《Beloved Protection from a nine tailed fox》


 Chapter 1: Death of a beloved

    There was an aura of death that had seeped into the room, suffocating the light and leaving a foreboding atmosphere. An old woman wrapped in white robes which beautifully matched her silver hair was lying in bed. It was obvious from her ragged breathing and sickly complexion that the old woman did not have much time left. Despite knowing that her death was quickly approaching, her violet eyes showed no signs of fear. The only emotions she displayed were worry, acceptance and love which radiated throughout her whole body. The target of those emotions was centered on the young man crying on her bedside. Her beloved grandson. Kieren Moonfury.


    ¡°Grandma Akiko! *sniff* Please¡­don¡¯t go¡­*hic*¡± A pair of obsidian eyes tinted with violet pleading looked at the old woman through the black hair that threatened to overtake them. Tears streamed down Kieren¡¯s face as he held his grandmother¡¯s bony hands which seemed so fragile he feared he would accidently snap her hand in half if he applied too much pressure.


    ¡°Silly boy, you¡¯re already 17 years old and still acting so unreasonable. It is part of the natural order that all things die after they have lived out their lives. In fact you should be happy for me. I will enter the cycle of reincarnation and reborn anew with a young and healthy body.¡± The old woman lightly chided. But Kieren knew that his grandma was just saying this for his benefit. After all, nobody really knows what happens once death arrives. Pushing back the expanding weight that sickened him at the depths of his stomach, Kieren wiped his tears and forced a smile on his lips.


    ¡°Haha that¡¯s right. When grandma is reborn you¡¯ll grow up to be so beautiful you¡¯ll make all the guys turn.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. I don¡¯t need to be young to make men turn their heads, even at this age I can make handsome men in their prime swoon for me.¡±


    Kieren couldn¡¯t help letting out a bitter smile upon hearing his grandmother¡¯s words as they held a touch of truth. Although his grandma had the appearance of an old woman, her spirit and energy always extruded an air of a woman who was in her prime yet had the wisdom befitting her age. This made her respected among many people and even created a handful of admirers. As a result, Kieren would be forced to deal with the more persistent bunch on multiple occasions. Over time, Kieren developed a skill to persuade people to do as he desired thus allowing him and his grandmother to peacefully say farewell one last time.


    ¡°But even if you had all the handsome men in the world swoon for you, their love are nothing compared to the love your grandson has for you. After all, you were the one to raise me and teach me what love was even when I was lonely. You even taught me how to protect myself and the people that I love. I will always love you the most and I will not betray the teaching and love you gave me all these years.¡±


    Kieren would normally be too embarrassed to confess such things. But in the face of his grandmother¡¯s approaching death, he knew if he did not say them now he might not be able to in the future. He could only convey the words he wanted to say with a serious expression and did not reveal a hint of shame towards the old woman who taught him how to live and influenced the person he became and will become.


    His grandma¡¯s face softened once she heard those words. She could feel the love and strength that her beloved grandson revealed. Her previous worries about Kieren¡¯s well-being once she passed away were alleviated knowing she would not drag a piece of him with her when she went.


    ¡°You are my love, my life, and the very pride I hold in these old bones and soul. Which is why when I am to be laid to rest, I do not want you to hover over my grave. You may visit it and mourn your grief if you must, but know that I will not be lying underneath. I will be in the air that caresses your face, the water that nourishes your strength, the ground that supports you and the fire that burns within your soul. So do not stand at my grave grieving because I will not be there, I will stand beside you as I watch you grow. I will not die.¡±


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    She could see through the love and seriousness in his eyes that he would take her words to heart and become strong even if she could no longer be there. She let out a gentle smile towards him as she slowly closed her eyes due to the strength leaving her body. Kieren watched her face as he felt the tears he had been trying to hold back once again flooding over his eyes. But he did not wipe them away as he wanted to engrave the last moments of his grandmother. The two waited in the silence as they had already said the most important things they wanted to say. All that was left was to allow for Grandma Akiko to peacefully spend the last few breaths under that grieving yet loving gaze of her grandson.


    ---------------


    *Bang!*     *Bang!*    *Bang!*


    Smoke drifted out of the barrel of the handgun situated between Kieren¡¯s hands as he pressed the trigger with a calm expression. His body exuded power and focus as he concentrated on the enemies before him. Each shot was made in rapid succession as they pierced through the dead center of the head, heart and throat of the human clad in a black stealth amour. The black figure carried a small danger covered in poison, obviously hoping to kill Kieren in a quiet manner. The next assassin quickly slid away from Kieren while trying to shield the vital points of the body as the assassin did not expect Kieren to retaliate. The assassin swayed to and fro in an evasive maneuver, trying to avoid eminent destruction. But it was a wasted attempted as the sound of the firearm rang out once more.


    *Bang!*    *Bang!*    *Bang!*


    The pitiful body could only roll away due to the dying momentum as it too had been completely destroyed in the same vitals as his dead comrade was shot through.  Another assassin quickly replaced the deceased. Only this time, the assassin took the initiative to attack by charging at Kieren with a knife, hoping to pressure Kieren into misfiring and allow his fellow assassins time to regroup to shoot at a distance. Unfortunately for the assassin, Kieren was unfazed by the charge and once again a dark figure fell to join the bloody bodies on the floor.


    Before the dead assassin could be properly exit Kieren¡¯s field of view, the next one approached at an incredible speed behind his fellow comrade. Unlike the previous dummy which charged like a wild bull, this one was agile as it used some obstacles to cover the targets on its body as it got closer. But this did nothing to deter the shooter from make another round of shots. On the contrary, the shots came even faster than before.


    *Bang!*  *Bang!*  *Bang!*


    However the assassin was able to buy time for his comrades to encircle around Kieren. 7 more assassin surrounded Kieren from all sides with guns drawn out, preparing to fire into the center where Kieren stood. They watched him closely as he slowly put the handgun into the holster hidden underneath his jacket and reached out for the poisoned dagger the first assassin had dropped.


    The assassins were on edge with cold sweat. The information provided on their assassination target did not include knowledge of marksmanship or combat of any kind. In fact the profile stated that their target was an ordinary teenager who was polished in the areas of economics and social communications to become the next head of a business corporation. They believed they could quickly and easily kill the target once they separated him from his bodyguards.


    ¡°Geez. I just came back from grandma Akiko¡¯s funeral and someone already sent out assassins to kill me now that I don¡¯t have grandma Akiko to back me. Can¡¯t you guys be a little more considerate?¡±


    Kieren¡¯s voice was soft and full of contempt. His head tilted slightly to the floor as his hair covered his eyes. But the assassins all felt a chill run down their spines as Kieren¡¯s calm demeanor took a darker tone. The previous tense atmosphere turned into a suffocating pressure as though they had awoken a vicious tiger slumbering in a dark cave.

 Chapter 2: Without a beloved one

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡­ Aren¡¯t you going to shoot me¡­.?  That¡¯s what you came here for right? Go ahead. I even put away my gun so it would be easier for you. ¡±


    The pressure seemed to become heavier with each word slowly slipping through Kieren¡¯s lips. The assassins who were used to tense and dangerous situations found this much more frightening than any assassination they carried out. They were known to be highly skilled as they were assigned to assassinate the Olympic kendo champion and even the president of a militant country. But sense of dread coupled with Kieren¡¯s teenage appearance created an eerie dissonance that set they nearly over the edge. Unable to endure the prolonged situation any further, the assassins simulanteously fired into the formation.


    *Bang!*


    Kieren leaned back in a leisure fashion as though he was going to sit in a chair placed behind him as soon as he saw the assassins fall for his provocations. The bullets fly past him by a hair¡¯s breadth at the place he was just standing. He smoothly curled into a back roll as he picked up the other two poisoned daggers on the floor. He threw one into the forehead of the assassin in front while quickly slashing the throat of two assassins positioned behind him.


    ¡°!!!¡±   ¡°urgh!¡±   ¡°ah!¡±


    Kieren quickly set chaos loose into the assassin group by killing the three as soon as they fired at him. However they wouldn¡¯t have been an elite assassin if they were broken just from this.


    ¡°Quickly! Regroup into formation Cross!¡±


    Three assassins once more surround Kieren from three sides while the fourth took distance in an attempt to snipe Kieren while the other three were keeping him busy. However just the previous formation, Kieren once again easily broke through by defeating the assassins one by one in close combat with his daggers. The sniper could do nothing as Kieren would use the assassin¡¯s body as a meat shield to avoid being shot.


    ¡°Why?! Why are you able to defeat us so easily?! You are supposed to be just some pampered brat! ¡°


    The last assassin could only scream out his despair and frustration as he saw his comrades fall dead to the floor. In a last ditch effort the assassin tried to run as he fired bullets to distract Kieren as he knew he wasn¡¯t any match for him. Even if his team was annihilated he at least wanted to live.


    Unfortunately for the assassin just like his predecessors, his wish was denied as Kieren chased after him like a demon from hell. His eyes cast a purple glow as the diminished light reflected the barrel of the gun that his irises were locked on. After dodging the shots fired at him, he dashed at the panicked silhouette and reaped the life of the pitiful body. With the bloody corpse at his feet, Kieren stared coldly in annoyance.


    ¡°Amateurs. By forming formations you leave yourselves in a position where you can easily see which position was assigned to target a specific vital spot and by waiting for your comrades to aim the trajectory of the bullets can be found from where the barrel is facing. When I knew you guys were targeting me I took out my gun because you can never be too careful but it was just a waste of bullets.¡±


    They were nothing. Compared to THAT world¡­


    *Bam*


    ¡°Young master Kieren, Are you all right?!¡±


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    A team of muscular men burst into the room with worried expressions on their faces. Their breaths showing signs of panic as they looked over the room filled with bodies. However when they found their charge standing unharmed they inadvertently let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine thanks to my shadow.¡± Kieren said nonchalantly.


    The shadow Kieren referred to was supposed to an elite bodyguard known only to a handful of people and would only move when Kieren was left without anyone to protect him. In other words the absolute last line of defense, which is why nobody has ever seen this shadow except Kieren. Of course, this was just a cover that Kieren and grandma Akiko thought up to keep Kieren¡¯s abilities a secret.


    ¡°That is a relief sir. I deeply apologize for being unable to protect you! We are willing to receive any punishment for this blunder!¡±


    Lazily waving his hand Kieren replied ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I know you put me in this safe room because you sensed something was amiss. You even stationed guards outside the door in case intruders tried to force their way in. You couldn¡¯t have known that the assassins were already hiding inside the safe room.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your leniency young master. However, it was due to our oversight that put you in danger. We will take it upon ourselves to increase our training regimens by 50% but before that please allow us to continue to escort you to your room in case there are more assailants.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡±


    Kieren noticed as he started to walk towards his room that his bodyguards which surrounded the perimeter to ensure his safety held sorrowful expressions. Their training was normally on par with elite military units such as the Green Berets or Navy Seals so to increase it by 50% would be near lethal. Even so, none of them could complain when they thought how they left a 17 year old kid to a group of bloodthirsty assassins. Kieren didn¡¯t spare the guards another thought as he looked back to the direction of his room.


    ¡°Young master the room is safe and we shall be on call if you need us. Have a good rest¡­and I am sorry for your lose.¡±


    Kieren nodded slightly in acknowledgement. When the door was closed Kieren was finally able to relax. He looked around his slightly messy room. After he knew grandma Akiko was on her deathbed, he didn¡¯t have time to clean as he wanted to spend as much time with his grandma as he could. He knew that he shouldn¡¯t leave it like this but he was too drained to start cleaning. He sprawled out on his bed, trying to clear his head of all the muddled thoughts swirling inside.


    ¡°¡­grandma Akiko¡­I miss you¡­This will be the first time I will be going into THAT world without your advice¡­Watch over your grandson okay?¡±


    Tears silently fell out of Kieren¡¯s closed eyes as he drifted to sleep.


    As his body relaxed in slumber, his blood began to surge towards his soul. The blood covered the Kieren soul and slowly dragged it down. Down towards the world only a few chosen bloodlines could enter and exit as they please. Nobody knows what that world is called, not even its inhabitants. Therefore by lack of a more creative name, those who experience this world can¡¯t help but call it the demonrealm as only demons who lack humanity live within.

 Chapter 3: the other world

    Kieren opened his eyes to find a stone ceiling over his head. Despite the lack of light, Kieren could see the barren stone walls that enveloped him perfectly. He sat up in the enclosed space and shook the dirt off his body.


    ¡°Light!¡±


    With a snap of his fingers a small white flame appeared above his hand. The small flame illuminated the room revealed Kieren but replacing his short black hair, long silver hair. Atop his head laid a pair of silky fox ears and nine distinct tails flowed from his waist.


    ¡°Haaa¡­Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Kieren pushed the boulder sealing the entrance of the cave. Stepping out of the cave, red dim light bathed Kieren¡¯s body. Looking out to the horizon, dead trees and dark fog spread out in all directions. Past the forest laid mountains that separated the forest from a desert.


