Blood Runs Home

CHAPTER 9 : Redemption

Ben turned to Piku with a sly smile, then lifted his foot off Zyne's head. "Oh, look! You're mad, huh? You're upset to see your big friend being trampled like that?" His voice was sarcastic, as if deliberately stirring up his nephew's emotions.

“You… will pay for this, Uncle Ben,” Piku growled, his voice trembling with anger.

Instead of flinching, Ben chuckled with satisfaction. He stepped closer to Piku, bending down until his face was just an inch from his ear. "A reply? Ooh~ I won't stop until I have the letter in my hands," he whispered softly but piercingly, then laughed mockingly into Piku's ear.

He straightened himself up and waved his hand casually, as if nothing had happened. "Tie this lizard behind that damned brat," he ordered the tiger. Once Zyne was tied up, Ben strode toward the door, his steps light, but every movement filled with arrogance.

“You two have fun here. I’m going back to the cemetery… perhaps the letter is waiting for me there.” He glanced over briefly, gave a small, mocking smile, and then raised his hand as if to say goodbye. “Bye-bye, my dear nephew. Don’t cry too loud, or I’ll hear you from outside~”

With a long, annoying laugh, he disappeared into the darkness.

“Curse you, Ben… curse you…” Piku muttered softly, his eyes staring at the dusty floor. The chains that bound him rattled softly as he tried to wriggle, just to make sure his friend lying unconscious behind him was still breathing. “Zyne… can you hear me? I… I’m sorry for involving you in my family’s problems. If only I had been strong enough to defend myself… we wouldn’t be trapped in this hell together.” Piku’s voice was trembling, full of regret, almost breaking into tears.

Suddenly— “Hahaha… since when did you become a drama queen, Piku?” a very familiar deep voice was heard, followed by a small cough.

Piku was shocked, his body tensing. His eyes widened, then slowly moistened. “Z-Zyne…?! You’re awake?! Oh, thank God… I thought I’d lost you!” his voice cracked, as if finding light in the darkness.

Zyne chuckled, though his voice was still weak. "Relax, I'm a dragon, not a rabbit. It's not that easy to fall." Piku couldn't hold back his smile, which mingled with tears.

However, Zyne suddenly added in a casual tone, “Oh yeah, by the way… you were looking for that will, right? I kept it in my shoe.”

Piku froze for a moment, then grimaced. “Wait… WHAT?! In your shoes?! Are you serious, Zyne?!” “Of course! Who would think of looking for important documents in a dragon’s smelly shoes?” Zyne replied proudly.

Piku let out a long sigh, “Ughhh… if we survive this, don’t be surprised if the letter turns into a legacy letter that smells like rotten socks.”

Zyne chuckled again, then tried to shake the chains that bound him. “Heh, the problem is… I can’t break these chains. They seem to be made of a special metal. Can you lockpick, Piku?”

Piku blinked, then snorted. “Lockpick? Seriously, Zyne! I can’t even open a package of instant noodles without scissors!”

Zyne paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. "You know, I can't help but imagine your frustration at trying to open a package of instant noodles. You bite the end, pull at the plastic, but you still can't. I feel sorry for your almost-desperate face."

Piku snorted in annoyance. “Hey! It’s not my fault. Those noodle packets are designed to torture your jaw, you know?!” Zyne chuckled, then shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, forget it. Focus on the chains first, before we become real ghosts in this building.”

They both continued to try to free themselves from the chains, the sound of metal clashing could be heard faintly in the darkness of the room.

Meanwhile, that same night, Karlo's heavy footsteps carried him to Grimborough Public Cemetery. The night air was cold and biting, but his gaze was sharper than the wind. From a distance, he saw a man in a black suit bent over, as if searching for something at Victor and Fiona's graves. Not far from him, Piku's kidnapper stood guard.

Karlo immediately crouched down, creeping behind the trees, his eyes never leaving the shadow of the man in the suit. As soon as the man turned around, Karlo's eyes widened, his body instantly tensing.

“It can’t be…” he whispered breathlessly. His breath was ragged, his tail coiled and trembling. "Ben… Bernard Boucher… Victor’s younger brother. So you’re the mastermind behind all this?”

A mixture of shock and anger burned in his chest. “What exactly are you after in your own brother’s grave, Ben…?”

Karlo remained hidden behind the trees, his eyes unblinking as he watched Ben's every move as he rummaged through Victor and Fiona's graves. However, to no avail. Ben sighed in annoyance, then quickly signaled to his subordinates. His hand gesture was firm, making Karlo hold his breath.

