great for a mere formation to compensate for.


    ¡°Is there more information you¡¯re hiding?¡±


    This is the conclusion Nicole came upon after thinking everything over. A small village can¡¯t defeat an army of elites. There must be more information Kan is withholding from her.


    ¡°Hehe, wasn¡¯t it Big Sister Nicole who taught me that I shouldn¡¯t reveal everything I know right away.¡±


    ¡°Heh, you little brat. It was me who told you to be wary of people and not reveal everything you know. So what is this secret that will guarantee you victor.¡±


    ¡°I just need and your group to hold out for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes have passed then our victory is guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°How certain are you of this secret weapon.¡±


    ¡°100%.¡±


    Nicole could see that Kan¡¯s smile was full of confidence. Within his mind there wasn¡¯t even a single percent chance of his secret weapon failing.


    ¡®30 minutes. If it¡¯s just 30 minutes then maybe¡­¡¯ 30 minutes wasn¡¯t an absurdly long time, but within the chaotic mess of a battle, even a single second was precious. After rethinking about all the preparations on Kan¡¯s side and the preparations on her side, 30 minutes was definitely doable. Being able to kill a few elites straight off the bat would decrease the enemies total power, then all her group had to do was defend from within the Dragon¡¯s Den Formation for 30 minutes. Retrieving Claire was her objective, but being able to kill elites from the various factions was a plus to her side¡¯s cause. If everything went perfectly then it would be a win win situation with little losses. Nicole¡¯s decision was clear.


    ¡°Kan Lock, I agree to your proposal.¡±

 Chapter 77: Revolutionary Arms

    ¡°Thank you Big Sister Nicole. Let¡¯s work together and save Clear View.¡±


    Kan smiled confidently as he shook Nicole¡¯s hand. ¡®Whew, the negotiations went well.¡¯ From Nicole¡¯s point of view, Kan was absolutely confident with everything he said, but in reality, he was extremely nervous. He had been bluffing when he said he knew about all of Nicole¡¯s objectives. Most of them were conjectures from the various information he knew, but most importantly, he knew Nicole¡¯s personality.


    If the person he was negotiating with was someone other than Nicole, than the negotiations wouldn¡¯t have gone so smooth. From Jane¡¯s stories and his time with her, Kan knew that deep down, Nicole was a kind person. The reason she was willing to abandon the villagers is because it would be the safest way to retrieve Claire. If she tried to save both the villagers and Claire then it would jeopardize her objective in retrieving Claire.


    This is why Kan decided to gamble on his plan that would save both the villagers and Claire. Nicole had probably already thought of various ways to save everyone, but came to a dead end. Kan needed to show her that his plan would be able to save the villagers, Claire, and Nicole and her group. In the end, he was able to convince her that his plan was the best choice.


    ¡°Even though I said that I¡¯ll agree to this plan, I still have to discuss this with my group.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. If possible can you return by tomorrow. I need you to meet with my parents to discuss the plan.¡±


    ¡°Do they know about this plan already?¡±


    ¡°No, they don¡¯t. You¡¯re the first person that knows about this plan. When you come back, I want you to convince my parents to agree with this plan.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell them yourselves? ¡±


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t be the one to do it. It has to be you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Nicole was starting to become suspicious of Kan and he could see that. He was struggling to answer her because the entire situation was complicated. If he was the one to tell his parents then he didn¡¯t know if it would make the situation worst. During the seventh and eighth set of memories, ¡°Kan¡± had warned his parents and the villagers, and the overall situation became worse. The seventh set of memories had 2 groups attacking and the eighth set of memories had 3 groups. ¡®Wait, there was something else.¡¯


    ¡®Jane! Jane was also in those two memories!¡¯ Kan had forgotten about Jane. Thinking back to those two memories, he remembered that Jane was in them, unlike the others. Jane was an important role in the entire event but he had forgotten about her. ¡®How is she going to affect the events this time.¡¯ Even though Kan remembered about Jane, he also remembered that he still needed ease Nicole¡¯s doubts. Even though he didn¡¯t want too, he had to lie to her.


    ¡°Big Sister Nicole. Can you keep what I¡¯m going to tell you an absolute secret.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very serious right now. Can you take this secret to your grave. This is how important this secret is to me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Nicole didn¡¯t answer right away and Kan was relieved to see that. He knew Nicole¡¯s personality, but he was still wary of her. But seeing how she was seriously contemplating, Kan was assured that Nicole was a truly nice person.


    ¡°Yes, I swear on my soul that whatever secret you are going to reveal to me, I will take it to the grave.¡±


    ¡°Ok, thank you.¡±


    Kan took in a big breath before he began explaining to Nicole.


    ¡°The reason I know so many things about this attack on Clear View is because I have a skill called [Future Sight]. As its name implies, I can see the future.¡±


    ¡°W-WHAT!?¡±


    Nicole suddenly stood up in the bath. Kan could see the shock and awe in her face, but more than that, he could see her toned body. Her well refined muscles had scars that ran across her body, but that didn¡¯t diminish her beauty any bit. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°My skill isn¡¯t as strong as you may think it is. I can¡¯t manually use it and it only occurs when i¡¯m asleep. Whatever I see in my dreams are vague images and scenes that are going to happen in the near future. Even last night, I saw scenes of you explaining your objectives to me.¡±


    ¡°I see. I see. If it¡¯s that then it¡¯s possible.¡±


    Nicole sat back down in the bath while muttering to herself. Half her face was now submerged and only her nose and up was visible. She was staring straight at him. ¡®I hope this convinces her.¡¯ The only thing Kan could do was wait for Nicole to respond back to him.


