The Man from the Other Side

The morning air was quiet, but not calm.

Across a narrow path facing an old wooden house, a man sat alone on a bench outside a small corner store. His black formal coat was spotless, creased perfectly down the sleeves, and a thin silver emblem shimmered on his collar — LZT. His hands rested on a package. He hadn’t moved in a while.

He stared at the house in front of him, his eyes unreadable.
"Why does it have to be me?" he whispered to himself.
There was a weight in his voice — not anger, but shame. A memory, perhaps. A regret. Something tied to whoever lived in that house.

Not far away, Kai, Ren, Hachi, and Toma were walking toward school, talking like they usually did — with half their minds on homework and the other half on freedom.

At a shop near the corner, they stopped for drinks. It was the same shop where the man had sat quietly. They didn’t notice him at first.

“Hey,” Toma said casually, “You ever think about what we’ll do when we’re done with school?”

Hachi cracked open a bottle. “Not really.”

“There’s that association,” Toma said. “The one from outside the island. I heard it’s called LZT. Big organization. Powerful.”

Kai stayed silent. He always did when someone mentioned the outside world.

“Didn’t people say... anyone who leaves the island never comes back?” Ren added, half-joking.

But there was an edge to it — an unspoken truth that lingered like salt in the air.

Then, suddenly, Hachi froze. His eyes locked on the back of the mysterious man walking away from the shop. There it was — bold and unmistakable on the man’s coat: LZT.

Toma noticed too. “No way... that’s them?”

Hachi was already a step ahead, following the man with quiet curiosity.

Across the street, the man approached the house he'd been watching. A woman opened the door — older, tired-looking, eyes immediately welling up in tears when she saw him.

In his hand, the man held out the package.

She didn’t take it.

Instead, she slapped him. Hard. The sound cracked the still air.

"You," she whispered bitterly. "You were with him... and now you're here? Bringing this?"

The man didn’t react. "It’s my job, miss."

Her grief broke into anger.

“Then do your job elsewhere!” she shouted, slamming the door. The package dropped from his hand.

Hidden around the corner, Hachi saw the whole thing — stunned. He didn’t understand, but something about the scene etched itself into his heart.

Later that day, as school ended, Kai and Hachi walked home together. Ren and Toma had stayed behind.

As they turned a corner, the man was there again — standing near the sea road.

Without hesitation, Hachi approached him. “Sir... do you work in LZT?”

The man raised an eyebrow. “I do.”

“I want to join. Just like you.”

The man stared for a long second, like he was searching for something in Hachi’s face — maybe a shadow of someone else.

“Why?” he asked.

Hachi hesitated. “My father... he always wanted to. But he never got the chance. He died before he could.”

The man’s eyes darkened. “There are other paths. Good ones. Not all lead where you think.”

Hachi smiled. “Still... I want to try.”

The man nodded once. “Then be prepared to lose things you didn’t know you had.”

He turned to leave — but Kai stepped forward.

“Wait,” Kai asked, “The outside world... what’s it like?”

The man paused. For a moment, his tone softened.

“It’s vast. Beautiful. Strange. When you first step into it, it feels like everything you’ve ever wanted. But the more you live in it... the more you understand — it's bittersweet. It gives and takes.”

Kai took a deep breath.

“What about a tower? A light tower that flashes... far from here?”

The man’s face tightened. “A tower? No. I’ve heard whispers of strange places... but a tower that flashes light?” He looked toward the sea. “Maybe it exists. Maybe not. The world’s bigger than any one of us.”

He walked away, his coat fluttering behind him.

Kai and Hachi stood in silence, the wind brushing past them, carrying something heavy. Something unknown.

That night, Kai climbed the tallest hill on the island again.

He sat under the stars, eyes fixed on the sea.

And the light blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Then nothing.

It blinked three times before, he thought.

Now just two.

What did it mean?

As the waves whispered below, Kai felt it.

Something out there was changing.

And soon... it would reach them.

The island felt smaller than ever.