6kv Chapter 316: The First Clan War!!
Chapter 316: The First Clan War!!
Chloe let out a soft sigh before looking at Elena with a playful smile.
"Well, Mrs. Kellar."
"Hiring a billionaire musician in your restaurant is really commendable."
She glanced at Miles.
"I don’t know if I can afford him."
Elena burst into laughter.
Even Miles nearly choked on his ice cream.
"Hey."
"I am not that expensive."
Chloe raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"You own half the city."
"I think you are very expensive."
Miles opened his mouth to defend himself but failed to find a proper argument.
Elena laughed even harder.
"Son."
"I think she already knows how to handle you."
Miles sighed dramatically.
"This is unfair."
Then he pointed toward Elena.
"So, meet my mom."
Chloe blinked.
"I am meeting her for the second time."
Miles froze.
Then he looked between them.
"Wait."
"So that’s how you know her?"
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Mom."
"You knew about her?"
Elena folded her arms.
"Of course I knew about her."
Miles looked betrayed.
Elena smiled.
"Last month during breakfast you suddenly became quiet."
"You were staring at nothing."
"You barely touched your food."
"I am your mother."
"How could I not notice?"
Chloe listened quietly.
A gentle smile rested on her face.
Elena continued.
"So I asked Mona."
Miles immediately turned toward the ceiling.
"Traitor."
Elena ignored him.
"She told me about Chloe."
"She told me how everything ended."
Her voice softened.
"And how painful it was."
For a brief moment silence filled the room.
Elena looked at both of them.
"I prayed for you two."
Chloe’s eyes became slightly wet.
Elena squeezed her hand gently.
"Then Mona told me about her friend Alice."
"And how someone accidentally invited an entire company to move to Star Harbor."
Chloe giggled.
Miles looked away.
"That sounds familiar."
Elena pointed at him.
"Exactly."
Chloe could not stop smiling.
Everything suddenly made sense.
Every strange coincidence.
Every unexpected connection.
Every familiar face.
Elena continued.
"So I invited her for dinner."
"I wanted to see her with my own eyes."
Miles looked shocked.
"Wait."
"So you, Monica, and Alice knew the whole time?"
"And nobody told me?"
Chloe suddenly looked surprised.
"Lissy knew too?"
Miles nodded.
"Monica asked me to pick someone up from the airport."
Chloe instantly remembered.
"The airport..."
Miles nodded.
"That was supposed to be you."
Chloe covered her face.
"I remember."
Elena laughed.
"We prepared so many scenarios."
"The airport."
"The Sunday visit."
"The meeting that he refused."
"The meeting that you missed."
"Today."
"But every single plan failed."
Chloe laughed through her tears.
Miles shook his head.
"Unbelievable."
Elena smiled warmly.
"But in the end..."
"You found each other yourselves."
Her eyes became gentle.
"It was fate."
The room grew quiet.
Elena stepped forward and held Chloe’s hands between her own.
"Thank you for coming, dear."
"I am very happy."
"For both of you."
"I wish you all the happiness in the world."
Chloe’s throat tightened.
She nodded softly.
"Thank you."
Elena smiled.
Then she looked at the dessert.
"Now eat before it melts."
She began walking toward the door.
Then stopped.
"Oh."
"And come home sometimes."
Chloe immediately nodded.
"Thank you, Mrs. Kellar."
"I definitely will."
Elena’s smile widened.
"I hope you won’t have to call me Mrs. Kellar for very long."
The door closed.
Silence.
Chloe’s face turned completely red.
Miles continued eating his ice cream as if nothing had happened.
"You good?"
Chloe stared at him.
Then laughed.
"She is so sweet."
Her voice softened.
"I feel calm around her."
"Comfortable."
"Safe."
Miles smiled.
"I know that feeling."
He looked down at his bowl.
"When I returned home, I barely remembered anything."
"Not much about my childhood."
"Not much about her."
"But she changed everything."
His eyes became warm.
"It feels like I was never away."
Chloe listened quietly.
Then slowly stood.
Her eyes never leaving him.
"I feel like I found my destiny."
Miles looked up.
"And I am not letting you go now."
The words were simple.
Yet they carried years of longing.
Years of waiting.
Years of regret.
Miles stood as well.
