This family is the kind Ethan never had. Despite being only 25, Adol already has six children. He eagerly introduces them all to Ethan.
"This is Billy, my mini me—he's six years old," Adol says proudly, shoving Billy's little hand toward Ethan. But the boy squirms away and runs wild across the room, leaving his pregnant mother chasing after him, clearly exhausted.
"Billy, don't touch that!" she calls out, panicking, nearly out of energy.
Luckily, a young man catches Billy and lifts him into the air. "Ha! Gotcha!"
"Let me go, Uncle Bob!" the little boy shouts, squirming. But his mother's brother clearly knows how to handle him—he tosses Billy over his shoulder like a sack of rice and carries him around with practiced ease.
Adol then introduces Ethan to his three little girls: Mona, Annie, and Suzie. "These are my princesses," he says with a proud grin.
Mona is a well-mannered girl, Annie carries a quiet, lonely air about her, and Suzie is a total sweetheart.
The last two are twin babies who have just started crawling. With such a big, lively family—and Adol working as a truck driver—living together with both sets of parents has been a huge help.
It was a heartwarming sight for Ethan. The family clearly loved one another, and it was shown in the way the girls clung to their father, not wanting to let him go—except for Annie, who simply watched her sisters quietly, observing as they competed for their father's attention and affection.
A smile rose on Ethan's lips as a flash of memories surfaced...
He had once been a she—Nathalie, the matron of the orphanage. He remembered himself as a transwoman, always in the kitchen, cooking large meals for one big, bustling family. Most of the girls helped her in the kitchen, while most of the boys helped a man in the farm behind the orphanage.
That man—her husband—was tall and broad-shouldered, strong and dependable. He had built a home for her and their children, a barn for the cows and lambs, a chicken coop, and he handled all the heavy labor. His sturdy arms and legs did all the hard work around the family… including holding her body with tender love. They were strong, but always gentle when they touched her.
He never raised a hand to her—not even his voice. They hardly ever argued. Any problem could be solved just by talking.
But those sweet memories only stirred sadness in Ethan's heart. He had to stop remembering them before tears fell for no reason in front of everyone, and pops questions he didn't want to answer. Knowing Adol and his genes, they wouldn't let him go until he told them everything or fed them lies they could easily relate to.
Ethan checked Marie's phone in his hand, trying to figure out how to recharge it so he could finally ask the mysterious woman all the questions swirling in his mind. They had been in the car when Marie handed him her phone, and of course, he hadn't taken the charger with him. He had even left his own phone in the car, too shocked to think clearly.
"Do you want to charge your phone?" a small voice asked. It was Annie.
"Well, yeah, I need it," Ethan said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"It's here, near the TV!" Annie pointed to the television cabinet, where a few power sockets were located.
Ethan found the outlets, with two chargers already plugged in. He connected Marie's phone and watched as it began to recharge. While waiting, he sat by the window and stared outside, where the sky stretched wide and endless.
Jacques... where are you? Are you well? Are you still alive?
Ethan rubbed his eyes, feeling hopeless. The more he thought he was making progress, the more it felt like fate was pulling them apart.
I will find you, I promise. And I'll make sure you soar into the sky and live the life you've always dreamed of.
So please... hang in there...
"Jack!" Adol's loud voice snapped Ethan out of his thoughts. He had been calling Ethan several times.
"Ah, yes?" he responded quickly.
"I'm taking the kids out. Do you want to come with us?" Adol asked, his tone cheerful and full of positive energy.
"Come on, bro! It'll be fun! We can see the mountains from above the clouds!" Mona added, mimicking some cool guy's talking style from social media while jumping up with excitement.
To them, it sounded like an adventure. To Ethan, it was nauseating. Just hearing it made his stomach churn.
"N-no thanks, I have acrophobia…" he said, already feeling the cold sweat gather at the back of his neck.
"What's that?" Mona asked, turning to her dad.
"Yeah, what's that?" Adol echoed.
