And then the results came.

The door was once more shoved open with a bang, revealing the very same overly enthusiastic forensic guy, still holding that gri-, computer. His wild, passionate eyes quickly scanned the scene, and his huge smile quickly turned to a frown when he noticed there was only Adam there.

“Oh, uh, hi Mr Windsley, you don’t happen to know where your father and Detective Dave went?” he asked. Adam smirked at being called Adam non-ironically.

“I think they went to their respective stations since they couldn’t bother waiting here for you?” Adam answered, his smirk fading when he noticed how crestfallen the forensic guy became.

“Oh, okay… I’ll try to find them, this is… really interesting! And I hope they’ll think the same! They usually don’t, but this is more personal to them, right? Yeah, yeah…” the forensic guy said and exited the room. Within mere minutes, Adam could already hear thundering footsteps approaching his little room, and for the umpteenth time today, the door was slammed open with a bang. It’s definitely going to fall off its hinges the next time somebody does that.

“YOU-, I won’t believe it!!” John shouted as soon as he entered, startling Adam into standing up and saluting again. John stormed over to Adam, his nostrils flaring and his eyes vengeful. Dave slowly meandered after him, looking just about as crestfallen as that forensic guy had, with just a pinch of hopelessness and despair added for the sake of flavour.

“S-, sir, dad, I-,”

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!!” John bellowed, cutting off Adam’s attempt at explaining things. But when Adam looked into Johns wild, staring eyes, he saw more than rage and disbelief. He saw… desperation. Fear. Adam hadn’t seen his father angry many times, although these few times had successfully imprinted a sort of militaristic worship, seeing him afraid was an even rarer occurrence. And afraid of Adam, that was… something entirely new.

John growled animalistically.

“What should we do, John?” Dave inquired softly from behind him. John shot him a glare full of malice, but it wasn’t for him, not really. John straightened his back.

“I don’t know,” he said, “I just don’t know.” Dave looked at him sympathetically, before looking at the 190 cm tall bum who was apparently the man’s son.

“He is technically your son, it’s been proved three times over, John. Have you called Jessica? It’s her brother, after all,” Dave softly suggested, hoping to get some sense into his friend. John took a deep breath.

“Yeah, I… I’ll go call her, you… you talk to this guy, alright?” John said, his shoulders hunched as he left the room. Dave nodded solemnly as he turned back to the stunned, still-saluting Adam.

“You can sit down, A-, Adam,” Dave said, gesturing at the chair. Adam nodded and sat down. Dave clearly didn’t exactly want to call him by his name, but the fact that he actually did was well enough to make Adam feel a fair bit better.

“You’ll have to excuse Joh-, your father, he… He’s had a rough day, you understand? He’s already mourned your loss and all, so this is just… I can’t even imagine it,” Dave explained, shaking his head. A frown flashed across Adam’s face.

“...I didn’t exactly mean for any of this to happen,” Adam justified, and it’s not like he was lying or anything. If his sister's testimony was to be trusted, then it’s pretty much a fact that he, as strange as it sounds, “killed himself”. But it’s not like he meant to get transported back and forth, least of all in this manner.

“Look, Adam… Godthisisweird, but… You are Adam, right? You believe you’re Adam, you have all of Adam’s memories, and your DNA is all Adam-DNA. So… how come you don’t act like Adam?” Dave asked, genuinely perplexed. ‘Well, for one thing, I’m more than 600 years older than the Adam you know,’ Adam thought dismissively, but he couldn't exactly say that. So, he used his trump card once more.

“I don’t know,” effectively repelling the question without actually having to do anything. Dave furrowed his eyebrows in disappointment, making Adam feel a little guilty. But… he didn’t want to cause a fuss, did he? He had been given this chance to live his life as he had wanted to, and he would not simply reject it because he had to pursue some sort of truth.

“Nothing about this makes any damn sense. But, then again, apparently, magical girls and big-ass tentacle kaijus exist now, so I guess anything’s possible,” Dave sighed in resignation. The world was magic now. Get over it, scrub.

Dave leaned back in his aluminium chair, groaning. If tomorrow was just like today, his career would be finished. How were they supposed to solve murders when the main suspect is a fucking kaiju and the victim comes back to life? God, this was all too much. At least, now he knew he could get a free dinner at the Windsley household since Adam had offered it. Lucky Dave.

