85 Concepcion Family

When his brother died, Titus wallowed in self-guilt and opened his eyes just how much of a pain in the ass he truly was. Oddly enough, nobody ever blamed him for his brother's death. No one at all.

It was weird since he was used to people talking behind his back and his father treating him heavy-handedly. That went for when he made the tiniest mistakes.

Blow some cash in the casino? Slap. Blow some cash on a stripper? A thorough beating. Blow some cash to buy a boat? He was nearly disowned if not for his brother protecting him.

However, this time, there was none of those. It was utter silence, with his dad even comforting him. It was a truly strange phenomenon.

That was when, at December 29, 2057. He awakened as a wielder and discovering that his family was actually a clan of wielders.

What more, he inherited the Ability of his Level 3 wielder father, the Blackstone Golem. From that moment on, he was treated as a true son of heaven. It was as if he was a carp that successfully leapt the dragon's gate.

His life changed. All these wonderful and new things was brought to light. He was trained to become a fighter. He was trained to become someone who can withstand pain. And he found out that their Concepcion Family was a subsidiary of an organization named Kamay ng Lagim.

He also learnt that his brother was talented and powerful. The Concepcion Family and its members viewed his brother as the hope. He understood why he was treated that way. Compared to his brother, Titus was lackluster.

From his newfound view of life, his mind was more open about these things. He felt… He was reborn. Plus, there was no use having a grudge on this subject. He was the current 'hope' of the Concepcion Family. He was treated as a messiah!

This all became better when he was called by his father. Entering the meeting room, he saw the most beautiful woman he's ever seen in his life. He was speechless. She was too flawless.

"Son." Angus spread his arms outwards. A huge grin was plastered on his face. "Sit down. Sit down."

Titus couldn't keep his eyes off of Ayesha's pretty face. For the past few days, Titus has been self-absorbed, his ego being boosted. Despite his recent growth in 'maturity,' he was pampered and respected as an emperor.

In the present, he desired Ayesha so bad that his face was beet red. Fortunately for him, he was able to control his own lust when he discerned that Jeremy was staring at him with intimidating eyes.

'Who is this guy?' Titus thought to himself. When he sat down and had a better view of Jeremy only then did he connect the dots. 'Ahh, she's her father.'

"Okay." Angus had a wide smile on his face. "Now that we're all here. Let's get down to business. Shall we Jeremy?"

…..

Back to Ayesha's perspective.

Instinctively, Ayesha inched closer to her father and seemed to shrink in the presence of the father-son duo.

"Of course, of course." Jeremy's face lit up in delight. He stretched his hands to shake Angus' hands. "The land. I'll sell it to you at a discounted price for old time's sake."

Ayesha didn't precisely know what kind of connection her father had with this Angus, but she didn't like it one bit.

"Good. Good." Angus' expression was that of satisfaction. "What's your price, old friend?"

"The usual price is 100 million." Jeremy reached for the Japanese tea cup and sipped on some hot tea. "I'm willing to sell it to you at 50 million, give or take."

Hearing this part of the story, Hayden was perplexed as the land price in the website was most definitely 40 million credits. '100 million? Was she just wanting to attract attention to get some help?'

As for Titus, he didn't recognize him from descriptions alone. How can he? No one will be able to paint an exact picture of a face with words alone, can they? There were more minute details than one that affects the face, such as symmetry. Why do you think most police sketches are imprecise?

"Sold." Angus agreed with the set price without second thinking. Hurriedly, he followed up, "Now that that's out of the way. Let me introduce my beloved youngest son."

Titus slightly bowed forward without standing up. "My name is Titus Concepcion. What about you, my fair lady? What's your name?"

Titus stretched his hands forward, clearly desiring a handshake. The thought of shaking Titus' hand made Ayesha's skin crawl.

Nevertheless, as they were guests, she remained respectful. She shook Titus' hands, "I-I'm Ayesha Chase."

Titus raised his head to face Ayesha, his eyes momentarily sparking. The second Ayesha let go of Titus' hands, a shiver went down her spine.

"I'll get straight to the point." Angus' tone became solemn. "I'll give you 500 million credits for the lovely hand of your daughter."

