I examined the oh-so-familiar house for a while, considering whether I should just check things out with Mana Sense, but I decided against it. After all, I wanted to have a simple, boring life, and using magic for mundane tasks went against that goal.

Without hurry, I walked toward the door and, slightly anxious, pressed the bell button. It was surprising that such an easy matter would elevate my heart rate, which had stayed steady even when I faced two Fifth Tier Magical Beasts at the same time.

I didn't wait longer than a minute before an unfamiliar man, maybe a bit younger than I was, opened the door. He was easily a head taller than me—this wasn't exaggerated but still unusual, considering that I was your average 5'10" guy. What a bummer that becoming superhuman didn't help me grow even an inch since my seventeenth birthday. Other than being tall enough to look down on me, the man had a well-developed body while giving off househusband vibes with his fuzzy ginger beard and cooking apron.

Ginger? Nah, no way it's him.

"Can I help you?" the man asked as he slightly squinted at me. Just before I could think of a reply, his eyes widened. "W-wait, aren't you—"

"Who's there, Jimmy?" A young woman approached us from inside the house. She brimmed with tomboyish energy even while wearing cute pink pajamas, and her short, curly black hair perfectly complemented her eyes, the color of the clearest sky—the same as mine. I recognized her at a glance, even if her face only barely resembled that of my fourteen-year-old little sister.

"Hey, little Leah, your big bro is back!" I beamed at her as I spread my arms, inviting her for a hug. She just froze in place, gazing at me in a daze. I waited. And waited. And then waited some more...

Only after one of the longest half-minutes of my life passed did Leah finally speak.

"Listen, mister, it's not funny," Leah said as she put her hands on her hips in a strict pose, giving me an annoyed look. "I don't know how you learned about my missing brother, but first of all—you're way too handsome and ripped to be him. Second, he should already be in his thirties; he's old, after all, and you look younger than I do! If you wanted to pretend to be him, you could've at least tried to hide your chiseled body under your clothes, grow a beard, color your hair gray, and add some wrinkles to look his age..."

"Wait, what?! I'm not that old, you brat! What thirties? I'm only three years older than you! And since when are thirty-year-olds considered elderly?! Damn, you really still need some discipline after all these years! Should I hide your smartphone again?!"

"Hold me, dear, it's really him!" Now, Leah's expression suddenly changed as if she'd seen a ghost. "No way anyone else could call me, a fine and noble lady, a brat! It's really him, that useless big brother who abandoned his sister for a decade! Wait, forget it, don't hold me, Jimmy, hold him before he runs off again! I'll make him understand the wrath of a little sister!"

"Since when do fine and noble ladies swear?!" I hummed. "And wait, did you call him Jimmy? It can't be that Jimmy, right?!"

"So you really are Boss..." the man exclaimed as his eyes moistened. "We believed that you'd be back... that you weren't gone forever..."

"Sure enough, no one else would call me that..." It was my turn to be surprised. It was also funny how he still hadn't forgotten about our bet and kept his word. What could I say? Only a real man would call someone "Boss" after losing to him in a fighting game enough times. "So you finally got rid of your thick glasses, Jimmy? Contacts?"

"No, laser eye surgery."

"Braces?"

"Those were only temporary."

"Weren't you the shortest guy in your class?"

"You know how they say puberty is a bitch? I made it my bitch!" Jimmy smirked at his own joke as Leah hit him with her elbow.

"Yeah, and the pimples are gone as well..." I nodded to myself. No wonder Leah ended up with him. I mean, I knew he had a crush on her and rooted for the guy, but he seemed to be too far lost in the friend zone. They had known each other since elementary school, with him being her "common sense" and her acting as his "bodyguard," even if he was a year older. Now, he was good enough to protect her as well. "So, will you guys let me in, or should I stay at the entrance forever?"

"Come in, you jerk," Leah said, her voice suddenly small. She tugged at my arm, but her earlier bravado was gone. "I... I can't believe you're really here."

