#̴̗͆̅̈͜ö̴̡̡̩́͛r̶̨̝̻̓͝͝mal...?

Sorin asked his colleague to send him the recovered footage. He found time after his work to look into the footage once more.

Amy said he didn't go home for three days, but he also couldn't remember what happened on that three days.

It was years ago, but still, something like that shouldn't be forgotten that easily. That was the reason he checked the footage from the three days before Amy said she saw that woman with him.

And that was when he finally found what had bothering his mind.

Three days before that day, he was seen leaving for work in the morning. But he never saw himself back in his apartment for the next three days until he opened the door from the inside. If he never returned, how was he inside the apartment already?

"Was the camera glitching when I came home?" he muttered.

But he watched the footage over and over again. He had never come home. Or at least the camera never caught him walking back home.

Sorin started to recall what happened at that time. He recalled how around that time, he also got fired from the company he was working at. No one else noticed him missing, or no one else actually worried about it.

"What is..."

DING!

Sorin's ears perked up to see his phone started ringing. When he put it to his ear, he heard his subordinate's voice, "Sir! Someone found a body on the riverside!"

Sorin wasn't at home at the time because he didn't want to meet Amy. He was in a hotel room near his police department when his night was interrupted. He put aside what he had been doing with the footage for now and went back to work.

But when he saw the body on the riverside, he was shocked to see who it was. Old, black coat. Silver hair and beard. Mature and warm face... now cold.

"You know him, Sir?" his subordinate asked.

Sorin had to walk away from the scene and sat on the ground when he realized... that it was the annoying preacher from his past... Grandpa Henry.

All the process of identifying the body was put under his surveillance, and before realizing it, Sorin fell into depression. He didn't know losing the man he thought was annoying years ago would make him like this.

Maybe he didn't count the fact that he was also just walking away from a long-term relationship. Maybe he had never realized that that preacher was one of the people who saved him and made a long-lasting impression on him.

He led the investigation for his death. He tried to find out what happened to him, but over the years, he couldn't solve his case. Grandpa Henry was indeed the type of man who would go to dangerous places to preach or to help unfortunate children.

Sorin buried himself in work. He became one of the most ruthless and effective dogs out there, chasing criminals day and night. He rose in rank every other year, and no one knows how he could still come unscathed with his guts.

Someone who couldn't be swayed by money or power, who kept meeting the right person for his causes and recruiting them for his justice. And once people found out about his background, they said he was lucky now because his childhood was shit.

Still, everyone acknowledged his street-smart way of handling things. He became quite famous in his state, entangling across many strings of destiny. And then... he retired.

55-year-old Sorin found himself in Covolo, Italia, wondering if he could buy a property there to spend in his retirement. Some locals were a bit confused about why he chose Covolo, a small village in the middle of nowhere.

But Sorin felt like this place spoke to him. When he found out that his favorite climbing athlete's favorite place for rock climbing was in Covolo, he was sold. 55 might be too old, but he wanted to start trying rock climbing now.

"There's a beginner route too here. A 5C, Duce Crack. The other one is a little bit harder, 6C+, Occhi Dolci Per Paola Spritz. You had no experience before?" a sport climber he approached asked him as he was about to ascend his selected route.

"No experience whatsoever," Sorin answered.

The cragsman laughed. "I suggest you go to an indoor climbing gym first. To see and manage your body... maybe to try and rough your skin a little bit, finding the feeling, you know?"

"I don't think indoor gym's holds would help me with gripping real rocks," Sorin shrugged.

"You know it's not all about the grip, right? You can test your power with indoor holds. Here, I'll go climbing indoors with you next week. How about it?" the man said.

Sorin chuckled. "Man, thank you. I was trying to convince you to help me."

"So that was your intention!"

The two laughed.

Thankfully, now that he grew mature, it was easier to make friends with others. It took years for him to be able to feel himself and be relaxed regardless of who he was talking with. His old wariness and tension somehow disappeared with age.

Maybe, experience.

They made a promise to meet again. Sorin told the man he could go anywhere except outside of Italy. They chatted around and decided to meet at Costabissara's indoor climbing gym, not far from Covolo.

And the day came.

He had bought his climbing gear, hopped into his car, and drove to their agreed meeting place. At first, he didn't expect it to be such a great start. After moving his body as a police officer for years, he now moved his body for himself. He was having fun for the first time in his life.

At first, he was trying not to fall, but then he realized if he wanted to get better, he mustn't be afraid to fall. A professional was belaying him, and he trusted him... so by the end of the session, he let himself fall.

Everyone laughed and patted his shoulders. "Are you sure you're fifty? You're doing so good!"

Even though he chose a beginner's route, in the eye of a professional, he who had no experience was doing extremely well. "Maybe you're actually an athlete. Retired?"

Sorin laughed at that, but then he explained that he was a retired officer from the USA. They started praising him again, partly to be polite, and the other reason was because he was truly good at using his body.

Sorin shook his head as they left the gym. He didn't mind his retirement spent like this. Maybe he would try other things too.

He walked around because it was still somewhat early in the day. He thought he would go home before sunset anyways, so he chose a coffee shop and ordered some of the shop's recommendations. He was enjoying his time reading about climbing on his phone when he heard a gentle knock.

He saw a small, pale hand knocking on his table for his attention. He raised his face to see the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes upon.

A soft, cheerful smile and polite gaze. Long white hair and golden eyes. She was young, not older than 25. A model? An actress? He thought she was even more charming than any he knew.

"I'm sorry, the tables are full. Can I join you, Sir?"