New Life : A Second Chance Chapter 620
Advertisement
When Kyle, Kay and Sayuri entered the funeral parlour, everyone couldn't help but stare at them.
At least, more at Kyle and Kay as they had blue eyes.
Who were these striking people who were obviously not part of Country M? Since when did the Yangs know of such people?
Stephan was at the door, greeting guests that came in and he looked at them in puzzlement.
"Mr. Yang," said Kyle softly, "We're sorry for your loss."
"Thank you," Stephan replied, "I"m sorry, but you are?"
Sayuri stepped forward, saying, "I'm Sayuri, Lianne's art instructor. This is Kyle, my neighbour and his sister."
"Ah," Stephan said, nodding, "Thank you for coming."
Just then, a delivery van arrived and a guy came out, carrying a bouquet of white flowers. To be specific, it was 10 Stalks of Chrysanthemum, Yellow Peacocks, Snow White Leaves and Paku Leaves.
In the middle of the arrangement, was a white envelope.
Stephan signed the delivery order and took the envelope, placing it in his pocket for safekeeping. The flowers were placed amongst the other bouquets of condolences.
This was a typical gesture from those sending their condolences i.e. flowers and some contribution to help in paying for the funeral.
The amount given is normally dependent upon how close the person is to the deceased, but it would always be in odd numbers.
He noted the names on it, 'Smith' but had no idea who they were. Perhaps it was the earlier people since he didn't know many foreigners here. He was touched that not only did they come to the funeral, they also knew of the customs well enough and gave this show of sincerity.
It was only much later, after the funeral was over, did Stephan open the envelope and nearly dropped it in shock. The envelope had been thin, and it had been from people he had hardly known, so he had not expected much. He was appreciative of any amount, no matter how small. Yet inside, it was $10,001 … Ten $1000 banknotes and one $1 note. Stephan couldn't help but sit down, tears streaming down his face as he sobbed softly.
Advertisement
Kyle stood still for a second, seeing the open casket in front of him.
He turned to look at his kids that were at the side. Lianne and Joseph. His heart twisted in pain upon seeing the dead look in their eyes. Kay grabbed his arm to give him support and he smiled, while his other hand naturally went to hold Sayuri's hand.
Having them both by his side made him be able to face this in a much better frame of mind.
With a deep breath, he walked over towards his children.
Lianne looked up, a slight spark in her eyes as she saw Sayuri and Kyle. Joseph was still a bit wooden, trying to be strong for his sister and be the 'man of the family' while his father was busy.
Sayuri hugged Lianne while Kay stood at one side.
None of the kids knew Kay yet, so she didn't want to be overly friendly. Even though she knew about them since they were young. How could she not?
She had grown up listening to all the stories about them from Kyle, and the things that the Mary Poppin Agents in charge of monitoring them would give. The only thing she didn't do, was read up about Kylie because she felt that was too weird.
Her brother was Kylie, so to her, Kylie had to be in the past.
She was also worried that if she got too attached to Kylie, she might have trouble in letting Kylie die. It would have been one heck of a problem, and not getting to know Kylie at any level was the best solution for her.
She wanted the two to be completely separate from each other.
Kyle placed his hand on Joseph's shoulder, saying, "You're doing good, Joey. I'm always here for you."
Advertisement
Joseph nodded.
"This is Kay, my twin sister," Kyle said to the both of them.
Kay gave them a soft smile, then hugged both Lianne and Joseph, saying, "I'm so sorry for your loss."
Both Lianne and Joseph were rather stiff during the hug, but they didn't reject it. She was Kyle's sister, and she did look kind. Unlike Kyle. Hard to believe that the two were twins.
After that, they walked over to the open casket. Normally, the tradition would be that the viewing was done in order of the family hierarchy but this time, they were doing it slightly differently.
They allowed guests to view the casket first, then before the funeral procession, the family members would pay their respects.
[Are you sure about this, brother?]
[Yes] Kyle answered [I have to say my goodbyes too]
They walked over to the casket and as if in silent agreement, Sayuri and Kay stepped back, allowing Kyle to go first.
He peered in, not really knowing what to think or feel.
His former body was dressed up in one of his favourite formal outfit, and the face was covered with a white cloth. That was tradition, of course, and in this case, it was for the best.
Kylie's face had been smashed to a pulp and was burnt, after all.
The person who had dressed up his former body had done a good job. One could hardly tell the sort of trauma it had gone through.
"Goodbye, Kylie," Kyle whispered. It was rather strange to say such things to himself, but it made him feel better.
After that, they stayed on until the funeral rites and procession that started in the late evening.
Guests aren't expected to stay until the end. They can leave but must do so quietly without bidding goodbye.
There would be a red envelope (with a coin inside) on the table near the exit for the guests, as a token of gratitude and a prayer/wish for the guests' safety in returning home.
