《Soulmate》 PROLOGUE: CHRISTMAS REGRETS A cold December night in Milan, Italy, a seven year old boy named Daemon McCoy is helping out his parents, Roger and Roseleen McCoy, in setting up their traditional Christmas tree. And like every year, Daemon was always the one who does the finishing touch by placing the star atop the Christmas tree. His parents then light up the decorations that gave a beautiful scene composing of different lights that sparkled and reflected in Daemon¡¯s deep black eyes. ¡°Woah~ so pretty!¡± Exclaimed Daemon as he stares at the Christmas tree. ¡°Shall we set the parol1 next?¡± His mother, Roseleen, asked while tilting her head with a smile on her face that compliments her brown eyes and brown hair as she holds the star-shaped Christmas lantern. As Daemon opens the window to hang the parol, a cold breeze greeted him and passed through his face and swayed his light-brown hair. Attracted by the relaxing wind, Roger went to the window where Daemon and Roseleen was and looked at the silent and peaceful night sky. He then realized the black car that is parked beside their gate and is accompanying four men wearing overcoat suits. Roger¡¯s golden colored eyes locked on one of the men who sets him apart from the others. A middle-aged-man who has blue eyes, blonde hair that has a deeper color than Roger¡¯s and has a scar on his left eye that matches the man¡¯s intimidating presence, looked up and met Roger¡¯s gaze. Roger who recognized the man without a second look, became stiff and made an uncomfortable expression. ¡°Why are you here at this hour, Don2?¡± Roger questioned while showing his discomfort to the man¡¯s overwhelming presence. ¡°I came to see you Roger. I brought gifts for Daemon and Roseleen and some wine we can share, can we come in?¡± The middle-aged-man replied while masking his face with a malicious grin, and showed the gifts and wine on his hands. Roger then gave Roseleen a concerned look that made her aware of the situation which she said with a small voice. ¡°I¡¯ll take Daemon to his room and head there later.¡± After hearing his wife¡¯s remarks, Roger went down to the gate to let the men in and guided them in the living room to hear more on what their guests¡¯ real intention for visiting. After seeing his husband down the staircase, Roseleen took Daemon to his room and tucked him to bed. ¡°Uhmm¡­ Mom¡­ Who are those scary looking guys that came to see dad?¡± Daemon asked innocently while being tucked by Roseleen. ¡°Don¡¯t worry sweetie, they¡¯re just some guys from dad¡¯s work.¡± Roseleen said while putting all her effort to hide the discomfort and calm her fast heartbeat. After tucking Daemon to his bed, Roseleen said her goodnights and left Daemon with a goodnight¡¯s kiss on the forehead. She then headed down the staircase and walks slowly to the living room where Roger and their visitors are discussing something. Before she could open the door, the man who Roger addressed as Don said with a clear voice that didn¡¯t even concealed its hostility. ¡°Your influence within the Testarossa family is quite interesting. Despite the fact that you haven¡¯t been in my family for long, you had climbed your way up to be one of my executives while gaining achievements along the way.¡± The Don of the Testarossa family, Don Vito Testarossa, gave Roger praises and recalled the feats that Roger achieved with a smug look on his face. Roger kept his silent and cold sweat filled his back due to the pressure that the Don is giving him. After seeing Roger¡¯s reaction, Don Vito reached the inside of his coat and pulled out a gun and pointed it at Roger. The previous smug on his face can no longer be seen and was replaced with a dangerous smile filled with killing intent. ¡°W-what are doing Don?! W-why are you pointing a gu¡­.¡± *BAAANGG* Before Roger could finish his sentence, Don Vito had already pulled the trigger and shot it in between Roger¡¯s eyes. Don Vito then muttered to himself with a small voice. ¡°Your influence within the Family is corrupting the others. I expect that if given the time, you would turn my own Family against me and claim it all for yourself. Really, did you not think that I would not notice the things that you are doing behind my back? Fuu¡­¡± Don Vito exhaled and turn his head to the three men that was behind him.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Go and kill every else in this house, then burn this place! Burn it! Until it is nothing but ashes!