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Ravina Christiadjie; the forty-seven years old Indonesian youthful woman with Chinese descent and a businesswoman sipping her cup of tea, she was both Damien and Luca's mother--the widowed woman also adopting a baby who was her daughter. Ravina is a tall young Indonesian woman with a slim build with a pale complexion, she has ruby-colored eyes with red-gold irises around the black pupils. With two layers, her hair is messy yet neat at the same time. The first layer is short and pale gray-white, with unkempt hair reaching her shoulders on the right side and bangs that cover her eyes. Her second layer of hair, which is longer than the first, is brought down into a downward ponytail with a black ribbon that has red accents, and a black hair root rests on her left shoulder above her bangs. She is dressed in a straight corset-style shirt in a gray tone with black and gray tones, black tight trousers that fall just above the ankles, black sleeves with red-edged black and white ruffles on the wrists, and a short red tie. She seems to have red fingernails, fair skin, and multiple rings on her fingers. She's wearing burgundy embellishments on the points of her gray-hued stiletto heels. Her attire includes a large red translucent suit that is loosely draped over her left hip, gloves with stripes in shades of gray and black, black and red ribbons wrapped around her right arm, and a white belt featuring multiple golden buckles.

Ravina is an archetype of woman with masculine fashion, noted to her rather calm composure as she mostly keeps a straight face and her tone is much more reserved--she always keeping up her cool-headedness and rationality to every situation. Except when she's angry and had enough of you, she would kick you, slap and whip you until you shed blood and torn your body into pieces--just by a simple hit. But, she's also a caring mother while also acting as a father figure towards her beloved children, and is strict when it comes to scolding her kids if something or someone is causing trouble--a rich woman and a strong dominant when it comes to punish her kids even worse--a strict and uncompromising one when it comes to discipline her family members, giving a death stare and a very verbal.

"Damien, you have arrived."

Ravina greeted, placing her cup of tea after sipping as she watched her eldest son entered the mansion. Damien closed the door behind him, before he removed his shoes and put his bag down. "I'm home, mother," he greets, approaching her. He and Luca are quite different from each other in terms of personality, Luca has the happy-go-lucky and carefree appearance while Damien can be a stereotype of strict and serious person; the first son of Ravina.

"Did something good happen at work today?" she asked him, in which Damien nodded a little. "There was an opening in one of the islands in Indonesia, known as Hyang Seram--did you heard about the news?" he asked, Ravina poured the jasmine tea on the cup for him--the maid arrived and serves some dishes and Damien gladly take it. As an upper class citizens after ascending from poverty through hard work, Ravina did everything to preserve the wealth they have. "I heard you met a new recruit recently, is he--or she a good assassin?" she asked.

Damien nodded, before he grabbed the cup of tea. "His name is Kayana Sahanaya Tirta," he answered, making Ravina lifted her eyebrows on her cold gaze. "Oh? That fellow who did a lot of odd-jobs in eliminating problematic expatriates?" the matriarch of Christiadjie questioned with somewhat knowing of the assassin she referred to, being a former assassin in her working days--she still keep her connections for information purposes and used to train her sons with this certain skillset for years until they fully grasped all of her teachings. "You know him?"

"Not really, but it has been daily news for Balinese to applauding his heroic deeds--even though many of the people wants him dead but no one dared to lay their fingers on him. Yes, I've read a lot of news and rumors about his activities--don't underestimate those with humble origins," she added, sipping her cup of tea--referring to how Kohaku's reputation became infamous for those criminals he slaughter in a minute and he is known as a walking murder machine in Secret Garden.

