The night was late, but Kael was still sitting on the floor of his room, surrounded by science books and histories of this parallel world. The more he read, the more he understood why Kiana grew up to be such a naive and trusting girl. This world was indeed created with less conflict and more harmony.
"So this is the version of me that would have existed if I had never experienced life's bitterness," he whispered to himself, staring at an illustration in a history book depicting centuries of global peace.
His head began to feel heavy. He put down the last book and, without realizing it, fell asleep on the floor.
---
Kael woke up with a sore body and a foggy mind. The morning sun shone on his face, and for a few moments, he forgot where he was. Then, everything came back—the parallel world, the mission, Kiana.
"Oh no, the mission!" he said, getting up quickly. "I almost forgot why I'm here."
He stood up and stretched, trying to figure out a way to approach Raka. The problem was, he didn't know where to find the man. In his original world, he and Raka were merely acquaintances from university years ago. They were never close, and his memory of Raka was vague.
"How can I get Kiana to meet someone I don't even know?" he lamented.
Sitting in front of his laptop, he started searching for information about Raka on social media but found nothing useful. The system didn't provide exact location details either.
Suddenly, an idea came to him. University. If he became a student at Kiana's university, he could observe her closely, learn her daily routine, and perhaps find a way to bring Raka into Kiana's life.
Without wasting time, he started looking up new student registration information. As expected, the system had prepared everything—his data was already in the system, and he only needed to fill out a few online forms.
"Too easy," he whispered, still unbelieving of the convenience provided by the system.
---
The next morning, Kael stood in front of the university gate with a strange feeling. It had been years since he was last a student, and now he had to return to the school bench, mingling with youths much younger than him.
"Kael?" a security officer approached him. "From the registration office? Please follow me."
He was led to a lecture hall where about 30 students were busy with their own conversations. The orientation lecturer introduced him, "This is Kael, a transfer student from... the neighboring city."
Kael just nodded, his eyes continuously scanning the lecture hall for Kiana. But he realized, as a final year student, Kiana was probably in a different faculty.
Break time arrived. Kael walked to the cafeteria, hoping to run into Kiana by chance. And sure enough—in a corner of the cafeteria, Kiana was sitting with a group of her friends.
"Kael!" Kiana exclaimed cheerfully upon seeing him. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm a new student here," Kael replied, approaching their table.
"Awesome! Now we're on the same campus!" Kiana smiled widely. "What faculty are you in?"
"Computer Science," Kael answered. "You?"
"I'm a final year Sociology student," said Kiana. "What a coincidence, I actually need help from someone good at programming for my volunteer project."
Kael could hardly believe his luck. "Volunteer project?"
"Yes, a project for Raka—an old friend of mine. He asked for help creating a volunteer data management application."
Hearing Raka's name mentioned, Kael's heart raced. This was an unexpected opportunity.
"When can we start?" asked Kael, trying to hide his excitement.
"How about tomorrow? I'll contact Raka to set up a meeting for the three of us," Kiana suggested.
Kael nodded, thinking to himself, Finally, I will meet Raka. And the mission to bring the two of them together can begin.
He couldn't wait for tomorrow, when for the first time he would come face to face with the man who held the key to his return to his original world.