The Unrecognized Talent

Singapore.

One of Asia's richest countries despite it's small size and lack of natural resources.

It's only real natural resource was technically it's people. Eden Lee had faith in that idea. The country's leaders understood this as well, always looking out for talent. The country's inviting economy and it's multi cultural society invited some of the worlds best to help build the country further.

Eden wanted to be a part of the idea that talent like him would be appreciated by the people and government of the country, he has seen it happen with others. The brightest students becoming rich politicians, the most witty ones becoming some of the world's top earning businessmen. The country had so much promise, attracting so many from all over the world to hope for a chance at success. That was why his parents came here and along with them, he became a citizen here as well, calling Singapore his home.

As a kid, Eden recalled having the burning passion for martial arts. Movies, stories of heroes skilled enough to take down bad guys with flashy and cool moves...that always fascinated him.

Eden begged his parents for the chance to learn martial arts and eventually, started out his first days learning Taekwondo, Wushu and eventually finding his calling with Ninjutsu, a martial art that he holds true and dear to his heart. He trained willingly as hard as he could, pushing his body yo the absolute limit for years, mastering every weapon he could with unparalleled precision and strength.

It exhausted him, but Eden enjoyed every moment.

He became an athlete when he hit 16, rising from simple school competitions to inter-school ones and eventually, national competitions where he sparred against others. No one was close to his level, one after another opponents fell to his fist. Despite holding back, Eden still found most of the people he faced to be slower and so predictable that he could read their actions. He discovered that he was indeed a talent way beyond the league of others in his field of practice. He was the best.

Those competitions had earned him some petty cash, his coolness also leading him to meet Clara whom he fell in love with, married and had their first son together, Clark.

Eden continued chasing this passion. Competitions were not a reliable source of income so he did the only logical thing anyone would with his skill set would, he coached, opening his own school that taught martial arts. He earned a relatively reasonable income and for a time, things went well. His life seemed complete, but it was only a matter of time when everything changed along with the progression of the country.

Inflation hit. Martial arts slowly died down in popularity. His bills, his housing loans, rent and expenses for his school went up.

He tried to get sponsorships, applying for grants from authorities, even begging for help from the Singapore Sports Council to promote martial arts again to give ahteletes and his entire community some hope to survive in the modern world only to be told that martial arts wasn't a priority to the country. Despite everything he had done...he wasn't recognized. Most athletes in the country aren't, so why did he expected anything more?

His school stopped turning a profit, rental prices skyrocketed, his bills made him struggle. He worked harder, neglecting his wife and child for entire months, going for competitions to earn that much more money and without realizing it, turned violent against his wife when she confronted him.

She divorced him, won the custody to Clark and left.

His school was a month away from shutting down.

Eden was ready to just end it all, taking a knife to his throat one night. He recalled the overwhelming despair clouding every thought in his head, a drowning feeling he thoroughly still felt deep down, feeling like he was falling into an endless pit that would bury him piece by piece. Just when he was about to take his own life, his talents were finally recognized, but not by the parties he was hoping for.

The Blood Lion contacted him for the first time that day.

All he had to do was to be himself, do the thing he was best at. The Blood Lion used Eden to end his enemies, protect his assets and himself while the martial artist finally made it out of the financial disaster he had fallen in.

Now...maybe Clara would be ready to see him again.

He had a successful business in his martial arts school now. Earning alone from little payments from parents per month of course was not enough, but the Blood Lion had taken care of that. Using his school's outer cover as a martial arts school, the school has in fact been used as storage space for the Blood Lion to house weapons for his men to use, earning a sum of money every month, a sum that easily dwarfs the average income of most Singaporeans.

In addition to that he was getting paid often and with his skill and talent. Eden could earn up to over fifty thousandths dollars per assassination now. He was once even paid a million, enough money for him to pay off all his loans and even get himself a luxurious apartment and an Audi R8 in the country.

It didn't matter what kind of people recognized him anymore. What was more important...was that he is recognized at all.

Now.

[ The Soultaker took the weapon. ]

Eden took in a deep breath to control his rage, focusing his mind on his current priority...no. His biggest priority.

He hasn't seen his son in over a year. Clara had lied to him, blocking him across all types of social media platforms and along with that, changing her address and phone number to avoid him completely. She had promised him the right to see Clark on every weekend after the divorce yet backtracked on that promise not even a few months after they seperated.