    ¡°I wonder how to much the territories have changed.¡±


    Kieren started to head into the ominous forest. After a few steps the fog swallowed him up and erased the traces of his presence.


    *scratch*       *scratch*     *scratch*


    (I have to make sure I can get back to that cave. Even though it¡¯s a little cramped, it¡¯s the best place to hide my body when I go back. Marking the trees with my claws should leave me with a temporary trail until 12 hours pass)


    Kieren thought as he followed the small flame he produced. Although his eyes were able to see far into the fog, the flame provided additional concealment and prevented mind attacks as he had invoked spirit magic into the flame when he chanted the light incantation.


    After walking 10 minutes in what appeared to be random directions, Kieren stopped in front of a mutilated creature leaning against a tree. The eyes were gouged out and reptilian¡¯s limbs were scattered near the body. The small bat like wings on its back was shredded until only the bony fingers were left. From the broken nails and strained face, the creature clearly died resisting its killer.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Kieren made a solemn expression.


    ¡°Whatever killed this Winchester dragon decided to torture it before letting it die of blood lose. That also means whatever killed it was fast to be able to outrun it until it got so tired it needed to land before ripping off the skin of its wings.¡±


    Kieren crouched down to touch the blood stain near his feet.


    (Judging how the blood has already coagulated but hasn¡¯t dried yet, I would say this dragon hasn¡¯t been died for more than an hour. That means whatever did this could still be in the area. I wouldn¡¯t want something like this to ambush me; I wouldn¡¯t be able to escape if it¡¯s too strong.)


    ¡°Search!¡±


    After standing up Kieren closed his eyes, put his fingers onto his forehead to help his focus and invoked his spirit magic. A part of his mind split and flew off into the surrounding to collect information. Opening his eyes,


    Kieren relaxed and turned towards the North West.


    Not giving the dragon¡¯s corpse another glance he decided to continue on his way. While walking through the forest screams of unimaginable creatures would occasionally pierce the air. But with his search and light magic in place, there was little need to worry.


    Shortly after, growling noises could be heard hidden among the fog.


    Kieran ceased all movement as the growls were directed at him. He calmly looked past the fog towards the source of the growls but even with his vision he could not see the creature.


    *Grooooowl*


    This time there was a deep guttural growl coming from behind him. Swiftly turning around, Kieren faced the sound. His tails fanned out behind him ready for any sneak attacks.


    "Hurry up and come out. I already know where you are, there''s no point in stalling your death."


    "ROAR!"


    An angry roar erupted in respond to Kieren''s simple taunt.


    (This animal. Getting angry from a little threat like that just shows you how arrogant and small you really are. You didn''t even wonder why I haven''t tried to escape if I believed I couldn''t kill you.)


    Although Kieren was confident he could kill his opponent, he didn''t let down his guard in the slightest. In this world a small mistake could cost him his life.


    Shuffling could be heard at all sides as it circled around Kieren gradually getting closer and closer. The creature was toying with Kieren. Watching his reaction and delighting in the fear and anxiety he would inflict upon him by slowly stalking him. However contrary to the creature''s intentions, Kieren''s heart was calm as he closed his eyes to allow his sense and search magic to find his enemy.


    "There you are."


    Kieren opened his eyes and faced the sky. Upon looking up what appeared was a huge lion king with a human face hovering in the sky with black bat wings and a poisonous scorpion tail.


    "Just as I thought, it''s a manticore. With a wingspan that large it would be easy to outfly a small Winchester dragon."


    The manticore made gave an ecstatic sneer. Most humanoid demons were much weaker compared to their beast counterparts. In addition, the prey before it was a fox type humanoid demon which is known for their mind tricks and fire magic rather than their combat abilities. As the manticore is also proficient in fire attacks, as long as it can avoid mind attacks it can easily oppress its new toy.


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    The manitcore dived, as it outstretched its massive claws.


    ¡°Simple attacks like that aren¡¯t going to work on me.¡±


    Kieren smiled. However his eyes were cold as they glowed a bright purple due to his bloodlust. He jumped back and easily avoided the manticore¡¯s attack range.


    (There! Flame claw!)


    By cladding his own claws in flames, he was able to increase the power of his attack as he aimed for the weak webbing of the wing to limit his opponent¡¯s mobility. The creature screamed in pain but soon after the scorpion tail rained down on his position. But as it was expected, Kieren jumped towards the Manticore¡¯s face.


    (The manticore¡¯s mental defense is clouded with pain. Now that I can get a lock on the eyes, it¡¯ll be over.)


    ¡°Weaken!¡±


    Using a form of hypnosis and suggestion, the Manticore¡¯s body was unable to stand as if it was too tired to move. It could only whine helplessly.


    ¡°You like to corner weakened opponents don¡¯t you? I wonder if it¡¯s fun. Well I guess I¡¯ll just have to try it out to find out right?¡±


    The manticore broke out in fear. It couldn¡¯t believe that it was taken down so easily and by a humanoid fox demon at that! Only now that it was completely at Kieren¡¯s mercy did it realize how abnormally strong Kieren is.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with those sharp claws of yours¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±


    He could feel the sensation of flesh ripping apart as the claw slowly detached itself from the paw. The manticore could do nothing but scream in horror and despair as pain shot up its limb.


    ¡°Next¡­the tail¡±


    Stepping over the bloody limbs, Kieren clawed at the exoskeleton protecting the soft flesh underneath. His face had an indifferent expression from the manticore¡¯s suffering.


    Once the tail had been sawed through, He grabbed the venom glands held within.


    ¡°Grandma Akiko said the poison from a manticore can cause paralysis and acute pain before dying an excruciating death. Even if it¡¯s your own poison I wonder if you would be immune when this much is poured into your wound.¡±


    No longer needing to waste magic power on keeping the manticore under his spiritual magic now that he disabled it, the manticore was able to move. Released from its restraints it tried to crawl away in terror.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going? I haven¡¯t seen the fun in torturing the weak yet.¡±


    He dragged back the manticore to continue the torture session with an expressionless face.


    ¡°Since you can still crawl about let¡¯s reduce your mobility some more. If you can¡¯t see where you are going you won¡¯t know where to run.¡±


    (Flame claw!)


    The last thing the manticore saw is a white flame as pale as death.


    ¡°¡­!!!!¡±


    The manticore could only let out a silent scream as it was forced to endure sharp pain from its face. Two scorch marks were all that remained of what was once arrogant eyes that used to look down on lesser beings.


    ¡°I heard that a beast type demon has extremely thick fur. Hey, which is stronger, the claws I pulled out or your fur? Let¡¯s find out.¡±


    Shifting away from the sound of Kieren¡¯s voice the cornered creature tried to protect itself from the onslaught it was expecting. Unfortunately for the manticore its efforts were futile. Blood spurt from multiple gashes that dyed the furry body red. He then poured the venom onto the gaping wounds.


    ¡°Huaaaah!¡±


    Thrashing around in pain more blood erupted from the wounds.


    (Hmm, at this rate you¡¯re going to die of blood loss before the full effects of the venom kicks in. I don¡¯t like wasting my efforts. Cauterizing half the wounds should do it.)


    The smell of burnt flesh waft into his nose. Disgust colored his face as the manticore couldn¡¯t even shout anymore due to the paralysis taking effect.


    ¡°Pathetic. I don¡¯t understand why some people take so much pleasure out of torture. It¡¯s a waste of time and energy. Tasteless!¡±


    Feeling that anymore would be a waste of his time and energy, Kieren turned away to leave as he left the manticore to die from blood loss in suffering just as it did for the Winchester dragon. Although he had no feelings for the Winchester dragon or torture, he did believe in karma even if he was the one to deliver it.


    (There¡¯s not enough time to go to the rendezvous point. I better head back to that cave.)


    With a tired face, Kieren followed his trail of scratches back to the cave


    and sealed himself within. He then laid down on the cave floor just as he did when he woke up and closed his eyes to return back to the human world.

 Chapter 4: Flashback to a time with a beloved person

    (Flashback)


    *elegant music playing*


    A glass of fruit punch was laying idly in hand, I had a smile plastered on my face as I was making small talk with a middle aged couple in formal dress.


    (Ah, I remember. This was the opening of a new branch company. Grandma Akiko forced me to come as my parent¡¯s representative as a form of social etiquette training.)


    ¡°Kieren! Come here and greet someone!¡±


    Grandma Akiko waved her hand to get my attention from across the room. In doing so her sequined dress shimmered under the bright chandelier lights making her easy to spot despite the crowd of people. After excusing myself from the middle aged couple, I made my way over to Grandma Akiko and a strict looking old man in formal Japanese clothes.


    ¡°Kieren, this man is Mr.Ichirou. He is the founder of the Annex Corporation. His leadership has led to his company to become the number one interior design position for the past 5 years.¡±


    While Grandma Akiko was introducing this man, his eyes were analyzing me from head to toe. I wasn¡¯t sure what he saw in me but whatever it was did not impress him. He snorted through his nose and gave me a slight condescending stare.


    (Sigh¡­Here we go again.)


    ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you sir, I am Kieren Moonfury. I am here to represent my parents for the Moonfury Corp. I will be in your care. ¡±


    Despite seeing the disrespect in the old man¡¯s eye, Kieren still gave him a cordial greeting. He knew that his grandma wanted him to meet this man because it would be difficult.


    ¡°Humph! Of course you will be in my care. A greenhorn brat like you will always make mistakes unless a strong wise man is there to guide you.¡±


    (I see¡­this man doesn¡¯t like me because he thinks I am too young to deal with business affairs. He¡¯s the type to look at appearance of a person rather than the ability or talent of person. The type that feels superior just because they accomplished one thing¡­Haaaaah, this will be annoying.)


    I put on a courteous smile and didn¡¯t let a hint of my irritation show.


    ¡°Yes Mr.Ichirou. I am a greenhorn when it comes to business but don¡¯t worry I have a great teacher that won¡¯t lose to even to the most accomplished businessmen. With Grandma Akiko here to guide me thoroughly there is no need to worry about my education, even the most trivial and irritating tasks are taught with care.¡±


    (Like right now for example.)


    Grandma Akiko just stood off to the side and watched the conversation unfold.


    ¡°You?!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong sir? I was only answering question about my education. I believe Grandma Akiko is one of the best teachers I could have, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    There was no way Mr.Ichirou could reprimand Kieren for no reason in front of Grandma Akiko and just by the words alone there was nothing wrong. As long as Kieren acted ignorant, there was nothing that could be done against him.


    I could see Mr.Ichirou grind his teeth in frustration. And with a clenched fist on his walking stick, he replied,


    ¡°I would have to agree that your Grandma Akiko is one of the best teachers. After all, she is the one that founded the Moonfury corp. and led it to become the number one corporation in security in the area of technology and personnel. And not only that, but to do so as a woman no less, admirable.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but glance at Grandma Akiko. I mean, Mr.Ichirou was trying to compliment her but he couldn¡¯t hide his misogynist views. It is true that women weren¡¯t generally seen at the highest business positions but it was usually due to the fact that they fought in the shadows of their husbands or sons. For him to not understand this when he was the head of the number one in interior design was suspicious. Either he was very lucky, purposefully feigning ignorance or he did not know all the things going on in the company. Seeing that Grandma Akiko was unaffected I looked back to Mr.Ichirou who looked so proud of himself.


    (Really¡­This guy is so full of himself. There is the possibility that he is tricking me for some reason but since this guy judge people based on appearances first and now indirectly insulting grandma Akiko I doubt it. Though not uncommon this guys is probably a figurehead. I guess grandma wants me to practice dealing with these type.)


    ¡°Yes, Grandma Akiko is really admirable. As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already aware, when she was just 12 years old she created an impregnable firewall that withstood hacking attempts for 5 years and the only reason it was cracked was because she herself created an even greater virus. Then, at 20 years old she started the personnel security aspect of the Moonfury corp. using the team of bodyguards she trained herself. Ten years later and the Moonfury Corp are well known as the best in the industry.¡±


    The old man cut into Kieren¡¯s speech.


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    ¡°Hmph of course I know! That much is common knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. Well I would like to hear some of the exploits you have made in setting up your company. Did you start off as a small interior designer and capitalized on a specialty design or did you perhaps negotiate with another country¡¯s interior design company to collaborate to create a monopoly or maybe you inherited your company and used a business plan from a subordinate?¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    ¡°Mr.Ichirou please don¡¯t get me wrong. I am genuinely curious on how you were able to bring your company to the top. As this is our first time meeting, I am unaware of the accomplishments you have done.¡±


    ¡°Very Well! I shall tell you! I was able to bring my company to the top through my admirable leadership and brilliant ideas.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°Such as what?¡±


    ¡°Ideas such as what?¡±


    Kieren feigned a curious and earnest expression on his face. The exchange between Mr.Ichirou and Kieren attracted the attention of the party crowd. To such a face Mr.Ichirou couldn¡¯t afford to dismiss him in front of the crowd or else his integrity and reputation would be damaged.


