World

"Don't you dare act like I didn't warn you, and you taste disgusting," Neaf spat out, cutting Axtral words off, wiping his tongue with the sleeve of his shirt. The metallic taste lingered, but that wasn't the most pressing issue.

What mattered was the fact that it was the year 2050, and everything had changed. A robotic figure claiming to be his father looked entirely different from what he remembered about how humans looked.

His once black eyes were now a piercing red, his dark black hair transformed into a rich brown, and his physique had become more muscular and imposing, with fair skin that was a far cry from his previous complexion.

"I'm leaving. You don't deserve my presence," Axtral wrinkled his nose, his face glistening with Neaf's saliva, a mix of wetness and anger.

He had never interacted with humans before, and this first encounter was making it difficult for him to resist the urge to harm Neaf once more.

"Tell me exactly what's happening to me. Who am I now? What world is this? Am I in the future? How can a robot be my father?" Neaf demanded, his tone serious.

"It's not that simple. You'll get your answers in due time. But I can tell you one thing—it's a parallel world to the one you came from, so it's entirely different. Be cautious until we meet again," Axtral replied before vanishing in an instant, leaving Neaf even more bewildered.

"At least I know one thing now—it's not just another world, but a parallel one to the human world," Neaf mused.

He regretted ever wishing to be born as something other than human, only to find himself thrust into a reality that was beyond his comprehension. Living in 2050 didn't make him a time traveller, as this world bore no resemblance to the world he once knew. It was far more complex and perplexing than anything he had ever experienced.

"Neaf, come out, sweetheart. How much longer are you going to take? It's been two hours already," Alisa's voice interrupted his thoughts. He could accept Alisa as his mother, but the inhuman figure claiming to be his father was a different story.

"Did you hear me, Neaf? Either you come out, or I'm coming in," Alisa threatened.

Neaf sighed. Were all parents like this, or was this family just exceptionally dramatic? He had no frame of reference for a normal family, given that his own parents had been absent for most of his life. This kind of behaviour only made him feel more out of place.

"Coming," Neaf replied loudly, not wanting to endure any more nagging than he already was.

He stood up and, without bothering with his morning routine or changing his clothes, he emerged. "I have a few questions," he announced.

Alisa and Alfred, seated at the dining table waiting for their son to join them for breakfast, turned their heads in his direction and then exchanged a concerned glance, noting that his demeanour was no better than before.

He was still behaving strangely.

"Ask us anything, sweetheart. We're your parents, and we'll make sure to answer any questions you need help with," Alisa spoke in her motherly tone, smiling warmly.

She only had two people who were the most important in her whole life—her husband and her son. No matter how strangely her son was behaving, she was ready to help him out. After all, he was just a kid, and perhaps it was just some hormonal phase.

Yes it could be the hormones.

She concluded.

"You are my parents, right?" Neaf asked calmly, though his anxiety rose every time he looked at them. There were so many things he needed answers for, and he was sure they would sound even stranger than the way he had behaved before. How was he even going to reconcile that image?

He knew this wasn't the type of question anyone would want to hear when they knew the person asking it. But he didn't know them, so he had every right to ask. Still, he couldn't tell the truth, or else they might think he was delusional. Now they might think he needed to be sent to an asylum, because this whole situation seemed ready to push him there.

He felt more insane than anyone else would upon hearing himself, or maybe it was more than just insanity.

"Of course, what kind of question is this? You've been our son for the past 19 years, and suddenly you have doubts?" Alfred's expression turned serious as he observed his one and only son behaving this way. How dare he even ask them this? They had given him everything, and still he had the audacity to question their relationship.

"I am not saying anything, I am just asking, it's just I seem to having hard time in remembering anyone,"

Neaf lied as he tries to not let anyone have doubts on him, he maybe can have an excuse of not having memory, but can't use the reality that's more sounding like an excuse.

"What!,"

Alfred and Alisa both immediately stood up and went close to Neaf, scaring him more due to the sudden outburst.

"We need to take him to the hospital. He don't remember us Alfred,"

Alisa placed her head on Neaf's shoulder, watching him with a tense look, feeling worried about what had just happened to their son.

"Yes, you're right. Let me pull the car out," Alfred said, immediately walking out to get the car so they could take their son to the hospital.

Before, it might have seemed like a joke, but now it was a serious issue.

"Let's go," Alisa said, taking Neaf's hand and pulling him along with her.

"Wait... I'm fine... it's just—" Neaf tried to explain himself as he was being pulled, but his words died in his throat. He didn't have any excuse to make.

"Axtral. That bastard is the source of everything. If he comes in front of me again, I'm going to skin him alive for this,"