Chapter 71

Warren met up at the agreed time with Ford. He was waiting for him, and although Warren took his sweet time, Ford was glad to see that he honored his promise. 

"Are you ready to get stronger?" James Ford asked. Warren had a resolute expression on his face. There was no way he could pull out of it now. He had to grow stronger to confront the Parkers. Then there was also the added threat of the Fire Fangs. Ford made it sound as if they might also know something about the circumstances of Warren's mother's death. He couldn't let anything go without knowing if there might be any weight to Ford's words.

"Have you decided where we're going? I suppose this terrain isn't suitable for my training, right?" Warren asked Ford. 

The elderly men, nodded and then he told Warren to get ready. After that, he sprinted ahead. Warren used all his energy to keep up, but he couldn't catch up. Luckily for him, Ford wasn't using all his speed, otherwise he would have surely left Warren in the dust. 

After a day's journey without any rest, they finally came to a stop. The surrounding area was covered in thick layers of snow. If it wasn't for the fact that Warren could use some traces of Reiteki to spread through his being, he would've surely frozen to death. In front of them was a mountain that was covered in the white snow. Ford then went forward and found a secret entrance. He then winked Warren to follow him.

Warren's resolution was solid. There was no way he would back out of it now. He had to get stronger. He was just slightly stronger than Elaine at that point, which meant that if he were to come up against Joshua and Julian Parker, he would suffer a devastating defeat. That wasn't considering the fact that Jonathan Parker might be mountains above him.

"Before we enter, I want you to get rid of any doubt and lingering feelings that might still tie you. Because once you enter, there is no return."

Warren responded that he was ready and followed James Ford into the dark cave. Once they were inside, Ford used a Reiteki technique that allowed him to seal the cave behind him. 

***

Fast forward, a year later, two men exited the cave that was located in the snowy mountains near Sutherland. The location was hundreds of kilometers away from Wellington. At first glance, it was difficult to recognize the youth, since his face was covered in beard. His body structure, although still the same, was ripped and sturdy. The young man was covered in scars and bruises. What happened in the cave meant that he must have really suffered. Next to him was an older man. He looked far better than when he first entered the cave. He exuded certain confidence which was partially influenced by his protégé's rapid growth in strength. The elderly man felt that the year was fruitful and that he didn't have to worry about anything anymore. 

"Are you ready to head back?" the elderly man asked the youth. 

"As ready as I will ever be!" he responded nonchalantly. 

The two men infused Reiteki to their feet and then sprinted full speed towards Wellington. This time the youth was matching the elderly man stride for stride. In almost half a day, the two men arrived at Wellington. 

"This is where we part for now. Keep up your training and cultivation. If you want to stand a chance to defeat the Fire Fangs, then you're not allowed to be complacent now," the elderly man warned the youth.

"Don't worry Sensei, I promise not to let you down," the youth responded. He then bowed before the elderly man. After saying their goodbyes, the two men parted ways.

When he was finally alone, the youth then strolled through the streets of Wellington on his own. It had been a long time since he saw the familiar surroundings. A year was like an eternity. 

He enjoyed the picturesque scenery as he walked to the outskirts of Wellington where his house was located. When he finally arrived there, he saw that the house was just as clean as the day he left. To his surprise, the front door was wide open and it looked like someone was home. Not wanting to draw any attention to him at first, given his appearance, the youth then snuck to the back and then silently jumped through the open window on the first floor. The house was only two storeys high. Since his room was on the second floor, he used a little Reiteki to give him the extra boost to reach it.

Once inside the room, he then locked himself in. It was even difficult for the youth to recognize himself when he looked in the mirror. The man in his reflection looked more like a Neanderthal than him. He then silently walked to the bedroom next door and locked the door behind him. First he took a shower to clean himself up. Then shaved off the beard that grew as a result of him being cut off from the world for a whole year. When he was finally done, he started to look a lot more like he used to look previously. 

When he arrived in his room again, he put on some of his older clothes and then decided to go downstairs. He still didn't know who was in the house, but he had a good idea of their identity. 

As he entered the living room, he saw that it was cleaned neatly. Although the television was on, no one was there. He heard a rustle in the kitchen and headed there. 

There was a beautiful lady busy watering the single plant that he still had in the house. When he left, the plant was still small, but it has grown beautifully in the past 12 months. She wasn't who he expected to see there at all.

"Fancy seeing you again," the youth said. The lady almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice behind her. When she turned around, she was greeted by a familiar face. The face of a man she longed to see for what felt like an eternity. 

She turned to him and embraced him. This even caught the youth by surprise. This was the first time that there was any physical contact between him and the lady.

"Where have you been all this time? Do you know how much I missed you?" she asked.

"I never pictured you to be so soft mushy. What happened during my absence?" the youth asked again. 

Seeing that the embrace might be a little inappropriate, the lady then withdrew herself. She apologized for her rash behavior and the youth brushed it off as nothing. 

"May I ask what you're doing here?" 

"Since you have been gone for so long, I thought I could come down here and meet you. I know you said you would go away for a year, but I thought you would pop in after some time. I wanted to be here when you did it." It seemed like the lady cared a lot about the young man. 

"I appreciate your concern. I am back now. And I am going to get behind the truth of what happened 18 years ago," the man said. 

"Is there anything you need me to do, Young Master?" the lady asked. 

"Thank you for popping in, Allison. But I will take care of things. You can go back to Flemond now. I will join you later!" 

As he said that, Warren Cole had a fire burning within him. He was ready to unleash it.