A few moments later.
On the outskirts of the city, away from the crowd.
"Hakss… hakss…!" His voice was clear, yet weakened by the pounding headache splitting his head. "W-what… is this… quiet, everyone…!" he muttered with gasping breaths.
Tin… tin… tin…!
Car horns echoed one after another, several drivers shouting in annoyance. "Hey… young man! What are you doing?! Move aside!"
Ngiinggg…!
The headache stabbed his forehead again. With blurred vision, Jōgan walked along the sidewalk, his body staggering. He stared at his palms. No wounds. No scratches.
"Arghh…!" Jōgan shouted, followed by the loud sound of his head slamming down.
Brugh ~ Bruaakk!
Fresh blood dripped from his forehead. A clenched fist smashed the sidewalk in front of him.
Eitss…!
Tap… tap… Plash… Whuss…
He clenched his teeth, stood up, and left the city as quickly as possible. His strides were wide, the wind blowing against his school shirt brushing along his back as he ran.
Toward evening, on a hill far from the city, the rustling wind brushed through the trees and grass, creating a harmony that calmed Jōgan. The noisy voices of people he had heard earlier were now fading away. He lay on the stretch of grass, staring at the stars glittering in the night sky. His hand lifted into the air, as if trying to reach one of the stars.
***
The sound of footsteps broke the silence.
"So, you are here…" Hugo's voice was heard, calm but full of concern. "I knew you would be shocked. Sit down," he concluded, sitting beside Jōgan. His tone was relaxed, and his expression seemed as if he had anticipated everything.
"D-Dad… I-I don't understand what is happening…!" His voice was panicked. Jōgan immediately stood up in agitation. He stared at his father, surprised by how calm he seemed.
Hugo lowered his head, holding back his emotions. "Mhh… time passes so quickly… it feels like just yesterday I took you from your mother's arms…!" His eyes closed, holding back the tears that were about to fall.
Jōgan was stunned. This was the first time he had seen his father express such deep emotion.
"Do you still remember the story about the 12 Earths that I always told you before bed?" Hugo smiled gently.
"Yes… that fairy tale. It made me sick because I had to hear it every night…" Jōgan lowered his head weakly, his expression sad.
"You still think it's a fairy tale? After what you experienced this morning…" Hugo looked at him seriously. "Those twelve Earths truly exist. They are millions of light-years apart, connected through corridors of light, gigantic tunnels that serve as pathways linking the Earths. Thousands of routes exist within them, but only certain paths are stable. One wrong step… and you could be lost in space-time, perhaps for thousands of years."
"And… I have passed through it before?" Jōgan lowered his head, his voice almost a whisper.
"Mm… yes," Hugo nodded briefly. "Each Earth has its own name, just like the Earth we live on now." Hugo picked up small stones from the ground, arranging them in a line between them. "The smallest stone at this end… is where we are now. And this one… is the center of all the other Earths. Do you still remember the names of the 12 Earths?" His finger moved to the largest stone.
"Yes…" Jōgan nodded slowly. "Pramba." His words paused for a moment, as if he felt that name carried too great a weight. "Bordur, Avta, Pandora." His finger moved slowly from one stone to the next. "Gora, Zolla, Raza, Sakta." His breath grew deeper, his voice beginning to soften. "Jorna, Bima, Gerila." He stopped at the last stone, staring at it longer than the others. "…and the Earth we stand on now, Gaia." Jōgan swallowed. "The place where I grew up, where I have you, them, and her… right now…" Jōgan said softly, imagining the faces of everyone who had become a part of his life.
"Eheh…" Hugo chuckled. "You remember everything well. Looks like all that lecturing every night wasn't for nothing. But… Ahahah…!" He laughed freely, patting his palms against the ground. "It seems the word 'sick of it' you said earlier wasn't entirely true." Hugo looked at Jōgan's face with a teasing expression.
"Eit-eh, old man!" Jōgan clenched his teeth, his face turning red. "Stop laughing at me! I memorized it because you kept forcing those damned names into my head every night!"
Jōgan swallowed, his memory returning to the railway crossing. The panicked screams, the steel train rushing forward mercilessly, everything destroyed, yet his hand stopped the train without a single injury. Everything now began to make sense.
"Mmhh… your ability, yes…" Hugo let out a breath, his jaw tightening. "Jōgan… every Earth is filled with humans who possess unique abilities. But among them… there are certain bloodlines that hold power like that of gods." Hugo looked up at the sky, explaining further.
"Then… what about what I experienced?" He lifted his face, staring at Hugo with eyes demanding an answer. Jōgan watched him without blinking, absorbing every word, every change in expression on his father's face.
"Every Earth is ruled by one or several families," Hugo continued softly. "They stand at the peak of the pyramid of power, strength, and the food chain. Untouched by law, by systems, and by time." Hugo's gaze remained straight ahead, as if seeing the faces he had known throughout his life. "…and the Earth we live on now is no exception." Hugo's voice faded, as if the sentence was too heavy to speak, ending with a long breath.
"Then… What is the reason I have this power?" Jōgan asked, filled with curiosity.
"Mh… Jōgan, there is no power without responsibility," Hugo held back his voice, as if his words were swallowing burning embers. "The same goes for your power. It is not meant to be shown off or used merely for amusement." He fell silent for a moment, taking a long breath before continuing. "But, to fulfill your destiny…" Hugo looked at Jōgan, his eyes filled with the pain he had kept hidden all this time.
Jōgan swallowed, feeling the weight of his father's words.
"Those rulers… will not let you escape. They will chase you and… the ones you love!" Hugo said, his voice restraining a burning anger. Hugo lowered his head for a moment, looking at Jōgan more deeply, his eyes sharp. "If they cannot touch you, then the people you love will be the ones they eliminate.." His voice was firm, unwavering, piercing straight into Jōgan's heart.
"From now on, I will train you like I have never done before," he said, wrapping an arm around Jōgan's shoulder with a light yet firm grip. "You were able to stop the movement of a train, as if it were folded paper. The next training will be about controlling your power. Mastering things that even ordinary humans cannot imagine."
Jōgan stepped back, his face tightening. "W-why do I feel like something isn't right?" he whispered, his teenage instinct giving a warning.
"You will understand… when the time comes," he said, his voice heavy yet gentle, filled with certainty. "Now, let's go home. Dinner is waiting, Rika and Riko will surely sulk if we are late," he said while walking away with a wave of his hand and a light whistle, as if covering the great tension he had just revealed.
"My birth destiny…?" Jōgan murmured. For the first time in his life, the night sky felt far heavier than usual.