Is he my dad?

Mordor exchanged a meaningful look with Jane before responding, "We'll discuss that later."

Ashe, meanwhile, turned her attention to Alex. "Hey, you! Do you know how to play EMB?"

"What's EMB?" Alex asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Oh my God, where did you come from?" Ashe exclaimed dramatically, smacking her forehead with her hand. "Ashe, some manners, please," Mordor reprimanded her.

"Whatever, some clueless kid like him won't do us any good on the team anyway," Ashe retorted, collecting her belongings and stuffing them into her backpack. "I'll wait for you in the car."

As she walked away, a muscular teenager with fiery red hair passed by. Ashe's gaze locked onto him as if they knew each other, but he didn't react at all. He continued until he reached Alex's side, their eyes locking in an unsettling exchange. His eyes bore a deep darkness, filled with hatred and emptiness.

Jane turned to the boy, and they shared a wordless exchange. Mordor did the same, but no words passed between them.

"Please forgive her attitude," Mordor said to Alex.

"Why? What happened?" Alex inquired.

Jane shot him a look, her voice tense. "These are personal matters, and you shouldn't be asking about them."

Mordor gazed at both of them and offered a faint, mysterious smile. "She was a soldier, but she died in the line of duty."

Was it a mere coincidence that both Alex's father and Ashe's mother had gone to war? Alex knew there was something strange happening here, something they were keeping from him. But whatever it was, he trusted that his mother had her reasons for concealing it.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Alex said to Jane. "How old was Ashe when her mother was called to duty?"

"Right after she was born. But it's been a long time," Jane replied. "Anyway, I must go now. Take care of yourself."

Mordor bid them farewell and walked away, leaving Alex with a host of questions. The tension between Jane and Mordor was palpable. While Mordor appeared composed and unaffected, Jane seemed uneasy and eager to leave the hospital—an unusual demeanor for her.

It was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon, and they had spent two hours at the hospital. Thanks to Annalina, Jane hurriedly led Alex away from the medical facility, gripping his hand as if he were a nine-year-old child.

"Mom, let go of me. I can walk on my own," Alex protested.

Jane finally released his hand, took a deep breath, and turned to face him. She seemed about to say something when a man passing by the hospital called out her name with great enthusiasm.

Jane turned to see who was calling her, and her expression turned to one of shock as the man dropped his groceries and embraced her tightly. Her face remained impassive.

"Where have you been? I searched everywhere for you!" the man exclaimed.

"Can you please let go of me? I can't breathe," Jane requested, her breath heavy. Alex intervened, gently pushing the man away, who eyed him with curiosity.

Jane hesitated but eventually relented. "I'm Alex."

The man fell silent, studying Jane once more. "Is this...?" He couldn't quite find the words.

"This doesn't concern you," Jane replied, her tone growing colder by the moment, as she signaled for the nearest taxi.

"Where are you going?" the man shouted after them, but the taxi was already in motion. He began to follow, but soon he was out of sight.

As they sped away from the hospital, Alex couldn't help but wonder about the unexpected encounter and the secrets hidden beneath the surface of his mother's life.

Ashe stepped out of the B2 elevator, heading towards her father's car parked in the dimly lit hospital parking lot. Her slender frame carried a bag slung over her shoulder, and she clutched a grocery bag in one hand. The car's unlock button echoed through the quiet space as she leaned over to stow away the grocery bag.

Amidst the silence, a voice whispered from the shadows between the cars. "Whoever you are, it's not a wise choice," Ashe uttered, her once sky-blue eyes now a fiery red, and her wavy golden hair seemed to ignite like flames.

"Calm down, girl. It's me," came a voice from behind a nearby car, its owner emerging cautiously, clearly apprehensive.

"It's you," Ashe responded calmly, her eyes and hair returning to their natural hues. "I saw Cain today. He was as insufferable as ever. I wanted to confront him, to hit him hard."

"You know that won't bring you peace," the girl replied.

"Even so, it might offer a fleeting respite," Ashe conceded.

"Let's not dwell on him. Did he arrive?" the girl inquired.

"You won't believe what happened," Ashe began. "I couldn't read him at all. He was blunt, unreadable."

"Are you certain it wasn't just your anger towards your father clouding your perception?" the girl wondered.

Ashe met the girl's gaze, taking a deep breath before responding. "Even the woman who was with him... she was enigmatic, impossible to decipher. It was like a tidal wave of emotions hitting me all at once."

"Too bad I missed him," the girl remarked. "My father couldn't stop talking about him, as if he's the solution to world hunger."

They exchanged glances, and a shared bout of laughter punctuated the enigmatic encounter.

===

A heavy silence permeated the interior of the taxi. Alex refrained from asking anything, while Jane gazed out of the window. The cheerful taxi driver, however, had no reservations about driving aimlessly to rack up the fare as the meter ticked away. It was an inauspicious start in their new home.

After nearly ten minutes, Jane retrieved a piece of paper from her purse and handed it to the driver. Alex assumed it was their destination, but he held back from asking. Raindrops began to fall unexpectedly, despite the weather channel's prediction of a sunny day.

Another ten minutes passed before Alex turned to Jane, unable to endure the silence any longer. He was even more reluctant to see her upset. "Mom…"

Before he could express his concern, she spoke, still gazing out of the window. "Do you know what it feels like to protect someone so fiercely for so long, only to realize deep down that they will be gone?"

She turned to Alex with teary eyes, gently touching his face and forcing a fake smile—a smile that falsely promised everything would be fine when it clearly wouldn't. "I can't believe he's taking you away from me."

"Who's taking me away?"

"Your dad," she said, turning her head away from him.

Alex embraced her tightly, refusing to let her finish her sentence. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be right here, Mom."

She hesitated momentarily, then returned his hug, equally tight. "I know you will," she whispered.