"You've changed," was the first thing Peter told Michael when he came to his senses and moved aside, allowing his third child and second son to enter his home.

"You've really changed," Peter repeated as he grasped Michael's frame when he walked past him to hug Mary.

"How is it possible?" Mary asked as Michael released her from the embrace and turned to hug his still-baffled father.

She knew her son. She knew all their children, exactly how it felt to hold them at every stage in their lives. When they reached adulthood, that feeling was essentially set for life. Now, it was one thing that her son's back and shoulders were wider, bigger, tougher. It was another thing entirely that she had to tiptoe to wrap her arms around his neck.

'He isn't wearing heels or anything,' she thought, part tired and part still confused from her exposure to Magick. She glanced at his feet in suspicion. "Not wearing heels…" she murmured.

Michael let go of his father. "Heels, Mom?"

"You're taller, son," Peter said, sharing the same perplexed feeling.

"I am," Michael sighed inwardly. "Not by much," he kept thinking, refraining from saying aloud, "And my Physique might make me taller after the First Metamorphosis".

He walked to the living room and turned on the light. With some space between them and now fully awake, Peter and Mary had a comprehensive view of their son.

His already outstanding stature was accentuated by a tailored black suit with darker stripes that fit him perfectly and a pair of burgundy dress shoes.

"I'm sorry," Michael apologized, catching his parents off guard. "I hoped to come sooner, but honestly… I have so much on my plate that chewing hurts my jaw, and swallowing feels like an invitation to choke."

"If it's so bad, why don't you come back?" Mary joined him in the living room and grabbed hold of his arm.

"Because," Michael felt a twinge in his heart, seeing the care in his mother's eyes.

He despised himself for always needing to reassure himself through a mix of long deliberation and sarcasm that his parents loved him. Some parts of him had changed, but years of living in his siblings' shadow, even though nobody pushed him there, the sense of not living up to his parents' hopes, and eventually the decision that put so many people at risk weighed heavily on him.

"Well?" Mary drew nearer, trying to get her own read.

Michael kissed her on the forehead. "Will you be mad if my answer is 'such is life'?"

"Are you being funny with me, Michael?" Mary frowned.

"Now you've done it…" Peter secured the main door's deadbolt and followed them to the living room.

"I have the number, the direct number, no waiting queue, to that place-"

"Material Magick Bureau, dear," Peter added unconsciously, wisely choosing to stay a healthy distance from his wife.

"I know what they're called," Mary snapped, then resumed her barrage on their son. "Do you think we didn’t call because we didn't want to? If you like it there so much and intend to make it your permanent residence, I'll be sure to call every day, leave hour-long messages for your superiors, make every embarrassing request about your whereabouts, condition, whether you have proper meals, and if there's someone you're seeing and too ashamed to introduce to your aging-"

"Ripening!" Peter corrected, this time intentionally and with his wife's approval.

"Ripening parents!"

"Mom…" Michael held her.

"What?" She didn't resist.

"Dad…" Michael reached out for him.

Peter rubbed the back of his neck and, with a reluctant sigh, hugged his son.

The three embraced, with only the sound of Mary's weeping breaking the silence. Michael and Peter held her, giving her time. Michael could feel his father leaning on his mother to support her, but the slight trembling in Peter's frame told another story.

'I shouldn't have waited so long. They're like this because of the stress I caused, and now Dan... Are Clark and Lessa even aware of Mom and Dad's condition?' Michael wondered. As much as he dreaded his older siblings' scolding, he knew they needed to be involved if they weren't already. 'When I'm not around and who knows what's going on with Dan, someone must be there for Mom and Dad,' he thought. He intended to address this matter during his visit before being called away on his next mission. It was now at the top of his list of urgent priorities.

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About twenty-five minutes later, Mary calmed down, and Peter gently guided her to the sofa. Michael took a seat in front of them, close enough for his mother to reach him if she stretched out her arm.

"Mom, Dad, I don't want to lie. You should know the main reason for my return..."

"Your brother," Peter said.

"Dan," Michael nodded.

"We don't know where he is," Mary said, looking at Michael with a troubled expression. "He changed when you left... he changed the night everything happened. He wants what you have."

"Is that what he told you?" Michael asked.

"Not in words, in his behavior," Mary explained.

"He's no longer interested in music. He sold his equipment and stopped posting to his online followers," Peter elaborated. "He spends his days at home, but not sleeping like he used to after his late-night performances. At night, he leaves with only his car keys. Your mother and I are worried that besides looking for magic, he might have started using... other things."

As he listened, Michael fumed inside. 'Dan can be self-centered, but he's smart. He could've talked to me. If Mom found a way, he could too. This is all because of his damned ego!'

"When will they come, Michael?" Mary asked.

"They?"

"The Material Magick Bureau that hired you," she clarified.

"They're here, Mom," Michael said, unoffended.