Titus turned to his father in surprise. Angus knew Titus' taste in women that much? Or was he simply assuming? Or maybe there's something special with the Chase family. We'll never know.

One thing's for sure. Jeremy wasn't fond of this idea because his face hardened when he heard this. Ayesha was relieved that her father wouldn't sell her for money.

"What do you mean by that?" Jeremy's tone was ice-cold. An intense pressure was coming off from him that even Ayesha was marginally asphyxiated.

"It's a good offer." Disregarding Angus' friendly tone, he was glowering at Jeremy. "A life for 500 million credits."

"You've always been this way, Angus." Jeremy's gaze was cold. "This is why I left you guys in the first place. I'm not going to sell you the land anymore. Ayesha, we're leaving."

Jeremy grabbed Ayesha's hands. He led her to leave. Ayesha looked back and saw Titus was about to stand up, but Angus stopped him. "Let them leave."

These few words unsettled Ayesha deeply. Ayesha was lost from all the events. The most perplexing of all was that her father was part of this mafia-like world in the past. She suspected it already, but she didn't think that it was true.

She chose not to ask anything. It was clear that Jeremy had no intentions of narrating his past, nor did Ayesha have the desire to hear it.

Nobody stopped them from leaving. On the contrary, the people in suits quivered in terror. They were timorous of the presence of her father.

Upon exiting, they hailed and directly took a taxi to their house. The two didn't mutter a singular word on the way back. Even when they got back, they did not talk.

Ayesha darted for her room. Inside, she laed down on her bed. She endeavored to shake off the events that transpired earlier. "I just want to forget these…"

An hour passed, with Ayesha attempting to distract herself. 6:09 PM. She was playing a single-player RPG when her dad knocked on the door.

"Sweetie." Jeremy sounded distressed from behind the door. "Do you have a moment?"

"Wait a sec, dad." Ayesha paused her game and sighed. Opening her door, she asked, "Yeah? What's up?"

"Can we… talk?" Ayesha couldn't quite put her finger in it at the time, but in retrospect, her father was irrefutably anxious at the time.

"Yeah, sure." Ayesha invited her dad in and sat on her bed. Jeremy grabbed Ayesha's gaming chair and sat on it. "What's up?"

"I'm transferring the land in your name." Jeremy gravely articulated his intentions. "I'm going to give you everything I have. Take care of your mom, okay? Sell the land to someone worthy. I… Love you, sweetie."

"What… Why are you saying these things, dad?" Ayesha couldn't feel any emotion. Or rather, she was so overwhelmed by all these emotions to the point that her brain didn't register it. "Can you tell-"

"Don't ask." Jeremy caressed Ayesha's face. His strong eyes made her shut up. "Your mom will be your greatest ally in the world. Do not trust anyone easily. Once something happens to you, something inexplicable… Tell your mom. She will explain everything."

Before she could speak, Jeremy shushed her with a finger. He kissed her on the forehead. "I love you, sweetie."

Without giving her a chance to ask or say anything else, Jeremy exited the room. She was left with bemusement and sadness. The next instant, her phone dinged. Checking it, it was her dad's properties being transferred to her.

The house, the land, everything he possessed. It was as if he passed her his will.

…..

"I couldn't sleep that night." At this point in the narrative, Ayesha's tears were trickling down ceaselessly. "The next thing I know, somebody kidnapped my father without me even hearing anything in the house. The cameras didn't pick up anything. I can't fathom how they did it. There were no traces at all when I called the police… I couldn't distinguish what I had to do… That's when an e-mail came to me. Its contents were… Were…"

The first content of the e-mail that met her eyes was her father chained up in a gloomy stone dungeon. He was bloodied and was half-naked. His body had cuts and bruises all over.

Below that as the following message: We have your father. Don't ever call the police. Your father will be the bride price and 300 million credits. Also, give us the land. We have uses for that. You know where to find us. Don't call the police or we'll kill him.

'Finally.' Hayden thought as he finished his drink. 'It finally ended.'

"C-can you help me?" Ayesha stammered. "I beseech you. I don't exactly comprehend it, but you can be trusted. If somebody can help me… It will be you."