    ¡°How accurate is your skill?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, about 30% of the things I see come true.¡±


    ¡°30%. Can these predictions be changed?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Nicole was interrogating him, but he confidently replied back. The only thing Kan could do was take this lie all the way until it becomes the truth for Nicole.


    ¡°Have you seen what groups are going to attack?¡±


    ¡°My skill isn¡¯t a hundred percent accurate, but I remember seeing your group which is filled with different people from different kingdoms. There was also the monster tamer groups, and the beastmen.¡±


    ¡°Amazing!! Your skill is amazing Kan!! I¡¯ve heard legends of people have skills that could see the future, but this is the first time i¡¯ve seen one in person. If we have this then we could¡¯ve prevented so many incidents.¡±


    Kan smiled wryly at the current Nicole. She was all giddy and happy like a child discovering treasure within a cave. ¡®If only I had such a skill, I wouldn¡¯t have to struggle so much.¡¯


    ¡°Kan, how would you like to join our group.¡±


    ¡°Join your group?¡±


    ¡°Yes, with your skill, you can help us save all the kingdoms across this continent. Join me and my group, the Revolutionary Arms. Revolutionary Arms, aims to overthrow every single corrupt nation and to create a peaceful world where everyone can coexist. Will you join us?¡±


    ¡°I-I-I...what about Clear View?¡±


    ¡°Yes, i¡¯ll convince everyone to save the villagers. Claire and your skill is too precious to give up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Kan was confused, but was glad that Nicole was no longer suspicious of him. He didn¡¯t know what Revolutionary Arms was, but if they could save his villager then Kan was glad to be there ally. ¡®Wait, this is the chance i¡¯ve been waiting for. I can make Mommy into the Queen of this nation by using there help.¡¯ This was a risky deal for Kan, but it would be worth it if he could make Claire into the Queen. He just had to keep on lying about his skill.


    ¡°Nicole, i¡¯ll join your group on two conditions.¡±


    ¡°Name any price you want, your skill [Future Sight] is priceless.¡±


    ¡°I want you to guarantee that Mommy will become the Queen of this nation, and I want your group to support fully support her. If these two conditions aren¡¯t met then I won¡¯t won¡¯t join Revolutionary Arms.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee it right now, but I will make Claire into the Queen of this nation. I will convince everyone to support Claire. I promise you this as a member of Revolutionary Arms and as Nicole Blaine.¡±


    The conversation had derailed from there initial talks about saving the village, but it wasn¡¯t a problem for Kan. Even if he made a dubious promise to join Revolutionary Arms, this was preparation for the future. Kan had only been thinking about saving the village, but with Nicole talking about Revolutionary Arms, it was a chance for Kan to realize that he needed to also think about the future.


    ¡°Big Sister Nicole, let¡¯s get back on topic. I need you to go meet my parents tomorrow to discuss the plans with them. And can you also bring back a drop of blood from your companions.¡±


    ¡°Is it for the formation?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we need a drop of blood from them so the formation will recognize them as allies. Oh, if you can, when you meet with my parents, can you also bring Jane along with you.¡±


    ¡°Jane?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think my parents will trust you right away, but if Jane is there, i¡¯m sure she can convince them that you aren¡¯t a bad person.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Kan didn¡¯t really have a reason for Jane to be with Nicole besides sticking the two anomalies together. Both Nicole and Jane were major factors in saving Clear View, so it was better for them to be together. And it was also good for Jane to spend more time with Nicole.


    ¡°One last thing, can you also keep it a secret that I was the one who came up with this plan.


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Only two days left. The day after tomorrow is going to be dangerous. *Haaahh. I hope my preparations were enough.¡±


    Kan sighed to himself as he was staring at the night sky from his room. After the negotiations with Nicole, they had gone their separate ways. Nicole had gone to meet her allies while Kan had gone to Don¡¯s place. Kan had gone in hopes of learning more about being a Material Locksmith, but all he did was fail. Unlike like becoming a combat or mage locksmith, becoming a material locksmith was difficult for Kan.


    Kan continued to admire the night sky. The stars were sparkling brightly since there was no clouds in the sky. But the most amazing thing was the 3 moons. Kan didn¡¯t know why, but the 3 moons felt abnormal to him. A vague feeling was telling him that the stars and the moons were vastly different from what he knew. But it shouldn¡¯t be, since these were the stars and moons that he has always seen as a child. Eventually the stars and moons became a fleeting thought as he slowly fell asleep.

 Chapter 78: Clear Views Disaster(Part 1)

    [Skill Creation - 2%]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Kan woke up in surprise after hearing a voice speak within his head. It was the same voice that he had heard when he obtained his skill, [Chef¡¯s Kitchen],  but this time it was different. Kan inspected whether he learned a new skill but the only skill that he could see was [Chef¡¯s Kitchen].


