"I forgive both of you."
Lux stood silently, little Yaya sleeping peacefully in his arms. He watched Riya walk away into the night, a faint smile curling on his lips.
Time: 10:55 PM
Lux stepped out of the glowing church doors into the cool night air. Reven joined him a moment later.
"Where's Yaya?" Reven asked, her voice soft.
"She's with her mom," Lux replied. "Riya came an hour ago and took her home."
Reven nodded slowly. "How was she?"
"She looked tired… but the sadness in her eyes was gone." Lux paused. "She kept calling me 'little Kenvy.' I don't know why."
A soft smile crossed Reven's face. "Don't worry about it."
There was a long silence before Lux spoke again.
"Reven, I've been meaning to ask… why did he come to take me with him that day?"
A deep voice echoed from behind them:
"Because I wanted to see you myself."
They both turned around.
Standing just outside the shadows were two men—one tall with sharp, commanding eyes, the other shorter with a messy haircut and a cybernetic eyepatch glowing faintly.
Reven instantly stood straight and bowed. She grabbed Lux's head and forced him to bow as well.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Lux protested.
The older man chuckled. "Heh, stop doing that. You always make me feel like some ancient fossil."
Reven straightened up and whispered to Lux, "That's Orven. He's the leader of the Third Affiliate Branch."
Orven smiled and pointed behind him. "And that idiot over there is Sunroof fun fact he eats cat's shit—"
Before he could finish, the second man spun forward with a double aerial kick, smashing into Orven's side. Orven went flying and slammed into the pavement.
"I'm Suntel, the crew leader," he said proudly.
From the ground, Orven groaned, grinning. "Yeah, yeah… one level below me. Heh."
Suntel rolled his eyes. "Ignore him. We just wanted to see you, Lux."
"See me? Why?" Lux asked cautiously.
Orven dusted himself off and grinned. "Boy, we know you have regeneration. Don't try to hide it."
Lux took a step back, eyes narrowing. "How do you know? And what do you want from me?"
Orven's tone grew more serious. "You remember what happened last Sunday night, in Sector 5B near that under-construction building?"
Lux's breath caught. The memory hit him hard.
---
Flashback – Sector 5B, Last Sunday
The streets were dim, only lit by neon ads flickering on skyscraper walls. Lux walked alone, heading back to his apartment.
He glanced up. Towering above him was a half-built megastructure. Dozens of Builder Bots were hovering, welding steel frames and laying panels. Humans in exo-suits coordinated below.
Lux muttered to himself, "Huh… no Safety Drones."
In 2154, Safety Drones were a legal requirement at any construction site. They flew above pedestrians, intercepting falling debris or equipment to prevent casualties.
He scowled. "Looks like the owner didn't want to waste credits on protection…"
Just as he turned the corner, a loud crack sounded above. Lux looked up—and froze.
A massive concrete slab, larger than his body, was plummeting down toward him.
He jumped aside just in time. "Ha! Dodged—"
CRASH.
Before he could finish, a Builder Bot malfunctioned mid-air and fell. It slammed directly onto Lux's left arm, crushing it completely.
His mouth opened in agony—but he bit down on his sleeve, forcing himself not to scream.
The pain was unbearable—but within seconds, his arm began to regenerate. Skin, muscle, and bone stitched themselves back together like a 3D printer in reverse.
Lux pulled up his hood and ran. He had to escape before anyone saw.
---
Back in the Present
"You thought no one saw you," Orven said calmly. "But the cameras did. Every home has surveillance in 2154, kid."
Suntel added, "One of the house owners uploaded your footage to the web. You're trending now—'Regenerating Boy from Sector 5B.'"
Orven chuckled. "It wasn't hard to find you. Same clothes. Rear apartments in Sector 5B. Everything matched."
Lux backed up again, fists clenched. "What do you want from me?"
---
(To Be Continued…)