“They’re leaving… have I been caught?” Karlo whispered, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

Without further ado, Ben and the cloaked tiger left the tomb. Karlo gritted his teeth and decided to follow them, his steps light despite his still-weak body. He continued walking silently, Ben's shadow leading them through the dense forest until they finally stopped in front of a spooky old building.

The abandoned warehouse stood gloomily among the trees, its walls cradled in vines, its windows shattered, and cold air seeping out from the cracks. Karlo held his breath. “A warehouse… in the middle of the forest? Is this their headquarters?” he muttered under his breath, then crept closer, searching for a gap until finally slipping through a small hole in the wall.

Once inside, his eyes widened. He saw Piku and Zyne being treated roughly, their bodies bound, their faces covered in wounds. Karlo's heart pounded, rage burning in his chest, but he knew his body was still weak. "Hold on, Karlo... it's not time yet..." he restrained himself, though his hands trembled with the urge to strike Ben right then and there.

“You said you wanted to be a hero, didn’t you?” Ben’s voice was cold, filled with mockery. He grabbed Zyne’s jaw, gripping it so tightly that his teeth ground together. “Tell me… where’s the letter?”

“I-I… I have absolutely no idea…” Zyne answered breathlessly, holding back the pain.

“Liar!” Ben snapped, pushing Zyne’s head away roughly before turning to face Piku. He slowly approached her and grabbed her chin. “What about you, Piku? Where’s the letter, my beloved nephew?”

Piku growled, his eyes burning with hatred. “I told you… I threw it away.”

“You stubborn bastard!” Ben slapped Piku’s face away, his anger growing. But before he could continue, the phone rang, breaking the tension. He pulled out his phone, stared at the screen, and his face paled. “Boss…” he whispered softly, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

He glanced at Zyne and Piku with a sharp gaze. “You two… I’ll take care of you later.” His voice was low, but full of a chilling promise.

Ben came out of the room, holding the phone to his ear. “H-hello Boss~… y-yeah, I’ll be right there.” His voice was trembling, a far cry from his earlier arrogance.

Before leaving, he turned to his subordinate. "Yoshiya! Watch them carefully. Don't give them the slightest chance to escape."

Karlo, lurking in the darkness, wrapped his tail tightly around Ben. His sharp gaze pierced Ben's retreating back. "Just wait, Bernard... your time will come."

As soon as Ben emerged from the warehouse, Karlo, who had been lurking, sprang into action. With a swift and powerful movement, he wrapped his tail around Yoshiya's neck. The mantled tiger struggled, its claws scrabbling for air, but the grip was too tight. Its breath hitched, its eyes widened… until finally, its body went limp and it fell unconscious.

Piku and Zyne, who witnessed the incident, were stunned, then their faces changed to relief. "Mr. Karlo!" they exclaimed almost simultaneously, their voices filled with emotion.

Karlo turned around, his breath still ragged as his remaining energy was nearly gone. But a faint smile appeared on his face. "Thank goodness... you're still alive." His voice trembled, hiding a mixture of relief and anger toward Ben.

He immediately knelt before them, his tail trying to untie the chains that bound their bodies. But the old padlock was locked tightly. Karlo grunted in frustration. “Tch… I need something to open it.”

Piku, who had been looking around, suddenly pointed at a messy pile of old things. "Mr Karlo! Look down there... I see something flashing."

Without hesitation, Karlo reached out and rummaged through the pile. His tail reached for a thin, dusty wire—a trivial, yet profoundly meaningful object. He stared at it with conviction. “This is it… this will work.”

Karlo deftly began fiddling with the lock. His tail moved skillfully, expertly. A small click was heard, and the chain loosened. Piku and Zyne held their breath, then their eyes lit up.

Free.

As soon as the chains were released, Piku and Zyne rose to their feet and embraced Karlo in gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Karlo!" they both exclaimed, their voices almost trembling with tears of relief.

But their embrace was so tight that Karlo, whose body was still weak, was immediately crushed. "Argh... I-I... can't... breathe!" he complained, his face flushed.

Piku and Zyne quickly broke away from their embrace, their faces both embarrassed and awkward. “Ah, sorry, Mr. Karlo… we were just too happy,” Piku said, scratching his head.

Karlo just let out a long sigh, but the corners of his lips curled into a smile. "You two always make my heart nearly stop."

“We have to get out of here, right now!” Karlo said hurriedly. The three of them moved quickly toward the exit, still out of breath. But just as Karlo was about to step through the threshold, a click came from the floor.

A moment later, a steel wire noose wrapped itself around Karlo roughly and threw him against the wall. "Mr. Karlo!” Piku and Zyne shouted in unison, their eyes wide with panic.

