WebNovels

Chapter 12 - chapter 13

In Cortan — specifically, in the women's prison — inside one of the rooms, a woman named Jessica wakes up from her sleep. She wears an eyepatch, as her other eye was injured. Jessica is tall, violent, and used to work as a gang leader, selling drugs and weapons illegally. She heads to the cafeteria, sits at one of the tables, and starts eating her food.

Then another woman approaches and says to Jessica:

"This seat is reserved for me. Get out of here."

But Jessica ignores her and keeps eating.

The woman grabs Jessica's shoulder tightly and says,

"If you don't leave now, you'll lose your other eye."

Jessica grabs her fork and stabs it into the woman's neck, killing her brutally. All the women in the cafeteria are shocked by the bloody scene.

After some time, Alvarez enters the women's prison and orders to meet Jessica. Jessica arrives, and when she sees Alvarez, she says mockingly:

"You're the one who killed Clinton and invaded Cortan? Clinton must've been a huge failure to be defeated by a sissy like you."

Alvarez smiles and replies, "You're speaking rudely to someone who could kill you at any moment. I like your courage."

Jessica: "I do whatever I want and don't care about the consequences. If I die because of something I did, at least I'll die free. Besides, I'm sure you won't kill me — you asked to see me, which means you need me."

Alvarez: "You're right. I do need you. When I invaded Cortan, I launched a missile at Clinton, but he dodged it, and it hit the men's prison instead. Many prisoners escaped. A large number of them believed I freed them on purpose, so they became loyal to me. I planned to send them to assassinate the prince and princess who escaped from my grasp. But there was a third person who escaped with them — someone I believe you know."

Then Alvarez hands Jessica a picture of Onan. Jessica looks at Onan's picture and feels rage, hatred, and loathing. Her face clearly shows anger and resentment.

Alvarez: "Yes, just as I was told. One of the prisoners loyal to me told me about you and your hatred for Onan. That's why I think you're perfect for the job. You'll also be reuniting with your old followers."

Jessica smiles and agrees to Alvarez's request.

Later, she leaves the prison and reunites with her followers. One of them greets her and says:

"We're glad you're back, my lady."

Jessica: "Did you prepare my weapon?"

"Yes."

Jessica: "Good. Finally, the day has come when Onan will pay for what he's done."

Meanwhile, Connor and his sister are learning to ride horses. They also learn to use a specific whistle to call their horses from afar, allowing them to continue their journey. The trip is quiet; no one says a word. Connor begins to feel bored by the silence, so he decides to talk to Kai and get to know him.

Connor: "So… you've been quiet the whole way. Why's that?"

Kai: "There's nothing important to say."

Connor: "Conversations don't always have to be important. Sometimes it's okay to talk about random stuff for fun."

Kai: "I don't like doing that."

Connor: "Alright… uh, can you at least tell me what kind of grudge you have against Alvarez?"

Kai takes a deep breath and begins telling his story:

"There were two men I considered brothers. We trained together, fought together — our bond was strong. One day, we were on a trip in the forest when Alvarez attacked us and brutally killed them. I barely survived and ran away. I was angry for many reasons — that we were defeated so easily by one man, that I lost my friends, that I was too weak to protect them and ran like a coward. But one thing bothered me more than all of that — the reason Alvarez attacked us.

In my kingdom, we were taught the importance of motive — that you must fight for something meaningful: to defend your family, friends, homeland, or a worthy cause. But Alvarez attacked us simply because he wanted to test his new weapons. He needed lab rats and chose us. My friends died just because that bastard wanted to experiment. That alone made me dedicate my life to punishing him — he's a piece of filth who doesn't deserve to live."

Connor: "Oh… I understand. I lost my parents because of Alvarez. But do you really think revenge will bring you peace? I just want to reclaim my kingdom."

Kai: "It doesn't matter how I feel. What matters is that he gets what he deserves."

Connor: "Got it. By the way, Governor Ozai told me you have special abilities. What are they?"

