Elizha stood in front of his old bedroom door, still locked. With a faint smirk, he simply teleported inside.
"Nothing's changed," he murmured, letting his gaze wander. The figurines still lined the shelves exactly where he'd left them. Someone had even painted the walls recently. Probably Mom.
With a little sigh, he vanished and reappeared in his father's study. He walked straight to the desk and picked up a photo frame.
"…He still kept it," Elizha whispered. The picture showed a much younger him, standing proudly with a tiny Lauran clinging to his leg. "Lean… you've grown a lot."
He wandered out to the balcony, checking on the plants that glowed faintly with lavender mana. That's when he sensed two powerful presences approaching fast. His eyes widened.
"Oh crap."
He hurried to erase any trace of his visit and clean up his mess. But before he could teleport away, he sensed them coming up the stairs. He panicked — and teleported right in front of them.
Gary and Allura froze.
For a second, neither of them breathed.
Then Allura whispered, "Who… was that? He looked like…" Her voice cracked. "…Eli. If he were alive."
Gary's sharp eyes fell on the glowing lavender plants. His lips quirked into a rare, proud smile. "He's alive," he said simply. "Look at the spell on the plants. That's my son. He comes home when we're not here… good kid."
Allura smacked him on the back of the head with a sharp thwack. "You absolute idiot," she hissed.
"Eh? What—"
"I should have known," she snapped. "Sometimes I regret marrying you!"
"Am I that bad?" Gary asked, rubbing his head, looking wounded.
"You're forty-eight and still a dumbass," she shot back. "When will you start acting your age? You're reckless, always end up in the hospital, and now — now — you're just standing there grinning when you should be looking for our son! Find him right now or you're sleeping outside."
"Yes ma'am," Gary muttered and teleported away before she could throw something at him.
—
Meanwhile, Elizha wandered through a quiet forest path and stopped by a tree near the moonlit lake. Running his fingers along the bark, he smiled at the old carving:
Eli, Lean, and Dad came here to see the stars. We had so much fun.
"Ah… she was just three then," he chuckled softly. "My adorable sister."
But another carving caught his eye — more recent, and written in Lauran's unmistakable handwriting:
Came here to see the stars all by myself. Missing nii-san.
His throat tightened. "So that's why my room looked so clean…"
He teleported next to the family treehouse — a small tower tucked deep into the forest.
"…Still standing," he murmured, stepping inside. The scent of fresh mana made him pause. Someone's been here recently.
A flash of light — mana arrows shot at him from above. He dodged easily, laughing. "Alright, alright, who's there—"
Before he could finish, a sharp spike pressed against his throat.
"Who are you?" growled Gary, voice rough with emotion. "How do you have his aura?"
Elizha raised his hands slowly, grinning as he dropped his disguise.
"You really haven't changed, old man," he teased. "Still using that move?"
The spike vanished, and Gary stepped closer. Then, without warning — he punched Elizha square in the face.
"You little idiot!" Gary shouted, grabbing him by the shirt and shaking him. "Why did you leave without a word?! Do you have any idea what you've put us through?! You want another thrashing?!"
"Geez—still strong for a guy who looks weak," Elizha laughed, rubbing his cheek. "Sorry, Dad."
Gary growled and gave him another smack for good measure. "That's the lenient beating," he muttered. "Your mom will handle the rest. Now heal yourself."
Elizha stood and began mending the bruises, but Gary grabbed him by the ear and dragged him home like a misbehaving child.
"I got him!" Gary announced as he burst into the living room, releasing Elizha in front of Allura.
Elizha knelt, already healing his ear and bracing himself. "Good luck, son," Gary said with a smirk—only to be stopped dead by Allura's telekinesis.
"Oh no. You too," she hissed.
The sound of a wooden sword cracking against flesh filled the room.
When she finally left in a huff, both father and son lay sprawled on the floor.
"Dad…" Elizha groaned, sitting up. "Why did you even marry her?"
Gary grinned through his bruises. "Because I needed someone strong enough to keep me in line. She saved my ass more times than I can count. We started as a political alliance… but we became real partners. And honestly? No one else would survive being with either of us. Looks like we're stuck with each other in every universe."
"…Yeah. I can see that," Elizha murmured, smiling faintly. "And maybe we're a family in every universe too, no matter what. Anyway — I'm transferring to the academy to keep an eye on my little sister. Can't wait to see her reaction. Though… I suspect I'm about to get another thrashing."
Gary snorted. "Well, you earned it."
Later, at dinner, the three of them finally sat together and talked — really talked — for the first time in years.
As he lay in bed that night, Elizha stared at the ceiling and thought:
Man, I should've come back sooner. I missed my chance to be the big brother I should've been. But starting tomorrow… I'll make it up to her. Welcome back home, me.
With that, he closed his eyes, finally able to sleep peacefully.