Ashes and Obsidian Feathers
Two shots ring. One dies with confusion, regret, and guilt. The other is left with hatred, pain, unresolved feelings, and shattered trust.
When great power clashes with an equally great power, an overwhelming explosion is imminent, and many people are bound to get hurt. Especially those at the very center of the explosion, like Chen Kamman.
When he was barely eighteen, he had to deal with the pain of losing two of the most important people in his life, taking over his father's dynasty, and fighting to maintain the Chen family's control in one of the deadliest mafia organizations in the world. Years later, he has made history, becoming the youngest cartel leader to ever dominate the system. After all he has been through, he has grown indifferent to everything: cold-hearted, savage, and impossible to hurt like before.
But when Dian Aoki, someone he thought he had killed, appears in his life ten years later, everything he has built suddenly comes tumbling to the ground. All the memories and pain he had buried deep within him come floating to the surface, taking him back to the starting point again. The appearance of this person equally causes a major stir in the entire organization. Their very presence threatens to overturn the entire system and Chen Kamman's world.
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Chapter: 8. Remembering Dian Aoki.That was how Dian Aoki, Bronze Orchid's youngest grandmaster, was first introduced to their world.One would think Dian was as old as the other oldies at the top of the organization, but he was only three years older than Kamman. Or would have been. Now he should have been exactly twenty years old. The 'should' reminded Kamman that Dian was no longer there and that he was the reason why. The pain started to tug at his heart once again.Dian had risen to glory at only fourteen. To be fair, his intelligence quotient was remarkably high; he was among the smartest people on Earth if he dared to be slightly biased. It was only natural that he was exceptional at a young age. But exceptional was an understatement. Anyone who had him on their side was automatically declared a winner. Chen Yujing, Kamman's father, gained this privilege when he brought Dian in at the age of ten. Dian was a technological genius. He treated computer codes as humans would treat words: naturally.Additionally, h
Last Updated: 2025-07-25
Chapter: 7. Aftermath.They should have let him die.Chen Kamman woke up in a hospital ward two weeks after the incident, feeling dead inside and bitter. The room was annoyingly bright, and he hated everything about it. He hated himself most for pulling the trigger; he could never forgive such a crime.His grief had driven him to unconsciousness; his body had refused to go on. Everyone was worried: Auntie Long, Gwen, Rei, and his other men. He didn't care; in fact, he hated them for saving him. They should have let him die.He was in the VIP ward, so it was usually quiet, except for Gwen constantly nagging him to eat or Liang suddenly bursting into tears like a grieving old woman who had lost a son. Rei was even tired of him."Why are you crying? Did someone die?" Rei snapped angrily."Young master must be feeling so much pain! If only I could bear it for his sake! Oh! How sad!" Liang cried out dramatically."Okay, so it's pain you want? Wait right there; I'll show you pain." Rei said, getting up from his c
Last Updated: 2025-07-24
Chapter: 6. After My Heart.Along with my heart.Kamman's third aunt, Ling Ling, had warned him about this. She had always told him that someday he was going to have to choose between the family and him. Chen, without a doubt, had said that he would always choose Dian, and his aunt had laughed at that. Now he understood the meaning of that laugh. The moment he became the head of the Chen family, he officially stopped thinking for himself. His only hope was clarification, so he asked, his voice faint and full of uncertainty."Did you do it? Did you kill them?"He only needed to hear those words: 'I did not do it.' Then he would protect him with his life. He would put his family's reputation on the line. He would not even care about the evidence. He would believe everything without a doubt.However, Dian said nothing and just stared at him, spiking his anxiety even further. He was also not ready for the answer, so he moved to the second question, nervously."Why did you run?"It was a small voice, almost like a
Last Updated: 2025-07-21
Chapter: 5. Clash Of The CenturyMeant to hate.He had expected that he'd come, but seeing him step out of that car hit him hard. He looked so cold and lifeless. His eyes were dead. Not the same eyes he found comfort staring at before.In only a couple of days, he had grown so cold and mature. He was only seventeen. What had he done? Regret crept up on him. His mischievous look was instantly replaced with shame. He lowered his head to the ground and didn't dare to look up.Chen Kamman also overestimated his ability to hate Dian. Earlier, he was full of rage. All through the car ride, he thought of the most cruel ways he would torture him. He recounted how he would kill Dian with his own hands in his mind until he was satisfied. That was the agenda for tonight.The moment his eyes landed on him, badly bruised and so bloody that he could not recognize him, his heart wrenched. At that time, he resisted every urge to rush over and hold him in his arms and check on his bruises.His protectiveness came back without him ev
Last Updated: 2025-07-21
Chapter: 4. The Last Laugh.He had a premonition about where they were since so many had died at his hands in that same place, and indeed, when they finally took off his blindfold, he rolled his eyes. They couldn't be any less predictable.There was a cliff at the end of the property, and when standing on it, the ground below was incredibly distant. There was only one way in and out of Mountain Hall: the gate entrance. There was no other exit, which made it an advantageous terrain for them.It was very far removed from the city, isolated and protected by the government itself, thus home to a lot of dead bodies, top-secret operations, and meetings. He was very familiar with the place.When they had stopped beating him, they dragged him to the edge of the cliff and forced him onto his knees. Below, there was a heavily flowing mass of water. One only saw a blanket of greyish-white mist when staring down the cliff from above.The water itself was not visible, but one could tell how massive and violent it was by the
Last Updated: 2025-07-21
Chapter: 3. Mountain Hall.Dian knew that running was futile. He had worked for this organization before, and nobody was ever truly capable of escaping them. He was probably the only one to have held them off for four days. Once one became a target, getting to the next day was hardly possible.He was not seriously running, though. He may have disappeared because he panicked, but he had long since gathered his thoughts and decided that he would not run anymore. He was tired, guilty, bruised, and confused. In fact, his efforts to run were so sloppy he was a bit disappointed that it had taken them four days to find him."They've learnt nothing all these years," He muttered under his breath.The previous events were not adding up to him. He was considered a genius in the Bronze Orchid, but even he could not clearly understand the situation. He was also not sure if he killed them or not; all he knew was that he had no intention of doing so. He would achieve nothing from it.Yet he did not rule out the possibility.
Last Updated: 2025-07-21
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