And, for the very last time, the door was slammed open with a bang. However, this time, it proved just a bit too much, and the door slid off its hinges and clattered to the floor loudly. The one who had done this, Jessica, made a “whatthefuck” and jerked to, the rage in her eyes being replaced by a sudden, scared meekness.

“It was going to come down anyway,” John mumbled as he pushed his way through the entrance. Jessica gulped loudly and turned to where Adam and Dave sat.

Adam squinted. She was barely recognizable! Sure, his memory of her was as hazy as just about everything else about his life-before-Lutum, but she couldn’t possibly be this different, right?... her fierce blonde hair had taken on a strangely dull pallor, and her icy blue eyes had melted into uncertainty. She seemed to be torn between anger and mourning, not knowing how to react to this “Adam” character meekly staring at her from his place on the other side of the table.

Before Adam could even as much as greet her, she tumbled over to him, until she stood above him with an unreadable expression on her face, torn between sorrow and rage. And then, without any warning, her hand slapped him right across the face with a smack. Adam couldn’t even react to this before she did something else, also without warning. She threw herself in his arms. The older sister who’d always been at least a full head taller than him was now outrageously short, her head burrowed into his chest as she sobbed uncontrollably.

“Jessie-,” Adam stammered, uncertain how to react to the first hug he’d gotten in Gods-know-how-long. Pete’s black hoodie was quickly soaked by her tears, and, unknowing how to react, Adam could do nothing more than to hold her.

Somehow, in that strange position, his arms around his mourning sister, he realized his situation. He was back. He was home. He wasn’t on Lutum anymore. He could live as a human now, here, with his family, surrounded by humans - people - who loved him, who wouldn’t look at him with those eyes and revere him and treat him like some sort of eldritch god. He could be… free. Well and truly and actually free!

And something about that, that little realization, that the human female in his hands was none other than his sister, that… that set something off. Streaks of salty tears trickled down the sides of his cheeks and dropped down on his sister without pause. Tears. That was new. New and strange and absolutely wonderful. In his fascination, in his absolute joy and unhindered ecstasy, a laugh emerged. A true and genuine laugh. And he laughed and he cried because he was here and not there and he was loved.

But the calm wouldn’t last long. Jessica soon rose her head, her eyes red and puffy and certain, and she gazed into his eyes and he gazed into hers. She smiled. Pushing her body back up, she held out her hand for him.

“Let’s go home,” she said, not a trace of doubt in her mind that this man was, without question, her brother. He did not take her hand, but he did stand up to greet her.

“Yeah,” he replied with a queer little smile, and the two left.

When John rose from his seat, he did it in such a haste that the aluminium chair fell over and clattered to the floor.

“s-, STOP!” he shouted at the two of them. Jessica turned around, her hazy wheat hair flowing silky smooth.

“Dad, let’s go home,” she said, an elusive, certain smile on her lips.

“How… how can you trust him?...” John almost pleaded. He yearned for that certainty that she had, that powerful sense of knowing what she believed was true. He did not have it. He could not trust a gaze, or a word, or even physical evidence, for that matter. His instincts were screaming, and all he wanted to do was quiet them.

Jessica glanced over at the somewhat uncomfortable Adam and furrowed her brows a little.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, pulling the good ‘ol tried-and-true Adam trump card. John didn’t seem too convinced, but his sheer desperation was enough to quell his distrust. Sighing grimly, he walked towards the exit.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“J-, John?” Dave called out from where he still sat in his chair.

“...I’m going home,” John said with a wry smile, walking out and leaving Dave to handle the reports and all, which included the how’s and why’s of the door falling off the doorframe. Dave groaned.

