Left A Gift

[ A few seconds before the gun was shot ... ]

Ace looked on as the teenager slowly pulled the gun from his pocket. Even though the actions of the teenager seemed fast, from his perspective, It was extremely slow. He was everything in slow motion, an ability that he enabled subconsciously whenever he sensed danger.

Without doubt, this teenager was definitely not experienced in the field. Ace had never indulged in drugs yet even he knew that you don't just pick up your gun and shoot anyone who sees you in the act.

This was even truer as you could see from the middle-aged man's actions. Even though he also wanted to ask, he was patient and wanted to know who Ace was, before doing anything foolish. The middle aged man had the patience that his client didn't.

'Kids of nowadays, huh…..' Ace thought as he looked at the teenager press the trigger. He couldn't help but shake his head again. Teenagers now act as if there is no tomorrow, acting on impulse on the slightest signs of provocation.

Ace on the other hand didn't remember doing anything provocative. It seems like this boy wanted to shoot someone.

'Is he taking in drugs too?' Ace thought as he looked at the boy himself. When he did though, he found signs of irritation on his face. 'So he is indeed taking in drugs. What was I thinking'

Ace couldn't help but think as he face palmed, something that was done so fast that the human eye couldn't even see it. If anyone were to see Ace right now, they would outright curse him for being so stupid. After all, who wastes so much time thinking about unnecessary things when he is being shot? Maybe only Ace could.

Looking at the bullet heading towards him, Ace's reached his hand out lazily. If someone was to see him right now, the only thought that would go through their mind was, 'Is this guy asking for his death?'

After all, Ace was actually reaching out to grab the flying bullet! Which type of normal human would do such a thing? What most people would forget was the fact that Ace wasn't a normal human. Reaching out to the bullet a low 'thud' sounded as Ace grabbed the bullet successfully.

Funnily enough, the bullet wasn't even able to penetrate his skin, and Ace raised his head to look at the duo in front of him, "You shouldn't have shot me. Now, I will have to erase your memories,"

*******

Present...

Chills went down the spine of the middle aged man when he heard Ace's voice. For some unknown reason he felt inherent danger from his tone alone. His instincts were telling him to run; however, this was something that he couldn't do.

"Sigh…. " Ace sighed letting out a breath of white turbid air as he looked at the restrained middle aged man. He couldn't help but shake his head again. 'Did he think he could run away from me? I guess it's natural reaction after all….'

Ace mumbled under his breath as he walked towards the middle aged man. He didn't bother with the teenager who seemed frozen in time. It seems like he had seen something that he should have never seen.

"Please I beg you spare me I promise…. "

"Don't waste your time. It's not going to hurt," Ace said as he touched the middle-aged man's forehead with his hand. A burst of light erupted from Ace's index finger lighting the dark alley with bright white light.

This light soon receded into Ace's finger making the dark alley return to its previous dim environment that made it difficult to see. At this moment, the man looked completely absentminded.

His dim brown eyes seemed to have lost even more light as he stared absentmindedly into the sky. At this moment, he looked like a zombie and if not for the signs of breathing, one might think that it was indeed the case.

After doing this, ace turned his sights to the boy. Seeing what just happened to the middle aged man seemed to have made the boy snap back to his senses. He looked around for a second and after seeing Ace's gaze land on him, his entire body shivered and a cold sweat tickled down his face.

He wanted by no means to become like the middle-aged man. Even though he and the middle-aged man had worked together, there were no feelings of camaraderie between them.

Their relationship was fully business focused. However, after seeing the man in his current situation, he couldn't help but feel his heart tighten. It definitely wasn't because he liked the man as a friend or anything.

No, it was because of the expression on his face. He looked as if he was been mind-controlled and he, without any doubt, didn't want to be mind-controlled.

Without saying a single thing, he turned around and did the exact things his pal had tried to do —run. However, just like his companion, he tried and he failed.

Without even raising a finger, the teenager stilled. He wanted to immediately scream for words but he couldn't hear the words he wanted to say. For some unknown reason, he became dumb!

He couldn't even make out words now! He couldn't speak!

Ace walked towards the boy and performed the same action he did on the middle aged man. Soon enough, the alley returned to its dim look and the boy was left standing and looking at the sky just like the middle-aged man.

After finishing everything, Ace smiled before leaving. Before walking away though, he had the had a few words to say,

"I left a surprise for you. Hope you like it" Ace said as he walked out of the alley.

**********

A few seconds after Ace left the alley, the middle-aged man snapped back, and he looked at the young boy. The same thing happened to the teenager, and he looked at the man.

"It's kind a rainy huh?" the middle-aged man asked starry at the cloudy night sky. "It reminds me of something that happened seventeen years ago…."

"Seventeen years ago? What has gotten into you, old man? Just give it to me…. I will have to leave!" The teenager said not caring at all about the middle-aged man's past. He just came to buy drugs… What did that have to do with the old man's story?

"Sigh…. I shouldn't have left her that way. Sigh, he would be your age by now," The middle-aged man said clearly remembering something from the past.

"Just give it to me!" the teenager said snatching the bag of drugs from the middle-aged man.

Startled, the middle-aged man reaches to grab the collar teenager thinking that he is trying to take the drugs away without paying up. In the process of doing so, the teenager's necklace falls from his neck to the ground.

Seeing this, the teenager immediately stops what he was doing and reaches out to take the necklace from the ground. He looked directly at the middle-aged man after picking up the necklace planning to berate him for tackling him all of a sudden.

However, when he raised his head, he saw the middle-aged man looking directly at him with an extremely shocked look on his face. It was as if he had seen something he never wanted to see.

"Where did you get that necklace? No, What's your mother's name?" The middle-aged man asked.

"Why?" the teenager asked frowning.

"Just answer me!" the middle-aged man asked with an extremely grave tone that the teenager had never heard before.

'What happened to this old man? He is normally not like this' the teenager couldn't help but think. Either way, he answered without pause….

"Mai"

"How didn't I realize this?" the middle-aged man immediately said kneeling to the ground weakly with tears in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"I am your father…" The middle-aged man directly said after a moment.

"What the f— "