    He was slightly confused, but he brushed it off. He had more important things to think about. Today was the day that Clear View was going to be attacked. Kan looked out the window in his room and it was a cloudy day. It was the exact same scenery he had seen within those memories.


    ¡°It should be ok. This time it will be different, i¡¯ll save everyone in the village.¡±


    Kan reassured himself. He had already planned for the attack, his parents were prepared, the mayor had prepared, and even Nicole had prepared. ¡®Everything should be fine.¡¯ Kan continued to reassure himself as he dressed himself up. But no matter how much he reassured himself, there was a feeling deep inside of him that told him that his plans weren¡¯t going to work out.


    ¡°Get it together Kan. I can¡¯t be feeling scared now. I¡¯m the only one who can save Clear View.¡±


    Kan was dressed in gear that protected his body and was easy to move in. Within his coat were various daggers that Nicole had given him for training and protection. On the side of his waist was a sword that the mayor had gifted him for his birthday. Even if he wasn¡¯t as good as Leo in sword skills, Kan had still learned a little from the mayor. Although the edges on the sword were blunted, using his combat locksmith powers, Kan could still deal damage with it.


    On the right side of his waist was a chain that Don had given him the previous day after learning about the attack on the village. The chain was a weaker version of what Don had used on Kan during their battle. Don gave this as a gift to Kan so he would be able to protect himself, but Kan could see that there was a deeper meaning behind it. Kan felt that it was a parting gift from Don. He could see that Don didn¡¯t have high hopes living past the ordeal tomorrow. Kan didn¡¯t know what Don was going to do, but he knew that Don was willing to sacrifice his life for the village. He had given Kan the chain as a way to pass down his legacy. Kan graciously accepted it, but he was not going to let Don or anyone else sacrifice their lives.


    The last thing Kan put on his body before leaving his room was a necklace with a green gem hanging off of it. It was the gift that Jane had given him which had once saved his life before. Kan wore the necklace and left his room. He was fully prepared to face the disaster.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Mommy, Daddy, are you home?¡±


    Kan checked their room and the living room, but he couldn¡¯t find them. ¡®They¡¯re probably out preparing right now.¡¯ The previous day when his parents had learned about the attack being the next day, they were in a rush to prepare.


    When Nicole had met up with them and told them about the attack, at first they were wary of her, but luckily Jane was able to convince them that Nicole was trustworthy. Nicole told them what she knew from her side and Clive told them about their preparations. After more discussion Nicole was able to convince them about letting her group become a part of the Dragon¡¯s Den formation. She had even convinced them to agree with Kan¡¯s plan on attacking the elites then using teleportation to get them out of there.


    Seeing that they weren¡¯t home, Kan decided to go out to the plaza of the village. This is where most of the villagers were gathered since they were preparing to trade with merchants from the capital. It didn¡¯t take long for Kan to arrive at the plaza and it wasn¡¯t as busy yet. Looking around, people were just starting to set up stalls to show off their goods. Today was suppose to be a busy and bustling day, but Kan could feel that there was tension within the air.


    He wasn¡¯t surprised though, yesterday all the villagers were told about the attack on Clear View. The instructions given to them were to act natural and begin preparing to receive the merchants from the capital. They needed to act natural so the enemies wouldn¡¯t be suspicious of their actions. But how could they act natural knowing that their village was going to be attacked. The air was tense but the villagers tried their best to act as natural as possible. Those who couldn¡¯t fight were preparing for the merchants while those who could were preparing behind the scenes.


    ¡°Good morning Aunty Jenet. Are you making your famous spicy grilled fish today?¡±


    ¡°Oh, good morning Kan. Yeah, Aunty¡¯s about to start making her famous grilled fish.¡±


    ¡°Can I have one? Pease, please, please.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, sure. You¡¯ll be my first customer of the day.¡±


    After receiving his food Kan began to visit the other stalls.


    ¡°Wow Uncle Clarence. Is this a sculpture of the Goddess Simal? It¡¯s so good!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I do take pride in my work. I¡¯ll sell it to you for 10 bronze coins.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Uncle Clarence, I didn¡¯t bring money today. I¡¯ll come back tomorrow and buy.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!! I¡¯ll definitely buy it tomorrow, so keep it safe for me, ok.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, yeah, i¡¯ll save it just for you.¡±


    After speaking with Uncle Clarence, Kan continued onto the next stall.


    ¡°Is that your stomach grumbling Uncle Ponpo? You want a bite of my spicy grilled fish?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Kan. It¡¯s ok, i¡¯ll get some food later.¡±


    ¡°No can do Uncle Ponpo. Mommy said that ¡°If you¡¯re hungry then eat. If not then share with others what you can¡¯t eat.¡± So here, take a bite of Aunty Jenet¡¯s world famous spicy grilled fish.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Ok. I¡¯ll take a bite. Thanks Kan.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°No problem. You should come and have dinner with us tomorrow. Bring little May too, it¡¯s been so long since I played with her.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, i¡¯ll bring her tomorrow and you can play with her.¡±


    ¡°Pinky promise.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, sure, pinky promise.¡±


    Uncle Ponpo eyes began to become watery. He made a promise to Kan to bring his daughter to play with Kan ¡°tomorrow¡±. He couldn¡¯t break his promise no matter what. He was going to do whatever he could to fulfill this promise to Kan. After talking with Uncle Ponpo, Kan went off to the next stall but before that, he saw a friend hiding himself.


