Slowly and as quietly as he could, Khaotung Thanawat approached the building hidden behind the mighty bushes, or rather what was left of it: collapsing walls, a hole in the roof on the left, rotten beams supporting the once-white ceiling... in a word: ruins. He had to be careful not to make even the slightest noise that might betray his presence. He crept to the ground-floor window, which still had shards of glass that had once made up the large kitchen window, and peeked inside.

Inside, apart from darkness, dust, cobwebs, and broken furniture, nothing suspicious could be seen. To be sure, he looked back, drew a rune on his hand with a stele, which was supposed to warn him of the approach of the enemy, and with a quiet sigh took a few steps on the grass that separated him from the long-gone door.

Khaotung remembered the place very clearly from the pictures which Zee, the head of their branch, had shown him. From the information they had, it was the former estate of some lord who had come from England with his family. There were various rumors, but they all had one thing in common: mysterious murders and disappearances. Zee asked Khaotung for help, informing him that three kids from a nearby orphanage had gone there a week ago and had not yet returned. The police did only a cursory search of the area, but since the missing children were orphans from the orphanage, no one spent much time with them, but this didn't escape the attention of the Institute. Zee had no choice, his best men were in the field and everyone was already assigned a task, he made no secret of the fact that they needed new members of their association like oxygen. He did not want to entrust this task to the Knight of the Light, who was mainly an informant and did not take part in any actions very often. As he explained in detail, Khaotung got the impression that Zee despised him, but he didn't mind, preferring to rejoice at the fact that he had been chosen for a mission, his first true Knights of the Light mission.

That was why he would sneak into an abandoned building on the outskirts of Bangkok, where civilization ended and an endless expanse of dark, mysterious, gloomy forest began. He was greeted by three thick, withered trunks of long-dead trees, planted by the rightful owners of these lands along the alley that led to the main residence, now invisible after so many years.

The main building, although huge and richly decorated in its heyday, with stairs to the second floor so wide that four people could easily walk side by side and there would still be free space, made an unpleasant impression on the Khaotung. Khao felt he was looking at a lonely, ailing elderly man, the empty windows like sunken eye sockets. The paint was peeling off the once light blue and lilac walls, and grasses and moss appeared on the wooden parquet floor, effectively muffling Thanawat's footsteps.

Khaotung, feeling strange as if someone was watching him all the time, looked around in all directions, but the darkness of the moonless night didn't allow him to see much. So he took off his black rucksack, rummaged in the largest pocket, and extracted a powerful flashlight from inside. His gaze also fell on the LED panel, which he sometimes used when he had to record some videos in very dark locations. He was an athlete by profession, and not just any athlete! But his cover was a bit different: he had a YouTube channel about exploring abandoned places, which gave him an excuse to go where no one else would, dare, or could go. This estate was one of those places, and it was guarded on a daily basis, which Khaotung managed to get around with incredible ease, it was enough to give both black-clad old men a bottle of the best wine and a package of roast chicken. They were simple people who didn't have too high expectations, good food and alcohol were enough to bribe them.

He didn't try to breathe too deeply, his nose was filled with a stench that could only come from a decaying old homestead filled with cat droppings, bird feathers, and silence ringing eerily in his ears.

He checked every room carefully. Before entering the upstairs bedroom, he noticed footprints in the dust. He took several photos from different angles with his phone. He recognized at once that the shoes belonged to young people, probably children or teenagers. He marveled how the police could overlook it, but quickly remembered that this case was not a priority. In the file he read that the ground floor and the yard had been checked, no evidence that the kids had been there had been discovered, so the case was closed, assuming that the three desperate orphans wanted freedom and had planned an escape, after all, living in an orphanage was no fun. Khaotung didn't believe it and at the mere thought of the police's inaction he clenched his fists, wanting to take out his anger on the officers who had abandoned such a serious case.

He wandered through the other rooms, found a red hair band under the table in the kitchen that looked like it had been used recently, and in a pantry full of rotten preserves on one of the upper shelves he found a scrap of page from an old yellowing book with only one word written in English the word: "Help." He turned the paper over and discovered the nicknames Samantha, Boun, and Prom written in Thai on the other side. Yes, they were the same nicknames!