"It's a fear of heights…" Ethan replied with an awkward smile.
"Aww… why are you scared of heights? You'll miss out on so many good views!" Mona pouted.
"If you're so scared of heights, why are you looking out the window?" Billy laughs at Ethan.
"Because it only scares me when I feel the height below me, not when I see it horizontally," Ethan retorts.
"My kid is right. If you're afraid of something, you have to face it! Besides, you wouldn't have made it here if you really had a phobia of high places. It's just a height—no big deal!" Adol clenched his fists. "Don't pamper your fear—otherwise, you'll never get anywhere."
What Adol said triggered a memory.
It was from when Ethan had been a transwoman—Nathalie. Her boyfriend had taken her flying in a camper pod. He had dreamed of the stars and wanted to share that dream with her.
But as the engine started, Nathalie felt the anxiety creep in.
And when the pod launched into the blue sky, her breath tightened. She watched the blue fade into darkness, the atmosphere left behind. Her mind began to scream.
She panicked.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably.
The fear was irrational—but real.
She could still feel her boyfriend's strong arms trying to hold her, his lips pressed against her hair in a futile attempt to kiss the panic away.
"Face it, please, Nathalie. I want to live with you!" he had said.
Nathalie tried her best to face it.
But it didn't work.
The experience was hell, and instead of getting used to the void, her health deteriorated.
Astrophobia.
She could never fly. Her fate was bound to the soil.
Ethan pushed his glasses up again. "I-I'm waiting for an important call from my mother," he lied.
It was the perfect excuse. It made enough sense that Adol's family wouldn't try to drag him up to the peak of the mountain just to force him to confront his fear—something far beyond his current limits.
"Oh…" Mona looked disappointed.
"Well, we can't argue with that," Adol shrugged.
"That's so unfortunate. I'm sorry, Ethan. Next time we'll take you with us, promise!" Mona chirped, sounding just like a miniature version of her dad.
Then the father and children left. The house fell quiet, serene, and strangely empty without the kids.
Ethan checked the phone again. It had charged quickly, so he turned it on—and found himself flooded with messages. Some were from Marie's family, worried about her. Some were emails from universities and colleges inviting him to guest lectures. A few were thank-you notes from orphanages he had donated to. But only two missed calls were from the mysterious woman.
Are you serious? No message at all? Ethan called her number.
She didn't pick up.
Ethan didn't give up. He called again. She was the only person who could explain what was going on—and probably his only ally right now. Adol? Ethan wasn't so sure. The man was nice but too traditional. Living with him could trigger an identity crisis.
Finally, on the third try, the mysterious woman picked up.
Silence.
"Hello?" Ethan started.
Still silent.
"W-who is this?" he asked.
Finally, a response. "I don't know. You're the one who called."
"I called you because you knew the police were involved. And I'm here all alone now. I don't know who to trust. Obviously, I can't run to the police for protection. And I'm scared that my life could be taken at any moment—because even Marie—"Ethan stopped, too emotional to finish. He wiped his tears. He hadn't meant to show weakness, but he was terrified.
"Alright, boy. Firstly, I'm sorry this is happening to you. And now that it has—what are you gonna do? Surrendering to the police seems to be the safest option—unless you find a cave in the middle of nowhere where no one can find you."
That made Ethan more stressed."I don't know what to do… I-I'm scared."
"Oh, you're scared now. Do you regret it, too? Being too sniffy about finding your friend?"
"…No. I want to find him. I have to," Ethan steadied his voice.
"So what are you gonna do now?"
"I want to keep searching. But… I want to be safe too."
"God. You can't just enter the lion's den and expect to be safe. Do you even know what you're dealing with?"
"Government…" Ethan paused, hesitant to say how he knew. "…and police."
"That's right. And you still want to keep going?"
"They tried to clone him. That's a violation of human rights—it wasn't his consent. Somebody has to help him. And no one seems to care. That's why I can't stop." Ethan wiped his nose with a tissue.
