REVENGE OF THE MOURNER

A handsome, muscular man stepped down from the fighter jet that had just landed at the military base on the outskirts of Greyston Hollow. A thousand soldiers, led by a tall, heavily built man in a black coat, stood in crisp rows and gave him a military salute. It was a truly unusual sight in a small town like Greyston Hollow.

"Dimitri, didn't I tell you not to do something ridiculous like this? I'm not a member of The Nocturn anymore. I'm back in my hometown as a regular civilian," said Leonidas Vale, the man who had just exited the fighter jet.

Dimitri, the tall, heavy-set man leading the soldiers, lowered his right hand and replied, "Don't say that, sir. Even though command accepted your resignation, to me you are still a Nocturner. You are the legend of The Nocturn, irreplaceable by anyone."

The Nocturn was a secret military organization feared across the world. Leon had become a Nocturner—the term for The Nocturn's members—five years prior, and in a short time, he became a living legend, respected and revered. Then, unexpectedly, he suddenly submitted his resignation. No one truly knew his real reasons.

Leon raised an eyebrow and sighed. He'd expected Dimitri to pull a stunt like this. Among the Nocturners, Dimitri was the most loyal and supportive of him. He had even taken the initiative to take extended leave when he heard the shocking news of Leon's resignation, just so he could come to Greyston Hollow first and prepare everything Leon would need.

Leon was certainly grateful. That's why he didn't dwell too much on the military welcome, which he thought was overkill.

"Fine, what did you find out? Anything to report to me?" Leon asked.

Because Dimitri had come to Greyston Hollow first, Leon had asked him to check on his family and his wife’s situation. Six years before, he had been thrown into jail on false accusations from the Harrington family—his wife's family—claiming he had raped one of their housekeepers. Since then, he hadn't seen his family.

Dimitri stepped up to Leon. His expression was grim.

"Your family's situation isn't good, sir. Your mother suffered temporary blindness from working too hard. Your older sister, after being fired from the school where she taught, is now working at a strip club downtown. The house they live in is dilapidated. The condition is pitiful."

Leon had to take a long, slow breath and hold it for a while to stop the sudden surge of rage from consuming him.

"Do you know who made their lives like that?"

"I do, sir. After you were locked up six years ago, the Harrington family did everything they could to continue making their lives miserable."

Leon took another deep breath, this time letting it out with a snort.

He'd suspected as much. Even after successfully removing him from their lives and separating him from his wife, Evelyn, the Harrington family wouldn't stop there. They harbored a strong resentment because he had thwarted their attempts to marry Evelyn off to Jonathan Kerstel, the only son of an powerful tycoon in Greyston Hollow.

Evelyn and Leon had married seven years before. Their marriage became the subject of gossip across the city and was seen as a disgrace that damaged the social status of the Harrington family, a second-tier family in Greyston Hollow.

Had it not been for Mr. Harold—Evelyn's grandfather, the Harrington family patriarch at the time—giving his blessing, they would have ensured Evelyn and Leon's marriage never happened. Evelyn had chosen Leon as her husband of her own free will, but she alone certainly wouldn't have had enough power to decide such sensitive matters.

After Mr. Harold died of a heart attack, the Harrington family began trying various ways to separate Leon and Evelyn, and to expel Leon from their residence. And they weren't alone; Jonathan Kerstel, the sly bastard who had long been obsessed with having Evelyn, conspired with them to throw Leon into prison. And they succeeded. Since Leon was locked up, Evelyn was never allowed to even visit him.

Apparently, his wife's family wasn't satisfied even after separating Leon from Evelyn. As Dimitri informed him, they then targeted Leon's mother and sister. Leon figured they must have thought he'd be jailed forever and rot in there.

But they didn't know that in his ninth month in prison, the warden suddenly offered Leon a chance to join The Nocturn. It turned out the warden was a Nocturn agent tasked with recruiting talented people deemed to have the potential to conquer the world.

Leon took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger. "What about my wife?"

"Based on the information I managed to gather, sir," Dimitri said, "the Harrington family is trying to marry your wife off to Jonathan Kerstel. And today, Jonathan Kerstel is scheduled to propose to your wife at a lavish party at The Vellington. If the schedule holds, the proposal will happen in half an hour."

Leon's eyes widened. His hands clenched into fists. "Are you sure this information is valid?"