Meanwhile, the Windsley family was making their way back to their house, way out in the suburbs. Jessica had always wanted to live a bit more centralized so they wouldn’t have to walk/run so far every day to get to school, but John said it was a family-home-long-in-the-makings, so they still lived there even now. Adam could not recall any of this. During their ride in the little imported Volvo, Adam spent the majority of the time staring out the window, absolutely intoxicated by the nostalgia of seeing his “childhood neighbourhood” again. Jessica was mostly staring at her phone in the front seat, and John was switching between being angry and being resigned. He couldn’t possibly be alright with this, could he? There was a long-haired stubbled stranger in his backseat, and he was supposed to believe that that hobo was his son? Not only did that man have green eyes and black hair, in contrast to his and his daughter’s blond hair and blue eyes, he was far taller as well! And yet, he supposedly possessed the very same DNA, fingerprints and teeth as his son did? Impossible!

But… he trusted his daughter. She was a good kid, and although she could be a bit of a mischief-maker, she didn’t lie. If there was anything he’d taught her, it was to never lie to anyone, least of all the law. And, as a servant of the law, she couldn’t possibly lie to him, and thusly, she never had. If she said that man was her brother, then… he couldn’t say she was wrong. But it felt wrong.

When they finally reached their compact house and stepped out of the car, Adam was just about ready to heave. He had not been ready for that. He’d been a bit afraid of getting on, but he’d been fine riding that roaring beetle, so… how come he suddenly felt like puking? It reminded him of his humanification before that battle with Caïna and Ptolomaea, but he really hoped he wouldn’t have to heave up a snake-sized slug this time. Especially not in front of his family, since they might get a little suspicious.

“Adam? You alright?” Jessica asked at seeing how greenish his otherwise pale face looked. She sounded suitably worried for someone who’d seen their brother die after asking them exactly the same question.

“Y-, yeah I’m fine, it’s just that the thing we just rode on, it made me a bit sick, I think,” Adam replied, trying to smile a little to ease her worries. She glanced over at the modern commodity.

“You got carsick?” she asked in disbelief. Adam had never had any problems with that, had he? Adam thought for a second, before nodding.

“I think I’ll be alright though. Haven’t ridden a carriage in so long…” Adam mumbled to himself, thinking back to those dreadful years when riding a carriage was pretty much all he did, apart from fighting. Shuddering from head to toe, Adam shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Shall we?” he asked, waving his hand in a “show-the-way” manner. Jessica nodded, feeling a strange sense of cautiousness line her thoughts.

This man, as much as he reminded her of him, was unlike Adam in a few key ways. The most definitive proof was how he’d acted in the car. He’d just… stared out the window. Seemingly either deep in thought or entirely lacking any thought, just… existing. The nigh-on hyperactive, eccentric Adam she knew and loved would never have been able to just settle down and… be. But other than that, he seemed like a fish out of water in the most strange ways imaginable. He’d glanced at her phone as if it was some magical artefact capable of untold things, and now this with the car… something was off. Her father was right in that regard. But what… she did not know.

Jessica led her awed “younger” brother into the house, and his eyes practically beamed, jumping sporadically between the hanging electrical lamps, the television, the fridge… all of it. And then, as if a light had gone on in his head, he jerked his head to face Jessica, who was a bit startled by how caveman-like he was acting.

“Wh-, where is it?!” he asked, his eyes wide and somewhat frantic as he made strange up and down movements with his hand. Jessica just stared. ‘What?...’ was about all she could think.

“Um, you mean the, uh, light-switch?” she wondered aloud, pointing to the little switch on the wall by the doorway.

Adam gaped at it like a drowning fish before hesitantly putting his hand on it. His head swivelled around to look at the lights on the roof, but his excitement quickly turned to disappointment when he realized that it hadn’t worked. But, as he dejectedly removed his hand, he accidentally flipped the switch, causing the round lamp to turn on. At realizing his success, his face beamed brighter than the lamp itself, and using his entire palm, he flipped the switch on and off, on and off, before Jessica finally made him stop, warning that the house might burn down if he continued.

Definitely a strange man. Jessica decided that, since she didn’t want her father to worry any more than he already did, she wouldn’t tell him about what had just occurred. Instead, she had to give Adam a tour of the house. She didn’t think that was needed. Nobody had told her he’d lost his memory or something, but… he seemed to remember most things, it was all just… hazy, to him. He recognized this and that, such as the inside of her room and that old rabbit he’d won her at a carnival game, but he couldn’t tell her what was inside it. After a little while, she started testing the limits of this, asking weird questions about little common things. What does the toaster do? Which button turns on the telly? Which way should the toilet paper be?

