Chapter 21: 1000 Ways

Mora pulled something from her small drawer. She held out a small object toward Raden. Raden's eyes went wide.

"This is..."

Mora smiled. "That's your flashdisk. I fixed it. Sorry, but before I stored it away, I tested the video on my computer just to make sure it worked. Turns out there were some corrupted parts, so I patched them up."

Raden gripped the flashdisk tightly. He looked up at Mora.

"You watched the video?" Raden asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mora shook her head. "Not the whole thing. Just a small part at the very end. There were some slides of photos—you and your family. So, yeah... I stopped it right there."

Raden offered her a smile.

"Thank you, Mora."

The workspace door slid open automatically. Michael stood in the doorway, clutching a cup of coffee. The mechanical screech of the door was loud enough to make both Mora and Raden turn their heads. Michael strolled into the room, taking a sip from his cup. He glanced to his right, noting several machines that were still in disarray, before his eyes landed on Mora.

"You haven't cleaned up your toys yet?" Michael asked, setting his cup down on the table.

"Not yet. I've still got work to do," Mora replied, turning her back to them to focus on her large computer monitor.

The room fell into immediate silence. Mora stared intently at her screen, and Michael did the same. Raden, however, couldn't seem to focus on Mora's monitor. His eyes darted around the room. His gaze lingered briefly on a metal board covered in unique patterns hanging on the wall, but quickly drifted away again. The only sound reaching Raden's ears was the rhythmic clacking of Mora's keyboard.

"Um..." Raden's voice broke the silence.

Mora paused her typing and looked at him. Michael turned to look as well.

"I have a question," Raden continued, his eyes fixed on Mora. "Do I have to carry out this mission every single night?"

Mora turned back to her screen, her hands resuming their dance across the keys.

"As for that, you only need to run it once a week at night. Aside from the fact that I need time to wait for data from Razor, you still haven't fully recovered, right?"

Raden looked down at his legs. "Yeah, you're right. It's just... what am I supposed to do while waiting for the next mission?"

Mora shrugged. "I don't know, what do kids your age usually do? Play games? Exercise? Dating? Whatever it is, just do what you want as long as it doesn't cause us any trouble. That's why I provided a gym, a bedroom, a computer, and you can get fresh air on the upper floor. And... don't leave this base without me or Michael knowing about it, understand?"

Raden nodded. "Yeah, I understand."

Mora gave a faint smile. "Good. You should get some sleep if you're tired. Besides, I need to talk to Michael about something private. Could you go to your room for a bit?"

"Yeah, alright."

Raden got up from his chair and headed for his room. He opened the door with a bored expression. As soon as he stepped inside, he glanced at the computer sitting not far away. He sat down in the chair and booted it up. Once the system was fully running, Raden plugged the flashdisk in.

He opened the video file inside the folder. It showed the same recording of his father. Raden scrubbed the timeline to the very end—right where the medical and technical teams had intervened to stop Halim's brutal actions. The video slowly faded to black.

Gradually, text appeared on the screen: Dad knows this is bitter for you.

The text faded, replaced by a new line: But... I would rather it be this way, than for you to find out somewhere else.

Raden's eyes widened, locking onto the monitor. A slow, melancholic piano melody began to play.

[Text on video]

If you have reached adulthood now, know that your father was no hero. I was just... someone who failed, and then found the realization of happiness through your mother. Your mother was the one who changed me completely. She was the one who truly loved me.

This video isn't meant to make you violent like your father. No, never that. This video is a life lesson for you, a reflection. Dad is just a human who failed. But I tried to revive my spirit through your existence, Raka, Raden. You two are my hope. Both of you are brave, like a lion and a tiger. But I hope you won't be as wild as them.

Do not try drugs, unless you want to become addicted and dependent on them. Do not toy with women's hearts if you do not love them. Do not become a criminal if you don't want to fall deeper into that circle.

Dad isn't trying to run your life. I'm just... giving you a small warning. I tried all of those things, and I don't think my children need to try them too. However, the final decision will always be in your hands. Whatever life decisions you make, I will always respect them as long as you are happy doing it. But remember, in every footstep you take, there is always a red thread connecting you to your father and mother.