Ravina never remarry due to her Spanish late-husband is 'irreplaceable' in her words, nobody can be like him and that's what she thinks as she loved her children too much to get a new husband again and abandoned them. Damien could hardly remember the time when his father was alive, just vague images of moments before the accident that shattered his life. Her eldest son has a split resemblance of him, her beloved Sebastián Fernandez or 'Bastian' as she usually referred him as--with silver-white hair, matching ruby-red eyes and pale complexion. Wearing a signature dark Prussian blue formal shirt, light gold tie underneath a light gray vest, matching light gray blazer and pants with polished black shoes--with a black trench coat that draped over his shoulders and black gloves. Oh right, that fancy brown sunglasses that made Bastian looks so fucking identical to him, not to mention the strong foreign accent from his language.

Damien is a quick learner and is smart, understanding complex concepts quickly and possessing mastery over physics, chemistry, maths, biology, mechanics, engineering, aviation and more. Due to his status as a assassin, his martial arts skill is matchless and he has a kendo sparring partner from time to time whenever he went to Secret Garden branch office in Bali--not just there, but other countries where is stationed to investigate the location. Although he's twenty-five years old, he still have a bitter feelings towards others yet being mature is his better trait. Deep down, the man felt resentment and shame, not because he lacked talent or skill but because he couldn't stand the fact that other people might think of him as inferior and weak, it wasn't his fault for wanting to be 'special'.

Luca sometimes teases him because he's still single even though he was the heir of his mother's organization, known as Christiadjie Group that mostly owned casinos in underground business and a renowned company focused on human resources, healthcare, education, pharmaceuticals, advertising, construction, logistics, tourism and leisure. "I want to make a business in that island, while I'm looking a business partner so we can invest into the island--but first, I need to make a perfect plan for this," Ravina informed him.

Well, that's something I knew about her.

Ravina has a sharp business instinct and cunning, a natural born leader as she uses all of her assets--including people she has influence on and keeps all of her opponents beneath her own heel to ensure absolute victory. Still, there are some cases she refuses to do business with those unreliable or shady, letting the things flowing as if nothing ever happened. "I want to invest in that business, don't you dare trying to compete against me because I can buy the lands with your organization's money, and not to mention destroying your companies without mercy," she warned him, in which Damien wasn't surprised for it but nodded--she's having the authority even as a mother of him and Luca.

"I know that, mother. Of course, you can invest on that particular area. Hyang Seram is kind of weird since the forests are overgrowing and no-one can reach there..." he replied, opening his laptop to make a report. "But, they began to change into a somewhat paradise-like place--with it has various resources that none can expected, the tropical islands are having their 'pride moment' and that will give us a tremendous boost on a source of new sources. Since I'm planning to make a survey in there, don't steal my chance for me," Damien warned her back with a light smirk at her, as she rolls her eyes.

That's what he always says as a young man who possesses huge wealth and had the ability to easily obtain what he wants, without really having to work for it.

Although he was part of Nine Dragons in Indonesia, being one of the nine large entrepreneurs with Chinese descent in Indonesia. This term first appeared in the New Order era, when businessmen and the government formed a mutually beneficial relationship. With this status, their companies were getting a free credit from state-run banks and lower tax rates--and mostly they're also recruited to have a role as police or part of the security forces. Damien is considered cruel when it comes to his competitors, rival or enemy who caused disruption in their territories and as the eldest, he have the responsibilities to protect their empire. He's the pioneer and tycoon in cigarette industry, as the most loyal member to the country.

If anyone stands in his way, Damien can simply call off every person he knows to cause some scene or giving a sabotage to the enemy's business. That's what it feels when your family ties are somehow mixed with the dark side of the system, always do dirty-business and never too far from the underground activities.

Flashback...

"Not all businesses are clean, whose mouth is that?" he asked, looking at his employees with stern eyes in which they immediately respond to him with a bow. "Telling Mr. Christiadjie that the one he helped isn't clean enough? That's not what he meant by 'partnering together', perhaps you don't know the meaning of that word?"

Meanwhile, Luca stared at him while his shoulder leaning on his seat's cushioned arms, watching from the side in his cold demeanor from his room--cold eyes and stoic expression painted on his handsome face. "Sheesh, bro. Aren't you being too hard for these people?" Luca suddenly appeared behind Damien's back, which made him flinched. "What the fuck, Luca? Can't you ever tell that I'm in middle of a conflict here?" he scolded him, who calmly shrugged in response.

