Quick AN before everything:

Thank you so much to xYoru for giving me major points to Reborn's character! She is literally Reborn herself, gosh, she knows the in and outs of that character, and at the point, I would like to tell all my readers that I will show you a completely in character Reborn. Well, at least very close to the actual anime- I hope.

A lot of suggestions were made by her and she became my very first beta. We also created a discord server if you want to join and talk about this fanfic! There is official fanarts of every upcoming main character made by xYoru on there too, and it is amazing! First time receiving art and I am shook.

Discord link: /4RqBBzPsFg

Fanfiction website doesn't allow me to post the link anywhere so make sure you add the discord website link before the /4RqBBzPsFg ! Other than that, I am back! Enjoy!

Chapter 20

"There's nothing else I can teach you," Mateo's usual frown stayed on his face as he lowered his head with a slight smirk. "It seems like I can call you a graduate student."

Isago shrugged, bowing and thanking Mateo for his hard work. He had already acquired the knowledge that he wanted. It was mostly staying in the flame state and understanding how to channel the sky flame. After all, the sky flame was the hardest flame to channel- which was why it was so rare.

Isago parted ways with Mateo, Adriano following Isago as they walked down the dim corridors. Isago paused for a moment, checking the date on his watch before tapping his finger on his legs a few times.

"Adriano, I need a private jet," Isago spoke up after a moment while they scurried past the doors. Adriano instantly nodded, unlocking his phone and speaking in rapid Italian. After Adriano was done, Isago smiled softly, telling him to gather his two guardians.

Aurelio had been sitting in the meeting room way before Isago arrived, wheezing with a pale face like he had just finished his morning run. The child's gold hair was matted with sweat, shoulders hunched over as he rested his head on the table in exhaustion. Usagi arrived slightly after, also having a sweaty face and her hands full of calluses. Isago had gotten word of Usagi's chosen weapons: guns. Ones that were specially modified for her.

Isago didn't know the details, but he was sure it had something to do with bombs.

"Alright, I have gathered you for two reasons," Isago's eyes flickered to the door which Adriano was standing outside of. He had made sure to specifically tell Adriano it was a private meeting for the upcoming succession. While they were waiting for Usagi, Isago had double-checked for any signs of electric signals with his flame state, in case there were any hidden cameras or recorders.

Isago lowered his voice, making the two lean closer in anticipation as he told them about the succession. Usagi's eyes widened, while Aurelio's chair clattered onto the floor as he jumped up expressively with a winsome grin upon his freckled face.

"But that's not fair! They can't do that when they're giving you a chance to compete!" Usagi hissed, narrowing her eyes. Isago could feel her flames roaring inside her body. Aurelio nodded profusely on the side, sneering at the whole building that he was in. It was funny because it seemed like he was trying to size up the entire place but failed to do so because he was competing with several pieces of furniture.

"And I thought Vongola only had the strongest as the leader."

Isago agreed slightly with Aurelio, whispering about his future plans.

"You don't have to worry about the rings, leave them to me. But while you train, make sure you take advantage of all the resources they provide," Isago lifted his head in satisfaction when he saw their eyes glimmering.

"Everything is just for practice," Isago reminded them and lifted one hand to signal that there was one more thing.

"My storm, my sun," Isago looked at the both of them seriously before extending his arms with a smirk. "It is time for me to gather all my guardians."

(⊙ω⊙) 30 years into the past...

His eyes snapped open to a beautiful shade of green and white that glared into his eyes. The first thing he did was to check the watch on his wrist which indicated the time. When the man saw the date, nothing else left his lips except for the cackle that resounded throughout the entire forest.

"We did it, Byakuran-sama!" The man threw his head back, eyes wide into insanity before lowering his head onto the dirt ground with utter devotion. Tears started to stream from his eyes while he continuously smashed his forehead onto the ground without hesitation.

"With this- with this you will become invincible!"

(⊙ω⊙) Present

Three hours later, Isago was chilling leisurely on the private jet, sipping his coffee as the plane wobbled due to turbulence. Adriano was beside him, dozing off as they left without even giving themselves a break. Isago's pupils were now constantly red while reading through his favourite novel. His eyes trailed along the letters on the pages, finishing up twenty minutes later and closing the book.

