"Hey, Kael! You won't believe what just happened.... Mom got me a new pair of designer shoes, and guess what?"
"What?" Kael asked, pressing his phone between his shoulder and ear while placing a few groceries on the counter.
"She also said, 'My darling Kael would need one as well.' So I'm basically your surprise messenger; I basically called to tell you you've got one too, and when you get home, we would probably use it for a good old gathering ceremony..."
Kael stepped out of the shop, adjusting his grip on the bag. The afternoon sun glazed the pavement with warmth, but something in his chest felt cold. "The truth be told; You know you could've just bought it yourself… if you didn't waste money on useless junk n' stuffs.."
"No, no, I needed that scooter. I needed that bike! Never mind me, How's school?"
Kael paused mid-step on the busy street, narrowing his eyes slightly. "It's fine. Everything's going well…"
"Then why the sad tone?"
"Sad tone?"
"Yeah, man! I've been your brother for fourteen years. I know your voice face—even if I'm not seeing you!"
Kael sighed and adjusted the grocery bag again. "Well… you got me. There's an English competition going on. The prize money's kinda huge... but…"
"But—?"
The street was loud. Horns, voices, footsteps. But suddenly, a screech tore through it all, the raw metal dragging across asphalt.
A car swerved, tires smoking.
Kael reacted fast, his feet moving before thought, leaping backwards as the vehicle smashed into the curb, releasing a cloud of smoke and gas.
Nearby cars slammed on brakes. People screamed.
"Kael?! Bro?! Kael, can you hear me?! What just happened?!"
Kael coughed and gripped his phone, voice low. "I'll call you back."
He hung up and steadied himself, pulse racing, "What the heck... My foodstuffs," As he crouched to gather the groceries scattered near the curb, a bloodstained hand latched onto his sleeve.
He froze.
A man lay broken nearby, eyes hazy but locked onto his face.
"My Lord, I'm sorry... for meeting you like this...," the man whispered. "I have waited for your return for ages, But I'm glad to see your face before I die. And also, to tell you to seal the Abyssal Void again... the corruption is leaking... Please…"
Kael leaned in, eyes wide. "What are you talking about?"
"I was attacked. Center Park by the Slayers, since I am not an ordinary one, but a creature who has taken many forms but when you were just a toddler, I couldn't get to you, all because your family left the town. But then, after all those years,... I sensed your presence. I didn't believe it—until now."
The man winced, clutching his wound.
"Stop talking!" Kael lowered him gently, pressing down to slow the bleeding. "Someone call an ambulance!"
"It's too late…," The man lifted his trembling fingers to Kael's forehead. "I can't make you remember everything. But please… remember my name…"
Suddenly, Kael's head split with a surge of pain, it was similar to a brick which had dropped onto his skull.
He gasped. The world darkened. A memory flashed....
Nighttime... A summer field.... A willow tree, with its flexible branches swaying. An elderly man eating berries beside a young woman.
He approached.
The man looked up, smiling calmly.
"You hate coming outside. So... why now?"
His name…
Kael remembered.
"Ren?" he whispered.
Then the memory faded.
And the man's body slowly dematerialized, as he replied, "I am glad you remembered my name."
*****
"Let me get this straight," the detective said, arms folded. "A dying old man, roughly ninety, bleeding out, held your hand and mumbled something you didn't understand?"
Kael nodded. "Yes."
"And there are no blood stains. No evidence. Not even on your clothes?"
"Yes."
"Then, suddenly, his body vanished or rather still, someone took him away, using the smoke screen to their advantages.."
Kael nodded again. "Probably, Yes."
The detective rubbed his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Your name again?"
"Kael Von."
"Alright, Mister Kael. What's saving you right now is that, we've checked your records, which came out... Clean. But given this situation, you're still on our radar. We'll be keeping an eye on you."
He walked off toward a cluster of officers, leaving Kael standing still.
'That memory...it was mine?' He thought to himself, 'But why can't I recall it? I've lived my whole life with Mom, Dad, and Luke… haven't I?'
The street buzzed around him. Voices, and some Reports. Yet it all felt hollow, kind of disconnected. Nothing made sense, no single word.
Then something caught his eye.
A man.
Not just anyone, but someone strikingly dressed. But, he was old, with golden-blond hair streaked with silver, Shoulder-length, and Glasses perched perfectly.
He wasn't staring, but something about his look seemed judgemental.
Kael's phone buzzed again, he glanced down to the screen, before looking back up.
The man was gone.
"That was odd…," Kael muttered, answering the call. "Hey, Lu—"
"THANK HEAVENS! I've been calling you nonstop. You ended the call earlier. Are you okay?! I was about to tell Mom—"
"I'm fine, Luke. There was an accident."
"You had an accident?!"
"No, I witnessed one."
"Oh man! You scared me! Were there any casualties?"
"None. Just an old man… who passed away. But all's good now."
Kael checked his bag—groceries intact.
"O–okay. Switching topics—but did you hear about the new park—?"
Park?
Kael froze.
Center Park.
That's where the man said he'd been injured. That meant something.
"Luke, I'll call you back."
He hung up before Luke could spiral.
Then, as he turned to cross the street, a firm hand grabbed his shoulder.
Kael turn around only to see the same man.
Blond-silver hair, that mysterious gaze, and Unbothered expression.
"Kael Von?"
Kael blinked, heart hammering. "Yes? Why? What? What?"
"You see me?"
Kael frowned, "What sort of stupid question is that, of course I can see you, just the way I see everyone!"
The man slipped a sleek black card into his hand.
"Tonight. Midnight. Take the subway train. It will bring you to where you're meant to be, and I'll be on it to explain half of everything..."
Kael stared at the card. 'What are you—"
"Also, Do not go to the park."
Kael raised his eyes, "How do you—"
But the man was gone.