And, though it all, Adam had no idea about anything. He seemed like a little kid in a cool museum, fascinated about everything but unable to explain any of it. The things he found the most interesting were the electronics, kitchen utensils, and, especially, the toilet. Jessica loved her brother, sure, but seeing him act like this was eerie at the least, and, at times… like something from the uncanny valley. When she showed him his room, well… he sort of went ballistic, just running around, checking out all the trophies, gawking at the posters of famous athletes and pop musicians, and poking at the computer. If a monkey became a man, this is how he would act.

Jessica did not feel comfortable leaving this man to rummage through Adam’s room unhindered, but… it was HIS room, wasn’t it? So, him being allowed to explore it was a given, right? And yet, Jessica felt strange. So, with no little apprehension, she left Adam to his devices, leaving the room and closing the door. When she stepped out, she found John looking at her with an unreadable expression, and she suddenly felt no little amount of shame. She hoped he wasn’t angry at her for defying him. He didn’t seem like he wanted to accept “Adam” back into the family, and now, after having interacted with that man for a while, she understood why.

Meanwhile, Adam was pretty much experiencing this new world - his old world - to it’s fullest. He took the five or so mangas he’d previously borrowed from Pete or something off his trophy-shelf and flipped through it. It wasn’t hand-written or written using Magick! It was printed, honest to Gods printed! Adam leaned in, and took a deep sniff, expecting the succulent smell of old/new books to seep into his mind. Instead, he was met with a soggy, sweaty smell he could only assume was Pete’s. Slob. How dare he treat books like this? Books were sacred! Frowning, Adam placed the comics back on the shelf, barely giving the multitude of trophies as much as a passing glance. The lack of books in the room was… disturbing.

And then he noticed it. Jessica had pointed it out earlier, and although he’d been fascinated at the time, he hadn’t really thought about it until now. He’d wanted to explore his own room more, but… it was, strangely enough, very well-organized. Had he always been this… neat? His reading corners and studies back on Lutum had always been a mess, books piled high, papers containing theories and possible spell circles all lying strewn about. But here, everything was in order. Disregarding how clean and pristine everything was, Adam slid into the swivel chair in front of the computer, his whole body tensing as he suddenly slid across the room, entirely unable to control this wheeled abomination. But, unwilling to cause a scene that might cause Jessica or John to barge in, he forced himself to stop the treacherous piece of furniture. And slowly, with movements akin to a child learning to walk, he slowly rolled himself back to his desk, until he sat in front of his computer once more. He could handle this. He’d just need to not move again, at all. Ever.

Adam didn’t know how to boot up his computer, but he knew he had to press a button, so after a few minutes of frantically pressing every single button, he finally realized that if he held in the big button, it booted up. Smart boy. Patting himself on the back, he gazed expectantly at the screen as it shone up in dazzling, brilliant colours, entrancing him as the boot-up jingle played, and to the music-starved eldritch horror that Adam was, it was like Beethoven had come back to life to perform a personal concert. And then, the fun stopped. Because he had to log in. And if people forgot their passwords after a month or so of not using them, you can imagine what 600 years would do.

Dejected, Adam spent the afternoon reading those mangas, getting surprisingly invested in a story about some high schooler with the face of a devil but the heart of an angel, and although he’d never admit it, he kind of related to the main character, except for the fact that it wasn’t just that he looked terrifying, because back on Lutum, he’d actually earned that reputation, that fear. But he didn’t want to think about that. Right now, all he wanted to do was take his time, relax, and rejoin the human race.

When Jessica knocked and entered Adam's room, she found him standing upright, his left arm folded behind his back like some sort of butler, his back straight, and the other hand holding some sort of comic book with some angel-looking guy on it. His eyes were focused intently on the content, and the second she saw the scene, the first thing that popped in her head was that he resembled some sort of scholarly philosopher, grimly reading the texts of Aristotle or Epicurus with a harsh, critical air about him. It was no expression she’d ever think Adam capable of pulling off, and had he looked like Adam in the slightest, she might have been more forgiving, but as it was… not quite. It wasn’t just a difference in looks.

His icy-cold emerald eyes slowly and cleanly rolled over to glance at her, his posture not changing in the slightest, as if he’d known she’d be coming.