"We will now be landing in Shanghai, China."

(⊙ω⊙)

"No," Isago flipped through the booklet that Adriano had handed him. It was a list of all the people who were financially burdened and had a lightning flame as their nature. Isago flipped through a couple more pages before shaking his head.

"Next," Isago tossed the book aside, lips pulled thin into a line as more creases started to spread on his forehead. He had a feeling when he chose the country- that he was going to be able to find a suitable lightning guardian here. Yet, the feeling never appeared again after arriving in China.

After flipping through the thousands of books in front of him with his flame state, he forced a laugh out of his mouth, gaze hardening and looking as if he could kill someone. Originally, he had thought that his hyper intuition was alluding to a person who was financially burdened and would sell their soul to the devil, but maybe it wasn't the case.

(⊙ω⊙)

Isago's eyes darted through the streets as he and Adriano walked quietly, dressed in a similar fashion to the natives in China. His nose twitched as he counted the number of lightning flames that he had passed. None of them were noticeable- Isago couldn't even sense the slightest potential from their beings as they moved down the next street.

The search was hard. Way harder than what he had expected. How was Reborn able to find the perfect candidates for Tsuna's family in the first place? No- it should be said to be the plot armour of the main character. Talented individuals just happened to flock to a small town like Namimori because it was their fate to meet the future boss of Vongola.

No, to be more specific, Gokudera had flown across half the world to become Tsuna's storm guardian. In Isago's case, it was the exact opposite. Isago smacked his lips together, eyes feeling a bit strained from trailing all the different individuals and their weak flames. He massaged his nose bridge, and with a pale face, pushed onto the next block.

(⊙ω⊙)

Isago sat inside of one of the restaurants and ate slowly while taking in everything that was happening around him with his senses. While the barbecued duck was good, Isago was more focused on the conversations happening around him. Using his flame state, he had learned the language at a surprisingly fast pace. Maybe because Japanese was more similar to Chinese than he had thought- but learning it was much easier than learning Italian.

"[You need to find a girlfriend soon! What a waste of your life!]"
"[Look at your cousin! So much better than you!]"
"[Mom-]"

There were a lot of comparisons being made and families talking about each other's studies. There were frequent mentions of various different relatives and work. Isago smiled warily, feeling a bit pressured since he hadn't heard these familiar phrases in the past 15 years. In his past life, his parents had also compared him with other girls. It was annoying, but there was no way to refute their claims either. He was the small timid girl who wasn't comfortable with taking anything onto her plate.

So many missed opportunities, so many wasted resources.

Isago was feeling a bit nostalgic as he thought of his past parents. They had loved her dearly. They had supported her with all that they had, praying for her as she got into one of the world's best universities by sheer luck. But even though she had graduated, she had become one of the more useless members of society.

She couldn't find a job- no, she didn't dare to find a job because she was rejected so many times by large companies. She wasn't lucky nor exceptional. She had to work hard, but she never took the chances that were placed in front of her seriously. Isago's brows furrowed when he thought of his past self, lounging on the couch and feeling salty at the world.

No, it was his own fault for not trying harder.

"[Have you heard about the third son of the company?]"

That sentence from a round table in the corner stole Isago's attention. There was that feeling again, roaming around his stomach as it urged Isago to redirect his interest to their conversation.

"[Ah, the one who caused so many scandals that girls are now aiming for his money?]"
"[Hah, it's his own fault to begin with. But really-who wouldn't go for his money? He has the looks, the parenting, not to mention, he's a womanizer to begin with. I would totally go for him for a fling. Who knows, I might get a Mercedes when I'm with him- however long that may be.]"

There was a series of chuckling and giggling at that table before the two girls continued, the scent of roasted pork whiffing underneath Isago's nose.

"[I think the most recent thing that he said was that he looked too good to be alone?]"
"[You know, he might fail his next big client this week. Maybe the Ling cooperation will finally disown him?]"

Isago's mouth quirked up, signalling with his finger at the table, then wrote the invisible words 'Ling cooperation third son' to Adriano who was disguised as Isago's friend. Adriano's gaze flickered to the table, then back at his own food before slowly pulling out a computer from his work bag.

