The two young men went down the stairs after getting a quick bite to eat and meeting fellow defenders. They went out to do their quota for the day. The rules of the Wallborn Defenders were simple: if they took units from a guard, those units would be theirs, but they wouldn't take any responsibility if the person was caught. So Kaden was able to keep the unit he took out of the man's wallet. But in exchange for being able to do this with the help of others, they would have to do something for their small protection center.
"All right, what's on the list today?" Kaden asked, stretching.
Kwame then pulled out a piece of paper and started to read. "You're not gonna like this part. The funds are low. Other teams were able to build up a few more units, but we need to get 8,000 more."
"We're gonna have to intentionally rob some of these guards, huh?"
"Yeah. But there is one upside—or at least a way I can make this easier here." He threw Kaden a dagger.
"Why would I need a dagger? My hands and feet are enough." The man stopped his words as he felt empowered by the weapon. He had only heard about this occurrence from rumors. "Is this—"
"A beast weapon. Yes. They say you don't have to use the weapon, but keep it on and you should feel its power flowing through you."
"It feels incredible. But why would they give it to us? You and I haven't been in the Defenders for that long—compared to others. So shouldn't they have given beast weapons to those who've been here longer?" Kaden asked, with a questioning look.
"Maybe they do. Who knows how we get some of this information that they tell us, but maybe somehow that correlates to them being able to get these weapons," Kwame shrugged.
"What's stopping us from selling these things?"
"Most likely someone would question where you got something like that from, even if you sell it on the black market." Kaden knew he was most likely correct. No matter what level this dagger was at, it could be sold for probably millions. What it showed was that they were starting to put trust in the two of them. "So you gonna actually use that thing?" Kwame asked.
"Of course not. I'm not trying to kill anyone. No—I'm not trying to do any severe damage to anyone. We're only going to take from those we feel have enough money to financially recover after losing a small sum." Kaden put the dagger in a sheath, tucking his shirt over it so no one could see it. The duo decided to walk around. They had no masks on. They were trying to spot potential targets—someone flashing jewelry or otherwise appearing wealthy.
"Boom. Check it." Kaden slightly pointed at a man with dazzling jewelry all over his body. The two of them boarded a bus, following the man. They stood in the back, watching the window reflection so they could see their target.
"Remember the rule of deduction," Kaden whispered.
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
In the Defenders the rule of deduction was that when they searched a person belonging to you, you needed to take a—
But Kaden was cut off.
"Look, sir, it's nice to learn your backstory but could you skip to the part where they come?" Skye said.
"Shhh—let him finish," both Riven and Jordan said, wanting to hear their father's words through and through.
"No, she's right, boys. Lucky we were getting to the point where I first met her," Kaden sighed. "The first woman I loved."
"What?" The duo of brothers were shocked.
"You actually loved her?" Jordan questioned.
"Yeah, I did. We were almost done with the night—"
A young Kaden had his mask on, with a look of excitement on his face.
"It was really smart to do this when the Zale family was here; a lot of rich and powerful people are coming out," Kaden said with a big gleam on his face.
"No, no," Kwame corrected. "Rich, not powerful. If they were powerful it wouldn't have been that easy."
"You sure it wasn't because of our weapons?" Kaden asked, still holding the small dagger.
"Probably. But hey, remember what you said to me two days ago?"
"About the whole Zale family thing?" Kaden asked.
"Yeah. Check it." The duo looked from the alley where they were and could see people in royal-blue uniforms with silver tents swirling around, forming a hollow heart in their chest area. "This is your chance to get out of this life—for your mother as well—and with that dagger, it might be low in the future, but now it could be the biggest opportunity you have ever had."
"But if we do that it could expose the Defenders and put everyone in danger." After saying that, Kaden felt something was off. "Kwame, what's going on?"
"Look." He took Kaden's mask off, throwing it on the ground and crushing it. "Today is the end of the Defenders."
"What?" Kaden was confused as Kwame did the same to his own. "Why would—how do you know? How did you even know the recruitment was here?"
"Look, they'll see you in, and they'll know you have a beast weapon with you."
"With me? Why would they—" Kaden's eyes widened. "The rumors—you're the spy. Why? When—" Kaden stumbled over his words.
"I've been a spy since I came in the walls."
"What?"
"I've been a part of the Zale family since I was born. My father's father joined as a guard. I was sent to investigate and take down the forces that defied us. When I first found the offenders, I was ready to report them on the spot, but I met a guy who was about the same age as me, and he wasn't doing this for the money—just for himself, to help his widow mother. It made me think that maybe it wasn't all bad, so I stayed for a few years, doing jobs for them—until I found out the Zale had enough of waiting. They were going to burn down every house in the walls. To avoid that, I had no choice but to base now."
"I should've expected this as soon as I got the weapon." Kaden clenched the dagger. "They would've never given me a beast weapon and then—" He noticed how Kwame had known where the recruitment was in the first place. "You guided me here, so now you expect me to turn a blind eye?"
Kwame walked up and softly placed his hand on Kaden's shoulder. "Kaden, you are like a little brother to me. Your mother showed hospitality that a lot of families wouldn't have shown to a stranger. For her and for you, I know you will turn a blind eye. You have no idea what happened to you or your mother. If you don't—now go." Kwame then gave Kaden his other dagger.
Kaden's fists were balled up. He hated this. He hated the fact that he was right. But there was one thing he couldn't ignore. Kaden walked back and punched Kwame in the chest with full force, but his hands started to bleed.
"As I expected." Kaden had tears welling up in his eyes. He knew the people in the Defenders for years—ever since he was sixteen—but now, in one night, it would all be ripped away from him. What he hated most, and what saddened him the most, was the fact that the person who joined with him—the person he had guided to the Defenders in the first place—had played him like a fool. What made it worse was that he was glad: glad that his friend had done one last thing for him, giving him and his mother a way out. "Fuck you." Kaden's body language said another thing as he gave the man a handshake before walking away.
