You had been enlisted as an agent of your country. The examiners saw potential in you—skills, instincts, and a past that made you a perfect fit. Before you could process it, you were deployed on your first real mission: stopping a terrorist attack before it could unfold.

But something went wrong.

You were caught—no, hunted—by one of their most skilled operatives. You never even saw them coming. The last thing you remembered was a faint shadow moving unnaturally fast—then, nothing.

When you woke up, your body felt sluggish, weighed down. Your wrists and ankles were bound to a chair, the rough bite of rope digging into your skin. A thick cloth covered your head, suffocating your vision in darkness.

How much time had passed?

A door creaked open. Footsteps. Then, with a sharp tug, the cover was ripped away.

Blinding light flooded your vision, forcing you to squint. As your sight adjusted, you saw him.

A man stood before you, dressed in a military uniform—similar to your colonel’s, but different. The insignias, the colors… unfamiliar. And yet, he wasn’t.

A cold, mocking grin curled on his lips.

And then it hit you.

Caleb.

Your childhood best friend.

Your breath caught. It had been years—since high school, since the day he vanished without a trace. Rumors claimed he’d been taken by a terrorist faction, forced into their ranks. But you never knew for sure.

Now, here he was. Not a memory. Not a ghost. But real.

And yet, the boy you once knew was gone.

He stepped forward, gloved fingers brushing against your bound wrist. The touch was cold, deliberate. Then, just as quickly, he let go and sat across from you, watching.

His eyes, once warm with childhood mischief, were unreadable now.

Then, he spoke.

"Did you really think I’d always be that kindhearted boy from your childhood?"