Chapter 15: Echoes of Time

Alec stood by the window, his eyes tracing the edge of the skyline, as though searching for something that wasn’t there. The silence in the room felt suffocating, the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him like an invisible force. The watch, still in his hand, felt cold against his skin—strangely out of place, like a relic of a past he didn’t understand.

Lina was sitting on the couch, her eyes following him with concern. "Alec, what’s going on? You’ve been distant ever since you found that watch."

Alec didn’t look up, his focus still on the faint, distant glow of the city. "I don’t get it, Lina. I keep finding things… things that don’t belong. My memories, the photos, this watch—it’s like everything is wrong, out of place. Like I'm living in someone else's story."

Lina stood and crossed the room, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You’re thinking too much. It’s just a watch. Maybe it’s an old family heirloom. Maybe it was just a gift from someone."

“No,” Alec whispered, shaking his head. “This watch, it’s… it’s from a time I shouldn’t remember. The engraving, the date—it doesn’t match anything I know. Everything about my past is changing, and it’s not just this watch. It’s everything around me, Lina. People, places, events—they don’t add up.”

Lina hesitated, then spoke softly. "Alec, you’ve been through so much. You don’t have to figure it all out right now. You can take your time. Just… don’t let it consume you."

But Alec wasn’t listening anymore. His mind was swirling with questions, with memories that felt like they belonged to someone else. Had his uncle truly been the cause of his parents' deaths, or was there something more? His mind kept returning to that night—the man who had taken him away, the shadowy figure who had pulled him from the house. And his uncle? Why had he survived when everyone else had perished?

The more Alec tried to grasp at the truth, the further it seemed to slip away, replaced by whispers of things he couldn’t explain.

Meanwhile, in the lab, the team was unaware of Alec's turmoil. Ken had spent hours pouring over the information about Yusen and the team, trying to piece together something—anything—that would make sense of the situation. The strange gaps in Yusen’s background gnawed at him, but there was nothing solid, just fragments and suspicions.

Ken’s mind raced. He had seen Alec’s reaction earlier, and it had unsettled him. He had never seen Alec this distant, this lost in his thoughts. Something was wrong. But Ken couldn't put his finger on it, and that frustrated him.

He had tried talking to Alec earlier, but the conversation had gone nowhere. Alec had shut him out, angry and defensive, refusing to acknowledge the tension between them. Ken knew something was off, but Alec wasn't ready to face it.

As Ken sat in the lab, his mind wandered back to his own family—his own memories—and he realized how different they were from Alec's. Was Alec truly ready to face the truth? The truth that Ken had been hiding from for so long?

Back in the apartment, Alec’s grip tightened on the watch. His heart raced as he turned it over again, his mind spinning with the questions he had no answers to. He could feel the weight of the truth pressing down on him, pulling him in all directions.

And then, without warning, the door slammed open. Ken walked in, his expression grim. "Alec, we need to talk."

Alec turned to face him, his gaze hardened. "Not now, Ken. I don’t have time for this. I’m not interested in your accusations."

Ken’s eyes narrowed, frustration building. "It’s not just about Yusen, Alec. It’s about everything. About you. I can see it—the way you're shutting everyone out. You're not dealing with what happened to your parents, are you? You're hiding from the truth."

Alec’s fists clenched. "You think you know me? You think you understand what I’ve been through? You don't! I’ve lived with the pain of losing them for years. I don’t need you to tell me how to grieve."

Ken stepped closer, his voice low. "You’re not grieving, Alec. You’re running from the truth. You’ve never dealt with what really happened that night. I’ve watched you spiral for years, and now I’m telling you—it’s time to face it. You don’t even know what happened to your parents. The truth is right in front of you, and you’re too afraid to look."

The words stung more than Alec expected. They were true. He wasn’t ready to face the full truth, but he wasn’t about to let Ken push him.

"I don’t need you to tell me what to do," Alec snapped, stepping away from Ken. "I need you to back off. I’ve got this."