Chapter 3: Identity

Kyo fixed a penetrating gaze on the slumbering boy, scrutinizing his every gesture. The boy's mane was as dark as the night. A tattered black shirt that draped his entire frame. He looked just like any other human boy. The only difference was the face. A revolting scar marred the left cheek, giving the impression of a bite wound. That did not dissuade Kyo. It only made him more curious about what happened to the kid. But what was more glaring was the fact that the boy seemed to have no Meto. He closed his eyes and went into deep thinking.

"This is strange…How come this boy doesn't have any Meto? As far as I know, all living being are born with it. Even some none living objects possess it. Yet this boy…just like those creatures…"

Before Kyo had realized he was already fast asleep, exhausted from what had just occurred. But sleep wouldn’t get rid of that exhaustion. It never did. Just by closing his eyes, he had gone back to that moment again…That moment of dread and misery.

Kyo kept on running in what would seem to be a small town covered in white, with a road filled to the brim with blood. Each step splashing the blood across his white clothes and surroundings. There were also small black creatures with gold masks, each looking at him from the rooftops and giggling. He had no time to pay any heed to those things. They began to jump in front of him, blocking the road.

“Get away!!”

He tackled them with a fiery shoulder. They still kept on jumping at him from thin air. Kyo dodged, slammed, kicked and electrocuted all that was in sight. But they kept on coming again and again. He then grabbed one and threw it hard at the rest, knocking them down instantly.
“I have to reach there quickly…I…i”

As soon as he took a turn, his eyes widened again. It was the face of a woman he knew all so well. But he couldn't picture it properly. Only the words that were coming out of her. A small mumbling that one could barely hear. But that didn't last long as an abrupt thud noise woke him back again.

“Ouch!”

The boy had fallen down from the chair. He rubbed his head, trying to get rid of the dizziness while also looking around his surroundings. As the vision became clear, he finally noticed Kyo.

“Ah!!” he jumped back. Normally, in this situation, one is supposed to calm the child down. But Kyo’s mind was too preoccupied to consider that feeling.

“So you’re finally awake. Can ya understand me, kid?”

“আপনে কে?! কোথায় আমি!”

Great! He’s speaking shit, I ain't getting.

Suddenly Kyo remembered something. A pill that he always had in his back pocket. He pulled the pill out. It was a bright green colour.

“Come here,” he said, closing up to the kid. The kid pulled back with each step he took. After all, Kyo was an intimidating 6 foot giant in front of the kid. He tried to dash to the other side.

“Don't make this any hard for me than it already is kid!” he said, grabbing the kid by its collar.

“I'm not in a mood for being nice”

He shoved the pill down the kid's throat while shooting out water from a small circle that formed in front of his index finger, easing the swallowing process. Tears were leaking out of the kids' eyes like raindrops. Kyo immediately snapped out of his grumpy state and realized what he was doing. He gently put the kid down and began to rub his head and shoulder, trying to calm him down.

“Sorry about that Kid. Didn’t mean to do that. I needed to understand what you were saying. So I had to force you into swallowing this drug.”

“Who are you?!” the kid’s voice had defaulted to the universal language Enger.

“There we go. My name is Kyo. Kawasaki Kyo. What's yours?”
“Me? My name is…”
The kid paused.

“My name… l“
He kept on looking at the ground. He looked back up at Kyo and asked,

“What is my name?!”
“You don’t remember?”

“I can’t…what is…”

The boy was struggling, but Kyo’s face didn't waver. After all, he needed to make sure.

“Boy…do you know what you had been doing before waking up? What you were?!”
“I can’t remember anything. The last thing I can remember is some kind of beast’s eyes. Eyes that were staring down at me. After that, I felt like I was in a deep sleep not knowing what's going on. It feels like I woke up from a bad dream.

“I see.”

Great…no name or any idea of what he was doing…Is this kid lying to me…No.. his composure doesn't seem like that. It's more confused than scared. But behind the human extinction report that came out a few days ago…is this mere kid responsible for all of it?

“Hey kid, one more thin-”

A sudden stomach growl echoed in the room.

“Nevermind”

Kyo took back his words. He pulled his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small container. With a single click of a button, it expanded into a large one. He pulled out what would seem to be some white bread.

“Here eat this”
“I can have this?! Seriously?!”
“Yea. take it”

The boy was still hesitating.

“Hurry up before I eat em all!” Hearing his shout, the boy grabbed the food immediately and started chowing down. He was eating vigorously, as if he hadn't eaten in a long time. It was a dirty type of eating. There was no dining etiquette. But it somehow pulled a smile from Kyo’s face.

“The way you eat…heh…just like her…”

“Did ya swy something m”
“Stop taking with food in your mouth!” he shouted.

He stared at the boy, looking at his face as he was happily eating. Who knows where his mind truly went as he slowly gave everything in the box to the kid?

“You sure know how to eat a lot,” he chuckled.

“Can’t…..help it…it's…so good!”

What a weird kid. He thought to himself. Time flew by quickly as the mic in the middle lit up again.

“We are approaching Sector B, Star colony ark” The ship was heading towards what would seem to be a huge aircraft. Almost twice the size of the human moon. It had an extensive structure with a ring on top. Spaceships coming in and out. Traffic in each terminal. Despite travelling so fast until now, the aircraft they were on had to follow the traffic line towards the main entrance. Ships are everywhere with people of different species of colour going about their life. The boy looked outside the window, mesmerized by the lights.

“O this is where they check the names…I forgot about that, '' Kyo murmured to himself.

“Hey kid, you still remember who you are?”
“No.. I can't”
He paused as he looked at him for a few seconds.

“How about Ken?!”

“Eh?” the boy looked back at him.

“Well, i gotta call you something other than boy, don't I? So what do you think?”
“Ken…So that my name.”

Kyo could see the joyfulness in the child’s eyes. He looked back at Kyo and said,

“My name is Ken!”

Kyo immediately felt a regret in his eyes.

Shit…Why the hell did I pick that name?