Morning finally came as Lily carefully painted the roof of a tiny wooden birdhouse."Daddy, do birds like blue?"Asher beamed while sanding the edges of another wooden panel. "I think they'll like any color if it's built with love."Lily chuckled. "Then we'll make the best birdhouse in school!"She dipped her brush into bright blue paint and accidentally left a streak across Asher's sleeve.Her eyes widened. "Oh no!"Asher looked at the blue mark and laughed dramatically. "I guess that means it's officially our project now."Lily giggled so hard she nearly dropped her paintbrush. Asher's gaze drifted toward the faded Silver Wolf photograph lying on the nearby table, toward the burned space of the man he still couldn't remember.Lily noticed.She quietly walked over and slipped her tiny hand into his. "Daddy, were you trying to recall someone?"Asher looked at the photograph, then back at his da

In the old orphanage courtyard. Children jumped and chuckled as they chased one another across the playground.Lucas Graves was still standing under the large tree, unable to take his eyes off the empty wooden bench.The caretaker joined him with two cups of tea. "He used to sit there."Lucas accepted the cup. "Ethan?"She chuckled softly. "No, I meant the little girl.""Every Friday she refused to leave until sunset."Lucas lowered his eyes. "Do you remember her name?"The elderly woman inhaled softly. "My dear, I’ve looked after hundreds of children. But I remember every one of them."Lucas waited while she looked toward the playground. "Her name wasn't Emily."Lucas’ eyes popped for a while. "The adoption record said, Emily."She nodded knowingly. "That's what the paperwork called her.""But every time someone used that name, she would shake her head."The old woman snorted

[A Long Time Earlier]A faded blue pickup truck rolled slowly into a quiet neighborhood. The engine whooshed before finally coming to a halt.A little girl jumped out first; she couldn't have been older than five. She clutched a stuffed teddy bear beneath one arm while staring excitedly at the small white house before her."Daddy! I like this one!"Ethan laughed as he lifted another cardboard box from the truck. "So do I."The little girl ran across the front yard. "There are flowers, and a swing!" She spun around happily.Then asked the same question she had asked several times before. "Daddy, how long are we staying here?"Ethan stopped walking for the shortest moment; something heavy passed across his face.But he managed to smile. "Hopefully long enough to make happy memories."Satisfied with the answer, she skipped toward the front door.Behind her, Ethan quietly looked up and observed bot

A thick blanket of fog covered the abandoned railway station. It was dawn; broken clocks hung in the area. A figure stepped through the station gates.Asher.He walked without haste, his eyes glancing at every corner of the deserted platforms for soldiers, investigative teams, or intruding noises.Several minutes later, Lucas arrived, slightly out of breath. He looked around with a question hanging on his lips."You came alone?"Asher chimed in, still checking the place out. “Several footsteps hide the important ones."Lucas nodded because he had learned something about Asher over the past few weeks. Whenever everyone searched for answers, Asher searched for patterns.The two men walked slowly along the abandoned platforms, which included Platform One, Two, and Three, with each showing years of neglect.Asher paused before the faded sign marked Platform Six. He observed that beyond it, there was only a long bric

Lucas chimed in after a period of thought. "It's a kill list."Nathan folded his arms while shaking his head. "No, if they wanted these people dead, why keep updating it?"Arthur stared at the paper. "Perhaps it's a record of traitors."Serena was rather quiet, studying the ink through a magnifying lens.For over five minutes, Asher didn't utter a word but simply watched, thought, and listened attentively.He stood and glanced at their faces. "You're all asking the wrong question."Asher gently turned the paper toward the light. "Look at the checkmarks."Lucas nudged his head further. "They're different."Nathan leaned closer and noticed the first marks were heavy, but the later ones were lighter; some slanted left while others curved slightly.Serena's eyes widened. "They weren't written at the same time."Asher nodded. "A human updated this list over the years."Arthur slowly lowered