[The text on the video slowly faded.]

In the final minutes, the video displayed a rapid montage of clips and photos from Raka and Raden's childhood, accompanied by orchestral music in a minor key. Raden smiled bitterly. Tears suddenly streamed down his face. The video concluded with a photo of little Raden and Raka grinning widely, exchanging a small high-five, like a secret pact. The photo grew fainter and fainter until the timeline ended on a completely black screen.

Raden wiped his tears with his shirt. He closed the video player with his mouse, ejected the flashdisk, and shut the computer down completely.

"I'm sorry, Dad..." Raden murmured.

He left the chair and walked over to his bed, throwing himself onto the mattress. He stared up at the ceiling, which was dotted with bright orange lights. Raden's fingers reached for a pen sitting on the small nightstand beside his bed. He spun the pen around in his fingers as he leaned back against the soft pillow.

"Hey Oni, do you think I'm a failure?" Raden asked in a low voice.

For now, I think it's too early to jump to that conclusion. You've barely taken one step forward. There are still thousands of paths you haven't traveled yet, Oni replied through Raden's mind.

"You mean there are still plenty of other failures I haven't tried yet, is that it?" Raden retorted.

Could be. But could be not.

The pen Raden was twirling stopped and fell onto his stomach. Raden narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean 'could be and could be not'?"

Could be, you fail a thousand times. Could be, you succeed a thousand times. Could be you fail five hundred times and succeed five hundred times. or, could be you fail 999 times, then succeed on the thousandth path, Oni explained.

Raden scratched the side of his head.

"What the hell kind of answer is that? Simplify it."

The point is, you cannot know the final result of your life. Even if you plan how you want to live, and map out your life's path logically, you can't predict which direction your life will actually take.

Raden fell silent. His gaze lowered slightly as he processed Oni's words.

Listen, Raden. When you compare someone else's highlights to your own weaknesses, you will feel small, incredibly small in this world. That is not a fair comparison. You always yearn for a life that is 'better' and you hate the life you have now, don't you?Oni asked.

Raden sighed. He closed his eyes slowly.

"Honestly... yeah, that's-"

I know your heart is complicated right now. But you can live your life calmly, forget everything for a moment, and develop yourself into something better. I'm sure your father would smile if you lived your life with a smile too. Isn't that what he wanted?

Raden didn't respond.

---

From another realm filled with darkness, Oni watched the shadow of a young boy smiling cheerfully at him. Oni tried to pat the boy's head. However, the shadow suddenly dissolved like dust scattering into the sky. Oni's face that of an old man with a somewhat thick beard looked sorrowful.

Oni turned around. He saw a massive demon with a savage face and scorching breath staring sharply at him. Oni returned the demon's gaze with equal intensity.

Oni opened his right palm wide. From his palm, a katana emerged, coated in a dense aura of black and white that swirled around every inch of the blade.

Gripping the katana tightly, Oni said, "If you dare touch that gate, I and the blood of my descendants will hunt you to the ends of the sky!"

Oni sprinted toward the demon. Once close enough, he dodged the creature's strike by leaping toward its body. He accelerated, running up the demon's torso, then vaulted as high as he could, spinning around the demon's body until the monster's head was severed and fell into the abyss below.

As Oni landed firmly on the floor that existed in nowhere, he pointed his katana at the demon. The spirit and all remaining traces of the demon's body were sucked into Oni's blade. Once the absorption was complete, Oni released the katana. He pressed his palms together and bowed his head forward.

The katana floated silently in place and slowly began to vanish from Oni's sight.

"Thank you for your assistance, oh Astral Judge. Allow me to return to the Martra gate," Oni spoke.

"Your request is accepted," the Astral Judge replied, his voice echoing through the space.

A gate of light appeared right in front of Oni. He walked into the gate until he disappeared from view...

---

Raden slowly peeled his eyes open. His vision blurred for a moment. He looked to the left, the sun was starting to rise, warm and bright. Then, he looked to the right and...

"AAA!!"