Luca has silver-white bangs covering half of his forehead almost reaching his eyebrows with a visible contrast to the darker hues as its grown outward and toward the side of the left side, while the rest fall over his closed eyes to his cheeks. The remaining lower front section of his hair hangs loosely down past his nose to chin length. Although he lacks few strands fell in front of the ears, the bangs covering his right eye appears to be a little longer, falling over his shoulder and pass his chest length. He wears his usual ensemble consists of his customized steel gray tailored coat with shoulder folds and a wide folded cravat, beneath his long furs around his shoulders and he's wearing black gloves too. He has the laidback expression similar to his late-father's but hidden in his cheerful and charismatic disguise, his closed-eyes and neutral emotion makes him looks relax and never worrying of the consequences of his actions.

Before he became a Program Director in Trilaksana Organization.

Some employees in his division sometimes misjudge him due to his carefree appearance, let alone his laidback demeanor and he tends to give remarks on negative or ambiguous sentences with a laugh--he will laugh coldly, leaving everyone scared and confused at the same time. Not just in family as well, which made some family members and people doesn't want to be with him that often. They have several relatives, since Ravina is the eldest of the nine siblings in her family.

Their full blooded relatives also live close to them, yet there's fewer of them left than in the earlier.

End of Flashback...

Ravina let her son take a look around in her mansion, since she always live alone to give Damien and Luca freedom--to pursue their own dreams and futures. For several times, he wondered that she's still sad of losing her husband and that led her mourning--she didn't bother being happy after living all her life as a widow. Besides, the idea of remarriage made her feel like shit so it's better if she didn't start a new family and stay single for the rest of her lifetime--she rather focusing on her sons instead.

Back then, that severe collision almost killed her and saw her husband was protecting her from the crash--with his life being taken from that incident in Jakarta. Ravina's cold and stoic expression shattered into shock and disbelief when she find out that her husband didn't make it in the hospital, it made her severely depressed when she saw his lifeless body in the coffin. Her eldest son approached her, before he wrap his arm around her shoulder and hold her close. He can't do anything but let her cry, she kept having the regrets to married the love of her life as she can't forgive her late husband for making her endured the grievances and pains. Luca, her second son arrived as well and he also shocked by the outcome, before he immediately goes to his mother's side to give comfort. "Mother," he whispered.

Damien clenched his fists, before he muttered. "I'm sorry, Mother... to make you endure a tragedy and got involved in the accident... just to protect us from harm," he apologized. Damien and Luca used their comfort and encouraging words as an effort to support her during those six-years and tried to comfort her loss, as she sobbed hard on their chest.

"Please..." she whispered, sobbing hysterically. "Don't leave me...!"

The day her deceased husband was being buried in his grave and Damien helped her to hold a funeral service. They were standing by while holding the umbrella and Ravina stood in front of the grave, looking defeated and all the tears were being shed down to the floor. Damien, her eldest son and Luca, her second son, were standing behind her. Because he's the eldest, Damien had to take over the paternal role for both of them. He frowned and forced himself to be more cool-headed. "God knows it," he muttered under his breath. Luca stared at his older brother with curious, wondering what he would become a powerful, influential and independent son that Ravina raised him.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Damien let out a silent wince when he felt a gentle touch on his back, he turn around and nobody was there.

Weeks later, after that painful experience--Ravina's confidence faltered and disappeared within a blink of an eye, so she suffered a deep depression which would drive herself into her deep sleep until she got exhausted for both sleep and mental. It makes Damien had to stay in her mansion to prevent her from being suicidal, she eventually gets better--but never the same after losing her husband. She needed a lot of support, so bad that she was trying not to be haunted by the image of her late-husband. And luckily, Ravina had her two sons to depend on--not to mention she had multiple friends.