"I feel the same."
The next second Chloe wrapped her arms around him.
Holding him tightly.
Miles gently hugged her back.
Neither wanted to let go....
Hours passed.
Conversation after conversation.
Memory after memory.
Story after story.
Neither realized how much time had gone by.
The restaurant gradually emptied.
The lights slowly dimmed.
Staff members began cleaning tables.
Only then did they realize the restaurant was closing.
Reluctantly they finally left.
Chloe departed with Alice.
Miles left with Monica and Elena.
The city lights reflected across the roads as Miles drove through Star Harbor.
Monica occupied the passenger seat.
Elena sat comfortably in the back.
For several minutes silence filled the car.
Then Monica suddenly spoke.
"So."
"When is it?"
Miles frowned.
"When is what?"
Monica looked at him as if he were stupid.
"The wedding."
Miles nearly swerved the car.
"What?!"
Monica rolled her eyes.
"All that dramatic reunion."
"All those tears."
"All those hugs."
"And still no proposal."
Miles coughed.
"I..."
"I didn’t ask her yet."
Monica sighed deeply.
"All that show for nothing."
"Seriously."
"How can someone like you be this shy?"
Miles almost dropped dead.
"I am not shy."
"It just happened suddenly."
Elena immediately spoke from the back seat.
"Give him some time."
Miles pointed proudly toward the rearview mirror.
"See?"
"Mom supports me."
Elena smiled.
Then calmly added.
"You are shy."
Miles looked betrayed.
"Mom."
Elena laughed.
"Just don’t make that sweet innocent girl wait too long."
Miles sighed.
"I know."
A few moments later Elena suddenly spoke again.
"How about inviting her on Sunday?"
Miles looked at the mirror.
"Home?"
"Weren’t we going fishing?"
Elena shook her head.
"No."
"The island."
"We can surprise your father."
Monica immediately became excited.
"I want to see Uncle Daniel’s reaction."
Miles laughed.
Elena nodded.
"Then the island it is."
"Invite Alice and Kate too."
Miles shook his head.
"Looks like you know more about them than I do."
Elena smiled proudly.
"Of course."
"I am your mother."
Outside the window, Star Harbor’s lights stretched endlessly beneath the night sky.
Miles felt something he thought he had lost forever.
And somewhere else in the city, Chloe sat beside Alice with a smile she could no longer hide.
The future no longer felt uncertain.
Because after years of pain and regret beneath the same North star..
They had finally found their way back to each other.
....
The morning air was cool and fresh.
A thin layer of mist drifted between the tall maple trees .
Birds chirped softly from the branches overhead while sunlight filtered through the leaves, painting golden patterns across the ground.
Miles walked down the familiar path wearing a simple black training outfit.
Unlike the previous weeks, there was a noticeable difference today.
A smile.
Not the polite smile he showed guests.
A genuine one.
The kind that came from the heart.
He stretched his shoulders once before starting a light jog through the trail.
His pace was steady.
Relaxed.
Then he spotted a familiar figure waiting ahead.
Monica stood beside the tree with her arms folded.
She was already dressed for exercise.
Miles slowed down and smiled.
"It’s rare to see you here."
Monica raised an eyebrow.
"Of course."
"I wanted to talk to you."
Miles chuckled.
"About?"
Monica looked directly at him.
"The Clan thing."
"The Ancient Warrior Order."
"And the island."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I found out you’ve been secretly developing that island for years."
"What exactly is going on?"
Miles laughed softly.
"So you woke up early and came here before me just for that?"
Monica nodded without hesitation.
"Yes."
"You were going to tell me eventually."
Miles started jogging again.
"Fair enough."
"Come on."
"Let’s jog while we talk."
Monica followed beside him.
The two moved along the forest trail at an easy pace.
For a few moments only the sounds of their footsteps echoed through the quiet forest.
Then Miles finally spoke.
"So."
"It’s a centuries old story."
Monica listened carefully.
"When the Five Major Clans formed their alliance, the world was very different."
"There were no modern nations."
"No international organizations."
"No advanced technology."
"Most regions were ruled by monarchs."
They continued jogging.
"The clans united because they feared ancient martial arts would eventually disappear."
"The invention of gunpowder changed warfare forever."
