Finding out Kuza was Elder Akio's daughter, brought upon unsettling feelings on Dennis. He still felt there was a part of the picture he was missing, a doubt that lingered on about the circumstances surrounding him meeting her.When he couldn't make it over in time to save his mother when she died, Dennis spent the latter part of his years fighting fate and destiny.During one of their training sessions, Elder Akio had spoken of reincarnation - that it was Dennis's fate to bring order and balance to this rather chaotic world.Of course, at the time, Dennis was just learning how to master his skills and passed the old man's talks for mumbo jumbo.Fate never held the right cards for him, it only brought him pain and loss. Was it fate that he had all the power in the world but could not save his mother? Or was that just nature's design? Was it fate that designed for the first girl he felt an attraction for, to die?No, he had enough of letting an unknown entity control his being, life
Ruelle's training space was bound by her chi energy. Each Gifted person had a different chi signature, that allowed them to have distinct capabilities to manipulate and alter the energies in the universe, structuring them to their own key pattern.However, some selected few like Dennis had the ability to not just create their key chi signatures but to mirror that of others, which at the time Dennis was unaware that he could.Still, the gateway to Ruelle's training field could only at the time, be opened and locked by her, which meant that Dennis could not leave without her opening the doors."Do not interfere with fate Dennis. The universe is not kind to those who try to alter its balance" Ruelle said, trying to deter him"If the girl is supposed to die, there is a far greater reason than what any of us can comprehend and you should not get in the way of that", she added"And what was the greater reason for my mom dying?" Dennis asked, gazing intently at Ruelle, who seemed defeated an
Dennis ignored Sasha's text despite it sounding urgent, he was in no mood for her manipulative games.He quickly hailed a cab and continued back home.A few moments later, he arrived at his home and when he saw the fleet of police cars swarming outside his yard, he instantly became nervous. Tossing a few dollars to the driver, he hurriedly exited the backseat of the car and hurried over to his front porchSeeing him, one of the policemen approached him"Are you the owner of this property?" The cop asked with a stern expression, holding his hand out to stop Dennis from moving any closer"Yes. I am officer" Dennis replied with a perplexed stare. Quickly his eyes darted around the yard and he saw some other policemen emerging from his backyard"Excuse me, what's going on here?" He asked the man, who gave him a scowling look and turned to walk awayHowever, Dennis quickly went after him and grabbed the man by the arm, slowly becoming irritated.This was not the end of the day he envision
"I'd like to make a call" Dennis demanded, beckoning at Officer Mark.The officer marched forward and slammed the telephone on the table, gazed at Dennis with a trace of disdain in his eyes as he stared at him and then with a wry smile, slowly removed the cuffs from Dennis's wrists"You have one call" his bitter voice resonated.Dennis twitched his lips, a dash of mockery painted on his face as he felt powerless before the officer.Dennis flicked his wrists, freeing them from the tight bound of the cuffs and then frowned slightly as he watched the officer recede to his post, chuckling out loud as he shot Dennis a contemptuous glare.Dennis wore a spiteful expression and then retrieved the phone. The only number he knew offhand was that of his ex-wife, but there were several chances that she was part of the reason he was in there as Dennis recalled her message "Come home" and pondered more on its meaning.Even though Sasha was not there at the house when he got home, there was a high p
Dennis saw Yura as soon as she came into the station. She looked around frantically until she saw Officer Mark on his desk and her demeanor changed abruptly.Immediately Yura snarled as she walked towards him"What do you think you're doing, holding my friend for a crime he did not commit?" Yura charged, slamming her hands on Officer Mark's desk.Officer Mark lifted his head to meet the cold plain stare that was even more threatening than staring down the face of death.However, he managed to control his countenance. He was not in the place to offend the people he served, but he quickly asserted his authority calmly"I advise you to remain calm Ma'am, you are in a police station" Officer Mark said in an indignant toneYura was taken aback in surprise by the underlying tone of his statement, "Are you threatening me?" She asked, contorting her face inquisitively "No Ma'am. I'm only saying you are in a police station and courtly behavior is expected" Officer Mark repliedYura shook her
When Dennis reached the visitor waiting area, Kuza turned her gaze just in time to see him walk out of the hallway.Impulsively with a mix of emotions, she marched forward excitedly towards him and without giving it any thought, embraced himDennis was taken aback by her sudden reaction as he felt the weight of her body collide with his, wrapping her arms around him tightly.Slowly, he brought his arms around her waist and pulled her in tightly, while giving Yura an appreciative look.When his arms rounded her waist, Kuza blushed as she felt Dennis's warmth circling her.Dennis on the other hand, slowly raised his hand and pressed her head against his chest, inhaling the flowery smell of her hair.At that moment, his mind drifted away. Something about this feeling felt eerily familiar, almost like deja vu, like he had lived this before, which made no sense to him because he could not remember ever holding her.After a few moments, Kuza wiggled herself out of his embrace and gazed up a
