Lionel Lancaster

Neo remained paralyzed, watching Saya smile, turn her back, and enter her house. When he finally snapped out of it, he realized what had happened.

He briefly celebrated and hurried towards the dormitory, where he entered the bathroom and splashed water on his face, as if he needed to convince himself that it was real.

Upon leaving the bathroom, he was confronted with the figure of a man sitting on the couch.

"Hi, Dad," Neo greeted before lying down on the bed and covering himself with a sheet.

Neo jolted awake as he processed what had just happened; the atmosphere in the room was heavy. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

His father looked at him with a serious expression, his words coming out with a cold and calculated tone.

"I thought Leo had informed me that I was coming."

With a sense of disbelief, Neo looked at his father. He was the same height as Neo, with a slim body and long blond hair. He was dressed elegantly, but there was an intensity around him that radiated discomfort.

"What do you want?" Neo asked, his emotions fluctuating between anger and confusion.

The man remained unfazed, as if Neo's words hadn't hit their mark.

"Son," he began, pausing for a moment before continuing, "How are you? Have you been well?"

The question sounded hollow and insincere to Neo's ears, increasing his irritation.

"What do you mean, am I well? If you could see me, why didn't you come earlier?"

A shadow of discomfort crossed his father's face before swiftly disappearing.

"I was busy," he replied evasively.

The response only served to heighten Neo's frustration, and his words came out laden with sarcasm.

"Busy with something more important than your own family?"

The silence that followed echoed through the room, filling the space with tension.

"That's none of your business."

Neo's patience was wearing thin, and his voice took on a challenging tone. "Then why are you here?"

A somber expression crossed his father's face, revealing a glimpse of bitterness.

"I came to ask about a key. The key that unlocks the box Carolina showed you."

The mention of the box brought disturbing memories to the surface, and Neo felt a chill run down his spine. "I don't know anything about that key."

His father observed him for a moment, as if trying to assess the truth of his words. "You know more than you're admitting. I'm sure of it."

The tension in the room was palpable, and Neo felt a mixture of anger and anxiety growing within him.

"So, you're all-knowing now? You know more about me than I do myself?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" his father asked, glancing away slightly.

"I remember seeing my mother dying in my arms. I remember someone with a mirrored mask killing everyone in a lab. I remember repeatedly punching that person before I managed to escape."

His father seemed satisfied with the response, as if it confirmed something for him.

"That's progress. And do you remember anything about the key?"

"What key? What does this have to do with anything? Where were you when Mom died? What did you do to protect her? I almost died too."

His father's expression grew even sterner, and his voice was sad and trembling.

"I was busy."

Frustration and anger bubbled inside Neo, and his words were driven by a torrent of emotions.

"What could be more important than your own family?"

"That's none of your concern."

Neo felt his patience wearing thin, and his voice turned harsher.

"Then why are you here?"

"I came to ask for your help. The key is the only way to find the one who took your mother from us."

The mention of Neo's mother hit him like a punch to the gut, mingling with his confusion and resentment.

"Revenge? Is that what matters now?"

"Yes, Neo. Finding the face behind the mask is the only way to achieve justice."

Neo's frustration grew, and he gave his father an incredulous look.

"I said I don't know where it is."

His father stared at him with determined eyes, his voice firm.

"I'm sure you have what I need."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Neo, if I need to force you to relive all your memories, I will."

Neo felt his determination rise, his voice growing louder.

"I don't care about the past. Who I am today is what matters most."

His father fixed a piercing gaze on Neo, his voice now icy.

"To be honest, I miss the old Neo. I can hardly call you my son. The old Neo enjoyed seeing others suffer; you would never work in a filthy place like you do now. And you would join me in my revenge."

Neo thought about his friends, about the baseball team, about his work with Uncle and Ryu, about all the people he had met, and most importantly, Saya.

"I'm not like that."

"Unfortunately, not anymore."

"If I was like that, I'm better now."

"Because of that girl? Saya?"

The mention of Saya's name made Neo sit up in bed, his voice filled with warning.

"Do not say her name."

His father sneered. "You've really grown weak because of her."

"No, it's because of her that I've become stronger."

A shadow crossed his father's face, and Neo felt a chill of apprehension.

"I can get rid of her if necessary. I have the power for that. You don't know who I am."

The implied threat in his father's words made Neo stand up abruptly, anger burning in his eyes.

"Are you insane?"

"I'm perfectly sane."

His father slowly stood up from the chair, opened the dormitory door, and outside were two bodyguards keeping watch.

"Since you won't give me the key, I'll have to make you distance yourself from that girl. So be warned, if you don't stay away from her, I will take the necessary measures. Just as you're preventing me from accessing what your mother was thinking, I will prevent you from accessing the person you love."

And the last thing Neo could do was to look at his father with all the hatred as he walked out the door.