Chapter 193 D-Day
Turning around to locate the source, Kan found the place still empty. Determined to investigate further, he took another step, contemplating his surroundings when suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder from behind.
"Von Shizaros!"
Kan was shocked to feel such a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't only large but warmer than expected. More than that, Kan never expected anybody to be there.
Instinctively, Kan quickly turned around to see what was behind him. As he turned, he was surprised to find both the person and the hand vanished. There was no one behind him.
"Show yourself!" Kan shouted, attempting to draw the unknown person out of hiding. "Who are you? Are you scared to show your face?" he asked once more, but there was no response or visible person.
Kan continued scanning the surroundings, then suddenly, he noticed a shadow-like figure swiftly walking past him. He moved back and positioned himself to attack or defend, ready for whatever might come.
"Who the heck are you?" Kan asked once more.
"Thou shalt discern it when thou layest thine eyes upon it." said the voice.
Immediately upon hearing the voice and the manner in which it spoke, Kan recognized the person.
"Mas... Masked guy?" Kan whispered to himself. As he turned in the other direction, he was shocked to see the same face he saw the other day while searching for Lilith.
Before him stood the Masked Guy, leaving Kan surprised. He attempted to move back a bit to create some distance between them, but it felt as if his legs were planted in the ground.
His hands also seemed impossible to move; he tried with all his might, but there was no movement.
"Is this how powerful this guy is?" Kan wondered. He strained to move back, but the Masked Guy just stared at him, both seemingly rooted in the same spot.
After a while, Kan attempted to speak, but he found his lips sealed firmly together. He tried making a sound, but nothing came out.
"In my realm, none shall utter a word ere obtaining my consent." the Masked Man finally said. "Proceed." The man instructed, and Kan found himself free. He could now speak and move his body.
Before Kan could say a word, the Masked Man questioned him, "What visions have met your gaze?"
Kan waited for a moment before replying, "My past...."
Before Kan could finish his statement, the Masked Man interrupted, saying, "Recall, thou perceivest solely that which eludes thine sight."
"Uhhh, I haven't seen anything yet," Kan responded, recalling the man's earlier words.
"Behold, what greets your gaze?" The man asked Kan, pointing behind him.
As he turned around, the steps that were once there had vanished, and emptiness was restored. Kan, being sharp, knew what the man wanted him to say, so he replied, "I can see a lot."
"Nay, thou canst perceive the entirety. Direct thy gaze with greater intent." the Masked Man urged.
Kan, upon hearing those words, tried to focus aimlessly, knowing there was nothing there, but he decided to play along. As he played along, he heard a faint voice from the void saying, "Is she okay? Is the baby going to be okay?"
The voice was initially distorted, but as Kan focused more, he could hear it clearly and recognized it as his father's voice, though younger.
"Is the baby going to be okay?" Kan wondered. "Is the baby supposed to be me? What happened to me when I was still a baby?" Kan questioned once more.
He tried to find out what really happened, so he focused more. Upon focusing, a faint image began forming before him, becoming clearer with time.
Kan could now see the younger version of his father and mother walking gently, with his father supporting his mum on the shoulder. His mum was pregnant at that time.
The environment was entirely unfamiliar to Kan.
"Ahhhh," his mum screamed before gradually going down. "Go get the man, Shi...." His mum was about to say when the image became blurry, and the voice went silent.
"Which man is she referring to?" Kan asked impatiently, turning to the Masked Man behind him. Before he could finish his words, they faded out of his mouth, and he could talk no more.
"Thou hast witnessed plenty; now, advance boldly." the man said.
Noticing Kan struggling to say something, the man permitted Kan to speak by saying, "Say!"
"What shall I call you then?" Kan asked.
"I embody thy thoughts of me." the man replied plainly.
As the man uttered those words, he stretched forth his hands and touched Kan's chest. Instantly, Kan started seeing the man fading away before him.
The once dark and empty environment started turning bright, and bricks from nowhere appeared, forming a room around Kan.
As the room formed, Kan recognized it was his room.
He knew he was standing when the Masked Man touched him, but after everything, he found himself sitting down with his snacks before him. Kan looked around and noticed everything was just as he left it.
The snacks were still intact and not dry, signifying that he only spent time wherever he went but, in reality, blacked out for a second or two.
He stood still, staring at the snacks before him. It was surprising enough that he couldn't remember the phrase he had been hearing inside the realm he disappeared into.
"What the heck? How did I forget?" he wondered, standing up and walking around his room.
"It was kind of encrypted, some strange tongue like that!" he continued complaining.
Hela inquired, [What has suddenly come to your mind that made you lose your appetite?]
Kan sighed before saying, "It was something like, uhhh, never mind."
Kan knew explaining it to Hela was just fruitless since she couldn't do anything about it.
There was a sudden noise from the outside door; someone was coming in.
[It's your parents, they're back,] Hela notified Kan.
He quickly rushed to the door to ask them about what happened to the books in the secret room, determined to know what the book was all about and what his parents were hiding from him.
Kan walked to the sitting room to meet his parents.
"Welcome!" Kan greeted them as they walked in, and his father accepted with a nod while his mother smiled back at him. They sensed that Kan had something to ask, prompting this kind of welcome.
His father headed straight for his room, while his mother busied herself looking for something in the room, which Kan didn't really know about.
"Uhmm, Dad?" Kan asked, making his father stop walking.
"Yes," his father responded, turning to stare at Kan.
"I wanted to ask you something," Kan said.
"About what?" His mum interrupted.
"There was this secret room I entered in the kitchen the other day. There were these books inside, but I can't find anything inside today," Kan explained.
The last sentence came as more of a shock to Kan's father than his mother.
"What? Empty?" his father exclaimed.
Immediately, his father rushed to the kitchen, and his mother followed suit. Kan also followed them.
As they reached the kitchen, his father removed the picture on the wall and opened the secret room.
Upon entering, Kan and his parents realized the books were gone.
His father began searching the secret room cautiously. "The books are gone? No!" his mother exclaimed.
Though silent, his father looked really worried about something else. He went up and down the room, but he couldn't find anything. Frustrated, he pushed the shelves down and shouted angrily.
"They've taken everything, they've found them!" he said before storming out angrily.
"Who are 'they'? What happened?" Kan inquired.
"That doesn't concern you," his father said plainly before walking away. Kan left the secret room, and his mother followed him, locking the door behind them.
"Mum? What's going on?" Kan asked his mum.
She sighed before replying, "This is nothing you should worry yourself about. All is fine." As she said those words, she gently placed her hand on Kan's head and rubbed it gently.
"You're hiding a lot from me, Mum. You've never told me about the secret or why you were running the other day," Kan said.
His mother smiled and replied, "as I've told you earlier. It's nothing to worry yourself about." As she said those words, she walked towards their room to meet Kan's father.
"We won't run, we will wait....." Kan's parents conversation faded away as his mum shut the door behind her.
Kan was really not happy with how his parents have been keeping secrets from him. There's a lot he thinks he deserved to know. He walked back to his room and continued eating.
The same thing kept happening every time. Whenever he came back from school after football training, he tried as much as he could to get his parents to spill the beans, but it was fruitless.
His parents either gave him no reply, or they ended up giving him a response he never wanted.
This continued until the day of the football competition, where Kan qualified to play for his school alongside Emily, Wick, Alfred, and others.
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