His parents might have known he had strange powers, and his new look improved their external impression of him, but he had yet to share his accomplishments with them. Meager as they were, he had helped take down an international cult...

"I am here as your son and as a representative of the Bureau. I'm more than capable, even if it's only been two months."

"I'm still unsure about it, son-"

"You're wrong about me, Dad. I don't want to show off or prove anything. As far as the Bureau is concerned, I am to solve the matter of Dan. Firstly, because I can. Secondly, because he is my brother. Thirdly, because I can provide the best protection if he got into something that requires it."

Michael stood up. "I'll be out for a bit."

"You're going to find him?" Mary asked anxiously.

"I'm going to look around tonight."

"If you have an idea where he might be, you need to bring us along!" Peter demanded, but his tone softened when Michael gave him an unwavering look.

"Have you talked with Clark and Lessa?"

"We waited for them to ask about you and gave a mixed answer. We didn't know how to explain…" Mary said, retreating slightly to the sofa, at a loss.

"Call them tomorrow. Tell them to drop whatever they're up to and come over."

"There is no need," a fourth voice spoke from the living room.

Peter and Mary nearly had a heart attack, while Michael's alertness went from zero to a hundred.

"Dan?" Michael asked.

"Honestly, I appreciate you caring enough to come, big brother," came the unmistakable voice of Dan, with a hint of scorn.

Michael moved, becoming a black blur for his parents for a split second.

"Don't break it!" Dan hastily said.

Michael found the hidden microphone that also functioned as a listening device.

"Are there hidden cameras, too?" Michael asked the small device.

"I'll collect them when I arrive," Dan responded.

"And when is that?"

"I'm on my way. Should be back home in half an hour or so."

Michael paused, looking at his parents. The initial scare had turned to bewilderment, and he could even spot a trace of relief in the wrinkles on their foreheads and below their eyes.

"Are you coming alone?" Michael continued to ask. "And why is there no need to call Clark and Lessa?"

"Because I called them myself. I told them they must come immediately and hung up without saying why. It'd be an understatement to say I didn't scare them. It wasn't my intention, but I wasn't expecting your return in the middle of the night. You should've at least called, man."

"It's not funny, Dan. And you didn't answer my other question..."

"I'm bringing someone along. A friend. You shouldn't be worried. Unlike you, we're run-of-the-mill people who can't break walls or rise from the dead."

"Is this why you're doing this? You're jealous of me? You know exactly that if I could turn back time-"

"You'd have searched for another angle to obtain your powers, especially since you'd be aware that they can be real. And had you failed, you'd have repeated everything the exact same way!"

Michael realized what he already knew deep down. 'He won't change his mind. Some of it is his sibling rivalry with me, and some of it is just him being a narcissist.' He contained his anger, if only to prevent his parents from seeing them fight. Not yet.

"So, what's your play?"

"I will wait for Clark and Lessa to arrive so we'll have a proper family reunion."

"I see. I'll be waiting," Michael said, laying the device on the table.

"See you later, Michael. I must admit, it's good to hear you. I'm being serious. And by how you're handling this talk, I'm beginning to wonder if this poise is something you always kept from us or a fruit of having superpowers."

"Dan..."

"Yes?"

"Goodbye," Michael said, crushing the device.

"Why have you done it?" Mary blurted out. "Dan will be mad that it's broken!"

"Mom-" Michael began, resenting her desperate effort to placate Dan when he had just admitted to spying on – in – their home. Before he could say anything, Peter snapped.

"That's enough, Mary!" He took the pieces of the device from her hands and showed them to her. "This is not right! Our own son used this in our house, without our knowledge. He listened in on our conversations, remained silent while we were stressed out of our minds, and only revealed himself after manipulating us to seek Michael."

"Dad, stop!" Michael took the pieces from his hands, further crushed them into finer pieces, and proceeded to disintegrate them with his Magick. "It will be a while before Clark and Lessa arrive," he said, picking up the remote and turning on an animal channel on the TV.

"I'll…" Mary began, but the words didn't come out.

"I'll help you make some tea," Peter gently took her hand and led her to the kitchen.

…

03:18

The sound of keys trying to open the house door roused the trio in the living room. Peter put a hand on Michael, preventing him from getting up, and went to open the deadbolt.

A blue-eyed, brown-haired woman stood on the other side of the door. Behind her was a blue-eyed man with dark blond hair.

"Are you fine, Dad?" Lessa rushed to hug him.

"Where is Mom?" Clark pushed the door open, anxiously looking around the house, halting when his line of sight crossed the living room. "Everyone's fine... and you're here, too, Michael..."

Before anyone inside the apartment could respond, the elevator in the corridor opened and Dan's voice preceded him, "I apologize for not being completely honest, Clark, Lessa, but these days, it's challenging to gather the family, and it's high time we had a family conversation."