    ¡°Ideas such as improved marketing strategies to get a higher customers turnout.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Mr.Ichirou forgive me for saying but that isn¡¯t exactly a new idea. In fact, that is an obvious fundamental in any business plan. I know you wouldn¡¯t like to reveal any trademark secrets but just one new marketing strategy would be very enlightening. Would you please elaborate for this inexperience greenhorn?¡±


    ¡°Ah-hum, Well! In that case, I guess I have no choice then. Alright, listen well!¡±


    (This old geezer is trying to stall for time while he¡¯s trying to think of something to say.)


    ¡°The brilliant idea the great me had devised to increase customer turnout is¡­to¡­speak with other countries to promote my company¡¯s designs to them. In doing so I was able to get my company to get a high turnout in other countries.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see¡­Well, thank you for this insightful experience. There are other people I need to greet some other guests as a representative of my parents. If we have another opportunity lets discuss some more about business.¡±


    (I¡¯ve had enough listening to the rambling nonsense of an old man.)


    ¡°Very well. I guess you have learned your lesson. Feel free to ask me anything you need, after all I am the only one who has the qualifications to lead the new generation of business pioneers. Hahaha!¡±


    At this point Mr.Ichirou was giving a self-important laugh as he was oblivious to the cold stare of Kieren and his grandma. Grandma Akiko taught Kieren on the dangers of being arrogant and overbearing. Confidence was something that was vital for a strong character but being too strong led to underestimating others and being blind to brilliant ideas even if they come from those deemed weak or inferior. So to see the man credited with the founding of a number one design company was appalling.


    ¡°Sure Mr.Ichirou. Grandma Akiko I am going to greet the Amree couple next would you like to come with me?¡±


    ¡°My. I haven¡¯t met the Amrees in years. I would be delighted to go with you. Mr.Ichirou we will catch up more at a later date.¡±


    ¡°Of course madam Akiko. We will talk later.¡±


    Grandma Akiko and I walked away from the old man. While they did so they whispered to each other to in a way they couldn¡¯t be seen by the old man.


    ¡°Grandma Akiko was there really any value in talking with that old fool?¡±


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t be so irritated. You need to be in more control of your emotions, especially in situations that irritate you or make you mad. To show your emotions would be disadvantageous when negotiating, analyzing and deciding. Another method available to you is to feign emotions that make your opponents underestimate you. Of course these rules are flexible and you must have the wits to decide what is best.¡±


    ¡°But he obviously wasn¡¯t the one to make decisions yet he acts so self-important despite it being obviously a fake.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that he is a fake but don¡¯t you think there was a reason why they would chose to have a figurehead at the top instead of the real executive making the decisions present everything?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    Grandma Akiko gave me a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you had the nerve to disregard him just because you were a little perceptive and saw that he wasn¡¯t the real mastermind behind his company?¡±


    ¡°No! No! I could tell from his outfit that he obviously wasn¡¯t treated as the head by his corporation either. Since he is from an interior design company he should be able to correctly coordinate his clothes or at least have someone who would do it for him for a special event such as this. This indicates that he is near the end of his power.¡±


    I nervously answered Grandma Akiko. I knew if I didn¡¯t give her a proper explanation then I wouldn¡¯t be let off with a little trouble. There was nothing scarier than Grandma Akiko¡¯s punishments. In response to my answer her smile changed into one of amusement.


    ¡°Hmm¡­then what do you think could be the reason why Mr.Ichirou is still at the top?¡±


    ¡°The only reason I could think as to why he could still hold onto the top seat is because he was the founder of his company and the true masterminds only wanted to use his name until now. But it seems that it won¡¯t be true for long.¡±


    Grandma Akiko closed her eyes and waited patiently for my answer. When I finished speaking her expression didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I waited for her response but didn¡¯t see any indication of answering. I couldn¡¯t help but break out into cold sweat as I could only wait.


    ¡°I give it a 40.¡±


    (Uh-oh. That means Grandma Akiko is going to punish me when I get home¡­I want to run but if I do she¡¯ll make the punishment three times as harsh.)


    ¡°Your answer is only half correct. Yes, Mr.Ichirou is used as a figurehead by his secretary. Since the secretary is not a relative he is using Mr.Ichirou¡¯s lineage as support to get his ideas authorized but the secretary is engaged to Mr.Ichirou¡¯s granddaughter so he will eventually become the heir just as you had predicted. What you didn¡¯t realize was that Mr.Ichirou¡¯s son has a grudge against his father. Mr.Ichirou was abusive because his corporation was failing under his leadership. In order to ruin his father he wants to first show him what he will be losing.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see. So it was a scheme on top of another scheme. But I couldn¡¯t have known that Mr.Ichirou was an abusive parent unless I researched him.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. You did so much but did not even know anything about the person you aggravated. There is always a jumble of schemes going on behind and on stage. It isn¡¯t wrong to insult someone who deserves it but you need to first understand if you have the right and power to insult them. You need to be cautious of conflicts within and between corporations.¡±


    ¡°Yes Grandma Akiko. I will be sure to take your words to heart.¡±


    Grandma Akiko nodded her head.


    ¡°Good! Now, that we have the opportunity you must dance with all the young women in this hall.¡±


    ¡°Eh?! But there are over 20 of them at this party!¡±


    The women at that come to these parties are the most vain and superficial characters I ever meet. Forced to look for a powerful suitor by their parents to increase the power and connections of their corporations the girls were always trying to flirt or impress others with their skills but rarely showed an ounce of personality. Their eyes had a varying degree of boredom as they didn¡¯t really want to be there as well. It was tiring for both parties.


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re not going to listen to your dear Grandmother then? I guess I should just head home since you don¡¯t need me anymore~.¡±


    ¡°What?! No, No! Of course I know Grandma Akiko is doing this all for me! How can that be, I still need you.¡±


    (If she goes home now then she won¡¯t pick me up later and leave me stranded here or force me to walk home. It is 40 miles back to our house plus a 10 mile swim across a river. Afterwards she would ignore me and order all the servants back home to ignore him especially the chefs and cleaners. The chefs always hate it if someone else went into the kitchen so I would have a hard time getting food to eat even if I want to cook for myself.)


    ¡°In that case go along and go find some nice girls to dance with. I will be considerate and allow you to dance two songs per partner instead of one. That way you can talk with them and get to know them better.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much Grandma Akiko. I appreciate your kindheartedness.¡±


    Although he was thanking her, Kieren¡¯s formal tone and stiff smile betrayed his true feelings. If you looked closely you could also see that his complexion was a bit pale. Grandma Akiko couldn¡¯t help but think in amusement,


    (Haha, this kid dreads interacting with those rich daughters so much. If he gets troubled just from this much I wonder how he will deal with the middle aged women I¡¯ve been preventing once he¡¯s a little older, though at this point he will just get eaten up before he can give a proper greeting. Now, what should I do to punish him when he gets home¡­maybe tossing him down the hill for a week with only a backpack will suffice?)


    Kieren felt chills run up his spine as he was introducing himself to a haughty looking girl. He glanced back at his grandma who was sitting leisurely on a leather couch with a glass of alcohol in hand. He dreads dancing with the other girls but he dreaded the punishment his grandma was planning even more. He understood what being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 Chapter 5: After a beloved person is gone

    Kieren¡¯s eyes slowly opened as the morning sun attacked his face. He groans as he tries to turn away from the window. He laid like that for a couple more minutes, thinking.


    (Starting now I will be waking up to a new day without Grandma Akiko¡­)


    Kieren couldn¡¯t help but tear up at that thought. But then he remembered Grandma Akiko¡¯s last words.


    (¡®I will be in the air that caresses your face, the water that nourishes your strength, the ground that supports you and the fire that burns within your soul. So do not stand at my grave grieving because I will not be there, I will stand beside you as I watch you grow. I will not die.¡¯ Right. I can¡¯t stay trapped in my thoughts. I need to keep growing; I need to keep moving forward.)


    He glances at the clock that read 6am. He couldn¡¯t help but groan again. It was time to go to school. He had taken a leave of absence while his grandmother was sick. This would be the first time he was going back after a while.


    *Knock, Knock*


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    A maid came into the room with a trolley full of food and an assortment of beverages. The aroma of freshly made food was enticing as it spread across the room.


    ¡°Good morning young master Kieren, I hope you had a refreshing sleep. What would you like to eat for breakfast this morning? The chef recommended the strawberry scones with earl gray tea.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good. I will take the chef¡¯s recommendation.¡±


    ¡°Excellent choice young master.¡±


    The maid took out the food as Kieren was sitting up in bed. He was still in his funeral clothes when he went to bed. He looked for his school uniform as he rummaged through the closet.


    ¡°Young master, the meal is set.¡±


    ¡°I will eat by myself. You may leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes young master.¡±


    After laying the uniform on the bed he brought up the scone to his face but did not eat. After a while he placed the scone back and picked up the tea and did the same.


    ¡°Sigh¡­so it¡¯s already started with the chefs huh.¡±


    He tossed the food out the window and poured the tea down the drain as he prepared to leave. He would have to get breakfast to go.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be needing the car. I will take my bike to school today.¡±


    ¡°Yes young master. Have a good day at school!¡±


    Since the chefs were already no longer on his side, until he could find the extent of the corruption in his staff he would try to use their services as little as possible, that included the drivers and the guards. All he had to just rely on himself until then. He checked to make sure the bike wasn¡¯t tampered with and set off to school.


    The drive was 20 minutes from Kieren¡¯s resident to the school. He kept a lookout from his rearview mirrors to ensure nobody followed him. At the speed he was going, any pursuer would be hard pressed to catch him anyways. He relaxed a bit when he entered the school gates.


    (I guess it hasn¡¯t gotten so bad yet if nobody is bothering to follow me to school yet. At any rate the poison was an indirect attack so I guess they are afraid of ¡®my shadow¡¯.)


    The school Kieren attended wasn¡¯t a place an ordinary person could get into. The kind of school Kieren went to was a famous prestigious academy for important and powerful families. The school was a major customer of the Moonfury Corp. and usually took in the best they had to offer making the perimeter extremely secure with guards, security cameras, hidden wiretaps and cameras, and even magnetic force fields to keep out unwanted intruders that could harm the students. As a result, students were not allowed to bring in their own servants or bodyguards.


    As the recipient of some of the best of the Moonfury Corp¡¯s. security, Kieren was fairly confident in the security since he and grandma Akiko themselves were the ones to oversee the deal and were the ones to choose who and what was sent over. So Kieren was confident that at least it was safe in the school.


    ¡°Yo! Look what a fox finally dragged into the school.¡±


    Waiting at his parking spot, was an 18 year old young man with blond hair and blue eyes in the same uniform he was wearing. He didn¡¯t look big under his uniform but Kieren knew that he was toned underneath and with a height of 183cm and a friendly personality; he was very popular to both men and women. This person was Kieren¡¯s best friend Aaron Soleon.


    ¡°Ha-ha. Do you have to say that every time you see me?¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Kieren and Aaron gave each other a high five.


    ¡°Are you really okay man? You know you can talk to me if you need anything.¡±


    Aaron gave Kieren a concerned look. He knew that Kieren was very attached to his grandma and now that she was gone, Kieren lost a major supporter both politically and mentally.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±


    Aaron studied Kieren¡¯s face to make sure he wasn¡¯t lying. Surprisingly although his eyes were slightly red and puffy his eyes were still firm. They weren¡¯t the eyes of a person in despair.


    (It looks like he¡¯s telling the truth. He and his grandma must have parted with each other properly before she died. Thank goodness.)


    ¡°Well then I guess you are ready to help me out with a new plan right?¡±


    ¡°¡­What kind of mess are you thinking of getting yourself into now?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on! You know all my plans always work!¡±


    ¡°Even though your plans work they always throw trouble my way.¡±


    ¡°But you gain a lot of benefits at the end.¡±


    ¡°A fair amount of suffering too.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is for free in this world~¡±


    ¡°Says the one who wants me to help him for free.¡±


    ¡°We are practically family. Family are supposed to give each other a helping hand when they need each other especially since I consider you my little brother.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not fair and you know it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only said the truth.¡±


    ¡°¡­"


    ¡°So it¡¯s a¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahhh. Fine. I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°I knew I could count on you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, hurry up and tell me your plan before I change my mind.¡±


    ¡°Uh-uh. Not yet. The plan won¡¯t start til the next week. I want you to first get yourself back into the school mood. It¡¯s essential to the plan. Once I¡¯m ready to begin I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    ¡°Sure. We should get going, it¡¯s never a good idea to stand in a parking lot for too long and I haven¡¯t eaten breakfast yet.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten yet?...Do you need my help?¡±


    Aaron¡¯s eyes darkened. For Kieren to not have eaten meant he was either unwell or someone was interfering with his daily routine. Judging from Kieren¡¯s eyes he wasn¡¯t sick and due to the situation it was likely caused by someone who messed with his friend¡¯s routine with bad intentions.


