There was a room with all-white floors, white walls, and no windows. In the center of that room was a teenage boy pushing on the ground with a puddle of sweat beneath him. “300!” He counted as he collapsed on the floor.


    Kenan looked at his watch. “Almost didn''t finish my sets before I had to leave.” He thought. He got up from the floor and headed towards the door. He touched a few buttons on the side of the door and felt a literal weight lift off his shoulders. “Ah, that first breath after the weight has been lifted is like taking in the breath of God himself.” He says, stretching his limbs


    The door slides up, making the whoosh sound it always makes, and he heads up to his room to shower and change his clothes.


    After getting ready, Kenan looked around the kitchen to ensure his aunt didn''t leave any notes for him before she left work. “Alright, time to go see Ma,” he thought. Kenan makes his way out of the Condominiums and into the street below.


    Greenwood City is barely considered a city, most people would say, just due to how new it was. Still, it was home to Kenan. No matter where else he had been, Greenwood was still his home.


    Kenan kept his routine as if it were almost clockwork. He would get up simultaneously, work out, eat breakfast, and then see his mother at the hospital.


    He even had a dedicated playlist he would listen to on the way to the hospital.


    He was only a few blocks from the hospital before he decided to turn his playlist off. He slowly inhales and then exhales. As much as he loved seeing and talking to his mother, putting on a brave face was hard. He faked it every day when he saw her. He used the rest of the walk to get his mind right.


    As the door opens to the floor he was too familiar with, he says hello to the nurse at the desk and heads to his mother''s room. He opens the door and sees his aunt crying with a tissue beside his mother.


    The woman in the bed turns towards Kenan and smiles at him, tears rolling down her face. “Today is the day, son.”


    He nods his head, and tears start to fall from his eyes. Today was the day his mother would be taken off life support.


    The woman lying on the bed was a dark-skinned woman with long twists like braids and slightly sunken eyes. Even moments away from her death, Kenan couldn''t deny his mother''s beauty. Her complexion was deeply melanated, kissed by the sun in the most elegant way. Her eyes were dark and warm, as if all your worries could be comforted by her eyes, and her smile would lighten your mood at a moment''s notice. “Ma, I''m not ready.”


    He approached the bed, and as soon as he did, his mother tried to push herself up to see him more clearly. He quickly helps her.


    Tears start to form in his mother''s eyes, but she quickly catches herself as if convicted of what she is about to do.


    “Kenan . . . Your father is alive.”


    A wave of emotions washes over Kenan. Almost overshadowing the fact that his mother was about to die. He wanted to scream and rebuke her, but the only thing that came out was, “What?”


    “He''s been alive this whole time. He never went missing in action. Malachi is far from here; no one in this city can reach him. He''s back in his ancestral home. I doubt anyone in all of Bethel Pasture could reach him.”


    “So what?” Kenan said through his teeth. “I don’t care if that old man is still alive. Where has he been? We needed him!” He shouted.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Kenan started to get flooded with emotions. “He left me here to watch my mother die by myself? He left his wife here as she dies slowly every day?” He thought.


    His mind became flooded with more questions at the reveal of this new information. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. His father abandoned them. . . Not even two hours ago, he was thinking about how much he had missed him. Kenan never understood the thin line between love and hate until that moment. “Betrayal can make you hate anyone,” he thought.


    His mother remained calm as a still lake in the midst of his anger. “If he could have been here, Kenan, he would have. Same way he would have been there for you to complete your training.”


    “I hate him. . . He''s as good as dead to me.” Kenan said. “I''m sick of being strong in this unfair situation. Why can''t it be someone else''s mother? Why MINE?!! Now I''m left with a deadbeat for a father? If I ever see him, he can kick rocks.


    Kenan’s mother''s eyes held nothing but guilt and empathy. “Calm down, don''t say that about your father. He is the man I love, and I will not allow him to be disrespected,” his mother said without moving her mouth.


    She wasn''t saying anything out loud but speaking directly into Kenan''s mind. He knew then he''d gone too far. She only uses her Superior abilities whenever she needs to be heard. It was this same Ability that put her in the hospital now.


    She continued to speak in his mind. “Kenan, I need to know if you will at least seek your father out and try a relationship with him.” She said,


    “Why would I do that?” He asks


    “Because it''s the last wish I have for you. Find him, Kenan, and you will discover a part of yourself you never knew you needed.”


