Jian stood still.
He had gotten all the answers he had longed for. Who he was. Where he came from. Why he had been left behind. All of it. Yet, despite the truth finally being laid out in front of him, it didn't fill the void inside. It didn't soften the jagged mistrust lodged in his chest.
This man—his real father—had spoken with tears, with grief, with longing. But Jian couldn't feel the warmth of a father's love. Not really. He couldn't force the connection.
There was only a blankness where emotion should've bloomed.
Suddenly, the circle to his left pulsed with a soft hum, lighting up in slow waves. He flinched slightly, instinctively stepping back as light particles began swirling, forming shapes just like they had earlier.
The man beside him—his father—brightened immediately, quickly wiping away the remnants of tears from his cheeks. His grin widened with unrestrained joy.
"Your elder brother is here," he said, almost giddy.