¡± After issuing his men his commands, one of them had interjected while looking down and kneeling. ¡°Don, I believe that Roger¡¯s legacy might be of use to us. His child might have a strong soul like his father and the fact that Roger and Roseleen are¡­¡± The kneeling man hesitated and continued on the topic about acquiring Daemon. ¡°¡­Th-that boy might be a good test subject and take us a step closer to unraveling all the secrets of the phenomenon, Soulmate!¡± Don Vito had a grin on his face after hearing one of his henchmen¡¯s tempting proposal. ¡°Then capture the boy alive and spare none others!¡± Thus the three men rushed to fulfill their superior¡¯s orders without a shred of guilt and conscience. Roseleen who was behind the door the whole time trembled at the unexpected turn of events. She forced herself to not scream and charge at the men who murdered her husband in front of her, and planned to use her son as a Guinee pig. She dashed to where Daemon is resting after finding out what the Don of the Testarossa family is scheming. When she entered her son¡¯s room, she hurriedly took Daemon and clasped him in her arms. ¡°What¡¯s going on mom? It hurts, your hugging me too tight¡­¡± Daemon who was startled by his mother¡¯s sudden actions tried to grasp what¡¯s going on with a worried look as they ran out of the room. ¡°W-we need to leave now *sob*sob*! Th-they *sob*sob* killed Roger! They killed your father, we need to escape from them before it¡¯s¡­¡± *BAAANGG* Roseleen who couldn¡¯t finish what she was supposed to say fell from the staircase and rolled on the floor with Daemon who was protected by her embrace. She was shot at the upper left of her shoulder, the wound was not fatal but the bleeding caused her to almost faint. Roseleen managed to stay conscious through sheer will alone. [Damn it! They¡¯re fast they caught up with me!] Roseleen thought with a despaired expression while enduring the waves of pain caused by the gun shot at her shoulder. ¡°Ughh¡­ huh? What?! M-mom! Wha-whats going on?! *sob*sob* I¡¯m scared! *sob*sob* where¡¯s dad?! Mom you¡¯re bleeding!¡± Daemon who was in a state of panic, let out his confused and scared thoughts while crying and tightening his embrace to Roseleen. ¡°How rude of you to leave without even greeting your guests, Roseleen.¡± Don Vito smirked at the pitiful display of Roseleen, laying and bleeding on the floor. He enjoyed the scene of the one who was once a strong and fierce woman, now showing him how powerless she is in the current situation. ¡°Vito Testarossa! How dare you! You should just die you BASTARD!!!¡± ¡°My, oh my. What a dirty mouth you got there, that isn¡¯t a good influence on dear little Daemon. You should know better, Roseleen.¡± With an evil smile on his face, Don Vito mocked Roseleen for her harsh words towards him. Roseleen then looked at the scared and confused Daemon who is crying in her clasp and cried thinking that she has no other option left but to feel guilty about her child¡¯s future. A future without a father, and a future without her to raise him to be a kind and loving adult, a right that is given to every child. [I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry Daemon. You would have to live a harsh life without us. I know it would be hard, but I believe you would still grow up to be a splendid man, I have no doubt.] Roseleen steeled herself and pushed Daemon with all her remaining strength. It was enough force for him to stumble right in front of the door. Daemon then stared at his mother as if he knew what she was thinking. ¡°*sob* No mom! I want *sob* to stay with you! I want to be with you, and dad.¡± Daemon desperately said, voicing his desire to not part with her any further. ¡°No, you should go to brother, to your uncle Amor. He could help you leave this country and escape! This is better than both of us dying! You still have many opportunities to live a normal and peaceful life my child. Go and seek something better, you are free to do so! Don¡¯t wish to live this lie¡± She then followed up with a small voice. ¡°This lie that is called living3¡­¡± Roseleen painfully said those words that convinced the crying Daemon to turn around and ran as fast as he could without looking back. Don Vito, who did not expect that Daemon would have the courage to run, was a little amazed and it was shown on his face as he¡¯s brows rose up, and his left hand caressed his chin. [Hmm, that boy has guts. Any normal little saplings around his age would have been frozen by fear, but¡­] Don Vito praised Daemon in his mind was a bit stunned, but he is not the Don of a big syndicate like the Testarossa Family for nothing. He immediately came to his senses and commanded his men to chase the pitiful young boy. ¡°What are you morons waiting for? Chase him already!