He found that she needed to feel warmth, while she's leaning her head into his embrace and rubbing her head into him.

And somehow, he felt weird--because he always remember it as a time when his mother held him the very same way when he was a little child; a younger kid who longed for love and warmth. Both of his parents always gave him enough tenderness and all he needed. They always tried their best to give their sons enough care and affection.

In the present, whenever she look at her eldest son, she felt nostalgic because of his splitting image from her late husband. But for Luca, he got a mixture from his father's carefree looks and her serious attitude--although she couldn't care less about the differences anyway. Of course, she worried that something bad happened to them since she doted on them so much but she already warned Luca not to do such stupid or silly stuff and she did the same for Damien. She would make sure they followed her orders--making sure they can come back from their world and take care of themselves after she sent them to another island. That's her duties as a mother, isn't it?

Ravina always discipline them and make them independent without relying on others, often scolding them and telling to not do the stupid and reckless things because she won't help them anymore--she want them to have a bright future. The truth is, deep inside her heart; Ravina isn't a mother--but a father figure with the fearless aura shrouding her being. From her semi-masculine fashion by wearing suits, dominating other family members and her intimidation. There's not much she could do but to raise them on her own, though not letting that bother her as she still has the goals of destroying all Phantom Beasts in the world.

***

Ravina walked around her eldest son in circle, her heels tapped to the marble floor as he kept his poker face expression despite watching his mother suspiciously. Then, she paused her steps and stopped right in front of him. "It's been a while since we sparred together, would you like to warm up yourself?" she asked politely as Damien stared at her for a moment before he nodded his head. Ravina was strong and cold to her enemies as they feared her strength; when it comes to close-ranged combat, she can quickly and accurately respond to the attackers with her martial art techniques and even using them to block their moves to gain an advantage to attack them or even fend themselves to think twice before thinking.

As they have arrived in the piste (fencing room) area where has a vintage and warm background for the combat scene of 'real fight'--basically they're in a piste room where the people sparring their blades, there's no blood spilled here for now, just a warm-up stage and they're an audience during the competition. Damien pulled the handle of his cane and drawing the long blade of his sword, aiming the tip of the blade towards her. Ravina simply grabbed her cane from her side, simply drawing her own blade and charging up against him--as the steel clashed against each other, echoing the room from the sound as the two fighters battle with their glares while being focused.

The two fighters engaged their skills; Damien swings his blade as the sparks flying between their blades once Ravina deflected his first attack, countering his blade. "Not fast enough," she reprimanded, delivering a thrust before Damien parried. "You must improve faster, son!" Ravina continued attacking as Damien parried, counterattacked before blocking and parried the rapid yet accurate slash and thrust--including the riposte. The twenty-five years old man in a black suite saw an opening, thrusting and making Ravina dodged sideways. The clashing sounds of steel and swinging their canes-turned-blades as they fight against each other, resulting them both gritting their teeth and gasping.

Ravina swings her sword into his exposed shoulder, making Damien hissed and he pushed her sword away before attempting to block but she gripped tight on her blade and twirl it before she managed to slash against his wrist. He had to block her with his sword when her hands pulled his wrist to disarm him, until she twirled again and sliced his upper shoulder. He gasped before he stumbled back from the blow and Ravina pointed her sword against the nape of his neck, it seems she had a lead. "Looks like you need improve your attack and defense, since your movements are getting slower. It's just a warm-up," Ravina commented, making Damien clicked his tongue from the result. "I'm afraid you will be training with me under my control until you got back to focus," she added, lifting his chin with the tip of her blade and Damien narrowed his eyes at this. He just started his training session, but Ravina never let him get distracted easily.

She knows that her eldest son is very strong, but he must not get weaker and not hesitate to kill a human being whenever he likes it or not--she doesn't need any lousy warriors under her care. And also, letting her two sons under her heel and won't hesitate to have them trained harshly if they wanted to work for her. "Get up," she demanded, her tone is calm and solemn without anger to her children. Damien has shown almost nothing, just a sign of anarchistic antagonism, no wrath when his subordinates were failed--only disappointment in their own faults.

