Chapter 96
The door to the office clicked shut behind Rena and Mai as they walked down the narrow hallway side by side. Their footsteps echoed across the wooden floorboards while the folders containing the upgraded Inner Breathing technique remained firmly clutched in their hands. Neither woman spoke as they descended the stairs and crossed the main floor of the bar, where the evening crowd was beginning to gather for gambling, drinking, and conversation.
Mai nodded to several familiar faces without stopping, while Rena kept her gaze forward until they reached the small room she had claimed as her private space on the second floor. The chamber contained little more than a bed, a desk covered with notebooks and ledgers, and a few other necessities. Mai entered behind her and closed the door before folding her arms and studying her mother's expression.
"We need help," Rena said as she placed her folder on the desk. "I can understand the instructions and follow the diagrams, but I've never trained as a fighter. I don't know how to breathe properly, circulate Ki, or perform the exercises this technique requires. We need someone who understands the fundamentals well enough to teach us."
Mai nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. The technique might be powerful, but it won't help us if we cannot use it properly. We need someone who has gone through the process before."
They exchanged a glance before saying the same name almost simultaneously.
"Jack."
Rena immediately pulled out her phone and sent him a short message asking him to come to her room. She deliberately left out the reason for the request.
His response arrived almost immediately.
"Coming."
Several minutes later, a firm knock sounded at the door. Rena opened it, allowing Jack to enter before Mai closed it behind him. His blond hair caught the light from the single bulb overhead, while his red eyes moved calmly between the two women.
"You wanted to see me," he said.
Rena gestured toward the folders. "Elijah gave us the upgraded Inner Breathing technique that you and the other Vice Leaders use. Unfortunately, neither of us has any experience with Ki cultivation or combat training. We need someone to teach us, and we thought of you."
Jack examined the folders before looking at them again.
"Before I begin, I want to know why you're here," he said. "I mean in the Azura Gang. What brought you here, and what keeps you here?"
Rena's expression became guarded. "Why does that matter?"
"I already agreed to teach you, but I need to understand who I'm teaching."
Jack looked directly at her.
"Rena, you're driven by hatred. I can see it in your eyes, in the way you carry yourself, and even in the way your Ki moves when you think nobody is watching. You want something badly enough that the desire is consuming you."
Rena's jaw tightened, but she remained silent.
Jack then turned toward Mai. "When I first met you, fear was driving you. You wanted somewhere safe where nobody could hurt you again. That fear is still there, but it isn't what drives you anymore. Something else has taken its place."
Neither woman responded, so Jack leaned against the wall and continued.
"I'll tell you why I became the person I am. Then you'll understand why I'm asking these questions."
Rena and Mai exchanged another glance before giving him their full attention.
"When I was nine, my parents brought me to Blackridge. They were wealthy enough to live anywhere, but they chose this city. They had never planned to have a child, and they never wanted me after I was born. They paid for my food, clothing, education, and everything else I needed, but they never loved me."
His voice remained strangely calm as he continued.
"One day, something happened that made me cry. I don't even remember what it was anymore. My parents were already frustrated with their businesses and each other, and apparently, I was the final inconvenience they could no longer tolerate. They left me alone in an expensive apartment with roughly five million dollars in a bank account and walked away. I never saw them again."
Rena covered her mouth, while Mai stared at him in disbelief.
"I was nine years old, but I understood that they weren't coming back. After spending a week alone, I realized that nobody was going to take care of me, so I had to learn."
Jack explained how the apartment consumed five hundred thousand dollars during his first month through bills and maintenance costs. He eventually moved somewhere cheaper, bought a car, rented it out for income, and continued attending school while managing his finances alone.
Mai's voice was quiet. "How did you manage all of that at nine?"
"I learned. I made mistakes, corrected them, and kept going. That's what survival requires."
Jack's gaze became distant as another memory surfaced.
"I once had a friend whose family claimed they were struggling financially. I trusted him and transferred one million dollars to them because I believed they would repay me. Instead, they left the city immediately and disappeared. Losing that money taught me how easily trust can become a weakness."
"How much did you have left when you turned eighteen?" Rena asked.
"About one hundred thousand dollars."
Jack explained that he had spent years making poor financial decisions, trusting the wrong people, and slowly exhausting the fortune his parents had left behind. Eventually, he turned to underground fighting, where he found an outlet for his anger, loneliness, and frustration.
"I fought opponents who were stronger and more experienced than me, and I kept fighting whenever I lost. Eventually, I realized something important. I wasn't worthless simply because my parents had abandoned me. I was actually good at something. Every defeat taught me something, and every time I stood back up, I became stronger."
