Alder walked slowly past the school gates while keeping his eyes locked on Felix, who was currently talking to his oldest sister.
He stared at Felix's face from a distance, still unable to fully believe the sudden transformation that had happened to him. His mind kept racing back to the words of his late adoptive father...
"Sigh..." letting out a heavy breath, he began to walk away slowly, pondering what his next move should be. "From now on.. I have to find out what is actually happening to him. And I just hope he isn't the person my father talked about."
Twenty minutes passed..
Alder arrived at his house.
The moment he opened the front door, the only thing that greeted him was absolute silence.
There was no one there to welcome him home..
For the past three years, Alder had been living all by himself in the house left behind by his father. He had been completely on his own since then..
His sibling had walked out and abandoned him, leaving no explanation as to why he was being left entirely alone.
However, to Alder, this emptiness had become normal.
He stepped inside and locked the door behind him.
..
"So quiet.." he muttered, continuing his steps.
Before heading into his bedroom, he stopped by the kitchen to brew some coffee to keep him company before he began his search..
While preparing his drink, his eyes drifted to a family photo. It only pictured Alder's father and his sibling..
But his sibling's face had been aggressively torn out of the photograph by their own hands before they left the house.
Alder touched the photo gently. "If only.. Father had told you too.. but for your own good.. Father chose to remain silent.."
Once his coffee was ready, Alder headed toward his room.
As he opened the bedroom door, the air inside brought back a rush of the past—but now, it was nothing more than the fading remnants of old memories..
Alder set his drink down on his computer desk and lay down on his bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling.. a slight wave of regret and confusion washing over him.
"I'm so envious.. people get to live so happily.. with smiles on their faces.." he murmured.
"If only.. I hadn't chosen this path.. but I've already made my choice, and I can't look back now.."
He closed his eyes, hoping to find a brief moment of peace..
And right after..
His father's old words echoed clearly in his mind: "Alder.. if someone you know undergoes a complete change just a day after you meet them.. they are the person you are destined to protect one day.."
Alder snapped his eyes open and glanced toward his desk. "Looks like I need to start investigating.." He pushed himself up from the bed and sat in front of his computer. "Alright, let's look into what happened yesterday."
He clapped his hands twice. "System, power on."
"Good evening, Master."
It was a highly advanced computer system for its era, fully capable of being operated by an artificial intelligence. Alder possessed his own private AI named 'Yar-01'—an AI originally created by Alder's father and further developed by Alder himself..
"Yar, pull up all the news reports from yesterday."
With incredible speed, the AI immediately combed through a massive influx of data. "Done, Master. There are 231 news reports worldwide, and 19 events specifically occurring within Cyranthia."
He began filtering through the reports until his eyes caught a specific headline about an incident at the mall yesterday. "Hmm? The sudden death of an unknown creature?" Curious, he opened the details and the attached video footage.
"A strange creature dropping dead out of nowhere due to an unknown cause, huh?" He scrutinized the text. "Hey Yar, can you analyze and explain this specific report?"
The AI responded, "Certainly, Master. Upon investigating this report, it refers to a mythical entity known as 'The Sablekin' race, which humanity is still actively researching.
Unfortunately, according to the detective on scene, this individual was likely the last living member of their kind. Meaning, the race is now officially extinct, according to the sources I've gathered, Master."
There was no reaction from Alder. He sat frozen, his face turning pale. "What..?" he whispered, completely shell-shocked.
"Th-that can't be true, right..?"
The AI asked, "Is something wrong, Master?"
With still no sign of a response from Alder, the AI attempted to snap him out of his trance. "Master, please wake up, Master!" When he still didn't move, the system finally resorted to physically shaking the chair Alder was sitting on.
Alder finally snapped back from his deep, heavy thoughts. "What happened, Master? Are you alright?" the AI asked with genuine concern.
"No.. I'm fine. It's just.."
The AI pressed further, "What is it, Master?"
Unable to hold it back any longer, he finally confessed to his AI, "The creature they called 'The Sablekin'.. that was your creator, Yar. Which means.. he was my father."
The AI was momentarily thrown into a loop of confusion before the data clicked. It realized it hadn't been created by Alder alone, but by his father before him.
Stepping up to support Alder, the AI spoke gently, "I cannot truly comprehend your grief, Master. But as an AI whose sole purpose is to aid you in gathering information, I will fight by your side and I will not disappoint you. Consider me a final gift left from my creator to you."
Alder could only sit in silence, a small smile forming on his face. "Yeah.. you're not wrong about that. And in the end, everything Father said turned out to be true.. Yar, run facial recognition on everyone present at that scene."
The AI accepted the command and immediately began scanning and identifying the faces in the crowd. "Process complete, Master. I have secured the data."
Alder began investigating the list of people present. As he scrolled through the profiles, his eyes widened in shock when he came across the name 'Felix Erratic'. Felix had been right there at the scene. In that exact moment, Alder fully believed his father's prophecy.
"Hah.. so he really is the person I have to protect until the 'designated time' arrives.." He walked over to the window, looking out at the city below. "A world that will eventually.. be reduced to nothing but rubble, all just to hunt down a single person..? How arrogant humans can be.. what do you think, Yar?"