¡± (Don Vito) ¡°¡°Y-Yes, Don!¡±¡± (Underlings) ¡°As if I¡¯ll let you do you what you want!¡± (Roseleen) Roseleen stood up from the floor and exerted a frightening aura. Something that should not have been seen by the naked eye is encompassing her whole body and presenting it to the men who are trying to chase after Daemon. As if it¡¯s like the air surrounding Roseleen has liquefied into a light-blue water that has faint glow in it. ¡°So you still have that amount of strength even though I had just killed your Soulmate? BEAUTIFUL! To have a firm soul, I¡¯m having trouble breathing by just being close to you. HA HA HA! This should be the very least. Please provide me, your guest, some entertainment!¡± Don Vito excitedly remarked after seeing Roseleen¡¯s strong will to stop them. He¡¯s usual cool behavior seems like an act when compared to his wild and thrilled face that he is making right now. Similar to Roseleen, Don Vito released a dark and suffocating aura and compressed it into his fists and knife, showing the difference in their experience in wielding this unrealistic ability like Bu*rger *ing and An*el¡¯s *u*ger. Don Vito then charged at Roseleen with his knife aimed at her and ready to strike with it once he¡¯s near enough. Roseleen who did not flinched at the charging opponent, just stood there like a statue. At that moment, Don Vito didn¡¯t realized what Roseleen was thinking and continued his approach. When he was right in front of Roseleen, Don Vito suddenly vanish and immediately appeared behind her pointing his knife at her neck like a professional assassin. Even though she was in a bad situation, it was far from the worse possible scenario. Roseleen judged that Daemon was far enough from their mansion, smirked and released the remaining embers of her soul and spread it to her surroundings almost instantaneously. [I at least would¡¯ve wanted to see you be a fine man one day, Daemon. Sorry this farewell, I love you my son.] A heartfelt whisper was blown into Daemon¡¯s ear. After hearing those words, Daemon felt even more pain than earlier. He wanted to go back to his mother. He wanted to at least say the words he didn¡¯t have the time to say to her back at their house, before he was ordered to run and seek help from his uncle. ¡®I love you too¡¯, were the words that he wanted to reply to the unexpected whisper that obviously belonged to his beloved mother, but¡­ *KAABOOOOM* Daemon turned as he heard the loud explosion that occurred at the direction of his house. His eyes widened and his jaw fell by the sight of flames that engulfed his house. Various emotions filled him up and was at a loss from the sudden occurrence. ¡®You should go to brother, to your uncle Amor¡¯, Daemon came to his senses after recalling his mother¡¯s command and steeled his heart to not look back again. He held back his emotions and departed to seek help from his uncle, showing that he was much more mature and decisive from his age. [I will definitely avenge you someday mom, dad! I¡¯m still weak now¡­ but someday¡­ I will! For now survival is my only hope, and revenge is my success in the future!4] Daemon thought while gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. He was disgusted by his powerlessness and desired to be strong one day to avenge his loved ones. Nothing can be seen from his deep black eyes except for the will to survive and live as revenge empowers him to achieve the goals that he set for himself. And that was the trigger of his journey to survive while enduring the pain of having been robbed of what¡¯s most precious to him. That day marked the beginning of his change. The beginning of his new life. CHAPTER 1: INEVITABLE CHANGE The explosion destroyed the lobby where Don Vito and Roseleen had clashed. At the site, the burned and dismembered corpses of the three men that accompanied Don Vito can be seen, gathered at one place. The corpses shook and was moved aside by the bloodied Don Vito, who was underneath the dead bodies. His henchmen apparently, noticed the unstable energy back then, and rushed to cover their Don from the explosion. ¡°Heh~, they were of use to me after all, as a meat shield though.¡± Don Vito wore a smile while covered in blood mixed of his own and his pawns. That very scene, gave of a terrifying feeling that can even make the devil beg for his life. ¡°Daemon¡­ McCoy¡­ don¡¯t expect that you¡¯re safe because you escaped from me. I never let a prey get away, don¡¯t think you are different! HA HA HA I will get you one day, even if it took me years to do so!¡± Don Vito made a crazy yet evil sounding laugh with wide opened bloodshot eyes as he took off into the darkness, which makes you think he deserve to be in the top ten villain list.
