A Certain Place

In a dark room, two people were staying inside. One of them was holding a metal pipe, ready to attack if it was needed. As for the other one, he was tied to a chair with a battered face.

"You should just speak, where is James Doha?" the man, who held the metal pipe, asked with annoyance.

The man on the chair, Charlie Doha, raised his head listlessly. His eyes stared hollowly to the man before him, not caring in the slightest about the question thrown to him.

"Go to hell."

The man’s face contorted. He swung the metal bat on his arm towards Charlie’s stomach, hitting the man with a large force once more.

Charlie nearly yelled because of the pain, but he stayed quiet. This was not the first time he faced assassination. As the young master of Doha Family, he was taught ever since young how to face assassination. Because he had abandoned his name for years, his skill has grown rusty. However, he would never show this man whatever he wanted to see in him.

Raising his head, he glared back at the man. His eyes seemed to dance with flame as he looked with unwavering determination.

"He’s like a cockroach," the man muttered in annoyance.

Kreet (the sound of door open)

"Ayres, how much longer do you want to torture that man? We have another mission soon after this," from behind the door, Jeff walked inside.

Charlie glanced at the two of them with a hardened expression. He didn’t really care about his wellbeing as he knew that there was no one who could save him. The government has made their move as swift as possible. Trying to win against them was practically useless.

"He’s stubborn, Jeff," Ayres replied.

Jeff shook his head. "Iris has already seen the future. She found James."

Hearing that, Charlie’s face paled considerably. All these times, he didn’t know the location of Taro and James because the two hid from him. The only thing that he received from them was a single letter, telling him that they were alright. He has always felt reassured whenever he thought that they were safe.

If these two were killed, he would never be able to forgive himself.

"Ah, that’s good," Ayres’s mouth curled up to make a smile. "Where are they?"

"Ryukalin Clan," Jeff replied.

"Oh, he seeks refuge in that clan. It’s not a bad decision," Ayres nodded his head approvingly.

"We’re not going there."

"Where will we go?"

"We’ll make a diversion," Jeff smirked. "Let’s go."

"Wait you bastard!" Charlie yelled in rage. "Don’t you dare to touch my brother and nephew!"

Bang!

Ayres swung his metal bat once more, hitting Charlie’s stomach once more. From the pain that seemed to creep from his stomach, Charlie got the urge to vomit. It was so painful that he felt he would die.

Jeff looked at Charlie with crossed arms. "You’re using too much strength. That man is going to die."

"Who cares? They didn’t specify us to keep him alive," Ayres threw the metal bat aside. "As long as they don’t tell us to keep him alive, there’s no need to be considerate."

The door was closed and all Charlie could hear was his own heartbeat. Pain filled his entire body as he gazed at the floor, which has been dyed red out of his blood.

’Taro... James... please stay safe.’

His head was hung low as he felt his consciousness fading. His strength was starting to seep away as if someone sucked it. With his head filled with the thoughts of his family, he closed his eyes.

...

Ainge Hidden Clan, Alice’s Residence

On the large courtyard, a young man was busy swinging his sword. It has been a long time ever since the first time he stayed here because of the agreement with Alice’s father.

"Tom, you should have scheduled more rests," Alice peered from behind the curtain, her eyes held deep worry.

Tommy laughed. He put his sword down. ���I have to practice more if I want to defeat your father. That’s the condition he gives me if I want to be your boyfriend."

Alice smiled wryly. She knew that was the condition, but she couldn’t stand watching Tommy forced his body to the point of collapsing every single day. Tommy’s physical condition has been pushed to the limit, and it was hard for the young man to improve any further.

In order for Tommy to defeat her father, it would require a lot of hard work and great luck.

"You should take care of your body too."

"Don’t worry, the meal that you prepare for me every day is already more than enough to replenish my strength," Tommy put out a thumb up. He grinned cheerfully.

"I’ll cook for you every day," Alice giggled.

Tommy nodded his head. Even though living in this residence was a far worse hell than the training with his teammates, it was good that he could meet with Alice every single day.

Before he could continue his training, he heard an eerie voice echo across the courtyard.

’Attack anyone near you...’

Tommy hurriedly crouched down with his hand blocking his ear. His head hurt so much from the voice, and he could see the people from the clan suddenly raised their swords or other weapons and attacked each other.

His expression turned ashen. He turned around to look at Alice.

"Close your ear!"

"What are you talking about?" Alice was stunned. "I can’t hear anything."

’What?’ Tommy was stunned to hear what Alice said. However, times wait for no one as one of the closest clan members charged towards him. He picked up his sword and stepped forward while switching his sword to the blunt side. This way, he only knocked the man out.

"There’s someone trying to control us..." Tommy was stunned when Alice put on a headset to him.

"It’s Jeff from the government," Alice continued Tommy’s thought. She guessed that she has higher resistance than the others, making the voice unable to affect her. "We have to make them all unconscious."

"Alright," Tommy replied. However, he heard the sound of scream coming from the front courtyard. The two of them hurriedly dashed towards the place when they saw Nico, Alice’s father and also Ainge Hidden Clan Head, fought against a large man.

Beside the large and bulky man, someone was standing calmly.

Alice’s eyes narrowed. "Jeff and Ayres. They’re coming from the government."

Jeff raised his head and flashed a smile at Alice. "You’re here little princess. I guess, it’s showtime."

With that, he commanded the clan members to attack Alice.