Baker crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, never taking his gaze off the young man handcuffed on the other side of the one-way mirror.
—I want to interrogate him personally.
Burton nodded silently. When Baker turned his eyes back toward the interrogation room, he frowned.
—Is he… praying?
—It looks like it, sir —confirmed the detective in a low voice.
The commissioner let out a low grunt and, without saying another word, left the observation room.
As he entered the interrogation room, the air felt colder and heavier. The sound of the metal chair scraping against the floor broke the silence like a knife. Baker sat down across from the detainee and observed him carefully.
The young man remained handcuffed to the table, but his posture was strangely relaxed. Almost bored.
—What's your name, kid? —Baker asked in a firm tone, though without aggression.
The detainee lifted his gaze. His eyes were clear and disconcertingly serene.
—Jay Sullivan —he replied calmly.
—Alright, Mr. Sullivan… —Baker leaned slightly forward. —You don't have any identification documents. No passport, no driver's license, no ID card. Nothing.
Can you explain why?
Jay looked at him without hesitation.
—Because I don't belong to this era —he answered with complete naturalness. —I'm from several centuries in the future. I came here to save humanity from a much greater threat than those mid-level monsters that have been appearing.
Baker remained silent for several seconds, processing his words. He remembered the images from the Lumig Shopping Center:
the chaos, the portals, the screams… and how this same young man had protected hundreds of people with an ability no one could explain.
What he was saying sounded like complete madness. But the facts didn't lie.
The commissioner let out a long sigh.
—Why were you praying just now? —he asked suddenly, changing direction.
Jay lowered his gaze for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice carried a deep weight.
—For the souls of the people I couldn't save at Lumig… while I was protecting the others.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Baker rubbed the back of his neck, visibly uncomfortable. Internally, his mind was a whirlwind.
«This is complete madness… We have nothing solid to charge him with. We can't even prove he stole those clothes. And on top of that, he left gold ingots as compensation. Who the hell does that?»
Jay continued speaking with the same unsettling calm. He told him everything: the dimensional portals opening uncontrollably, the waves of monsters that would come, the true scale of the approaching threat, and fragments of his own life in the future.
Baker listened without interrupting, his hands clasped in front of his face. When Jay finished, the commissioner pressed his palms to his face and let out a long, weary sigh.
—Good God… —he muttered under his breath.
He raised his eyes and looked at the young man with a mix of disbelief, exhaustion, and something that dangerously resembled respect.
—Listen to me carefully, Sullivan. If what you're saying is true… then we're screwed in a way we can't even imagine. But if you're lying… —Baker narrowed his eyes, —I'll personally make sure you spend the rest of your life wishing you had never appeared in my city.
Jay didn't flinch. He simply tilted his head slightly, as if he perfectly understood the gravity of the situation.
—I understand —he replied serenely. —But time is running out, Commissioner. And I'm not the villain here.
Baker stared at him in silence for several more seconds, trying to read those eyes that seemed to have seen too much.
Finally, he stood up from the chair with a heavy movement.
—Burton —he called toward the mirror, —prepare a comfortable cell. And make sure no one touches him until I decide what the hell we're going to do with him.
Before leaving the room, Baker stopped at the door and looked at the young man one last time.
—One more thing, Sullivan… Those gold ingots? Where did you really get them from?
Jay gave a small, almost nostalgic smile.
—From a place where gold no longer has any value… because the only thing that matters is surviving one more day.
Baker closed the door behind him without saying anything else. But in his chest, an uncomfortable feeling had settled.
For the first time in many years, Commissioner Baker wasn't sure if he had just spoken to a dangerous madman… or to the only man who might be able to save them all.
…
Several hours later, in Detective Burton's office, the phone rang insistently.
Ring… Ring… Ring…
—Burton speaking —he answered quickly.
He listened for just a few seconds before his expression changed. He hung up without saying goodbye and practically ran toward Commissioner Baker's office.
Knock, knock, knock.
—Sir, it's urgent!
He entered without waiting for a response. Baker looked up from his desk, visibly irritated.
—What the hell is happening now, Burton?
The detective approached and whispered something in his ear. Then he handed him the phone with a serious expression.
Baker took it with a furrowed brow.
—Yes?… I understand.
Yes, sir… We were actually thinking of releasing him.
He hung up the phone slowly and stared at the device as if it had just told him a bad joke.
—Every minute of this day keeps getting more unreal… —he murmured.
He turned to Burton.
—Harry, release Sullivan. Important people will be waiting for him outside the station.
—Yes, sir.
Burton immediately headed to the cells.
When he arrived, he found Jay sitting on the floor of the cell, calmly bouncing a green ball against the wall and whistling a soft melody.
Fiuu… Fiuu… Fiuu…
—Looks like you liked the ball, hero —said Burton with a wide grin.
Jay caught the ball in the air and looked up.
—It was an excellent gift to keep me distracted during my "imprisonment" —he replied lightly. —Thank you again, detective.
Burton let out a short laugh.
—Well, it seems your luck has just improved. We just received a call ordering your immediate release.
Jay blinked, surprised.
—Really?
—As serious as the fact that I'm standing here —replied Burton, opening the cell with the jingle of keys. —Someone with a lot of power pulled some strings. Don't ask who, because I don't even know.
Minutes later, Burton escorted Jay to the main exit of the station. At the bottom of the stairs, he nodded toward a luxurious black car perfectly parked under the streetlights.
—There's your ride, hero.
Jay stopped for a second and looked at the detective with sincerity.
—Thank you, Detective Burton. May the goddess Thenna be with you and with Commissioner Baker.
Burton raised an eyebrow, but couldn't help smiling.
—Don't mention it, Sullivan. Try not to get into any more trouble… though I doubt you'll listen to me.
Jay descended the stairs with a calm stride. When he reached the car, the rear window rolled down with a soft hum.
Inside were two people dressed in impeccable black suits, dark glasses, and ties bearing a golden emblem that Jay recognized instantly: the seal of the Kingdom of Lumig.
A woman with brown hair tied in an elegant bun observed him carefully.
—Are you Mr. Jay Sullivan? —she asked in a professional, cold voice.
Jay nodded without hesitation.
—Yes, that's me.
The woman made an almost imperceptible gesture.
The rear door opened with a soft click.
—Please get in. We have orders to take you to Her Highness.
Jay paused for a moment before entering. He looked one last time toward the station, where Burton was still watching him from the top of the stairs.
Then, without saying anything else, he stepped into the vehicle.
The door closed with a heavy sound, and the black car drove away silently into the night.
Inside the car, Jay leaned back against the leather seat and closed his eyes for a moment.
«So they've already started moving…», he thought.
The goddess Thenna had mentioned that the nobles of the Kingdom would begin searching for him soon. But he hadn't imagined it would be this fast.
A small, dangerous smile formed on his lips.
The game had just begun.