    (Looks like I need to look up some things when I get back¡­)


    Aaron is the heir of the country¡¯s intelligence agency. Unlike positions such as prime minister or president that needed to win elections to be instated, the country¡¯s intelligence agency held sensitive information that was restricted only to a single family sworn to protect the prosperity and well-being of the country. The power held by the Soleon family was an object of envy, as a result as the heir Aaron was familiar with almost every ploy, scheme, and conspiracy one could think of. The Soleons relied on the Moonfury Corp for protection and the Moonfury Corp relied on the Soleon family for intel to better protect special clients.


    ¡°No I¡¯ll handle it myself. It¡¯s just the start; if I can¡¯t manage my own situation I won¡¯t be able to manage problems in the Moonfury Corp in the future.¡±


    ¡°Sure. If you insist.¡±


    Aaron gave a nonchalant shrug. To be honest he knew Kieren would be able to handle it himself but he didn¡¯t mind giving him a hand if he needed it.


    (That doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t look into on my own though.)


    ¡°Enough of this. Let¡¯s go to the cafeteria already, I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡°Yeah~ yeah~ I¡¯ll race you!¡±


    ¡°No way, you can race yourself.¡±


    ¡°Aw~ party pooper!¡±


    Kieren and Aaron walked into the cafeteria. It was more appropriate to call it a first class restaurant than a cafeteria. But it was expected as it was meant to cater to the students who were used to top quality food. Despite that most students chose to eat meals prepared by their personal chefs so the cafeteria wasn¡¯t filled with many people.


    The few students present noticed Aaron and Kieren¡¯s presence, more specifically Aaron¡¯s presence. Kieren was acknowledged as a the heir of the Moonfury Corp but the Moonfury Corp was a fairly new corporation and although they were powerful, they were not influential nor did they have a prestigious bloodline like the Soleon family. Added to that, Aaron himself was outgoing and popular whereas Kieren tended to stick to himself if he could.


    Immediately students started to drift towards Aaron to greet him.


    ¡°Hi Aaron!¡±


    ¡°Yo Aaron!¡±


    ¡°Aaron~¡±


    ¡°Good morning Aaron.¡±


    ¡°Aaron my man, how you doing?¡±


    As a crowd started to form around Aaron, Kieren who was ignored didn¡¯t bat an eye as he went to order some food. He already knew what he wanted so it didn¡¯t take long for him begin eating. In the middle of his meal Aaron sat in front of him with a tint of fatigue on his face.


    ¡°Pweh. Sorry about that. I finally sent off all of my ¡®friends¡¯¡±


    ¡°No problem. I saved you a croissant.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Kieren and Aaron proceeded to eat in silence. Once Aaron sent away his ¡°friends¡± the crowd could only stare off from a distance. The students were educated in social etiquette and understood if they were to tactlessly bother them to try to connect more with Aaron it would only backfire. Feeling frustrated, they could only unreasonably direct their feeling towards Kieren for getting in their way.


    [Tch. Aaron is with that upstart loner again.]


    [Shh! Lower your voice! You¡¯ll get on Aaron¡¯s bad side!]


    [Hmph. That guy doesn¡¯t even have a notable record. He¡¯s plain and doesn¡¯t have any achievements to his name. The only benefit he can give Aaron is to highlight his greatness!]


    [That¡¯s true but you shouldn¡¯t say it so loudly. Aaron and Kieren are childhood friends so they are pretty close.]


    [That loser better not get a big head just because his family got lucky and the Soleon family forced Aaron to play with him when he didn¡¯t know any better.]


    Kieren took a glance at Aaron. He personally didn¡¯t mind the negative chatter surrounding them. Afterall, although most of the students were heirs and were intended to become powerful people in the future but in reality only a small elite portion of the students would be able to take hold of a seat of power so he didn¡¯t bother with talentless small fries. Aaron on the other hand was taking note of who was saying what and he would make them regret it. He was doing so without so much as changing his expression.


    (It looks like Aaron is used to controlling his expressions now. Somehow he doesn¡¯t have any tells but I can still tell he is angry. He¡¯s always got angry when he found someone wanted to pick on me because they were jealous. Pitiful fools; they don¡¯t know what coming to them making an enemy of the Moonfury and Soleon family.)


    (These motherfucking idiots! I know this happens occasionally but for these morons to do this when I wanted to cheer up my little brother the day after Grandma Akiko¡¯s death is infuriating! When I¡¯m done with them those bastards are going to fall into the pit of despair¡­I¡¯ll make sure of it.)

 Chapter 6: After a beloved person is gone (2)

    *DO REI ME REI DO!*


    The bell signaling the start of school rang throughout the campus.


    ¡°Make sure to meet me afterschool. I will tell you what I¡¯ll need you to do for the plan at that time.¡±


    ¡°¡­I probably won¡¯t be able to meet you right afterschool.¡±


    ¡°No. Make sure to meet me right after school! I will wait 10 minutes for you to finish your business and to meet me in the second courtyard bench. Well, see you later!¡±


    ¡°Wait! That¡¯s not eno-¡°


    Before Kieren could finish his sentence Aaron already ran off towards his homeroom and swallowed up by the sea of his ¡®friends¡¯.


    (Haahhh. I can already tell that I¡¯m going to have a lot of trouble. I¡¯m going to have to solve this quickly.)


    Feeling resigned, Kieren headed to his class to get things over with. The sooner he confronted the problem the sooner he would get things over with.


    The academy had five floors where a floor was dedicated to each year and the top floor was the cafeteria, garden, greenhouse, hospital and recreation room. Kieren was a third year high school student which meant his classes were all on the third floor. As soon as Kieren steps into his first classroom, the chatter in the room quieted down.


    (Most likely they were talking about Grandma Akiko¡¯s death and the future of the Moonfury Corp with me as the heir. They were speculating that I will destroy all the work done by my predecessors. That¡¯s fine. Let them believe in what they want, even if I said something now it would only look like an empty boast.)


    Shortly after Kieren sat down a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties entered the room. She had a blouse with a deep V-neck but unfortunately revealed only a small bust and a skirt that went slightly over the knees. Her face was on the more attractive side as most of the teachers in the academy were. The upper class were usually vain and liked attractive people, this never changed since ancient times.


    ¡°Everyone settle down and get to your seats. Class has begun and I¡¯ll be starting roll call.¡±


    Kieren looked out of the window in a daze. He didn¡¯t believe the teacher could provide any useful knowledge he wasn¡¯t already taught.


    ¡°Ai¡­Byem¡­Huen¡­-fury¡­..Moonfury!¡±


    ¡°Present. Ms.Coraline¡±


    ¡°You would do well to pay more attention in class Mr.Moonfury. You are already behind as is.¡±


    *snicker* *giggle*


    (You say I¡¯m behind despite knowing that I am at the top of the year since I¡¯ve entered the academy.)


    There was no use even if he told the teacher this fact. He himself knew he wasn¡¯t what most people would call an obedient student. So he knew that he wasn¡¯t on the teacher¡¯s good side especially since he is a student of this academy. The teachers were so accustomed to being looked up to by powerful young adults that they believed they were powerful themselves.


    ¡°Mr.Moonfury, since you have the leisure to laze around I assume you know that the national placement exam is coming soon. And the school has always had students placed in the top 50 ranks. Even if you do not care to be part of the elite but that does not mean you can be selfish and obstruct the hardworking performance of others.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Some of us who are trying to EARN some recognition instead of getting it handed to us on a silver platter.¡±


    (As if I care. The business world is all about trying to get rid of rivals. The ones targeted most feverently are the rising stars and those who show great potential. To complain about such a small issue shows how little experience you have.)The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Kieren stayed quiet. He didn¡¯t feel like wasting his breath on the deaf. He went back to ignoring the droning teacher¡¯s voice and proceeded to think of solutions to deal with cleaning up his staff.


    (First I need to figure out the scope of the corruption. I can assume at least the higher up of the kitchen staff is done and the maids are also in on it. If they weren¡¯t then they should have poison tested the food first but instead they ignored it. The influence is not very strong though since nobody objected when I said I wanted to ride myself to school. This means that the enemies are few in number for now.)


    *RINGGGGGGG!!!!!!*


    ¡°Alright everyone on to your next class and be sure to study for the national exam.¡±


    Kieren was getting up from his seat preparing to go to his next class but before he could get past the threshold the teacher pulled him back.


    ¡°Mr.Moonfury, please stay behind so we can have a quick chat.¡±


    ¡°¡­hahhh, yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    Noticing the sigh, her expression soured.


    ¡°Ms.Coraline what can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Mr.Moonfury, I know you just lost someone special to you but you need to get your act together. You¡¯ve already been absent from school for a week. I am here to help you no matter how far behind or how challenging you find the material so don¡¯t hesitate to ask me for guidance. There isn¡¯t any question I won¡¯t be able to answer when it comes to the national exam. You may not know but I scored in the top ten ranks. Not to mention that I took the exam among a cohort that was known as the golden age!¡±


    ¡°Yes Ms.Coraline. I¡¯ll take your words to heart.¡±


    (If I don¡¯t tell her what she wants to hear I¡¯ll be here forever.)


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you understand. You are very fortunate that you have someone like me in your life. You can go now.¡±


    ¡°Yes Ms.Coraline.¡±


    (Finally)


    Kieren left the room in a hurry before Ms.Coraline could call him back for anything else she wanted to lecture him on.


    ¡°Hey Kieren! Glad to see you survived hell¡±


    ¡°Kieren?...um I, I heard¡­uh¡­about your Grandma¡­and um I know that we aren¡¯t that close b-but y-you can¡­uh¡­you can talk to us. I! I know I¡¯m not very strong myself but still. We, we want to help!¡±


    Two of Kieren¡¯s classmates were at the door to walk with him to class. The two were identical in looks but the aura around them easily let you tell them apart. A majority of the students didn¡¯t like Kieren simply because they were raised to be someone great and were unable to restrain their feelings of jealousy. On the other hand there were a few of the more clever students that knew Kieren wasn¡¯t just a talentless friend of Aaron Soleon. These two, Ash and Kai Huoinu were part of the minority.


    (Thank goodness he looks like he¡¯s back to the old Kieren.)


    Ash and Kai shared a silent thought and breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m fine. More importantly, Kai nobody bullied you while I was gone right?¡±


    ¡°N-No. I¡¯m f-fine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah Kieren don¡¯t worry about us. We¡¯re able to protect ourselves!¡±


    Kieren raised an eyebrow at Ash, seeing that Ash couldn¡¯t help but avert his eyes.


    The Huoinu family owned a huge ranching business that mostly dealt with domestic animals. Ash and Kai were different from the other students. They were not the children of the legal wife but since the legal wife could not produce twins, Ash and Kai were forced into the position. The Huoinu family tradition states that the heirs of the family must be twins. They do not have to be identical twins but never the less they must be twins. The wife and her children did not like the fact that Ash and Kai would have everything despite being illegitimate children so they bullied and harassed them at home and at school. Kieren was the only one who did not care for the Huoinu family children¡¯s harassment and befriended and usually ended up standing up for the twins.


    ¡°Ash, Kai, you guys kept our promise right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me and Kai didn¡¯t pick any fights no matter what we heard about you and we avoided trouble whenever we could.¡±


    Kai nodded his head so enthusiastically that Kieren was afraid he would lose his balance and fall over.


    (Normally we wouldn¡¯t make a promise like this but we didn¡¯t want to worry you when you were already so stressed out about your grandma¡­and the look in your eyes before you left¡­)


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s go to class, we¡¯ll be late if we stay here any longer.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, let¡¯s g-go!¡±


    The other classes went by without incident.


    *Do Rei Mi*


    ¡°Guys I didn¡¯t bring a lunch with me this time so I need to go to the cafeteria for lunch today¡±


    Ash and Kai glanced at each other with a concerned look, their faces mirrored Aaron¡¯s this morning.


    ¡°K-Kerien? Um¡­is everything¡­ok?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright; the situation isn¡¯t something I can¡¯t handle.¡±


    ¡°You sure? We might not be able to be much help but we can at least bounce ideas off each other if you need.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m sure. This is something I need to be able to handle myself or else I won¡¯t be able to handle difficult situations in the future.¡±


    ¡°Well it is you after all.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah Kieren w-we know you can¡­um do it. J-just let us know i-if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry guys I¡¯ve already thought of a plan back in homeroom.¡±


    Ash and Kai wanted to know what his plan was but no matter how much they asked Kieren kept silent. It was a part of his policy to never discuss a plan out in the open. Plans that were revealed too quickly could be avoided or worse have the plan backfire on him.