Kai: "There are a few skills, similar to superpowers, once used by my Japanese ancestors. They rely heavily on focus and self-control, which are hard to master. That's why most Japanese people today don't use them. But after losing my friends, I swore to learn them to defeat Alvarez. After much hardship, I managed to master two."

Connor: "Wait, wait — superpowers? You have superpowers?! Can you show me?"

Kai: "Sorry, not now. I only use them when necessary."

Connor: "Come on, please! Curiosity is killing me!"

Kai: "No."

Connor: "Alright, alright, as you wish… You know, in my kingdom, we used to sell high-quality prosthetic limbs to the disabled. When we reclaim it, I'll get you a top-quality robotic arm as a reward. What do you say?"

Kai: "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think I need another arm. I've lived my whole life with one, and having two would feel strange. For now, the only reward I want is Alvarez's head."

Samantha: "I don't mean to interrupt, but I think we need to stop. We've traveled far — the horses need rest."

They stop and decide to camp. Samantha goes to gather firewood.

Connor: "You shouldn't go alone."

Samantha: "I appreciate your concern, but I want to learn to do things on my own. Besides, this forest is nearly empty; I doubt there are predators."

Connor: "Alright, but take a weapon, just in case."

Connor hands Samantha a short light-saber, and she leaves to collect firewood, walking away from the boys.

But then, the boys are ambushed by Jessica's followers, who hit them with stun rays that knock them unconscious.

One follower: "Weren't there supposed to be a girl with them? Where is she?"

Another: "Who cares? We caught Onan and his two companions — that's enough."

"What about the horses?"

"Scare them off."

The followers scare the horses away, then carry the unconscious Onan, Connor, and Kai onto the airship.

Onan wakes up after being slapped hard, sees Jessica's face, and says:

"Oh no… not her…"

Now, it's time to explain Onan and Jessica's past.

Jessica used to be one of the richest people in Cortan, well-respected by the public. Most of her wealth came from selling drugs and weapons illegally, though she laundered her money. To the public, she appeared to make her fortune through cosmetics sales, but secretly she was committing crimes for profit. Her actions harmed Gito's trade, so Gito decided to send Onan to work undercover at her company to earn her trust.

Onan succeeded, and when the right moment came, he secretly recorded her illegal deals and leaked the video online, exposing her. Her reputation was destroyed. She later found out Onan was behind it and tried to shoot him with a blaster, but Onan slashed her eye with his sword. Then the Knights of Light arrived, arrested her, and Onan escaped. From that day on, she swore revenge on him.

Back to the present:

Jessica: "I used to live the best days of my life — in my luxurious house, on my soft bed, surrounded by wealth. Then you came along and ruined everything. Do you know how awful it is to live at the top and then fall so hard that you end up in prison? I hated every minute in that place. I would've preferred execution over prison. What's the point of prison anyway? Rehabilitation? Well, here I am — I went in, came out, and I'm still the same person."

Onan: "Your problem is with me. Let Connor and Kai go — they have nothing to do with what happened to you."

Jessica: "Nothing to do with it? Connor was one of the Knights of Light who captured me, which means he deserves punishment too. And as for Kai… I don't know who this cripple is, but since he's with you, as the saying goes — the friend of my enemy is also my enemy."

Meanwhile, back at the camp, Samantha returns carrying firewood.

"Sorry for taking so long, guys, I was—… guys? Where are you?"

She starts shouting, "Connor! Onan! Kai!" but no one answers.

She begins to panic, then remembers she can call the horses by whistling. She whistles until Storm and the other horses arrive.

Samantha: "Storm, what happened? Where are my brother and the others?"

Storm neighs nervously, clearly frightened.

Samantha thinks: (I don't understand horse language, but since my friends aren't with them, they must be missing. And judging by Storm's panic… something bad happened to them… Okay, okay, calm down, Samantha. There's no blood or bodies here — that means they might still be alive. Maybe they were kidnapped… but what do I do? Rescue them? How?)

Samantha feels lonely. She's always had help — born a princess, raised in luxury, always protected by her brother. But now, she's almost alone. Still, something inside her tells her she must rise and try to save her friends — even if she can't, trying is better than doing nothing.