While walking at the familiar streets, firefighters and policemen passed Daemon and went straight to where the explosion came from. Making his mind up, Daemon headed to his uncle Amor¡¯s house and inform him of what happened. Because of Amor¡¯s job as a Mafioso of the Testarossa family, and the fact that he is Roseleen¡¯s biological brother, Daemon frequently visit his uncle with his parents. Thanks to this, Daemon didn¡¯t have a hard time finding his way and walked for almost an hour before arriving at his destination. Standing in front of the door, Daemon reached for the doorbell and pressed it. *DING DONG* The doorbell had rang a few more times before getting a response from Amor. ¡°Aye, aye. I¡¯m coming. I¡¯m coming.¡± Amor who was half asleep, replied to the sound of the doorbell. A few seconds had passed before the door knob twisted and the door opened. ¡°Sheesh, who would visit at time like this¡­.?¡± Amor muttered to himself nonchalantly. After seeing his unexpected visitor, Amor¡¯s eyes were wide opened and had a worrying expression painted on his face after seeing the crying figure of Daemon at his front door. He did not expected to be visited by his nephew at this hour without anyone accompanying him, but what made him anxious is why Daemon¡¯s crying. ¡°Uncle, mom and dad is *sob*sob*!¡± Daemon clenched his fist and said while trying to hold his tears in. A short moment of silence had occurred between the two before Daemon surrendered to his emotions and rushed to his uncle. Daemon buried his face at Amor¡¯s belly while wrapping his arms around Amor. Daemon cried his heart out while trying to inform his uncle on what had just happened to him and his parents. ¡°It¡¯s too cruel, uncle! *sob*sob* they k-killed mom and dad *sob*sob*. I can¡¯t even do anything¡­ but run and save my pathetic self¡­¡± Daemon accepted reality and admitted how weak he was. Regrets filled his heart, and disgust for his powerlessness to do anything, made him loathe himself. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t even get the chance to say that I love them.¡± Daemon said while facing down with tears falling to the ground. After hearing his nephew¡¯s words, Amor patted Daemon¡¯s head while enduring the pain that is piercing his heart. He then kneeled and faced Daemon. Amor let out a sigh and locked his brown eyes with Daemon¡¯s. He had an expressionless face that gave the feeling of someone who¡¯s wearing a mask, but in reality, Amor is desperately keeping his cool and hides the rage and sadness from bursting out. ¡°It¡¯s ok. Don¡¯t push yourself, just tell me everything after you calm down.¡± Amor¡¯s words had a comforting tone that is partnered with a caring look on his face. Daemon calmed himself a little when he heard his uncle¡¯s words, and told him everything that he had witnessed before escaping.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°So four men in suits that had business with Roger, your dad, came to your house? And one of them is a middle-aged-man who has blonde hair and a noticeable scar at his left eye?¡± ¡°Yes. The other three men has no noteworthy aspects, and they seem to be inferior to the middle-aged-man.¡± While making a thinking pose, Amor asked to confirm what he heard. Daemon¡¯s description about the middle-aged-man, made Amor conclude who the culprit was. [There¡¯s no doubt about it, he¡¯s finally made his move. Damn you Vito Testarossa! So he was warry of Roger from the start and involved my sister and nephew in this... I need to get Daemon out of the grasp of the Testarossa family. We should leave this country as soon as possible.] Amor thought to himself. He then stood up from the ground at his front door and entered his house with Daemon. ¡°You must be tired, take a short rest for now. We would leave before sunrise. Italy¡­ no, Europe is not a safe place for us anymore. We need to go where the influence of the Testarossa family cannot reach us¡­¡± Amor said and made a bitter smile while looking above. ¡°¡­I think I know just the perfect place we could settle in for a while.