He crouched down, placed his backpack in front of him, and took out a plastic bag very similar to the ones investigators use to secure evidence. He packed a piece of paper into it, and then the flash of his flashlight bounced off something. Khaotung gasped, terrified that perhaps he wasn't alone after all. A moment later he was angry with himself. If he was really in danger, his warning rune should have warned him, right? Usually, when danger approached, he felt an unpleasant burning sensation on the back of his left hand. Now he felt nothing, even though his hair stood on end. He discovered the reason very quickly in a fragment of a broken mirror lying next to a dusty cupboard.

He didn't want to prolong his stay here indefinitely. He set up cameras, a voice recorder, and even a strange device called a "ghost box" that was supposed to analyze radio waves and pick up "sounds from another dimension." Of course, Khao didn't believe it, but since his videos ended up on the internet and his viewers loved to discuss the usefulness of such gadgets among themselves, he tried to meet their needs. At the same time, he was the only Formula 1 driver who was interested in urbex and paranormal phenomena.

He recorded a "supposed conversation" with a spirit or entity that wasn't actually there, but didn't mention a word about the missing three as P'Zee had instructed. He left the gloomy place relieved that it was over. He checked the area in the mirrors several times, but when he found nothing alarming, he began to calm down. He turned on the radio and was happy to listen to the familiar voice of New Chawarin singing about finding love. Completely calm, he drove onto the familiar road leading straight to what looked like an abandoned hotel from the outside, he had had enough excitement for one day.

* * *

"How desperate and suffering do you have to be to talk to photos on a laptop screen?" - First asked himself. As usual, only dead, empty, impersonal silence answered him. Even with tears streaming from his eyes, he couldn't take his eyes off the photo of Khaotung and Alex side by side: the two Thai Formula 1 drivers embracing each other and smiling in front of their cars. First was sitting on the bed in an uncomfortable position, but he was too lazy to change it.

Outside the window, the day turned to night in the blink of an eye, although the city's typical clamor could still be heard. First didn't say anything a moment ago. He thought. He wiped his nose and eyes on the T-shirt he was wearing and thought it was disgusting but waved it off. He didn't care. He took off his red T-shirt, which was wet in several places, and threw it carelessly in front of him so that it landed on the floor. He didn't care about that either. He was in such a mood that almost nothing reached him. He sat for over an hour in front of the screen of his laptop, to which he spoke as if he were really talking to the Khaotung.

"I know we'll never meet, it's impossible, we're from two different worlds, you're in Formula 1 and I'm your fan, it's never going to happen, but if we met by some strange twist of fate, I'd like to thank you for that how much you have done for me. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be stuck in one place, in a house with people who are ashamed to call me their son. You know Tung? I hope you never understand and experience what I have. I would like to win an award someday, go on stage and thank those without whom it would not have been possible. I will never thank my parents in my life. What for? For beating me? Or for the fact that they destroyed and trampled my heart, which I gave them in the palm of my hand. Oh Kao!" - He whispered loudly and sighed.

First cried and couldn't stop. This pain was inside, in his heart, and like a deadly poison poisoned all his tissues and organs, immobilizing him.

"I know I don't deserve to be loved, I'm nobody, I know that. I have nothing to offer. But I don't want anything else, I only have two wishes: to find a job and someone who would love me despite all my flaws and the fact that I'm sick. I'm sorry Tung, I'm sorry that I'm sick, I'm sorry that I can't be better, I'm really trying".

He cried so long that his eyes started to sting, and finally he became tired and fell into an uneasy sleep in which he dreamed that a strange woman was looking for her children, asking for his help, but he was unable to move or say even few words.

* * *

First looked out the window. This day was no different from any previous day. As usual, the city center, crowded at this hour, was full of life. You could hear people shouting, the roar of car and motorcycle engines, metal hitting metal on a nearby construction site. The twenty-five-year-old had had enough of it. He sighed heavily and moved away from the window. This view never changed and neither did his life. He lived alone in an apartment rented for him by his parents, who would rather indulge his every whim than let him admit to his family and neighbors that he was only interested in men. For his mother, this was the greatest disgrace, so she happily and relieved agreed to his offer to live somewhere in the center of Bangkok. They managed to find an apartment far enough away from their family home not to bump into family members or neighbors.

