Kaiden sat quietly, the steam of the old man's tea curling in the air between them. His mind was buzzing with questions, but one thought kept pressing harder than the rest.
He clenched his fists. "If my dad's… if he's really alive, then where is he? Is he really a criminal or something? At least—" Kaiden's voice cracked. "At least can I meet him in jail?"
The old man's expression darkened, the wrinkles around his eyes softening into something heavy with regret. He shook his head slowly.
"That isn't possible either." His voice was low, like a confession. "No one knows where your father is. Not even me."
The words hit Kaiden like a brick. For a moment, his chest hollowed out, and the fragile hope he'd carried across oceans and years just… collapsed.
"So that's it then." He forced out a bitter laugh, but it came out more like a broken sigh. "There's no way I'll ever meet him, huh? All those years saving money, dreaming about this… all wasted."
The old man saw the disappointment etched across Kaiden's face. His lips parted as though he wanted to take the pain away, but instead he said softly, "If you'd like… you can stay here. Just for a while. My house has room."
Kaiden shook his head immediately. "No, I should go home." He stood halfway, but then something clicked in his mind—yesterday, the memory of that creature, that nightmare in the streets. His body froze.
He turned back, eyes narrowing. "Wait. If I understood right… you know about that thing I saw, don't you? That creature. What was it?"
The old man didn't flinch. He set his teacup down with care and leaned back in his chair. "Those monsters… they came from a portal. It first appeared in 1991, all over the world. That's when humanity learned we weren't alone anymore."
Kaiden swallowed hard, goosebumps prickling up his arms.
"That's also why I knew your parents," the old man continued. "I told you earlier—I served in the Flow Corps, alongside your father. In 1996, the United Nations sent me to Manila to fight, and that's when I met your mother. She was a doctor then, treating the wounded soldiers. That's how we became friends."
Kaiden stared, stunned. "So… you fought those things? You actually saw them?"
The old man nodded gravely. "I saw more than I wanted to. Monsters come in endless forms—some like beasts, others like shadows. You can't categorize them all. But there is one class… one that haunts every Flow Corps soldier."
His voice dropped. "The humanoids. They're the strongest. They look like us, walk like us, but their power is beyond human. Fighting them… was a nightmare."
Kaiden shivered. His stomach turned as the memory of the thing he saw yesterday—the long limbs, the gleaming eyes—flooded back. He didn't doubt the old man for a second. He'd seen it. He knew it was real.
The room fell into silence before the old man finally asked, "So, Kaiden… what will you do now?"
Kaiden's shoulders slumped. "I don't know. Maybe go back home. Maybe work again, save up, try to get into a university. Nothing else I can do."
The old man's gaze hardened. He muttered, almost to himself, "I told myself I would never do this again… but for Christina, I will."
Kaiden lifted his head. "What?"
The old man met his eyes. "You have no family anymore. That much I know. So… why not be my apprentice? I'll help you get into a university. And maybe… just maybe, it will lead you to your father."
Kaiden froze, his heart hammering. Hope flickered again inside him, a fragile flame. He turned sharply, eyes wide. "Wait—you mean… if I enter this university, I could meet him? How? How is that even possible?"
A faint smile touched the old man's lips. "Because the university I speak of is not a normal one. It's for Flow users."
Kaiden's jaw dropped. He almost laughed. "But… I can't. I can't use the Flow."
"That's why I'm offering to teach you," the old man said, his tone firm now, unshaking.
Kaiden shook his head furiously. "No… no, I've never used it in my life. Not once."
The old man leaned forward, eyes gleaming with certainty. "That's because you haven't tried. The Flow is already within you. It's already open. You just need to learn how to maximize it… and control it."
The words sent another shiver down Kaiden's spine. He stared at the man, speechless, his skin crawling with goosebumps.
"I… I'll think about it,"Kaiden whispered.
The old man nodded. "Please. Think carefully."
---
Kaiden stepped out from the garden, his thoughts a storm. Two men were waiting inside the house—the same ones who had pulled him from death yesterday. The Japanese one approached with a polite bow before extending a hand.
"I'm Yuki," he said with a small smile, then pointed at the tall man leaning against the wall. "And that's Leonardo."
Kaiden shook his hand. "I'm Kaiden. Nice to meet you."
Yuki studied him for a moment before asking, "So… what will you do now?"
Kaiden hesitated, then shrugged. "I don't know. Probably just go home."
Yuki frowned and waved his hands. "No, no, no. Not like that. Come on, joining the Flow Corps isn't a joke. You're seriously just going to leave?"
Kaiden blinked. "Wait… how do you know that?"
Yuki chuckled. "Nah we just heard you two talking, So… are you really considering it?"
Kaiden looked away. "He offered, yeah. Said I could… think about it. But that's not why I came here. I didn't come to join some Corps. I just wanted to find my father."
He forced a smile, then waved goodbye. "Anyway… thanks for yesterday. I'll figure it out from here."
He left before Yuki could protest.
---
The streets of Rome stretched wide and unfamiliar before him. Kaiden walked aimlessly, the city buzzing around him, ancient stone blending with modern life. Yet to him, it all felt distant, muted.
He thought about yesterday, about the monster, about the old man's words. None of it made sense, but his gut told him it was real. Every step felt heavier.
For the first time, Kaiden felt like there was no reason to move forward. No reason to live. His only family was gone. His father—gone too, maybe forever. His memories of the man blurred, reduced to a handful of fading images from when he was five years old. A strong hand ruffling his hair. A deep voice saying, "Be good, Kaiden." Then silence. Then nothing.
Kaiden clenched his jaw, blinking hard as his chest tightened.
Suddenly, his keypad phone buzzed in his pocket. He nearly jumped. Pulling it out, he saw an unknown number.
He hesitated, then answered. "Hello?"
A familiar voice chimed through, warm and cautious. "Um… is this Kaiden?"
His brows furrowed. "Yeah. Who's this?"
"It's me," the girl said gently. "The one you saved yesterday."
Kaiden froze. "Wait—how did you even get my number?"
"I asked Yuki and Leonardo," she admitted, a shy laugh on the line. "I… I just wanted to thank you properly. Can we meet again?"
Kaiden blinked, still processing. "…Where are you now?"
"I'm at the hospital. The same one where you woke up."