¡± After packing all the necessities that they need to leave the country, Amor and Daemon departed to the nearest airport. ¡°Uncle, where are we going?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re going to where Roseleen and I were born, the Philippines. The Testarossa family doesn¡¯t have that much influence there, plus it¡¯s my native country and it shouldn¡¯t be hard for you to adapt to the life style there.¡± Amor informed Daemon about his plan for them to migrate and settle in a small country in Asia. After answering all of Daemon¡¯s questions, they arrived at the airport and boarded a plane that will depart to Poland. When the pair arrived in Poland, Amor and Daemon took another flight that is going to another country in Europe. They continued their country hopping even in Asia. It took them a dozen flights before arriving at the Philippines. ¡°Why did we need to take all those troublesome flights, uncle? Couldn¡¯t we have just taken a single flight from Italy to this place?¡± Daemon is accustomed in traveling through airplanes and had an idea on how it generally works as a way of transportation, all because of his countless trips to other countries that he had taken with his parents. ¡°It had to be done so that we could avoid being traced. With all those stopovers that we took, the Testarossa family should have lost our tail for now.¡± Amor confidently said while nostalgically viewing the surroundings outside the airport. They travel yet again to go to Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. After finding a cheap apartment to rent, Amor went outside and left sleeping Daemon at the apartment. [Even if the odds of being caught by the Testarossa family here are low, I can¡¯t be too lax. I need to make connections and be prepared for the worst case scenario.] Amor thought while gathering information. Because of his experience as a former Mafioso of a big syndicate like the Testarossa family, gathering information here in the Philippines that has a few significant crime organizations, only took one day. The information Amor desired was about syndicates, important people, or other organizations around Manila, but due to his talent in information gathering, the data he gathered was not limited to Manila only. Amor also gained general information on some of the well-known people, mercenary groups, and syndicates around the country. [Hmmm, Manila really did change after all this years, but there are somethings that is hard to change.] While thinking about the changes in the Philippines after some time, Amor once again reviewed the list on his notebook. Amor caressed his forehead and closed his notebook. He headed back to the apartment after shopping for some daily necessities and food supplies. When he and Daemon had finished their dinner, Amor made a serious expression and called out to Daemon. ¡°Hey kid.¡± Daemon looked at Amor after hearing him called out to him. Daemon became stiff and a bit nervous after realizing Amor¡¯s serious expression. Seeing that he got Daemon¡¯s attention, Amor reached for his bag and pulled out a small case and offered it to his nephew. Daemon was confused for a second, but immediately came to his senses and took the small case and opened it. Daemon was shocked and trembled a little after seeing what¡¯s inside. The contents of the small case was a .44 Magnum4 handgun that has a black barrel and grip and a silver cylinder and muzzle. Because of Daemon¡¯s recent encounter with firearms, he was a bit traumatized and couldn¡¯t refrain himself from remembering the time he¡¯s beloved mother was wounded by a gun. Staring at the handgun while gasping for air with wide opened eyes full of anxiety, Amor closed the small case that made Daemon catch his breath and calm down. ¡°Well, considering what you experienced back at Italy, I couldn¡¯t blame you from fearing a gun. Anyone would be traumatized after experiencing a life threatening incident like that, especially at a young age as yours.¡± Amor said and gave Daemon a bitter smile and patted his head. Amor walked behind Daemon and on his way to the kitchen. He then stopped for a moment and opened his mouth once again. ¡°Being afraid is acceptable and understandable considering your young age, but¡­¡± Amor turned and looked at Daemon with a determined look on his face. ¡°¡­you need to be strong and not once submit to your fears! I know it¡¯s hard, but you have no choice. Don Vito is a prideful man, he will not look away once he sets his eyes on you. What¡¯s worst is that he¡¯s very tricky. A mere explosion is not enough to silent him!