Under The Veil of Night

Kevin nodded nonchalantly and moved his sword away. He walked back to the group of people on the side. \\"Let’s have some rest.\\"

\\"Yes, Boss.\\"

As Kevin and the others walked away, Megara picked up his metal rod and slammed it on the ground. He felt rather angry and annoyed.

Why?

Why did he still lose against that man? He had painstakingly trained his body like a madman, but he still couldn’t defeat Kevin. It was so vexing that he wished for nothing but throwing tantrums.

\\"Elder Megara?\\" one of the men asked worriedly.

\\"I’m fine,\\" Megara answered curtly. He stood up and inspected his metal rod. As it was made using one of the strongest metals in this world, there was hardly any damage to his weapon. However, he still remembered the feeling when his metal rod clashed with Kevin’s sword.

It was very heavy. The weight of Kevin’s sword was too heavy.

’Can normal people achieve that large improvement in their strength?’ he mused to himself as he walked away. His real plan had not over yet. If his strength alone was not enough, he still has other means he could do.

Megara stared straight to the front, his eyes glinted with maliciousness. No one would be able to sit in that position if it was not him.

...

Later that afternoon, another group of elders came. The island turned livelier because they were busy arranging the event that would take place the next day. Many of them were assigned for some tasks while the rest of them have other things to do.

\\"Rei, are you familiar with this place?\\" Patrick asked when he guided the young girl to the buildings.

Kanae shook her head. She had only been here a couple of times in the past and each time, she never had the chance to look around. Aside from the building areas over here, she has never seen the other part of the island.

\\"I’ll take you to my most favorite place. Follow after me.\\"

Patrick grinned and walked away. The other people quickly made way when Patrick passed by their side as if this man was a plague. No one was brave enough to challenge this young man because they knew the bitter end everyone who tried would have. Unless they have strength far surpassed Patrick, no one dared to challenge this man.

Kanae followed after Patrick calmly. They walked past the building areas to the rocky areas on the east. Although this island was not too big, it still held more parts that were filled with nature completely. The west and north side of the island was completely forest as only the south side of the island that was turned into buildings.

The rocky areas grew steeper and higher before it stopped in a rather sharp end. Patrick sat down on one of the rocks as he grinned.

\\"Welcome to the secret cliff.\\"

\\"Secret cliff?\\" Kanae asked curiously.

\\"Yes, this place is covered by the building and trees, so no one knows that this is actually a cliff to the sea,\\" Patrick pointed to the east, where the rock ended. \\"If you fall there, you have to face the violent wave because it’s quite far from the beach.\\"

Kanae nodded her head. She didn’t dare to come any closer because she knew that she couldn’t swim. If she wanted to search for her death, this would be the most suitable place.

\\"Why do you take me here, Senior Pat?\\"

\\"The scenery is amazing in this place and moreover, I want you to bring Kevin to this place once there’s a danger.\\"

Kanae’s eyes turned larger. \\"Why should I take him here? This is a dead end, right?\\"

Patrick shook his head and pointed to the lush trees before them. \\"There’s a secret path in the forest towards the north beach. However, only those who are born from the direct lineage in the Kalin Family know the route. In other words, only me and Kevin know the route.\\"

\\"Does it mean that no one can pass the forest?\\"

\\"Yes,\\" Patrick nodded his head. \\"There are numerous hidden traps that our ancestors left in the forest, so it’s always forbidden to wander around if you treasure your life. I’m telling you this because I hope that you can bring Kevin here and make sure that he’s safe.\\"

Kanae nodded her head. She understood that Kevin’s position in the clan was irreplaceable. If Kevin died so early, the Ryukalin Clan would crumble and possibly get destroyed in the hand of Megara or other greedy people. Although this celebration was only a formality, it was extremely important to tell the others that they rejoiced in having Kevin as the leader.

\\"This is a monumental island for our family,\\" Patrick smiled. \\"So I hope that you can help us protect it.\\"

\\"Ryukalin Clan has been my third home because you’re my father, so I’ll surely protect it, Father.\\"

\\"That’s good, you’re a good daughter, Kanae.\\"

The pair of father and daughter stood quietly for the next few minutes. The sun was starting to set, painting the entire sky red in color. As the time passed, the red slowly turned into purple before diminishing into darkness with the stars started to illuminate the sky.

\\"I don’t know that there are a lot of stars here,\\" Kanae commented. Because of the light pollution in the city, it was hard for them to see the stars during the night. Only occasionally did they able to see them. But here was completely different. From this island, there were numerous stars painting the sky, giving off a beautiful sight to behold.

\\"You won’t be able to see this many in the other place,\\" Patrick replied smugly. \\"This is the privilege our island has.\\"

\\"It’s beautiful,\\" Kanae praised again.

Patrick watched as Kanae was staring at the stars in the sky. He had seen them numerous times because he spent his childhood in this place, so he didn’t feel anything special about them. But it was different with Kanae.

In the city, the night was dark without many stars in the sky. They have light from the lamp, but not the natural source of light, stars. She had longed to see them directly like this, so this chance was extremely precious for her.

\\"Rei, let’s go back,\\" Patrick suddenly interrupted. \\"The others are waiting for us. I’m sure that you don’t want to spend your time here forever.\\"

\\"I still want to watch the sky.\\"

\\"You can do that at another time. We need to have enough rest tonight.\\"

Albeit unwilling, Kanae shifted her gaze from the sky. She nodded her head reluctantly and followed after Patrick.

Seeing her attitude, Patrick smiled slightly. This daughter of his is truly cute.