"Okay. You've got a goal. You've got a reason. But do you even know where to go?"
"That's just it. I don't know where they took him. Marie wanted to bring this to court—that's why we were driving to Hibrina. I thought if I followed her, I'd finally know where he was. But… they killed her. I saw the murderer."
"Do you want to know how they killed her?" the mysterious woman asked coldly.
"How…?"
"They're the government. Of course they had access to track your phone. Every time it's activated, every time you send messages or make a call—you send them your location."
Ethan gasped. His first worry was Adol's pregnant wife. Also his children. Even though Adol wasn't the best companion, not so knowledgable, a bit judgemental but being nice about it, but he and his children doesn't deserve the same fate with Marie.
"Then they send someone to do the dirty work," she continued. "Even I know where you called me from. Looks like a peaceful sky village, doesn't it? I hope there aren't any children or pregnant women around you, because boy—I swear, they wouldn't care."
"What should I do?" Ethan's voice trembled. He couldn't put Adol's pregnant wife in danger, but there's no way he would face those stairs again after surviving it.
"Two things: leave that village now—and take the phone far, far away."
"But—" Ethan looked anxiously out the window. He had just climbed up here yesterday, and now he had to walk down all those exhausting stairs again if he wanted to protect the people who had given him food and shelter.
"I'll send you a coordinate, follow the trail, I'll be waiting for you there. Do not activate the internet on your way."
"Tell me first—are you going to hand me over to the police or not? Why are you helping me?" Ethan asked.
"I'm sorry. You'll have to trust me… or don't do what I said." Then she hung up.
Ethan was stressing out. He dropped the phone onto the tatami mat, then let his body fall as well, throwing one arm over his forehead. He closed his eyes, imagining those stairs again. Staying in the village was fine—it was a dug-out cave. He felt secure in it. All he had to do was avoid certain areas that made him feel like he was at risk if the structure failed.
But those stairs? They were the gateway to hell.
There was no way he wanted to go through that again—especially on foot, risking his life just to face those dangerous bigallows. Just imagining the need to walk to another city in a foreign place was already terrifying. Everything felt scary. Everything was uncomfortable.
And yet... Adol's children—their laughter, their innocence...He couldn't bear the thought of them ending up in a bloodbath like Marie. He couldn't!
Facing his acrophobia for those innocent children?
It was worth it.
But... Adol was ignorant. He disapproved of Ethan's sexuality and gender." Let him get the abomination he deserves," a bitter voice inside whispered.
But when Ethan imagined what the assassin could do to Adol and his family, he couldn't let it happen. No way. Yes, they were frustrating and narrow-minded—but that didn't mean they deserved such a fate. They were still innocent.
Let's go.
Don't worry about the stairs. They were wide enough—he could lean against the wall and avoid the cliff's edge. He could close his eyes and crawl down like a lizard if he had to. It would be exhausting…But at least no children would die.
And the long walk?
It's fine. Walking is healthy. He needed to move more—for a healthy heart. That was a good thing, wasn't it?
Let's go!
Ethan did as the mysterious woman told him, quietly sneaking out of Adol's house.
"Jack?" a gentle voice called. It was Adol's wife.
"Where are you going?"
"Just getting some fresh air…" Ethan tried to sound normal. If he told her the truth, she might not let him go—he was still a teenager, and the road ahead was dangerous.
"Wait." She went back into her room and returned with a thick jacket. It had a warm collar lined with soft white feathers.
She handed it to him.
"B-but…"
"You'll need it. It's cold and windy out there." She smiled.
With no time and no way to explain, Ethan simply hugged her tightly, apologizing silently in his heart.
He put on the jacket and ran down the path toward the exit stairs of Hamman. Despite the woman's warning, he turned on the internet as he left the village—hoping whoever was tracking the phone would see he was no longer there, and wouldn't come after the people who had helped him.
And those children .... won't get their future robbed away because of a stranger's stupid mistake.