Isago heard Adriano's fingers tapping on the keyboard as he continued to listen to the chatters from that table. They went on, talking about daily things and completely moved on from the topic of the Ling cooperation. Isago's expression was tight before Adriano turned his computer around, the words on the computer in English.

The third son of the Ling Cooperation, Bei Li Ling, dates a model and breaks up with her after a one-night stand!

Isago scrolled down the page, then clicked on the other tabs that were open. Age 18, the youngest of the three sons from the Ling cooperation. Hasn't graduated high school yet, but has already been taking in clients for the company. A notorious failure in the business aspect but found a hobby in race car driving.

Isago whistled, reading about the trophies he had acquired. While that was all good, Isago knew very well that Chinese parents didn't like their children being too well-versed in things outside of the academic standards. As expected, Bei Li had quit his hobby at the young age of 16. Isago brought up a picture of the boy.

Bei Li had a very attractive Chinese look, black hair and black eyes. Although his eyes were lifeless, his good looks overshadowed that feature. His hair was thin, hanging loosely around his ears. It was styled elegantly, but it definitely did not suit the man. He wore a suit in that picture, eyebags hidden by foundation that seemed to have been applied in a rush for the photo.

Hyper intuition kicked in the moment Isago laid his eyes on the guy, pointing out that this was the person that Isago was searching for in China. Isago mused a bit, feeling lucky that he was even born into the Vongola bloodline. It was weird because Tsuna hadn't developed his intuition before meeting Reborn yet Isago has always been able to utilise it to his will.

Maybe because Tsuna refrained from believing in things like his flames when Isago brought it up when they were younger. Tsuna didn't have a strong resolution, but Isago did. That was probably why Isago could feel which tests from the workbooks were going to be on the test when he was in school. That was why Isago knew how to use it when it appeared. He was familiar with the feeling.

Hyper intuition was really the whole process of feeling deja vu all over again.

"[He's full of holes,]" Isago said in Italian, reading the next big client that Bei Li had this upcoming week. Feng cooperation wanted to sign a business contract with the Ling family about the few thousands of shares that they were about to put into the Ling family's newest product, the product itself being kept under wraps. From just simply reading about the state that the Feng company was in, Isago pinpointed where he could strike.

Isago raised his hand and called for the bill. After Adriano paid, they walked out of the restaurant, the warm wind blowing across their faces as Isago leaned closer to Adriano with a sly smile.

"Go and purchase 10,000 stocks from the Feng company under your name. After, meet the company's head and talk about the transaction between the Ling family. If they cooperate, then offer them 3 million dollars as a sponsor."

Adriano's eyes peered over Isago's hand gesture towards the hotel that they were staying at and he instantly understood what Isago wanted to do. Adriano lowered his head, then moved away from Isago's walking figure.

Isago watched the man like a hawk, his golden eyes trained on his shoulders. In the back of Isago's head, he noted down that Adriano had not harmonized with anyone yet. Although Adriano's flame had rejected Isago before, that did not mean that the man did not want to follow Isago. Isago could see from Adriano's actions that he was serving him full-heartedly.

"Adriano, huh?" Isago mulled with a malicious lick of his lips. "He's also a lightning flame. Not in position for my official guardian though."

(⊙ω⊙) 10 years into the future...

Byakuran was bored again. He smiled fakely at his comrades before commanding them to leave the room. They did with a proper bow, but Byakuran didn't care for it. When he was bored, he knew it was time to find his newly adopted pet hawk. His footsteps were light in the hallway before he reached the room, opening the door with a wide smile.

Before he could think anything else, the silver-haired man bolted out of the side and slammed his fist into Byakuran's neck. Byakuran didn't have enough time to see the expression on his pet's face, but he could feel the murderous aura seeping from the man, almost filling the entire room with a dark and intimating pressure. So intense that it made Byakuran grin wider.

There was a burst of air that exploded in between them as Byakuran blocked it with his hand, gripping the weapon that Isago had flung at him. Blood dripped down from Isago's lips onto the ground. When did Byakuran start calling him Isago instead of Isago-kun again? Right, that was purposefully done so that Byakuran could annoy him.