    ¡°What are you doing Sammy?¡±


    ¡°W-wwhoa, you spooked me Kan. Almost gave me a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°Why are you hiding?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business Kan. I¡¯m just hiding for fun.¡±


    ¡°Oh, let me hide with you then.¡±


    Kan stood behind Sammy and looked at what he was looking at. He was looking at a girl named Sally. Kan smiled realizing what Sammy was doing. Kan and almost everyone knew that Sammy liked Sally. Sammy was 19 while Sally was 18 and the both of them had known each other since they were babies. Everyone was already in support of them being a couple. All they were waiting for was for Sammy to muster up his courage and ask Sally out.


    ¡°Oh, is that Sally I see.¡±


    ¡°Shush-Shush be quiet Kan. I don¡¯t want Sally to see me like this. She¡¯ll think i¡¯m a creep.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go up there and talk to her?¡±


    ¡°Kan, can we talk for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°You know about the thing that was announced yesterday, right.¡±


    ¡°The attack on the village?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Since that announcement, i¡¯ve been debating whether I should tell Sally my feelings. I don¡¯t know when i¡¯ll have another chance so I want to tell her, but i¡¯m scared. What if she rejects me? What if she tells me that i¡¯m a weakling for not helping in the fight? I can¡¯t fight like you or the other men, i¡¯m just a carpenter in training. She¡¯ll never like a weakling like me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t think you have to worry about that Sammy. Sally isn¡¯t such a shallow minded person. She isn¡¯t a girl who only look at a man¡¯s strength, she looks at a person for who they truly are.¡±


    ¡°B-but what if she rejects me even after looking at the true me.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let me help you then.¡±


    Kan grabbed Sammy by the wrist and began walking towards Sally.


    ¡°W-wait wait. What are you doing Kan. Let me goooo. How are you so strong!?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, training. SALLYYY!!! SALLYYY!!!¡±


    After calling out to Sally, she turned around and looked at both Kan and Sammy with confusion on her face. The other villagers also looked at the commotion that was occuring. Seeing the situation, almost every villager knew what was happening. Smiles and giggles filled the onlookers.


    ¡°Hi Kan, did you need something?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, Sammy wanted to talk to you.¡°


    ¡°P-please let me go Kan. I-I can¡¯t do it.¡±


    Sally stood there looking as Sammy struggled to get out of Kan¡¯s grip. Kan looked at Sally and he could see the sadness and anxiousness in her eyes. Sally was hoping for Sammy to finally speak his mind, but as usual he was trying to run away before saying anything. Kan could see that as Sammy struggled harder to run, the light of hope in Sally¡¯s eyes were dimming. Kan couldn¡¯t take it anymore and his grip on Sammy became more intense.


    ¡°SAMMY!! Are you going to run away forever!! Are you going to leave and not even speak to Sally!! Are you going to trample all over her feelings!!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Kan. Sammy can talk when he wants to talk.¡±


    ¡°N-no, but aren¡¯t you hurt Sally.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡±


    The entire area was now silent. There was an awkward atmosphere that floated in the air between Sammy and Sally. But now Sammy was actually looking at Sally. After everything Kan and Sally talked about, Sammy was finally looking at Sally. He didn¡¯t know why he never realized it, but Sally¡¯s eyes were full of sadness and pain. ¡®Is this all my fault? W-w-what have I done.¡¯


    Sammy mustered up the courage and stopped resisting Kan. Realizing that, Kan let go of him. Faster than anyone could realize, Sammy got on his knees and slammed his head into the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!!!! I¡¯m sorry for causing you so much grief, Sally!!! I-I never meant to hurt you. I just didn¡¯t have the confidence to come face to face with you. But I won¡¯t run anymore, i¡¯ll be truthful with my feelings.¡±


    Sammy stood up and looked at Sally. Everyone looking at Sammy was surprised. His posture and his aura was full of strength that was never seen before.


    ¡°Sally, I love you, will you marry me!!!¡±


    ¡°M-m-marry!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, will you marry me.¡±


    Everyone was absolutely stunned. They had just expected Sammy to just ask Sally to become a couple, but he went straight to asking her hand in marriage. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t stutter, he was seriously asking for her hand in marriage. Everyone was stunned at the sheer amount of bravado emanating off of Sammy.


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes! What took you so long, you idiot!!!¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I promise i¡¯ll treat you well from now until the day I die.¡±


    Everyone watching cheered and hollered as Sammy and Sally kissed each other. This was an extremely happy occasion for everyone in the village. So much that the anxiousness from the attack on the village was washed away. In fact the villagers were invigorated even more to protect the village, to protect the future of this new couple, to protect the future of all their descendents.


    ¡­¡­


    Kan watched as Sammy and Sally were bombarded with congratulations and gifts from the villagers. The tense atmosphere no longer existed, it was replaced by the joys and cheers of the villagers. Kan had accomplished what he had set out to do.


