Under The Veil of Night

’Why?’

Vena didn’t understand what made Kanae want to fight in a battle where she would lose. However, the eyes full of determination on Kanae’s face made her recall her younger self.

When she was young and her father introduced her to the business world, she was very excited. At that time, she didn’t care for everything as she struggled hard every single day just to prove that a woman could be a leader. Countless sleepless night, numerous mockery and doubts, she withstood them all because she had a goal in her mind.

At that time, her eyes were still full of determination and naivety. She thought that she could get everything she wanted just by working hard. But the reality proved otherwise.

There were things that just not meant for her and she would never achieve no matter how much strength she put into her work.

"I guess, I’m hopelessly romantic," Vena shrugged.

"What?"

Ignoring the man beside her, Vena looked at the two of them. She opened her mouth. "The device is located slightly below her neck, but it’s a bit above her chest."

As she said that, she pointed to her own neck and lowered it down slightly. It didn’t reach her chest, but still above them. She pointed it right at the very middle.

Kevin pushed Kanae back further. He looked at Kanae. "Is that true?"

Kanae nodded her head after a moment of hesitation. At the very least, she had to end this fight as soon as possible. Once Ferdinand had finished his preparation, no one would be able to defeat him anymore.

"Now this is going to be interesting," Jeff nodded his head. "Do you think this will make us stall time longer?"

"I don’t know," Vena replied.

Before Kevin could make the decision, Kanae had stomped on the ground and dashed towards the man once more. Her sword danced and attacked Kevin from above. Her eyes were calm as if she wanted to tell him that it was fine to destroy the device.

She couldn’t do it by herself. It was one of the first orders that they gave to her, so even if she wanted it, she couldn’t do it.

"I see," Kevin murmured.

Jeff thought to himself and talked to the device. "You may talk now."

After he had released her from the order to not talk, Kanae smiled to Kevin with a weak smile. Although her hand was still attacking him rapidly, her expression showed nothing but pain and reassurance.

There was one reason why she didn’t dare to tell Kevin about the controller device. When that man planted the device, he had told her that she would die if it was taken out. Once it was inside one’s body, it could never be pulled out.

She knew that she had to live with the device in her entire life, but his next words caused her even more pain. After one day, it would stick deeply in her body, and she would become a robot. The one he gave to her was for complete control and it will erase her mind completely. In just a matter of hours, she would never be able to think anymore.

She didn’t want that. Rather than waiting for the time for her mind to lose control, it would be better for her to let herself die under her own control. What she didn’t want was asking the one whom she loved to be the one to kill her. However, there was no time left.

Slowly but surely, her control over herself and her consciousness has been depleted. Once it disappeared, she would be a full killing machine with nothing in mind except killing.

Slowly, she opened her mouth. "Destroy the controller, please."

"I..." Kevin felt that something was off, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to refuse her. The pained expression Kanae showed to him crushed his heart. He pushed her backwards and charged for the first time. His sword was directed to slightly above her chest.

This time, Kanae didn’t move from her place. The sword pierced her body as Kevin could hear the faint sound of metal.

Jleb! Clang!

*cough*

Kanae could feel that her body was hurting when the sword pierced her body. Blood splattered out of her mouth as her eyes eyed the sword. Her gaze was filled with sadness.

Kevin was startled when he saw Kanae’s reaction. He pulled the sword back and at the tip of the sword, a small and round device was pulled out. It was the controller that Professor Taren planted her.

"Kanae, can you control yourself?" He turned around to look at Kanae, his eyes flashed with worry.

Kanae was standing on her place as blood flowed out of the wound slightly above her chest. Her face showed a smile, yet at the same time her eyes radiated sad light. Tears trickled down from the corner of her eyes as she opened her lips slightly.

"I’m sorry..."

Kevin was alarmed when he heard her apologized. In the next moment, Kanae’s knee gave in and she fell from her place. Kevin caught her in time as he tried to stop the bleeding on her wound. He looked at Kanae’s face with panic.

"I’ll stop the bleeding, you’re going to be alright."

"I’m sorry... and I... love you," Kanae smiled sweetly. Her eyes were staring back at Kevin’s eyes directly. Her strength slowly dissipated as she felt the world turned blurry.

"She didn’t tell him," Jeff murmured. "She’s so foolish."

Vena’s hand touched her chest. She had told Kanae very clearly that the latter would die once the device was pulled out forcefully. Even though she didn’t know that the one in Kanae’s chest was different in type, it shook her that she didn’t even bother telling the man the consequences of pulling it out.

If she did, he would never do that. He would rather fight her with all of his might forever rather than killing the woman. There would be another way that he would search just for her.

For her, he would do anything.

Pang!

At that moment, Vena could feel her heart was in pain. She smiled wryly as she understood that she felt jealous of their relationship. They cared for each other’s well-being so much.

Kevin held Kanae in his arms as he tried to stop the bleeding. "You’re going to be alright, Kanae. Don’t you dare to leave me!"

Kanae smiled back. She raised her hand and touched the man’s cheek. "I... love you."

"I love you too, Kanae," Kevin replied. His hand was pressing hard to the wound, but the bleeding won’t stop. Blood spilled on the floor as if they were water, turning everything red. His eyes watched in horror as he saw Kanae dropped her eyelids and her hand fell motionless.

The light inside her eyes dimmed as she closed her eyes. Her chest no longer went up and down. At that moment, he knew that she had died. Anxiousness permeated deep inside his body as his mind screamed.

His cold face didn’t say anything, but his mind was in extreme chaos.

’No! No! No! Wake up, please wake up!’

Kevin’s gaze was filled with deep fear, anxiousness, and panic. His hand kept on caressing the girl’s face to wake her up. He couldn’t accept the fact that she had left him. This couldn’t be happening!

Sadness spread into every nook of his body as he held Kanae’s body close to him. Right now, he felt regret.

Why did he not come directly to this place at that time?

Even if he died in the process, he didn’t mind as long as he could save her. Even though he knew deep down in his heart that he might not be able to save her, he would prefer trying to save her rather than like this.

’I kill her....’

The one whom he wanted to protect the most became the one whom he killed. His hand kept her in his embrace as he was not willing to let her go.

’I love her, yet I kill her....’

Inside his mind, he could feel that he was going to break again. The sadness he had experienced was simply too much for his mind to bear.

Iris had warned him to not come here, but he still did. Now that this had happened, he didn’t know which one would be better. Letting her die under the hand of others or killing her by himself?

Kevin lowered his gaze and looked at Kanae’s face. His eyes started to water as he looked at the woman that he loved. For the first time ever since he lost his parents, he felt utter despair.