When Nil visited home, he took Andrew, Katherine, Susan, a slab of pork belly, coals, and a rub with him. As he had hoped, the food and company delayed the inevitable volcanic eruption. Andrew’s company when Nil dropped by was no surprise. It was the first time in seven years he had brought women home. Aisha had visited a couple of times as a member of the friends’ group, but there had been no one since. The fact that Nil had gone on a date with one of them and they were police officers only added to the excitement.

“Thanks for doing this,” he whispered to Katherine as she helped him prepare the sides to accompany the pork belly in the barbecue.

“It's my pleasure, but how long do you think this buffer will work? You'll need to discuss the matter with them sooner or later.”

“Yes, but your visit might calm things, so shit strokes the fan instead of straight up hitting it.”

“Gross. All of a sudden, I don't want to deal with the potato salad anymore.”

Nil raised an eyebrow. “You need to go to the doctor if yours look like—’

Katherine playfully smacked his arm, rolling her eyes. Her fingers lingered on his triceps for a moment as they exchanged a silent moment. Then, she stiffened.

“Your sister is staring at us,” Katherine said, nodding at the long hallway behind her. It led straight to the dining room. “I can't tell whether she thinks this is cute or wants to know whether kicking your ass will do any good.”

“I swear Emmy is more mother than baby sister most of the time.”

“It's sweet. She loves you and doesn't want to see you get hurt. And you got hurt plenty in the vids.”

“You watched it?” Nil asked, tasting the potato salad. He watched the mac and cheese on the stove out of the corner of his eye, but Katherine had most of his attention.

“Of course.” She smiled. The pretty police officer stood on her tiptoes and kissed Nil's cheek. “I care about you, too.”

Nil resisted the imagined force dragging his eyes to Aisha's visage. It stood by the stove, too, watching the mac and cheese. Nil guessed his soul weapon’s consciousness found the bubbling viscous sauce fascinating.

Just remember what it is. Not Aisha. Aisha is gone. She doesn’t care if you move on.

His heart fluttered when Katherine turned Nil’s head around and kissed him. He considered telling her about the visage but changed his mind. He didn’t want to scare her away. Also, he couldn’t tell whether he was being selfish, but Nil didn’t think it was anyone’s business or burden but his.

“By the way!” Katherine hopped away from him, looking excited. “I don’t know if it will make any difference now, but I got some dirt on Symbiotech.”

“I’m still interested. I need to know who and what I’m involved with.”

“Well, earlier in the week, there was this seminar with a senior detective who leads the new Summoned and Summoned-related crime taskforce. Apparently, a few independent groups and the police force were investigating them regarding research ethics and taking advantage of the desperate. There was talk of illegal bioengineering, too, but everything just disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Nil frowned. “What do you mean everything disappeared? Shit like that doesn’t just evaporate”

“I mean, someone with a lot of money and power paid for all the cases just to go away, and all the evidence was scrubbed,” Katherine said. “There was a coverup.”

“That means there is something fishy going on. Thanks, Katie. I'll look into it.”

“Look into it? Why? That's not your job.”

“It might be. The Nexus believes someone is smuggling Cursed Energy and broken soul weapons into our world, but they can't figure out who or how. They asked me to look out for anything suspicious.” Nil hesitated, studying Katherine's expression for a moment. He failed to discern her thoughts on the matter; she only looked surprised. “They also offered me a job as one of their agents on Earth.”

“Why you, though?” Katherine asked. “You don't have the training, expertise, or ability to embark on such an investigation.”

“Because I was personally affected by it,” Nil answered, picking honesty over evasion. “Seven years ago. My caseworker is sure Cursed Energy was involved in the incident. Because of my exposure to it and the nature of my ability, I have also developed the aptitude to sense energies, Cursed is one I am particularly good at feeling out. It's still just a job offer. I haven't accepted it and said I'd like to revisit the decision once I get through the Iron Gauntlet qualifiers.”

“Strange. I had a short quest a few days ago. Afterward, my caseworker asked me whether I'd be interested in such a job, too. He said I was recommended.”

Nil smiled sheepishly. “That may or may not have been me.”

“I wish you hadn't done that, Nil.” Katherine sighed. “It's a direct conflict of my job with the police and would demand skirting a bunch of local laws.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“But preventing Cursed Energy from running rampant is good for our world and its people, isn't it? Just because someone manipulated the law and existing corruption doesn’t mean we shouldn’t leave the matter alone. It could still be a genuine problem.”

“You’re not wrong. It just sounds like vigilantism. I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t do this. Just please try to do it within the parameters of the law. We might not be in a relationship or dating, but our involvement is in the open. If you get caught or in trouble, it won’t just reflect poorly on me. It could cost me my job.”

“Would you continue working for the police if the Nexus hired you and made you one of their Earth-side investigators?”

Katherine nodded. “I know the system isn’t perfect, Nil, but it exists for a reason and is vital to the safety and stability of our city and country. We can’t just throw a grenade in there because not everybody follows the rules. It's harder, but if you want true justice, you have to use the existing tools. Otherwise, it won’t go anywhere.” She took a step back from Nil and looked him in the eye. “And, in case you hadn’t figured it out already, my job is very important to me, and I believe in what we do. The Nexus is doing good, too, but their priority is on the broader picture. We need the law and broken system to take care of the little guy. Do you think the Nexus cares about your dad, Emily, or Sam?”

