System X: The Villain Rise

The ride from the hospital to the nearest airport was smooth, with no signs of any threats along the way. Within minutes, they arrived at the airport. Luson drove into the underground garage and turned to Will.

"Stay here with Kaiza," he instructed. "I'll lock the car."

Leaving them behind, Luson headed into the airport with a singular focus: to ensure they weren't being followed and to check for any potential threats lurking around.

After conducting a series of checks, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The threats seemed elusive, almost cryptic. Taking no chances, Luson called for backup, determined to ensure their safety before proceeding further.

The backup team arrived promptly, and Luson wasted no time heading back to retrieve Kaiza and Will. With only twenty minutes remaining before their flight, he escorted them to the reception area. After a brief wait, they completed the check-in process.

Once they boarded the plane and were minutes away from takeoff, Luson dismissed his team, confident that the situation was under control.

The flight home to Van Central City was uneventful. Despite the calm, Luson remained vigilant throughout the journey, his eyes scanning for any potential threats. Meanwhile, Kaiza took the opportunity to rest for two solid hours, as did Will.

Before long, they arrived in Van Central City. As they stepped off the plane and moved toward the reception area, Luson's men were already there, waiting to welcome them.

Luson had called his men earlier to ensure a clear path before their arrival. The team was strategically spread across the port, most dressed in plain clothes to blend in. From a distance, Kaiza noticed subtle salutations, which hinted at their presence. However, two men approached them directly as soon as they entered the reception area.

The pair escorted Luson, Kaiza, and Will to a parked car that had been prepared by Luson's team. Will, surprised by the arrangement, was about to order a ride when he realized it wasn't necessary.

They arrived home safely. Kaiza felt a wave of relief as they pulled up to Will's modest mansion—the place he had known as home since he was young.

Kaiza had spent most of his life here, and the compound held countless memories within its four corners. He hadn't always been away from his parents, though. Things changed when he was ten years old, the day his parents came bearing what they called good news. To Kaiza, however, it was anything but. Their decisions that day forever altered his life, in both positive and painful ways.

The announcement came during a small, family-only party. His parents had been promoted to higher positions at B-Tech, the company they worked for. Their new roles came with increased responsibilities, which meant longer work hours—nine to twelve hours daily. What made it worse was that both his father and mother were equally consumed by their new duties.

The moment his parents let the cat out of the bag, young Kaiza wasn't happy. Even at his age, he understood what their promotion would mean—for them and, more importantly, for him. It would rob him of the time he spent with his family and leave his parents stressed and overworked.

Still, Kaiza didn't dwell entirely on the negatives. He also considered how their success might improve his life. They had promised him a better future—luxurious living, fancy toys, and the perks of being part of a high-ranking family in the city. But those promises never fully materialized.

The downsides of their promotion quickly overshadowed any benefits. The luxurious life they spoke of remained out of reach, and instead, Kaiza found himself thrust into a life of fear and restrictions. His very existence became a liability.

To protect him, his parents forbade him from visiting them during holidays. Will was assigned to accompany him everywhere he went, serving as both a guardian and a constant reminder of the life he had lost. Worse, Kaiza wasn't allowed to reveal who his parents were. He couldn't boast about his family's wealth or their prestigious roles in the city because any mention of his roots could lead back to them—and put them all in danger.

In the end, Kaiza felt abandoned. As a child who needed his parents the most, their absence left a void that nothing else could fill.

It wasn't entirely their fault, though. Enzox and Susan hadn't always been successful. In the beginning, they were struggling technologists with limited resources, barely able to make ends meet. Their low-paying jobs left little to bring to the table, and raising a child under such circumstances had been a challenge in itself.

Out of their struggles came an unexpected opportunity to work with the renowned and prestigious tech company, B-Tech. To secure the positions, Enzox and Susan underwent multiple rounds of interviews and rigorous tests, both theoretical and practical, designed to measure their intelligence and prove their superiority over other candidates. They gave it everything they had, and when the results were announced, they both landed the job.

However, there was a catch. They were presented with two options:

Work as temporary staff members for six months without a salary, after which they could transition to permanent roles.

Sign a long-term contract to work for two consecutive months, get paid double, and secure permanent employment for the next thirty-five years.

The second option came with a condition: if they broke the contract, they would have to pay a hefty fine—half of their total earnings since the start of their employment.

By the time Kaiza was ten, Enzox and Susan had already worked at B-Tech for eight years. They were deeply entrenched in their roles and unable to leave their demanding jobs to care for Kaiza. Their only viable option was to leave him in Will's care for his safety, effectively abandoning him to protect him from threats tied to their work.

Kaiza spent the next seven years living under strict rules, which forced him to accept the grim reality of being raised by a single guardian. Though Will provided him with care and pampering whenever he was around. Yet, it wasn't the same. Kaiza often felt like an orphan, a feeling that only deepened over time.

