Chapter 3 : Darren and the Thief

"Thief!" Someone shouted very loudly. "Help me! That guy stole my wallet!" 

Darren's footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and he turned his head to look at the source of the voice. A woman was panicking because her purse had just vanished from her hands, taken by force by a thief who was now on the run, scurrying away, avoiding the crowd area, and going into the forest. 

Darren was alert; he watched Yupo with a hardened jawline. His gaze turned sharp and watchful. 

"Yupo, we have to help that woman; let's postpone going to the fish market." "Once we catch up with the thief, I'll give you some fresh fish." Darren nodded firmly to Yupo, to which the giant cat replied with a loud meow. 

With a single slam, Darren climbed onto Yupo's back. "Yupo, walk now!" 

Yupo's four feet stomped loudly on the ground, speeding up, charging forward, and cutting through the crowd that was created. People were busy with their own businesses; the woman was crying as she chased after Darren, who had already sped off with Yupo. 

Yupo's steps were fast and long. His large body made the crowd dodge, giving way to the giant cat to continue forward. 

"Yupo, go faster!" Darren shouted. 

The market had fallen behind, and now before them lay a field of corn ready for harvest. Darren's eyes sharpened. 

"Over there!" he said loudly, his index finger pointing at the thief, who had just entered the forest. 

The thief was dressed in black, looking striking at this time of day. With the help of Yupo, who had agile legs, Darren was able to catch up to the thief quickly. 

"Up ahead, we'll be there in a bit. Pick up the pace, Yupo, you can do it." 

Yupo gritted his sharp teeth; several small trees fell to the ground as soon as Yupo tried to pass them. Darren admitted that the thief up ahead was very skilled; his running was quite fast. 

"Yupo, block the thief's path; you must jump; block his steps! "Do it now!" 

The thief is right in front of Darren's eyes; he must be caught. Darren must be able to catch him, tie his hands, and take him away to the Crimson Palace to be tried. 

Yupo jumped high, his huge body now right in front of the thief. Darren smiled with satisfaction, while Yupo meowed ferociously. But the thief was not out of ideas; he immediately turned to the left, driving away again, hoping to escape the pursuit of Darren and Yupo. 

"Damn it, he's dodging. Yupo, go after that thief again!

As Yupo followed his instructions, Darren wondered to himself what power the thief had, which clan he was from, and why he had to steal a wallet. Moreover, the victim's position was in the market, where there were a lot of people. Wasn't the thief very reckless in his actions? He was vulnerable to being caught. However, Darren now realizes that the thief is good at dodging. 

"Stop right there; you're not going anywhere!" Darren said loudly as Yupo's steps stopped. 

The thief, who was wearing a face covering, looked up at Darren, his body still and his gaze alert, trying to find an opening to escape from Darren and the giant cat. Yupo meowed ferociously at the thief, showing his sharp fangs. Yupo's gaze was not friendly. For a split second, the thief seemed to shrink when he realized the presence of Yupo, who could have swallowed him alive. 

"You're trapped." Darren straightened his back. When Darren stepped forward, the thief stepped back. "You're already at the edge of the cliff; one more step back, and you'll surely fall and drown, or you might even die."

Behind the cover of his face, the thief put on a lopsided smile without Darren noticing. 

Darren moved forward again. "I just want to ask you for the wallet you stole, now the change. It's not yours." 

The big thief was silent, and Darren knew that he was a man. The thief still kept his lips sealed, as if he was afraid of being immediately recognized if he raised his voice.

Darren let out a long sigh, then he thrust his hand forward. "Where's the wallet? I need it." 

"I need it too." For the first time, Darren could hear the thief's voice; it was heavy and slightly hoarse. 

"But that wallet isn't yours." 

"It's in my hands now, so it's mine."

"That's not the concept." 

The thief replied quickly. "Fuck it, I don't care at all."

Darren hardened his jaw, and his hands clenched into tight fists. "Give me back that wallet or you'll regret it. You've got nowhere to go. I'll give you two choices." Darren paused, while the thief watched and waited for Darren's words to float back into the air. "Take out the wallet you're hiding, give it to me right now, and I'll let you go." 

"Or what?" asked the thief, challenging Darren.

"Or I'll teach you a lesson; I'm not messing around. You're already in a corner; one wrong move and you're going down." 

"And you thought I'd be scared off by your little bluff?" 

"Well, I'm not messing around." Darren immediately created a fireball in his hand. The flames blazed and twisted. 

"Fire clan?" The thief chuckled softly, and he then moved forward fearlessly. Now, it was Darren's turn to move backwards. 

Darren swallowed. He tried to be calm; he must not show that he was scared. Darren must not give the thief a chance to turn around and intimidate him. 

"Don't be a hero, the fire clan is useless. You can only burn and create destruction." The thief spoke firmly. "Now, you'd better get out of here, mind your own business, and so should I. Do you understand?" 

"You're my business!" snapped Darren, his eyes already flashing. 

"Prove that you can fight me, weakling. You won't win. You're no match for me." 

Hooked by anger, Darren's jaw instantly hardened, and the young man immediately launched a surprise attack towards the front. The fireball he created rushed forward at high speed. 

Darren was sure that the thief would either get hurt or fall into the river below. But something unexpected happened instead. Darren let out a low scream, his breath caught in his throat, his eyes bulging. Darren couldn't believe what he was seeing right now. 

The thief in front of Darren disappeared somewhere, disappearing from his sight. 

"No, this can't be happening." Darren was confused; he was now ambushed by fear. 

Then, Darren felt his shoulder being tapped from behind and immediately turned his head. 

"You were looking for me?" 

Darren had not yet given any reply when the thief pushed Darren so suddenly. With his great strength, Dareen was pushed off the cliff. 

Darren screamed as his body felt the sensation of floating in the air for a few moments.