Here Comes Vale

Aiden sat alone in his home, trying to study for the upcoming scholarship renewal test. It was 10:00 PM, the weather calm and illuminated by moonlight. Exhausted, Aiden fell asleep at his desk.

"Why? Why didn't you save us, brother? Why?" Aiden saw his sister's angry face in a blurry vision, her eyes filled with hurt.

Frightened, Aiden tried to speak, but no sound came out.

"Why?" his sister asked repeatedly, walking towards him.

"No!" Aiden shouted, jolting awake.

"Was it a dream?" he wondered, his whole body shaking and trembling.

As Aiden tried to make sense of what had just happened, a voice came from behind him.

"Hello, Aiden."

"Another dream? I think I should rest for today. Maybe I'm too tired," he thought, still shaken.

"It's not a dream, Aiden. I'm right here behind you."

"Be... Behind me?" Aiden stammered, still frightened from the nightmare.

He turned around to see a man lying on his bed as if it were his own.

"Hello again," the man said casually.

"Wh... who are you?" Aiden stammered, trying to understand the situation and calm down. "And why are you here?"

"What good will it do to know my name?" the man replied.

"Hey, first you enter somebody else's house," Aiden said, his voice a mix of anger and fear, "and then you refuse to tell your name? Go... go out of my place!" he shouted.

"Hey, hey, hey," the man said with a smile, "calm down, man. What's the rush? I just got here. Why not welcome me?" he asked casually, his smile constant.

"Welcome you?" Aiden repeated, frustrated by the man's words. "Why? Who are you? What's with your dress and attitude? Cosplay, huh? What is that armor-like thing on your whole body? Pretty fancy... huh?"

"Hey, that's pretty harsh, man," the intruder responded, still smiling. "Calling this technology cosplay... well, I guess that's one way to put it in your vision."

"What type of man are you?" Aiden thought, noticing how his fear was giving way to curiosity. "I was scared of him just a few minutes ago, and now I'm talking to him like I know him for years."

"Man, huh? Am I even human?" the man said, getting up and sitting on the bed with a serious look on his face. "That's the question you should have asked first. Well, of course, I am human," he added, laughing.

"Don't make jokes like that," Aiden said with a pale face. "It scared me to my bones."

"Sorry," the man said. "Well, I am Vale. By the way, you are Aiden, aren't you?"

"Man, you are so unpredictable," Aiden replied, his pale face showing a hint of a warm smile. "You don't even know whether I am Aiden or not. Wait," he suddenly realized, "how do you know my name?"

"You are so noisy, boy," Vale said, his face turning serious. "I even know that your family died in a car accident. No, not your whole family, only your mom and sister. Well, that is something that everyone knows, but," his voice deepened, "I even know how your father died."

"My father," Aiden said seriously. "He just left us alone for years. That's what I thought, and I always hated him for that. But one day, we got the news that my dad had already died on the day we thought he left us."

"If you want to know about that," Vale said, putting his hand on Aiden's shoulder, "why not help me with something?"

"Work for you? What work? And why me?" Aiden asked, his mind racing with questions.

"To save the world," Vale said, walking towards the window.

"Save... save the world?" Aiden struggled to speak. "What kind of joke is that? Are you a comedian or something?"

"Joke?" Vale turned, his expression dead serious. "If you want to believe, believe me. If you don't, just wait here and watch the whole universe getting destroyed, leaving you alone," he said, standing close to Aiden. "Only you can save them. I'm already at the end of my career; I can't do this anymore. If you refuse, remember that."

"How can I believe you?" Aiden said, feeling low and defeated. "I've lost everything. I wanted freedom, my life to be my own," he continued, looking at Vale with pain in his eyes. "I just wanted to live my life."

"There you go, a crybaby," Vale said with a painful smile. "Lost, huh? Pain! What do you know about real pain, boy? And the thing that you are alone," he said, eyes open and meeting Aiden's gaze, his voice slow and deep, "you are not alone anymore. I am with you. I will protect you from everything with my life."

"I..." Aiden began to speak, but they were interrupted by a large explosion.

"What!" they both exclaimed.

They rushed to the window. A massive spaceship was flying overhead.