She starts thinking — where would the villains take them? She follows footprints leading to a large area, likely where an airship had landed. Her only option is to go ask around if anyone saw the ship.

Meanwhile, on the airship:

Connor: "Where are you taking us? I mean, you could just kill us now — why waste your time?"

Jessica grins evilly: "You're right. I could kill you now, but where's the fun in that? That'd be too easy — too boring. Instead, I have a better plan."

She leads them to a pit — inside is a monster. Not just any monster — the Araksis Beast.

Onan is shocked at the sight and recalls bad memories.

The followers throw Onan, Connor, and Kai into the pit — unarmed, facing the beast.

Connor: "Uh, Kai, remember when I asked you to show me your powers and you said you only use them when necessary? Well, I think now's the time…"

The monster roars and charges at them.

Back to Samantha — she arrives at a village and begins asking if anyone saw an airship. A man says he did and knows where it went.

Samantha: "Hello, sir. Did you see an airship pass by here?"

Man: "Yes, I did — and I know where it went. But if you want that information, you'll have to pay the price."

Samantha: "And what is it?"

The man smirks wickedly and tries to assault her. But Samantha punches him in the face. The man, furious, tries to hit back, but Samantha pulls out the short lightsaber Connor gave her and threatens him.

Samantha: "Listen, I don't have time for your nonsense. My brother and friends are in danger, and I need to save them fast. So tell me where that airship went!"

Terrified, the man gives her the coordinates. Samantha mounts her horse and rides at full speed toward the location.

Back to Onan, Connor, and Kai — they're running from the beast, trying to dodge its attacks.

Kai: "There's one move I can use to kill it, but I need a few minutes to prepare — and that hunk of meat isn't letting me concentrate!"

Onan: "I've got a plan. Connor and I will blind it by attacking its eyes — it'll be hurt and distracted, giving you time."

Onan and Connor climb onto the beast, trying to reach its head, but it shakes violently, throwing them to the ground.

The beast stomps — Onan dodges, but Connor is slower and gets hit, breaking some bones and screaming in pain.

Jessica watches from above, delighted to see her enemies suffer.

Samantha arrives and hides in the bushes, spotting Jessica's masked followers. She throws a rock at one of them to lure him away.

Follower hit by rock: "Someone threw something at me — I'll go check it out."

Other follower: "Alright, but hurry back — you'll miss the show!"

The follower searches the forest. Suddenly, Samantha ambushes him with the short lightsaber, but he dodges and draws his own, engaging her in a duel. He knocks her weapon away and tries to kill her, but Storm appears and kicks him unconscious.

Samantha: "Thanks, Storm. Now I get why Onan likes you so much."

She takes the follower's clothes and disguises herself.

While the others are distracted watching the "show," Samantha sneaks into the airship and grabs an electric whip and two lightsabers — one short, one long. She tries to take Onan's sword, but it's too heavy, so she settles for the whip and sabers.

Meanwhile, Onan finds a large, sharp rock and hurls it at the beast's eye, blinding it and making it roar in pain.

That gives Kai enough time to prepare. He performs precise movements, his fist starts glowing, and then he charges — landing a powerful punch that breaks through the beast's armor and kills it instantly.

Connor is amazed. Jessica, furious.

Jessica orders her followers to board the airship and descends to attack. The enemies surround Onan, Kai, and the injured Connor.

Onan feels like it's the end — until Samantha, still disguised, throws the electric whip and lightsabers to Onan and Kai.

Onan grabs the whip and long saber, Kai the short one — ready for battle.

The fight begins. Onan lashes the whip, electrocuting one enemy and throwing him into another. He deflects blaster shots back at them. A foe tries to strike Kai, but Kai reveals his second ability — teleportation. He vanishes, reappears behind the enemy, and stabs him.

Samantha rushes to check on her brother.

Connor: "I… I need to help them…"

Samantha: "Don't move. Your body's broken. Stay still."

Onan tells Kai: "Since you can teleport, can you get to the ship and fetch my sword?"

