Chapter 15

More energy blasts kept tearing through the building. Two headed for Mr. Darwin, who was already on the floor, but Kris used his body as a shield to protect him. He carried the old man gently and rested him behind a chair. Su carried Fred and placed him beside Mr. Darwin. She was also pissed. She looked at Kris and he nodded. Kris burst out through a window to the left, while Su burst out through a window to the right. Their eyes glowed as they looked at Group 2. Raul's teammates focused their energy blasts on them. Kris ran through the blasts, tanking every single one till he got close and punched one of them in the face. The punch pressed deep into his face, and you could hear the cracking of bones before he was launched a few meters away. Kris stomped his leg into the ground and dashed past him till he was some distance behind him. He caught the guy in a bear hug while his feet dragged a bit. He squeezed the guy's bones till they cracked, making him scream out. Kris did a suplex, landing him headfirst deep into the ground, knocking him out completely.

Su, on the other hand, dodged the other teammates' blasts while getting close enough to give him a barrage of punches before hitting his guts with her left palm, causing him to vomit. She punched his jaw so hard that some of his teeth broke out as he spun in the air.

These two events occurred so fast at the same time that Raul couldn't react. Su glared at him as her eyes glowed yellow. He walked back and turned just to see Kris glaring with an equally intense red glow in his eyes. They both got close to him.

"Ermm... Su.." He tried to speak, but Su kicked his face from his left ear while Kris kicked the back of his head from his right ear at the same time. They dropped their legs with their backs facing him. His body paused, his eyes rolled back, then his teeth broke out as blood flowed from his mouth, nose, and ears before his body shriveled to the ground. Everywhere went silent for a bit as the wind blew by. Fred walked out of the house and slowly towards them.

"Hey, guys, I'm..." Kris moved quickly and gave a heavy punch to his face. Fred spat out blood as he walked backwards a bit before falling on his back. He staggered as he tried to sit up, but his eyes shrieked in fear as they met with Kris' glowing eyes.

"I warned you not to go. I told you I didn't want to risk them tracking us here. We agreed not to do anything till we had rested fully!"

"I'm sorry, I'm... I'm..."

"Kris let it be. He made a mistake, but we have handled things," Su cut in.

"Handled things? Mr. Darwin got hurt due to his recklessness. Nah, nothing is handled until I beat the shit out of him." Kris spoke in a cold tone as he walked closer to Fred. Fred was trying to move away, but his body felt heavy. Tears filled his eyes as Kris beamed closer to him.

"I said... Let. It. Be!" Su held Kris' shoulder and squeezed it as her eyes beamed a dark yellow color.

"Are you going to stop me, Su?"

"I'll only say this once. Lay a finger on him and I'll break every bone in your body."

Kris stared Su in the eyes as he clenched his fist. His cloak began to form slowly. Her eyes widened and her cloak began to form while her aura rose. Fred felt the tension like a heavy boulder pressing against him. He wanted to stop them, but he could barely catch his breath with the tension in the air around him. Mr. Darwin hastened towards Kris and whacked him in the head with his shoe.

"Is that how to treat a lady? Kris! Why don't you ever learn anything I teach you!"

This action diffused the tension. Kris took a deep breath before shrugging Su's hand off his shoulder and walking towards the back of the house. Su sighed and moved closer to Fred to help him up.

"You okay?" She smiled as she asked him.

"Yeah..."

"That's good." She turned around and walked towards Raul and his teammates.

"Erm Su..." Fred began.

"Yeah?" she responded as she looked over her shoulder.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"She knows. She is glad you aren't hurt too much. Just don't go off on your own next time. Okay? " She smiled as she dragged Raul and one of his teammates to the position of the other. She bound them with source energy and then dusted her hands before walking into the house.

"Well, that's quite the morning." Mr. Darwin said to Fred.

"It's all my fault. I was just trying to follow my guts and I ended up ruining everything. I am sorry you got caught up in all that."

"You are apologizing to the wrong person, Kid. This is the most fun I've had in a while! " Mr. Darwin laughed. Fred didn't respond as he was looking down.

"Ah...ha. Well, you have to make things right. You go talk to Kris, I'll speak to the girl. "

"What! He's going to kill me! Why don't you talk to him!" Fred trembled.

"Man up boy and face him! Don't you want your squad to get back together? "

"Yeah, but I want to live to see it happen!"

"That's the spirit. I wish you the best of luck!"

"I don't think you're listening!" Fred called out, but Mr. Darwin was making his way slowly into the house.

Fred's face became pale as he looked in the direction of the back of the house. He gulped as a cold shiver ran down his body. Mr. Darwin opened the door to see Su cleaning up the living room.