¡± Daemon quivered with fear at Amor¡¯s words, but Amor was not finished. ¡°You are weak Daemon¡­ for now. Change is inevitable, you are not an exception. Starting tomorrow, you will be trained to be able to carry your own weight. Your age will not be overlooked, I won¡¯t be going easy on you.¡± Amor smirked at Daemon as he said his frightening declaration. But Daemon once again showed that he is mentally stronger and more mature than his appearance suggests. He immediately recovered himself and look directly at the intimidating eyes of Amor. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want you to hold back either old man. If that is what it takes for me to be strong as fast as possible, then I¡¯ll gladly accept it. And for the record, I don¡¯t plan on hiding forever. If I became strong enough, I¡¯ll find that scar-faced Vito instead and kick his butt!¡± Daemon responded with a huge grin on his face. Daemon¡¯s reaction to Amor¡¯s threatening words stunned him. Amor did not expect his nephew to be strong willed, that he even doubted that Daemon was a seven year old. This exchange of words made the two of them grow closer than before. Since then, Amor now refer to Daemon as ¡®kid¡¯, while Daemon calls Amor as ¡®old man¡¯, signifying that they have a more comfortable relationship now. CHAPTER 2: ONE, YET TWO AT THE SAME TIME Early in the morning, Daemon started his day by learning a series of self defense against knives. Since he can¡¯t use a gun yet because of his trauma, Amor thought that basic self defenses against knives would be a good starter to strengthen Daemon. ¡°Block the stabbing arm, throw the attacker...¡± ¡°Guh!¡± ¡°...apply a wrist lock¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°And cut his neck with his own knife.¡± Amor positioned the training knife on Daemon¡¯s neck, signifying the end of the routine. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to hold back?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just that weak.¡± ¡°Hey, that hurts! Although it¡¯s true¡­¡± The two of then exchanged words that seemed as they don¡¯t get along, but the truth is that they are just comfortable with each other along with the sad reality that they only have each other to rely on. Amor and Daemon repeated the routine for a few dozen times more before they switched roles. Daemon is now the defender and Amor as the attacker. ¡°Right now you should already had an idea on how the routine works. Now let¡¯s increase the difficulty a little higher now. I¡¯ll attack you with a knife and you defend.¡± Amor said while smirking at Daemon, who¡¯s currently laying on the floor due to being thrown several times. ¡°Let me rest for a second, old man.¡± ¡°Shut up and stop being a wuss.¡± Daemon had no choice but to get up and endure his training. For hours, Daemon instilled all the techniques that Amor is teaching him through his body. Getting the feeling of it, remembering the routines through repetitive application, and understanding how it works, all of these made Daemon slowly gain experience in applying knife defense and memorizing its techniques through muscle memory. ¡°That¡¯s it for today. Rest up and we¡¯ll continue tomorrow.¡± Amor said as he changed into a new set of clean clothes with the intention to go outside. ¡°Hmm, are going somewhere, old man?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m stepping out for a bit. Dinners in the fridge, eat without me. I¡¯ll be back before dawn.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ take care.