The Godly Supreme

4: Daddy, I'm Scared

The phone was a gift from Kairos' wife, Lilith, the night before he went to war. With tears in her eyes, she had told him,

"Kai, take this. I can only afford to buy you this small phone now, but in the future, I will work hard and get you a better one. Don't forget to call me. We will be waiting for you to return."

Kairos gritted his teeth, his fingers tightening around the mobile phone. He could remember how the baby in Lilith's stomach had kicked that night.

As if it had known that it was the last time they were going to hear from him. Later, when he got to the borders, the network signal was so bad he gave up on ever reaching them.

But now, as the dusty phone lit up, the network bar turned green for the first time in years.

DING!

DING!

DING!

....

Several notifications of missed calls and messages popped up on the screen. They should be about a thousand or more.

[Hubby, our baby was born. You won. It wasn't a girl like I expected. He's a cute boy. I named him Mateo]

[Kai, I'm sad. Uncle called Mateo a bastard's son. He said a lot of harsh things today]

Kairos’ eyes reddened as he scrolled down the messages. His fingers hovered above one.

[Hubby, my parents are forcing me to remarry. They said it's been a year since you left, and there is no news from you. They think you are dead, but I refuse to believe it]

Then, the next message read:

[Kai, today, mother threatened to kill herself. I was so scared, but I refused to give in. I promised you that Mateo and I will wait for you]

Kairos' shaky fingers scrolled downwards until he got to the recent message that was sent just a few months ago.

[Kai, Mateo, and I have been waiting for almost eight years now. I can't hold on anymore. When you come home, let's get a divorce]

Kairos' pupils dilated, and his shoulders trembled. These messages were like arrows piercing through his heart painfully.

He couldn't even imagine what his wife and son must have faced during the past eight years. They didn't even know if he was dead or alive.

Kairos immediately keyed in the familiar number that has been engraved on his heart all these years, but strangely, the call never went through. It was like Lilith’s number never existed.

RING!

Just as he was pondering about that, the phone in his hands chimed loudly. He squinted at the unfamiliar number displaying on the screen.

Could this be from Lilith? With this thought in mind, he answered the call eagerly, "Hello? Lilith?"

Unlike the feminine voice he expected, a child's voice came through the line. "Hello. Is this daddy?"

Kairos froze, his mind immediately going blank. It felt like he had been struck by lightning. Back at the barracks, at night, when he had the chance to look up in the sky, he would wonder what his child with Lilith looked like.

Was she a cute little girl who was an exact carbon copy of her mother or a fierce little boy with a temper like him? These little moments had brought him peace during the troubled times at the barracks.

Now, he actually got to hear his own son's voice for the first time. He felt quite emotional and was almost teary.

"Yes, Mateo. It's me."

"Really?" The boy sounded surprised. "Are you really my daddy?"

"Yes—"

"Daddy, I have called many times, but mommy said I should not call again. You finally answered!" The little boy burst into tears instantly.

"Daddy, I'm scared! These bad uncles took me away, and I can't find mommy here. They are all holding knives, and mommy said knives are sharp objects. These bad uncles want to use the knife on me!"

What?!

Kairos' facial expression changed, and a murderous intent gleamed in his eyes. How could those people be so daring to take his son away?

"Ah!!!" Mateo suddenly screamed. "Daddy, come and save me! I don't want to stay here! I don't like these uncles!"

It suddenly sounded like there was a scuffle on the other side, and Mateo's voice was distant. Kairos panicked, "Mateo?! Mateo?! Daddy will come to you, okay? Don't be scared. I'm coming."

Mateo didn't seem to hear him, nor did the person holding the phone. "Who gave this sneaky brat a phone? Teach him a lesson since he's so stubborn!"

SWISH!

"Ah!!!" Mateo's heartbreaking cries flooded the phone again as a whip resounded in the distance.

CRACK!

A tut-tut sound followed as the call ended. The phone must have been snatched by that person.

BOOM!

Kairos was so livid that the temperature dropped. Velora River trembled, heavy waves rising under the effect of his fury. 

CRACK!

Tiny cracks appeared on the poor phone that was squeezed in his hands. He shuddered violently, his electric blue eyes turning a deeper shade. 

"How... dare... those... animals... touch... my... son?! Even if the grim reaper pleads for them, I will send them to the pits of hell!"  

He looked every bit a crazy person as he cussed, word for word.

...

At that very moment, corpses of soldiers were piled up like a mountain at a strong fortress in the Northern Atlantis region. 

Amid the smoke and blood-soaked soil, a man stood at the center of the battlefield.

His silver-plated armor was  streaked with ash and blood, his blade still dripping from the last kill.

He was General Nikolai, one of the few soldiers that has risen to fame in the last two years.

Even in the chaos of war, his posture was firm, and his eyes were alert, but in the middle of the carnage, a sudden ring pierced the battlefield’s silence.

General Nikolai froze.

He pulled out a phone from his pocket and trembled all over as he recited the figures on the phone screen. No one has called this number for the past two years.

Only one person had access to this number. But that person was long gone. No one has heard of him ever since—

"Hello," General Nikolai answered in a shaky tone. "Who are you, and how did you get this number?"

"Kairos Lockwood," a low voice responded from the other end.

THUD!

General Nikolai fell to his knees. Tears shimmered on his face as he cried out, "Lord! Our Godly Supreme! You are still alive!”