The Blood Lion kept his promise to find them when Eden returned to the assassination.

When Clara found out, their quarrels turned into threats. For over a year during their divocring stage he kept his hands clean, hoping that she would forgive him and understand why he had to do what he had to do in order to better their life. But after she left...what was the point of stopping what he loved?

In the distance, Maxus spotted them. Clara, bringing 7 year old Clark into the restaurant Swensens for his birthday. "Which kids meal would you like boy?" Clara asks the young Clark who flipped through the menu hastily:" I want the ice cream! All three flavors!" Clark exclaimed.

"I promised you ice cream, you will get it. But ice cream cannot be a meal boy, you finish eating your main meal first, I'll get whatever ice cream you want. Okay?" Clara explained to her son who nods:" Okay then I will get the spaghetti."

Eden looked down at himself, dressed extremely well with long jeans, a neat white shirt accompanied by a leather jacket. The assassin took in a deep breath, walking over to the restaurant to meet his son. Eden walked in, a waitress greeting him as he pointed towards the table, walking over to his former family confidently.

"So, just for today you can..." Clara stopped mid sentence upon spotting him.

"Dad!" Clark screamed.

"Hello!" Eden walked over to their dining table, Clark running away from his mother to hug Eden tightly. Eden smiled, grinning from ear to ear, finally embracing his son whom he had been prevented from meeting. Clara got up from her seat, looking at Eden unbelievably, almost like she saw a ghost. "What are you doing here? How did you find us?"

"It's my son's birthday, shouldn't I be here?" Eden explained happily.

"You aren't supposed to be here Eden. Did you stalk us?"

Clark sensed something was wrong, looking at his parents nervously. "Why not? I'm his father. After all, you did promise allowing me to meet him every weekend. What happened to that Clara?" Eden asks his former lover who grabbed Clark from him:" That was before I found out what kind of a monster you are. If the only problem between us was your obsession with your martial arts, that's fine. You can meet him. But ask yourself, are you a role model for him?"

"Mom, it's fine right? Can Dad join us?"

"No, stay away from him." Clara tells her son, pulling him back more.

Eden felt his heart sting as he looked Clara in the eyes:" Look at me now, I'm not the Eden you used to know. My school is doing well now Clara. I'm earning, earning more in just one year than the rest of my life combined. I can take care of you two, please. Come back to me. I have a house, a private condominium with three bedrooms that you guys can move in at anytime. Just...just come back to me."

"Mom? Why is-"

"I'll tell you next time Clark. But this man...he isn't fit to be your father." Clara growled.

"WHY?!" Eden slammed his fist on the table in front of them, smashing a plate apart and silencing everyone in the restaurant. "Clara! Look at me now! I'm more successful than ever! I finally found someone who would appreciate my talents, who allows me to do what I love and allowing me to afford luxury for not just me, but the two of you too!"

"Yeah, all that money from what? All of them are blood stained cash." Clara argued.

"Imagine I didn't...imagine I stayed on the right path. The Singapore Sports Council never treasured me, they didn't see me as a talent, they didn't sponsor or approve my trainings, they didn't support my competitions, they didn't even bother sending a single athlete to compete overseas. I'm easily an Olympic level fighter, maybe even a champion, but do you think they care? All of those old fucks are just men in suits, talking the big talk while doing absolutely nothing for all of us. If I'm still some blind sheep following the ideal way, I would still be living in that shitty flat, struggling to afford my next meal. Now that I finally achieved success...you look at me in disgust?!" Eden exploded.

"Sir, you have to leave." A waiter approached him.

"Shut your mouth." Eden shot at the waiter before turning back to Clara who shook her head:" You still don't understand the problem do you? I supported you didn't I Eden? I dated you despite knowing how poor you are, if it's money I wanted we would never even gotten married in the first place Eden. Part of me is happy that you finally gotten the success you craved for so many years Eden. I really am...but knowing that your hands are stained with pain and blood...how can I keep myself, much less my son with you with a good conscience?"

"Clara...you know I would never hurt you two." Eden begged.

"You already did. I'm not going to allow my son to be raised by a killer Eden. That's the end of it. Please leave."

"Sir, you have to go. Now." The manager of the restaurant walked out as a crowd started to form. Eden could sense people taking their phones out, ready to record their little scuffle for the internet to see. "S...sorry." Eden muttered, taking his leave.

Same Time.