“I-, uh, it’s dinnertime?” she stuttered, to which Adam simply nodded and turned back to read volume 3 of whatever-the-fuck he was reading. It irked her. Adam, this man, a nigh-on stranger in their house, was treating her as some sort of servant! She was no fool, she understood a “thank you, now leave me be'' motion when she saw it, but for Adam to use it…

“NOW, fuckwad!” she roared at him, taking a step into his room, her eyes ablaze.

Once more, she was given but a single glance. A chilling, acidic glance that seemed to melt her fury and turn it into a blackish, dying lump of obedience. She wanted to retort it. She wanted to continue, to shout “don’t treat me like a slave!” or “why won’t you answer me?” but that gaze proved too much for her too handle. She looked down, effectively submitting herself to him. Her whole body gave off an air that Adam recognized all too well.

“Oh! Oh my Tzar-, I, I’ll be right down, don’t worry, I get like that when I study, just… don’t mind it, okay?” Adam quickly explained in the most non-explanatory way possible. Jessica gave him a weird “what the hell do you mean?” look, before her rage quickly resurfaced. But, unable to express it, she turned on her heel, and headed to the kitchen without him. Adam clicked his tongue, cursing himself for the way he’d acted. It was only natural, wasn’t it? During all his years all an Evil God, all he’d ever done was read books and study, and the only ones who’d talk to him were servants, and all they needed to be dismissed was a glance, but… but Jessica was not a servant, was she? No, she was family, and family doesn’t order each other around like that. He’d need to get rid of that habit, and that quick.

But, first… dinner.

Adam put the book down along with the rest on the desk, where they were haphazardly strewn about. He could have sat on the swivel chair, but he didn’t trust it, and the bed was far too soft for his liking, so he’d just stood straight up, as he often did back on Lutum. Heading to the kitchen, Adam found himself lost a few times, but, eventually, he reached the kitchen, where a small meal was prepared for the three. The mood was tense and the air was heavy. For the duration of the meal, nobody spoke. Jessica seemed to still be a bit spooked, John was barely touching his food, constantly shooting glances at the “stranger” by the table, and said stranger was torn between enjoying the feeling of actually eating and tasting food, and simply thinking about his situation. He was the think-y kind of person(at least now), and the silence did not bother him in the slightest. If anything, it allowed him to focus on the flavour of radishes. As the Evil God Antenora, he hadn’t been able to eat at all, and even though he did have a mouth-hole as the famed sorcerer Adam B. Windsley, even if he pushed a whole piglet into it, he wouldn’t be able to taste it. All that actually happened was that the slugs within him would consume it, giving him a little Magick. Hardly enough for the bother of eating, but in social situations, it was good to not arouse suspicion.

But now… flavour! Tingling colourful explosions rending his every experience spread across the vast landscape of his mouth, delicate aromas gently brushing across his tonsils, harsh, biting spices flaring about his gums erratically, flavours he couldn’t remember having ever existed dancing like gypsy-girls in heat, making his whole world light up in fireworks of delight. The smile spreading across his face as he downed yet another spoon of dry, flavourless porridge that John had almost burnt was something to behold. Now, John might not have been a cook, but he was no sucker either. On an eventful day like this, however, he couldn’t possibly take the time to make any actual food.

After all was eaten and enjoyed (only by Adam), the dishes were quickly made away with, and the three parted ways, all heading to their respective rooms without even saying goodnight to each other. The only happy one in the house was Adam, who relished the feeling of a full stomach for the first time since his last weekly feeding. His bed was soft. Too soft. Adam couldn’t fall asleep, not at all, but… he felt giddy. He didn’t sleep often, not back on Lutum either, and he didn’t imagine that would change any time soon. But, so far… he was enjoying himself. Humans, humans he knew, humans he loved… all at his fingertips, a new world had opened up, and he would be allowed to enjoy it, without any sort of hinder or obstacle!

And with that happy thought, Adam laid down, and stared at the ceiling for a couple of hours until the sun rose once more, his smile never once faltering.

However, Adam was wrong in one regard.

His new human life wouldn’t be quite as normal as he’d have liked.

No, if anything, it would only get stranger.