When Dennis left the police station, he quickly brought out his phone and called Sasha.The phone rang for a few moments before she finally picked"I was hoping you'd call" Sasha said in a flattering toneHowever, Dennis had no time to engage in pleasantries. On the phone, he snarled indignantly"Really Sasha, framing me for drug possession is a little beneath you don't you think?", Dennis asked subtly,He intended to find out if his ex-wife was indeed involved in the scheming that got him arrested. This time he had promised that he wouldn't let his in-laws off so easily, and if Sasha had to be collateral damage so be it. Still, he wanted to confirm she was not part of this."Frame you? Drug possession? What are you talking about Dennis?" Sasha asked, caught by surprise"So you are not a part of this?" Dennis asked for clarification "A part of what? What's going on?" Sasha was about to ask more when she heard the sound of a siren blaring through on the opposite end of the call. At
The ride to Dennis's house was filled with silence. The air had shifted and his cool demeanor was now filled with hatred and burn in his heart.Kuza looked blankly at Dennis and decoded to break the uncomfortable silence"So are you going to tell me now how you ended up in jail?" She broached the topicSlowly, Dennis shifted his gaze from the road and gazed at her blankly for a few seconds and then turned his focus back on the road, saying nothing. "Come on Dennis, you're going to have to let someone in at some point", Kuza said impatiently. She couldn't tell what it was, but Dennis had been acting suspiciously distant since they walked out of jail. She continued staring at him, hoping he would say something. After hesitating for a while, Dennis pointed to a lane"Take here" he said giving Kuza the directions to his home. He was sure that after only visiting once, she wouldn't remember the way to his home.Kuza groaned softly in frustration and continued down the lane. A few momen
Kuza got up and paced frantically and as Dennis tried to stand up, he staggered on his feet and collapsed on the ground.At this point, the negative imbalance was eating at the core of his chiSeeing his drop to the floor, Kuza hurried towards him and supported him towards the bench. Before coming here, Dennis had drafted a sentimental apology speech, but at this moment, it was a lot harder to say anything.Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of Akio from the corner of her eyes and hurriedly approached him"Tell me there's a way to undo this" she spoke frantically Elder Akio remained quiet for some time, caressing his soft white beard, and then said, "There might be a way to, but...","But what?" Kuza interjected impatiently"I can't do it. It'll require someone with a very powerful Gift, someone like you", Akio replied"Me?" Kuza asked in shock. She had barely learned the basic techniques of Chi manipulation, how then was she expected to heal someone with a level 10 Chi energy?Her face
The moment Akio uttered those words, Dennis stood still for a moment, bit his lips, and then smiled weakly He had foreseen his death in his heart when he realized there was an imbalance in his Chi levels. He now understood why most gurus did not attempt to reach the yin-yang ChiAt a moment like this, it was only a matter of time. No one or anything could save him, and a part of him knew that"How did this happen, Dennis?" Elder Akio's voice echoed again in his earsDennis did not answer. Instead, he remained standing for some moments, using Diune to listen to the familiar heartbeats hiding and eavesdropping from behind the door, and a weak smile curled from the corners of his lip"Dennis! How did this happen?!" Apiu shouted angrily Dennis broke out of his trance and heaved a deep sigh, staring at Apiu who looked back at him for an explanation, "I can't recall," he said vaguely Apiu raised his hand and smacked his forehead in frustration"What do you mean you can't recall?" He sne
Immediately after he read the message, Dennis quickly called Apiu. As soon as the call entered, Apiu picked it up "Are they safe?", Dennis asked impatiently"Yes, they are. Meet us at the cabin" Apiu respondedDennis sighed gladly, glanced at his wristwatch, and said "I'll be there within the hour" then ended the callDennis walked onto the street and hailed a taxi. He was sure that with ties to Jon's case, the cops would also be looking for him. Till this whole was sorted out, he had to keep a low-profileThe taxi halted in front of him, and after he entered, he gave the man the location of a private home just miles away from the cabinAfter driving for some minutes, he finally arrived at the building, and upon handing the driver the fare, Dennis turned and searched around, making sure no one was following or watching him Upon confirming that it was safe, he called Apiu again and then headed toward the cabinApiu felt a sudden chill surging in his heart when he saw Dennis. From the
