"Noid? Why are you just standing there blankly?"
Noid's eyes flew open. In front of him were the tall figures of his parents. At that moment, he only came up to their waists.
Noid, an eight-year-old boy, was about to go on a cruise with his family.
He raised his eyebrows and rubbed his temples. It felt strange. For some reason, he felt a little out of place.
Seeing Noid's expression, his father laughed, his voice teasing.
"Haha, you look like a little old man."
"Oh, you! Don't you have any decorum? He's excited about the trip!"
"Okay, okay! I won't tease him anymore."
Watching them talk happily, Noid felt a warmth spread through him. He didn't know why he felt this way, but he didn't hate the feeling.
"Alright, let's go, or we'll be late."
His parents held his hands and led him onto the cruise ship. He gasped at its size; he had never seen such a large ship before.
There were a ton of people on just one ship, which was vast and even had an amusement park and a swimming pool.
Noid was very happy, playing to his heart's content. He only stopped when his parents called him back for lunch.
Lunch was just as wonderful. A pile of beautifully presented dishes were served, and he had never seen such food before. It was also delicious.
He spent the whole day eating and playing. In the evening, Noid went outside to look at the night sky. His parents were still inside, discussing business. Since this trip also brought together many rich and high-society people, it was a good opportunity for them to talk about partnerships. He wasn't interested in that, so he came out here.
Suddenly, Noid saw a group of teenagers huddled together in the distance, and they were smoking. In his mind, smoking was only for adults, so what were these guys doing?
Then, the group of teenagers went somewhere. Part out of curiosity, part out of boredom, Noid secretly followed them.
The whole group went down below the deck, into an area where a lot of machinery was operating, and started messing with things.
"Hey, you shouldn't be doing that!"
Noid jumped out to stop them. But his eight-year-old body was too small compared to the 14 and 15-year-old teenagers. They looked at each other for a second, then burst out laughing, as if they had found a new toy. They surrounded Noid.
At this moment, strangely enough, he didn't feel scared or confused at all, as if he had experienced a situation like this many times before.
The teenagers charged forward, thinking this would be a bullying session just like any other. But their "prey" also charged at them. Noid went straight for the oldest one, the leader of the group, and hit him squarely. The vicious attacks, unlike those from an eight-year-old child, made the teenagers scream. He fought a whole group for a long time, until the adults discovered them and pulled the two sides apart.
The teenagers were full of injuries, with black eyes and bruises, while Noid only had minor scrapes and his hair, which his mother had styled neatly that morning, was now a bird's nest.
A heated argument broke out between the parents, ending with threats of lawsuits and a court date.
On the ride home, Noid felt a little guilty glancing at his parents. It was a long time before he dared to ask in a small voice.
"You... you're not mad at me?"
"Mad? Why would we be mad? Your dad got into a lot of fights, too! And you fought a whole group by yourself! Haha, I didn't know you were so strong!"
"Don't say that. You'll spoil him. We're not scolding you because our Noid wouldn't fight without a reason, right?"
"Hmph, looking at that guy's face made me sick. Thinks he's so great just because he has a little power? If they want to sue, let them, we're not afraid. It was clearly those kids who were causing trouble."
"Stop talking nonsense in front of our son, he'll start mimicking you."
"Okay, okay..."
A few days later, the lawsuit took place. While the other family was talking nonstop, spit flying everywhere, Noid delivered a fatal blow. It was a video he had taken of the delinquent teenagers vandalizing the ship. According to an analyst, what they did was extremely dangerous and could have caused problems for the cruise ship. This time, it was no longer a personal feud between the two families but also involved the other guests on the ship. The parents of the delinquents were indeed powerful, but they couldn't withstand the pressure from so many sides. In the end, they had to surrender.
From then on, Noid's family soared. His parents' business became more and more prosperous, and he earned the admiration of his peers. It was something that a child could brag about all day long.
On a normal day, Noid saw a boy younger than him, who looked like a foreigner, being attacked by a fierce dog. He chased the dog away and saved the boy. The boy said his name was Jack and that he had just moved there. From then on, Jack followed Noid, becoming his little brother.
When he was in high school, while walking around the school with Jack, he met a girl with shimmering golden hair who was playing sports. He was struck by love at first sight, feeling as if he had met the love of his life. He began his journey to pursue her.
The young emperor, who had never dated before - Noid, combined with the love guru, who had never had a relationship himself - Jack, turned the path of pursuing true love from a road full of thorns into a road to hell. Three years of high school ended in a failed romance, but he was still determined to follow her to college.
Knowing she liked to play sports, he also threw himself into practicing sports. Unbeknownst to him, Noid's talent for this sport was not bad. He improved very quickly and was even able to be on the same team as her. However, their relationship truly took a step forward when she saw him save an elderly person from a group of muggers, even though they had knives and he was empty-handed.
The two became close during college. When they graduated, Noid became a police officer, and she became a professional athlete. They became a couple.
While on duty, he broke up a cult and a superstitious fraud ring. Although the process was complicated and dangerous, he and his team successfully rescued many people, including women who had been kidnapped or trafficked. He was quickly promoted.
At the age of twenty-eight, she and he got married. Everything was ready. His parents organized a big wedding at a high-end hotel, inviting many figures from high society because his parents were now also people of power and influence.
"For a police officer's wedding, you guys are making it a big deal."
His father put his arm around his mother's shoulders and said with a smile.
"But he's our son, and that's enough."
He could only give a wry smile, looking at the person next to him. She was just as beautiful as the first time they met.
"You two make a lovely couple."
His parents left. Noid held her hand and smiled happily.
The night before the wedding.
He sat on the balcony, gazing at the night sky. He wasn't his usual self. He wasn't happy; he was quiet, a little sad, and he was troubled, tormented.
He sat there almost all night, even though the wind messed up his clothes. He just sat there in silence. From behind, footsteps sounded. The girl, Jack, and his parents. Everyone was looking at him.
Noid stood up, his face confused. His mother was the first to speak.
"Noid, it's okay."
Next was his father.
"Noid, you didn't do anything wrong, and you don't need to apologize."
Jack spoke next, his mouth in a big grin.
"Brother Noid, I'll follow you in the next life, too."
Finally, it was her. Only at this moment did he realize that for more than a decade, he had never looked her straight in the face. It was Sasha. She spoke softly.
"Noid, you can wake up now."
He had a million things he wanted to say, but only choked sobs came from his throat. Tears streamed down his face, and he couldn't stop them.
His parents held hands, and with their other hands, they put them on his head.
"Someone once said that a person truly dies when no one remembers them anymore. As long as you remember, your parents will always live here."
They both pointed to Noid's heart. Then they walked behind him.
"Take care, son."
Jack came over and hugged him tightly.
"You are my Kamen Rider. You will always, always be my hero."
He also went to the back.
Sasha was the last one. She didn't say anything, she just stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. Then she also went to the back.
Noid turned around, but no one was there. It was as if he had been alone in this room from the beginning to the end.
The sunrise began to appear. Noid was no longer crying. He spoke softly, a warm smile on his face.
"Thank you, everyone."
The world began to fade away. Around Noid was an endless void. In front of him was a rotating cube.
"Was this to fulfill my dreams and make up for my regrets?"
There was no sound in response, but he already knew the answer.
"No matter how beautiful an illusion is, it is still just an illusion. Thank you, but it should only be kept in my mind as a precious memory and not something to be lost in."
"Go back. Over there... there are still people I want to protect."