Sonia's Past

Ayan woke up in an unfamiliar room, lying on a bed wrapped in bandages. His body was heavy, covered in plasters, and he could barely move. As he glanced around, he found Sonia sleeping in another bed beside him.

The sound of his movement stirred her awake. She sighed in relief upon seeing him conscious.

Sonia quickly sat beside him, her eyes filled with concern. "How can you be so reckless with your life? You were so badly injured... I thought you wouldn't survive," she whimpered, her voice trembling. "Please don't do anything like that again."

Ayan gave her a weak smile, choosing silence over words.

Moments later, Amelia burst into the room, her usual cheerful self. "See, Sonia? I told you he's tough! I knew he'd wake up soon."

"How long was I out?" Ayan asked, his voice raspy.

"It's been a day since you passed out," Amelia replied.

Ayan further asked, "Where are we?"

"We're still in Greece, at my home. Don't worry. Nobody will come to attack you here. You're completely safe," Amelia assured.

Ayan's expression grew serious. "What did the doctors say about my condition? Tell me the truth."

Amelia hesitated before answering. "You've got multiple broken bones and several injuries throughout the body. The dagger almost pierced your heart. But, the most serious injuries were done to your internal organs. The doctors were completely amazed that your body was healing on its own—even the internal organs. Still, it'll take a long time before you're back to normal."

"Also, until you heal completely, you cannot move so food and other needs will have to be taken care of by others for you," she added with a smile.

"I'm sorry for being a burden to you guys," Ayan murmured.

Sonia shook her head, guilt flashing in her eyes. "No, we're the ones who should apologize. If you hadn't been with us, Brone wouldn't have attacked. We're the ones who implicated you."

Ayan had a complicated expression when looking at Sonia as Brone's words replayed in his mind.

He tried to lighten the mood. "Don't worry. I won't die soon. The prophecy would have mentioned otherwise."

"How can be so sure of such prophecies?" Amelia huffed. "Why didn't it warn you before you were facing danger?"

Sonia cut in, "Alright, you don't have to nag him too much. Let him rest for a while. I'll go bring some food." She left, giving Ayan a brief moment of quiet.

"I've requested my father to get you the best medicines and supplements to help you heal quickly," Amelia boasted. "You might not know but there are lots of secret technologies and medicine the government and the mafia are hiding."

Amelia suggested, "Why don't you just join the mafia? You could become as strong as those black-and-white demons with their help."

Ayan shook his head, lost in thought. His mind wandered to his parents, his master, and the prophecies—everything seemed to lead him toward the lands beyond the map. And, the only key to accessing the unknown lands is IRIS which might be opposed to the mafia.

With a faint smile, Ayan replied, "I'm sure there must be a lot of restrictions on joining the mafia. Thank you for your good intentions but I don't want to restrict myself with them."

Looking at his determined expression, Amelia sighed. "Alright. I was just suggesting. You can make whatever decisions you like."

As she turned to leave, she pointed to a nearby drawer and smirked. "Oh, and I left a gun in there. Use it if you need to. But seriously, don't go about hitting people with stones—it's way too barbaric."

Remembering something, Amelia leaned in and whispered, "I was going to hire several maids to care for you, but Sonia insisted on taking care of you by herself."

After some time, Sonia returned with food.

"I won't disturb you and leave now. Take care and get well soon," Amelia winked at Ayan and left.

Sonia carefully fed him food. After a brief hesitation, she began, "I need to tell you something about my past."

She took a deep breath and narrated, "I barely remember my parents. When I was old enough, my grandparents told me they died on some mission. They were one of powerful figures in the mafia, like those black-and-white demons. I wanted to get strong and take revenge for my parents. There are only a few spots in the mafia every few years where one can get an opportunity to become strong like my parents. I tried to compete for the spots but failed. There were many people with inborn abilities like you and I couldn't compare with them. I still continued to search for my parent's murderer to no avail. Yesterday was the first time I heard someone knew what happened to them… and that person tried to kill me. You got dragged into this because of me."

Ayan hesitated and asked, "Do you know how they make people in the mafia stronger?"

Sonia shook her head. "It's a secret in the mafia. They are taken to a secret facility and stay there for a few years and no one speaks about what happens there."

Ayan continued asking, "Since your parents were so strong, how come you didn't inherit their abilities?"

Sonia explained, "Some people are born with abilities which they can pass on to their children. But others who develop them later on in life, usually don't pass their abilities to their children. Also, people born with abilities are mostly stronger than those who develop it later on."

"Your parents were one of the most powerful figures in the mafia, right? How did they become stronger among those born with abilities? Also, they must've left some inheritance for you, right?" Ayan inquired.

Sonia sighed and shook her head. She hesitated before revealing, "My grandparents told me that the real reason they became strong was because of a mysterious figure."

"A mysterious figure?" Ayan asked, puzzled.

"When my teenage parents came out of the mafia training, a mysterious figure approached them one day," Sonia recounted, her voice low. "He offered them missions with irresistible rewards. They completed these tasks for him, alongside their usual mafia work, and each time, he helped them become stronger. One day, he gave them an assignment to capture a middle-aged couple with special abilities. He knew their weaknesses, even the exact method to capture them. It wasn't easy, but my parents managed after a fierce struggle. The stranger was pleased and gave them something—a gift that helped them quickly become even more powerful. After that, he disappeared. My parents never heard from him again. And as for me… they left nothing behind."

Ayan's heart raced. "Do you know what kind of abilities that couple had? Are they dead or alive?"

Sonia hesitated, then said, "Something related to darkness. Even my parents don't know what happened to them."

She didn't notice that Ayan's expression darkened as her words sank in.

"Do you know anything more about this stranger?" Ayan pressed, his voice tight.

Sonia thought for a moment. "The only thing my parents knew was that he was a teenage man with eyes that glowed gold in the darkness. I couldn't find anything else about him."

A chill ran down Ayan's spine. Could it be? His mother might have been responsible for killing Sonia's parents. And her parents… they could have been the ones who captured his grandparents. Suddenly, Brone's strange action made sense—his lament at the twisted fate between him and Sonia.

Ayan's gaze shifted to Sonia, who was still oblivious to his inner turmoil. The weight of the revelation pressed down on him. Should he seek vengeance for his grandparents? Or could he continue to stay with Sonia, who had shown him much care and affection?

His expression grew conflicted, feeling torn between the past and the present, unsure of what path to take.