The burst of air shattered all the glass cups that were inside the room, shards banging against windows before countless lasers beelined in an unpredictable twist. There were thousands of lasers and Byakuran had to admit that his eyes hurt from the overall glare. Byakuarn clapped his hands the moment the bolts rained down on him, humming about how Isago had improved over the last few days. All of Isago's flames popped in midair, creating a scene like fireworks.

"What a creative way to attack, Isago-kun!"

The kitchen butter knife fell on the ground as Isago kicked up his knee, trying to land a hit. Byakuran twirled out of the way lightly before getting caught off guard by Isago's punch straight in the face. Byakuran tipped backwards, laughing gleefully before he slashed down with his bare hands, earning another beam popping right in front of his chop, directly disintegrating two of his fingers.

Byakuran was momentarily taken off-guard by the attack, the pain registering into his mind like a wave of nausea. Isago didn't say anything, his red eyes blazing through with his poker face, as he exchanged clashed blows with Byakuran again. This time Byakuran was returning triple the effort with a grin, pointing his finger at Isago while pulling his stance backward with the other hand. There was a charge up, but before he could even release it, Isago sidestepped to the right and closed the distance for a rising uppercut.

"This is what happens when a fly's wings are ripped from its back, huh?" Isago grunted when Byakuran's bloody fingers blasted off the condensed energy, shooting Isago directly in the shoulder.

The man shrieked but snarled with enough energy to fight back the urge to pull away from his enemy. Isago took the chance that Byakuran was staring at his shoulder and punched Byakuran directly in the stomach. His body was lifted up into the air by the force of the hit. Byakuran only grunting mildly as he felt the blunt pain shoot up and exit out of his back. He could tell one thing about this whole lesson. And that was that all his attacks were for long-distance.

He hummed at the observation, repaying Isago with a simple sidekick after he landed on the ground which threw the man all the way across the room. Just before he could drop his guard, there were several beams already positioned at the back of his neck. A single drop of sweat rolled down his neck as Byakuran laughed while seeing the beacon creep closer by the minute. The ray was aimed at his veins, directly putting pressure as his left hand dripped with blood. Isago groaned from the other side, gritting his teeth before forcing himself upon his feet. He stumbled backwards then to the side until his back smacked into the wall. His right hand was clutching his left shoulder, face growing paler by the minute.

Byakuran could tell from the colour that he had won this catfight. After all, Isago-kun knew himself that his specialties were long distance. With him being at the other side of the room...Byakuran could finish him in mere seconds.

"I believe this has come to a conclusion, Isago-kun," Byakuran chirped. "Hah...I can't believe you went easy on me and gave up your two fingers," Isago closed one of his eyes, breaths ragged as he called back his rays of light and they disintegrated into mid-air.

"Mhm, but you've improved immensely! If only the Vongola taught you correctly, Isago-kun could easily kill off Tsunayoshi-kun!" Byakuran clapped his hands together, not minding the blood that spluttered out from his action. Though, the fingers were actually his own mistake for letting down his guard at that moment. Even Byakuran felt a small tingle in his missing fingers, but it didn't matter. He had self-recovery healing anyway.

"My brother, huh?"

Isago smiled bitterly at his own situation. Byakuran almost commented on how pitiful Isago looked when the blood was vomiting onto the ground from his side, but Byakuran still maintained a sweet curve on his face. It had been days and there was still no response from Tsunayoshi-kun. No, it was actually because Byakuran had refrained from giving information to Isago.

He had told for the sake of amusement that Tsunayoshi-kun hadn't moved his forces yet. In reality, there had already been moves, Shoichi leaving his base early just to secure the life of the man whose expression had hardened. It was interesting. Throughout many timelines, there was this detachment between Isago Sawada and Vongola.

Almost as if he didn't care about the famiglia at all.

"A pity that all my hard work was seen as nothing," Isago spat out, laughing lightly. His eyes ignited something inside Byakuran's chest. Something tantalizing that Byakuran could only find in this person. There was potential in this man.

Byakuran's eyes slanted with evil glee.

"Won't you consider my proposition, Isago-kun?" Byakuran mentioned again, gesturing as blood whipped out from his palms. "Become my partner and we will rule the world."