The young man looked around his room and, disheartened, returned to his bed covered with gray checked sheets. The room was tidy, and all because cleaning was one of his few activities besides playing games on his phone and computer and watching all the available races including Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3 and Formula E. First felt very lonely here but he had long ago given up hope that his loneliness would ever end. He secretly envied the young man a little. His younger brother, Fourth, had been in a happy relationship for several weeks with a well-known vocalist whom First had already met several times.

An hour later, he began to feel hungry, and when he looked in the refrigerator, he realized that he wouldn't miss the need to replenish his supplies.

* * *

Nothing was going his way. No matter how hard he tried, how many hours a day he devoted to analyzing the available data, weather forecasts or predicted tire wear, the following race weekends brought only disappointment. Even if one of them won qualifying and started from pole position, he couldn't be calm or sure that he would stand on the podium or even reach the finish line. Tired of all this, Khaotung decided to use the 3-week break between races to finally visit his homeland. For many years he had already forgotten what it was like to live in Thailand on a daily basis, six years earlier he had moved from Great Britain to Italy, where he signed, as it seemed to him at the time, a contract of life with Scuderia Ferrari.

Today, as he strolled leisurely through the rather crowded streets of Bangkok, he wondered if it had been a mistake. He still remembered Lewis Hamilton's words: "Why, you can join me in the Mercedes." For Khaotung, it was a difficult choice between Ferrari and Mercedes, and if he chose Ferrari, it was probably because of the cunning of Nico Rosberg, a former Mercedes driver and former world champion who scared him that the conditions in his team are very difficult, the boss is demanding and nervous, and Lewis sometimes goes crazy and that's why it's better to stay away from them. In addition, Nico claimed that in Mercedes it would always be uphill for a gay man, in Ferrari they didn't seem to pay attention to it. Khaotung quickly realized that he had made an unforgivable mistake listening to Rosberg when he saw Lewis openly supporting the LGBT community. He kicked himself for it, but a decision once made couldn't be changed so easily.

Now Khaotung needed rest. And he was looking for it right here, in the city with which he felt strongly connected, even after many years of separation. He walked slowly and looked at everything, occasionally taking pictures with his phone. He was intrigued by one of the smaller supermarkets located a bit off the beaten track, so he looked inside. When he was reaching for a fruit drink in a bottle, someone collided with him and would have fallen if Khao hadn't stretched out his hands in time and completely unknowingly saved the inattentive shop customer from what must have been quite painful contact with the floor. Taught by many years of unpleasant experience, Khaotung decided to conceal his true identity. Too many times, revealing who he is has ended badly for him, some have blackmailed him knowing he couldn't risk revealing some controversial information about him. To avoid such a possibility, he sometimes used the nickname Aye or Speed.

Ayan was his name in the other world, which he had access to by being part of a secret society called the Knights of Light, which gathered the best of the best, Magicians and hybrids into their ranks. The common inhabitants of this planet didn't know about the Knights of Light, they had no idea that tens or hundreds of warriors and soldiers watch over their safety every day in every country, whose task was to fight against dark powers, conduct secret politics, collect information about the economy of each country or finally, the secret control of armies and the conduct of wars. The Knights of Light in Thailand had no more difficult task than others, certainly easier than those in Russia or Poland or France. Here you didn't have to worry so much about terrorist attacks, although the members of their Institute didn't deal with that directly, they had their own people for this so-called dirty work.

Khao's task was very simple. He was simply to collect information and notify the Institute in Bangkok of any suspicious activity by the people running Formula 1. He was only an informant, a small and insignificant roach, and perhaps that was why no one had openly tried to liquidate him so far.

* * *

A strong arm saved him from falling. First, still in a bit of shock, opened his eyes to find a pair of lovely brown eyes staring at him, with a playful twinkle in them. The person he bumped into looked suspiciously familiar. He frowned, trying to remember where he'd seen the man, and suddenly it dawned on him. He immediately pulled away from his accidental rescuer, looked him up and down and cocked his head to the side as if trying to get a better look at him.

"Stop looking at me like that," - the stranger instructed, snapping his fingers in front of his eyes.

"And how am I looking at you?" - First asked innocently. He had to admit that the man in front of him was extremely attractive.

First expected the stranger to say something like, "Like I'm your food," but here he was mildly disappointed.

"It's like seeing a ghost."

"Oh. Sorry. You just... You just look familiar".

"No, don't tell me you too?"