 Chapter 7: After a beloved person is gone (3)

    ¡°Go to the usual table and save a spot for me while I get some food.¡±


    ¡°No problem. We¡¯ll be waiting!¡±


    Kieren walked up to a chef who was almost finished catering to a group of students.


    ¡°Sous chef, for an appetizer I would like a beef tartare using fresh 100% Kobe beef with oyster aioli, quail egg, and thinly sliced pomme gaufrette fried to a light crisp. For my entr¨¦e give me a glazed duck confit that is seared on the sides with a side of carrots, barley and a piping hot sweet potato and finally for dessert I¡¯ll have butternut bread pudding and make sure the inside is fluffy while the top is slightly crunchy with spiced caramel and french vanilla ice cream..¡±


    ¡°Very well, will that be all?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, and for my beverage I¡¯ll have a steaming cup of traditional Japanese green tea. How long will it take?¡±


    ¡°The food shall be ready in 10 minutes. Where will you be dining this afternoon?¡±


    ¡°Take the food to the last table on the eastern side of the courtyard¡±


    ¡°Yes young master. I hope you will enjoy your meal.¡±


    Kieren headed over to meet Ash and Kai at their usual spot. While he was walking down the path towards the courtyard he sees Aaron surrounded by a crowd of people. Occasionally they would laugh at something Aaron had said. Although it looked like a circle of friends at first glance, you could see that everyone was paying attention only to Aaron rather than each other. Kieren knew that this was partly due to his family influence but a big portion was his charm and charisma it was almost as if god favored Aaron. Kieren didn¡¯t bother approaching Aaron¡¯s table as they usually didn¡¯t talk at school as to not provoke trouble. This morning was special as Aaron wanted to check up on Kieren after his grandma died.


    Kieren continued on towards the last table in the courtyard, when he got closer he could see a group of people surrounding it. He immediately ran towards the table.


    (Shit! This can¡¯t be good!)


    ¡°Move!¡±


    Kieren shoved away the bystanders blocking his way to the table. It was difficult as the bystanders were intentionally getting in his way. They were recording the scene with their phones and they knew which side they wanted to be on. From above the crowd Kieren could hear insults being hurled.


    ¡°What are you going to do about it? Huh?! Pathetic thieving losers! The only reason you can inherit is because you two are cowards and couldn¡¯t even be born by yourselves!¡±


    (That is probably the stupidest insult I ever heard.)


    ¡°Losers!¡±


    ¡°Hey Kai, what¡¯s wrong with the way you talk? Did your twin leech off your ability to speak when you were born, you freaks!¡±


    ¡°Never should have been born!¡±


    Kai was on the floor with his twin standing protectively over him. He faced down so his hair would cover his face, he didn¡¯t want to be seen looking anymore scared and small than he already did. He put a hand to his face where he was slapped in mouth. Ash on the other hand was looking up at their tormentor in rage; he was moments away from completely snapping into frenzy.


    ¡°Shut up Lucas!¡±


    Lucas turned around sharply. He wasn¡¯t very powerful when compared to the other students but he knew that he could at least bully his half-brothers without anyone to scold him. An unspoken rule in the business world was to not interfere when it came to familial disputes. He saw Kieren standing at the edge of the crowd slightly out of breath. Lucas sneered at Kieren.Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Well, well, look who we have here. I knew you two were cowardly weaklings! Always in need of saving since you can¡¯t do anything yourself! But I guess the stupid and weak always crowd together when facing someone strong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah Lucas tell him like it is!¡±


    ¡°The losers should just disappear!¡±


    Lucas and his friends were trying to provoke Kieren to attack first. If he attacks them they can retaliate with full force on Ash and Kai in the name of self-defense despite the twins being heirs to the family, after all Lucas¡¯ mother was still the legal wife.


    ¡°That¡¯s right Lucas; even though we are weak we are still able to beat you and your lackeys at almost everything.¡±


    ¡°Say what?! The only reason I don¡¯t utterly destroy all of you is because of your family¡¯s power and the fact that those two weaklings are being protected! Though that won¡¯t be long now that, the old Moonfury hag is dead, about time too.¡±


    Lucas had a vicious smile on his face. He knew Kieren was very attached to his grandmother since the people who befriend Ash and Kai are checked thoroughly. Kieren¡¯s face didn¡¯t show a hint of anger or even dissatisfaction; he just kept a smile on his face and replied,


    ¡°Oh? So that means that we are actually the strong ones then. I do feel bad now, after all the strong shouldn¡¯t bully the weak. Sorry about that. But when a Chihuahua is making so much noise you can¡¯t help but want to give it a kick to shut it up.¡±


    Ash and Kai snickered at that. They were always suffering from Lucas¡¯ abuse so when they had the chance to witness him getting a taste of his own medicine was always a nice change.


    The sound of grinding teeth became audible and Lucas¡¯ body was shaking in rage and humiliation. His friends were trying to calm him down so he wouldn¡¯t lose control of himself. It didn¡¯t do much good as he didn¡¯t put much importance in their opinions. He only associated with them because he could boss them around.


    ¡°Shut up! What would you guys know; you think you¡¯re better than me? Don¡¯t you ever tell me to do anything!¡±


    Lucas¡¯s so called friends got angry. They were considered part of the weak so they used Lucas as a human meat shield to deflect people who would want to bully them. They knew that Lucas only wanted them to inflate his ego and frankly they were tired of his inferiority complex.


    ¡°Fine! Have it your way then! We won¡¯t interfere with whatever you want to do next¡±


    (It looks like Lucas¡¯s lackeys are smarter than he is. They were able to restrain their anger and with just a few words they completely washed their hands of all possible responsibility or blame he could put on them later. Lucas has calmed a bit but a little more should push him over the edge.)


    Kieren caught the twins¡¯ attention and signaled them with his eyes. He would watch out for them but they shouldn¡¯t depend or expect him to shield them all the time, now it was their turn to fight back.


    ¡°We know why you keep harassing us. You are jealous that we are the true heirs of the family despite being the children of a mistress¡±


    ¡°And t-that we have a, a bond that you and siblings c-could never have! T-the same with our mom! S-she loves us¡­w-whether or not we a-are the heirs!¡±


    (Ouch. These two really don¡¯t mince their words; they went right for the throat. Well, it¡¯s not like they said anything that wasn¡¯t true.)


    ¡°Y-y-y-you!¡±


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s wrong Lucas? You¡¯re starting to stutter. Could it possibly be because you¡¯re so fucking stupid? After all you don¡¯t have a twin to leech off your speech ability like Kai does, if you did then you would be the heir and your mom would actually like you. Then you would be able to fuck her in the ass like you always wanted whenever you wanted right? Oops! I¡¯m sorry~ that was supposed to be a secret wasn¡¯t it.¡±


    Ash gave Lucas an apologetic expression while Lucas just stood there dumbfounded. His mouth was gaping like a fish on dry land. It wasn¡¯t long until it morphed into pure rage. His jaw clenched to the point where it looked as though he might break his teeth. He was shaking like a leaf and his whole body was wound up so tight that everyone was set on edge.


    ¡°You. Two. Are. Dead! I¡¯M GOING TO MAKE YOU REGRET YOU WERE BORN!¡±


    Letting his anger explode, Lucas charged at Ash with his fist wound back ready to wipe the smile off his face. Ash and Kai¡¯s face transformed to worry seeing the malevolent anger approaching them. Ash quickly helped Kai up from the floor. If they were to fight Lucas they could only do it by working together.


    As soon as Kai was on his feet he pushed his brother away. The punch Lucas put all his momentum in flew over Ash¡¯s shoulder harmlessly. Using the momentum from the push, Ash and Kai moved so they were on either side of Lucas. Despite Lucas turning left and right he could not shake Ash and Kai from his sides. They would move in synch no matter which way or how suddenly he turned.


    ¡°Stop running and fight me! You can¡¯t be the heirs of the family if you¡¯re always such weak cowards! Let your big brother help toughen up your hides!¡±


    ¡°And it was such a good thing that you aren¡¯t the heir, I mean come on! You call that a provocation?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah L-Lucas you¡¯re always s-saying how um dumb I-I am but I believe you¡¯re just¡­ projecting onto me a-aren¡¯t you?!¡±


    (Kai is getting better at deflecting verbal attacks so they don¡¯t weigh him down and reflecting them back. And Ash is now able to control his emotions enough to watch his opponent and work in concert with Kai.)


    ¡°Bastards! Thieving weak pathetic sons of a bitch!!!¡±


    Lucas completely ignored Ash and rushed at Kai. His face was distorted in fury and spittle flew as he roared like a savage animal. He was closing in on Kai who previously eluded him no matter how much he tried but the adrenaline pumping in his veins pushed his body to seek violence on the ones who tore his pride to shreds.


    ¡°Kai!¡±


    (That¡¯s far enough)


    A twig near Kieren¡¯s feet disappeared in a blur of motion, his foot moving so fast that unless someone was looking very closely it would be near impossible to see him kick the twig across. The twig reappeared underneath Lucas¡¯s foot just as it was about to land. Inevitably it caused Lucas to footing to slip just as he was about to grab Kai.


    ¡°Wha-!¡±


    Unable to stop himself, his front foot slid forward but his unaffected back foot could not keep up.


    ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡°Oooh!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    In unison the crowd flinched away.


    ¡°A-a-a-ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!¡±


    The twig caused Lucas to unexpectedly do the splits. Ash and Kai let out a quick breath in relief; they knew they would be safe for a while.


    ¡°Uh Lucas it looks like you¡¯ll need some time to collect yourself so me and your half-brothers will leave you and your friends to loosen up. Come on Ash, Kai, it looks like the came just on time.¡±


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    Lucas tried to say something but his jaw was clenched to prevent him from crying however, the tears streaming down his face betrayed his agony. Ash and Kai walked over to Kieren who was already leaving the encirclement to meet the awaiting waiters.


    ¡°Young master, the food is ready. Would you like to partake now?¡±


    ¡°Yes set the food on that table in the corner, the one with food already on it.¡±


    Kieren, Ash, and Kai finally settled down to eat without annoying bullies to bother them. At least for now they got a moment to relax in peace, they knew it was fleeting but it was definitely real and deserved to be treasured.

 Chapter 8: The devils scheme (1)

    ¡°Kieren d-do you want to um go home t-together?¡±


    ¡°Sorry Kai, I already promised Aaron I would meet him and help him out with one of his schemes. If I don¡¯t go now I won¡¯t make it in time. Besides you guys have ultimate Frisbee practice today, we¡¯ll go back together next time.¡±


    Ash and Kai looked a little crestfallen but they couldn¡¯t think of a sufficient reason to hold him back so they could only watch his back as he left.


    As Kieren walked down the hallway to the courtyard, a group of students were following him while another group was walking in the opposite direction. He could tell the group following him was about to jump him but just as they were about to grab him all of a sudden an arm shot out in the direction of Kieren¡¯s face, noticing that the attack only had the intention to threaten and not harm he didn¡¯t bother to dodge. Then, the arm started to talk.


    ¡°Moonfury. Come with us for a minute, we are going to give you your welcome back gift.¡±


    Still facing the direction of the courtyard, Kieren responded,


    ¡°No need to be so polite, we aren¡¯t even friends why would I accept a present for you.¡±


    Looking at the owner of the arm his eyes were met with a handsome young man with slicked back hair similar in color to his own. His eyes were covered by sunglasses and his uniform was spotless. If he could be described in one word it would be sleek.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we aren¡¯t friends. There¡¯s no way WE could be friends with a person who is so pathetic they have to depend on Aaron Soleon¡¯s coattails to get through life.¡±


    ¡°Good. Since we already established that we don¡¯t even like each other¡¯s presence there¡¯s no reason for us to be talking. Good bye.¡±


    Kieren tried to side step the arm blocking his way but before he could get past, he was stopped by the a wall of muscle.


    ¡°Good job Donald.¡±


    ¡°No problem Nico¡±


    Donald Ernbrecht came from a family that dealt with the military. For generations his ancestors were leading armies and training cadets. To succeed the family a successor needed to defeat his or her siblings with either a sharp mind for strategy or a strong body made for combat and unfortunately for Kieren, Donald had both. In addition he was the quarterback of the academy¡¯s football team and was covered in muscle. Nico and Donald were best friends which wasn¡¯t surprising as the Ruger family business was dealing in arms internationally. Nico¡¯s family supplied weapons to the Ernbrecht family for generations and unlike Donald, Nico did not have siblings to compete with so it was almost certain he would inherit the business.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go behind the gym Moonfury.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll be gracious and accept your little present. I¡¯m in a rush.¡±


    ¡°You should have just come when I said so the first time.¡±


    ¡°WAIT! We wanted to talk to Moonfury first!¡±


    Sheryl the leader of the group that was following him suddenly called out. Sheryl was Aaron¡¯s self-proclaimed fianc¨¦ and one of the prettiest girls in school. With luscious blond hair, emerald eyes and fair white skin covered tightly in her chest and hip areas she knew she was a beauty that all the guys in school vied for, as a result she was used to men following her every whim.


