006

Ren followed Kalor's vehicle from above, keeping his distance in the night sky. The car sped along a deserted road, its path illuminated only by the faint glow of the moon. This was his chance.

Swooping down, Ren unleashed a sharp burst of air, flipping the car with a deafening crash. It skidded across the asphalt, sparks flying, before coming to a halt upside down.

Inside, the soldiers accompanying Kalor were knocked unconscious by the impact. Kalor, however, was struggling, fumbling with his seatbelt. Ren floated down silently, landing a few steps away. The general finally managed to crawl out of the wreckage, groaning, and looked up. His eyes widened with shock as they met Ren's.

"You… you're supposed to be dead," Kalor stammered, disbelief written across his face.

Ren tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "Yeah, about that. Turns out dying wasn't really on my to-do list." He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous calm. "Imagine my surprise when I found out the guy who made it happen was none other than you, General Kalor."

Kalor's face twisted in a mixture of fear and defiance. In one swift motion, he pulled out a sidearm and fired.

Ren didn't flinch. The bullets stopped inches from his chest, suspended in mid-air.

"These yours?" Ren asked coolly, flicking his wrist. The bullets reversed direction and slammed into Kalor's arms. He screamed in agony, crumpling to the ground.

Ren stepped forward, his tone icy. "What's the matter, General? Not quite as in control when your toys don't work, huh?"

Kalor writhed, clutching his bleeding arms. "You don't understand… We had no choice. You were weak, a liability!"

"Weak?" Ren's eyes burned with fury. "You're saying I was too weak, so you decided to send me off to die? Who gave that order, Kalor? Who made that call?"

Kalor groaned, shaking his head. "I… I can't tell you. I'm under oath. You won't get anything out of me."

Ren crouched, grabbing Kalor's ID badge from his belt. "That so?" He straightened, staring down at the general. "Fine by me. There are others who can talk."

Kalor's face drained of color. "Wait, no—"

"Nice seeing you again, General," Ren interrupted, his voice laced with venom.

Kalor screamed as Ren pressed his hand downward, amplifying the force of gravity around the man. The ground cracked under the weight as Kalor's body was crushed with a sickening squelch.

Ren grimaced, brushing his hands off as he turned toward the horizon. "Disgusting."

Without a backward glance, he took to the sky, heading straight for Dr. Mendietta.

Dr. Mendietta stood on the hotel balcony, a cigarette trembling between his fingers. He stared at the moon, its light casting a pale glow over the city below. The guilt he'd been suppressing since Ren's supposed "accident" was eating away at him.

He had loved all the children at NOVA like they were his own—Ren included, despite the boy's struggles and constant bullying. And yet, despite that love, he had said nothing, done nothing, as Ren was sent to his death. During the ceremony earlier, he had maintained a stoic face for the cameras, but inside, he was a wreck.

As he exhaled another cloud of smoke, an unexpected gust of wind almost knocked him off balance. He stumbled and looked up, startled. His breath caught in his throat.

Standing there, hovering just beyond the balcony, was Ren.

For a moment, Mendietta was paralyzed, certain his mind was playing tricks on him. "Ren…?"

Ren landed silently on the balcony, his expression unreadable, his eyes cold and piercing. "Don't make a sound," he said, his voice low but firm.

Mendietta froze. This… this wasn't the boy he had last seen. This Ren was different—calm, clinical, almost inhuman. Slowly, Mendietta stepped back inside the room as Ren followed, gesturing for him to sit.

Ren sat across from him and reached into his pocket, pulling out Kalor's ID badge. He tossed it onto the table.

Mendietta's face turned ashen. "What… what did you do?"

Ren leaned forward slightly, his tone sharp. "I took care of a problem. And you'll be next if you don't start explaining."

Mendietta swallowed hard, shaking his head as he tried to gather his thoughts. After a long pause, he sighed and began. "Twenty-two years ago, a light appeared in the sky—an unexplained phenomenon that covered the entire planet. No one knows what it was or where it came from, but it triggered something. Every infant born after that night started showing strange abilities as they grew older."

Ren's eyes narrowed. "And NOVA? What was their role in all this?"

"NOVA offered to train these children," Mendietta continued. "They said they would help them master their abilities, turn them into protectors of humanity. That's all we were told, Ren. I swear."

Ren's voice grew colder. "Protectors of humanity? Against what? What are we protecting humanity from?"

Mendietta hesitated, his guilt intensifying. "I… I don't know."

Ren slammed his hand on the table, the sound reverberating through the room. "Then tell me this: who ordered my execution?"

Mendietta flinched but answered honestly. "I don't know that either. But if I had to guess, it was Richard Crowley, the CEO of NOVA. He oversees everything."

Ren leaned back, his expression unreadable once more. "Then you're going to help me find him."

Mendietta's lips quivered, but before he could respond, Ren's tone softened, and for the first time, his cold demeanor cracked. His voice trembled as he asked, "Why?" Tears began to form in his eyes. "Why did you let me walk to my death? You knew, didn't you?"

Mendietta's own eyes filled with tears as he struggled to respond. "I… I didn't want to, Ren. I swear. But you have to understand, I had no choice. NOVA… they're bigger than you can imagine. If I'd tried to stop them, I wouldn't just have lost my position—they would have replaced me, erased me, and you still would've been sent away." His voice broke. "At least this way, I could stay close to the others, protect them in whatever small way I could."

Ren stared at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable once more. Finally, he stood and turned toward the balcony.

"One last thing," he said without turning back. "Don't tell anyone I'm alive. Not even Yui. Do you understand me?"

Mendietta nodded silently, wiping at his eyes as Ren stepped onto the balcony.

With one last glance at the doctor, Ren disappeared into the night.