"Me too what?" - This time First really didn't understand. The stranger intrigued him more and more. He could have sworn that in front of him was a world-famous Formula 1 driver, one of the two representatives of Thailand alongside Alex Albon and his name is Khaotung Thanawat Rattanakitpaisan. First had been a huge fan of Khaotung for a long time, but when he looked at the man in front of him, he came to the conclusion that it was impossible that such a well-known athlete, a celebrity who was followed everywhere by crowds of fans, suddenly appeared in one of the ordinary markets in the center of Bangkok all alone. If anything, he'd go to some luxury store or send his men out to do some errands, why would he be wandering around a neighborhood where anyone might recognize him at any moment.

"You're a Formula 1 fan too and you think I look like that driver? Like Khaotung?"

"And you're not him?"

"Oh, my appearance has already fooled many people, don't worry. Come on, I'll buy you a beer to apologize for running into you".

A few minutes later they were walking around without any destination, drinking beer from cans and talking. First learned that the stranger's nickname was Speed ​​and was said to be Ayan, and that he had only come to Bangkok for two weeks to attend to some important official business. What the matter was, First didn't ask, didn't feel obligated to know such things. As they walked, they bumped shoulders from time to time, stared into each other's eyes, and soon First was sure that the young man walking beside him was exactly like him. First sent him a signal, which he received and understood, and to which he replied with a sly smirk.

"I'll only be here for a week, maybe we'll never see each other again," - Speed ​​said. - "How about being my friend this week?"

"You must feel very lonely here."

"My life is generally lonely," - Speed ​​replied, smiling, though there was some change in his gaze, which had become harder, more unapproachable.

"Then I can be your friend forever, I don't have many friends either."

"I would like to, but it's not that simple. My job requires me to be alone".

"Then why don't you change her? I can see it's getting you down, just change your job".

"You don't understand, this job is the fulfillment of my biggest childhood dreams, I can't just give it up".

"And yet you don't seem happy."

"I'm happy".

However, despite Speed's assurances, First sensed that it was not at all what Speed ​​had told him, but again knew that he had no right to ask about it. Even if he was interested.

"I've done a thousand stupid things in my life, don't you think I won't do a thousand and one?"

"You think it's stupid to be friends with me for a week?" - Speed/Khaotung looked at his new friend searchingly. The young man made a great impression on him from the first moment.

"I didn't say that, but think about it, what are you proposing?"

"I'm not asking you to sleep with me or marry me, what's wrong with friendship?"

"Nothing in theory, but are you really sure it'll work? We don't really know each other, we don't know anything about each other".

"Exactly, we don't know anything about each other, which means we can spend this week getting to know each other. Don't you think it's interesting?"

"Rather strange. Who proposes to a stranger a friendship that is only supposed to last a week? How do you know I won't like you and get attached to you during this time?"

"I'm not so sure, but it makes me even more excited."

"And what? Surely you're proposing this to every stranger you know?"

"Not really. I don't really know why I suggested it to you, you seem like an interesting man".

"How do I know you're not a hitman out to kill me?"

"Would anyone have a reason to kill you?" - At Speed's words, First laughed. His new acquaintance looked like Khaotung Thanawat, and First could have sworn it was him, even if he pretended to be someone else. Kanaphan had been a Formula 1 fan for too long, watched too many videos and interviews with Khaotung to fall for his game, but he didn't show anything. In his mind, he wondered why someone as special as Khaotung would want to know a loser like him?

"Maybe he just felt sorry for me?" He thought, and his gaze involuntarily rested on his own forearms covered with old, white, narrow scars, among which three longer, wider and pink ones were clearly distinguishable: these were the most recent ones.

Speed ​​noticed First's look but tactfully didn't mention it. Some gut feeling told him this was not the time to ask such questions, they didn't even know each other. However, Speed ​​felt that from the first moment their eyes met, his heart trembled. He couldn't explain it, he'd never felt anything like it before, and if he had, it was so long ago he couldn't remember it. Thoughtfully, he brushed his hair back with a typical Khaotung gesture, and only after First's face did he realize that with that small movement he had betrayed his identity. First watched him carefully as if to say, "I know you, I know who you are, you can't hide it from me." Khaotung shook his head, trying to dismiss such thoughts.

"He couldn't have deciphered me that easily, could he?"