From the shadows, heavy footsteps could be heard getting closer. Ben appeared with a sinister smile, his two gleaming pistols aimed straight at Piku and Zyne. “Heh… my intuition is never wrong. I knew a rat had snuck in here.”

“You… are completely insane, Ben!” Karlo shouted, trying to struggle despite the tightness in his chest. His voice cracked with anger and pain. “Why are you doing this? He’s your own nephew!”

Ben chuckled coldly, tilting his gun until the muzzle was almost touching Zyne's head. "Nephew? Huh... don't make me laugh, Victor has always been better than me! Now it's time for the world to know who the true heir to the Grayhusk family is!"

Zyne's face tensed, his jaw clenched in anger as he heard Ben denigrate his best friend's family. He nearly lunged and snatched the gun from Ben—but a sudden gunshot pierced the night air.

BANG!

The bullet flew fast and struck the pistol in Ben's right hand, sending it flying and the metal smoking. "Argh!" Ben winced, clutching his bleeding hand. "Who would shoot me?!"

The gun smoke slowly faded, revealing Garren standing in the doorway with a stern face and a sharp gaze. “Ben… what are you doing?” his voice was heavy, almost in disbelief at what he was seeing.

Ben stared at him for a moment—then laughed softly, turning into a full-throated laugh that echoed throughout the room. “HAHAHAHA! You still don’t get it, Garren?” His eyes glinted wildly, filled with despair and anger. “I just want what’s rightfully mine! All this time I’ve been working day and night, struggling alone, but what have I gotten? Nothing! My family only sees me as a shadow of my brother, that perfect Victor!”

His voice cracked, turning bitter. “No one cared when I fell… not one! Until someone came… someone who saved me from the brink of death… he opened my eyes.”

Ben lowered his head, blood dripping from his fingers onto the floor, a bitter smile on his face. “And now, I don’t need your pity. I just want revenge on the world that has forgotten me.”

After all of Ben's bitter complaints and laughter had been released into the heavy night air, suddenly— BANG! BANG! BANG! A series of gunshots went off without warning, hitting Ben's chest one by one. His previously angry face slowly froze, his eyes lost their light, his body swayed before finally collapsing to the floor with a thud that echoed throughout the room.

Silence enveloped the place. The only sound was the wind creeping through the cracked window and the bated breaths of everyone present. Garren stepped forward, his eyes wide with disbelief. Before him, Toby stood straight, his gun still smoking, his face impassive.

“Toby…” Garren’s voice trembled, “what are you doing?! We could have gotten information from him—about who is behind all this!”

Toby stared at Ben's lifeless body, then slowly lowered his gun. "Information?" he muttered coldly. "For what? He won't talk... even if we force him. Someone like him has already chosen his own path."

He stared straight at Garren, his eyes sharp as steel. “He betrayed us,” he continued, his voice rising with pent-up anger. “He kidn*pped the Young Master… and you want me to let him live after all that?”

Garren fell silent, his head lowered. Amidst the smell of gunpowder and blood, guilt and grief enveloped the atmosphere like a thick fog—leaving only silence and the body of a friend who had become an enemy.

Piku and Zyne immediately rushed to help Karlo free himself from the wires that had bound him. Gasping for breath, Karlo was finally free, though his wounds were still bleeding thinly. Meanwhile, the smell of gunpowder lingered in the air, mingling with the tension and silence that enveloped them.

Piku turned to Garren, who was now standing frozen, staring at Ben's body. In a cautious yet curious tone, he asked,

“Garren… what is your relationship with Uncle Ben?”

Garren didn't answer immediately. He slowly walked over to Ben's body, which lay stiff on the floor, his knees bending until he sat beside it. His eyes stared blankly, as if trying to find his old friend beneath the lifeless body.

“...After your father kicked your uncle out of the Grayhusk household two years ago,” he said softly, his voice hoarse, “I took him in. I thought he just needed some time to calm down, so I invited him to stay with me temporarily.”

He took a deep breath, his face grim. “But… after a month passed, something felt strange. The way he spoke changed, his eyes filled with hatred, and I often saw him leave in the middle of the night without explanation. I knew then… he was hiding something.”

Garren lowered his head, his voice low, almost trembling.

“And a month later, he just disappeared… without saying goodbye, without a trace. I never thought… our next meeting would be like this.”

His words hung in the air, accompanied by a heavy silence. Piku, Zyne, and Karlo could only stare at him in silence—because they knew that, with every scar Ben left, a small piece of their past died that night.