"I do not quite understand your words, Master," the AI replied.
Alder could only smile, though his eyes held a deeply sorrowful look as he gazed out at the city. "In the end, the apocalypse is coming very soon..."
The sky began to darken..
Switching back to Felix's side..
After returning from school, Felix began to feel unwell again, causing his sister to worry and question his condition. "Fel, are you sick again..?" But Felix insisted that he was perfectly fine.
Upon stepping inside the house, Felix was carrying a massive amount of bags. Right after picking him up from school, Elena had taken him straight back to the mall to shop for clothes he would need for his new body..
"Sis.. don't you think this is a bit too much..?" Felix asked, feeling incredibly embarrassed.
"Fel! Since things have already turned out this way, you just have to accept reality! So for now, just follow my lead. I guarantee you won't regret it later!"
Felix could only let out a tired sigh, completely exhausted from carrying all the supplies his sister had bought..
Afterward, Felix retreated to his room and lay down, staring up blankly at the ceiling. "Why did things turn out like this..? My hair keeps getting longer by the day.. and my body is shrinking.. even if there isn't a massive change, I'm definitely getting skinnier.. and yet, other parts of me are starting to feel increasingly heavy..??"
Left with no choice but to accept his fate, Felix had started talking to himself more and more lately.
His mental state was slowly fracturing, and his emotions were becoming highly unstable.
Utterly exhausted, Felix closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep..
However, he fell into a nightmare. He dreamt that he became a hunted target, and the entire world was systematically destroyed all just to capture him.
Felix abruptly bolted upright in bed, gasping in sheer panic..
Once his mind cleared, he realized it was just a dream.. And yet, the nightmare had felt terrifyingly real..
Slowly, tears began to stream down his face without him even realizing it, the overwhelming sorrow causing him to sob bitterly..
Elena, who was standing right outside his bedroom door, heard Felix's crying. Her heart completely broke for him. It shattered her to see the brother she loved change so drastically, especially when this wasn't the fate he ever wanted..
Elena wiped her own tears and gently knocked on the door.
Knock, Knock, Knock
"Fel.. I'm opening the door, okay..?"
There was no verbal response from Felix, only the sound of his muffled crying. Elena pushed the door open, closing it slightly behind her..
She approached his bedside. "Fel.. please stay strong.. I truly hope you can return to how you used to be.."
Felix's spirit felt completely broken, but he took comfort in knowing he still had a sister who cared for him so deeply..
Felix threw his arms around his sister, burying his face. "W-what if in the end.. I can never change back..? You'll still consider me family, right..?"
Through her own heartbreak, his sister kept her embrace tight, trying her best to soothe him. "No matter who you become.. you are still my sibling, and we will always be family.."
Hearing that, Felix finally let it all out, crying uncontrollably.
His sister could only hold him close, offering her full support.. a silent vow that even if the whole world turned against Felix, she wouldn't..
Rhett, who had been listening to their heavy conversation from just outside the door, felt his own heart wrench at his little brother's words..
In the end, that night became a long, emotional ordeal..
Eventually, Felix managed to stabilize his emotions a bit, and Elena went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. After the heavy atmosphere settled, Rhett gently knocked on Felix's door. "Felix, it's me."
He stepped inside the room.
Rhett looked into his brother's eyes, which clearly showed that his mental state was still incredibly fragile..
"Fel.. you remember, right..? A long time ago.. I made a promise to the two of us, didn't I? That I would protect you no matter what happens, and no matter how heavy the obstacles get.."
Felix could only pull his knees tight against his chest, his face masked in deep sadness.
Rhett found himself running out of words..
In that moment, he tried his best to offer something practical to comfort Felix. "Fel.. I don't really know how to cheer you up right now.. but you're going to need a new identity eventually, right..? So, I hope you can start thinking of a new name later on.. but hey, don't force yourself to think about it right now if you don't want to."
Rhett turned to leave. But the moment he took a step forward, his hand was gently caught by Felix's soft grip. "I'm sorry, Bro.. from now on, I'm going to be such a burden to you.." Felix whispered, his voice still trembling with tears.
Rhett turned back with a reassuring smile. "Hey, that's literally my job as your older brother!"
Felix finally felt a small weight lift from his chest..
And right then, a beautiful name naturally came to his mind..
Fifteen minutes passed..
Elena called out to Rhett and Felix to wash up and gather for dinner.
Once everyone was seated around the table, Elena and Rhett noticed that Felix looked a bit better, though it was clear he had something important to say to them both.
"Bro Rhett.. just like you said.. I'm going to need a new identity, right..?"
The two older siblings glanced at each other, their eyes silently communicating, "Did you seriously tell him that right now, Rhett?" Rhett could only look back as if to say, "Well, if he doesn't, everyone else is going to figure out his real identity, right?"
"So.. what name are you going to choose for yourself, Fel?" Rhett asked gently.
"I.. I've already thought of one.. It's a flower, a lavender, which kind of matches the color of my eyes.. I choose the name.."
"Flora."
—TO BE CONTINUED—