A Knock on the Door.
Kael sat on his hospital bed, staring at the blank ceiling. The TV in the corner of his room droned on about the Black Gate incident, but it was nothing new. The official report remained vague—ten S-rankers were killed, and two unknown individuals had taken down the Tyrant.
Despite the relief that the monster was dead, something about it gnawed at him. Two people killed a dragon that wiped out the strongest warriors in the country. Who were they? Why weren't their names being revealed?
A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts.
Kael turned his head, expecting a nurse, but instead, three men and one woman entered the room, dressed in black suits. The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately. They weren't ordinary visitors.
The man in front was in his late forties, his sharp gaze and neatly combed gray hair giving off an air of authority. His ID badge bore the PAA emblem—the Philippine Ascendant Association.
Director Santiago.
Kael's chest tightened. What does the PAA want with me?
"Kael Reyes," Santiago spoke in a calm but firm voice. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Kael replied, watching them carefully. "Did something happen?"
Santiago smiled slightly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "We're here to ask you a few questions about the incident."
Kael clenched his fists under the hospital blanket. He had expected something like this. He was one of the few survivors of the massacre, after all.
The three others with Santiago remained silent. One of them, a tall woman with short black hair, held a clipboard. She was likely taking notes.
"Can we sit?" Santiago gestured toward the chairs.
"…Sure."
The four of them settled into the room, their presence heavy.
Kael braced himself.
---
Santiago leaned forward, hands clasped together. "Tell us, what exactly did you see in the Black Gate?"
Kael swallowed. The massacre. The destruction. The hopelessness.
But he kept his expression neutral. "I saw the Task Force and the ten S-ranks engage the monster."
Santiago nodded. "Go on."
Kael hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "At first, it seemed like they had the upper hand. They fought with everything they had. But the dragon… it was too strong."
He left out the part where he could feel the presence of the monster. He wasn't sure why, but his instincts told him that revealing too much was a bad idea.
Santiago studied him for a moment. "So you witnessed the battle up to the point where they fell?"
"…Not entirely," Kael admitted. "I passed out from the pressure before it ended."
The woman with the clipboard glanced at him, her pen pausing. She was analyzing his words.
Santiago leaned back slightly. "And when you woke up, the fight was already over?"
"Yes."
Another man in the group, younger with a military-style haircut, finally spoke. "Did you sense anything unusual before you passed out?"
Kael hesitated. What do they mean by unusual?
He decided to play dumb. "Other than seeing a giant dragon slaughtering our strongest fighters? No."
Santiago's gaze lingered on him for a second longer before he exchanged a glance with his subordinates. Were they satisfied with his answer? Or were they just pretending to be?
"You're close with your siblings, aren't you?" Santiago suddenly asked.
Kael tensed. "Yes."
"Your family is known to be… exceptional," Santiago mused.
Kael forced himself to remain calm. Here it comes.
"And yet," Santiago continued, "you never awakened, did you?"
His words stung, but Kael had heard them before. He had lived with that truth for years.
"No, I didn't," Kael answered.
Santiago studied him carefully. "Strange, isn't it?"
Kael forced a chuckle. "Yeah. I guess I'm just unlucky."
For a moment, the room was silent.
Then Santiago smiled, though it felt more like a test than a genuine expression. "I see."
---
Santiago stood up, and the others followed his lead. "Thank you for your time, Kael. We won't take up any more of it."
Kael exhaled, feeling like he had just passed some kind of invisible test.
But before they could reach the door, Kael spoke.
"Wait."
Santiago turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?"
Kael hesitated, then asked the question that had been burning in his mind since he woke up.
"Can I know who were the two people that killed the Tyrant?"
The air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.
The PAA officers exchanged brief glances, their faces unreadable.
Then Santiago chuckled softly. "That's classified information."
Kael frowned. "So, the country's strongest warriors died, and you're not even going to reveal who saved us?"
Santiago's expression didn't change. "Sometimes, the truth is best kept hidden."
Kael felt his frustration rise, but he knew pushing further wouldn't get him anywhere.
Santiago placed a hand on the door handle. "Rest well, Kael. If you need anything, the Association will be in touch."
With that, the PAA left the room.
Kael sat there, staring at the closed door.
"The truth is best kept hidden."
His gut told him something was wrong. Who were those two people? And why was the government hiding their identities?
As the news on the TV droned on, Kael clenched his fists.
He needed answers.
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End of Chapter 5