Isago raised up his eyebrow skeptically before scoffing. "No thanks, I'm not interested in sharing that boredom with you."

"Boredom? Whatever do you mean?"

Byakuran ignored the colour slipping away from Isago's face by the second.

"I'm not stupid, Byakuran," Isago chuckled, leaning his back onto the wall while breathing heavily. "You've ruled through all of the timelines with all the ways you can think of. It's idiotic to even begin with."

"Ah, but I'm doing this for world peace, Isago-kun."
"World peace my ass," Isago paused, sneering a bit. "Didn't you know? This world doesn't need peace."

"Very interesting concept," Byakuran's scar under his eye stung as he lifted his chin. "I'm curious to know why you think that."

"Because we are human," Isago lifted up his hand and directed it to the window. His eyes were shimmering despite all the blood loss. "We live in chaos. We strive for disorder under our perfect facades."

"You create world peace, and another war will rise up because they are bored."

Byakuran's smile faltered for once. This was the first time he heard a thought like that. Not that he even cared for world peace anymore because he had already created them in the other worlds. There was still one thing missing though. And that was the collection that he wanted to complete out of sheer curiosity. Byakuran closed his eyes and smiled pleasantly.

"Fascinating viewpoint, Isago-kun. It is a point well deserved-"
"Do you know what makes life interesting, Byakuran?"
"What is it, Isago-kun?"

"Conflict," he grinned. "Challenges, failure, and competition."

Byakuran's eyes opened again.

"If I had the Mare ring," Isago started and Byakuran's face instantly twitched. "I would only rule the world once. After that, I would seek out different ways to play with the world."

"You have everything that you need. Why only limit yourself to a single game? There are people out there that you haven't met and things you could do. Tell me, Byakuran, in all the worlds, aside from being in the Mafia, have you done anything else?"

No, he hadn't.
But Isago-kun didn't know what he was talking about. That was why Byakuran felt a jab of irritation in his gut when the man had said what he did. This time, Byakuran had an evident frown.

"Did you think I wouldn't know?" Isago huffed grimly, body falling onto the ground as he heaved with a laugh. "Time travel is a curse. Because no one would remember anything you did."

"You're forever alone."

(⊙ω⊙) Present...

Adriano returned to the hotel and reported that he had finished the work with smooth success. Isago nodded, thanking him before calling out to Adriano before he left the room.

"Adriano, what do you think of me?"

Adriano froze, grinning very suddenly with his rough hands placed casually at his sides without looking like he had just received orders from a superior to talk about their achievements.

"I think you would make a great Vongola boss, Isago."
"Oh?" Isago raised his eyebrows challengingly. "I forbid you to compliment me any further."

Isago leaned his whole body backwards, crossing his arms as the robe that he wore shifted against his chest. Adriano was smiling despite Isago telling him to not say anything positive.

"Tell me, are you scared of me?"

Adriano paused for a minute, shaking his head, "Of course not. The members of the Vongola family all look up to you. You don't know how lucky I am to be serving under you."

"That's still a compliment," Isago laughed, shaking his head. "Alright, I get it."

But Isago's eyes pierced through Adriano's gaze. He held them, eyes slightly turning red. Adriano didn't flinch and stood his ground calmly, smile never breaking.

"I trust you, Adriano," Isago said softly, purposely easing his facial muscles to make himself look like a lost puppy. Isago tore his gaze away from Adriano, face looking out the window before murmuring, "Don't let me down when the time comes."

"Of course, Isago," Adriano gave a broad smile, the crinkled around his eyes were gentle. "Although I shouldn't have any preferences, I wish you as the Vongola boss."

With that, Adriano bid Isago goodnight and returned to his own room. Adriano was a trusted member of the Vongola family. Even though the man was supporting Isago, he was also the one reporting Isago's every move to the Ninth. Isago's lips instantly curled up darkly after his leave, watching the twinkling stars in the sky laugh at his foreshadowing.

Isago knew very well what Adriano was there for. He knew very well how the Ninth may be cautious because of his hyper intuition and his experiences from the Cradle affair, caused by his son that he had raised for years.

