— Time Between Kael Slept by Jake's Tranquilizer Gun and Woke
The car was moving smoothly through the empty road.
Kael was sleeping in the passenger seat. His breathing was slow, too slow for someone who should have been screaming in pain after what had just happened.
Jake kept his eyes on the road.
The gun was rested inside in his long coat, already forgotten. The shot had done exactly what exactly needed to be done. No more or no less.
Kael had fallen into a deep, forced sleep—the kind that didn't touch dreams.
Jake drove for several minutes in silence.
Then he stopped.
The road around them was ordinary. Too ordinary. No markings. No signs. Just asphalt stretching endlessly into darkness.
Jake leaned forward and reached toward the car radio.
His fingers pressed against a specific edge.
Click.
A panel slide aside with a soft mechanical whisper, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside it there was only a single object.
A cellphone.
Which was old, black coloured and with no branding or scratches.
Jake took it out and unlocked it.
There was only one contact without a name.
He pressed call.
The line rang once.
Twice.
And then Jake ended the call before it could connect.
For a moment, nothing happened. But then suddenly, the air ahead of the car folded inward.
And a blue light cracked through space itself, expanding into a circular portal that hummed softly just like the sounds of the ocean heard from deep underwater.
Jake started the engine again and drove straight into it, without any hesitation.
The world shifted and the road changed beneath the tires. There was no longer asphalt, but glass which was thick, reinforced and transparent.
But below it lays the endless darkness.
The deepest part of the ocean, a place where humans can't go.
Jake drove forward, surrounded by black water pressing from all sides, held back only by invisible force fields and ancient engineering.
Lights began to activate one by one as the car passed.
Soft blue sensor lights illuminated the road, revealing massive structures in the distance.
Aerin.
Hidden from humanity.
Buried where no human vessel could ever reach.
A city which was beneath the sea.
As the car approached, the skyline emerged—towering buildings made of steel and crystal, bridges suspended in water and aerial platforms glowing faintly. Hundreds of figures moved along elevated paths. Some walked calmly, some were talking, some children were playing, some were running for jobs and others trained, sparring with energy crackling around their bodies.
Aeri.
Brought from every corner of the world.
Some were chosen, some hunted, and some were born in Aerin.
And all were bound by only one thing.
Rin.
Jake passed through the outer gates and into the city proper. The car glided through controlled checkpoints without stopping.
Finally, he reached the headquarters.
A massive structure that dwarfed everything around it.
Jake parked in the underground basement and stepped out.
He opened the passenger door and lifted Kael into his arms.
The boy was light.
Too light.
Jake frowned slightly but said nothing.
He carried Kael inside, passing silent guards who saluted him without question.
He reached the elevator, and placed his palm against a scanner. A faint glow traced his handprint.
He selected the third floor and then the elevator rose.
When the doors opened, the sterile scent of antiseptic filled the air.
Jake carried Kael into the medical room and placed him carefully on the bed.
Doctor Ethan Looms and the nurse looked up in surprise.
"He's alive," Jake said simply.
Then he turned and walked out without another word.
Minutes later.
Doctor Looms stood in the hallway, holding a communicator.
"Director," he said, voice calm but firm, "Mr. Clinton brought in a child."
There was a pause.
"…Yes," Ethan continued. "A weak one."
And then in the Director's office.
It was too quiet.
Director Flint Raymond stood near the window, hands clasped behind his back and staring out at the glowing city beneath the sea.
And Jake Clinton was standing a few steps behind him, with his straight posture.
"Lieutenant," Flint said slowly, but he didn't turn around, "do you have any idea how unusual this is?"
Jake didn't answer immediately.
"You don't bring children," Flint continued. "You never have. Not once in your twenty years."
"He wasn't a choice," Jake replied.
Flint turned sharply. "Everything is a choice."
Jake met his gaze. "Not when a Newborn is already devouring."
Flint's eyes narrowed. "So what?"
Jake's jaw tightened.
"That monster," he said with voice oice low, "was born from that kid's Wrath."
The room still went.
Flint laughed once. Short. Disbelieving.
"So you're telling me," Flint said, stepping closer, "that, that a fourteen-year-old weakling manifested the second most dangerous Sin?"
Jake didn't flinch. "Yes."
"And survived?" Flint pressed.
"Yes."
Flint shook his head. "That's impossible."
Jake's voice rose. "I watched it happen."
Flint exhaled sharply. "Lieutenant, I have made many teams, trained to hunt non-normal humans. We extract them, break them and forge them into Aeri. And you bring me a bleeding weak child who couldn't stand on his own?"
Jake's fists clenched.
"That child didn't die," he said. "That's what matters."
"That child will die here," Flint snapped and loudly. "Awakening Rin takes years of discipline, strength and control. He has none."
Jake stepped forward. "But he has survival."
Flint's voice dropped. "Survival isn't enough."
Jake's eyes burned. "But it was enough for Clare Pearson."
Flint froze.
"…Don't," he warned.
"She was twelve," Jake continued. "And you let her in."
Flint turned away. "She was different."
"And so is he."
Flint slammed his hand onto the desk. "This is reckless!"
Jake finally snapped.
"You weren't there! Flint." he shouted. "You didn't hear the screams of that fucking Kid. You didn't feel the reality tearing him apart. That kid was at the center of it—and he lived."
Silence crashed down.
Jake breathed heavily.
Then, quieter—but heavier—
"Fine," he said. "I'll take the responsibility."
Flint turned slowly while rising his one eyebrow. "You what?"
"I'll train him," Jake said. "I'll watch him and if he loses control—if he becomes a threat, then I'll be the one to end that Kid's life."
Flint stared at him.
"You're staking your rank on this," he said.
Jake nodded. "And my life too."
Before Flint could respond—
The door opened.
The nurse stepped inside, breathless.
"Director," she said with exhaustion, then looked at Jake.
"Mr. Clinton," she added softly.
"The boy… has woken up."
Jake closed his eyes.
And for the first time in years—
He wondered if he had just changed the fate of the world.