Kael walked home with a bad feeling. Even though he had successfully driven off the harassers earlier, a strange premonition bothered him—a sense of being watched from the shadows. Yet, he ignored it. Maybe his imagination was playing tricks on him again due to the stress of being in this foreign world.
But just a few steps from Kiana's house, something hard clamped over his mouth and nose from behind. He tried to fight back, but the cloth contained a substance that quickly sapped his strength. His vision swam before everything went dark.
---
Kael woke up in a dark room, sitting on a chair with his hands tied. Several figures stood around him, their faces hidden behind masks. A spotlight shone directly on him, blinding.
"Who are you, really?" one of them asked in a heavy voice.
Kael was still dizzy, but he forced himself to stay calm. "I'm just an ordinary person."
"Don't lie. You appeared out of nowhere, have unnatural combat abilities, and got close to Kiana. Are you an agent sent to assassinate her?"
Before Kael could answer, the door to the room opened. Kiana entered, her face unlike usual—not naive or bright, but full of wariness.
"You," she said, her voice cold. "I've been suspicious from the start. Nothing is a coincidence in this world. What is your mission in getting close to me?"
Kael was silent for a moment. There was something about this situation that felt... familiar. He remembered an incident in his original world where he was accused of being a spy just for knowing information he shouldn't have. Back then, he felt just like now: tired, misunderstood, and unwilling to argue.
"I'm not an agent, not a hired assassin, and I mean you no harm," Kael said slowly. "Look at me—skinny build, plain face, ordinary style. How could I possibly be an assassin?"
Kiana looked at him for a long time, her ruby red eyes seeming to pierce through his soul. The room fell silent for a moment, only the breaths of the guards audible.
"Release him," Kiana finally decided. "He's... not dangerous."
One of the guards protested, "But, Kiana—"
"Release him!" Kiana cut in, and this time her voice was back to its usual self, soft and slightly hesitant.
They untied Kael. Kiana approached him, and for a moment, Kael saw doubt in her eyes—as if she herself wasn't sure of her decision.
"Forgive us," Kiana said, suddenly transforming back into the naive girl he knew. "I was just... scared."
Kael just nodded, not wanting to say much. He was led out of the room and escorted home.
---
Back home, Kael sat on the sofa, trying to process everything that had happened. Kiana seemed foolish and trusting, but it turned out she also had a cautious side. Perhaps her "foolishness" was just a facade for certain situations.
The system suddenly chimed in his head:
[INFORMATION: CHARACTER "KIANA" HAS A FAMILY BACKGROUND OPPOSITE TO YOURS.]
[KAEL'S FAMILY (ORIGINAL WORLD): NEGLECTFUL. GREW UP WITH DISTRUST.]
[KIANA'S FAMILY (PARALLEL WORLD): EXTREMELY CARING AND PROTECTIVE. GREW UP WITH FULL TRUST.]
Kael finally understood. Kiana wasn't foolish—she just grew up in an environment that didn't require her to be suspicious of anyone. Whereas he grew up with the principle: "trust is a risk."
The two of them were reflections of how life shapes a person. Kiana, naive and full of love; Kael, cold and calculating—but both were still "him," just in different versions.
Kael took a deep breath. The mission suddenly felt deeper than he had imagined. It wasn't just about helping Kiana win Raka's love, but also about understanding himself—the version that could have existed if his life had been easier.
He made a silent promise: he would complete this mission, return to his world, and perhaps... bring back a valuable lesson from this trusting, naive version of "himself."