    ¡°Hey Kan, what¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Leo. Sammy and Sally just got married.¡±


    ¡°Wow, finally. Who proposed?¡±


    ¡°Sammy.¡±


    ¡°What!? Sammy did?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Oh, yeah. I came here to tell you that your parents wanted to talk to you. They¡¯re at my house.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go then.¡±


    While walking, Kan looked at Leo¡¯s gear. Leo was also dressed in gear that was easy to move in. The only surprising thing about Leo was that he had two swords on his. One sword was shorter than the other one and the quality of the shorter one seemed better.


    ¡°Leo, why do you have to swords?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Father said that I should always carry around 2 swords in case one of them breaks. And you know what I was thinking. What if I used 2 swords to fight instead of just 1. Wouldn¡¯t that make me stronger?¡±


    ¡°Can you do that? I don¡¯t know much about swords so you should probably ask your father about it.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense though, right? Since I have 2 hands then I should equip both of them with swords. Then i¡¯ll become twice as strong.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense to me. I sometimes use both of my hands to throw daggers, so using 2 swords seems like the obvious choice. I wonder why no one uses 2 swords though?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, maybe i¡¯ll become the first person to ever use 2 swords as a fighting style. Aren¡¯t I smart, I already created my own style of fighting.¡±

 Chapter 79: Clear Views Disaster(Part 2)

    After opening the door, Kan could see that the best fighters had been gathered within the mayor¡¯s house. All of them were currently talking and discussing over the plan to deal with the attack. The mayor clapped his hands and silenced everyone in the room before speaking.


    ¡°Let¡¯s run through the plan again. If there are any questions, please ask after i¡¯m done speaking. First off, our plan is to run away using Claire¡¯s teleportation. Our goal is not to defeat the enemies, our goal is to run away. The villagers will act normal until the alarm bells are signalled. Once the bells are signalled, the villagers will all gather up within the plaza and we will protect them until the teleportation is started. And once again to remind all of you, there will be traitors from the enemies side that will join us to fight. Does anyone have any questions.¡±


    ¡°I do. Why don¡¯t we just activate the teleportation formation and escape right now.¡±


    The others in the room started to agree with this opinion. ¡®Why did they have to wait for the enemy to attack. They should just run right away.¡¯ Most of the villagers were thinking the same thing.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as that.¡±


    ¡°Let me explain mayor.¡±


    The mayor was beginning to explain the circumstances, but Claire interrupted him. It was better for her to explain since she was the one who created the teleportation formation.


    ¡°We can¡¯t run away immediately because the teleportation formation isn¡¯t complete yet. In reality, I would need another 3 years for the formation to be complete. Since yesterday, I have been rushing to complete the formation, but there¡¯s no chance for me to finish it by today. I want to fine tune the formation as much as possible, to make it as safe as possible. If we try and activate the formation right now, I don''t know what may happen. Worst case scenario, your body will be shredded into pieces as you are being teleported.¡±


    The room turned silent as no one continued to complained about activating the formation. None of them wanted to be minced into lumps of meat as they are teleported.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s get back into topic. Since we are going to teleport away from the village be ready to prepare only the necessities. Don¡¯t bring anything you don¡¯t need.¡±


    The mayor continued to speak to everyone in the room. Kan watched and listen, but he was interrupted by a voice.


    ¡°There you are Kan. Let¡¯s go, Mommy and Daddy need to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Mommy.¡±


    Kan walked behind Claire as they went to another room. Claire opened the door and there was Clive sitting on the bed preparing 3 backpacks. Two of the backpacks were larger while the third one was smaller. The one thing they all had in common though, was that they were all filled up.


    Kan could sense that the atmosphere in the room was tense. The look on his father¡¯s face was grim and he was dressed to battle. He was wearing light armor that protected his body, and his weapon of choice were gauntlets. Kan had never seen his father use a weapon before, whenever they were training he just fought bare handed.


    ¡°Hey Kan, how are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t be afraid of what''s going to happen today, ok. Daddy and Mommy will protect you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mommy won¡¯t let anyone harm you.¡±


    Kan felt warmth in his chest. He was happy that his parents cared so much about him, but he didn¡¯t just want them to protect him. He wanted to be the one to protect them even if he knew he was still too weak.


    ¡°Mommy and Daddy, i¡¯ll protect the both of you. If any bad guys come around, i¡¯ll punch them straight in the face and send them flying away.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s my son. Send all of them flying away.¡±


    ¡°Haha, i¡¯ll be counting on you Kan.¡±


    The room in lightened up just a little bit after Kan¡¯s declaration. Both Clive and Claire were relieved at seeing how spirited Kan was.


