Departure I

It had been around two hours since they left the underground parking lot.

Ren was still driving with caution while his wife, Rina, was leaning on his shoulder. She looked as if she was from a fairytale as she slept charmingly with her head on Ren's shoulder.

Ren could not help but glance at his wife's face from time to time. Of course, he only did this when they encountered traffic since he wouldn't want to risk their safety by being distracted while driving.

Therefore, even if it was hard, he used all his will in order to stop himself from staring at Rina's sleeping face.

In the hind passenger seat, Sera noticed the actions of her parents. She giggled because her father looked like a child who wanted some candy, but was not allowed to have one.

Still, she knew that they must have been tired and thus, did not disturb them.

She turned her head to look at her brother.

Since they departed, his face had been glued to the window of the car.

Looking at her brother's expression from the reflection, Sera's heart warmed.

She knew that this was the first time that her brother was able to go outside for the last ten years. Therefore, she was really happy for him.

'The sky… the cars… the walking people… I feel happy just by seeing them from here!!'

Zen, who had his face so close to the window that he just fell short of kissing it, thought happily as he enjoyed the scenery outside.

The smile on his lips hadn't left his lips since they had departed from the underground parking lot.

He couldn't get rid of his smile.

'Finally…'

'It had been ten long fucking years…'

His eyes were lit up, like the first time a baby was able to open their eyes, it looked as if he was seeing the world for the first time.

Through the television and his phone, coupled with the detailed description from the stories of his family, Zen was able to satiate his curiosity towards the world outside.

The world that he wasn't able to see for ten years was finally present before his eyes. No scene in the television nor any verbal description would be able to compare to what it felt to see it with his own eyes.

'Damn…'

Overwhelmed by this feeling of joy that he could not quite describe, this word was the only one that came to his mind.

Zen remembered the post that had intrigued him earlier but decided to not check it for now.

'I'll let myself have a break for now…'

He thought as he continued staring outside the window with an expression filled with joy.

Seeing that her brother looked as if he was in his own world, Sera decided to not disturb him.

She turned her head towards her father, Ren, and asked in a curious manner.

"Dad, are we going to the airport?"

Ren glanced at the rearview mirror to look at his daughter and said, "Yup. Anyways, your mother and I have done our preparations in the past three days. So you don't have to worry about anything."

"It will also be good for you if you rest right now since it will be quite a long drive. Regarding what we did in the past three days, your mother and I will tell you more about it later on."

Sera nodded with understanding. Then, she proceeded to close her eyes and sleep.

Ren glanced at the rearview mirror again. This time, his sight hovered over Zen.

'I'm glad to see that kind of smile on his face again.' Thought Ren as he smiled with joy for his son. He felt that his son had suffered so much in the past ten years. Now, he was happy to see his son smile again.

Remembering the days where Zen's smile functioned like a mask to hide his despair and helplessness, the smile that Ren saw right now seemed genuine and full of joy in comparison.

Even though he wanted to keep Zen being cured and discharged out of the hospital a secret, Ren did not stop his son from looking out the window.

The reason for this was because the windows of their car were heavily tinted. It would be impossible for people outside to see what was going on inside the car.

As such, Ren wasn't really concerned and just let his son enjoy himself.

Besides, he knew that it won't stop the government from finding out the truth. At most, it would only be able to stall for a little bit of time.

'Soon… Don't worry, you will be able to have a taste of freedom soon.' Ren thought with a determined gaze. He was determined to make it so that his son would be able to enjoy a normal life as much as possible.

Then, he focused on driving once again.

***

In a hallway…

"Welcome back, president!" said the two military personnel who were guarding the door before making way for the middle-aged man they called president.

The middle-aged man nodded amiably at the guards and entered the room.

After the door closed, one of the guards whispered, "Don't you think that the president's a little different lately?"

"How come?"

"I don't know… it just feels that something's off…"

"Don't think too much. He is the President of the United States. So be careful of your words, lest he hears you!"

Thinking of the possible consequences, the guard shuddered and did not speak any longer.