Advertisement
- In Serial15 Chapters
Valor and Violence
Valor and Violence is a series of short stories following different, yet all equally colourful, characters set in the same world. Birth of a Legend, the first short, follows Captain Erskine Erwell, a newly promoted Captain in the Calandorian Royal Navy, charged with protecting his people from all who would do them harm. Great news for the Calandorian citizens, bad news for the Skjar reavers that ravage the shores in search of slaves. But when a small reaver fleet slips the net and escapes to the southern jungles of Marduk, Erwell must fight a war on two fronts; one against the raiders, and a far more difficult war against the hostile landscape. If he can't find allies in this strange land, he may end up being the one in need of saving. The first part of the second short story will be uploaded on Saturday, the 11th of June, following Ferez Ahud, an aspiring young battlemage charged with the unsavoury job of 'terminating' a rogue member of his college. But how this nobody of a mage became a fugitive remains a mystery, and when the answer is discovered, the tables are turned and the hunter becomes the prey. I'll be uploading chapters of more in-universe short stories each week or as close to, work permitting. Content Guidelines: course language and violence
8 100 - In Serial47 Chapters
A Past Life Of A Vampire Lord
I woke up to dreams of another world—earth. However, it clearly does not matter at all! I'll continue to be an evil guy... right? A Vampire Lord awoke from his Eternal Sleep plagued with visions from another world. When he broke free from his coffin, he was met with two beautiful ladies who took shelter from the rain. Before he could drain them of their blood and refocus on important things, one of them spoke up. “You have a heart.” she claimed. “You need to get your eyes checked by a doctor.” He snorted. Wait. What the heck is an ophthalmologist—? 14 chapters/week. Chapter length. 1-1.2k words. Cover by Wombo Art AI Participant in the Royal Road Writathon
8 117 - In Serial8 Chapters
Rule or Die
“Rule or Die,” said the Voice, and Luke opened his eyes in a new world. Lucas Haldoff has never had an easy life. Instead of giving up after being abandoned by his father on the streets of Mexico at the age of twelve, he did everything he could to survive. By the time he turned fifteen, he ruled those same streets with an iron fist. At eighteen, he took control of his first gang. Now, it is his 25th birthday, and he is on the verge of becoming the hidden leader of a state in the U.S. All he wants to do is enjoy his hard-earned power and prestige while reconnecting with the family he has just found. His father saw him as nothing but another useless mouth to feed, but his mother and sister had loved him unconditionally. Alas, on the brink of finally enjoying his accomplishments, he is chosen by the Voice and thrust into the world of Bloodmagic in the body of a common soldier. He is given a simple order: either take command of his city, or die and be graced with endless torture. His lust for power is unrivaled. His greed is legendary. His selfishness is the stuff of whispered stories. He seems like the perfect man for the job…but in a bloodstained world that has been on the brink of destruction for decades, is he capable enough to succeed? Will the journey change his beliefs and his principles, or reinforce them? Will he rise, or be crushed? Will he rule…or die? ... If you're looking for a story with steady character development, memorable characters with their own arcs, an interesting world with a unique magic system, and a quest to take control of a Kingdom, this is the perfect fit! Release Schedule: 1 chapter every weekday, released at 8 am Pacific Time, ~2000 words each.Please visit my patreon to support me and read ahead! Times are tough, and every penny counts. https://www.patreon.com/ruleordie
8 153 - In Serial14 Chapters
The Core of a Factory
An abandoned steampunk arms factory, in the middle of a conflict torn former state of the Empire it served, gains a soul. This transforms it into a Lord, capable of turning land into power. Beset by enemies on all sides it must figure out how to win the war its creators lost a century ago. This is a progressive Dungeon Core novel (which is to say the core will progress and expand in scale, eventually) across multiple dimensions with different characteristics (e.g. steampunk, magic, mythological). It has rationalist leanings (paragraphs of reasoning) and litrpg leanings (there are stat blocks). The core game mechanical idea is something like "what if different flavors of magic power actually did come from controlling land" and then the story is: "what if there was a flavorless (artifact deck) dungeon core". Chapters will be relatively short (my aim is that in three column format each would fit on a wide screen monitor), the first few chapters - setting up the main character and mechanics - are currently the longest in the entire series. I write chapters in blocks, and then release them one a weekday (M-F; 6 PM GMT, unless RoyalRoad's publish thing screws up) until I run out. There may be a few days of gaps here and there if someone finds an egregious error I have to re-write around or if I am behind. In general though one can read this once a weekend. I may do slight retconns and edits, I'll make sure to put it in an authors note if I do.
8 89 - In Serial11 Chapters
alexander hamilton smut & fics
just alexander and I in make up scenarios .Hamilton has my nonexistent heart !Slow updates but in bulk each time !COMMENT !
8 177 - In Serial104 Chapters
The voice inside my head.
Poems based on love and heartbreaks, and how you made me feel.
8 103

