Years earlier, Myzen was running in a sunlit field on his homeworld. A boy, no older than six who looked nearly identical, chased after him. Myzen's wife watched sitting from a blanket on the turquoise colored grass of their homeworld.
"Don't let him catch you, Myzen!" She yelled out happily.
"Oh, he won't!" Myzen replied, laughing as he dodged, ducked, dipped, dived, and dodged.
But the boy lunged again and he let himself be caught, picking him up into his arms and groaning in exaggerated defeat.
"Ahhhh! You got me." He said, spinning him around.
They all laughed, enjoying the moment of peace and happiness together as a family.
Back in the dark room, all he could do was stare down at the ground. Everything began to hit him all at once, tears welling in his eyes.
"I miss you both…so much." He whispered.
His mind drifted back to the day everything changed… the day he lost Seraphine's good grace. He had been on a mission for the Accord, tasked with eliminating a high-profile target named Raxon, a former Accord scientist who had defected with vital information.
He had tracked Raxon to a remote outpost. He burst into the hideout, his weapon drawn. But as he entered the room, he found himself staring down not just Raxon, but also his family—his wife and two young children. They huddled together, eyes wide with fear.
"Please, don't do this." Raxon pleaded, shielding his family with his body.
"They're innocent. They have nothing to do with this."
Myzen hesitated, his finger hovering over the trigger of his essence charge pistol. The children were crying and clinging to their parents.
"I'm just following orders." Myzen said quietly.
"Daddy, I'm scared." The youngest child whimpered, peeking out from behind Raxon.
At that moment, Myzen saw his own son in the child's eyes. The same innocence.
"Myzen, please. If anything, spare my family. Take me if you must, but let them live."
Myzen's hands began to tremble. He tried to compose himself, to remember his duty to the Accord. But as he looked at those children, he couldn't do it. He lowered his weapon.
"Go… Take your family and run. Don't look back."
Raxon's eyes widened in disbelief. He gathered his family, and with a final nod of gratitude, they fled. Myzen stood there alone in silence. Later that day, he called in to report to the Seraphine via a holographic call. He dropped to a knee out of respect.
"You're late reporting in, Myzen. And I don't see Raxon with you. I assume there's a proper reason for your failure?" She said with a look of disappointment.
Myzen stayed silent for a second before speaking.
"The target… was compromised. I couldn't complete the mission." He said, keeping his head down.
"Compromised?... Or did you hesitate?" Seraphine asked.
He stayed silent.
Seraphine saw this hesitation and smirked.
"I warned you about letting your family and emotions get in the way. The Accord doesn't tolerate weakness–"
"It wasn't weakness! There was a child…there was nothing in any report about there being a child my lady." He cut her off with, raising his head to lock eyes with hers.
"And?" She replied with no hesitation, her tone blunt.
She glared down at Myzen.
"You seem to be confused. You think your world, your family, is safe because of sentimentality? Good discipline? No, Myzen. They're safe because you obey. Because you know who your true family is."
Myzen said nothing as he absorbed her harsh words. He knew not to say anything. What was weird was the tone of her voice. She spoke to him as if… she was a mother disciplining her child.
The hologram went out and Myzen was left in darkness.
Right before he was sent out to infiltrate the tournament, he was spending time with his family, he was thinking about his new mission and how to tell Ara. He finally found the nerves and spoke up.
"I have to go away for a while… a mission." He said hesitantly.
"Another one? B-But you just got back." His wife replied, her eyes filled with sadness.
"I have no choice. I have to do this for us. For our family. We need the money, we both know that."
He knelt down, pulling his son into a tight hug.
"Be strong, my son. Take care of your mother." He whispered as he gave the boy a kiss on the forehead.
He stood up and gave his wife a big hug. They held each other, feeling the warmth of their bodies merge as one. He pulled away and their crimson eyes met one another.
"I love you. No matter what happens, never forget that."