His expression softened.
"I stopped checking on my parents and eventually deleted every account that connected me to them. Ten years after they abandoned me, I discovered that they had another son and daughter, a family they actually wanted. They never contacted me, apologized, or came looking for me."
Jack pushed himself away from the wall.
"After that, I focused entirely on myself. I trained harder, fought in underground rings and death matches, and eventually discovered that combat was the only language that felt completely honest to me. When I fight, I'm not an abandoned son or a lonely child. I'm simply a fighter facing another fighter, and we find out who is stronger, faster, and more skilled."
A genuine smile appeared on his face.
"I also enjoy beating the hell out of people. There isn't a deeper meaning behind that part."
Despite everything she had heard, Rena released a small breath of amusement, while Mai wiped at her eyes.
"Until recently, I believed nobody at my cultivation stage could defeat me," Jack continued. "Then I fought Elijah. He showed me that there were people capable of challenging me and forcing me to grow. That's exciting."
His expression became serious again.
"I told you all of this because I want you to understand that I'm not judging either of you. I need to know what drives you because training will test more than your bodies. If your motivation breaks, your training will break with it."
Rena lowered her eyes before finally answering.
"My husband was killed by the Silent Kings. They wanted something he possessed, and they took my daughter because they believed she could lead them to it. I watched Kai kill two of the men who came to our house, and I watched Elijah risk his life to save Mai from the van that was taking her away."
Her voice tightened.
"I couldn't protect my husband or my daughter. I couldn't even protect myself. I was just a woman who counted money, balanced ledgers, and hoped nothing terrible would happen to the people I loved."
She clenched her hands.
"I want revenge, Jack. I want to kill the people who ordered my husband's death, destroy the organization responsible, and become strong enough that nobody can threaten my family again. That hatred is consuming me, and I don't know how to let it go."
Jack listened without interrupting.
"Holding onto hatred will eventually burn you more than the people you hate," he said. "They won't feel your pain or care about your suffering. You have to discover that lesson for yourself, but I'll help you reach the strength you need. When the time comes to confront those responsible for your husband's death, I'll stand beside you. However, I cannot heal your hatred for you. That part belongs to you."
Rena nodded silently.
Jack then faced Mai. "What drives you?"
Mai hesitated before answering.
"The same things that drive my mother. Revenge for my father's death and the desire to protect the people I love."
Jack slowly shook his head.
"You're lying. Revenge matters to you, but it isn't what truly drives you."
Mai looked away.
"You're driven by affection," Jack continued. "You love someone, and you want to become strong enough to stand beside that person, protect them, and earn their respect and love."
Mai's cheeks reddened.
"Your driving force is Elijah, isn't it?"
The question left her speechless. Her face turned bright red as she stared at the floor. Rena watched her daughter in silence while Jack patiently waited.
Finally, Mai nodded.
"Yes. I'm in love with him. I don't know when it happened, but I know that I want to become strong enough to stand beside him and protect him the way he protected me. I don't want to remain someone who always needs to be saved."
Jack nodded thoughtfully.
"That's a powerful motivation, and love can make someone stronger than hatred if they allow it to. However, you need to understand the situation you're entering. Elijah is going to marry Sylvia Blackwater in a few days, and that marriage will create obligations he cannot simply ignore. He may never return your feelings."
"I know," Mai replied, her eyes shining with tears. "I've accepted that possibility, but I can't stop loving him simply because loving him is difficult."
Jack was silent for a moment before smiling.
"No, you can't. I learned that lesson a long time ago."
He picked up one of the folders and quickly examined the instructions.
"Both of you need to eat before we begin. The Inner Breathing technique will place considerable strain on your bodies. I'll meet you in the basement in one hour."
Jack walked toward the door, then paused.
"One more thing, Mai. I don't care that you're in love with Elijah, and it won't affect how I train you. However, he will eventually find out if he doesn't already know. Be prepared for whatever follows."
He left the room, closing the door behind him.
For several seconds, Rena and Mai remained silent.
Rena finally turned toward her daughter.
"Is it true? Are you really in love with Elijah?"
Mai nodded because she no longer trusted herself to speak.
Rena pulled her into a tight embrace.
"I suspected it, but I wasn't certain. Elijah is a good man, Mai, and he deserves to be loved by someone who sees him for who he truly is. However, his path will be difficult and dangerous, and it will demand sacrifices that most people could never understand. If you choose to walk that path beside him, you need to be prepared for the cost."
Mai buried her face against her mother's shoulder and finally allowed her tears to fall. Rena held her tightly and stroked her purple hair, offering no further words as the two women remained together in the quiet room.