Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Back to Square One
In return, The Azure Brotherhood had wanted the body of Asher, the sole remaining descendant of the Brown Family. But Kenneth Yates had given them a sum of money instead, refusing to hand over the body. He had already done enough wrong; he hoped he could spend the rest of his days by Asher’s side.
And so, centuries passed. The two had been reincarnated many times, their countless near-misses in past lives finally leading to this one encounter. From the first moment Asher connected with Kenneth Yates while studying abroad, he felt that he looked familiar.
"Hey, senior! I’m a new student. Please show me the ropes!" His innocent face, his silver-white hair, and his emerald eyes were still vivid in Kenneth Yates’s memory, yet those days were long gone.
............
This world so often defies our wishes. We fight for what we want, but how could greedy humans ever be satisfied with what they have? The more they get, the more they desire, and so they take and take, endlessly.
Asher’s grip on the sword loosened as tears streamed down his face. "So... so that’s how it was. We couldn’t be together in our past life. Then... can we be together in this one?" Asher seemed satisfied, but his look of overflowing happiness never reached Kenneth Yates’s eyes. Wincing in pain, Kenneth pulled the sword from his chest and spat out a vicious mouthful of blood.
"We have to live in reality. This isn’t our past life. You need to face the facts—you aren’t who you used to be, and neither am I!" Kenneth Yates said, struggling to his feet. His words were merciless, hitting Asher right where it hurt.
Asher picked up the sword. Yes, the sword had been passed down through generations of his family until it reached his hands. ’So this sword... was a gift from him, too.’
"I know. So... can’t we just live in the past together?" Asher asked, picking up the sword and walking toward Kenneth Yates again. Kenneth was already severely injured; he was no match for Asher. And on a rooftop this small, there was nowhere to hide.
BANG...
Kenneth Yates watched as Asher collapsed before him. The sword fell from his hand, clattering loudly on the ground...
Dominic Thorne appeared before Kenneth Yates, dressed in a pure black trench coat. He had already sent Ronan Jenkins and Sean Murphy back with Summer Lancaster. He’d found Kenneth Yates himself and, in the nick of time, raised a gun to end this melodrama that had spanned lifetimes.
Kenneth Yates’s gaze sharpened as he stared at Dominic Thorne in the distance. ’His timing is impeccable. But if he hadn’t shown up, would Asher have really killed me?’ In truth, Kenneth had been making a bet with himself. He was gambling that Asher wouldn’t truly kill him. Asher’s first stab hadn’t hit a vital organ, and the force behind it was so light it was far from fatal. And now, Asher had been felled by a single shot from Dominic Thorne, right through the heart. ’As expected of a former special forces soldier. His methods are both vicious and precise.’
Using what little strength he had left in his arms, Asher painfully dragged himself to Kenneth Yates’s side, leaving a long trail of blood in his wake.
"I never thought... in the end... it would still end like this... My family... we always get what we want... but... that only applies while we’re alive." Asher’s gaze was desolate. ’I really couldn’t bring myself to kill him. But I never imagined Kenneth wouldn’t even resist, wouldn’t even try to dodge. How arrogant of him. But the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Once again, I’ve died by Kenneth’s careful design. This must be the inescapable fate of the Brown Family.’
"Kenneth Yates... I... love you..." His strong body collapsed with a final thud. The crimson liquid spread in an instant, soaking one man’s clothes and breaking another’s heart. Until the very end, Asher’s eyes never closed, remaining as clear and bright as they were the day they first met.
