A few hours went by without Orion showing his face.

All he did was look inside his wardrobe and change the clothes he had worn for a long time.

Freshly cleaned shirts and carefully folded pants.

Items he hadn't seen in a long time.

Suddenly, he felt a powerful urge well up inside his core.

"I need to go!"

He grabbed a white shirt and black pants and opened his door with an intense gaze.

"To the bath!"

With heavy footsteps, Orion walked downstairs. The instant he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he turned to the door right next to him.

Opening the door with gusto, he closed it behind him and entered the changing room.

"..."

He removed his clothes in a second and walked past the open door leading to the shower and bath area.

Not forgetting to close it behind him to keep the humidity inside, he stood stark naked with a towel around his waist.

The place seemed to have been used recently. With Reon now living in the house, it was obvious that he also cleaned himself often.

Without wasting any time with superfluous thoughts, Orion walked to the shower.

*Pshiii*

The sound of running water echoed inside the large room until Orion scrubbed every inch of his body.

Once done, he entered the hot water of the bath and plunged his entire body deep into it.

"Oh."

"It's been so long."

Closing his eyes, he let the water soothe his mind.

"I hope Noah really returned home. There is no way for me to confirm it, but it should be fine."

"If I managed to enter the 'Corridors of Time', there is little chance his memories failed him and sent him somewhere entirely different."

Gently caressing his face with his hand, he smiled.

"I trust Tetra. She went above and beyond, even without a body."

"But not hearing her voice now is strange. I wonder how long it'll take me to get used to this loneliness."

Placing his elbow to the side over the edge of the bath, he sighed.

"This is how it was supposed to be."

...

Another hour went by as Orion soaked in the bath. When his soul had enough, he finally left.

After drying himself, he put on his new clothes and exited the changing room.

"Feeling better?"

A face popped out of the doorway leading to the living room. Orion turned toward the voice and nodded.

"Nothing is better than a good bath."

Olivia was the one who noticed him first. With a smile, he walked up to her, entering the room.

Inside were May and Karteira, discussing a few things together. Matters that intrigued Orion, but he focused on Olivia instead.

"I see. It's good that you've kept that love for it. You're still the same Orion we know and love."

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"I could say the same."

He looked at her with a loving smile, which turned Olivia into a bashful mess, her ears turning bright red.

"Ha-Haha~ Here!"

Olivia turned around and bent her upper body to pick up something on the coffee table.

When she turned around, she handed him a cup of coffee.

"Amelia just made it. She said she wanted to give it to you, but she had to go with Henrietta to do something."

Orion took the cup and looked at it carefully. Inside it, a black liquid he loved shook slightly from the movement.

"Thank you. You've all become so responsible, I wonder if I'm even needed anymore."

Taking a sip of his cup, he wasn't expecting the two other women to butt in.

"What are you even saying?"

"Of course you're needed."

Karteira and May frowned and crossed their arms.

"..."

Gulping the first sip of his black coffee, he smiled. Soon enough, Olivia turned around and looked at the two.

"I know it's been a while since you've seen him, but do you really think he was serious?"

She turned to Orion.

"It was obviously a joke."

The two women apparently froze for a second at her words. They looked at each other and chuckled at their mistake.

"You're right. I have no excuse."

"Me neither. Sorry, Orion."

He shrugged lightly while walking further inside. Sitting on the couch to the left, he kept drinking his coffee in silence, appreciating the company of the three.

Olivia sat next to him gingerly, but rapidly forgot it as a natural mood between them arose.

Stopping in their conversation, May and Karteira joined them, telling part of the events of the past.

...

Olivia told him where everyone went and what they were doing.

Amelia was with Henrietta doing some control training further inside Horizon.

Deveralna was back in Lahro to lead her people and look over the development of the lamia and human rehabilitation plan.

Mia and Nia were with Kamala in Hocride, making the plan to introduce fairies to humans a reality.

Senia was in the sea, watching other seafood supplies with the other sirens.

And Tetra was wandering Horizon alone, enjoying the surrounding nature, which she couldn't appreciate before.

With a nod, Orion asked something.

"What about Stella? Where is she?"

"Stella? She's probably with Reon."

Karteira said while bringing a finger to her chin.

"With dad?"

"Yes."

Olivia confirmed it.

"Since her return, she's often been working with him. The device that helped us bring you back was made by them."

This strange combination surprised Orion.

"That's incredible. Is there a reason for that?"

May nodded.

"Were you aware that Stella was a Remnant?"

This question made him frown ever so slightly. He still nodded.

"I think I can make up the rest by myself. Since I still need to hear about her circumstances, maybe it'll be better to keep this question for later."

"It might be a good idea, yes."

