Kael headed back to Webster Family’s house. The walk to the house was easy, no obstacles. Perhaps his cousins did not expect Kael to make it out of there alive. There was no rain, just the purple sky above him with the moon being his friend on this lonely walk.

It was not about the walk being boring, just Kael expected something to happen. Maybe a car would step out to kidnap him? Or some guys shooting him from the distance. Something to at least make Kael have something interesting to do.

The walk to the house, Kael heard the voices.

“Hah! Lloyd! Your son is not here for the succession ceremony! I bet that spineless coward is just stuck in a ditch after being drunk!” Kael heard the voice berate his father. The blood was boiling but that was not the main point of it but his path was blocked by the Webster family guards. Men in suits.

“Halt. Identify yourself.” Kael sighed.

“I’m the son of Lloyd Webster and Miriam Donnis.” The guard did not seem to be convinced or rather, they seemed to be in the pockets of Kael’s other cousins.

“Are you going to let me through?” Kael asked where the guards just laughed.

“Or what? You t-” Kael kicked the lot of them through the door. The ruckus had brought the Websters outside.

“What is all this ruckus!?” A voice shouted, yet what they see was Kael standing on top of the guard who refused to let him pass. Placing his foot by the guard’s neck. Kael then took a cigarette packet from the guard’s pocket. Lighting it with a hinged lid lighter. Flicking the flint to ignite a flame. A deep whiff as Kael looked at the guard below his feet.

“Kael!” Kael turned to his father, the thin aged man who seemed worried.

“Hey dad. I’m fine. The guards wouldn’t let me in. So I decided to take matters to my own hands.”

“Please have mercy young master Ka-” Kael crushed the guard’s neck, then turning to the other three guards that were present.

“Only reason why you’re alive is because this man was your leader. If you all were of the same rank, I would have killed you the same.” Kael turned to his cousins that were present. Kael ignored them as he killed the cigarette and walked to the Webster Family’s Patriarch and elders.

“Kael Webster greets my elders.” The patriarch nodded to Kael’s remark. Three of them were quiet while one of them made a fuss.

“You cannot simply just kill a guard of the Webster family because he did not let you in!” The elderly woman raised her voice.

“So you are telling me that a Webster is allowed to be insulted by a mere guard?” Kael asked, his defiant tone was something that angered the elder even more.

“Watch your tone Kael!” One of his uncles shouted.

“You disrespect my father so easily. You berated him in front of all the Websters. You expect me to be respectful to you? Called me a spineless coward. The last time I remember, there was an etiquette to these things.” Kael said as he walked closer tohis uncle. The way Kael smiled as he looked at his uncle was not only unsettling but it was hilarious to see his uncle shake in his boots.

“Not to mention your son, Marcus had sent a few guys to rough me up.” Kael said as he played the tape on his phone.

“So you just want us… To rough your cousin up? Is that it Marcus? This seems a bit too much don’t you think?”

“I would ask you to do worse but he’s still family. So I can’t just kill him.” Kael watched the face of Marcus wrinkle with fear to what they had heard.

Kael took a step closer to Marcus only to watch as Marcus’s bodyguard stepped in front of him with a blade. Swinging it downwards to Kael. Kael stopped the blade by grabbing onto it his hand bled but the look on the bodyguard’s face? That was priceless. The bodyguard’s hands were shaking, and Kael snapped the sword in half then he took the top piece. Stabbing it into the bodyguard’s leg, followed by pushing the other broken piece of the blade into the bodyguard’s neck.

“If you want to live don’t take it out.If you limp from here to the hospital in 5 minutes you might live.” Kael said as he lit another cigarette. The bodyguard fell to her knees, then the others helped her out.

“Kael. You have to understand it was just a joke. It was just a jo-” Kael got closer to Marcus who ended up screaming first. Kael did not even raise his fist, he merely blew the smoke of the cigarette to Marcus’s face.

“Easy, Marcus. We’re all family aren’t we? Now why would I harm my dear cousin?” Kael said as he placed his hand on Marcus’s shoulder.

“Just a little warning for you and your dad. Hurting me. I don’t give a shit. But disrespect my dad or hurt my family. You even lay a hair on them and we’ll have a problem. And you won’t like how I deal with my problems, Marcus… I tend to get messy. Do we have an understanding?” Kael asked as he placed his bloodied hands on Marcus’s cheeks. Squeezing them until he looked like a fish, where Marcus nodded.