Maxus knew he couldn't drag the Blood Lion, also known as Kenneth Cheng out of the shadows forcefully. Finding him would already be an almost impossible task and yet, so what if he did find Kenneth. Even if he killed the Minister, what will change? Someone else would probably run the operations and he would die a hero, someone who served his country and was killed by a vigilante.

Maybe what Reynesh said was right. Maybe that should be another way he should approaching this.

The door rang as Maxus opened the front door,greeted by Reynesh and to his surprise, Tony.

"What are you doing here?"Maxus was caught off guard.

"I asked him to come here as well. You wanted to talk about something important right? I figured that you need, actually we both need someone who is wiser than the both of us to be present because at the rate that you are doing things, you'll be dead by next week." Reynesh comments.

"Well I always wanted to visit you but...you show up at my temple too often for me to make that necessary." Tony adds.

"Alright, come in." Maxus invited the two men into his house. Instantly, both guests could smell the sweat and blood stench around the apartment, blood stains, bandages, buckets of water and an opened first aid kit spilled onto the floor. The Soultaker jacket was hanging by the fan as Tony was hit with a wave of saltwater scent.

"You were in the ocean recently?" Tony asks.

"Yeah. That's not why I asked Reynesh to come here today though." Maxus admits, going to his room to bring a stack of files out along with a bunch of thumb drives, handing them to Reynesh. Reynesh looked through the files, roughly getting an idea on what he was handed.

"All these...evidences. You want me to hand this to my Dad?" Reynesh looked at Maxus.

"I gave it some thought. You may be right. Killing him directly will only make him die a legend. I will do this your way, he needs to suffer a fate worse than just death. I want him to watch he cares about to crumble...and unfortunately the best way to do that, it to start with what he cares most about." Maxus says, pointing at the evidences.

Records of drug transits, rental for weapons, prostitution videos, messages of blackmails and more.

"I don't understand, if you have prove why not hand them to the police? Why Reynesh?" Tony asks.

"The police are fucked. I've seen many officers under the payroll of Kenneth. Some don't even know they are doing it. I chose Reynesh because his father...is Ali Kaur." Maxus explains to his mentor who seemingly recognized the name:" Ali Kaur...isn't he that lawyer? He's a pretty big deal isn't he?" Tony asks Reynesh who nods.

"My father is a good lawyer Maxus, but this...this might be too much. I'm not risking us shaking the bee's nest-"

"If you don't help me Reynesh, I'll have to resort the good old fashion methods I've always used. I'm not asking you to risk anything too much, just...take a look at these evidence first, I'll continue bringing them and you know, I'm no expert here so let's see what your Dad has to say. If nothing can be done, so be it. But if something can...well isn't it worth a shot?" Maxus explains.

"Reynesh. This is the closest he has ever been to being a normal teen again. I think it's worth a shot too." Tony tells Reynesh who grabbed the files, thinking about it for a moment:" Yeah, yeah okay I'll pass these to my Dad. Anyway...there's another reason why Tony and I are here today."

"Another lecture? I don't have time for this." Maxus comments, walking back to his room.

"Maxus...come on." Tony groaned, spotting the chains on the sofa. The mentor picked up the chains, looking at them carefully before coming to a conclusion:" You want to use this as a ranged weapon don't you? Since when did I teach you to use this?"

"You didn't. I learnt it myself." Maxus answered.

"Okay, back to the point. Maxus, you said it yourself, maybe there's another way to take him down. I'm sure even if my father doesn't accept this case, he will send it to someone capable and trustworthy to do so, which means on the legal end, we are already doing something about it." Reynesh tells the vigilante who knew what he was about to say next:" I've said it before. There is no stopping. This is who I am, there is nothing else I can do."

"Why not Maxus? I've heard from Reynesh, there's new people in your school that you hang out with sometimes. Make yourself a new circle of friends, drop this...destructive lifestyle of yours. I thought you to defend yourself which you did very well, but attacking others on your own, taking their lives...I was...I was once like you Maxus. That's why I know the horrible consequences that can happen." Tony tells his former student.

"What are you talking about?" Maxus noticed Tony's words.

"I was young once and I was good at fighting too. I thought I was unstoppable. Back in Malaysia and even during the early days of my life in Singapore, the streets were filled with gangs and as a teenager, I went around town fighting anyone that I thought was causing trouble. The truth was...I just wanted to feel powerful. However, I was also in over my head, smarter and older people then manipulated me. I did some things that I will never forgive myself for. This isn't about just you potentially losing your life every night Maxus, this is also a question of what you will become if you continue down this road." Tony explains.