    ¡°Do you remember your role Kan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. My role is to help evacuate the villagers while the teleportation formation is activating.¡±


    ¡°Good, and what do you do when the formation is almost done?¡±


    ¡°Immediately go and find Mommy or Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and why must you do that.¡±


    ¡°So I won¡¯t get separated from Mommy or Daddy.¡±


    ¡°And what should you do if you are separated from Mommy or Daddy during the teleportation?¡±


    ¡°I should first find safety and eventually make my way to the City of Fireflies.¡±


    ¡°Haha, close but not quite. It¡¯s not the City of Fireflies, it¡¯s Firefly City within the Kingdom of Freedom. What are you to do when you arrive in Firefly City?¡±


    ¡°Look for a house that coos at the rise of the sun and howls during the night. Or I should look for someone named Kevin Sueden.¡±


    ¡°Good, you remember everything I told you. Let me remind you that Kevin Sueden is a close friend of your grandfather, Jonathan. If you meet him, tell him that you¡¯re the son of Clive Lock and the grandson of Jonathan Lock. And if he is still suspicious then show him the royal seal, and tell him that you¡¯re the son of Claire Renner. It¡¯s been a long time since I met Kevin, but there is one distinct feature about him, a scar on his chest in the shape of a circle. Got it memorized.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Firefly City and Kevin Sueden were both familiar names to Kan. These two names had popped up when Jane had talked about how she met Nicole. The only question that bothered Kan was who Kevin was. Maybe he was overthinking it, but was it really a coincidence that Jane had met his grandfather and Kevin. Was it just a coincidence that Jane was led to the village of Clear View. It all seemed to align too perfectly.


    ¡°Daddy, who is Kevin?¡±


    ¡°Well, Kevin is your grandfather¡¯s close friend. I had only met him a few times, but your grandfather always said that if I was ever in trouble then I should find Kevin. Your grandfather didn¡¯t trust others too much, but those he did, he trusted them with his life. And Kevin was one of those people he trusted with his life. From what I knew, Kevin was an informant who was part of an organization that dealt with every single country.¡±


    ¡®An informant who dealt with every single country.¡¯ Hearing this Kan began to think of another organization that dealt with every single country, Revolutionary Arms. The chances of Kevin being a part of Revolutionary Arms was high.


    ¡°Kan, Mommy and Daddy have presents for you.¡±


    ¡°Presents?¡±


    ¡°Here, Mommy¡¯s present is a bracelet. Mommy didn¡¯t have enough time to make something better, but this bracelet will help you against magic attacks. Activating the seal within the bracelet will create a barrier that will lessen the power of magic attacks.¡±


    The bracelet was simple in design. It was an iron bracelet with a streak of blue that went around the bracelet, but Kan could feel the mana emanating from it.


    ¡°Thank you Mommy.¡±


    ¡°And my present is some of my condensed energy. If you¡¯re ever in a dangerous situation, absorb some of the energy from this and you¡¯ll be able to use the power of a combat locksmith at 45%. But be careful though, there is only enough energy for it to be used 3 times. So only use it when your life is truly in danger.¡±


    The condensed energy was cylindrical in shape and had a golden glow to it. Like the bracelet that emanated mana, the condensed energy emanated intense energy.


    ¡°Thank you Daddy.¡±


    Kan was grateful for the presents. Both of these gifts gave off very strong auras, but they felt very familiar. Just like Jane¡¯s necklace, these two gifts emanated the warm auras of his parents.


    But considering the timing and the situation, these gifts made him feel sad. Similar to Don who gifted the chain as a gift as part of his legacy, his parents were also leaving their legacies with him. He didn¡¯t like it. It was like his parents were saying goodbye to him forever. He didn¡¯t want to be separated from them, he wanted them to stay together forever, but he had to accept the gifts.


    ¡°T-thank you.¡±


    ¡°K-Kan!?¡±


    ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    The tears streamed out of Kan¡¯s eyes. He couldn¡¯t stop them.


    In that moment the sound of thunder was heard and a flash of lighting was seen.


    ¡°That was some intense lighting wasn¡¯t it Kan?¡±


    Kan''s eyes were full of determination.

 Chapter 80: Clear Views Disaster(Part 3)

    As both ¡°Kan¡± and Clive were talking about the lighting strike they were once again interrupted by a different sound. This was now the sound of the village alarm bell going off. It wasn¡¯t just one alarm bell going off though, it was all of them.


    ¡°Be careful, Kan. Evacuate the villagers and if you see any enemies, run away.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Mommy.¡±


    The three of them got ready and a very familiar message Kan heard many times echoed throughout the village.


    ¡°¡°BRING US CLAIRE RENNER OR BE EXTERMINATED!!! YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS BEFORE THE MASSACRE STARTS!!¡±


    Everyone in the mayor¡¯s house rushed out, ready for battle. In a matter of seconds fighting began throughout the village. From his position, Kan could tell that those who announced the message had come from the plaza. These men were all dressed in black just as he remembered. There were around 30 of them.


    ¡°This is what you get for not following orders!¡±


    A man dressed in black raised his sword and was about to slash a young child. Kan grabbed a rock and threw it with all his might. The man dodged it but that was enough time for three villagers to surround and defeat him.


    ¡°Hurry, let¡¯s get to the center of the plaza.¡±


    ¡°O-ok.¡±


    The little girl he just saved was shaking out of fear. Her eyes were filled with fear and confusion but Kan smiled confidently at her. Even though he was filled with worry about the overall situation, he couldn¡¯t show this to the little girl. Who was this little girl supposed to look towards for hope if not him?