    ¡°Sorry Sheryl we really need to discuss something with Kieren. But don¡¯t worry I have a feeling that what we have to say is exactly the same as what you want to say and I¡¯m confident that Donald here will be able to get the message across just fine.¡±


    Nico winked at Sheryl while Donald cracked his knuckles as casually as possible.


    ¡°Hmmmm well when you put it that way~¡­I¡¯ll be nice and let you have him this time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for your consideration! Virtue and modesty adds such luster to your already sparkling charm.¡±


    The group moved quickly without saying a word. The atmosphere around them made the other students steer clear out of their way. When they reached the gym Nico spoke up to the rest of his group.


    ¡°You guys keep watch outside, no peeking and make sure nobody comes close so they don¡¯t find out what we are doing.¡±


    ¡°You got it Nico; we won¡¯t let anyone come save Moonfury. Donald make sure to give him a few bone breaking punches for us!¡±


    ¡°Um do you mind just letting me go for today? I really am busy and need to return home or else my bodyguards will get worried.¡±


    ¡°Haha shut up Moonfury, and don¡¯t worry guys by the time I¡¯m through most of his bones will probably be broken.¡±


    ¡°Look at the coward! He was so cheeky earlier but now that he knows a beating is coming he became so scared that he¡¯s actually shaking! Careful Nico, you might need to bring a rag with you, it looks like he¡¯s about to piss himself. Hahaha!¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Nico and Donald pushed Kieren towards the gym almost causing him to trip over.


    ¡°Come on! You were in a hurry right? Go!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Hehe¡±¡±¡±


    Once they got to the middle of the gymnasium, Nico suddenly slapped Kieren on the back.


    ¡°Man that was close! If we didn¡¯t happen to walk your way you would have been caught by that prissy shallow harlot!¡±


    ¡°Yeah Kieren that toff would have cut into you if not for us.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Nico, Donald, I owe you guys one.¡±


    ¡°No problem. It¡¯s always a riot to see you pretending to be so weak and scared but looks like you can¡¯t leave here unscathed now that everyone knows you¡¯re supposed to take a beating from me. Let¡¯s have a quick match before you have to go.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like your giving me a choice but in reality you aren¡¯t going to let me leave without a fight first are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m giving you a choice! You can chose to either fight me willingly or you can chose to do so unwillingly. I¡¯m fine with either one really.¡±


    ¡°Haha give it up Kieren, since you were absent for so long it¡¯s obvious that Donald¡¯s fighting spirit would need some release.¡±


    Kieren sighed in exasperation.


    (Even for me it would be hard to escape from these two without hurting or binding them for hours which would make my acting completely useless.)


    ¡°Fine but like I¡¯ve been saying over and over. I¡¯m in a hurry! Aaron dragged me into one of his plans again and the last time I was late he slipped pictures of hairy fat sweaty men in tights huffing and puffing into the intelligence report I asked him to get. There are just some things that you can¡¯t unsee and even if you don¡¯t have photographic memory.¡±


    Donald and Nico shivered at the thought.


    ¡°Damn it Kieren! Why didn¡¯t you keep that to yourself! Why did you go and give us that mental image?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so you could understand my dilemma and you guys better hope I make it in time because if I have to suffer another visual attack I¡¯ll make sure I spam your computers with the exact pictures!¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll risk it.¡±


    ¡°Donald!¡±


    ¡°What? I haven¡¯t had a good match in so long and I want to try out some new MMA moves my dad taught me.¡±


    Nico scratched his head in frustration. He didn¡¯t mind a good fight but just the mental image was disturbing enough, he definitely didn¡¯t want to see the actual thing. An idea suddenly sprung into his head so he proposed to Kieren hoping he won¡¯t have to see the pictures. After all, if Kieren wanted to slip in some intel it would be near impossible to guard against it when the security was owned by his corporation.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t fight can I be exempt from having to see the pictures?¡±


    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s buy one get one free but if you don¡¯t fight it might make this match go faster so I can actually make it in time.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we aren¡¯t like some McDonald¡¯s Big Mac promotion! Hahhhh in that case I¡¯ll opt out this time. A pity because I wanted to have a match with you too.¡±


    ¡°We can fight him next time¡±


    ¡°¡­You said ¡®we¡¯ that means you intend to fight next time as well. Ah whatever! Just hurry up and start!¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Donald charged full speed at Kieren before he could even finish his sentence but Kieren had been ready ever since they walked into the gym. When Donald got into his range he stretched out his arm to grab Kieren¡¯s shoulder while expanding his wingspan to prevent Kieren from escaping, but just before he could Kieren¡¯s hands landed on Donald¡¯s wrist and used them to support his weight as he flipped over his body. When Kieren landed he let out a high kick to the back of Donald¡¯s head.


    *swish*


    At the last minute Donald glided to the left and avoided the kick, using the momentum from his charge he rotated his body and countered with a hook to the solarplex. However, just like Donald he was able to narrowly avoid the blow with a backflip, effectively dodging and putting some distance between them.


    ¡°As always you are such a cheat to be able to move that fast with a body that big.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be worthy of the Ernbriecht name if I wasn¡¯t able to do this much.¡±


    Donald once again went for a charge to get up close to Kieren.


    (Since he¡¯s trying to get into close combat position so badly his dad probably taught him a grappling or wrestling move. Then again he might just be doing that to lower my guard against a long range attack. But either way he¡¯s not giving me many options to attack since I don¡¯t have the power or physique to go up against his charge full on.)


    This time Kieren decided he would this opportunity to attack. Before giving Donald the chance to come close, Kieren performed a low spinning sweep kick to try to get his opponent to slam to the floor.


    (Damn! It was a feint!)


    Donald took a step back avoiding the leg and press down on Kieren using his knee, he then proceeded to break his stance and moved perpendicularly over Kieren and exerted pressure using his shoulder and torso to pin Kieren to the floor, his legs pressed to the side to prevent movement and his arm hooked underneath for control.


    ¡°My dad taught me this new locking position, it¡¯s called the side control it doesn¡¯t full control over the legs but it controls the upper body and gives you minimal power in your arms. It stems from the judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu style just start tapping when you¡¯ve had enough.¡±


    ¡°As if. Is that all you wanted to show me?¡±


    ¡°Says the person who can¡¯t get out of it.¡±


    Kieren tried to rock his hips to get more room to work with but Donald didn¡¯t allow it. He pressed more of his weight onto Kieren so he couldn¡¯t even lift himself up but it was just a distraction. Kieren snaked an arm passed his torso, grabbed onto Donald¡¯s elbow which he wedged close to his body. He then quickly shifted his body away to create space to squeeze his legs in between them. Donald immediately tried to sit up as his elbow was hurting from Kieren¡¯s maneuver, not letting this chance go Kieren went back on guard.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°HAHAHAHA! Donald you should see your face! You look like an idiot after all that boasting!¡±


    ¡°Shut up Nico! You¡¯re supposed to be the referee not the commenter!¡±


    This time Kieren took the initiative to attack first seeing how unfocused Donald was. When he got up close Donald still hadn¡¯t react yet before his attack hit Kieren gave him a fair warning.


    ¡°Pay attention Donald you don¡¯t have the luxury to be distracted.¡±


    Kieren went for a roundhouse kick to the ribs. Donald finally reacted and instinctively and took a step back. Seeing the momentum forced Kieren to turn his back, Donald took the opportunity to get a punch in so he could put an end to the match but before he could do that he realized he was on the floor. In no time Kieren was on top of him and grabbed his legs so they bent behind his body.


    ¡°Holy cows of India! That hurts!¡±


    Donald tried his hardest to get out of the hold but whenever he tried to put strength to reposition his legs Kieren would bend his back even more.


    (At this rate my spine is going to be snapped in half!)


    ¡°Ding Ding Ding! Ladies and gentlemen! The winner of this and every other heavy weight match he¡¯s had so far¡¯s champion is¡­Kieren Moonfury! Wohoo! ~ Yay~ *whisper: Donald is a weak ass bitch who can¡¯t beat someone half his size*¡±


    Kieren released Donald before he passed out from the pain. It would be troublesome to try to hide him to avoid others seeing him passed out after he was supposedly beat someone up.


    ¡°Nico I heard that! How dare you call me weak ass bitch when you can¡¯t even win against me in hand to hand combat?! And you, the hell just happened? One minute I¡¯m about to attack you and the next thing I know I end up face first on the floor.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we had a match. You didn¡¯t notice I was moving half a beat slower than normal. So although my back was turned for only a split second and you thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to react based on the speed I was moving throughout the fight so inevitably I was able to catch you off guard with an elbow to the side of the head, more specifically an elbow to the ear which hit your vestibular organ and caused you to lose your balance. Once on the floor I used the sharpshooter hold more famously known as the scorpion hold, it allows me to have better control than the side control especially against a physically stronger opponent. Satisfied now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, go ahead. We won¡¯t hold you up anymore¡±


    Donald offhandedly waved Kieren away as he rubbed his sore back.


    (Finally!)


    Without even saying goodbye Kieren left the two behind. He only had a mere 3 minutes to get to the rendezvous point and he had to make sure he did it without being seen. Having no other choice, Kieren decided he would have to run on the rooftops and hide within the trees to allow him to make it in time while preventing discovery. He hid within the dark shadows projected by the strong afternoon sun as he flinted across the rooftops and trees. Soon enough Kieren saw Aaron sitting alone on the courtyard bench mumbling to himself.


    ¡°5¡­4¡­3¡­2¡­1¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Cutting it close there. You had exactly one second left. A pity, I had thought up of a few punishment ideas during lunch.¡±


    (That was close! I dodged a bullet¡­no more like a mace; a bullet would at least be quick and not so painful.)


    ¡°No wonder you looked slightly happier this afternoon even though Sheryl was hanging all over you. It was because you were in your element at least in mind. Enough about punishments let¡¯s hear about your new scheme.¡±


    ¡°Sure, come here this one¡¯s going to be grand.¡±


    Aaron leaned into Kieren¡¯s ear and spoke in a voice so soft it was as if the devil was speaking directly into his mind.

 Chapter 9: The devils scheme (2)

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    Resignation and disbelief was plastered on Kieren¡¯s face as he raised an eyebrow at Aaron.


    ¡°Come on~ I need you for this plan to work!¡±


    ¡°This plan of yours is dangerous and if we are caught we¡¯ll be targeted by not just the school but all the students, staff, and their connection. What can be so important that you are willing to risk the both of us antagonizing all those people?¡±


    ¡°The intel I¡¯ll get from this plan will be vital for future operations besides, the Moonfurys and Soleons have always worked best together. I doubt there¡¯s much we can¡¯t do when we put our minds to it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the Moonfurys tend to do all the manual work while you Soleons sit around thinking of plans.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, to each their own and it¡¯s the duty of a good leader is to make sure jobs are delegated to the best person to handle it. In this case the best person to handle this job is you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t dodge the question; you are not a politician answering question on a bad policy to the press. What makes this information so vital? Why is this plan even so important?¡±


    ¡°Trust me, the reason isn¡¯t something you would care or need to know about. Just know that the intel will come in handy in the future.


    ¡°You are asking me to hack into the mainframe of a Moonfury security client so you can get the profiles of all the students and staff AND you want me to leave spyware and tracking cookies to update you on new data!¡± That goes against all the moral and business policies laws on client confidentiality, if this gets out then nobody is going to trust the Moonfury corp. ever again. It will ruin my family¡¯s company!¡±


    ¡°Shush! Keep it down!¡±


    Aaron looked around to see if anyone was around but Kieren didn¡¯t bother, he had already checked the perimeter before he spoke.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°I can distract the other security personnel and buy you all the time you need. In that time you can hack the system, extract the info and then cover up your tracks so it¡¯ll look like nobody¡¯s even come close to it.¡±


    ¡°Even if you say that there are always unpredictable variables that can ruin or reveal the plan.¡±


    ¡°Haha, please. You think I don¡¯t have a few back up plans in case of unforeseen events? And besides, I AM a Soleon, regulating the flow of information is what I¡¯m best at. But I promise you if there¡¯s even the SLIGHTEST hint that your company is in on it then I will use all of the Soleon¡¯s family power to destroy any intel or anyone who might know of your involvement.¡±


    Aaron looked into Kieren¡¯s eyes. They reflected determination and seriousness. When they were young Aaron taught Kieren how to differentiate when someone was telling a lie or the truth. The answer was all in the eyes. There are other ways to tell but as they always said, the eyes are windows to the soul and the soul can¡¯t lie.


    ¡°¡­Fine.¡±


    ¡°Perfect! I knew you would see things my way.¡±


    (It¡¯s not like I have a choice when you make a face like that.)


