The meeting was held in a private, abandoned government facility, far away from the city's eye. A dusty warehouse camouflaged as ruin, but heavily secured from within. Military vehicles lined one side, while dark vans carrying the gang's top members were parked on the other.
The tension between both sides was thick enough to cut with a blade.
Ejilah and Aron flanked Sin, dressed in black suit and sharp-eyed as his personal guards. Their steps echoed through the corridor as they followed the gang leader into the dim-lit meeting hall, booming with confidence like there were untouchable.
Inside, seated at a long, rusted table, were high-ranking military officers. Standing at the center was the one who called for the meeting — General Tavion.
His uniform was crisp, medals shining faintly under the weak lights. He glanced up as Sin walked in, giving a curt nod. Sin, in contrast, strolled in with the smugness of a king on foreign soil, eyes scanning the room like he owned it.
"Nice place," Sin said sarcastically. "Though I expected less dust from the glorious defenders of Earth."
General Tavion didn't take the bait. "Sin. Thank you for agreeing to come. We have urgent matters to—"
Sin raised a hand casually. "Let's skip the formalities. I came here because I was bored. Not because I believe in bedtime alien stories."
Aron shot a glance at Ejilah, who said nothing but kept his eyes on the general, silent and calculating.
General Tavion placed a laptop on the table and pushed it forward. "We decrypted the stolen video. You've seen it too. We have reason to believe it's real."
Sin leaned forward lazily. "And why's that?"
The general hesitated for a second before speaking.
"Because the man in the video... is Xander. He was a trusted asset to the military for years. A brilliant scientist, strategist, and explorer. He's not just any man."
Ejilah froze.
His entire body stiffened as the name struck like lightning through his mind.
Xander.
His father.
The one man he thought died in a war long ago.
The same man whose face appeared in that strange message about an alien invasion and the end of the world.
Ejilah's head began to spin. His breath slowed, fingers curling unconsciously at his side. He felt Aron glance at him but couldn't respond. His eyes were glued to the general, heart thudding like a war drum.
Sin raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying this... alien invasion crap is real because some ghost of yours appeared on a screen?"
"He's not a ghost," Tavion replied, voice calm but firm. "We lost contact with Xander over a decade ago. He vanished after a mission gone wrong. Everyone assumed he died, but now we know... he knew something. Something big."
Ejilah couldn't take it anymore. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to stay composed.
His father was alive.
Alive and working with the military — and never came back.
All those years... struggling alone. Eating crumbs. Working as a child killer in a gang just to survive. Thinking his father was a hero who died for his country. But the truth? He was somewhere out there, hiding. Watching.
And never once returned for his son.
Betrayal wrapped around Ejilah's heart like barbed wire.
Sin leaned back with a dry chuckle. "You expect us to fight alongside you over a warning from a man who ran away and left you in the dark?"
"It's not just a warning," Tavion insisted. "It's a prophecy. A threat. The aliens are real, and something is awakening beneath this planet. Energy spikes from alien sources have been detected all over the world. You've seen things, Sin. Things that don't belong here."
The silence between them cracked like glass. Aron's eyes widened. "Wait— The guy in the video—?!"
Ejilah nodded, eyes sharp as blades. "He left me to rot. He might know about the system. About why this is happening to me."
Aron swallowed, unsure what to say. He could see the pain behind Ejilah's cold expression. Ejilah had told him about the strange system he got recently.
"You're gonna look for him?"
"I have to," Ejilah said. "Maybe... maybe finding him will give me answers. About myself. About this system. About everything."
And deep inside, something else whispered.
Maybe I'll get to ask him why he left. Why he let me suffer.
The alien threat was real. But Ejilah had just discovered another war. One that lived inside his heart.
And this one?
Would be far harder to survive.
---
Sin's grin slowly faded. "I've seen monsters crawl out of caves with glowing eyes. I've seen weapons that melt minds. But I've also seen desperate governments make up nonsense to control people."
Tavion stood straighter. "We're not asking for your trust. We're asking for an alliance. For once, the gang and the government must stand together. If we don't prepare, we all die."
The room went silent.
Sin took a moment before replying. "Let me think about it."
He turned, signaling for Ejilah and Aron to follow. They exited without another word, leaving the general with clenched teeth and fading hope.
Outside, under the cracked sky, the gang leader lit a cigarette.
Aron looked tense. "That was... a lot."
Sin exhaled smoke. "They're hiding more than they say. That general? He's afraid. I've seen it in his eyes."
Ejilah said nothing.
His thoughts were burning. Rage swirled in his chest like a storm. The image of his father — not as a dead man, not as a hero, but as a liar — wouldn't leave his mind.
He was alive.
Alive and abandoned him.
When they returned to the base, Aron finally broke the silence between them.
"You okay?"
Ejilah didn't look at him. "I need to find him."
Aron blinked. "Who?"
Ejilah turned to him. "Xander, My father."