Chapter eleven

Epic 11

The room felt heavy with tension, and the air was thick with unspoken words. Mr. Ken's face was dark with anger, and he looked away as he spoke. My body was stiff with worry, and his hands trembled ever so slightly. He tried to keep his voice steady, but it was clear that he was deeply concerned.

"I don't understand," I whispered. "What could endanger my life? I've done nothing wrong."

Mr. Ken sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't tell you right now," he said, his voice softening.

I could feel my breath ceasing, and my heartbeat slowly increasing.

“Calm down and listen to me okay?! The general Inspector wants you to join the force, he wants you to be a secret spy and you know that is not what I want for you right?!”. He said in a broken tone.

Kyrian's heart raced as he thought about the possibility of becoming a spy. He had always been fascinated by the idea, and Mr. Ken had promised him that he could join the ranks one day. His sudden change of mind became a thing of concern to Kyrian.

"I want to be a spy," Kyrian said, his voice filled with conviction.

“That is what I have always wanted and you know this, why then are you stopping me?”. I mumbled sadly.

“Because it is a dangerous job”. He whispered but this caused a heated argument between them

“Listen to me young man, I don't care if your mind's made up or not I won't watch you join that force”. He thundered.

“But you are in the force”. Syrian let out in annoyance

"Yes, I am," Mr. Ken said, his voice rising in frustration. "But that's different. I am trained and prepared for the risks. You are just a boy. You have no training, no experience. It would be too dangerous for you."

Kyrian's cheeks flushed with anger. "But I'm not a little kid anymore! I can handle it."

Mr. Ken shook his head. "I can't let you do this. I'm responsible for you, and I won't put you in harm's way."

The two of them stood there, locked in a tense stalemate.

"I am not still an officer because I want to be, there is a price to pay, so when I say "don't" then "don't" else I approve otherwise. So sit your ass down and this will be the end of this discussion, never to be brought up again”. He said angrily and the car immediately became quiet without any of us uttering a word to each other, until we got home.

Kyrian felt a mix of emotions as he got out of the car - anger, disappointment, and resignation. He knew that Mr Ken was just trying to protect him, but he couldn't help but feel stifled by the older man's overprotectiveness. He knew Mr. Ken had his best interests at heart, but he also felt like he was being denied the opportunity to pursue his dreams. As he trudged up the steps to their room, he wondered if he would ever be able to escape Mr Ken's shadow and become his person.

Even as a grown-up, Mr. Ken doesn't let me sleep alone in one of the free rooms in the house. He said he wanted to ensure my safety all the time. So when we got home he said he wasn't going to eat dinner, same situation with me because I already lost my appetite during the argument.

I walked right behind him as he gently took one step at a time. This was during the rainy season, so the weather wasn't so favourable, so he wore his big sweater after having his bath and laid down while covering himself with a duvet, tears slowly dropped while wetting the pillowcase. I wanted to talk to him, but I had a restriction not to, so I took my bath and joined him on the bed. When I faced his direction, he immediately turned around, I did the same and we both slept off.

That night, the rain pounded on the roof like a relentless drumbeat, and the wind howled through the trees. Kyrian lay in bed, tears streaming down his face, feeling lost and alone.

The cold became much worse, I was freezing, and my legs shrank. I was too lazy to stand up even when I noticed the windows were open “Did Mr Ken suddenly start to feel hot?!” was the question in my head as I managed to stand up. The wind kept redirecting the cotton while trying so hard to do the same with the window even while it kept making some creepy sounds.

Immediately I closed the window, and Mr. Ken changed his sleeping position. But just as I was about to go to bed I saw a figure, I took a glance at Mr. Ken but he was fast asleep

“What do you want?”. I mumbled but the person kept heading towards the door. I tried waking Mr. Ken but he dozed even more, I had to chase after the person as he went down the stairs.

With a racing heart, Kyrian followed the figure down the stairs. The figure seemed to glide down the steps, moving silently and effortlessly. Kyrian had to tread carefully to avoid making any noise, but the stairs creaked under his feet. He could hear the figure getting further and further away, and he quickened his pace to keep up. The darkness was disorienting, and Kyrian felt like he was moving in a dream. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw the figure disappear through a door that led to the main entrance.

“Hey! Wait! Who are you?”. I kept asking, frightened, even while following. When he got to the door leading to the main entrance, I ran and grabbed him but he brought out his gun and pointed it at my forehead. I instantly started to plead for help. I screamed Mr. Ken's name yet he didn't wake up. "Don't come any closer!" the figure warned, the gun shaking in his hand. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to."

Kyrian's heart was pounding in his chest, and he could feel the cold sweat on his skin. He knew that the figure was serious - one wrong move and he could be dead. But he couldn't let him get away. He had to do something.

"Please," he pleaded, his voice trembling. "I just want to know who you are. Why are you doing this?" He whispered scared.

While I was moving backwards, I tripped and fell and then my eyes and his met. It was the anonymous assassin. His mark was still very much visible yet his face was blurred.

Time seemed to slow down as the assassin pulled the trigger. Kyrian saw the muzzle flash, heard the crack of the gunshot, and felt the impact of the bullet. He fell to the ground, clutching his stomach in agony. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Mr. Ken running towards him, a look of horror on his face.

“Arrh!”. I screamed in pain, only to jump up and realize it was a dream. I touched my belly to ensure it was a dream. I was sweating profusely, as my heart kept racing. I was as scared as a cat being chased by a snake. I took a quick look at Mr Ken but he was still sleeping, sleep refused to cross my eyes as I lay straight while looking at the ceiling and reflecting on the dream.

As Kyrian lay in bed, his heart slowly began to calm down. He was still shaken by the vividness of the dream, and he couldn't get the image of the assassin's face out of his mind. It was as if he had seen the assassin before, but he couldn't quite place where or when.

He tried to focus on his breathing, slowing it down and letting the tension seep out of his body. As he started to relax, he became aware of a faint sound coming from outside the window. He strained to hear it and realized that it was the sound of raindrops falling on the roof.