    ¡°But don¡¯t you have intel on most of the students and staffs that attend the school anyways? Is there anything you don¡¯t already have that the academy does?¡±


    ¡°I have the profiles on most of them but the academy has secretly been gathering more than just a student and staff profile. They have extensively investigated the business dealings of potential investors and people of interest they deem ¡°too plain¡± one of them being you.¡±


    ¡°Why are they only doing this now?¡±


    ¡°While you were gone the headmaster of the academy changed when the previous one died of old age. His name is Petrik Grim and he¡¯s known to be cunning and underhanded when it comes to things he wants and like all ambitious people in high positions he wants to be at the top.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tell me the truth, you made that up just now didn¡¯t you? I mean really¡­a villain named Petrik Grim vying for power. It would have been better if you said he was after world domination.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying. I know it sounds like the plot of a clich¨¦ third rate movie but sometimes reality is weirder than fiction. All those villains had to have been inspired from someone in real life and I guess they came from people like Petrik Grim.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kieren couldn¡¯t help staring into Aaron¡¯s eyes again to make sure he wasn¡¯t pulling a fast one on him.


    (He¡¯s really not lying! That¡¯s more surprising than the time he told me that Sheryl could calculate math past the 6<sup>th</sup> grade.)


    ¡°What¡¯s in it for me? Obviously you prepared something good when you thought up of this crazy scheme right? You say he¡¯s going to investigate me but we both know that I could easily slip past any method he tries to use to dig up anything about me especially now that I know what he¡¯s up to.¡±


    ¡°I have a piece of information that is important to you. If you help me on this then I¡¯ll tell you what it is.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    Kieren and Aaron may be childhood and best friends but they were still rising businessmen and that meant favors were a means of gaining leverage but a transaction was an exchange between equals. And the fact that they were so close meant they could trust the other to give their best and to absolutely not cheat each other during a transaction.


    ¡°When do you need it?¡±


    ¡°It would be best if you brought it as soon as possible. I heard from a little birdie that Grim will start the investigation tomorrow. So there will be less info to sort out if you do it today and then tomorrow the sorting program you gave me will categorize the data by itself.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send it via the usual route.¡±


    (I guess the servants and guards at home can wait to be taken care of¡­)

 Chapter 10: The devils scheme (3)

    After a couple of hours night settled into the sky smothering the light and leaving darkness in its wake. The only thing staving off the night was the few lamp posts situated at high traffic locations. To most people the dark was unsettling and foreboding because it blinds the senses and reveals our vulnerability but to Kieren it was a comfortable blanket that hide him from his enemies. After arriving at a particularly dark corner, Kieren whispered into his earpiece.


    ¡°I¡¯m in position and ready when you are.¡±


    ¡°Roger that. Begin on the signal.¡±


    Simultaneously all the lights on campus died out, shrouding the place under a black blanket.


    (Here we go)


    The campus was restless as confusion and panic took hold of the people who were still inside the buildings. Everyone ran out to find comfort in another¡¯s presence or to find a security to ask what was going on. Kieren was able to easily slip through the halls to the headmaster¡¯s office. The easiest point of access to the entire mainframe was through the headmaster¡¯s computer after all.


    Once he got there a few men were standing in the dark at the entrance to the office. The radios on their chests were blaring out news from the other teams on the situation of the campus. Despite the commotion the guards weren¡¯t panicking and focused all their attention on guarding the office; if anyone wanted to get in then now would be the best opportunity. Although the guards didn¡¯t respond to the commotion on the radio, a command was suddenly issued to them.


    ¡°Unit E, we have a situation. A fire has been started at the administration office, if the fire is not put out then it will spread to the headmaster¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°Negative sir. You will have to find another unit. We cannot leave the headmaster¡¯s room unattended.¡±


    ¡°There are no other units available. The others are busy helping students and staff with the blackout if your unit can¡¯t do it then the administration building and the room under your charge will be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°We will deal with the fire once it reaches here but until that time we will not be leaving.¡±


    (As expected of the guards from our company. They won¡¯t take the bait even if it means there¡¯s potential danger to the target. It¡¯s going to be harder to get through that door with them in the way but it can¡¯t be helped.)


    Kieren ran up and latched onto the ceiling borders. He clung to the darkest parts of the ceiling and crawled towards the door. When he got close enough he pressed a button in his pocket.


    *Screeeeeech!*You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The sounds of tires pierced the air, startling the guards as the sound got closer to their location. The sound grated on the nerves as the guards anticipated an attack. Suddenly lights flooded through the windows, blinding them.


    ¡°Move!¡±


    *CRASH!*


    A sparkling hot pink Lamborghini exploded through the building wall and shot straight to the entrance where the guards had previously been standing. The car destroyed the entrance before briefly stopping and backing out as swiftly as it came.


    ¡°We are under attack! Get back into formation, ready weapons and watch for potential infiltrators. Echo and Foxtrot pursue the car and try to trace it back to attacker. Johnny and Bravo scan the office in case someone got in during the crash.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±Yes sir!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    The two men stepped into the room with their guns drawn. They moved slowly and methodically scanned the room for hidden intruders. Nobody had entered the room.


    ¡°All clear.¡±


    ¡°All clear.¡±


    The two headed back to join their comrades at the entrance. Once they disappeared Kieren peeled himself off the wall and took off the tarp that had the same pattern as the wall.


    (One of the oldest ninja tricks in the book and it worked like a charm. I need to work fast, they¡¯ll be back to patrol the place in ten minutes.)


    He swiftly moved to the computer and opened the firewalls and double checked to make sure the Moonfury virtual security program was not tampered with. Once he confirmed it wasn¡¯t modified he inserted a USB drive enabling streams of code to fly across the screen. While that was happening Kieren opened a new coding window and proceed to tamper with the mainframe¡¯s code so it would not detect the firewall breach and let the USB program do the rest.


    All of a sudden Kieren started to hear footsteps heading in his direction. Not having enough time to hide behind his screen and blend into the wall he scrunched himself up and flattened himself between the television and the wall behind it.


    ¡°Hah why do we even have to do patrols so often it¡¯s not like anyone is even going to come after the data from some fancy pansy stuck up school.¡±


    ¡°Less chit chat Zulu, You are still new so we need to take more patrols to account for any fuck ups that could happen when we hire a new person onto the team. So just shut up and do your job. We are the guards from the Moonfury Corp. and the standards here are a lot higher than any mercenary or security firm you¡¯ve been to. If you can¡¯t stand it then you should quit now for your and our safety.¡±


    ¡°Chill out man. You¡¯re so uptight. This is just a job like any other, the executives on top get all the glory for our flesh and blood and we get chump change for risking our lives. What does it matter whether or not we skip a round of patrol here or there.¡±


    ¡°You will address me as Commander or Alpha and as your superior you will follow my orders and my orders are the orders are standard procedure of the Moonfury Corp¡¯s was set by none other than founder Akiko Moonfury who I must remind you was undisputably acknowledged as the world¡¯s best bodyguard. So shut up and scan the area before I shove your shit infested boot down your throat!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah Commander Alpha.¡±


    ¡°Just Commander or Alpha. We prioritize concise efficiency here, especially in emergency situations and you need to get into the habit of it.¡±


    (There are new hires? During grandma Akiko¡¯s funeral I ordered all operations to be temporarily frozen to allow assets to transfer and to give a time of grieving not only to me but to all the employees who were loyal to grandma. There shouldn¡¯t be any new hires as of yet.)


    Zulu just glanced through his section of the room, not even bothering to look behind the television or crawl spaces a person could possibly hide in.


    ¡°All clear.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all clear here too. Just like it was five minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Did you clearly look through the assigned sector? Even if it¡¯s a patrol it must be done seriously! Five minutes might not be long enough for you to do anything but to a pro five minutes is enough to get in and steal valuables from our client.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey are you really doubting me? To doubt me means you are also doubting the person that hired me and you don¡¯t have that authority, commander Alpha.¡±


    It was subtle but Kieren could hear the sound of teeth grinding. The commander was frustrated but you couldn¡¯t tell simply by looking at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure whatever you say Commander Alpha.¡±

 Chapter 11: The devils scheme (4)

    Kieren waited as he listened to the pair of footsteps leave the room. He slipped out from behind the screen and moved back to the computer and turned on the monitor. Thankfully the program did it¡¯s job and he wouldn¡¯t have to spend any more time in the room. After ejecting the USB, wiping traces of his infilitration and checking up on the commander and his ¡°subordinate¡±, Kieren moved to leave the room.


    Kieren brought out his phone and fiddled with the controls. After waiting for a few seconds he heard the sounds of tires. Unalarmed, Kieren moved to the wall across from the entrance guarded by the security team.


    The door opened revealing the commander and his subordinates with thier guns drawn. Seeing a man standing in the room, they immediately locked on Kieren. From the walkie talkies on thier waist the team tasked to follow the car notified the room that the car was heading towards thier location.


    ¡°Incapacitate the intruder!¡±


    Shots fired in succession at Kieren¡¯s limbs as soon as the command was given. Kieren¡¯s eyes turned sharp seeing the bullets fly at him. He stooped to the floor and avoided harm. However that didn¡¯t faze the guards as they took aim once again. In fact, some even smirked as the target had limited his own mobility by laying on the floor of an enclosed room. In thier eyes this was a move made by an amateur afraid of getting shot by bullets.. Regardless, the trigger of the guns did not hesitate to release the loaded ammunition.


    All the while the screams of the car outside raged throughout the school. The ruckus grew louder as it came barroling into the office. Miraculously the speeding car stopped between Kieren and the team as though it wanted to shield him from harm.


    (Right on time)


    Blocked by the body of the car Kieren was able to slip into the back seat and made for a quick getaway.


    ¡°Attention all units! The target is escaping! Change in priority! Disable the car!¡±


    A volley of shots pelted the tires from multiple directions.. As expected the tires couldn¡¯t withstand the onslaught and exploded revealing the metal plates. The car started but kept driving away, producing an ear piercing sound of grating metal and streams of sparks flying in its wake.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Commander! The target cannot be stopped! Requesting permission to kill!¡±


    ¡°Permission granted!¡±


    (Not good!)


    He searched the rooftops and key vantage points for potential snipers that might have appeared in the short interval he was in the room. Although he checked the perimeter before he started his infiltration, in regards to his life he was not going to take any chances. Thankfully nobody was taking aim at him from afar so he only had to deal with his immediate vicinity.


    He shrunk himself against the seat and made sure his body was as small as possible. Bullets whizzed across his face and exited through to the other side of the vehicle. Bracing himself he shifted the phone and worked the controls; the car drifted in one direction, then the next before finally deciding to violently spin towards the gated entrance.


    (ugh. I hate using this escape plan. My head is starting to get dizzy. If I could, I wouldn¡¯t use this method to get away!)


    ¡°Move to surround the gate entrance! When the vehicle crashes, surround it and make sure the infiltrator can¡¯t escape!¡±


    The guards were vigilant as they surrounded the car and aimed at the warped doors of the vehicle. Based on the impact they could expect the target to be disorientated but at the same time the target was a cornered animal and desperation was a dangerous yet powerful weapon.


    They waited but nobody came out. Eventually Zulu got tired of waiting and threw out a suggestion to the team.


    ¡°Maybe the loser bit the dust. Haha wouldn¡¯t be suprised if it happened. I mean, did you see that insane car spin? I¡¯d say it happened because I shot his brains out. Serves him right for trying to get past me.¡±


    (The reason the intruder was able to leave the room in the first place is because of your laziness, ignorance and your pride which is worth as much as a squirel¡¯s fart!)


    ¡°In that case open the door and drag the body out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, Commander Alpha whatever you say.¡±


    The other squad members looked at each other with concern and utter disgust. They also could not understand why the higher ups would allow such a pathetic and untrained thop to join any of the Moonfury security teams in the first place.


    Zulu tried to pry the door open but it was so warped that he couldn¡¯t force it open. The sight of his butt waving to and fro as he struggled against the door handle forced the commander¡¯s lips to slightly twitch up.


    ¡°Come on girl, I know your pussy¡¯s pretty banged up but be a good girl and open up for me one more time.¡±


    Some of the guards couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Their shoulders were shaking non stop as sounds of laughter


    ¡°The fuck is this insane bastard asking to a car door. If this is how he talks to his prostitutes then it¡¯s no wonder why this guy can¡¯t find a willing partner.¡±


    (sigh. What is becoming of my team.)


    ¡°Pay attention! We are on a mission don¡¯t your guard down!¡±


    The men immediately became somber. Mericifully Zulu managed to pry open the door and save the men from suppressing their laughter any further. The car was empty.


    ¡°What the?¡±


    ¡°Unit D and E will ensure every entrance and exit is secure! All other units search the area! ¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡°Yes sir!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    After giving out his orders the commander grabbed his phone and made a call to his employer to let him know of the situation.

