Roni stood at the edge of Yurin Town, his mind tangled in thoughts.
"Should I go home? What if the OCI's already there waiting for me?"
He sighed, staring at the dim horizon. "Granny... she must be worried sick by now."
Then a thought struck him.
"Maybe I can go to Daxon Vintage Wears. Old man Ivan won't rat me out — he's been Grandma's friend forever. Besides, I could use a hoodie."
He slipped into town quietly, avoiding the main streets. The glowing signboard ahead buzzed faintly — DAXON VINTAGE WEARS.
Roni scanned the area before stepping inside.
"Ohh, Roni boy!" came a gruff but warm voice.
Mr. Ivan waddled from behind the counter, smiling. "Didn't expect to see you here."
"Hey, Mr. Ivan… I was wondering if you could lend me a hoodie," Roni said, trying to sound casual.
"A hoodie?" Ivan frowned. "Isn't the weather too hot for that, Roni boy?"
Roni scratched his head, searching for words. "Uh… it's for Grandma. Nights have been getting cold, and she needs something to keep warm."
"Ohh, Grandma!" Ivan chuckled. "Why didn't you just say so?"
He shuffled into a back room and returned with a faded red hoodie. "Here — make sure she stays warm. We don't want her catching that cold flu again. You remember what happened last time."
"Yes, Mr. Ivan, I remember," Roni said, taking the hoodie quickly. He was eager to leave before anyone recognized him.
"Roni boy!" Ivan called again.
Roni froze, half-expecting a question.
"Do me a favor, will you?"
Roni sighed. "Don't worry, Mr. Ivan — I'll remind Grandma. Wednesday night, same place, same time."
The old man smiled awkwardly.
"I'll never understand why two old people still go on dates," Roni muttered as he pulled the hood over his head and disappeared into the back alleys.
He took narrow paths between tall buildings, staying in the shadows. Who knew how far the news had spread? After what felt like hours of sneaking, he finally reached home.
But his heart sank.
There were visitors.
From his hiding spot beside a crumbling wall, he saw several OCI vehicles parked outside Grandma's house. Armed agents surrounded the place.
"Argh… I've put Grandma in so much trouble," he muttered bitterly.
Then he heard it — her voice. Loud. Fierce.
"You better get my boy back to me, Shaw! You hear me?!"
Roni froze. Her voice was very loud, takes a lot of strength from the old woman.
The door flew open. Granny stormed out, clutching the collar of one of the shaw.
"You better bring my grandson to me! I'm not losing him just like I lost my daughter and son-in-law. You people have taken enough from me!"
Her voice cracked, but her rage burned through. "There won't be peace till I see my boy again!"
The words prick Roni's heart like needles .
He had lost his father and mother because of this same organization, though he was for a good cause but they were gone and now this same organization are hunting him.
Then it recalled to him, granny was once mentioning a man named Shaw.
"Wait…" he whispered. "Shaw? That Shaw? The one who went on the same mission with my parents and what the only one who survived?"
He was surprised to see the man, part of him wanted to approach the man, he has a lot of questions that demands answers.
But then… he saw her.
Mirael.
She stood beside Shaw, eyes down, silent.
Roni's heart twisted. "What is mirael doing here?" He muttered, then it dawn to him.
"Could she have… sold me out?" The thought hit hard, but he shook it off.
"No… Mirael wouldn't do that," he muttered. "She wouldn't…"
Still, the image of her standing with the OCI burned in his mind.
Shaw straightened, his voice lowering. "Mrs. Ceyra… I'll do everything I can to find Roni. I didn't know he was Adriana's son."
His tone softened. "But when we find him, he'll have to be taken into our custody — for everyone's safety."
"No!" Granny snapped, her frail voice cutting through the air.
"My son is not going to the OCI!" she shouted, her eyes blazing. "Roni is a sweet boy. He's not dangerous."
Her voice broke slightly at the end, almost trembling with tears.
Roni stayed hidden in the shadows, watching every second. His fists clenched as he saw the sorrow in her eyes.
When the agents finally began to move out, Shaw gave one last look at the house before turning away. The OCI vehicles drove off one by one, leaving the street silent again.
Roni stepped out from behind the building, scanning carefully to make sure no one was left. Then he approached the house quietly and knocked.
The door creaked open.
"Roni!" Granny gasped. Her eyes widened in shock and relief. She almost screamed, but Roni quickly placed a finger on his lips.
"Shhh, Granny…"
She nodded, trembling, and pulled him inside quickly.
Roni sank into the couch, his body heavy with exhaustion. For the first time all day, he could breathe.
Grandma made two cup of tea quickly, she handed one to Roni and took the other one.
Then she sat closely beside Roni, holding his hand tightly. "Roni… tell me what happened. You really scared me. They said you were corrupted by dark magic — that you vanished without a trace, I was really worried."
Roni swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Granny… I should've told you sooner."
He took a breath. "I found something — a strange glove in the school museum. It gave me a system, but… it's unlike anything I've ever seen. It's different. I can feel the power inside me."
He placed his hand on his chest. "It feels ancient… alive. But there's also this surge that I don't understand. It's like it's slowly taking control of me, drawing near closer and closer."
"Dark energy," Granny murmured, she didn't snapped a bit about Roni secrets, it was as if she knew.
Roni froze. "How… how did you know that?"
She looked down, her fingers tightening around his hand. "Because I once knew someone who felt that same darkness."
"Who?" Roni asked quietly.
"Your father."
Roni's eyes widened. "What? My father had… powers that drained energy too?"
Granny shifted uneasily in her seat. "Not that we ever saw it in him — but his bloodline. There were stories… about men in his lineage who could take another's chi, another's life force. It was a rare, cursed gift — the same power the great Halzora used to defeat Drogo, the Demon Archmage."
Roni leaned forward, his voice trembling. "Granny… are you saying my father was from Halzora's bloodline?"
She looked at him with deep sadness. "Why do you think the glove chose you, Roni? Don't you think many before you tried to wear it?"
Roni stared blankly, speechless. His heart pounded faster as the realization sank in.
"So… I'm from Halzora's bloodline," he whispered.