"A single soldier with a firearm could threaten warriors who spent decades mastering combat."
"So the clans joined together to preserve their traditions."
Monica nodded.
"That sounds reasonable."
"It was."
Miles continued.
"The problem was that the rulers of that era viewed the alliance as a threat."
"A powerful organization with thousands of elite warriors."
"One that answered to no king."
"They feared the clans would eventually challenge their authority."
"So the monarchs united."
"And declared war."
Monica looked surprised.
"All of them?"
"Most of them."
Miles nodded.
"And that’s when the first Clan Supreme created the Ancient Warrior Order."
"The strongest warriors from all five clans."
"Masters who inherited the ancient martial arts of their ancestors."
"The techniques that today are known as Supreme Martial Arts."
Monica remained silent.
Even she could imagine how terrifying such a force must have been.
Miles continued.
"It became known as the First Clan War."
"The casualties were severe."
"On both sides."
"Entire bloodlines disappeared."
"Cities burned."
"Thousands died."
The smile had vanished from his face.
Only seriousness remained.
"In the end neither side truly won."
"So a peace agreement was signed."
Monica looked at him.
"The treaty?"
Miles nodded.
"The same treaty still exists today."
"It states that the world allows the martial arts clans to live independently."
"And in return the clans will never stand against governments, kingdoms, or rulers."
Monica frowned.
"But you said the alliance is powerful."
"It is."
Miles’ voice remained calm.
"Believe me."
"If the clans wanted to."
"They could infiltrate cities and capture strategic locations before anyone even realized what happened."
"Their warriors are that dangerous."
"But they won’t."
"The treaty binds them."
Monica slowly exhaled.
Now she understood why governments tolerated such powerful organizations.
Miles continued.
"After the war many supreme martial artists were permanently injured."
"Some became disabled."
"Others abandoned clan life entirely."
"The Ancient Warrior Order slowly disappeared."
"And eventually it was disbanded."
They reached a small clearing before turning around.
"The first Clan Supreme anticipated this."
"So before her death she created the Order Disk."
"And left clues hidden throughout the clan manuals."
"The pieces would only be found if the Ancient Warrior Order was ever needed again."
Monica stared at him.
"How do you even know all of this?"
Miles smiled.
"Remember my operation in Japan?"
Monica instantly remembered.
"The Yakuza incident?"
Miles nodded.
"The leader of that group happened to be descended from one of the supreme martial artists."
"I found documents referencing the disk."
"At first I thought it was just mythology."
"But then I started finding clues."
Monica sighed.
"So that’s why you kept collecting clan manuals."
"Exactly."
Miles smiled.
"I received the final manual when I helped Sayaka and her clan."
"After that I asked an old friend to help locate the remaining pieces."
Monica shook her head.
"Seriously."
"How many secrets are you hiding?"
Miles laughed.
"Probably too many."
Monica pointed at him.
"Forget that."
"Why do you need the Ancient Warrior Order now?"
The smile disappeared from Miles’ face once more.
His footsteps slowed.
The atmosphere around him changed.
The forest suddenly felt colder.
Monica immediately noticed it.
Miles looked ahead.
His eyes became sharp.
Dangerous.
Someone who knew him well would recognize that expression instantly.
Ghost had returned.
Finally he spoke.
"Someone attacked Graveyard."
Monica froze.
"What?"
"The operations two days ago."
"The missile attacks."
"The destroyed camps."
"The dead operatives."
Miles clenched his fists.
"They weren’t random."
"They were planned."
"Coordinated."
"Someone spent years gathering intelligence."
"And someone wanted Graveyard hurt."
Monica’s expression darkened.
"How many?"
Miles remained silent for several seconds.
Then answered.
"More than a fifty."
Monica stopped jogging completely.
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
Miles nodded.
"Veterans."
"Operatives."
"People I’ve fought beside."
"People who protected civilians."
The morning breeze moved through the trees.
Neither of them spoke.
Finally Monica asked quietly.
"And you think it’s connected to you?"
Miles looked toward the horizon.
His voice became cold.
"He sent me a message"
"And to send it , He killed more than fifty graveyard operatives in 9 places."
"And whoever is behind it..."
His eyes sharpened.
A killing intent so heavy that even Monica felt it.
"...they made the biggest mistake of their lives."