“I’m sorry, Katie,” Nil said. He didn't mean it. He respected her stance but didn't agree with it. Nil struggled to tell whether the system brainwashed its employees or she had purposely blinded herself to its flaws. “I didn’t mean to minimize your job or the importance of the police force. As I said, the matter is personal to me. So, I hope you understand why I need to do this. Did you accept the Nexus’s request?”

“I did. Why else would I bring the matter up with a personal hero? Corporate or government coverups don’t naturally come up in conversation.”

The pork belly needed three hours of smoking, and, unfortunately, making sides didn’t keep Nil occupied for the entire duration. He tried to keep busy with house maintenance and had Katherine and Susan run interference. Emily and his father figured out his tactics and cornered him at the barbecue.

“Andrew, can you give us a moment alone with Sunil, please,” Udit said, flanked by his daughter and nephew on either side. It was almost amusing to see Sam with a stern expression and arms crossed, but Nil knew better than to make light of the matter. Udit’s use of his given name and not Nil also highlighted the seriousness of the coming conversation. “I won’t tell you again, son. If you want to keep your open invitation to our house, you’ll stop acting as his buffer and back off.”

“Sorry, Sunny-boi.” Andrew shrugged before briskly walking away to join Katherine and Susan.

“What were you hoping, Sunil? We’d let this slide just because you brought your new girlfriend home?”

“I didn’t think you would, but I hoped it would soften you up.” Nil flashed his family an apologetic smile. Sam slipped up for a moment and chuckled, but Emily cut it short with a sharp nudge.

“What was your plan?” Emily asked. “Were you going to hide this from us forever and lie about what you were doing?”

“No,” Nil replied. “Once I got into the Iron Gauntlet, there would be no hiding it. My plan involved telling you following the upcoming qualifiers. How did you even find out about it?”

“I looked up Golden Aegis,” Sam said. “The website announced participation in the event.”

“And we tuned in to ensure you weren’t in it.”!

Nil sighed. “Look. I’m an adult, almost in my thirties. This is my chance to do something good and important. I may have lost, but I’m good at this and don’t plan and stop.”

“But why do you need to do this?” Udit asked. “Don’t throw your life away for our sake. Please. There are—”

“I’m not just doing this for you guys, Baba,” Nil said. “It’s for me, too. I’ve lost friends to all the fucked up shit out there.” He held up his hand, warding off his father’s interruption. “I’m sorry I swore, but sometimes you have to convey the weight and importance of the message. How am I supposed to live with myself when I have the opportunity to create a better world and life for my people, and I can’t do it? How am I supposed to live with myself, feeling like a useless weakling who can’t protect myself or the people I love?”

Nil took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. He tried to keep his volume low and tone calm when he continued, “I’m doing this for me, too. This is an opportunity to make a great living doing something I enjoy. I know it's dangerous, but Apocalypse Arena is safer overall than the quests and threats out there. It will make me better at what I do and increase my chances of survival when the stakes are high. Besides, the Nexus hired me to figure out some fishy things going on here, and I’m starting to think the arena and luduses might be at the center of it. So, I have no intention of stopping.”

“There’s more you’re not telling us,” Udit said, sounding much calmer than Nil expected. “What is it, Nil? Why are you desperate to put everything on the line?”

“I’m not ready to discuss that yet. Give me some time, and I promise to come clean.”

Emily appeared teary as she met Nil’s eyes. “So you’re not just doing this for us?”

Nil shook his head. “I love you, Emmy, but not that much. There are some things I want to do for myself. I’ve only been a Summoned for a couple of months now, but I’ve seen enough to know that the multiverse is dangerous. I need to do this so the threats out there don’t end up here. It's my home, and I need to share the responsibility of keeping it safe.”

“And fighting in Apocalypse Arena will help you do that?” Emily asked, wiping her eyes.

Nil nodded. “It will make me stronger, get me resources and tools to survive, and also make things better for all of you.”

“Fine.” She sighed. “I’m not happy about it, but I can tell there is no changing your mind. So, we might as well live with it.”

“I’m not as easily convinced as Emmy,” Udit said. “I get your reasoning, but I don’t appreciate the lies, even if they’re just by omission. It doesn’t matter if your decisions will make us unhappy or angry. I expect the truth from my children.”

“Give it a rest, Baba,” Nil said. “I love you and respect you, but I’m almost in my thirties. You don’t need every detail, and I’m allowed to do what I believe is best without consulting everyone. I know what I’m doing is dangerous and you’re scared but its my decision and something that I need to do.”

“That’s not what I’m saying, Nil, but I can see things are going to get heated, so let's move on. I can tell there is more you’re not telling us, though, and I just want you to know that we’re here for you. So when you’re ready, talk to us.”

Nil only nodded before returning his attention to the cooking meat. His family hovered for a moment before breaking away. Only Sam remained. The twelve-year-old waited until everyone was out of sight before hugging his cousin. “You were awesome,” the boy whispered. “It's so cool how you land. Like its no big deal after jumping from so high.”

“Thanks, buddy,” Nil chuckled, ruffling Sam’s hair. “Don’t say that around Baba or Emmy, though. They won’t be pleased.”