"Yes, sir. One hundred percent certain."

"Then I'm going there now."

"Understood, sir. Let me escort you to the car."

Following Dimitri, Leon walked, cutting through the line of a thousand soldiers. His gaze was full of fury, his fists clenching tighter.

'Wait for me, Eve! I'm going to save our marriage!'

...

Twenty minutes later at The Vellington, a five-star hotel in downtown Greyston Hollow...

Hundreds of people were in the ballroom, all wearing luxurious and elegant suits and gowns. They chatted away, occasionally sipping on thousands of dollar wine.

Up front, near a stage, were rows of incredibly expensive gifts, ranging from jewelry worth millions of dollars to a model of a magnificent apartment complex whose current market price hovered around 200 million dollars.

All the gifts brought by Jonathan Kerstel would belong to the Harrington family once Evelyn accepted Jonathan's formal proposal.

"You're truly incredible, Jonathan. Victor Kerstel's only son is in a league of his own!" said Verona, Evelyn's mother.

"After Evelyn becomes your wife, we'll be part of the renowned Kerstel family. It's an honor for us!" exclaimed Roger, Evelyn's father.

"We're genuinely lucky to be receiving all these luxurious gifts from you, Jonathan. And this luck could have come sooner if only Evelyn wasn't so stubborn. Until recently, she still considered that damned loser her husband," said Gregory, Evelyn's brother.

"You mean that poor worker, Leon, right? But it's fine. The important thing is your sister's eyes are finally open now," said Margot, Evelyn's aunt. "It's only right that Evelyn should be with a handsome and classy man like you, Jonathan."

Jonathan happily accepted the flattery. His chest swelled, and his smile widened. As an only child spoiled by his father, he was always hungry for other people's acknowledgment of his greatness.

"This is nothing. On my wedding day with Evelyn, I'll bring even more gifts, and they'll definitely be much more luxurious than these," Jonathan said.

Verona's and the others' eyes immediately sparkled. They showered Jonathan with more praise. Jonathan nodded and smiled broadly. He invited them to toast.

Everyone on the stage looked cheerful and enjoyed the moment, except Evelyn. Standing awkwardly, Evelyn looked away—avoiding eye contact with Jonathan. She never wanted this grand party. In fact, she never wanted the engagement to Jonathan, which her family desperately pushed for.

It was because she still hoped Leon would soon be freed from prison. Six years had passed since Leon was thrown into jail. She was so angry at her family because they constantly prevented her from visiting him, even though she just wanted to know how her husband was doing.

But she couldn't deny one thing: constantly waiting without certainty eventually wore her down. That's why she started to relent to her family's ambition to marry her off to Jonathan. And that's how their engagement was arranged. In her mind, at least if it was just an engagement, she could still keep her distance from Jonathan and go back to Leon when he was released.

"Eve, while we wait for the proposal to start, how about we dance?" Jonathan approached Evelyn and took her hand, making her nearly jump.

Evelyn wanted to refuse, but her family's gaze was so intimidating, as if something terrible would happen to her if she didn't agree to dance with Jonathan. So, she gave in. Unexpectedly, Jonathan pulled her by the waist, pressing her close to his body. Evelyn felt a slight discomfort as her boobs pressed against Jonathan's chest.

"What's wrong, Eve? You don't look like you're enjoying our moment. Are you thinking about that trash again?" Jonathan whispered, right into Evelyn's left ear.

"Don't call him that. He's not trash," Evelyn protested.

"Then what? A rapist?"

"Stop it, Jo!"

Evelyn and Jonathan stared fiercely at each other. Evelyn's fair cheeks flushed slightly with anger. Jonathan, meanwhile, smiled mockingly and a wicked smirk spread across his face.

"Next month, you'll be my wife. You need to forget that bastard," Jonathan said.

Evelyn didn't reply, but she tried to pull away from Jonathan, yet failed. Jonathan held Evelyn's waist with one hand while the other grasped Evelyn's chin and lifted it.

"You're going to be mine, Eve. Start getting used to it," Jonathan stated, moving his lips closer to Evelyn's.

"Jonathan... please... don't do this..." she pleaded, her pupils wide.

CRASH!

Suddenly, the ballroom doors were violently thrown open, drawing everyone's attention. And instantly, Evelyn's eyes widened, recognizing the figure standing in the doorway.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Jonathan Kerstel?!"

...