After finally convincing Asher he had no connection to the Mendoza family by showing him some old photos, Kai managed to get rid of him and prepared for bed. He turned off the lights in his room, and as he turned back toward the bed, he froze.
A figure stood before him, barely visible in the dark, but the heavy aura of Kao radiated from them like a storm.
A calm voice broke the tense silence. "So, you're my little brother's son. I remember seeing you a few years back at Alon's funeral. My, how you've grown."
Kai took a step back, his mask wrapping around his face instinctively, his twin guns materializing in his hands. With the Big Dipper pressed against the stranger's chest, his voice echoed through the dark room.
"Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?"
The man chuckled softly. "Wow, you really do have a Mask ability. And you're quick to draw, aren't you? I suppose killing that assassin wasn't a fluke."
Kai shifted the gun, pointing it directly at the man's head. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. A beam of energy shot through the room but stopped midair, dissipating harmlessly before it could damage anything.
"Impressive," the man said, now behind Kai. A firm hand gripped his shoulder. "But unfortunately for you, I'm a bad matchup."
Kai spun away, ready to fire again, but the man moved faster than his eyes could follow. He snatched the barrel of the gun, his grip unyielding.
"Calm down," the man said. "Let's talk."
Realizing resistance was futile, Kai let the guns vanish. He crossed his arms, glaring at the intruder. "Fine. Not like I have much of a choice. What do you want?"
The man smirked, turned the lights on, and took a seat. Kai blinked in shock. The man looked almost identical to his father—same strong features, same piercing gaze.
"I like you," the man said, gesturing for Kai to sit. "You're smart. Now, let's talk."
Kai reluctantly sat across from him, his posture tense.
"First, your dad wasn't killed by some random thug," the man began. "But I won't tell you who did it. That's something you'll have to figure out on your own."
"Second, I'm your uncle—one of them, at least. You have three others, not counting Rick, and an aunt. She's the current head of the family."
"Third, I had nothing to do with your father's death. Any questions?"
Kai leaned forward, resting his head on his hands, his anger barely contained. "How did you find me? Why did you come here? Why was my father assassinated? And lastly, what's your name?"
The man chuckled, amused by Kai's directness. "I'm Angelo Mendoza. Finding you was easy—rumors about a Mendoza awakening a Mask ability spread fast. I came to see if it was true. And as for your dad..." He shrugged. "He was killed to make sure he wasn't a competitor in the race for succession. Stupid, really, since he was disowned. But the man who ordered the hit didn't care."
Kai smirked slightly, piecing together the clues. At least now he knew the assassin's employer was male so it wasn't the head of the family—So it had to be one of his uncles.
"Anything else?" Angelo asked, leaning back in his chair.
Kai shook his head, his mind already racing with new questions he'd have to find answers to on his own.
The man smiled, placing something on the table in Kai's room before disappearing as swiftly as he had appeared.
Kai stood in silence, staring at the spot where Angelo had been. His mind raced with possibilities. Could Angelo have been the one who ordered the hit? It was plausible, but if that were true, why would he bother revealing the involvement of an assassin in the first place?
Still, he couldn't completely rule out his aunt either. Angelo could have mentioned a gender to throw him off, planting seeds of doubt.
Yet, the logic didn't fully align. If Angelo didn't want him uncovering anything, he wouldn't have sought him out at all. His actions seemed too deliberate, too calculated. And besides, Angelo didn't seem like the type to hire a hitman he would have done it himself.
For now, Kai decided to consider Angelo an ally. But trust, he knew, would take much longer to build.
Kai picked up the item Angelo had left—a small key with a note attached. He unrolled the note, only to realize he couldn't read most of it. The text was written in a strange, almost alien language, one that seemed incomprehensible even to translation devices. The only thing he recognized was the number twelve.
Frustrated but intrigued, Kai folded the note back up, reattached it to the key, and hid it securely in his room. He figured it wasn't something he could solve immediately. Whatever Angelo intended for him to discover, it would have to wait.
Right now, his priority was becoming an official agent. That status would grant him access to resources and information—tools that could help him dig deeper into the mystery surrounding his father's murder.
Kai went back to bed, but his sleep was restless, filled with unsettling thoughts. When he awoke the next morning, he found himself burdened with even more questions than the night before. But for now, he had to keep everything hidden—he couldn't risk anyone discovering that he was investigating his father's murder, or he might end up like him.
He left his room and headed to breakfast with his team. He had salmon and assorted fruit, trying to push the previous night's events out of his mind, even if only for a while.
After finishing his meal, Kai was about to head to the training yard to meet Amaya and Asher, but his device chimed in his pocket. A notification appeared—he was called to see Miss Deyvinne.
Kai walked through the large campus until he found the office. He entered, and the large woman behind the desk gestured toward a chair.
"Have a seat, Mr. Mendoza. I need to ask you something."
Kai glanced at her, confused. "Yes, Miss Deyvinne? Did you need something?"
The woman sat down with a serious expression, energy emanating from her body. "I thought you had no ties to the Mendoza family. At least that's what Asher tells me."
She paused, her gaze sharp. "So explain what Angelo Mendoza was doing in your room."
Kai frowned, but without hesitation, he lied effortlessly, his heartbeat steady. "Well, I thought I didn't either, but he came here because he heard someone from the Mendoza family was here. Apparently, he was my dad's brother, and he realized it when he saw me—something I had no clue about. When I was a kid, my dad worked in a factory, and they didn't even give me any money after he died."
He paused, leaning back slightly. "So all in all, I don't have any ties to them. He made it clear that I wouldn't be accepted back into the main family since my dad was kicked out, and I still wouldn't be getting their support."