"How can you say that?" Hayden questioned with narrowed eyes. "I mean, I'm a stranger to you. You don't-"

Not finishing his sentence, the crunch of a hand snapping rang in his ears. Its origin? The psychopath not far from them. Succeeding that snap was the sound of electronics crackling. Hayden perceived through his supernatural sense of touch that the internal workings of the cameras were disabled alongside the door's sensor. There was no escape.

"Fucking hell." Rotating his head to the side, the man was standing up. A gun was pointed right at him. The people who noticed this panicked and shrieked, including the men.

"Hayden Emperador." The man spoke of his name. "You shall die by my hands tonight and I shall get my money!"

'Another bounty hunter?' If Hayden wasn't that sure back when he had that encounter with those people on the road, now he was sure. 'Kamay ng Lagim…'

Sitting opposite to him, Ayesha was frozen. She gaped at Hayden with dread. What was happening with the world? First, her father, now…

The man shot Hayden. Reflexively, Hayden moved his head backwards. Following that, he rushed at the nearby coffee table, gripped it at the two legs, and utilized it as a shield.

At least that was what everyone around him saw. Hayden's actions were much calculated than that. First, when he dodged the bullet, he slowed down time in his perception.

He immediately gathered life force in his hands the second he slowed down time. Afterwards, he pre-programmed the life force prior to releasing it out of his skin. The 'program?' It was to increase the chemical bonds of the wooden table in front of him.

This was a technique that he unveiled from his research of Essence Manipulation Arts. That you can pre-program what life force would do even without releasing it or shaping it. The downside is that it was much harder.

He determined that it might come useful someday. And it did. In such a public space, he didn't want to attract attention. Although he grasped that it wouldn't matter as much since there was a man with a gun.

Rushing to the table, Hayden unleashed the life force that throttled on every chemical bonds that held the table together, increasing its strength. That was how the table held up when the man shot at it. Probably with Shojin Steel bullets. Shojin Steel was that common.

Hayden rammed the table on the man's face with enough force to not make him pass out, yet drive him down to the ground. With the force that Hayden inserted into it, the man fell down on his back, the gun flying away from his hands. Hayden held the table down for a while.

Hayden acted fast. Letting go of the table, Hayden flipped it gently with his left hand. Simultaneously, Hayden moved his right hand to choke the man. When the man stretched towards Hayden, he used his remaining hand to swoop both of his hands and restrain it.

"Call security." Hayden shouted out to the petrified barista. "Move it!"

Hayden's words woke the male barista up from his daze. You see, all stores in any mall had a button below its counter to call security. Much like olden convenience stores.

In reality, it was solely built for the purpose of a failsafe. The cameras in every shop was equipped with facial identification and AIs to detect threats. Plus, the resolution of current CCTVS were all absurdly high, about 64 megapixels. Yes, that ridiculously high.

Unexpectedly, the man's crazed eyes didn't dissipate. Instead, it became more demented. The sound of crackling electricity originated from the man's hands.

The sparkle of electricity was perceived by the nearby people. Their minds didn't process this due to the trepidation of seeing a gun up-close. Except Ayesha, whose eyes enlarged when she noticed this.

This didn't escape Hayden���s Divine Perception. A thought crossed into mind, 'Is she a wielder as well?'

"You are-" Not letting him finish, Hayden gave him a resounding slap that knocked him out. He wanted to obtain information from this man, but protecting the existence of wielders came first.

Standing up, Hayden ordered loudly, "Do not panic. The threat has been neutralized. Nobody's in danger. The security has been alerted."

The crowd recovered from their fear. Well, they were put in their stupor again at the realization of what transpired. They were thunderstruck by Hayden's inhuman reactions and that level of calmness in spite of being embroiled in a near-death situation.

Hayden nodded at the quietness of the surroundings prior to kneeling back to monitor the man. Nobody dared move under the watchful gaze of Hayden.

"The door is locked." One of the men who wanted to get out informed.

A few seconds later, the sliding glass door opened when the barista activated the failsafe opening. He shouted, "Please evacuate the premises orderly."

His shouting roused the those who were still dazed, who all exited the shop upon order. Nobody would want to stay in a shop where a gunman was in.