Kai teleports to the ship, grabs the sword, and tosses it to Onan. Onan catches it and starts cutting through the enemies.

He and Kai defeat them all — except Jessica.

Jessica's weapon is a whip with an electrically charged metal ball at the end — similar to Black Knight's weapon from Generator Rex.

She swings it, attacking Onan and Kai. Samantha carries her brother away from the battlefield.

Kai dodges her attacks, but Jessica accidentally strikes the airship, damaging it beyond repair.

Kai teleports behind her to attack, but she turns and hits him hard with the weapon, electrocuting him and knocking him unconscious.

Jessica looks at him and says: "At first I was impressed by your teleportation, but over time your movements became predictable."

Onan attacks, but she dodges. She recalls the metal ball, swinging it with full force. Onan blocks with his sword, but the impact throws him against a wall. Exhausted, he drops his weapons.

Jessica smiles: "Finally, the moment I've been waiting for."

She charges to kill him — but Samantha shoots her weapon with a blaster, breaking it.

Jessica tries to reactivate it, but it's dead. Furious, she screams:

"No! No! I was so close to my revenge! Damn it! I don't need this junk to kill you!"

She lunges and tries to strangle Onan, but he regains his strength, pushes her off, and she falls.

Onan: "That's enough! Just stop and accept that you've lost!"

He retrieves his sword and approaches her, ready to strike, but at the last moment, he hesitates.

Jessica: "What are you doing? Why don't you kill me?"

Onan: "No… enough people have died today. There's no need for more blood."

Jessica: "Stop this nonsense. You're a killer — you always have been. You killed all my followers and even tried to kill me before, if not for the Knights of Light."

Onan: "I used to kill because I had no choice — for money, for survival. Your followers died in self-defense. But you… I don't need to kill you to survive. Today, I have a choice — and I choose not to kill you."

Jessica: "Do you think I'll learn something from this? That your mercy will change me? It won't. I'll stay the same and come for you again."

Onan: "Then I'll stop you again — like I did before and like I did today. But ask yourself: do you really want this life? I understand your hatred for me, but dedicating your whole life to revenge won't make you feel better. Trust me, I know. Instead, let go of your anger. Find a new purpose — something better than revenge."

Jessica is irritated but accepts her defeat and climbs out of the pit, her fate unknown.

Samantha: "Onan, we need to get my brother and Kai treated. There's a doctor in the village, but we don't have money to pay him."

Onan: "That's not a problem — I'll threaten him into treating them for free."

Samantha: "What? That's unethical!"

Onan: "Do you really want to argue about this now? We have no other choice. Or would you rather your brother go without medical care?"

Samantha hates that he's right. Onan carries Kai, Samantha carries her brother, and they climb out of the pit toward the village.

Fortunately — and surprisingly — the doctor is kind enough to treat Kai and Connor for free, even letting Onan and Samantha stay in his building until they recover.

Samantha steps outside and finds Onan sitting on a chair. She joins him, and they talk.

Onan: "I honestly didn't expect the doctor to treat Connor and Kai for free. I didn't think I'd ever meet people who do good without asking for anything in return."

Samantha: "There are kind people in this world, Onan. Not everyone is driven by self-interest."

Onan: "I guess you're right… By the way, how did you manage to find us?"

Samantha explains the whole story to him.

Onan: "Wait, wait — someone tried to harass you, and you punched him in the face and threatened him with a lightsaber?"

Samantha: "Yes."

Onan: "Wow, that's really impressive… You know, this reminds me of our last conversation — when you said you felt like a burden on the team. But today, you proved the opposite. You saved all of us."

Samantha: "Yeah, that's true… Speaking of our last conversation, I wanted to apologize for bothering you about your uncle. As a psychologist, I like analyzing people's emotions, and I wanted to understand if you had a painful past with him so I could help. But I didn't realize I was being intrusive and annoying. I'm sorry again."

Onan: "I forgive you. Honestly, I think I overreacted when I yelled at you. I'm sorry too."

Samantha: "I forgive you… So, are we friends again now?"

Onan: "Yes. We are."

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