"After that I never saw Kwame again. I never knew what happened to the Wallborn Defenders. I left it all behind," Kaden said as he stood up and went to a room. When he came out, his hand—
"Do you hate him?" Riven questioned.
"No matter what—no matter how much I think about him—I can't bring myself to hate him. It's like when your brother snitches on you or hits you very hard; you say you hate them, but deep down you can never bring yourself to say the words out loud."
"What happened after that?"
"Your father then started to act like a playboy. She got interested nine months later. Poof—little Ashirae." A woman came in the door. "I have your father—tell me this one a year."
"Mom?" Riven and Jordan walked up and held the woman as Kaden did the same.
"And who exactly are you?" Kaden and the two brothers caught their mother up to speed without mentioning resonance. "I'm running a daycare now. Where are they going to sleep?"
"Our friend brought a hall of sorts so we could sleep there," Jordan smiled.
"Fine. Let me start dinner, and you're keeping the door open."
"Okay," the two said.
"So wait, Mr. Harlow—how did you end up here?" Skye asked, intrigued by the story.
"And what happened to Grandma?" Riven was curious.
A young Kaden was playing swordplay with a child.
"First leg up, second leg back."
The little did exactly that while also stabbing the air with a small rubber sword.
"Second leg up, first leg back."
She switched once again.
"That's enough for the day. Come on, let's rest, Ashirae."
"Okay, Daddy." The little girl with black-silvery hair and brown eyes looked like both parents' genes tried to take over but became evenly matched. "Dad, how long do you have to be here? I want to go out and see the world."
"Until we have a plan to leave this place. If they find you, they might do horrible things to me. But luckily you and your mother will most likely be safe while I might be executed."
"What's executed?" the young child asked, but was cut off as the door slammed open.
"You need to go." A woman with short silver hair and a fairly curvy figure rushed in.
"Celeste, what happened?" Kaden asked.
"You need to leave—both of you—somehow. Someone found out. I don't know how. Maybe someone snuck a camera in here or your clothes, but they know. You need to go now. I'm giving for thousands of units to your card. Go to the Dawn Walls—they shouldn't have any control over you there, so you should be safe. I have someone already stationed at a coordinate to help." She handed Kaden a phone. "This has the units on it. Get out of the ward, and after you're done, destroy the phone. My baby, know I love you with all my heart." Celeste knelt down and gave the girl a huge kiss on the forehead.
"Mommy? What's going on, Mommy?" she started to cry, but it was interrupted as Kaden shot the back of her neck with the health of a wooden sword.
"Go and be safe, okay?" Kaden nodded as he followed the coordinates on the phone, running out.
"After that we came here. We bought a house. It took time, but she—your mother—got us a house. Years passed. I guess she must've never given them my name; well, they would've been paying to the Dawn Walls and most likely kill me, but—"
"At some point they found out," Candice finished.
A much older Kaden was on the floor being beaten by a man with silver hair—it was Lucian.
"You dare sleep with my wife and get her pregnant, then think you can hide? I'll spare you seeing this bloody face brings me joy." The man got closer to Kaden and whispered in his ear, "A Harlow already paid for you sins."
After hearing those words, tears fell down Kaden's face. Everyone here was a Harlow, but they were relatively untouched. The only person he knew who wasn't here was his mother.
"But even then, that isn't enough. Let's go for one of the main sources of the problem." Then, in something that looked like a flash, appeared a figure in front of Ashirae, grabbing the little girl while she screamed in pain.
"No! Please, Lucian—don't hurt her!" Celeste yelled.
This was happening on their lawn. Usually people would be recording this—someone from a big family combining with another to make one of the Great Four families. Yet no one was recording or gossiping because of a statement Lucian had made to the neighborhood: anyone who recorded or said anything about this would pay with their life. Lucian knew the Dawn family was busy dealing with another one of their walls in a different country, and that this was a perfect time. He had even paid off the guard to look the other way and let his group do whatever they wanted.
"I'm not gonna kill her, but this will be my trophy and a way to show what will happen to a person who crosses me or tries to mess with what is mine. Your name is no longer Ashirae today. From now on your name will be Kalder." The man's wicked grin put the fear of God in her.
Then a small child voice was heard.
"That's not her name." Lucian then saw a small dark dog barking at him; it bit his legs. He stopped the dog, but instead of blood, dark ink spattered on the ground. Lucian looked over and saw two small boys both looking similar, the only difference being their colors, as a woman held them back.
Lucian looked at the two with his bloodlust shooting toward them. The boys were shocked—scared, peeing their pants, feeling like if they moved they would be killed—and then they passed out.
"They've got almost nothing, boss," a huge man walked out of their home with a bag of stuff.
"For your sake, let's hope we never meet again." He walked to a car while holding Ashirae by her head. She tried swinging her arms but was quickly knocked out with a chop to the neck as she was thrown into the car. Celeste followed inside, looking back at Kaden on the ground crying and yelling.
"After that I left and did some things, but I got my mind straight and came back as a new man," Kaden said.
"Wait, Mr. Harlow—how did you keep your house?" someone asked.
"The Dawn—one of the families—kept us on our feet. We're guessing we'll have to pay them back, but they haven't asked for anything yet. I always wondered why."
In a huge bright hallway, a man spoke with an annoyed look on his face.
"Sure, yeah. Thanks for telling me. I left my station to watch my child be born, and now you want to go to a whole different wall in return? Talk about unfair trade." The guard stumbled with the spear in his hand as a person walked up to him: it was the current head of the Voss clan.
"Guard 49, I'm going to ask you this once—where is my son?" he asked with an angered expression.