In her eyes... she is aware of her eldest son is capable of being a fierce, merciless mercenary leader, but will be fully dedicated to a purpose that serves an ideal that is strong enough and able to compete with his values. Nothing will get his emotions to compromise, which is essential for her vision. 'The strong one are allowed to ascend, then only the strong are allowed to reach his own goal.'

"Warm up is over, this is a real battle."

With a powerful and confident determination written on her face, there's no going back for their new lesson. With cold blood and mercilessness, the two exchanged and blocking their move--focus on the precision but swift their move. 'He's improving, he was acting weak during warm up... how unexpected of my boy. I raised an excellent assassin,' she thought, keeping her gaze towards him. 'If Luca is here, he would probably know. You have to get serious, from now,' Ravina said in her mind, calculating his moves.

Damien had felt her strong will and he didn't like it, but he was clever as he decided to stand up and slowly walking towards her as if he's retreating in fear but Ravina walked forward and prepared for his last assault, giving Damien the clear view of his target as the moment she swings her blade, that was the moment he launched his attack. Her deadpan eyes widened a little when he dodged the blade and he used his other hand to grab her sword, pulling it towards him in turn disarming her. His foot slides under her and made her tripped backwards, making his hand hold her back and catch her from falling.

She saw the tip of his blade to her chest where it is not nearing her, ending the short match with his free and untouched from her own attacks.

"You made it, dear son."

Ravina praised calmly, not changing her tone or emotions and her words gave Damien the fact that he had won this match, earning his satisfaction. "It would be a perfect victory if your body isn't injured. Once it heals, I will personally train you in three days, at least nine to three," she demanded, he simply pulled her closer to their eyes staring at each other before he helped her stand up. Damien grunted and sat on the chair while he holds the sword, watching Ravina checked on his wrist that is bleeding and she noticed his arm had been healed.

"I had already used them by yesterday, so the cut wouldn't take a long time to heal. I will send the next healers over tomorrow," Damien spoke, watching his mother to use the medicine, he hissed a little while the wounds were treated with the bandage. "A real man shall not be merciful and considerate. You do not allow your heart to determine the way of thinking during the time of assassination or at war. Even the slightest hesitation, guilt and failure will always haunt you," Ravina spoke, her tone hasn't changed but Damien heard it. There's something else to it as he listened. "For you; my son, I will mold and shape your form to grow stronger, to be the man that you will surpass them and become the one that will achieve the power."

Ravina explained, finished tending his wounds and re-wiping his bleeding cheek as he closed his eyes. "This is your path, leading to your fate where a man had faced his destiny and guided through, your existence have no place to being ordinary for an average person," she added, which meant that will be his will, his strength to surpass them all and gain the unknown from the depths of his mind. Damien understood this, before both of them went to the main hall and talked about a lot of things.

"Oh right, please call your subordinate to come here, I have something to give for him."

Damien heard her as he nodded, before he take out his phone and swiped his screen. "As you wish, mother."

Hours later...

From Secret Garden branch in Bali, Kohaku entered the mansion of the Christiadjies--a popular aristocrat family in Indonesia's underworld and wealthy residents in Bali. When he stepped his foot in, he saw another staff bowing him politely before he noticed another worker passing through to him, saluting with small smile. "You must be Kayana," Ravina greeted him, making shudder in fear because this is Damien's mother--his boss' mom. "Y-Yes, Mrs. Christiadjie... Are you Damien's mother?"

"The one and only," she replied coolly, standing there in front of him with crossed arms--her ruby-colored eyes reflected his red pupils like seeing a red snake inside his magenta-red eyes. "My son keep talking about you, apparently he had something good in you," she informed him, he started sweating on the back of his head and it's not because it's very hot and humid.

