The Price of Mercy

The second bullet tore through the air, heading straight for Kaelen's chest. Kaelen did not even blink. He tilted his body by a fraction of an inch, letting the lethal projectile graze past his sleeve before it slammed into the wooden floorboards.

Gideon roared, his massive fists dripping with the blood of the thugs he had just dismantled. "Damn you!"

But Kaelen was already moving. He blurred across the gym floor, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. He materialized directly in front of the shooter—the bespectacled young man whose face was pale with terror.

The bespectacled man screamed, his eyes wide with a manic, desperate frenzy. "I will kill you!"

He pulled the trigger repeatedly, unleashing a volley of shots.

Bang! Bang!

The bullets screamed toward Kaelen at point-blank range. Kaelen simply raised his hand and flicked his fingers with casual ease.

Swoosh!

A sharp gust of wind cut through the air. The shooter froze. His eyes rolled back as a deep gash opened across his chest, spraying a torrent of blood. He collapsed onto the floor, instantly lifeless.

Kaelen looked down at the dead shooter with cold indifference. He bent over, retrieved the pistol from the man's limp grip, and gave his wrist a sharp flick. The firearm instantly fell apart, its metal slides, springs, and firing pins scattering across the floor like useless plastic toys.

Victor Carmine watched the entire display from a few feet away, a cold sweat breaking out across his neck. His spine tingled with dread.

Kaelen tossed the empty magazine aside and turned his gaze slowly toward the mob boss.

The pressure in the room became heavy. Victor's legs gave way under the weight of that icy stare. He collapsed onto the blood-soaked floor, trembling. Seeing their leader on his knees, the remaining thugs who had been cowering in the corners of the boxing gym scrambled forward and threw themselves to the ground in unison.

Kaelen looked at the pathetic crowd. He had no interest in slaughtering men who had surrendered their will to fight. However, the memory of his father's terrified face flashed in his mind. These beasts had threatened his family. Letting them walk away without a price was out of the question.

Kaelen turned to his lieutenant. "What do you think?"

Gideon, still radiating a lethal aura, blinked in surprise. He scratched his head, looking momentarily confused.

Victor realized his life hung by a single thread. Panic seized him, and he frantically searched his mind for a way to buy his survival. He crawled forward on his knees, keeping his head low. "Sir! I was a fool to offend you and your father! Please, spare my life! As compensation, I will give you the entire Oak Lane property!"

Kaelen frowned, staring down at the trembling crime lord. "That land is already within my reach. I do not need your permission to take it. Meanwhile, you threatened to demolish my family home and terrorized my father. Do you think a single piece of land pays for that?"

Victor shrieked, desperate to stop the incoming execution. "Twenty million! I will pay twenty million dollars in cash! Please, show mercy! I swear I will never seek revenge! If I ever harbor a single thought of retaliation, let lightning strike me down, or let a car crush me in the street!"

Kaelen watched the pathetic display. The murderous urge in his chest began to subside, replaced by cold, practical calculations. The financial windfall would secure his father's future, but a mere promise of loyalty from a snake was worthless.

Kaelen raised his hand and flicked his wrist. A razor-sharp burst of internal energy sliced through the air.

Victor let out a strangled groan, instantly clasping his hand over his right eye. Blood seeped through his fingers, but he did not dare to scream. Instead, he forced a pale smile through his agony. "Thank you, sir. Thank you for sparing my life!"

Kaelen looked down at him with utter disgust. "A man like you does not deserve a quick death. You have three days to deliver everything you promised."

Without waiting for a reply, Kaelen turned and walked out of the Iron Boxing Gym, Gideon following close behind.

Inside, the silence was heavy, broken only by the smell of iron and fresh blood. Victor stood up slowly, clutching his ruined eye. His heart burned with resentment, but one look at the shattered corpse of the shooter silenced any thoughts of rebellion.

Victor turned to his surviving men, his voice trembling with rage and fear. "What are you idiots staring at? Clean this mess up now!"

The thugs muttered, their spirits utterly broken. "Yes, boss."

Outside the building, Gideon caught up with Kaelen. "Sir, are we really letting them go? If we do not root them out, they might gather their strength and strike back when we least expect it."

Kaelen replied smoothly, seemingly unbothered. "They are nothing but small-time thugs. If you are truly concerned, you are free to go back and finish them off."

He paused, looking at his giant subordinate. "Well? Do you want to go back?"

Gideon grunted, shaking his head. "I have no desire to stain my hands with trash that has already lost its teeth."

Kaelen said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Then it is settled. But we must be careful. Have a few of our men infiltrate their ranks in secret. If that bastard shows even a hint of hostility toward my family, end him."

He adjusted his jacket as they walked. "Deploy a squad of Phantom Rangers to watch them around the clock. If they fail to deliver the money and the land within three days, execute every last one of them."

Gideon replied with a bow, "Understood, sir."

An hour later, the iron gates of Ravenscroft Senior High School swung open, releasing a flood of students into the streets of the Lower Precinct.

Amid the crowd, two girls walked side by side. One was tall and athletic, while the other was fair-skinned with a delicate, graceful frame.

The tall girl asked, throwing her arm around her friend's shoulders with a bright smile, "Sienna, do you want to go to the mall this weekend?"

Sienna Vance sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I don't think so, Tessa. I'm really not in the mood lately."

Tessa's smile faded into a frown. "Are you still stuck staying at your aunt's house?"

Sienna waved her hand in frustration. "Yes. My aunt and uncle are intolerable. And then there is their brainless son."

Tessa's eyes went wide with anger. "Did that perverted cousin of yours try something again? I told you to kick him where it hurts if he tries to touch you! Wait... Sienna? Why did you stop walking?"

A few yards away, standing quietly near the edge of the school gates, Kaelen watched them. A soft, warm smile broke through his stern expression.

Six years had passed. The little girl who used to follow him around, begging for his attention, had grown into a stunning young woman. The sight filled him with a deep, protective warmth.

Sienna remained frozen, ignoring the students jostling past her. Her eyes were locked onto the tall, imposing figure standing in the crowd.

Tessa grabbed her friend's arm and shook her. "Sienna? Hey, Sienna! What is wrong with you?"

Before Sienna could answer, Tessa suddenly gasped. She spun around and slapped a stray hand away from her waist. "Keep your filthy hands off me!"

A boy in a Ravenscroft uniform sneered, stepping forward with a mock laugh. "My, what a feisty one!"

His companion added, a vulgar grin spreading across his face, "They don't call her the school beauty for nothing. She looks even better when she's angry!"

Tessa snapped, grabbing Sienna's hand and pulling her away. "Get lost!"

The two delinquents exchanged a look, chuckling as they began to stalk after them.

They had only taken three steps when a shadow fell over them. A tall, towering figure stepped directly into their path, blocking the exit.

The boys looked up, their sneers dying on their lips as they met the gaze of a man with an icy, merciless face. The sheer weight of Kaelen's glare hit them like an oncoming train, causing them to stumble backward.

One of them stammered, his voice cracking, "Who... who do you think you are? Get out of our way!"

Stunned and gripped by sudden panic beneath Kaelen's cold glare, the two boys bit their lips, drew daggers from their backpacks, and ran toward Sienna.