    ***


    15 mins passed, and his mother was lying on the bed completely still, never to move again. Kenan cried and cried. The last words his mother said to him were. “"Kenan, being a Shepard is more than a title—it''s about who you choose to be. Lead with strength, love with courage, and never let the world steal your light. You are my greatest pride, and no matter where life takes you, know this: you’ve already made me proud. Now, go, my son. Find your path, and let it guide you to the man you’re meant to be.”


    Moments later, some people came into the room and took his mother away. He turned to the last person in the room. “I guess it''s just me and you now, huh, Auntie Aria?” He spoke in a low voice.


    She walks over, clicking in her heels, wearing her lab coat, and hugs Kenan. “I''ll take care of you, I promise!” Aria said. Her makeup was running down her face, and it would be easy to believe she was the one who had just lost her mother. From how much she was sobbing.


    Kenan tries to break away from her death grip hug and somehow manages.


    “How hard will it be to reach my father?” He asked.


    “Nearly impossible if you don''t absorb the Elixir,” she responds between sniffles.


    “I should leave that old man to rot. Well, at least whenever I see him, I can punch him in the face. Kenan reassured Himself. “Where is the elixir anyway? It felt like it had been ages since me and Ma talked about me getting one.


    “It''s in my safe at home along with a letter from your father. . .” Aria says in a low voice.


    ***


    It''s been two weeks since they buried Kenan''s mother. He wanted to take the Elixir as soon as he got back to train with his new ability before he left for the Shepherds Academy. However, with the controversy surrounding his father''s extended family, he had to give himself a week to recover emotionally. Then, after reading his father''s letter to him, he needed a week to recover from that emotionally as well.


    He looked at the letter again: ["My son, now that you have come of age, I want to give you this gift. Your mother knows not to give you any Superior elixir than this one. This is something that no one on the continent can produce normally. With this, your chances of finding me will increase dramatically. I''m sorry for not being there for you. Please forgive me and find me. Never forget, my son, that I love you and your mother more than I can ever express.]


    Kenan was so angry while reading the letter that he wanted to break the vial in his hand.


    “He said it was special, but what does he mean?” He spoke. He gets up and goes to the living room.


    His aunt was on the couch watching her crime shows while eating her snacks. Her usual routine on her day off.


    He walks in while holding up the vial that held the Elixir. “ So what''s so special about this anyway? Pops made it sound like this isn''t a normal elixir.”


    Her eyes go wide. “Are you going to take that right now ?! Do it in front of me so I can see what Superior ability you get. She said, pushing up her glasses. “Oh wait, yeah, your question, sorry.”


    “This is a Superior Sentient Elixir. So you won''t just gain a Superior ability, but you''ll awaken as a Sentient too,” she nodded.


    Kenan''s mouth dropped. “You mean I''m literally going to awaken if I take this?” How''s that possible? I''ve never heard of that before?”


    “There is too much we don''t know about the outside world. However, whenever a Sentient reaches a Current Realm, they can pass on their awakening to a direct relative.” She explained.


    “I don''t know what that means but this is huge! I was going just to trash this and buy my own with my inheritance, but I would be a fool not to take this.” Kenan said. He held up the vial with the purple glowing liquid.


    “It''s hard to believe. That it could be this easy. I train in a martial arts my dad created just for me and listen to these different Orcales Artists who have at least awakened one person from their music, but you''re saying now, instead of a divine revelation, I just take this little juice in a bottle.” Kenan said.


    Aria laughed. “Which is why I want to see you take it in front of me. I''ve never just seen someone awaken on command. Also, that elix is worth twenty million cyber coins. Only you can take it, but theoretically speaking, it''s the most valuable resource within all of Bethel Pasture, probably the known world if I had to guess.”


    “So it would be pretty stupid of me to just toss it just to be spiteful towards my dad?” Kenan asked.


    Aria deadpans. “To say the least.”


    Kenan clenched his jaw. “I don''t want to rely on this deadbeats gift but it''s a clear path towards one of my goals. I shouldn''t be a fool and be vindictive to squander a clear opportunity for myself. I should see this as him just helping me cripple him in the future.”


    He unscrews the vial and takes the Elixir, stealing his conviction.