Derek lingered for a moment at the edge of the bed, watching Marie’s peaceful face as she clung to the remnants of sleep. It was a rare calm amidst the storm that had become their lives. Her nightmares about blood and monsters were becoming more common. Somehow, the nightmares he had been having before were now gone. With a quiet sigh, he rose, the cool morning air wrapping around him as he padded towards the kitchen. The routine was comforting, familiar. Filling the coffeepot, he glanced back towards the bedroom, a twinge of reluctance tugging at him. This house, with all its quirks and corners he’d painstakingly made their own, was more than just walls and a roof. As he settled at the kitchen table, coffee in hand, the view from the window—a witness to so many mornings like this—echoed his silent wish to stay just a little longer.

The quiet of the morning was broken by the soft creak of the stairs. Phil, usually not an early riser, appeared at the top of the stairs, a shadow in the dim light. His biological changes were apparent as he entered the kitchen. Derek acknowledged him with a slight nod. Phil poured two cups and retrieved the creamer from the fridge before sitting next to him.

“Thanks.” Derek muttered, glancing at Phil’s new features for a moment.

As Phil poured the coffee, the light caught on his small ram horns, highlighting their newness. He moved easily, his body showing more muscle than before, making his old clothes look a bit tight. His skin was a darker tan now, setting off the long, curly auburn hair that fell to his shoulders.

“Are… you okay?” Phil asked quietly, as Derek turned his head to look out over the yard.

“Not in the slightest.” Derek whispered.

“Marie?” Phil asked, after a long moment.

“The baby.”

“I figured.”

Derek took a sip of the hot liquid and sighed in a poor attempt to relieve the pressure. There was no amount of sighing that would solve the problem.

“You always have the shittiest luck.” Phil commented.

“Some people get lucky and other people get to suffer.” Derek commented, looking from the yard to Phil.

“You look like your dad fucked a goat.” Derek said with a crooked smile, some of his humor peeking through his grim mood.

“Ah, goat jokes, I figured that would have been the first thing you said this morning.” Phil grinned. “No worries, Dragon Daddy, I’ll bleat for you. ♪All night long♪” Phil said, bursting into song, then groaned. “Ugh, too early for that.”

“So what are you?” Derek asked.

“Part Siren and Satyr.” Phil answered. “It plays to my narcissistic desire to be the center of attention.”

“Of course it does.” Derek said, rolling his eyes. “Next thing you know, you’re going to be doing goat play on your OnlyFans.”

“Oh, but I already am.” He grinned. “I posted my first picture this morning.”

“Oh my god,” He intoned. “I regret everything.”

“Here, let me show you.” Phil continued, without missing a beat.

Suddenly, Derek’s interface popped up with a picture of Phil with a collar that had a bell hanging around his neck in the downstairs bathroom. The caption read ‘Goat boy ready for service’.

“Fucking kill me,” Derek groaned, turning to his coffee, trying to get the image out of his head.

Phil smiled. “When I get that reaction from you, I know I’m on the right track.”

“What about your Siren side? Aren’t they technically mermaids or mer-goats in your case?”

“Well, that’s a bit more complicated. I have the vocal cords of a siren and the ability to breathe underwater, but my siren parts are fairly minimal. Biologically, I have four lungs, two for breathing water and two for air. Each set expands as they are needed so that I can always use my voice. Right now my ‘water lungs’ are more or less collapsed, creating space for my ‘air lungs’. It was quite painful growing them.”

Derek nodded in complete understanding. “Understandable. When are you actually going to learn how to sing?”

“I’m already working on it.” Phil frowned. “I think the cell network just went down. My interface just shows ‘no service’.”

It wasn’t unexpected. The cell network wouldn’t last much longer than the power. Battery UPS systems and generators can only last for so long. They would all either lose power or network connectivity. If the fiber connections to Seattle were lost, then it didn’t matter if the cell network was up or not.

“I wonder why the interface’s calling and internet function doesn’t work without cell towers.” Derek mused.

Leroy and James rumbled up the stairs, tired and hungry. They pulled leftovers from the fridge with glazed over looks in their eyes and mechanically started eating. James still looked human. He looked like he had grown from a twelve-year-old to an eighteen-year-old overnight. He was almost six feet tall and his frame expanded with his height. His brown eyes dimly glowed, backlit by powerful magic, hiding right beneath the surface. James’s change wasn’t even the most dramatic of the two.

Leroy’s overnight transformation was remarkable. Now standing at 6’2”, his presence was undeniable. The young boy had gained around 150 pounds, all of it appearing to be muscle, drastically changing his silhouette. His skin now had a gray tint, unusual but not out of place for his new size. Moving around the kitchen, Leroy’s actions displayed his new strength; he effortlessly lifted a large pot with one hand, a task that would have required both hands just a day ago. Before, he had been growing exponentially from the stat points he dumped into his body, but now he was probably the largest kid in the world. He wasn’t just large; his build was rugged and solid, as if he was carved from a mountain.

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They hadn’t even bothered sitting down before shoveling food into their mouths like they were dying. At least James managed to get a fork, whereas Leroy simply shoveled the food into his mouth with his hands and tipping the large bowl of stew up and drinking it like soup. Phil and Derek smiled while laughing.

“You two grew a lot,” Phil laughed.

James barely even gave them a glance as he shoveled peanut butter straight from the jar. They didn’t even get a response from Leroy, whose head was in the fridge, eating anything he could grab.

It wasn’t long before the rest of the household was up and around. The space began to buzz with the early risers of the household. Linda greeted them with sleepy mumbles, setting a kettle on the stove and lining up pans with a clatter, before preparing several cups of coffee. Jenny, rubbing sleep from her eyes, slipped beside her, slicing bread from a fresh loaf, with a rhythm that matched the slowly increasing chatter.