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Big brother Kan will keep you safe. We¡¯ll definitely drive the bad men away.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    The little girl mustered up the courage and began running with Kan. As they got closer towards the center of the plaza, Kan could see the barricades that were set up. Multiple fences were erected and stacks of wooden boxes were used to block the entrances into the plaza. Since there were only 3 entrances into the plaza, the villages were relatively fast in barricading themselves.


    ¡°Your Mommy¡¯s right over there. Stay with them while I go help around.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Kan began running around the plaza noting which villages were here and weren¡¯t. The more he observed the happier he got, most of them were here while more villagers were still coming. It wouldn¡¯t take long for all the villages to be safe and sound. Their preparations weren¡¯t in vain.


    ¡°TSUNAMI!!¡±


    ¡°Why is there a giant wave at a time like this!¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    A giant wave was approaching the village at a quick pace. The villagers were already struggling to fight against the men in black and felt hopeless when a giant wave came. The only person who wasn¡¯t worried was Kan. In the sky was his mother, his mage locksmith Master.


    Her hair flowed wildly as a giant green magic circle appeared in front of her. The very next moment a giant blade of wind came down and slashed the wave in half before it could even reach the village. Cries of agony were heard as the tsunami was cut in half.


    After the wave was sliced in half, blood splattered all over the town. Bodies dropped from the sky but they weren¡¯t human, they were the bodies of sea creatures with humanoid shapes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop fighting! It¡¯s not over yet! There are fishmen in the water. Golems awaken!!¡±


    The villagers roared at Claire¡¯s incredible feat. From behind the enemies, golems started attacking the confused enemies. None of the enemies expected there to be golems in the village and was immediately pushed back.


    ¡°Golems!?¡±


    ¡°Shit! Why are they so strong!?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t they just supposed to be regular villagers!¡±


    Surprised at the villagers¡¯ ferocity and the golems, the enemy¡¯s organization was thrown into chaos. With the support of the Dragon¡¯s Den formation and high morale, the villagers were winning. That was when animalistic roar pierced through all of the ears of everyone in the village. It was the roar of the beastmen that Kan had heard from his memories.


    ¡°Beastmen are approaching from the forest!¡±


    ¡°Alright men, half of you follow me towards the forest. Clive, you and the others deal with the men in black and fishmen.¡±


    ¡°Alright, stay safe.¡±


    Claire flew through the air while men and golems followed her from the ground. Claire¡¯s decision was a wise one since beastmen were strong against physical attacks but weak against magic. The magic circle in the plaza dimmed but the other mage locksmiths were still maintaining it. Claire and all the other mage locksmith had been trying to complete the teleportation spell but now that she was gone, it was proceeding at a slower speed.


    ¡°Claire Renner is gone. They can¡¯t do anything without her. Attack!!!¡±


    ¡°You underestimate us if you think you can defeat us with Claire gone.¡±


    The man trying to insight energy in the group attacking Clear View immediately went silent as an arm pierced through his chest. Clive threw the person¡¯s body away as he glared at the enemies in front of him. Facing such an intense amount of pressure, the enemies took half a step back and fear could be seen on their faces.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s only one person. If we kill him then the rest will be easy. Attack!!!¡±


    A group of five immediately charged Clive but the other villages weren¡¯t just going to let this happen. The all-out battle continued again but this time the villages and golems were gaining the edge over the enemies.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    While this was occurring, Kan had been behind the fence supporting the fighters outside of the fence. He couldn¡¯t do much but he would help through throwing rocks, daggers, or shooting magic here and there to distract the enemy.


    ¡°Thanks, Kan.¡±


    ¡°More enemies, Mal.¡±


    With Kan¡¯s help, Mal turned around before her rapier swiftly stabbed into the vitals of the enemy in black. This was the rapier wielding woman who was part of the patrol group. Kan could tell that she was a lot stronger than he had thought. It was obvious that she hadn¡¯t even used 5% of her true strength when fighting him.


    ¡°Alright, stay back, Kan. Let the adults handle this.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Stay safe, Mal.¡±


    ¡°Kan, I need your help!¡±


    Hearing Jane¡¯s voice, Kan immediately ran towards her. She has been helping Doctor Frank heal the wounds of the villagers. In front of Jane and Doctor Frank was Ponpo who Kan had just talked to earlier. His right hand was gone and he was screaming in pain.


    ¡°Hold him down, Kan.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Jane healed his arm but she couldn¡¯t heal it completely or else she would run out of mana so both Doctor Frank and her combined her powers and herbal medicine. She would heal it to a certain point and Doctor Frank would apply medicine afterward.


    ¡°Thanks, Kan. Carry him over there for now.¡±


    ¡°O-ok.¡±


    While carrying Ponpo, Kan felt a rage in his heart that he had never felt before. He was angry at all of those who were injuring the villagers. The screams of pain and agony couldn¡¯t escape his ears as he walked past the other injured villagers. Kan realized that he was truly naive, he believed that he could save everyone without any injuries but he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s because I¡¯m weak. If I were stronger, I would be able to save everyone.¡±


    Kan lied Ponpo down and was going back to support the others but that was when the worse outcome occurred.


