"Such drama, you guys," Sai interrupted the three of them.
Hara, who had fallen silent, immediately turned to Sai. "You weren't invited!"
"Oh," Sai replied flatly.
"By the way... are you here to free Kai?" Sai asked.
"Yup," Daniel answered briefly.
"Ohhh."
"Let's go, Kai," Daniel said.
"Y-y-yeah," Kai stammered.
Daniel started walking, with Kai, Hara, and Sai following behind.
"By the way, what is this place?" Kai asked, glancing at the neatly lined-up rooms. "And why does each room have a number?"
"Good question," Daniel replied calmly. "This place is a laboratory. It's where we study various objects, things, or entities that are strange or of unknown origin."
He walked slowly, pointing to a door with a large number above it. "The number on each room isn't just for location. It also shows the order of experiments. The higher the number, the newer the research."
"Come on, Kai, I thought you were smart... how could you not know this?" said Sai to Kai.
"Sorry..." Kai replied softly.
"Sheesh, Kai, I was just kidding. Don't apologize right away," Sai said, patting his shoulder.
"Sai, not everyone can take your jokes," Daniel chimed in.
"Yeah... sorry, Kai."
"That's enough, we're here," Daniel continued.
They stopped in front of a large door that slowly opened.
"Let's go in," Daniel said.
"Let's gooo!" Hara shouted excitedly.
They entered. Inside, many scientists in tidy uniforms were busy with their devices. But all eyes quickly turned to one person.
A man sat at the very back desk. Messy purple hair, red eyes, one eye covered with a bandage, wrinkled clothes, and tape stuck to his nose.
"...Greetings, Mr. Bobo," Daniel said respectfully.
Bobo slowly lifted his head from a pile of files. His gaze was empty at first, then turned sharp when he saw Kai.
Kai swallowed nervously.
Bobo stood from his chair. The scraping sound was heavy.
"Hello, kid," he said in a deep voice.
Kai only nodded. "...Hi."
"5 more days, you're going to China," Bobo said suddenly.
"Huhh, why suddenly?" Daniel said
"What?! Why does Kai have to go to China?" Hara shouted in surprise.
"Shut up, bastard. You don't have permission to speak," Bobo said sternly.
"But seriously, why China?" Daniel interjected.
Bobo crossed his arms. "Because this kid has potential. And the only place worthy of honing it... is the Crimson Sky Academy in Beijing."
"Crimson Sky Academy?!" they all shouted in unison.
"But... who's going to pay for it?" Sai asked reflexively.
"Cycle will fund it," Bobo answered calmly.
"...WHAT?!"
Still confused, Kai asked, "That academy... what kind of place is it?"
Bobo looked at him. "Nice question, kid. It's a place where kids learn to use magic, fight, shoot arrows, and more. But more than that, it's a place that forges who you are."
Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Why Kai?"
Bobo answered seriously, "Because he's the one who killed Zeus."
Everyone fell silent.
"But technically, Kai didn't kill Zeus directly."
"How do you know?!" Hara asked in shock.
"It's obvious. I saw everything, from the beginning," Bobo replied.
"But indirectly, Kai did kill Zeus, didn't he?" Daniel asked uncertainly.
"Yes, indirectly. But not directly."
"Huh?!"
"Hahahaha, and you believed that? Idiot. That was just my speculation," Bobo said, laughing.
Silence.
"By the way, his name is Kai," Sai suddenly said.
"Ahh... thank you, crazy notary," Bobo replied with a creepy smile.
"?!" Sai was shocked.
"Alright, Mr. Bobo," Daniel bowed. "We'll take our leave."
"Yes, go."
Kai, Hara, and Sai walked out. Kai turned to Hara.
"That guy... damn him... making decisions as he pleases," Hara muttered angrily once they were outside.
"...Hara... who is Bobo?" Kai asked quietly.
Hara took a deep breath.
"He's the eighth strongest person in the world... the right hand of Cycle's owner... and... the one who will decide your life or death in the future."
Kai could only remain silent and stare ahead.
The world, once vast, now felt far more complicated.