"This should be the place" Vivian said as soon as she and Kenneth arrived at a decrepit looking gate in the middle of the woods. The gate loomed in the heart of the dense forest as an ancient and foreboding structure that seemed utterly out of place amidst the wild greenery. Its towering frame was composed of twisted, rusted iron bars, many of which had bent or broken over time. Thick vines, with jagged thorns, snaked their way up the gate, clinging tightly to its surface as if trying to claim it for the forest.
The once-grand arch at the top bore faded carvings of symbols long forgotten, their meanings lost to time. Large patches of the metal were mottled with corrosion, giving the entire structure a decrepit appearance, as if it might collapse at any moment but somehow still stood defiantly.
At the base, jagged roots and mossy stones framed the gate like sentinels, while the ground around it was barren, devoid of any vegetation, as though the very presence of the gate had poisoned the earth. A faint, eerie mist hung low, curling around its base and drifting lazily through the gaps in the bars.
The air near the gate felt heavy, almost suffocating, carrying with it a metallic tang and the faint scent of decay. Occasionally, a chilling breeze would blow through, causing the gate to creak and groan, the sound echoing ominously through the otherwise silent forest.
Above, the dense canopy of leaves allowed only slivers of light to filter through, casting jagged shadows that danced on the gate’s surface. The gate stood as a stark reminder of something ancient and forgotten, a silent guardian of whatever lay beyond—a place few dared to approach and fewer still returned from.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Kenneth asked with a vigilant look on his face. "Well it’s what my dad’s phone tracker is showing me so it’s got to be" Vivian replied as she looked at the tracking device in her hand.
"Well if you say so, then let’s go in" Kenneth eventually said as he went to the gate and pulled it. As soon as he did, a loud creaking sound immediately reverberated through the forest as the gate was pushed open.
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What came into their view as soon as they got past the gate is a worn out building that looks to be on the verge of crumbling as vines of various shapes is protruding out of the walls at each side.
"I can’t believe this is where they kept my dad" Vivian muttered with gritted teeth while she held her phone more tighter. "We need to be quick in finding your dad, seems like there is no one here at the moment" Kenneth said with a vigilant look on his face.
"Oh how wrong of you to think such" But right before Kenneth and Vivian could even get close to the building, a voice suddenly came out of it which made them to immediately pause in their steps. "Welcome to this humble abode" Then right after, a young man with a cyan colored hair suddenly came out of the building along with four people who seems to be grandmaster level fighters.
When Vivian saw this cyan haired person, a grim look appeared on her face as she asked solemnly. "Where is your brother, Alaric?". "You don’t have to worry about him my dear Vivian, he entrusted me to handle this and I plan on doing just that" The cyan haired boy replied with a light smile on his face.
Apparently, his brother is the young man who kidnapped Vivian a few weeks ago in a forest. They are part of a super family called the Trent Family and they have been eyeing Vivian shopping mall for quite some time now, but each time they tried to take away the mall from her, they always end up in failure due to Vivian’s brother’s meticulous schemes.
"I hope my father is there as well as my brothers?" Vivian asked with solemnity laced in her tone. "Well your dad is there alright, but as for your brothers, I gotta hand it to them for being able to escape from us" Alaric replied with a silent anger building up on his face.
’They escaped?’ Vivian thought in surprise, but right after, she calmed down as a relieved smile appeared on her face. Noticing the relieved look on Vivian’s face, Alaric’s face began to twitch due to his anger as he spoke up. "Well now that’s by the way, how about we begin what you are here for"
"And what do you think am I here for?" Vivian asked with a sly smile on her face. This question stunned Alaric as he immediately answered. "Isn’t it for the trade between your Shopping mall and your dad?" Then, his tone got more grimmer as he continued. "Or is it that you are here to fight us?"
"Bingo" Vivian answered almost instantaneously as she suddenly turned her gaze towards Kenneth before she said. "I will be troubling you then Mr. Kenneth"
"Let’s get this over with" Kenneth replied as he began to walk leisurely towards the worn out building, at Alaric and the four fighters to be more precise. Seeing this, Alaric had a amused look on his face as he spoke up. "You honestly think you can get past us with this old man, if so then you are dead wrong"
And in the next moment, the four fighters instantly lunged at Kenneth with the intent to kill.
But Kenneth’s body suddenly blurred.
One moment he stood rooted to the spot; the next, he was a shadow weaving effortlessly between their strikes. His movements were fluid, almost ethereal, as though he were dancing through the chaos. The forgotten art of Drifting Shadows came alive, his body flickering in and out of focus, leaving afterimages that confused his opponents.
The first fighter to reach him whom is a burly man’s fist slammed into empty air, his momentum carrying him forward. Kenneth appeared behind him in a flash, his fist connecting with the man’s ribs in a precise, devastating blow. The impact sent the giant sprawling, coughing blood as he crashed to the ground.
The lean woman came next, her kicks slicing through the air with deadly precision. Kenneth sidestepped each strike effortlessly, his movements so smooth they seemed almost lazy. As she launched a spinning kick, Kenneth ducked low, his foot sweeping hers out from under her. She hit the ground hard, and before she could react, a sharp, controlled punch to her abdomen left her gasping for air.
The wiry, snake-like fighter lunged, his hands a blur as he aimed for Kenneth’s throat. But Kenneth tilted his head slightly, dodging the attack by a hair’s breadth. In a single fluid motion, he grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted, using the momentum to send the fighter flying into the towering brute who was charging from behind. Both men collapsed in a heap, groaning in pain.
Kenneth straightened, his breathing steady, not a single bead of sweat on his brow. He dusted off his hands, his movements deliberate and unhurried. The four fighters lay sprawled around him, groaning and clutching at their injuries, their grandmaster-level techniques rendered useless before the forgotten brilliance of Drifting Shadows.
"You rely too much on brute force and speed," Kenneth said, his voice calm and instructive, as though he were teaching a lesson rather than addressing fallen enemies. "But true mastery isn’t about power. It’s about control, precision, and understanding the flow of battle."
He turned toward the worn-out building, his footsteps echoing in the silence of the compound. The wind stirred once more, carrying with it the faint whispers of a forgotten art reborn in the hands of a master.
"How... How... How is this possible?" Alaric questioned with a look of disbelief on his face as he slowly began to take a few steps back, but it was already too late for him as Kenneth has already arrived right in front of him. And not wasting a moment longer, Kenneth quickly grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up
"Le....t go.... of me" Alaric muttered as he struggled with all his strength to break free from Kenneth’s grasp, but it was futile since Kenneth didn’t even budge. "You can go get your dad Miss" Kenneth then spoke up with a calm tone while his eyes were still on Alaric.
"Sure thing" Vivian said before she quickly rushed into the building with her tracking device still in her hands. "Yo...u will..... no...t get.... away with.... this, my.... bro.....ther will.... get you." Not long after, Alaric struggled as said with a furious look on his face.
"I think I should tell you something." Kenneth suddenly said as he brought him closer to his face before he continued in an ominous tone. "If you guys ever disturb Miss peaceful life ever again, I will make sure both you and your brother to not see the beauty of living ever again"
When Alaric heard him, a sudden chill ran through his spine as he struggled to say with a tone now laced with fear. "Y....es"