"Just leave it, I'll take care of it myself."

"Sorry, but she can't do that. Her group caused trouble for you. It's the least she can do."

"Don't bother too much about it, besides you seem worried. Is it about Kris?"

"No! Not at all! Worry? Definitely not? she's all good! Yeah, good!" Her body shriveled as she waved her hands to deny what the old man said before turning around, Mr. Darwin chuckled as he sat on his chair.

"Don't fret too much about Kris. He can be quite a difficult kid."

"Difficult, stubborn, and doesn't listen. Fred was wrong, but despite being already in bad shape, he wanted to beat him even more. Fred was not the enemy, yet he wasn't ready to spare him. It's just wrong! " Su paced around as she explained. Mr. Darwin took a deep breath and smiled.

"That just shows you the length he's willing to go to for those he cares about. To have someone do all that for you is something special. In that regard, isn't he somewhat similar to you?"

"Similar?"

"You were ready to 'break all the bones in his body. Your words, not mine."

"But that was only if..."

"If he was going to hurt someone you cared about." Mr. Darwin smiled.

Su calmed as she saw the old man smiling. She pouted as she finally sat down and crossed her hands.

"I see that you finally got it."

"It's not fair. Using her actions against her like that, "Su replied, still pouting.

"Even the worst of us get blessed with people like you in our lives."

The worst of us?"

"Yeah. Let me tell you a little story about me. I hope you care to listen."

"Of course."

"Alright then. It's a story about my life before I met Kris. I was never really that good of a person. I was a policeman who had a serious drinking problem. I would often get home so drunk and have endless fights with my wife. My son was always caught up in the middle. He was a very bright and smart young lad, about your age now. My problems always caused a rift between us and often when he spoke out of turn, I'd give him a good beating, which further caused more problems with my wife. One day, while I was out drinking, some burglars came to my house. My wife tried to protect my son and got shot in the process. I got home late to meet an ambulance in front of my house. They rushed her to the hospital, but she died on the way. My relationship with my son soured from then on. He hated me so much. I was an eyesore to him. He blamed me for his mother's death and cursed at me.

'It should have been you.' He would often say.

'You let the only person who would care about a piece of shit like you die, while you were out drinking. You disgust me. I hate you. He'd reject my efforts to be there for him. And so rightly so. I was a pathetic man who didn't deserve to have a family like them." Tears flowed slowly from Mr. Darwin's eyes. Su couldn't say anything. She just sat quietly and listened. Mr. Darwin wiped the tears from his face as he sniveled.

"I got frustrated. I thought I could do right by them by finding the culprits. Maybe he'd be happy if he saw justice come to those that took his mother from him. I used my skills to track down the people who had killed her. I was only able to find one of them. I shot him in the legs to make sure he couldn't escape, and then I beat him into a coma with a steel pipe. I wanted to make sure his death was painful. Unfortunately, someone called the cops, and I got arrested. They took my badge and I served time in jail. I later found out that through the guy I caught, they were able to catch the other culprits. But they put them in a separate prison for fear that I might kill them. " Mr. Darwin giggled a bit.

"For most of my stay, my son didn't come to visit. I felt it was a given. He wanted nothing to do with a criminal. But one day, he did. He was there with a lawyer, a dad to his friend. He had been doing his best to find a way to get me out, and the man promised I'd be out soon.

'I never thought you'd do something so foolish. I didn't even know you had it in you. You might be a piece of shit, but I am glad you gave that bastard a good beating. ' He giggled as he smiled at me.

For the first time in years, he smiled at me. We had a good conversation. He said he hadn't forgiven me for abandoning my family, but he was willing to give it a shot if I was ready to change. I promised myself that once I got out, I was going to do everything in my power to seek his forgiveness and strengthen our relationship. I was going to be the father that he deserved, for his sake and my wife's... But that was not to be."

"What happened?" Su asked.

" 'The Night of Demons' What they called the blood moon twelve years ago. The night my son was taken from me. I was to be released the next day when I heard on the news that the family my son lived with had been murdered by demons. I was shown my son's body at the morgue. They said they pulled out a sword from his chest. My baby boy." Mr. Darwin's voice cracked.

"He just lay there. Gone. I wasn't there to protect him. I don't even know how much he suffered before he was murdered. Once again, my absence led to the death of someone I cared about. "More tears rolled out of his eyes. Su leaned closer and hugged him from the side. He sobbed as he continued speaking.