The Cradle affair was Xanxus' sealing because the boy had found out that the Ninth was not really his father. It should be around this time that the Varia group had found a solution to free their boss from the ice that froze Xanxus in time. Isago drummed his fingers on the desk, eyes shimmering darkly in the dim-lit room.

Soon. He had no time to waste.

(⊙ω⊙)

Bei Li cursed inside the private room that he reserved at the bar. The lights inside were flashing purple and blue, lighting up all the evidence of the chaos that he had caused. He was breathing heavily- panting after throwing the glass of beer onto the floor.

The chairs were all toppled over, desks flipped with a broken leg. To make things worse, a sad song stringing with violins was playing in the background.

In the corner, a pale-skinned girl was sobbing with her hands over her face. She flinched when a glass was thrown directly at her feet before scurrying out of the room like her feet were on fire. The only person standing inside the room drew a long breath, pushing back his hair and squatting down. He buried his burning face into his hands. What was he supposed to do? He had made sure that everything was prepared beforehand.

He researched the environment that the representative from the Feng family liked. He had ordered everything that would please that guy yet they pushed back the signing. Bei Li needed their signature on the contract now, or else his family would really disown him this time.

Last time his client had played him into their hands to get back at Bei Li for stealing their girl- yet Bei Li had never even heard of the girl's name. Who was Chrathia anyway? A car brand? That company sued Bei Li for threatening them to sign the contract. Even though Bei Li won the case, the news was already out there. The media was against him, saying that they paid their way for the case.

"Is it my problem that I'm so handsome?" Bei Li groaned into his hands, falling backwards as he ruffled his hair with a long sigh. It was more of a curse than a gift. He really tried this time- really did.

But now it was all over.

He really wanted to feel the adrenaline in his blood when he gripped the wheel of the car. All Bei Li wanted right now was to go for a ride. He wanted to get out of all of this. All of the pressure that his older brothers had pushed onto him. No, he didn't want to compete-he just wanted freedom.

Why were his parents so hung up on forcing him to work for the company? He was helpless no matter how much he tried. He wasn't suited for sitting in front of a desk and commanding people. He was more of a follower, someone who worked best when he was not thinking of the big picture. That was too tiring for him. Honestly, why did God give him both good looks and a rich family?

"Argh!" He slammed his fist into the ground, feeling his veins pulse underneath the dull pain as he breathed, trying to calm himself down. "Fuck!"

They didn't need him. His family had two other outstanding sons. That was why Bei Li was always third, tasked with the easiest clients, but he still wasn't able to complete them. It made him feel like he was useless except for his looks.

"I can help you with that," a voice piped up from the door. Bei Li slowly raised his head and saw a light-haired boy leaning against the doorway. The room was too dark for Bei Li to see the boy's features, but there was an ominous twinkle in his eyes.

"Who are you? This is a private room!"

Bei Li really hoped that this person wasn't a reporter. He knew that he looked good and that the press would really dig his messed-up state right now, but Bei Li wasn't in the mood. Not right now-he needed a way to get the contract.

"The contract that you want," the boy said again, grabbing Bei Li's attention. Bei Li watched as the boy's eyes deepened, then suddenly turned red. Red like blood.

He was trembling-Bei Li was quaking but he held his spot.

This boy was not human.

"Hah, what in the name-are you the devil?" Bei Li asked, surprising himself as his voice came out firmer than his normal pitch. Bei Li watched the boy raise his eyebrows, then switched the lights on that were just an arm's length away from the door.

Bei Li made a face and blinked away the blinding glare before taking in the boy's appearance. He looked young-extremely young. The boy was shorter than him and wore a white collared shirt that had the first two buttons open. The sleeves were pushed up and showed his forearms as he walked into the room and closed the door behind him with a quiet slam.

Something inside Bei Li shifted, feeling something about this boy. The kid felt so familiar.

"My name is Isago Sawada," the boy said.

Was this kid Japanese? That was unusual, not to mention the boy was speaking in Chinese. Bei Li had never seen a foreigner in his country. In the first place, the red eyes must have been a hallucination. After all, Bei Li had taken a couple of shots when he was meeting his client. The moment Bei Li thought about his client, his mouth twitched downwards.

"I believe I can help you with your contract."

