CH 4

It has been three years since the dream of the future. His life had been good for the few months after it, but that happiness didn't last for long. Now Zel was back to his old, fat self. Friendless and alone, he couldn't even force himself to look for Emilia.

He didn't want her to see him this way, especially when he feels that all he'd be is a disappointment. Maybe she won't be able to remember him, but her ability would certainly make it possible for her to find out their 'past'.

"This isn't what I had in mind when I did this."

Zel had taken his own advice and went with trying to fix his parents while avoiding his regrets. But all he got in return was having to work for everything, expecting nothing in return, yet still getting disappointed.

First, his mother's catastrophic money management has manifested itself again. And while he had paid for one debt, it didn't matter when his mother keeps on making more debts. You pay one bill and then you get told that there are two more. It never ends.

So while he could earn money, it's not easy money. He may know a few good companies but that doesn't mean that he could use all of them at the same time, whenever he wanted. It takes time, skill and dedication to do that. Something he was quickly losing as time passed.

Eventually, he had enough. So did his father and the rest of his family. When you help out your family but get nothing in return, it makes it hard to continue to help them. Like how he was back when he had that dream, he was once again starved for love.

It all blew up one day when Zel woke up, finding it hard to sleep as banging sounds echoed inside his room.

"What the hell?" Zel stood up in panic, putting on a shirt before going out of his room. His hair was still standing, similar to its shape from when he was sleeping, but he didn't care. He followed the direction of the banging, and saw two men breaking down a wall. The wall on the right side of their home.

"Hey! Who the hell are you two? Why are yo-"

"Son! They're just working. I'm planning on expanding this room here for your father and I. Our old bodi-" Mel who was holding a cup of coffee greeted her son. But what she saw next was nothing short of surprising as her usually calm son had picked up the cup on her hand and threw it at the wall behind her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, bitch? You got money to spend now?" Zel was tempted to grab his mother's neck and lift her up from the ground. He had enough of this woman who can't seem to control herself. If he was to stay here any longer, then he'd be stupid. It didn't matter if he loves her, no, he loved her. It was over, this was too much for him.

"Don't worry about the mone-" Mel who was trying to calm her son down felt a slap on her wrist as she tried to touch his face. Her hand stung but what made her tear up was the nonchalant gaze her son was giving her.

"Really now? Then I'm too stupid to have done all that work for you to spend MY fucking money, eh?" Zel was more enraged, so much so that he had to let it all out before he goes. If he doesn't, then this bitch might think that he was overreacting. But no, not this time.

"When you 'had' the money to do this, what was in your head? Pay the debt you owe your son? Pay the debt you owe to your other debtors? Everyone and their mother knows you're debt-ridden, mom. No, I'm calling you Mel from now on. Mel, when you have a debt, you don't go spending money willy-nilly. Because that money isn't fucking yours! It's ours! In fact, its fucking mine!"

Zel had already started punching the wall beside him. His hands were bleeding badly, but he didn't care. What was strange was that the wall was getting filled with fist sized holes that matched his fists. No one minded those, however, as the drama was just getting started.

"If you had a lick of guilt, a lick of fucking empathy, you'd be fucking ashamed to even show your face! But, no! You have the guts to fucking make renovations! Do you know that I haven't even fucking paid my tuition yet? Because I paid for your fucking debt! Now you go and do this shit and act like its no big deal!"

"Big brother, calm dow-" Mae, Zel's little sister, felt that her brother was going too far. Not at all minding the context of the situation. She only woke up after all and wasn't here to see what triggered her brother. She also wasn't aware of the fact that her brother was basically keeping their family afloat. Even their father didn't know. Only Zel, Mel and his sister Melba knew.

"Shut the fuck up, Mae! Don't you fucking talk to me like I'm the one with the problem here. Remember this! I'm the only person in this family that actually gave a fuck! I kept this family together! You know what? I'm fucking done! Let's see how you people react when the people this bitch took money from collect their money. When you people watch as they take away your fucking 'renovated' house. Ha!"

Zel went back to his room before taking away his laptop, a bag full of his savings and a few clothes that he liked. Then he stuffed them all into the bag that contained all of his important documents. He didn't even bother looking at his family that pleaded with him to 'talk'.

That was until he heard something that almost made him crack up.

"Son, it's really not that big of a deal. The money to pay for this is from your father." Mel stood by Zel's bedroom door. Trying to explain herself and get him to stay. 

"Oh is it? What did he say, huh? His exact words?" Zel snidely commented while not stopping his movements in the least. He was even pushing away the hands that tried to stop him, hands that belonged to his other little sister, Marie.

"…" Mel wasn't able to answer. She merely stood in place while looking at the ground, unable to meet Zel's eyes.

"Yeah, that's right. Lie more, you bitch." Zel picked up the bag before heading to his drawer and pulling out his phone, wallet and car keys. He was about to leave when two figures stood on his way.

