Disclaimer: I do not own Maplestory in anyway.

A/N: First, I would like to humbly apologize for the lack of update on my part. I have no real excuse other than that I got sidetracked by Assassin's Creed. I had planned for a St. Patrick's Day Special, but never got to it; not to mention I totally ignored this for over a few months now. I hope this chapter makes up for the lost time.

Kerning City party! I'm kidding. No party at Kerning. This chapter is focused in Kerning City as a heads up! Thank you for those who are reading and reviewing. I appreciate all of the support!

l2m4e: Thanks for the review!

Anonymous: Thanks for reviewing! It made my day!

PearlissaFanFiction: Thank you for the review! I'm glad that you enjoy the story.

Chapter Thirteen: Differences in Lives

Kerning City, Victoria Island

The city was full of the usual gangsters, thieves, and people with nowhere to go. There was graffiti all over the building walls and trash that littered the streets. The inhabitants that lived there were either brimming with energy or slugging around lethargically. There was a fight going on in a few alleys behind the weapon's store.

"Take that back! He wouldn't do that!" A young male yelled while dodging the attacker's fists. He was dressed in black thief clothing.

"Enough." A calm voice said softly. Both of the boys froze at the voice. The owner walked out of the shadows and glanced at the two in front of him. When the boys realized the person they both bowed respectfully. The young man in front of them stood in a way that demanded respect. "Now tell me what is going on; if it isn't a good reason then be prepared for the worse."

"He accused my friend of being a bad person and a stealer." The one that dodged all of the attacks replied solemnly. The young man glanced over at the other boy. The boy looked away from him.

"Both of you come with me." He walked off without waiting to see if they'd follow. "Don't make me repeat myself." He heard them running after him. He walked quickly to the dojo where the Dark Lord resided. Syl looked up from her book and smiled.

"Find some trouble makers Jin?" Syl said while closing her book. Jin grunted with annoyance. Syl chuckled and led him and the trouble makers to where the Dark Lord was working. She knocked softly and waited for permission. Jin pulled the two inside as they tried to run away.

"Sir, I found two trouble makers that were breaking the dojo rules." Jin stated calmly. "I was going to give them punishment for it, however it seems like it over something that could have been avoided had one of them kept their mouth shut." The Dark Lord glanced up at Jin and then over to the two he held by the collar.

"Jin, release them." The Dark Lord commanded. Jin let go of them and stood back with Syl. The two of them bowed and slowly glanced at their master. "I don't tolerate fighting among students. I did not teach you the art so you could abuse it." The Dark Lord put his pen down and stood up. "The two of you will be suspended if this happens again. Do I make myself clear?" The two students nodded swiftly. "Good. For now, you will both clean the dojo floor until it is spotless and to my standards." They both nodded. "You're dismissed." The two disappeared from the room. Jin and Syl waited for him to speak again. "I have a meeting with the instructors in a few days time. I will leave the dojo and the students in your hands. Can I count on you both?"

"Of course. We'll take care of them for you." Jin replied calmly. Syl smiled warmly and walked over to her father's side.

"We won't fail you. Please be careful on your trip, father." Syl said with concern. The Dark Lord smiled and nodded. He glanced at Jin, who merely nodded and disappeared from the room.

"Syl, I want you to send me a message if anything dangerous happens. Don't try to fight something you know you are not fully capable of defeating. It is not cowardly to ask for help from Jin. Do you understand?" The Dark Lord advised while returning to his paperwork.

"Father?" Syl asked hesitantly while looking down at her hands. The Dark Lord continued looking at his paperwork.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think Eckhart is doing well? We haven't heard from him in years..." Syl said softly while messing with the bottom of her shirt.

"You do not need to worry about him. I'm sure he is doing fine. I shouldn't have to remind you, but he was very close to going over to Arec for further training when he left. If I know him as well as I do, he would have gone to Arec for more training." The Dark Lord stated calmly while signing the paperwork. Syl nodded to herself before walking toward the door. "Syl, it is best if you don't worry to much. It takes away from your concentration."

"I understand, father. I'll take my leave then." Syl walked through the door and closed it quietly. The Dark Lord stopped working once he heard the door close. He stood up and went over to his window and glanced up at the sky with his hands behind his back. It was another cloudy day. There was a threat of rainfall coming from the winds.

"Wherever you are Eckhart, please take care of yourself. There is danger on the horizon. I can feel it. Then again, you have felt it as well..." The Dark Lord stated softly before turning around to pick up a letter that was addressed to him. The handwriting was beautiful. It was slightly slanted and in a crisp calligraphy that was unique to only one person in the entire Maple World. The Dark Lord chuckled and turned to watched the city as the rain started to fall from the clouds. "Whoever taught you how to write was an extremely talented individual, in both the expressive arts and the art of thievery."

Elsewhere in Kerning City

Jin walked quietly along the rooftops. The noise from the busy city below was muffled. He let the rain soak him completely as he stood on one of the cranes that hung over the city. The rain was coming down harder now. He glanced up toward the sky longingly.

"Eckhart, it has already been a few years since you left. Are you still alive? Our master won't tell me. He only answers my question indirectly. You'd be surprised about the things happening here in Kerning. You know I think... that there is something wrong with me lately." Jin sat down with his legs dangling over the edge of the crane. "I haven't been able to train as hard as I thought lately. Syl has been...extremely playful in the last couple of years since you left. I wonder if it was her way of living with the fact that you're not here anymore." Jin sighed and fell backwards. His body was parallel with the crane. He closed his eyes and allowed the rain to cascade down his face. "Eckhart, what do I do? I feel a sense of dread descending upon my head." Jin bolted upright and glanced around him. A few feet in front of him a ghostly figure smiled softly. Jin stared at the figure. The figure had green hair and blue eyes, his smile was somehow comforting. "Who are you? Are you a figure of my imagination?" The figure chuckled and shook his head. The figure gave him a look and opened his mouth to say something. "What are you trying to tell me?" The figure sighed visually and walked over to him. The figure merely put a ghostly hand on his shoulder. Jin blinked in surprise as the figure disappeared.

"There you are!" A voice said loudly. Jin spun around and saw Syl staring at him. "What are you doing up here in the rain? You're going to catch a cold and then you'll have to take a few days off from your training." She walked over to him and dragged him back toward the dojo. "Enough of whatever you've been doing." Jin took a quick glance behind him and saw the figure wave feverishly with a huge smile plastered on his face before vanishing.

A/N: Ahh crap... not as long as I expected. Again, I'm very sorry for not returning to this sooner. I hope I can come back to it regularly like I use to. Thank you for your continued support.