The morning sun filtered gently through the curtains, casting golden stripes on the wooden floor.
"Kael, wake up!"
Aira's voice broke the silence. She peeked over the top bunk, her long hair tumbling forward.
Kael stirred beneath the blanket, blinking sleep from his eyes. "O-okay... I'm up."
"Father's calling you," she said, already hopping off the bed.
Downstairs, Raegal stood in the kitchen, sipping black coffee from a chipped mug.
"Good morning, Kael."
Kael stepped in, eyes still heavy with sleep. "Good morning… Father."
Raegal tossed a cereal box across the room. "Try this. Doesn't taste like that toothpaste garbage they fed you in the White Room."
Kael caught it mid-air. The name ChocoBurst made him pause.
He poured milk into a bowl. Took a bite. Paused.
"…It's good," he muttered.
Raegal smiled faintly. "Get dressed. I bought you some new clothes."
Kael looked over to the table. A plain black hoodie, a dark gray t-shirt, and jeans — simple, comfortable, not a hospital gown.
"We're going to see the doctor today," Raegal added.
Kael looked up. "Okay."
Raegal smirked. "And this time... I'm driving."
Kael chuckled under his breath.
Raegal grabbed his coat. "Aira, you wanna come?"
"Sure!" she beamed, already pulling her boots on.
The three of them stepped into the sunlight. Kael's hair fluttered in the breeze, and for a moment, it almost felt like peace.
---
—Halcyon City, United States. Near Raegal's former agency base—
The black SUV came to a stop outside a discreet concrete facility — windowless, silent, but humming with technology.
"Here we are," Raegal said.
Kael yawned, stepping out. "Didn't think I'd be back in a lab this soon."
The door opened.
A man in a white coat stepped out, arms crossed. Late forties. Gray streaks in his beard. Tired eyes.
"Raegal," he said.
"Doctor Monroe," Raegal replied. "It's been a while."
Monroe's eyes landed on Kael.
"…This the boy?"
Raegal nodded. "Yeah. He's got something in his neck we need to get out."
The doctor motioned for them to follow.
---
—Inside the operating room—
Monroe adjusted his glasses as he scanned Kael's neck.
"Scar tissue… small, clean incision. That's advanced work."
He pulled up Kael's scan on the display screen. A blinking red dot pulsed near the jugular vein.
"That's it?" Raegal asked.
"Yeah." Monroe's face darkened. "And it's bad."
"How bad?"
"If there's any irregular blood flow during removal, even a slight vascular spasm... the device will explode."
Raegal's fist clenched.
"Can you do it or not?" he asked.
"There's a way," Monroe muttered. "But it won't be pretty."
He tapped a nearby terminal. The wall opened, revealing a surgical pod—sleek, silver, blinking with blue lights.
"A controlled nano-extraction. But Kael… there's a catch."
"The anesthetic might affect the blood pressure. That means—"
"No anesthetic," Kael finished quietly.
Monroe nodded.
Raegal stepped forward. "No. We'll find another way."
"Father… please," Kael said softly. "Let me do this."
Raegal's eyes searched his son's face. Determined. Calm. Unafraid.
"…Alright."
---
—Surgery Begins—
Kael lay inside the surgical pod. Straps bound his wrists and ankles loosely — just in case.
Monroe hovered behind a reinforced screen, hands on the control panel. The robotic arms descended slowly, inching toward Kael's neck.
A soft hum filled the room.
Kael's breathing was shallow.
Beep. Beep. Beep. The monitor ticked out his heart rate.
Then—
KSHHH.
"UAGHHHHHH!"
A scream ripped through Kael's throat as the needle pierced flesh and metallic tendrils slithered inward.
His spine arched. His fingers clawed the edges of the surgical bed.
"HOLD STILL, SON!" Raegal barked, gripping his arm. His voice cracked.
Kael gritted his teeth, blood seeping from his lip.
Every nerve was on fire. A thousand volts of pain, flooding every inch of him.
"Come on, kid," Monroe muttered. "Just a little longer…"
Airi had turned away, hands clenched over her ears.
"I… can… handle it…" Kael rasped.
Then—
CHTUNK.
The transceiver released.
A blinking metallic chip dropped into the extraction tray. Kael's body went limp.
"Kael?" Aira asked, peeking over Raegal's shoulder.
"…I-I'm… f-fi—"
Kael collapsed.
Kael stirred. The white hospital ceiling stared back at him. Beeping monitors echoed faintly, distant yet constant.
Two shapes hovered over him.
As his vision cleared, he saw them:
Raegal. Aira.
"W-What… happened?" Kael murmured, throat dry and voice hoarse.
The doctor approached from the side, checking the readings. "Excessive adrenaline during the procedure. You blacked out, but you're stable now."
Raegal let out a long, exhausted breath. "Thank God…"
Kael looked up at him.
"…Am I free now?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Raegal placed a hand on Kael's arm — firm, steady. "Yes. You're free, son."
Kael lay still for a moment.
Then, eyes narrowing, he asked quietly:
"Was I the only one who had the transceiver inside me?"
The room froze.
The doctor hesitated.
But Aira was the one who answered.
Her voice was soft, but certain. "You were their Number One, Kael. The only perfect weapon. They couldn't risk losing you."
Kael's gaze darkened.
"…I see."
Raegal leaned forward. "You need to rest. You've done enough."
Kael gave a slow nod, his body sinking into the mattress.
"…Let's go home soon."
Then silence — and sleep took him once more.