“Good boy.” Kael let his cousin go, then walking over to the dead bodyguard’s body. Wiping the blood off his hand with the bodyguard’s white shirt.

Kael took a deep whiff of the cigarette, looking at his family and siblings. He killed the cigarette, looking at his younger brother. Something was off with his younger brother.

“Big brother?” The moment Kael went close he touched his younger brother’s cheek. His mind played the sequence of the memory, one of his aunts slapped his brother.

“Aunt Deborah.” Kael turned to his aunt who glared at him.

“You hit my younger brother. Did he do something wrong?” Kael asked the question, noticing Ren’s hand tugging his sleeve. Shaking in his boots.

“She said she’d hurt mom.” Kael stretched his neck, Kael looked at the Patriarch.

“Patriarch Webster. My younger brother was hit by my aunt. I’d like to at least know why and it should be justified. If the reason is because my brother misbehaved, I will let it go but if it’s for some other reason. I’d like to know why. Ren is shaking in his boots and he just said that my aunt would hurt my mother. We have etiquette since we’re family but only thing that is stopping me from breaking my aunt’s arm off is out of respect to you and my parents.” Kael said these words so easily where as the others would be shaking in their boots when speaking to the Patriarch.

“Brat how dare you involve the Patriarch into this matter!” The same elderly lady raised her voice, Kael did not look at the elder.

“Elder Mei..” Kael called, then gesturing silence with one finger to his lips. She mouthed the words but none of the voice came out.

“Patriarch.” The Patriarch stroked his beard, laughing at the sight.

“Very well. Deborah Webster. Tell us why did you hit Ren..” The Patriarch’s words were law.

“It’s… It’s because he over heard of something that was private.” The Patriarch’s glare was enough to force Deborah on her knees. Gasping for air, Kael stood in front of the Patriarch, where that glare was cancelled out.

“Patriarch, thank you for asking but Aunt Deborah may not be able to speak if you kill her by accident.” The Patriarch grinned.

“Cheeky descendant. Well, Deborah. You were saved by the sibling of the one who threatened you. Deborah, I will let this go. But if you threaten this descendant’s family. Be prepared for the consequences. Kael…” THe Patriarch raised his right arm as a saber appeared to his hands.

“Can you unsheathe this?” The saber was passed to Kael, who merely looked at it. It was a sword that had strings that covered the hilt and the sheathe.

“If you wanted me to unsheathe it. You should have given the blade itself, not the shadow.” Kael’s answer earned the laugh from the Webster Patriarch.

“If you can see that far. Then you are a worthy member of the family. I had heard many things about you Kael. You’re a lot like your father, if your father’s strength was not taken away because of your grandfather’s carelessness.” The Patriarch said with a smile.

“However, My advice to you. Is to reign that nature of yours.” The Patriarch glared at Kael only to see Kael yawn in front of him. Where the others froze in place, Kael walked on back to the Patriarch to pass him the sword.

“I don’t think that’s much of a problem.” Kael said to the Patriarch.

“It seems I was worried for nothing, that is merely my advice to you. Though, it is in the nature of the Webster family to protect the ones they love.”

“To the ends of the earth. Even if God himself chose to attack us, it is in our nature to fight back to protect our family.” Those words had the Patriarch smiling once more. Kael walked on over to his family, looking at Ren and his younger sister, Jenny.

“Lloyd. Your family is excused. And if you have the time. I’d like to meet with you all on days when you are free.” The Patriarch’s words were heavy on his family but it was one of grave importance. To put it simply, it meant that the Patriarch has found a family he wishes to get to know.

Kael bowed to the Patriarch with his family, then they headed back to the car.

“Kael… Are you okay?” Miriam asked, looking at Kael who was staring out the window.

“Yeah, mom. I’m fine. Don’t worry about things too much.” Kael answered her where he could hear his mother’s sigh.

“Kael, I’m not worried. It’s just you came back and you… You killed a person. Kael.”

“I won’t make any excuses. But if they talk badly to this family then we’ll have a problem. Besides, I wanted to break Aunt Deborah’s arm for hurting Ren.” Kael said as he looked at his mother’s eyes.

“Being kind and cruel is not a good combination Kael. You need to know which of the two wolves in your heart that you should feed.” Kael smiled while his parents began to lecture him for his actions.

It didn’t matter, just hearing their voices was blessing of its own. He missed them so much. They all got home, things were quiet. Kael was in his own room but he needed to deal with something.