"There's no mark on the body!" The young officer exclaimed in shock"What are you talking about?!", Mark asked "We did forensics on the body, to determine what weapon the killer used, but we found nothing. There's no trace" he exclaimed Deshaun chuckled lightly, raised his hand, and gently tapped Mark, "See I told you, Mark, it wasn't Dennis. Take this as a win", he said and turned to give, but before he walked out of the room, he suddenly stopped and pat his head as if he had forgotten something"Oh, Mark. I almost forgot","I did see someone else here. While I was arriving, I saw him just pulling out of the driveway. It was your boss, Victor, you should be investigating instead" Deshaun said, then leaned closer and added"Maybe Victor found out that his partner Jon was trying to pull one over him and decided to kill him",Mark was stunned, he did not want to believe what Deshaun was suggesting, but before he could even express his shock. Deshaun reached into his coat pocket and br
"How did this happen?" Deshaun repeated walking towards Dennis"I don't know what happened. He said some things about my mother, which was the last thing I could remember. I don't know if I killed him or not" Dennis answeredWhen Deshaun saw him, a dash of gloom hovered over his head. He felt sympathy for his friend but knew that sooner or later, the cops would find Jon's body and if they had any suspicions that Dennis killed him, he would be thrown into prisonDeshaun walked closer and examined the sharp piercing in Jon's head, sighed gladly, and said "You need to get out here, go somewhere far, but don't skip town. I'm going to radio this in, the cops can't find you here when they arrive",Dennis stood up and nodded without a word, then turned around and walked back towards the bed where his wallet had fallen, picked it up, and as he was about to walk out, he stopped beside Deshaun and whispered "I hated everything about him, and wanted nothing more than for him to die by my hands,
Dennis felt slightly dejected staring at Jon's corpse on the ground. The last few minutes seemed like a blur with a vague recollection of what had happenedHesitantly, he moved closer to Jon's body and noticed a sharp piercing through his head. Dennis raised his hands and searched for any weapons he could have used to do thisAt this point, his heart strangely felt heavy. He knew he had killed Jon, but why was he suddenly feeling remorse for him?Just as he sighed, disheartened, his phone suddenly rang and Dennis retrieved the phone from his pocket to see that it was from DeshaunDennis didn't want to pick up the call as he stared at Deshaun's name on the screen. He had a good impression he knew what this was about. Afterall he was the one on the call with JonWhen Deshaun and the cops must have arrived at Mariner Bay tracing the signal, they would have realized that there were just tracing a fake signalIf that happened, knowing Deshaun, he would assume that Dennis must have known so
Immediately the receptionist gave Dennis the address, he shot her a warm smile, then turned and headed towards his uncle's roomUpon reaching the lobby, he took the elevator and went straight to his uncle's room on the fourth floorThe hotel's wide room spacing was due to the many restaurants, lounges, saunas, and gyms inside the buildingThis caused the rooms to be spaced unevenly in the building. This unique feature is what made Jon find this to be the perfect hideout spot for him, and made Dennis's arrival even less expectedAs he exited the elevator and walked towards the office, he was still pondering what could have been Diana's reasons for working with Jon in the first placeHowever, despite a long and considerable thought, nothing made sense. Still, he was grateful she had recognized Jon for who he truly was and had a change of mindSuddenly, a door behind him opened.It was Victor, he was about to head towards the elevator when he noticed a familiar figure as soon as he left
As soon as he heard those words, Dennis's face turned red with anger. This entire time he had been searching everywhere for who was responsible for his mother's death, when in truth it was his uncle all alongHe swallowed angrily trying to control his temper, then snorted coldly "You are going to wish you had stayed in jail, Jon"Jon chuckled before replying "Guess, it'll be pointless to ask you to turn over the company and house deeds and make this all simple, wouldn't it?","I'll be seeing you, Jon," Dennis said and then ended the call immediately.He turned towards Deshaun who had heard everything and had a sympathetic look towards him.Without saying anything, Dennis immediately ignited the car in a fit of rage and wanted to drive off when suddenly Deshaun grabbed his hand, removing it from the steering wheel"Dennis! Dennis! Listen to me!" He spoke hurriedly"This is what he wants, to throw you off your game. He knows we're on to him, so he's going to say anything to trigger you
When they finally approached the Mariner, Dennis parked the car and instructed Sloane to go home. There was no need to endanger her lifeWithout any arguments, Sandra did as she was instructed and got into a can heading back to her apartmentAs soon as Dennis parked the car, a call entered his phone immediately. Glancing at Deshaun, he hesitantly answered it"Hello nephew", Jon's deep voice sounded over the microphone"I heard you've been looking for me", he said teasinglyA deep wrinkled frown immediately formed on Dennis's forehead as he spoke "What do you want you old bastard?",Jon chuckled as he asked him in a mysterious manner "Isn't it obvious at this point, I'm not here to negotiate anything with you. I'm already taking everything I want",Dennis hesitated for a moment before replying "Come on Jon, we all know that is not what you really want, is it?""You know I've been thinking about it, trying to figure out why you've decided to show up now. After years of hiding behind you