¡± With a worried face, Daemon saw his uncle off and locked the apartment door. Turning into a dark alley, Amor once again opened the notebook that contained the information that he gathered the other day. Amor looked at one of the entries in the list with curious eyes. Amor closed his notebook and started to walk further in the dark alley. After a few hours of ¡®asking¡¯ and looking, he ended up at a huge and luxurious mansion at a private village. He got in the village easily with his skills and manage to stealthily enter inside the mansion. Things were going smoothly, but that is what Amor is suspicious about. He then saw a big door that seems like it¡¯s been used for special occasions or for meeting purposes. Looking at the door, Amor had doubts. [This is Maharlika¡¯s headquarters right? But why are there few guards? Are they really confident that no one will attempt to infiltrate their base?] Doubts, suspicion, and a sense of discomfort lingered in Amor¡¯s thoughts. He was trying to make reason out of his situation and made a decision, showing his decisive, or maybe reckless side. [Well, I won¡¯t find out if I don¡¯t do anything.] After checking that there really are no guards around the vicinity of the door and hallway, Amor sneakily rushed to the door and silently opened it. What greeted him was not the darkness of a room voided of life, but a room filled with men and women alike all pointing various kinds of weapons at him. Cold sweat covered Amor¡¯s body. He immediately regretted his recklessness and thought hard on how to alleviate his situation, but his thoughts was disturbed by a familiar voice that suddenly spoked up.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Such recklessness. Since you managed joined an infamous organization like the Testarossa family, I held high expectations from your growth, stupid former disciple of mine.¡± Amor¡¯s eyes widened and his jaw dropped, leaving his mouth open. Before Amor could even speak the things he wanted to say, the whitehaired, brown eyed, well built, old man followed up his previous words. ¡°Did you just think that we would leave our base unguarded? If I haven¡¯t ordered the guards to let you pass, you would¡¯ve been dead by now. Do you understand my former disciple, Amor Reyes?!¡± The old man that claimed to be Amor¡¯s former teacher (sensei) said to have let Amor intrude their base easily. Amor, who didn¡¯t expected to have a reunion with his former teacher, was confused and had lots of questions, but he immediately remembered his goal in coming there in the first place. ¡°So you¡¯re with Maharlika now¡­ Grandmaster¡­ no, Dante Inosanto. I would like to speak to your leader, Blair Mayne!¡± ¡°Oh~, and what business do you have with Blair? And what makes you think he¡¯ll allow an audience with you? After all, you did infiltrated our headquarters.¡± Amor was unfazed by his former teacher¡¯s rebuttals to his request. He may not have calculated that his former teacher is affiliated with Maharlika, Amor didn¡¯t see it as an obstacle, but he rather saw it as an opportunity to raise the odds of gaining the trust of the said organization. ¡°I would like to negotiate with your boss, Blair Mayne!¡± Amor said with a confident tone as he reached for his bag. Seeing that Amor is getting something from his bag, the people that are aiming their weapons at him all this time, saw it as a sign of resistance and that Amor is reaching for a weapon. Before they could even fire a single bullet, or throw a knife, Dante Inosanto raised his hand signaling them to put down their weapons. When the tension was lessen, Amor threw the documents he had in his bag to Dante. ¡°Wha-what is this?!¡± Dante shouted and stared at Amor with astonishment. Seeing Dante¡¯s reaction, Amor grinned and spoke. ¡°Now then, let me see Blair Mayne so that we can start the negotiations.¡± Once again Amor declared with confidence and grinned like he victoriously defeated his opponent. ¡°Grandmaster, are you alright? Are the contents of those documents that amazing?¡± One of Dante¡¯s subordinates curiously questioned the contents of the files that Dante was appraising. Dante then regain his senses when he was tapped at the shoulders by one of his worried subordinates. After regaining his senses, Dante walked further in the room. His subordinates gave way as he passed by them until he finally reached the wall of the room. He knocked three times at the wall that gave a hollow sound. After knocking, an entrance to a hidden room appeared at the wall. Dante turned and looked at Amor with serious eyes. ¡°What are you waiting for? Don¡¯t make Blair wait any longer.¡± Amor rushed to Dante¡¯s side after hearing his former teacher¡¯s words. When both of them entered the passage of the hidden room, the opening in the wall suddenly closed, making the entrance from before looked like an illusion. Dante and Amor continued walking for a few more steps until they ended up in front of an office like room. Ahead of them is an executive office table and chair that emphasizes the important figure that is seated on it. The man seated in front of them has a platinum colored hair, wolverine beard, and a dangerous looking set of violet eyes. Noticing that Amor and Dante arrived, the good looking man stood and introduced himself. ¡°My name is Blair Mayne. Nice to meet you Mr. Amor Reyes, brother of Roseleen McCoy, former Mafioso and personal information specialist of the Testarossa family¡¯s executive, Roger McCoy.