1991 – New York
In the city of New York — the American metropolis said to lead the future — everyone continued playing their part in time. On that day, the Gulf War dominated the U.S. headlines, giving people yet another excuse to deepen their superficial sense of camaraderie.
A shadowed stranger, his face hidden beneath a hat, gripped a leather bag tightly as he stepped into an old night lodge in Manhattan. The door lay broken off its hinges, collapsed on the floor. He carefully stepped over it, scanning the interior. The place looked like a battlefield, scarred by chaos.
The first thing that caught his eye was the vending machine in the lobby — it looked like a crane had crushed it. Broken tables, shattered glass, and scattered objects were silent witnesses to a recent violent struggle. The stranger knelt down and studied the surroundings with sharp focus, as if reliving what had happened.
When his eyes landed on the stairs, he stood up and climbed them silently. As he moved through the long, dim corridor, he noticed something glinting on the floor. Bending down, he found a room key. The number matched the room beside him.
He slid the key into the lock, opening the door slowly, carefully avoiding even the faintest creak. With all senses on alert, he stepped inside, unsure of what — or who — awaited him.
The scene before him made it clear he'd found what he was looking for. In the center of a pile of empty liquor bottles lay a man, asleep in a deathlike slumber. The stranger turned on the light, grabbed a water-filled glass vase from the table, and poured its entire contents over the man.
The cold splash made the man jolt upright like a ghost, mumbling without opening his eyes:"What's going on!"He continued gruffly:"Was it really so hard to grant me one more sip when the wine of life had run dry? I don't want to be woken like this again. Or I'll have to lower my rating of this place!"
Those words brought a nostalgic smile to the stranger's face — it was clear he'd been waiting to see this man for a long time."Even the longest nights have a dawn," he said in a calm but resolute voice."And the night of the Great Kai ends here."
At the sound of his nickname, "Great Kai," the man opened his eyes and began to focus on the figure standing before him. That familiar face — it belonged to someone he'd seen countless times in the past.
A wide grin spread across Kai's face."Alex! What a surprise! Come here!"He stood and embraced him tightly."My student from the future… Back again after all these years. Sorry — I'm still hungover. So tell me, which version of Alex am I talking to now?"
Trying to suppress his laughter, he continued in a deep voice:"No, don't tell me — it's fine. Like Logan says..."He mimicked a deep, serious tone:"What happens in time shall remain the secrets of the Heir of Time."Then returning to his usual voice, wobbling on his feet:"Hey, want a drink? Ah, but I see they're all gone. Tough luck, kid."
"You're in rough shape, Kai. I bet you haven't been to the academy in ages. Am I the only student who still visits you? I've been looking for you for two years. I even found the path to Babylon. And yet, the planet's most gifted master, a man with hideouts as exclusive as his wardrobe, turns up in a goddamn ruined boarding house."
Kai pulled back and collapsed into a chair, smirking."You liked my secret home collection, huh? I spent millions on every one of my hideouts. I deserve at least a compliment, don't you think?"
Alex couldn't help but question why Kaizen had chosen this man. Kai stretched and continued with his usual hedonistic flair."So, kid, tell me — what's going on? You must have come all this way for something important."
Alex set his bag on the ground and began pulling out metallic components, laying them before Kai. These pieces belonged neither to Alex's time nor the one they stood in. Their intricate design hinted at a complex and mysterious technology. Kai's expression shifted the moment he saw them — perhaps he already knew what they were.
Noticing this change, Alex hesitated for a moment before explaining.
"When you trained me in the future and sent me to the past, I arrived two years before this — in 1989."He intentionally framed it that way: if Kai ever changed his mind about helping, knowing the timeline could alter his actions. According to Logan, Kai's change of heart would happen on the day he and Jessy arrived to investigate the scene. Perhaps seeing Jessy again after so long had been the turning point.
Taking a deep breath, Alex continued:"I wanted to go see my father right away. But I was scared I'd mess everything up. So I waited a few days to gather my courage. Finally, I knocked on the door... but the man who opened it wasn't my father. He didn't even know who we were."He paused briefly, then went on."I tried to make sense of it. I tracked down everyone my father used to talk to when I was a kid. But none of them remembered us. It was like... my family had never existed."
Kai's intense focus made Alex speak even more carefully."That's when I thought about going back to the years we spent in that house. The oldest bill I remembered was from 1995. So I only needed to wait five or six years. I was determined to solve the mystery by then. But I noticed strange people watching me, and had to delay my plan. A few days later, they made their move. I nearly died in the fight. I had no choice but to run. I'd never seen fighters like them. I needed help to beat them."
Kai assumed Alex was about to praise him now.
Instead, Alex pulled a delicate parchment from his pocket, adorned with gold and diamond patterns, and handed it to Kai. The word "Apprentice" was written in Chinese."I was injured and had no idea what to do. That's when Logan found me," Alex said, locking eyes with Kai."I explained everything, began novice training, and within two years... I was promoted to apprentice."
Kai narrowed his eyes and took the parchment, examining it from every angle. His surprise was unmistakable.
"This… this is impossible," he said, almost in disbelief."In just two years? And with another teacher?"He shouted and threw the paper to the floor.
Alex struggled not to grin as he continued."First, I found my Peace Point in my own future. That alone doesn't let me pick the exact time, but it made time travel possible. Second, Logan's like your father — why are you so jealous of him?"
Kai had always assumed Alex was at least a hundred years old — after all, Kai held the Peace Point record at fifty years."That's just cruel… How can anyone do such a thing? And besides, that man is not my father. So you're wrong about that."
Laughing, Alex went on."Not your father? That's impossible. Your eyes..."He trailed off, unable to find anything else to compare to the towering figure of Logan."Well, I guess that's it."
Kai replied with a bratty tone:"Logan's a good teacher, but I'm sure I'll be better. At least in the future. Now, go on with your story."
"Once I became an apprentice, I waited to find the people who had been following me. I repeated everything I had done before — just like the first time. When I drew their attention again, I met them in an alley. But this time, I set the trap. With my new abilities, I cornered them. Then… they self-destructed in a strange way. Only you might know what they really were."Alex gestured to the metallic pieces scattered on the floor.
Kai picked one up and examined it carefully. He clearly recognized it."If you'd come to me in the first place, you wouldn't have needed any of this, idiot," he said sarcastically, pointing at the chestplate."This is armor, Alex. When I first saw it, I thought it belonged to Kaizen. But the problem is... Kaizen doesn't use this kind of tech."