"Big brother! Stop cursing our mom!" Mae was already bawling her eyes out but held her arms apart to block Zel's way. But it was for nothing when he merely slapped her hand to one side, clearing the way.

"Please don't leave, big brother!" Marie had clung on to the hem of Zel's shirt. Her eyes staring at his, pleading for him to stay. But Zel merely unclenched her hands and left. He was done, done with this family and their toxicity. If he wanted to be happy, he needed to cut out the cancer in his life.

"From today on, I'm not your son. I'm not your brother. Don't talk to me, don't try to find me, and most importantly, don't you dare ask me for money again."

Zel walked out of the house that he grew up on. He intentionally locked the gate to stall them, as someone would most likely block the way of his car when he drives away. He was able to hear them crying, screaming, begging for him to stay. But he was done, his car drove away and he never once looked at his rear view.

Nine years later…

A man wearing a luxurious black suit and tie was standing by the corner of his office. The man's large build looked intimidating, and the aura he emitted was cold and stoic. But for those who knew him well, they would be able to know that the man hid a jovial personality underneath that façade.

" Sigh. " Zel, who was looking out of the windows, gave out a soft sigh. The view from way up here was quite magnificent, but it was quite nauseating when he focuses on the people moving about down below.

"I believe that the acquisition would be good for us, it's not that bad of a proposal." A man wearing a blue suit, white shirt and blue pants sat on the chair in front of Zel's desk. His black hair had gray streaks on the side, but his face was so jovial that he looked much younger than his age. He was tall, but lanky, though his face was quite handsome.

"I never thought you'd be willing to accept that one, Phil. Your research on the Pantheon cells aren't going to just make you good money, it will last to your great, great grandchildren. If we accept their terms, we'll be selling your research for much less. Much, much less."

Zel turned around to face his most talented employee, the ever-curious Phil Moniker. The two met when Zel was looking for talented men and women who would eventually make something for themselves in the future. Phil was one of the men he remembered, a few that he eventually looked for a way to contact.

Phil's findings on the effects of a special material, one that he found from a cave in one of his many adventures, proved to be quite successful. Healing properties that had a great magnitude of uses, a source of clean energy, it might even be able to solve much more problems that they had yet to ask. But Phil wanted to share the discovery to the world, because that's what they wanted for this company. That's what the Pantheon Industries was built for.

"Zel, I do-" Phil who was about to try and talk to his boss sat back down when he saw him lift his hand. It was a sign that Zel wasn't done talking, and he sat back down to show his respect.

"I wasn't going to deny, Phil. I just asked you because this is your legacy, as much as it is mine. If you were to ask me to deny the proposal, then I wouldn't accept it. But it seems that the trust I put in you isn't misplaced, you make me proud to be your friend." Zel went to the desk and pulled out a file from his drawer. A piece of paper, one that held the details of the contract that they would sign.

"Within this paper is our promise, we would leave behind our mark on this world. They would know that Zel Huertazuela and Phil Moniker, the men of Pantheon Industries, have finally cured cancer."

Thirty years later…

"Oh? I could have sworn that your kid would rather be an astronaut with all that talk about following me to Mars. Haha."

An old man walked down a street while seemingly talking to himself. Though he was actually seeing the figure of his nephew and his family through a holographic lens that integrated reality with virtual images, overlapping the two while not hindering his normal vision at all.

"It's not that easy for a young man to decide his future, uncle Zel. Just as you helped me find my future, I want my son to be find his too. I wish you would visit us sometime, we really miss you." A young man who looked a lot like Zel was smiling as he cradled a baby girl. Beside him was a young woman whose fallen asleep from fatigue, being a mother is no easy job.

"Haha, I'll be there soon enough. Tell your mother to take care of herself, and make her take those pills I sent her. I swear she'd feel ten years younger." Zel merely shook his head at his nephew's request. As he had helped to raise the boy up, he knew that it was a genuine request from the man. But it was quite costly to move from Mars back to Earth, especially when he had a lot of things that needed his handling here.

"Ok, uncle. Goodbye!" Cleo was sad to see that his Uncle is still doesn't want to go back to Earth. It was already a decade and a half ago when Grandma Mel and Grandpa Tommy died, and with their deaths came his uncle's wish to colonize Mars. It was like he was escaping from something, though he did understand that his uncle was also needed there.

"Goodbye, Cleo." Zel was able to arrive just in time for the opening of the new facility. His friend Phil had probably been waiting for him, he shouldn't keep him waiting for long. He placed his arm over the door for identification, as all that live here have these bracelets on.

'I wonder if the Philintrical Levita-'  But just as he was about to present his ID for scanning, he fell on his face. Dead. His heart had stopped, the reason was unknown.

When Zel woke up, he found himself sitting on a couch. His couch, the one in his room all those years ago. A thought immediately came to him as he checked the date.

[June 27, 2018]

"Oh, my, god…" Zel was both glad and horrified. He was back here again, back to a time where things were still fine. Back to when he was younger, when he could still fix his life. His face was as confused as it could ever be as he wondered.

'How? What? Why?'