"I had lost all hope after his burial. For days, I wasted myself crying, drinking, and rolling in my own mess. When I had enough of it, I wanted to end it all. There was nothing left for me anyway. I decided to slit my wrists. As I picked up the knife and kept contemplating and basically yelling at myself to do it, I heard a sound. I walked out the door and was attacked by a skinny, shriveled, beaten-up child. He was trying to rob me, so I gave him a good smacking. Tenacious child. He kept trying till I pinned him down and sat on him. He had no memories of who he was and spent days being cast out or shunned by people. I asked what exactly he was trying to do, and he refused to respond; rather, he wriggled himself loose, and we had to go through that struggle again till I tied him up. I asked him what he wanted to do, and then he responded,

'Get some food and hopefully find something I am not looking for'.

I laughed for the first time in so long. What was that supposed to mean? What did a little brat know about anything? I decided to let him in and maybe help him find 'what he wasn't looking for.' I had nothing else to do. It could be fun. I found out his name and age on a locket that said "Happy fourth birthday, Kris." I didn't know it then, but by letting him in, I got a second chance at life. He gave me hope that a failure like me could be useful. We didn't always agree on things, but we managed to work it out. Before long, I fell ill. Then the kid began to take care of me and support me. A man like me, who deserved nothing, got so much that he couldn't spend the rest of his life being thankful enough for it. "

Mr. Darwin looked at Su and smiled, "Kris might be thick-headed, stubborn, immature, and a pain in the ass. But deep down, he is a very good person and one who would give his all to protect those dear to him. Whether you notice it or not, he does care about you guys. If not, he wouldn't have thought of bringing you to here in the first place. Have a bit more faith in him."He got to his feet and began to head upstairs. She smiled as she rested her back on the sofa.

At the back of the house, Fred saw Kris sitting and circling his energy gently. He was contemplating whether to approach him or not.

"If you stop being creepy, I will not punch you again." Kris voiced out, getting slightly irritated.

"Promise?"

Kris rolled his eyes as he calmed the energy circulation.

"I'll take that as a yes," Fred mentioned as he walked towards Kris.

"I understood what you were trying to do. I understood the importance such a discovery would bring us. But if you are going to do something alone, be ready to deal with the consequences that come up if you mess up. Don't drag anyone into your mess. That's the principle I live by. I won't say I have always upheld it. But I've always tried my best to make sure the after effects always end with me."

Fred sighed as he sat beside Kris.

"Look man, I'm sorry. I had a gut feeling and it's usually never wrong. I saw something and I needed to confirm it. I didn't mean for all this to happen... If it makes anything better, I was right."

"For real?"

"Yup!" Fred pulled out a black box and showed the core to Kris. Kris' eyes widened.

"You crazy bastard. You actually did it. I am not apologizing for punching you though, but I do have a little more respect for you now."

"Thanks, since you guys took care of Group 2, I guess we have basically cleared the second stage."

"I guess so too." Kris laughed out loud, and so did Fred.

"You and Su... You two have something good going on." Kris commented.

"Something good?"

"She was ready to throw down, the moment you were hurt. To have someone like that for you. It's quite nice. "

"Bruh... Su and I are close, but just as friends if that's what you are asking. I mean, I have someone I am interested in."

"What No! That's not... I am just saying your bond is strong!"

"Sure..."

"Want me to punch you again?"

"No no... you were definitely not implying anything else. I read it wrong."

"Yes, you did. Jeez, man." Kris scoffed.

"This was my first time seeing her that way. She's usually all smiles and determined. But this was different. I genuinely felt the need to be on guard. " He added.

"It's not my first though. If anything, her cheerful and smiling nature just kind of returned recently. " Fred sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Su and I are actually childhood friends. She's the second child of four sisters. Her father, Lu Ming, was a famous red source soldier in France. Su was particularly close to him; I dare say his favourite. I admired him a lot too; he was our hero. We planned to join the Special Ops when we grew older to become just as strong and as famous as he was. We'd always play this game where we'd both take turns being the great Lu Ming, as we played to 'defeat the demons.' One day, Su's dad had to go for a de-extraction. His core was unstable, and it had to be removed. It is said to have some nasty side effects, but better that than letting the person be turned into a demon, right? My family moved from France to Egypt three years ago. So I can't exactly tell how things worked out with them, but I did hear from Su that they took care of him and he regained his strength and kept his sanity. She said that he slowly began to go back to the man she knew him to be. Then, last year, a blood moon occurred. Their family was evacuated to a human protection dome with a capacity of 500,000. Unfortunately, the dome was breached by a chimera. Su's dad took it on. He had no core, but after being a source soldier, you retain some trace elements of source energy in your body even if your core is removed. He fought the chimera alone till everyone evacuated successfully. Su said she returned to tell her dad that he didn't need to fight anymore and he could try to escape with her, but what she found was the chimera dead, its head twisted to the back and its hand through her dad's body. She rushed to him and was confused about what to do. She just knelt there and cried. He opened his eyes and shakingly placed his hand on her face. He smiled as he told her not to cry anymore. He was proud to have a daughter like her and asked her to take care of her mom and siblings for him. It was only after he died that a source soldier arrived. He was a white source who took her and her father's body away from the scene."