At first, it was unbearable. The absence of his parents left him feeling hollow, even with Will's efforts to fill the void. The situation was no better at school, where he struggled with the weight of his circumstances. Eventually, he tried to adapt to his new reality, but just as he began to adjust, life at school became even tougher.

Standing in front of the mansion brought back a flood of memories for Kaiza—memories of a dream that had died with his parents. He had once envisioned a perfect life filled with joy and laughter, a house like this brimming with happy moments from childhood to adulthood. Instead, this place was a constant reminder of his pain, a house filled with images of himself crying in the corners, longing to see his parents and escape the emptiness.

For some reason, Kaiza felt the old resentment toward his parents bubbling up again.

"How could they leave now, when everything was supposed to be fine?" he muttered.

Luson, standing quietly behind him, watched as Kaiza's words grew louder and clearer.

"They could have chosen a better life than this. Things could have been beautiful if only they'd made wiser decisions."

Will, standing a few steps away, heard the bitterness in Kaiza's voice. Concerned, he turned and began walking toward him, letting go of the bag he was carrying.

"Kaiza, what's wrong?" Will asked gently, approaching him.

When he reached Kaiza and placed a hand on his arm, Kaiza pulled away abruptly, his emotions boiling over. He turned on Will, his voice rising with anger.

"You should've refused to take me in! You should've never accepted me in the first place! All of you caused this—why is my life so messed up?" Kaiza's tone was harsh, his voice louder than usual, as he pointed an accusing finger at Will. It was painfully clear he blamed him for his misery.

Will's face fell, his heart breaking at Kaiza's words. "Kaiza, I'm sorry," he said softly, his voice trembling as tears began to stream down his face.

Kaiza's anger was like fuel to the fire of Will's buried guilt. He had always held back his emotions, believing it would spare Kaiza from feeling the full weight of his painful reality. But now, Will couldn't stop himself from crying alongside the boy he had raised as his own.

After that, Kaiza sank into Will's embrace, letting himself wallow in the comfort of his arms for a little while longer.

The night passed eerily quiet. Once they got inside the house, Kaiza went straight to his room without saying a word to either Will or Luson.

After taking a cold shower, Kaiza lay down in his bed. It didn't take long before he slipped into a deep sleep.

However, he was abruptly woken by the system interface, its glowing display hovering in his vision as a monotone voice echoed in his head.

[Daily quests incomplete.]

[Incomplete quests attract proportional punishment.]

The words jolted Kaiza's memory. He remembered the malfunctioning system he had been trying to figure out. Sitting up, he wasn't particularly threatened by the punishment for failing to complete the quest. Instead, he saw this as another opportunity to learn more about the system and wait for it to finally deliver the power it had promised.

Determined, Kaiza got out of bed and did a few stretches to loosen up. Then, he began working on the quest objectives. Starting with jumping jacks, he completed them swiftly and moved on to the next item on the list.

Before long, he had ticked off every task—except one. The final task was to run. It wasn't something he could easily do indoors. Although his room was spacious, it wasn't enough for a proper run. Kaiza decided he needed to go outside to complete this final part of the quest.

Without much hesitation, Kaiza changed into a sleeveless shirt, shorts, and sneakers, then headed outside.

"Where are you going?"

Kaiza froze, startled by the familiar voice that came from the dimly lit living room. He knew exactly who it was—the unmistakable tone belonged to Luson, his ever-watchful bodyguard. Luson was standing by the window, partially hidden in the shadows, and Kaiza hadn't noticed him there until he spoke.

"Just going for a run," Kaiza replied, his voice steady as he resumed walking toward the door.

"Hold on!" Luson called out, halting Kaiza in his tracks. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Kaiza paused, frowning as he tried to figure out what Luson was referring to. He didn't respond, lost in thought.

Luson stepped away from the window and walked across the room to the dining area. He opened the freezer, grabbed a bottle of water, and headed back toward Kaiza.

It was only then that Kaiza realized what he'd overlooked.

"Let's go," Luson said, handing him the bottle and heading toward the door.

Kaiza followed silently, a faint, almost invisible smile tugging at his lips.

Outside, Kaiza began his run, each step fueled by sheer determination. The cold night air brushed against his skin, but he barely noticed it. His mind was locked on one thing: the desire to become strong and powerful.

With every stride, the memory of his parents' death burned brighter in his mind, stoking the fire of his resolve. He wasn't just running—he was pushing himself, channeling his anger and pain into every movement. Each step felt like a step closer to his goal.

In his mind's eye, he could see himself growing stronger, powerful enough to achieve the vengeance he craved. To become the force needed to avenge his parents' death.