¡± Amor was surprised at how wide the intelligence network Maharlika possessed to gain detailed information about him. Going as far as obtaining information from one of the most infamous syndicates in Europe like the Testarossa family. [Frightening¡­ Blair Mayne¡­ what a frightening man to mess with.] Fear, admiration, and curiosity filled Amor¡¯s thoughts as he looks at the smiling face of Blair. ¡°So let¡¯s discuss the negotiation you want to have with me Mr. Amor Reyes.¡± Blair said as he gazes at the documents that Dante placed on his desk. ¡°Ye¡­yeah. In exchange for information regarding the Testarossa family¡¯s financial data, smuggling routes, and laboratories, I would like to join Maharlika and have my nephew, Daemon McCoy, under the protection of your organization from the clutches of the Testarossa family.¡± Amor was hesitant at first, but said what he wanted in the end. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll gladly have you as an information specialist for Maharlika, but¡­¡± Blair¡¯s smile curved downwards as he continued what he was saying. ¡°¡­why would I accept a time bomb within my organization? I¡¯m not that ignorant to know that the Testarossa family¡¯s influence is weaker here at the south-east Asia, but that does not mean that they can¡¯t reach us. I mean the Testarossa family is a very influential syndicate in the underground world in Europe. Claiming that the boy is under Maharlika¡¯s protection may provoke the Testarossa family to wage war against us.¡± Amor took deep breaths and puffed up his chest and said. ¡°Don¡¯t under estimate me. Even if it¡¯s the Testarossa family, they wouldn¡¯t have traced us here in the Philippines. They should still be thinking that we¡¯re hiding somewhere in Europe for a while¡­¡± The unpleasant expression of Amor from a while ago, suddenly changed and now had a confident and unfazed look on his face as he continues what he was saying. ¡°¡­And don¡¯t worry about Daemon, he¡¯s got potential. We can both mutually benefit from each other. And based on Maharlika¡¯s wide intelligence network, I guess you should already know that Daemon is special. Being the offspring of two people who inherited a pair of halved souls of the Androgynes, there is a high chance that Daemon might had inherited the split soul of the original humans too.¡± Blair¡¯s frown became a smile once again, confirming that he already knew about the details, but it was not the same for Dante. Dante furrowed his eyebrows and said in a serious tone. ¡°Androgyne¡­creatures with four arms, four legs, a head with two faces and had both male and female genitals. They are called the original, or the true humans¡­ the progenitor of mankind that threatened the gods long ago with their absurd strength and speed, but was instead divided into two and was weakened and scattered all around the world. The halved Androgynes was left with only one set of genitals that is now known as the male and the female humans. Yearning to be one again, each pairs looked and searched for each other, dreaming of the day when they would be united with their other half, be one with their¡­ Soulmate.¡± The room became silent for a moment. The one who broke the ice was Blair and spoke with the smile that is still seen on his face. ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll dispose of the pawns that the Testarossa family will send in the future¡­¡± The innocent smile that painted Blair¡¯s face became more serious and emitted a devious feel into it as he continued what he was saying. ¡°¡­but as you said a while ago, ¡®we will benefit from each other¡¯ right?¡± Amor smiled back at Blair and responded. ¡°Heh, go on tell me what Daemon should do in return.¡± ¡°Like what I said before, I would happily welcome you to be an information specialist for Maharlika, as for Daemon¡­ he will keep my daughter company.¡± ¡°HA HA¡­ Huh¡­?¡± Amor was dumbfounded at Blair¡¯s declaration. Laughing at first due to his misunderstanding that Blair was joking, Amor then realized that Blair was serious, leaving him confused at what Blair¡¯s objective is.