It started with milk and bread. Terrence Vale, or "Uncle T" as I used to call him, had no intention of doing anything heroic today, if I know him any well. Retired and forgotten, he moved like a ghost in New Haven, a man who had seen far too much and decided to see a little less these days.
But the moment that line clicked.
Click.
No goodbye. Just static. Terrence stared at the phone, then he burst into action. Why? Out of responsibility? Love? Disbelief? Curiosity? Who knows. All I know is, when people ride for you, that's rare, you gotta ride back.
Then it continued with me.
I sat in silence.
The interrogation room was barren, cold, and barely lit. The kind of place designed to make you forget your name if you sat in it long enough.
But I hadn't forgotten.
I stared up at the ceiling, trying to piece together the fragments of what just happened. The wolves. The dungeon. The boss fight. The momentary sensation of power surging through me.
And then the city. The chaos. The man who called me an "Irregular."
Everything had moved too fast.
That's when a soft chime echoed in my mind.
[Tutorial Complete. Reward Unclaimed.]
[Claim now?]
> Yes.
The room dimmed as a pulse of subtle white energy expanded from my chest. It wasn't like the blinding flash from before. This was quieter. More intentional.
A sleek orb, deep black with veins of violet light, shimmered into existence on the table in front of me.
[Reward: Adaptive Soul Cache — "Blank Canvas: Phase 1"]
[Item Bound. Equipping upon extraction.]
My hand hovered just over the orb, a black flash extending out of my hand as it disappeared into my inventory. My senses picking up on company.
And then the door slammed open.
BANG
"Hello, Mr…" a calm but stern voice said from my right as I turned toward the racket as he entered. He seemed to be probing me for my name, which was strange because I already gave it to the "Cheetah" guy. Turns out that guy's a pretty well known local hero with super speed abilities.
"Kendrick. Kendrick Vale Harvey." I said just going along with the flow. I was at a point where compliance was the only valid response.
"Yes, Kendrick. As in, son of Elena Harvey and brother of David, otherwise known as "DJ", Harvey?"
"Yes." I answered back with no hesitation. It seems this body's memories had left me with a few emotions toward its family as well.
"And just so I'm getting this straight, you want us to believe that a boy who vanished 5 years ago in the middle of the most catastrophic, world-ending event in human history, returns 5 years later with twenty more pounds of muscle and an extra 2 inches of height and you look completely different." he said with a straight face, no bias or previous opinions just cold hard logic and facts. However, that snarky attitude pissed me off. Compliance out the window.
"What's your name?" I said after a moment of thought.
"My apologies, Agent Malcom Pryce, pleasure to make your perplexing acquaintance."
I stared for a second, before responding.
"Agent Pryce, what would I gain about waiting five years after humanity has had time to completely recover from that event to act as a poor, working-class black boy from what used to be America? Explain to me what you deduce I'd gain from such actions." I replied back with as much snark as he had questioned me.
His piercing gaze settled on me at the end of my line of questioning, eyelids falling into a squint as he opened his mouth to clap back in his own authoritative way. But he was too slow, as another bang sounded from my right. We both looked this time, but this time I was genuinely awestruck by who was standing in the doorway.
Terrence Wallace, dressed in a jacket too light for the weather and the unmistakable look of a man who'd just outrun the devil, stood in the doorway. His chest heaved. His face was part disbelief, part fury, part something ancient and broken that I hadn't seen in years. Just the face of a grown man allowing a heavy weight to leave his shoulders.
I blinked. "Unc?"
Uncle T crossed the room in four steps and pulled him into a crushing hug.
"Thought I lost you," he muttered, barely audible, the gravel in his voice cracking under pressure. "You're not gonna disappear on me again. You hear me?"
I stood frozen. Then slowly, my arms wrapped around the older man.
And for a moment, everything went still.
But peace was not permitted for long.
Terrence pulled back, eyes sharp, scanning the walls like they were rigged with explosives.
"We need to move. Now. I've got people watching this place, but they're watching me too. You showing up like this? They'll want to know why. They'll want to control it."
"Sir, I'm sorry I can't allow that this man was detained and is hereby a detainee of the Hunter's Association." Agent Pryce said from the corner of my eye, as he stood to take action.
FWIP
Uncle T just flashed him a mysterious badge with nothing but the symbol of something on it and a serial number at the bottom. However, whatever that symbol meant made the Agent shut up and step aside immediately. He had something almost tangible in his eye, it looked like fear.
I frowned, stepping back toward the table.
"They said you vanished," Terrence said returning the badge to his jacket pocket. His voice was quieter now. He looked Kendrick in the eye. "But I knew better. And now I need you to prove to me I know better again. I know your disappearance was something big, and I know you know something, and we'll get to that later, but for now I need to get you out of here so I can get you to your mom. Now, you got two choices. Either come with me or stay here and finish telling them everything. I don't know what you went through these 5 years, but I know you deserve a chance to tell it." he said, hands settling to his side as he waited on me to make a decision.
I clenched my fist. A subtle warmth spread through my limbs. Comfort at the genuine love and care I was receiving right now.
'Damn, when was the last time it felt this nice to be cared for.' I thought, before reaching out as we clenched our hands together in a handshake.
"There is a lot I need to figure out," I said, feeling his grip weakening slightly, but no emotions went across his face. "But ma dukes come first, let's go see her." I finished.
I watched a wave of relief wash over him once more before he turned and we both walked out of the interrogation room in silence. Every step weighing on me heavy as I realized, this was all real, this was all another life, and it was all starting for me right now. My eyes steeled with my resolve.
'Kenny, I didn't have much of a family in my old life, that's one of the few things I remember. Looking back on it now, that seems intentional. However, if your family is anything like your Uncle, you have my word I'm gone make them as happy as happy allows.' I thought in my head, as I felt a piece of me lift into the air, as a space inside me felt empty now.
[Host Original Soul Fully Ascended]
[Hidden Quest Complete: "Make Peace with The Landlord"]
[Award Granted: Full Memories of Kendrick Vale Harvey.]
I suddenly collapsed as a rush of memories that weren't fully explained began to become as clear as HD in my head.
"KENNY!"
Was the last thing I heard as my eyes rolled back and my body hit the floor.