The three agreed with his statement. Just hearing him acknowledge that he knew the true identity of the family's daughter, they knew it wasn't their place to explain everything.

"They should all come back soon. It's already getting late."

When Olivia looked out the window, they followed suit.

The sky was turning grayish, and the false sun was dimming, changing the white sky into a sky with bright stars.

"You can bet they're going to come back at top speed-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the door opened.

"I lost?! What?"

"I'm always one step ahead of you. You're a thousand years too late to win against me."

"But I'm the same age as you! Even worse, I'm your twin sister!"

The twins, Mia and Nia, walked inside their home. The elder sister had a smug face on her face, while the younger sister was pouting.

Instantly, Nia's face brightened up.

"Orion!"

Before anyone could understand anything, her wings buzzed, and she was sitting on Orion's lap.

"..."

Mia took a bit too long to notice and lost the opportunity to do the same.

She won the race but lost the next one, to her misery.

With a now wholly different mood, she sat next to him and entirely ignored Nia.

"You smell good. Did you take a bath?"

"I did."

Orion lifted both hands, placing each one on the twins' heads. Nia smiled while Mia remained quiet, her bitter expression vanishing.

Rapidly, one after the other, the members of the family returned home.

"Oh. Orion."

Deveralna was the next person to come back.

Slithering across the room with a beaming smile on her face, she sat on the couch in front of him.

"How was your day?"

Genuinely intrigued, he asked.

"Not bad."

"Everything is going smoothly, while they are all slowly getting rid of their prejudices toward humans."

"One day, humans and lamias will live together, just like our progenitor intended us to."

This first step was necessary to break the barrier of factions. To create what was supposed to already exist.

"That's great to hear. You've been working hard as the ruler of your people."

Hearing the familiar compliments coming out of his mouth, she nodded.

"Yes."

At that moment, the plasma snake around the upper part of her arm unwrapped itself and moved over Deveralna's thigh area.

"Ophion?"

Confused by the awakening of her little friend, she placed her hand underneath his floating body.

"Is that its name? What is this creature?"

Great interest toward this unknown beast grew inside Orion. As if answering his inquiry, Ophion turned to him and approached him.

"Hmm?"

When it stopped in front of Nia, Orion lifted his hand.

*Bite*

"Ophion?!"

Panicked, Deveralna stood up from her seat and leaned over the table.

Everyone's eyes opened wide as they watched the snake absorb some of Orion's magic through his finger.

"Are you some form of magical beast? So you eat magic. Interesting."

Hearing the simple comment coming from his mouth, they all relaxed.

They thought Orion would react negatively to the little snake, but he didn't.

Deveralna felt instantly relieved as Orion began to caress the top of Ophion's head, who was still eating his magic.

"Does that often happen?"

"No."

The lamia shook her head from side to side.

"It's never happened before. Usually, I'm the only one he eats from."

"I guess it likes me."

With a bright expression, he kept rubbing Ophion's nose.

After a few minutes, the plasma snake removed its fangs from his finger, leaving no trace behind.

*Puu*

A small puff of hot air escaped his mouth as it felt full, returning to its master.

"Do you mind its presence?"

Genuinely worried about it, Deveralna asked.

"No. It's perfectly fine. I won't tell you to let it go. I wouldn't want anyone to tell me to get rid of Sirius, either."

Breathing a sight of relief, she watched Ophion wrap around her arm, falling into a deep slumber.

"If you can let me observe him occasionally, I'd make me happy."

"Anytime!"

With a bright smile, she nodded. Since Orion didn't mind Ophion, and she was able to keep him close, she felt content.

"By the way, Olivia. What happened to that big creature in the Carmel Sea?"

Turning to the blonde woman leaning on his right shoulder, he asked.

"It's still asleep. Reon told me that the larger a creature is, the longer it takes for them to recover naturally."

"Couldn't Karteira help with that?"

The cerulean fairy shrugged.

"I tried. This thing is no joke."

"Even though its body is perfectly fine, there's nothing light magic can do to heal the psyche."

Orion pondered for a moment before agreeing with her.

"You're right. In that case, it will depend on the being itself. Thank you."

"It's nothing."

As the conversation came to a close, Amelia and Henrietta walked inside alongside Senia.

"We've got a big fish for tonight."

"That's great! I'll have to see what to do with it."

The moment they entered, they noticed everyone in the living room.

"Hi."

As Orion greeted them, the family was almost complete. After closing the door behind her, Henrietta stopped while her daughter and Senia joined the other.

"What timing..."

Seeing the space warp in front of her, she smiled briefly.

"Strange..."

A pink-haired Remnant walked inside the hallway with a confused face.

She confirmed she was in the right place and nodded, missing seeing her friend behind her.

As such, she blurted out the matter that confused her.

"I'm not getting sick anymore."