"Wow, I didn't know..."

"Well, if you came earlier, you'd have witnessed it. I saw Su again at the start of our cadet training. She was not the same person I knew. She became a loner and was basically cold to everyone around her. Her goal was to become a stronger source soldier than her father in order to protect her family and loved ones. But when we got our cores implanted into us, she fell further into frustration and anger. Her dad's core was what was implanted, but rather than give her the same red source as his, she ended up with a yellow source. Of course, people began to talk. She felt pathetic and lashed out at anyone who said shit about her or her dad having a weakling of an offspring. She would get into regular fights with other cadets and be beaten up completely. I couldn't stand to watch her go through this. But I wasn't particularly strong enough to stop them from hurting her. I was also a bottom feeder. It hurt to watch until I couldn't stand it anymore, so I challenged her. " Fred took a deep breath.

"I didn't know what else to do. I thought if I could get all the fight out of her, I'd be able to get her to talk. I thought I had the advantage because I was a class above her. How wrong I was. I couldn't do anything but serve as a punching bag. I got beaten for hours, till I lost the concept of time. But all I could remember as my face was being punched in was the tears flowing down her eyes. Then she was stopped by Captain Oumar. The legion squad wanted to use the training room we were in. He asked them to take me to the infirmary while he talked with her. I don't know how long I slept, but when I woke up, she was beside me. She hugged me and cried as she apologised. From then on, she kept getting stronger and kept encouraging me to be better. We trained together as much as possible, and she didn't give up on my strength. In a short a time, she became the top of the set, and gradually she's been returning to the cheerful Su she once was."

"I see..." Kris said, as he took a deep breath.

"I just want you to understand her. I would hate for you guys to be at odds with each other. Su is most terrifying when someone insults or hurts people she cares about. Aside from that, she is actually caring and accommodating. That's one of the few things that make her a wonderful person in my opinion."

A beeping sound started coming from the house. The boys moved in to check what it was. Su held her camo and the badge on it was blinking. She tapped on it and a voice came out.

"Group one has found the hidden core, thus signifying the end of the second stage. Groups 1, 6, and 7 progress to the final stage. Everyone is to return to the transport centers for final evaluations. "

There was a brief pause, and then the three jumped and yelled.

"You mean you got the core, Fred?" Su spoke with her eyes teary. Fred flicked his nose and smiled. Kris gave him a light punch on his shoulder while Su moved in to hug him.

"You did good," Kris commented. He looked at Su, and they both looked away from each other.

"Maybe I'll give you guys a moment," Fred mentioned as he went upstairs. The two stood in silence for a while.

"Kris"

"Su"

They spoke at the same time and then paused.

"You go first." Kris mentioned.

"She is sorry for threatening you like that. She is the group leader, and she should have found a better way to handle it."

"Oh okay, well I just wanted to say that I am glad things didn't escalate too much and I appreciate you asking me to be a part of this team." He lifted his fist upwards and smiled awkwardly.

"You call that an apology, Kris? You suck! " Mr. Darwin called out from his room.

"Shut up old man, and stay out of this!" Kris yelled back with a vein-popping on his head.

"Ha!"

"Damned old man." He muttered.

Su began to laugh as she gave Kris a fist bump. The two looked at each other and smiled. Fred came down fully dressed in his camo, so Su went up to change, and lastly, so did Kris. Mr. Darwin came down to bid them farewell.

"You guys take good care of Kris and Kris, don't give them too much trouble." He mentioned.

"Yes we will," Su responded.

"Alright, alright, stop treating me like a kid, old man."

"Goodbye, Kris. I wish you the very best. "

"When I am done with this graduation exam, I'll come back to visit." Kris smiled as the three waved to the old man while taking their leave. Mr. Darwin smiled as he watched them disappear into the distance.

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Night time came, and Mr. Darwin was sitting on his chair in the living room.

"You are sure you want to leave things this way?" Dr. Yu Lock asked as he walked down the stairs.

"I have already said my goodbyes. I am satisfied."

"Alright then." You held his hand and infused source energy into his body.

"This will make it painless. I am sorry, it was already too late by the time I came to see you."

"Don't worry much about me. You gave me the gift of seeing him one more time. He is in good hands. Now I can go and see my family with my head held high. " Mr. Darwin smiled as tears rolled down his eyes.

"Do you mind telling me about them once more?"

"Of course not. Now, where do I start from, Ah yes. I was a policeman who..."