Adam and John, stifling yawns, made their way to the table, offering sleepy nods to Derek and Phil as they passed. The couch soon became a hub of activity as the two girls, Candace and Victoria chatted together. Nearby, Michael leaned on a barstool, trying to engage a visibly exhausted James in conversation, while Leroy, chatted at Michael, who was both intrigued and terrified at the brother’s change. Michele joined Linda and Jenny in the kitchen as Janet started poking fun at Phil.

The various evolutions were apparent. It looked like Jenny and James had kept their humanity but evolving into what the household was calling a High Human at Phil’s suggestion. Carson and Candace were the only two of the old group that didn’t go through an evolution, due to how they distributed their stats. Janet’s ears elongated, and her skin darkened to that of an American Indian. Her eyes had a subtle depth to them now. She was a bit taller and more athletic, but Derek would have guessed part-elf. Her body was more attractive, having nice curves, while her arms were obviously powerful.

By the time that Marie came out, she was pale and clutched her abdomen, obviously in pain. Derek and Carson moved to her side and healed her as they walked her to the table. Everyone was chattering about their evolutions and their classes that they selected. Leroy was one of the first and started talking rapidly with Derek and Phil about his new racial change to Ironblood Barbarian.

“Now, I can fight harder without worrying about taking damage. I’m bigger and stronger, too!” Leroy said excitedly. “My skin is enhanced with natural metallic armor, and it repairs itself, too.”

“Leroy, be silent.” James barked as he held his head as if it were in pure agony.

Leroy’s chatter halted abruptly as he caught the pained look in his brother’s eyes. The room’s lively buzz dimmed, a collective pause as everyone noted the shift. Phil’s laughter faded, replaced by a concerned furrow of his brow, while Marie paused mid-sentence. Even the clatter of dishes seemed to quiet, the household’s attention briefly converging on the brothers. Jenny pulled a bottle of ibuprofen from the cabinet and dropped seven of the little red tablets into James’ hand. That would have been overkill for a normal person, but an evolved had a more effective body.

“Thanks.” James mumbled. “I’m going to go lay down.”

James pushed away from the stool, his legs betraying him as he staggered. Before anyone could react, Leroy was there, his newfound bulk a stark contrast to James’s form. Leroy steadied James, his large hands offering a silent reassurance. Without a word, he helped James walk downstairs, although it was more Leroy carrying him. The household watched in a hushed respect, the earlier chaos of the household momentarily paused by the display of silent strength and fraternal care.

“You’re a good brother.” Derek said, when Leroy sat down with a contemplative look on his face.

“He’s my brother. I need to look out for him.” Leroy replied automatically. “Do you have a brother?”

Part of the household’s conversations went quiet at that question. Not many knew about Derek’s family. And those who did, didn’t like the ending.

“I do. I have an older brother, a younger brother, and a younger sister.” Derek answered. “Though I wouldn’t call them a family… let’s just say we were never a picture from a storybook. My parents, they were always wrapped up in their own worlds, and my siblings, well, they took after them.”

“Why?” Leroy asked.

“Well… My parents are… very self-centered. My siblings became like them. I wasn’t loved, because I was different.” Derek tried to explain. He paused, picking at a nonexistent spot on the table, not really seeing it. “I guess I was the odd one out. I was always trying to do things and help, hoping if I did enough or was good enough, maybe, just maybe, they’d see me and love me.”

Leroy’s brow furrowed, absorbing Derek’s words with a seriousness that belied his age. “Dad said your heart was damaged. Is that why?”

Derek’s chuckle was more a release of tension than amusement. As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Leroy, deliberately avoiding the others. Carson’s chair scraped softly against the floor, a quiet shuffle as he leaned forward. Around the table, a subtle shift occurred; utensils paused mid-air, and conversations trailed off, the room’s atmosphere thickening with unspoken empathy.

“Yes, my family used me until I escaped them. Then the people who were supposed to be my friends did the same.”

“What do you mean?”

“They asked me to do things, and I was eager to help because I wanted their love, and after I worked hard to help, they abandoned me.”

“Oh…” He said, considering. “Then what happened?”

“I started distancing myself from other people. I hardened my heart until it stopped hurting. Eventually, I left. Packed up my life and left to find a fresh start. It was here, in this new beginning.”

“Is that when you met Aunt Marie?”

Derek nodded, offering a small, genuine smile, one that reached his eyes this time. “Yep, I stumbled upon Marie. And, you know, she’s been sort of… piecing back together the parts of me I thought were long gone. She’s been a big help, like a magic doctor for feelings.”

“That’s good.” Leroy said. “Good people aren’t supposed to hurt.”

Derek chuckled. “I wouldn’t consider myself good.”

“Of course you are,” Leroy said, his expression showing he thought it was obvious. “Good people let others stay at their house. They help ‘em without wanting stuff back. Like heroes do, saving and helping!”

“Huh.” Derek said, considering. “I guess you’re right. Thanks Leroy, I didn’t think of it like that.”

“Out of the mouths of babes,” Carson muttered quietly.

“Your welcome.” Leroy said. “Mom says that sometimes it takes someone else explaining something for someone to understand.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty smart,” Derek responded, still deep in thought.

Derek stood and wandered out into the garage, still lost in thought.

“Did I say something?” Leroy asked, turning to everyone else, wondering if he upset Derek.

Carson stood up and walked over to Leroy. When he rested his hand on Leroy’s shoulder, he spoke. “Some people don’t want to talk about their past. Some people want to forget and move forward. And Leroy, for some people, having someone who has innocent eyes and genuine curiosity ask about it… oddly, can help them. You did a good thing, I think.”

“Oh, okay.” Leroy replied, confused.