"Dad. I am dad."
Kamiru raised a hand and pressed it against his own face, as if confirming that he was still awake. His breathing remained uneven, but his eyes sharpened slowly, trying to force logic into a space that refused to accept it.
He lowered his hand and looked up again.
The entity exhaled softly, then spoke with visible disappointment.
"Is this the heroic kid that was sent to me?"
A faint irritation entered its voice, subtle but real, like someone reviewing a mistake in a report.
"I want a refund on my galaxies."
Kamiru's head snapped slightly at the word galaxies, but his attention immediately shifted back to the entity. His expression tightened further, not in confusion alone, but in cautious awareness, like someone realizing the rules of reality had changed without warning.
"Heroes?"
His voice was low.
"Where?"
The entity turned its gaze directly onto him.
There was no hesitation.
No doubt.
"You."
The word landed heavily in the space between them.