"Look at yourself man. Back in secondary school you enjoyed yourself didn't you? Hang out with friends, your greatest concerns was your studies, look at you now. Look, I'm telling you this as someone who cares about you Maxus. This path will lead you down nothing but devastation." Reynesh begged.

"How do I rest knowing they are out there scot free. They have to pay somehow right?" Maxus asks.

"You're addicted to being the Soultaker. Just like any other addiction, start off small. Give yourself days to rest, go out, do something and enjoy your life, do something you know your Dad would want you to. See the world out there, it's not all jus darkness and pain. Promise me you will at least try. " Tony tells the vigilante who sighed, nodding:" Okay...okay fine."

"This Leah girl I've heard about. Why not start with her?" Tony asks.

Maxus turned to Reynesh who held his hands up:" I swear all I did was mention her name."

"Come on...okay guys, I will relax a little. Okay? I swear."

Tony looked at Maxus' television, turning to the teenager:" Your TV's super dusty, how long have you not used it?"

"Last person who used it is my Dad."

"So you didn't watch the news then?" Tony asks.

"What news?" Reynesh turned to the mentor.

"The elections are coming up. Kenneth might be promoted into a bigger position than he is in already. If we don't do something soon...it might be the end for this country." Tony reveals, taking out his phone and showing the two teenagers an article. Minister Kenneth, in a statement in parliament revealing that he has been entrusted with more control over several political sectors, making him more powerful than ever and if things continue his way...

He may become the Prime Minister in the future.

"When is it?" Maxus asks his mentor who looked at his phone again, looking up the dates. "The election is going to be in August. About...two and a half months from now. Look, Maxus. All these evidence you have fouund, it's good enough for now. You have already found tons of dirty shit that is going on behind the scenes, it's time to now focus on your school life. Your grades, they are shit right?"

"No." Maxus lied.

"Yes, he's barely passing." Reynesh snitched as Maxus shot him annoyed look.

"Okay...I get it. I will...I won't do anything until I have news from Reynesh." Maxus tells the two, knowing deep down that it was a promise he will probably break. "Well...knowing you. That won't happen, but let's just hope it will." Tony answered.

Reynesh caught a glimpse of the Black Moon Sword lying on the dining table.

"What the hell is that?" Reynesh asks the vigilante who shrugged:" A sword. Duh." Reynesh rolled his eyes:" No shit Sherlock, you definitely didn't make this. Where did you get it from?"

Tony himself walked over, analyzing the sword:" This weapon...it's not normal. I've used many weapons in my lifetime and yet, I have not seen one with such a beautiful sheath." Maxus grabbed the weapon, unsheathing it and revealing the blade, it's color so dark that it was almost absorbing the light around it, barely giving off any reflection.

"There was a shipment I intercepted yesterday, I caught wind of it during one of my raids that the Red Scorpion was going to be given this weapon in order to use against me. There was an entire squad of men who was defending this shipment which was the only thing being delivered on the boat I saw. Isn't that pretty suspicious?" Maxus asks.

"All that men just for one sword is pretty weird. I thought that it might have been an artefact that was going on sale but since you mentioned that it was supposed to be given to the Red Scorpion for combat...this must be an experimental weapon. Did you use it?" Tony gave his thoughts.

"Yeah. Cut a rifle in half along with a police vessel." The vigilante admits.

"An entire boat?" Reynesh confirmed.

"Not...yeah you can say that."

Tony looked at the weapon, raising his eyebrow:" Young man. I believe that what you have is known as the Black Moon Sword. I have heard of it before, but I didn't expect it to be true, much less in your hands."

"You know what it is?" Maxus felt less uncertain now. "There were chatter among masters in Asia, about a businessman who found some special rock or something. Some believe it to be magic, some believe to be alien, but whatever it is this businessman decided to test the material's integrity by making a sword to test it's density and properties. Many martial artists were called to test the weapon and despite them mostly being rumors, all of them had the same time to say." Tony recalled.

"Which is?"

"It is the closest thing we have to an indestructible material and that it can cut through anything. I believe what you have in your hand...is literally the best sword ever made. In all of human history."

Next Chapter- Love or Justice