Commander Stilwell's words hung in the air like a heavy fog. "First, I have to tell you," Stilwell said, his voice steady but somber. "I know you've been wondering how Mom is doing. She's still cursed and doesn't know who did it, but I suspect it's… Alec's dad."
The moment those words left his lips, one of Chi-boi's eyes turned from orange to purple—a signal that both Alec and Chi-boi were now fully conscious. Alec's voice emerged, sharp and disbelieving. "What… did you just say?"
Stilwell raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised. "Oh… so you can hear me as well," he remarked, his tone unchanged.
Alec's voice hardened with tension. "My old man died when I was fourteen. So, what do you mean by that?"
Stilwell leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing. "I saw him with my own eyes, Alec. And nobody ever really knew how he died. There was no dead body, no grave. Just rumors, assumptions. But now… I'm starting to believe those were lies. He's alive."
