A well-dressed man was waiting anxiously in front of a door. Two soldiers were guarding it. The well-dressed man turned to one of them and asked:
Well-Dressed Man: When can I go in?
Guard at the Door: He'll take you in soon. He's on an important phone call right now.
The well-dressed man started talking to himself in his mind.
Well-Dressed Man: (I am Cemil Terme, the Chief of Police of this country. Right now, I am waiting anxiously at the door of the President. I know, normally a man of my rank shouldn't be nervous, even in front of the President. But this situation is different. Our country… no, not just our country, the whole world is facing a disaster. A crime syndicate called the Black Wolves, which originated in our country, has now shaken the entire world. In the past 15-20 years, they have grown so much that any attempt to gather information on them is shut down instantly. They have infiltrated key positions in almost every country. Of course, I have launched major operations to bring them down, but they all failed. The President is, understandably, furious about this. The current President rose to power with immense strength and public support, gaining significant authority in the country. According to rumors, his parents were killed by the Black Wolves. That's why he has an intense hatred for them. With this power and hatred, he has changed three Chiefs of Police in his six-year presidency. He doesn't care about laws or anything else. And I understand—fighting such an enormous force with conventional methods is impossible. But is fighting crime by committing crimes really the right thing to do? Are the failed operations solely the fault of us police chiefs? Of course, I can't say that to him. Despite his extreme stance, the public practically worships him. And it makes sense—since he took office, even though all operations have failed, his relentless attacks have weakened the Black Wolves' influence in our country.)
Finally, the door opened.
Guard: Come in… The President is waiting for you, Chief.
Cemil saluted the guard and entered. The President was sitting in his chair, looking at Cemil with a mix of anger and expectation.
President: Welcome, Chief Cemil.
Cemil instinctively bowed his head.
Cemil: Thank you, Mr. President.
Cemil: (This is my last chance. I have a solid lead against those Black Wolf bastards. I cannot afford to fail this time, or I'm finished.)
President: I won't waste time. Black Wolves… Talk.
Cemil: After nearly three months of sleepless effort, we have successfully infiltrated them. We have discovered the location of one of their most important warehouses.
President: Where?
Cemil: The large alcohol factory in the Rocky Region. Almost half of it is filled with illegal weapons and contraband. They even store a significant portion of their laundered money there. Tonight, we will launch a sudden raid. They won't even see it coming.
The President laughed.
President: Well done, Chief. Go and deal a heavy blow to those rats.
Cemil: Yes, sir!
Cemil left the room. The President pressed a hidden button on his desk. A concealed mechanism shifted, revealing an old push-button phone. He picked it up and walked toward the window, looking outside as he made a call.
Man on the Phone: Hello…
The voice belonged to an old man.
President: Father Erlik… There will be a raid in the Rocky Region tonight.
Erlik: (Chuckling) Thanks for the tip, Mr. President.
President: Please, don't call me that. I became President thanks to you.
Erlik: Don't belittle yourself… You fully deserved the position. Besides, if it weren't for you, my Black Wolves would have suffered major losses. I can never repay my debt to you.
President: What debt, Father Erlik? I'm the one who owes you. You avenged my parents' deaths. That debt can never be repaid, Boss.
Erlik: (Mocking) But wasn't I the one who killed them?
President: It's better if people believe that. This way, suspicions decrease. And after I became President, your decision to gradually reduce your activities in the country only made me stronger. Everyone attributes that to me. A very clever move.
Erlik: Heh… Take care of yourself.
President: You too, Boss.
The call ended. Erlik was in his car during the conversation. He looked outside. The car had stopped, but in a quiet and seemingly meaningless location. Erlik remained calm and smiled. He spoke in his mind:
Erlik: (Reducing my operations in this country wasn't just for you, kid…)
Erlik called out to his driver.
Erlik: Why did we stop? Is our journey over?
Driver: For you… yes. Please step out of the car, Erlik Father.
Erlik laughed and got out. The driver followed and stood before him.
Driver: Do you have any last words? I need to relay them to the Boss.
Erlik: (The reason I reduced my operations wasn't just the President. It was also for the child I raised to take my place. After my own children were killed, I took brutal revenge on those responsible. But after that, I had nothing left to do. The underworld was mine. I had no equal. I had no real successor. So, I found a capable child and raised him to take my place. I knew he would understand that to claim my throne, he had to kill me. It just happened sooner than I expected.)
Erlik: My last words, huh… Tell your Boss not to try using my system. Take only what you can use from the Black Wolves and build his own foundation. Just a suggestion.
The driver nodded.
Driver: Understood.
Erlik: (A fine man, this driver. The kid made a good choice. I knew the moment he placed him close to me. I've been waiting for this moment. It's an honor to die by the hands of such a man.)
Driver: Farewell, Erlik Kılıç, the ruler of an era.
The driver fired three shots into Erlik's chest.
Erlik: (Finally, I'm dying… Leaving this dull world. If I hadn't orchestrated my own death, who knows how many more years I would have lived? The previous President never dared to make a move against me. I had to raise my own successor. I even let them infiltrate us, just to make things more interesting… In the end, someone actually managed to kill me, even though I allowed it. Starting from nothing and rising to the top again… now that would be interesting. Then maybe… I wouldn't be bored.)
A while later, Erlik woke up screaming.
Erlik: AHHHH… No way! They couldn't have failed to kill me! What the hell…
He paused.
Erlik: Why doesn't my body hurt…? I feel so light… And where the hell am I?
He looked around. He was in the bedroom of a wooden house.
Erlik: A wooden house? Do those even exist anymore? Where the hell am I?
He noticed a mirror and walked towards it. He froze when he saw himself.
Erlik: How is this possible…? This is my 17 or 18-year-old self…
Suddenly, the ground shook. Erlik looked out the window and saw a massive dragon.
Erlik: What the hell is that thing? Where the hell did I end up…?!