    ¡°Monster tamers from the forest with the beastmen!¡±


    ¡°Wyvern riders flying from the mountain pass!!¡±


    ¡°Shit, there¡¯s even more enemies. Where are our reinforcements!!¡±


    ¡°Shut up and keep fighting! It¡¯s do or die!¡±


    The faint hope of them surviving was shattering inside of Kan. There were 5 different groups attacking the village which differed from any of the memories he had ever seen. The most in the memories were only 3 groups but now it was 5.


    ¡°Someone lead golems that can use magic to support Claire and notify her that more enemies are coming.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go, Daddy!¡±


    ¡°W-what!? No!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the fastest and I¡¯m not a fighter so it won¡¯t hinder your fighting power!¡±


    Kan pleaded as Clive struggled to make a decision. He really didn¡¯t want to send his son into danger but it was the most viable option. If they lost even a single combatant then they would be pushed back by the men in black, the fishmen, and the new group of enemies.


    ¡°Arrrghh, fine but stay safe!! Run if you meet any enemies!!¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll go with you, Kan!¡±


    From the side, Leo decided to go with Kan. Kan smiled at him as the two of them began running towards the forest. The golems were too slow so the two of them decided to go ahead of the golems to notify Claire.


    Kan was in his own thoughts as he thought about the preparations that he had made the day before. It wasn¡¯t much but it would definitely help defeat some of the enemies by the forest.


    ¡°[Burnout]!!!!¡±


    Hearing Leo shout, Kan was surprised to see that a sword a nearly sliced off his head. Leo had blocked the sword and began his flurry of attack since he only had 20 seconds before [Burnout] ran out. Not wasting any time, Kan grabbed his daggers and began attacking the enemy with Leo. The two of them used all of the skills when fighting against this man in black but all of their attacks were blocked.


    ¡°Pesky brats.¡±


    ¡°Leo!!!¡±


    Leo was kicked away as his body became limp. He was out of energy and could only watch as the man in black continued to attack Kan. Suddenly the man in black stopped attacking as Kan jumped away.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t realize it but aren¡¯t you the brat I failed to kill.¡±


    Kan immediately realized who¡¯s voice this was. It was the man who tried to kill him with the pecan pie and the enemy who lead the men in black to attack the village. It was George.


    Kan didn¡¯t say anything but coldly stared at George. George had wronged him to many times that Kan would never forgive him. This situation in the village was all because of him.


    ¡°Oh, what at good glare. Are you angry at me! I love this kind of face.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Kan watched George¡¯s everyone move as he backed up towards Leo. Although he was furious at George, he knew that he couldn¡¯t beat him and that he had a more important mission. He needed to see if Leo was fine and then group up with Claire.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the despair on your parents¡¯ face as I torture you in front of them. I already had enough joy torturing the villagers but it¡¯s incomparable to the joy of seeing a parent watch their child having their life taken right in front of them.¡±


    Kan didn¡¯t say anything but threw two daggers at George while grabbing Leo and running away. Kan unlocked his body with all his might but it wasn¡¯t enough to get away from George. A second later Kan felt a sword whizz past his head but not looking back he continued to run.


    Right behind him, George was laughing in joy as he continued to chase after Kan and Leo. If he wanted to, he could easily kill both of them but he wanted to enjoy their despair.


    ¡°Run! Run! Keep on running!¡±


    ¡°Go, Leo!¡±


    Kan threw Leo into a building before turning around and attacking George. He knew he didn¡¯t have a chance of beating George but his hoped lied in Leo escaping. With two daggers in his hands, Kan began a barrage of attacks on George but this didn¡¯t faze him at all. Kan¡¯s attacks were all being countered.


    Earth magic raised from the ground to grab George¡¯s leg but it didn¡¯t reach him. Jumping back, George escaped while sending his right foot at Kan. With a split second, Kan brought his arms up to block the kick but even then he was sent flying back.


    His arms were aching and his body was drenched in sweat. Kan was barely holding on while George was still perfectly fine. Since there was some distance between them, Kan began throwing daggers at George but he was slowly running out of daggers.


    Suddenly a horn was blown. It echoed throughout the village but Kan didn¡¯t know where it was coming from. What made it worse was that Kan didn¡¯t remember this horn ever being blown in any of the memories.


    ¡°I guess I can¡¯t play anymore.¡±


    The aura around George changed and the pressure from him was suffocating. Kan prepared himself but he couldn¡¯t calm himself down. That was when a sword appeared right in front of him and the only thing he could do was jump back, but the sword followed him. The sword was an inch away from him.


    ¡°Jump, Kan!¡±


    Hearing Leo¡¯s voice, Kan focused all of his energy on his legs and jumped into the sky. Looking down, he could see George surrounded by 10 golems. Magic was blasted towards him as he dodged them.


    ¡°Tch, I¡¯ll get you later kid. You better save your pretty little head for me.¡±


    Seeing that George had left, Kan¡¯s legs gave out and he finally had time to catch his breath.


    ¡°Are you fine, Kan?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, thanks, Leo. Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    Kan was relieved that Leo had made it on time with the golems. When Kan had thrown Leo, Leo had gone to get the golems to help them and luckily they made it on time. Now that they were out of danger, they proceeded to the forest area.