The interior hadn't changed much—same family photos on the walls, same worn carpet, same everything. Except now there were new pictures mixed in with the old ones: Leah's graduation, her wedding to Jimmy, and... newspaper clippings? I paused at one headline: "FBI Special Agent Breaks International Trafficking Ring."

"Dad's been... busy," Leah said, following my gaze. "After you disappeared, he couldn't just stay a regular detective. He kept digging, following every lead. Each case led him higher up, exposing bigger operations. Now he's somewhere in Eastern Europe, deep undercover. He can't even contact us."

"Still searching," I muttered, my chest tight.

"Always." She crossed her arms, looking away. "We both were. You know how many missing persons support groups I joined? How many forums I checked? Every time some John Doe turned up, every unidentified body..."

Damn you, Lumia. I cursed the Goddess of Luminosa. You have enough power to transport me to another world, but can't send a message to my family? Then again, wouldn't they just think they were going crazy? And the chance of me coming back was... rather slim to begin with.

"Leah..." Jimmy stepped forward, but she waved him off.

"No, he needs to hear this." Her voice cracked. "Do you know what it's like? Hoping every phone call might be news about you? Jumping at every knock, thinking maybe this time... And then you just—just show up! Looking younger than me, all buff and handsome, like you've been at some luxury spa resort while we were going crazy wondering if you were dead in a ditch somewhere!"

I stayed silent, letting her get it out. What could I say? Sorry, sis, I was busy being a legendary hero while you were worrying yourself sick?

"And the worst part?" She was crying now, tears streaming down her face. "The worst part is I'm so happy to see you I can barely breathe, and I hate that! I want to be angry! I want to—to—"

I pulled her into a hug, and this time I had to remember to be gentle, to not let my enhanced strength hurt her. She beat her fists against my chest once, twice, then buried her face in my shirt and sobbed.

"Your heart's beating so fast," she mumbled after a while.

"Yeah, well, facing my little sister's wrath is scarier than any monster I've—" I caught myself, but she was too emotional to notice the slip.

"I'll... make some coffee?"

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"Still as considerate as I remember you," I said with a smile, still holding Leah close. Did I mention Luminosa had no coffee? Of course not. The closest thing to it was considered a drug and, naturally, totally illegal. Not impossible to get, mind you... "We have a lot to talk about. Though Dad being away might be for the best, considering..."

"Considering what?" Leah pulled back, wiping her eyes.

I looked at the newspaper clipping again. Dad had spent ten years fighting human monsters, working his way up from local detective to international operations. Part of me felt proud, but another part ached knowing I was partly responsible for his crusade. How many times had he been walking a tightrope between life and death as a result?

"Considering this might be too much for one day," I said softly. "Plus, he probably would've tried to arrest me for breaking every known law of physics. You know how he gets about proper procedure."

"God, you haven't changed at all," Leah laughed through her tears. "Still making jokes at the worst times."

"I have changed! I learned to do my own laundry and everything. I no longer have to trick my little sister into doing chores!"

"Wow, such an achievement. Want a medal?" But she was smiling now, even as she wiped her eyes. "Jimmy, where's that coffee? My idiot brother is trying to be funny again!"

"Coming!" Jimmy called from the kitchen. "Just trying to remember how Boss liked it."

"Make it so strong it could raise the dead, but add enough milk to drown them again!" I called back, then caught Leah's expression. "What? Ten years, and I'm not allowed to develop a refined palate?"

"It's just... you've barely aged," Leah said, studying my face. "You were seventeen when you... when you disappeared. You should be twenty-seven now, but you look twenty at most."

"Good genes?" I offered weakly.

"Try again. Jimmy and I saw your graduation photos just yesterday—we were sorting through Dad's stuff, trying to digitize everything. You were a scrawny kid with acne. Now you look like you could be on a magazine cover."

"You know what Jimmy and I have in common? Puberty—"

"Don't you dare use Jimmy's line about making puberty your bitch," Leah warned, though a small smile tugged at her lips. "Seriously, though, what happened to you? Where were you? And don’t say witness protection or something, because Dad would've found out."

