William rushed to Bill’s side, kneeling down on the wet ground. He cradled Bill’s head gently, trying to wake him up.

“Bill, wake up! Are you okay?” William’s voice filled with worry as he shook his son lightly.

After seeing that he was still breathing, William calmed down a bit. He picked up Bill’s unconscious body and quickly headed inside.

William took him to one of the guest rooms and laid him down on a thin mattress that was just laid down on the ground without a bed frame.

He took a healing pill and fed it to Bill, to make him recover faster because it looked like those wind blades had not just torn up his hoodie but had also left shallow cuts all over his back.

Bill was just so focused on the fight that he didn’t have time to register the fact that he was bleeding from his back, part of that was because of the mutant gene as it not only boosted the stats and power of the user but also dulled the things such as pain, fear, etc.

William stayed right by Bill’s side in utter confusion as he couldn’t figure out why Bill was sneaking in late at night, completely out of the blue plus he hadn’t heard any news regarding Bill for more than a month now which was also quite concerning.

Even if William had said that he wouldn’t train him anymore and support him as well as said to the public that he was no longer his son, deep down, he still cared for his youngest son and tried to keep an eye on him but not interfere much in his life.

Since they weren’t on speaking terms, they hardly ever talked when Bill was at home.

Bill would often be gone in the evening and arrive home late at night. William tried to find out where he went every other night, but it was like Bill had turned into a trained professional as William would always lose him.

Recon and tracking missions were never really a thing for William so it was understandable how Bill was so evasive, but El Diablo also played a role in this as he had his men teach all the new recruits optimal ways to lose anyone that might be following them.

Bill had made use of those same tactics when he had Mako run in weird patterns all over the city after they had received the invitation card from the Dark Raven to make sure they lost anyone who might be following them as they made their way home.

William decided to butt out of his son’s life completely after he noticed that there was a difference in Bill’s behavior and that it was probably best if he allowed Bill to learn the correct path through hardships and failure himself.

Soon after he had heard that a boy had defeated him in a duel, he thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to reconnect with his son and teach him some humility as knowing him, he would be extremely angry and frustrated after his loss, but since then he couldn’t find any whereabouts of Bill anywhere.

He searched everywhere and even reported his disappearance to the police, but nothing regarding Bill ever showed up again.

However, William didn’t give up and continued to look for his son, he eventually learned about his involvement with gangs through his close classmates, but even they didn’t know where Bill was.

William finally understood how Bill was able to obtain an ability and where he went at night, but he cursed himself for figuring it out so late and now who knew what had happened to his son.

He started researching gangs and learning about how they operate, he learned about the main gangs and the things that they did in the city.

He was still looking into all the gang-related events that had happened after Bill’s disappearance, and one stuck out which was about an old warehouse belonging to Los Zetas blowing up and people escaping from within.

There weren’t many details about it and William was going to find out more about himself, but before he could make any moves, the last thing he expected was for an intruder to break into his house and even more crazily, that intruder was Bill himself wearing a standard military uniform.

2 Hours Later

Bill slowly opened his eyes, groaning in pain. The exhaustion and wounds from the intense battle had taken its toll on his body. He blinked a few times, struggling to focus only to see that he was inside a familiar-looking room with his father’s face staring right into him.

“Dad? What… happened?” Bill managed to whisper, his voice weak and hoarse.

William helped his son sit up and supported him with an arm around his shoulder. He glanced at the ruined training area, realizing the magnitude of the situation.

“I… I thought you were an intruder, Bill. I’m so sorry. I didn’t recognize you,” William’s voice trembled with regret.

Bill was left stunned to see his father talk to him like that. His father had always been strict and direct, showing minimal emotion even if they were to get injured, but right now there was genuine emotion in William’s voice.

“It’s… It’s alright, Dad. I should have explained myself better,” Bill replied awkwardly.

William quickly bottled up his emotions as there were many questions that needed to be answered.

William put on his usual scary face as he stared into Bill’s eyes and said, “Tell me everything, Bill. What’s been going on? Where have you been?”

Bill took a deep breath, trying to regain some strength. He began explaining from the very beginning about how he got his ability and how he lost the duel against Mako which prompted El Diablo to make him his prisoner.

Grazing over the burnt key imprint he had on his hand for when he held the red hot key, he explained in detail how he managed to escape from the warehouse and how he somehow stumbled over to Mako’s home in the woods.

He told him how Mako forgave him and showed him a better path and how the two of them became fighters and grew stronger together.

He shared their interaction with Dark Raven and how they executed a heist to save many prisoners from El Diablo’s hold.

He then went on and explained how he registered for the recruitment test and everything that occurred while they were on the island.

Sharing every detail and achievement he had done and talking about all the new friends he had made. He told him about his own personal growth and how he got selected to be part of the special task force.

Lastly, he explained how he got back to emerald city and that he wanted to meet his father one last time before he started his journey in military school.

As Bill spoke, William listened intently, his regret deepening with every word. He realized he had missed out on crucial moments in his son’s life, moments that shaped him into the person he was now.

When Bill finished recounting his experiences, there was a moment of silence between them. William reached out and placed a hand on Bill’s shoulder, his voice filled with remorse.

“I’m so sorry, Bill. I never imagined all of this. I’ve missed so much, and I acted without thinking. I should have recognized you, no matter the circumstances. You have grown so much and achieved far beyond what your sisters or brother could at your age.”

William went on and quickly explained things from his perspective and what he had been doing while Bill was missing.

Bill looked at his father, his eyes filled with a mix of disbelief and happiness. “Dad, I can’t believe it. I thought you hated me and that I could never live up to your expectations, but it looks like we both made mistakes.”

There was another moment of silence as they both thought back to the times that they regretted and wished they could have done things differently. Bill was so glad that his father didn’t think of him as a disgrace, and William was just glad to see that his son was alive, well, and becoming stronger every day.

“However, What matters now is that we understand each other and move forward,” Bill said breaking down the silence with a warm smile.

William nodded, tiny tears welling up in his eyes. “You’re right, son. I promise you, I’ll do everything I can to support you.”

Bill smiled, grateful for his father’s willingness to change. “Thank you, Dad. It means a lot to me.”

The father and son continued talking about different events as William was very interested in learning about his son’s experience battling beasts and other things such as awakening his mutant gene, which Bill had quickly brushed over, and how many new skills and techniques had he learned during this time.