# Chapter 6 — Echoes of the Past
---
The Stark Mansion was silent.
Only the sound of keyboard tapping echoed softly through the living room.
Krist sat alone on the couch with his laptop resting on his legs, lines of code reflecting across his face as he typed rapidly.
A few seconds later—
He stopped.
Then sighed heavily in frustration.
"Damn it…"
He leaned back tiredly before standing up.
Grabbing both his laptop and phone, he headed upstairs toward his parents' room.
The moment he opened the door—
A memory surfaced instantly.
---
Years ago…
Grayson Stark and Keilani Stark sat together in one corner of the room where they had arranged a small workspace.
Several cartons filled with phones surrounded them.
One box was completely full.
The other slowly emptied as they connected each phone to their laptops one after another.
Young Krist walked into the room curiously.
The moment his parents noticed him, both smiled warmly.
"Hi, Mom."
"Hi, Dad."
"Hey, sweetie," Keilani replied with a smile.
Krist walked closer and placed his small laptop beside his father's own.
Then his eyes landed on the boxes.
"What's with all the phones?"
His parents exchanged glances.
Then Keilani smiled slightly before nudging Grayson.
"He's twelve already," she said softly. "Soon he'll be a teenager."
She looked toward Krist proudly.
"I think it's time you start learning more about the family business."
Grayson chuckled.
"Fair enough."
He leaned back in his chair before speaking.
"These phones belong to every worker in Stark Tech's Supplementary Division."
Krist blinked.
"Why do you have them?"
"Someone leaked one of our projects to a rival company," Grayson explained calmly. "We already questioned everyone, but nobody confessed."
"So," Keilani continued casually, "we collected all their phones during an emergency security inspection."
Krist looked confused.
"Isn't that illegal?"
Keilani laughed softly.
"Well… technically?"
Grayson shook his head with amusement.
"The employee already broke their contract by leaking confidential information," he explained. "Compared to corporate espionage, this is minor."
"As long as the police never find out how we got the evidence," Keilani added jokingly, "there's no problem."
Krist stared at his parents strangely.
Then slowly nodded.
That somehow made sense to him.
…Sort of.
Grayson suddenly looked toward Krist's laptop.
"What are you working on?"
Krist sighed dramatically.
"I'm trying to get into this phone, but I can't break the security."
Grayson pulled the laptop closer.
"Let me see."
For several seconds, he silently studied the screen.
Then he smiled faintly.
"I see the problem."
Krist immediately leaned forward attentively.
"You're copying me."
Krist frowned.
"What?"
"You learned hacking by repeating my methods step by step," Grayson explained. "But that's your weakness."
Keilani quietly pushed her own laptop aside and rested her chin on both hands while watching the father-and-son conversation with an amused smile.
Grayson continued.
"You understand the process…"
He pointed toward the screen.
"But you don't understand the concept behind it."
Krist listened carefully.
"Every security system is different," Grayson said. "So if you try using the exact same method every time, eventually you'll fail."
He paused briefly before smiling.
"Think of it like art."
Krist tilted his head slightly.
"If a master artist teaches an apprentice everything he knows, their final drawings might still look different."
He picked up a pen and twirled it between his fingers.
"One artist may start drawing from the center."
He pointed downward.
"Another starts from the bottom."
Then sideways.
"Another from the side."
He looked at Krist directly.
"But in the end?"
"The result still becomes beautiful."
Krist slowly nodded.
Grayson placed a hand on his shoulder.
"So don't chase someone else's footsteps completely."
His voice softened slightly.
"Learn from different people."
"Observe."
"Adapt."
"Create your own methods."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Who said there's only one way to achieve a result?"
Silence filled the room.
Then Grayson smiled warmly.
"Now try again."
"But this time…"
"Do it your own way."
Krist stared thoughtfully at the screen while his father returned to his own work.
Meanwhile, Keilani simply watched them both with a soft smile on her face.
---
Hours passed.
Nearly six hours later, young Krist suddenly jumped up from his chair excitedly.
"I DID IT!"
The previously full box of phones was now empty while the other overflowed with checked devices.
Krist looked around happily—
Only to realize his parents were gone.
Without hesitation, he grabbed both the phone and laptop before running downstairs.
"Mom!"
"Dad!"
He rushed into the kitchen where he heard their voices.
"I got in!"
Grayson walked over immediately and examined the phone carefully.
A few seconds later, his expression darkened.
"So it was him…"
Keilani stepped closer.
"Whose phone is it?"
"Lefu," Grayson replied coldly. "The assistant manager."
Keilani frowned immediately.
"That bastard sold information to Vane Industries?"
Grayson nodded.
Then suddenly—
"Krist."
His voice became serious.
"Go bring my laptop from the living room."
"Okay!"
Young Krist quickly ran toward the kitchen door.
But the moment he stepped through—
Everything changed.
---
The bright mansion vanished.
Dark clouds covered the sky.
Rain poured heavily.
Fire burned everywhere.
Krist froze.
He slowly looked around in confusion.
Then his eyes widened.
He was standing beside a crashed plane.
No.
Not just any plane.
A Stark jet.
Even though parts of it were burned black, the Stark symbol remained visible across the damaged body.
Krist's breathing became shaky.
The rain mixed with smoke and ash while fire consumed the wreckage violently.
His body trembled as he slowly turned around.
Behind him—
The kitchen door was gone.
In its place stood the broken entrance of the aircraft.
Krist stared silently for several seconds.
Then slowly stepped inside.
The heat was unbearable.
Burned metal surrounded him.
Blood stained the floor.
Then—
He saw it.
His father's laptop.
And beside it—
His father's phone.
Krist's breathing became heavier.
The laptop screen was still glowing faintly.
The wallpaper showed a family portrait.
Him.
His mother.
His father.
Together.
Happy.
Krist suddenly began choking.
His chest tightened painfully.
Then—
He noticed something in the corner.
A burned body.
His eyes widened in horror.
Krist stumbled backward out of the plane immediately.
Outside, dozens of people stood far away recording the crash with their phones.
Nobody helped.
Nobody moved.
They just watched.
Then suddenly—
BOOOOOOM!!!
The remains of the plane exploded violently.
Flames swallowed everything instantly.
Including him.
---
Krist woke up screaming.
His breathing was wild.
Sweat covered his entire body.
For several seconds, he looked around desperately before realizing he was still inside his room.
"…A dream."
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Then he slowly got out of bed.
The mansion was completely dark as he walked downstairs toward the kitchen.
He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and emptied it in one gulp.
Cold silence surrounded him.
Eventually, Krist walked into the living room and sat alone in the darkness.
Thinking.
Remembering.
Hurting.
Then slowly—
He stood up again.
This time, instead of returning to his room…
He walked upstairs toward his parents' room.
When he stopped in front of the door, his expression hardened slightly.
Ever since their deaths, he had only entered the room once.
The memories inside hurt too much.
But tonight was different.
Tonight—
He had a reason.
Krist slowly pushed the door open.
If he wanted to break into Stark's database…
Then maybe the answer his father once tried to teach him…
Was hidden somewhere inside this room.