Bei Li raised his head and laughed despite his worn-out state.

"How? A kid like you? You probably haven't even graduated yet!"

Well, Bei Li didn't graduate from high school yet either, but he was positive that he was older than this boy. Almost instantaneously, Bei Li stiffened when he saw the boy take a step closer to him. Each step he took echoed through the room like the building was welcoming the boy- as if he was the owner.

Isago- or whatever his name was- had his shoulders relaxed before squatting down in front of Bei Li and smirked. The smile the boy had on his face was condescending, but Bei Li didn't feel threatened or insulted by it.

"I have already graduated high school. I'm currently 14," the boy said, not removing his crimson eyes away from Bei Li's face. Bei Li flinched at the young age, suddenly feeling like an idiot. This boy graduated when he was 14? That's impossible- but Bei Li believed it.

"You don't have to believe me, but I'm here to propose a deal-" Isago flickered his eyes from side to side as if observing the current situation in the room. Then smiling devilishly, Isago stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets with a shrug. "If you don't want to hear the details, then I'll leave."

The boy stood up, turned his heels and headed for the door. In that split second, Bei Li was calm. He knew this boy was playing him for a bigger deal, but Bei Li was desperate for this contract.

"Hold on."

With that, the boy turned around, a shimmer in his eyes entranced Bei Li. There was sincerity in those eyes- a charming enticement that Bei Li couldn't place his finger on. But there was potential, overwhelming capability under that face.

'This is the type of person I want to follow,' Bei Li suddenly had that thought and shook it away. What was wrong with him? It wasn't like him to be entranced with people. Not even with women-those were just the scandals that the media made up. Bei Li was too attractive to be bound by women.

"What do you want?" Bei Li asked, relaxing his own shoulders. "I bet you have more money than me if you are able to help me with the contract."

Humans were easy. Wherever money was, they would follow it like dogs. Bei Li would grasp onto any opportunity if it could help him out of the mess that he created himself.

"You," the boy said, his red eyes glowing once again. "I want you to join my family."

"Family?" Bei Li furrowed up his eyebrows before giving a humourless laugh. "What are you- in a mafia?"

The smile on the boy's face only widened at Bei Li's sarcastic remark.

"I can grant you everything that you need, but you must give yourself to me," Isago nodded, blinking his eyes. "Does sound like a devil's contract, huh?"

"What do you know about what I want?" Bei Li drew out a sigh of exasperation. "I want freedom- I want to do things that suit me. But you can never change my family's mind."

"I don't have to," Isago chuckled. "If you can cut off all your connections with them, then you'll have what you want."

Bei Li froze from his suggestion. It was true, if he just ran away from home- but then he wouldn't be able to survive. He needed money. He needed someone to support him. But Bei Li wasn't satisfied by that.

He wanted his family to regret missing a talent like him. He wanted to prove a point, that he wasn't useless and that hard work could get him somewhere. He wanted to prove to himself that he could be important. While he did feel a bit reluctant to leave his family, Bei Li reminded himself that his family never needed him.

"Such a tempting deal," Bei Li smacked his lips together, eyes gleaming, but frowned. "However, I request to know the full situation if I'm putting my life on the line."

Isago lowered his head, "Of course. But only after you agree will I tell you the full story. For now…"

"I'm part of the mafia," Isago smiled innocently and turned back to Bei Li. "Out of the millions of people from China, you are the only one that has the flame I need."

Millions?

Bei Li's ears perked up. As Isago started to explain the concept of flames, the only thing that rang in Bei Li's mind was that he was special. When Isago finished, the grin on his face was wide.

"Hah," Bei Li leaned back, hands on the ground as they supported him. "I knew it! I wasn't suited for business because I was talented somewhere else!"

"Indeed," Isago's eyes gleamed. "You are someone that I need. Although I will become your boss, each guardian that I choose will become the strongest in the world."

"I like the sound of that," Bei Li stamped his foot as he got up, wobbling from side to side a bit, mildly under the influence of alcohol. "This deal- I will take it."

"You sure? You will enter as my family member and you will die as my family member."
"Do you need me, Isago?"

Isago smiled slyly.

"I am delighted, my lightning."

And Bei Li was claimed.