Kohaku took a deep breath, wiping his sweat because of this climate in Bali and he is going to retire soon--just kidding, he never felt interested in retiring either as he have such a flexible job where he needs to move here and there. "Huh? Well, we're friends now--close friends for him. I'm helping him with a few difficult missions due to his background and connection," the auburn-haired man responded. "When he approached me with questions, I always give my honest answers whenever we met."

"Tch, no wonder you're a smartass like him..." she huffed, before inspecting his body like checking a slave she recently bought in a market. That kind of eyes he saw from many people throughout his youth, they always looked at him as if he's no different than an animal--a monster. He is quiet and stoic for most of his life, or being a psychopath that causes chaos because he have a violent streaks in him. "For a commoner like you, you're very strange... but, I heard about your father--Kahayana Sahilendra Tirta, he's a government official and part of state-owned enterprise... who worked with my son. I'll consider you even if you're coming from a commoner, don't mess up because I'm not easy to please. Are you working or unemployed?"

"I'm... a lecturer, Mrs. Christiadjie," he revealed.

Surprised? Well, he is known for being a smartypants and he loves educating the citizens of the country how things are--and based on the news in media. But, why lecturer instead of a teacher? Kohaku doesn't give a shit when it comes to absence and gradings, having an unpredictable mood--mostly towards his students for not respecting him if he teaches at high school, junior high or elementary school. He just didn't care about them at all, while the most of them is afraid of his silent anger that can be really deadly--imagine facing him when you messed up, it will end worse than death--it might hurt your body but the emotional scar will last forever.

"You? Becoming a lecturer? I'm amazed at you, kid. If you can handle those pretentious bastards for more than a year, I'll know that you're a pro," she complimented, before she took something out of the envelop from her black bag. "A list of files regarding suspicious suspects that rumored to have connections with Scarlet Armband Army from your intelligence, here. It took you a while but thanks for the hard work," she put the envelope on his hands. "Thank you, Mrs. Christiadjie. Now I will going back to deliver these things to Damien," he said, in which Ravina nodded--returning to her cold and stone-hearted composure.

The truth about the organization he works in, is so absurd that nobody gonna believe it without solid evidences and facts that needs to be proven in reality. "Also, I have a question... regarding the existence of shadow government in Indonesia, who are they and what's their purpose are?" Kohaku asked her, making her chuckle. "A curious soul to understand our world? If I were you, Kayana, I think is wiser not to know the truth," the older female answered, with Kohaku left speechless and pondering on what she had told him--he sighed as his lips tilted a little. "I met the shadow ministers, nothing to worry about, Mrs. Christiadjie."

Ravina raised her eyebrow, glancing at him closely. The young man is something different but she can feel his determination is strong as a lion, facing the king of beasts alone without any courage--is only to bring out his true nature in the end. "The shadow government is ruled by the entity called Shadow Ministers in our world, they are those elite officials who ruled everything in totalitarian governance in the darkest corners," she advised him with narrowed eyes. "They purged traitors, corruptors, kidnappers and other people to establish order, with a shadow organization that controls the country's security. Once you mess with them... I must pray for your soul."

"That isn't difficult. With what little ability I possess, I will make due with this for my assignment..." Kohaku didn't break his gaze, to which Ravina laughed bitterly. "You know, Damien must be lucky to find someone like you. He's stubborn and hard-headed, to the point I considered him as the biggest softy due to how adorable he can be," she told him with a grin, that even made the assassin bewildered. "Oh, I thought he's a typical businessman who always serious and cold-hearted...?"

Kohaku asked, seeing her snorted sarcastically at his question. "Pfft, not when he's in home," she confirmed, the older female turned around while waving her hands to him. "Until we meet again, Kayana Sahanaya Tirta," she said, before entering her mansion again--Kohaku could swear at himself mentally of what he just fucking discovered.

'I'm definitely not telling him about this shit.'

Oh right, he has appointment with Radjasa to shop around the mall after his lecturing hours--goddamnit man.

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