 Chapter 12: The devils scheme (5)

    Black boots walked across the area in front of Kieren. He didn¡¯t move an inch under the darkness as he waited for them to move past the area where he was hiding. When he was sure they gone past him he slipped out from his hiding place and slipped into a manhole.


    The sewer system was very extensive, it ran through every building in the city so it was useful to get around when he didn¡¯t want to be detected. The only reason why others didn¡¯t use the sewers was because each entrance was protected by the Moonfury Corp in collaboration with the water and electricity companies. The only possible person who could get through the security unscathed was Kieren.


    (Again. I REALLY wish I didn¡¯t have to use this method. Aaron¡¯s intel better be worth it, if it¡¯s not then he¡¯s going to wake up in the middle of the Arctic circle in a Thundercat costume!)


    He trudged onward while breathing through his mouth to try to reduce the stink from reaching his olfactory receptors. The first thing he did when he got home was to take a sorely needed shower. The stink was horrendous.


    ¡°Whew! That felt great!¡±


    Once in his room he spread himself out onto the bed. There was nothing more relaxing than laying a tired body in his bed after a warm shower.


    (I¡¯ll send the data I gathered to Aaron tomorrow. I know part of the reason why he set up this misson was to give me a change of pace because he¡¯s worried I¡¯ll brood if I stayed home all day. I¡¯m grateful for that but I¡¯m still frustrated that I had to endure a car spin and crawl through the sewers for a few hours.) Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    After venting for a bit Kieren sat up with a resolute look on his face. He got to his laptop and before he started the first thing he did was check the security to ensure that nobody tampered with it. Nothing came up, or rather nobody had the ability to do so even if they wanted to. Kieren encrypted his devices with his very own security software. The same one his grandmother and himself developed together when he was first learning the art; over time they would improve and update the program so it even exceeded the one used in the Moonfury Corp. After all, they couldn¡¯t reveal their strongest hand to the public, just like all powerful and innovative people the best was kept on hand. Despite that, he never let down his guard when it came to concealing his activities and movements.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    The scan showed signs of attempted infiltration. The infiltrator tried to cover his tracks and to be honest the attempt was pretty good. Whoever it was managed to get almost halfway past his security but for some reason it looks like they were forced to stop and leave in a hurry. The coverup was sloppy yet somehow still thorough.


    ¡°How ironic, while I was hacking into his computer he sent someone to try to hack into mine. And by the looks of it he either has a lot more money and power than Aaron and I realized or someone with a decent amount of skill owes Mr.Grim a favor. Well isn¡¯t this interesting.¡±


    If Aaron or the Huoinu siblings saw Kieren¡¯s expression at the moment they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to call him a conniving fox. The way the expression suited him so well.


    Spotting the thumb drive laying next to him, he took a second to contemplate before locking it into the port, gaining access to Mr.Grim¡¯s life. Sorting out the useless information, he shifted through the copious amount of data until he dragged out what he was looking for. Blocking out the useless information he searched through Grim¡¯s underground payroll.


    ¡°Bingo.¡±


    A name and account number was highlighted before Kieren¡¯s eyes. Taking a minute to commit the information Kieren got ready to go to bed.

 Chapter 13: HQ (1)

    Once again awaking in the cave Kieren moved in the same direction he had the day before.


    ¡°Maybe I can finally make it to the next rendezvous point so I can stop waking up in that goddamn cave. Waking up buried alive is not the most comfortable way to start my night in this world.¡±


    Familiar with the area from the day before, Kieren made sure to take a different path he had taken previously.


    (It¡¯s never safe to go through the same paths especially with that dead wyvern leaving the smell of blood on the path. The ones that go towards the smell of blood are always the most psychotic creatures in the realm and I¡¯d rather avoid spending another night in this stupid cave.)


    Kieren ran as he kept a lookout for signs of danger hidden in the surroundings. His foxfire was flying around him in fixed pattern to confuse anyone looking in his direction, effectively deterring away potential attackers.


    In the road slightly ahead Kieren spotted a Wendigo. It looked like a starved corpse as it¡¯s remaining bits of pale flesh showed signs of rot and frost. Its eyes in contrast looked huge as they searched for prey, maw of yellow jagged teeth released cold mist that surrounded it like a veil.


    (Shit, it¡¯s a wendigo. It¡¯s not going to be the hardest to shake off but it will be the most persistent. They are worse than zombies, especially when they get their crusty nails inside you and start freezing their victims from the inside out. Even worse, they aren¡¯t affected by my foxfire but I still have the advantage, it hasn¡¯t seen my yet.)


    Extinguishing his foxfires before they could give himself away to the Wendigo he searched the nearby bushes. Finally finding what he was looking for, he dragged out a Tiddalik covering the mouth to make sure it didn¡¯t make a sound as it struggled in Kieren¡¯s hand. Without further ado he nonchalantly threw the oversized frog at the Wendigo¡¯s face.


    The Tiddalik bounced off the Wendigo¡¯s face and landed on the floor. The Wendigo¡¯s eyes instantly locked on it and lunged for the frog. Desperate to stay alive the Tiddalik spat out a spray of water from it¡¯s mouth. Unfortunately the compatibility between the two was disadvantageous for the Tiddalik as the water froze before it could reach the Wendigo. The Tiddalik screamed when the decrepit teeth gouged out it¡¯s side. Blood smeared on around the Wendigo¡¯s mouth as strings of muscle was the only thing attaching the Tiddalik to it¡¯s detached side. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Having the deathly wails of the Tiddalik disguise the ruckus of Kieren¡¯s rush, he ran around the Wendigo knowing it would be too preoccupied trying to sate its hunger to notice him. Thankfully, Kieren didn¡¯t have another encounter before he reached his destination.


    ¡°Oof!¡±


    Before he could say anything Kieren was tackled to the ground by a massive ball of black fur. He saw three sets of red eyes and a mouthful of canine teeth approaching his face.


    ¡°Kieren!¡±


    Kieren felt three tongues slobbering all over his face. He managed to close his eyes and mouth just in time.


    ¡°Damn it Ash, get off me! You know I hate it when you drench me in your nasty dog drool. And you! Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t hear you laughing your ass off in that tree!¡±


    Kieren pushed Ashs¡¯ snouts away from him as he glared into the cackling tree. From the tree a white three legged crow flew out as it continued to laugh and land on his shoulder.


    ¡°Glad to see you made it this time. We were starting to think that you wouldn¡¯t be able to make it again. How did the mission go?¡±


    ¡°The mission was a success. Down boy!¡±


    ¡°Hey! I may be a hellhound but I¡¯m not some cute dog that you can train and tame. I am THE Cerberus! The greatest guard of all hell!¡±


    ¡°Sure~ you are. That¡¯s why you tackled me with a happy wagging tail and then proceeded to happily lick my face.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it! I haven¡¯t seen your cool night form in so long. It¡¯s a lot better than your normal day form at school.¡±


    ¡°There reason you can¡¯t help it is because it¡¯s your dog instincts to your owner~¡±


    ¡°Shut up Aaron! You''re just jealous that your night form is only a common crow with a third leg!¡±


    ¡°Oooh? Did someone forget their place? MY majestic form is the messenger of an all powerful god while you are just a mutt on a leash who guards a door.¡±


    Before Ash could start barking his head off Kieren interrupted him.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough children. Don¡¯t make me regret not spending another night buried in a cave.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll fill you in on what you missed. Mutt, do your job and warn us if something is coming. Come on Kieren let¡¯s go to the farm first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later Ash, we¡¯ll talk later. Make sure not to get distracted just because I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. As if I would slack off. I know how important my job is and besides I was born for this job.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know.¡±


    Giving him a sad smile Kieren headed to the farm to meet the rest of their demonic group.

 Chapter 14:

    ¡°Kieren!¡±


    Prepared to dogde this time, Kieren avoided Kai¡¯s tackle before he could bring him to the floor as his twin had done. But instead of a three headed hellhound, it was a two headed hellhound that sadly landed on both of it¡¯s faces.


    ¡°Nice try Kai, but I was already brought to the ground once by Ash and I¡¯d prefer to stay on my feet than my back, nice landing by the way.¡±


    ¡°Ow. You could have at least caught me.¡±


    Kai gave Kieren a small whine and hit him with the most cutest puppy eyes he could muster.


    ¡°I¡¯m always amazed at the difference between Kai¡¯s day and the night form. Kieren¡¯s a kitsune so it¡¯s normal that he¡¯s an evil trickster, but your nature is supposed to be a supernatural sheepdog but you are sneaky and conniving as fuck. Your twin looks cute compared to you.¡±


    Kai gave a slight shrug of his shoulders to Aaron¡¯s comment.


    ¡°Who knows. Maybe because I¡¯m just more comfortable in my night form than I am in my day form. Like when I talk, I don¡¯t mean to stutter but for some reason my words just don¡¯t want to come out right in my day form. I don¡¯t have that problem when I¡¯m in my night form. It might be the two heads thing.¡±


    ¡°But Ash has three heads but he has no trouble talking and his personality doesn¡¯t do a 180 turn like you.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know. Your the one who is supposed to collect all the information around the world, shouldn¡¯t you know better than me?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t answer a question when there¡¯s nobody to steal the answer from.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you asking me if you know I don¡¯t have the answer!¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to let your brain do some exercising. I¡¯m surprised it hasn¡¯t turned to mush when all you do is stare at the livestock all day.¡±


    *GRRR*


    ¡°My brain is actually very active, thank you very much. I have to be on constant alert to ensure nothing tries to pull a fast one on us. And trust me, as soon as I am distracted for a second something will come to try to snatch one.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°About that, Aaron tells me that there¡¯s been some changes since I¡¯ve been gone. Mind showing me what¡¯s different?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Follow me!¡±


    ¡°Check this out!¡±


    Kai looked proud as he presented a a makeshift fence.


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t this the usual fence we make for the livestock? Rather, doesn¡¯t it look shabbier than usual? Don¡¯t tell me you guys showed me this just to let me know that you are suffering a lose and want me to pick up the slack.¡±


    ¡°No that¡¯s not it! Just wait for it.¡±


    After saying that Kai walked away from the supposed fence breach and grabbed some wood and looked as if he going to repair it. To do this he needed both of his heads occupied.


    ¡°... Aaron isn¡¯t this just baiting. You know what I think about strategies when it concerns our friends.¡±


    ¡°You worry too much. Don¡¯t sweat it, Kai isn¡¯t in any danger. He¡¯s just doing it right now because we would be standing here all year if he doesn¡¯t lure one in. We¡¯ve already caught quite a few idiots in the area so he needs to trick the slightly smarter ones. ¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like it but I¡¯ll trust you guys.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Now shut up and watch, Ash and Kai did okay for once.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Was that a compliment just now? I knew you could do it if you put your birdbrain to it.¡±


    ¡°Rude. Your a fox, your supposed to be ingrating and shower me with praises not insulting me.¡±


    ¡°Riiight. Well unless you have something worthwile for me, you won¡¯t be getting any flattery from me. Only the cold hard truth.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, we both know the truth is that you really think I¡¯m a genuis.¡±


    ¡°As if I wou-¡±


    ¡°Shush! Something¡¯s here!¡±


    (This birdbrain just cut me off on purpose.)


    A wendigo charged towards Kai as his mouths looked too preoccupied with the wood in his mouth. Just as it looked as though the wendigo would have an easy meal. Overjoyed at it¡¯s pospective meal, it moved even faster to gain temporary relief from it¡¯s normally crippling hunger. It seemed assured that Kai would at least suffer serious injuries. Just as the wendigo came in contact with Kai¡¯s fur, it sudden flew off as if an explosion had gone off in front of it. Startled and injured the wendigo tried to run off as quickly as it could. Not missing the opportunity for a little pay back and a quick kill, fire spewed from between his fangs. The flames weakened the already injured wendigo making it easy for his claw to decapitate the head as easily as a knife cutting through tofu.


    In turn Kieren¡¯s eyes shot up in confusion and disbelief as if they also experience an explosion from his eyeballs.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Cawcawcaw! You should have seen your face! Though to be honest we had the same reaction when we first saw it.¡±


    ¡°How? Tell me everything.¡±


    ¡°Ash and Kai were able to sniff out something peculiar and powerful in an unremarkable looking tree. We couldn¡¯t figure out what it was at first, we got Sandya to check it out. She sensed that the bark had the power to create a barrier that can sense and reflect the attacks directed at it. She also discovered that it could be used to create an impenetrable shield.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you carve the tree to become the fence if it could reflect any tools or attacks?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t carve it persay. We warped the air around it to get the tree to bend to the shape we wanted. It got bent so bad that the tree broke off it¡¯s own branch. Afterall, it would be such a waste to just cut it down. Once we got the wood we found when the owner infuses some of thier demon essense, then they become the new ¡°main body¡± the branch has to protect. Nifty little thing.¡±


    As Kieren and Aaron were discussing, Kai was severing the wendigo into bits and hanging the bones atop of the fence to scare off potential threats.