Hayden turned to Ayesha, shooting her a stare that conveyed, 'What about you? Aren't you going out?'

"I-I…" Ayesha sat there listlessly, unmoving. "H-how did you do that?"

"Strong instincts for danger." Hayden had a straight face. "Reflexes, all that. I train in Krav Maga and Boxing secretly."

"O-oh." Ayesha couldn't react. Training was one thing. Enjoying the benefits of fast reflexes was one thing. However, executing it was a whole another thing.

And to keep a serene mindset in such a situation. What kind of dangers has Hayden been in? Meekly, she said, "A-about the help…"

"Hypothetically, I do help you." Hayden seized the man's gun, sat back in his chair, and monitored the man in case he moved. "What's in it for me? I'm a high-school student. I have my life ahead of me. I wouldn't risk my life for a friend, much less someone I just met."

Ayesha was taken aback of Hayden's sentence. She understood that Hayden was implying that she gives him the land for the price of her father's savior. She was an idiot in studies, she was not stupid when it comes to socializing.

"I'll give you anything you want. I beg you help my dad." Ayesha pleaded, her eyes watery. "I'll pass you the land right now if you want. I'll also… Give you my hand in marriage if you want…"

Hayden squinted his eyes at Ayesha. His stare suggested, 'Are you an idiot? That is the worst deal I've heard in my life.'

"No?" Ayesha reddened with embarrassment. Of course such a handsome man wouldn't want me! "T-then, in addition to the land… Name your price…"

"You're too trusting." Hayden was disappointed. "You don't even question how a high-school student will go against an entire mafia organization?"

"I…" Ayesha couldn't let out any words. Hayden was correct. Hayden's display of calmness in the face of death wouldn't be of any use against an entire family of criminals.

"Be thankful that I do have a way." Hayden sighed. The naivety of this woman was immeasurable. "And be thankful that I am the one you called. Not some schmuck that will con the hell out of you."

Why was Hayden willing to save her father? There was free land! And there was the matter of one more reward. It was all worth it.

"How about this." Hayden said. He ignored the possibility that she was a wielder. That was none of his concerns. "Only after your father is rescued will you pass the land onto my name. Do we have a deal?"

Ayesha's eyes lit up. The passive confidence behind Hayden's tone was reassuring for her. "Will you go personally?"

"Why do you ask?" Hayden raised his eyebrows, conveying the message: 'Why do you have to ask? You shouldn't.'

"I'd… Like to risk my life for my father as well!" Ayesha leaned in to Hayden and whispered, "I have a special power that may be of use."

"Are you crazy?" Hayden's face scrunched up into a frown. "You don't talk about that here. Once we get out of this fiasco, let's go someplace private."

…..

Earlier, 4:30PM. Back in Hayden's neighborhood entrance. Courtney was the first one there instead of Daniel.

She remained in her beautiful lady illusion form, wearing a white shirt that had Bulletproof Squad, the fandom name of TITANIUM, imprinted on the back in silver letters. In front was a big letter Z right on the chest and a picture of Z below that. She wore a pink A-line skirt and a flat peach open-toe sandals.

"Where is he?" Courtney scratched her head.

Soon, Courtney spotted Daniel not far away. He wore simple black jeans and a blue sweatshirt that had a growling tiger print in front.

Courtney waved. As a response, Daniel eyed his surroundings. As if confirming that there was no one around, his figure vanished and rematerialized in front of Courtney.

"Hello." Daniel's reappearance made Courtney jump. "That's one of the few basic powers that a wielder holds, superhuman speed. Well, in my case, I can teleport."

Courtney distinguished that Daniel's irises were peach in color. "Can I ask… What is your Ability?"

"God's Eyes." Daniel shifted his eye color into blue and red at the same time. He then generated a water sphere on his right hand, and a ball of fire in his right. This amazed Courtney. "Yeah, I can do all sorts of stuff. How about you?"

"Spectral Fantasy." Courtney grinned. "Basically, realistic illusions."

Abruptly, their conversation was cut short as innumerous men with casual clothes intercepted them. One of them, a muscular man with a strong jaw and a five o'clock shadow said calmly, "Today you die, Daniel Luntiang-Dahon!"