Jimmy returned with our drinks, setting them down gently. I took the mug, the aroma hitting me instantly—rich, comforting, and so distinctly home. Nothing like the bitter, almost medicinal herbs they called stimulants in Luminosa. I took a sip, letting the warmth work its way through me, grounding me.

"It's... complicated," I started, watching Leah’s eyes narrow as if she could burn through my excuses. "No, wait, hear me out. I want to tell you everything. I really do. But some of it’s going to sound completely insane."

"More insane than vanishing for ten years and coming back looking like this?" Leah gestured at me with her free hand. "While Dad became some kind of international super-cop trying to find you?"

"Actually... yeah." I stared into the coffee, watching the swirls of milk spiral before they stilled. "Way more insane."

"Try us," Jimmy said quietly, his tone steady. "After everything we’ve been through, we can handle it."

I hesitated, the words sitting heavy on my tongue. "You know, all those years I told myself what I missed most was the comfort of modern life, the games I couldn’t play, the shows I couldn’t watch. I convinced myself that’s what I wanted back." I paused, gripping the mug tighter, holding myself back from breaking it. "But I was lying. I told myself those things to ignore what really kept me going in that shithole—because admitting the truth would’ve been too painful. I fucking missed you, Leah! And you too, Jimmy!"

Before I could say another word, Leah practically launched herself at me, nearly knocking over both our coffees. Jimmy wasn't far behind, and suddenly I was caught in a group hug that made my chest tight in a way no battle ever had. I had to remind myself to be gentle, to not let my enhanced strength hurt them, but it was hard, so damn hard, when all I wanted was to hold them tight enough to make up for ten years of absence.

"Welcome back, Clinton..." Leah whispered my name, a word I had almost forgotten...

I missed this, I thought fiercely. Missed Leah's stupid strawberry shampoo that she's apparently still using. Missed Jimmy's awkward bear hugs. Missed having people who knew me before I was anything special, who cared about me when I was just a normal kid with acne and terrible jokes. Who knew me before... before I murdered my first person.

Back in Luminosa, I'd had followers, admirers, even lovers. But none of them knew the real me. None of them had played video games until 3 AM with me, or helped me with math homework (despite being younger), or threatened to tell Dad about the time I accidentally set the garage on fire while trying to make rocket fuel.

"Don't you dare disappear again," Leah mumbled into my shirt, her voice thick with tears. "Or I swear I'll hunt you down myself."

"She means it," Jimmy added, his own voice suspiciously rough. "She's scarier than her dad when she wants to be."

"I know," I said softly, holding them both a little tighter. "Trust me, I know."

As we finally broke apart, I settled back into the couch, the warmth of their embrace still lingering.

Funny, I thought, how I spent years dreaming about playing the newest games and catching up on movies, when what I really needed was right here.

Looking at Leah wiping her tears while trying to pretend she wasn't crying, and Jimmy awkwardly straightening his apron, I felt more at home than I had in a decade.

We'll find Dad, I promised silently. Once I figure out how to explain everything, we'll track him down together. Maybe I can even use some of my abilities to help with his mission. After all, what's an international crime syndicate compared to a Demon Lord? And then we'll have the calm and satisfying life I've always dreamed about... together. Yes, this would be nice. I'm finally free! Now is the time for the hard part... telling my story.

"Remember those fantasy novels we used to read—"

I was about to reveal my insane past, of course also proving everything with my powers, when I sensed something that shouldn't have been the case. My Mana was full again. It didn't make sense. By my estimation of Aether Density, it should have taken me months to recover what little I had used up on the thugs. And yet... yet now it had fully recovered. As for Aether Density... I activated my Mana Sense and froze.

"What's going on, brother?" Leah asked with concern.

Before I could answer, I felt it—a surge of Aether so powerful it made my skin tingle. The air itself seemed to thicken, becoming heavy with potential energy. It was like being back in Luminosa, except this shouldn't be possible. Not on Earth.

Suddenly, blue text appeared floating in the air—not just in my vision, but actually hanging there in space.

Congratulations, Earth is being integrated into the Atheos System!