As Alex rode his bike back home from the inn, he was suddenly knocked down from his bike and momentarily dazed by the sudden attack. Taking a moment to look around to see who or what could have attacked him he sees his grandfather frantically crawling up to him and is suddenly grabbed by the head and brought close to whisper distance.
"Grandpa!! What was that for??"
His grandfather leans in close and whispers into Alex's ear.
"Now's not the time for explanations, here."
Alex's grandfather shoves a duffel bag into Alex's hands and puts a pendant around his neck.
"Take this bag and head south to Coris I have a friend living there that will take care of you and give you a place to stay. And this pendant, never take it off under any circumstances ever, no matter what. Do you understand?"
Hesitatingly Alex nods his head that is filling up with more and more questions, but seeing as how frantic his grandfather seemed he had no choice but to nod along and continue to listen to what his grandfather had to say.
Grandpa pulls Alex into his embrace and hugs him tight while whispering into his ears.
"The time has come Alex, my time with you was somewhat short but it was the best 10 years I have lived. Now it is time for you to go out on your own."
As grandpa let go of Alex he starts disappearing into particles of light until there is nothing left of him and only a confused and visibly anxious Alex sitting there shouting.
"GRANDPAAA!!!!"
In his distress Alex is suddenly flooded with memories of his time spent with his grandfather, the memory of that time they were fishing out on a lake was somehow the most prominent because at that time Alex's grandfather started saying weird things to a 10 year old.
[Remember Alex when I tell you to run, you should always run.]
[Always use your brain, even when your emotions start to take over, take a deep breath and use your brain, it's not there for nothing.]
Remembering these quotes from his grandfather Alex closes his eyes and takes a deep breath and organizes his jumbled thoughts, with a determined face on he gets up, ties the duffel to the back of his bike and starts pedaling south toward Coris.
------
In the courtyard of Alex's rundown, house light particles begin to phase in and out of no where Grandpa appears on all four and is visibly sweating buckets and in seconds starts vomiting all the contents of his stomach. With a grunt he wipes his mouth clean and looks around to see a ship docked nearby with people alighting it, and from a distance he hears someone speak.
"Old age has really taken it's toll on you, old friend."
While struggling to get on his feet grandpa looks toward where the voice is coming from only to see the "commander" with a squad of people at his back.
Mockingly grandpa chides back.
"I see you still haven't gotten rid of that habit of keeping scars from battles you've lost."
With a disgruntled look the commander runs his fingers across the scar on his face and smiles back at grandpa,
"I see you still have that glib tongue of yours."
While the two confront each other, the group of people around the commander scatter and get busy, numerous machines and equipment appear from spatial rings, necklaces and bracelets, the group of people start connecting all kinds of wires this way and that, from one machine to another and finally all leading to a crystal floating in the middle of the machines.
"Commander! Sir!"
A white coated officer with bronze trimmings approaches the side of the commander and stops 6 feet from him and salutes.
The commander glances to the side looking at the reporting officer.
"We've searched the house, there are signs of more than one person living within the premises, someone else is living here with him! Sir!"
Looking back at grandpa, the commander furrows his brows, and stares straight into grandpa's eyes and speaks in an angry tone.
"Where's the boy?"
Grandpa is silent and and returns the same glare the commander is giving him.
The officers and other personnel start operating the machines trying to locate the and pinpoint the location of Alex using any and every means possible.
"You will never find him, Elpinor, even with all your technology." Grandpa mocks as the beeping of machines can be heard in the background.
"We will find him, Grimallin, and there's nothing that will stop us."