As Henry headed to the front door, Hafen opened it and stumbled inside.
Hafen, out of breath, panted. He leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees. He looked around at the messy hallway. "Mom! Dad," he called out and walked in.
Adelia and Henry turned their attention towards him. They peeked into the hallway.
Hafen noticed their frazzled state. "What happened," he questioned with a worried look.
Adelia, cradling Ana, felt relieved to see him.
"We're fine," Henry reassured and continued, "I will explain everything later." He frowned and insisted, "You and your brothers must stop your fight with the soldiers."
Hafen raised his eyebrow and queried, "Do you mean the people outside? They're the bad guys."
"Come on. Let's go outside," Henry urged. He touched his son's head and walked outside with him.
The sun set, and it started to get dark.
Stark stood on the porch and looked at them. Distraught, he cried, "Dad! They killed Matteo!"
In the small battlefield, Matteo looked at himself and remarked, "No, they did not. I'm pretty sure I'm alive."
"Wait, you're alive! I thought those projectiles passed right through you," Stark exclaimed and bawled tears of joy.
Matteo checked himself again and asked, "What do you mean?"
Hafen, who was beside his father, was also surprised.
Henry stared at the damage caused and sighed. "Soldiers, I'm sorry for what you had to go through, today. Please forgive us and let us talk. We have the fugitives, and they're unconscious," he declared and bowed.
The soldiers relaxed a bit and leered out their covers.
Hafen frowned and demanded to know, "Why are you apologizing to the bad guys?"
"The Exalted One and Sabre are evil. I may have had my own set of problems with them in the past, but most soldiers, now, are responsible for justice brought to this world. In this situation, they are the good guys," Henry divulged.
Stark solemnly glanced down and inquired, "Were we protecting the bad guys this whole time?"
Henry nodded.
Matteo pointed to the vehicles and curiously sought to know, "What about those monsters?"
"They don't seem to fight back," Stark noted.
"They're vehicles. Vehicles are not alive. They're just scraps of metal," Henry answered and chuckled.
Seeing an opportunity, soldiers rushed to retrieve their guns and aimed towards the porch.
"Wait! Hear us out," Henry pleaded.
At the same time, the squad leader stepped out of the group and commanded, "Soldiers, halt! Lower your weapons!"
The soldiers paused and glanced at him with puzzling looks.
One of them alleged, "General Remus, they're dangerous!"
Henry's eyes widened when he heard that name, and he realized the status of the squad leader.
The squad leader, General Remus, walked forward with his hands behind his back. He stared at Henry's worried face and smirked. "So, you managed to defeat our criminals. I guess I simply must hear you out," he declared and signaled his soldiers.
Most of the soldiers lowered their guns. They breathed a big sigh of relief now that the fight was over. Still, a soldier hid behind a tree and cowered without his gun.
Henry, grateful, bowed his head again and explained, "We have seen the villains' true colors, and we're ashamed to have mistakenly side with them."
Hafen, Matteo, and Stark glanced at him, and they also bowed in forgiveness.
Away from anyone, Henry and General Remus later met at the side of the house to talk.
"I'm just a farmer here. Nice to meet you," Henry introduced and queried, "Are you General Remus of The Union?
"Are you not going to tell me your name, strong guy," General Remus questioned. He chuckled and asserted, "I am one of the few influential people of Stribora. I'm capable of doing many things depending on how this meeting goes."
Henry understood and assumed, "Your mission was to retrieve those two criminals, only. So, can you and your squad be quiet about what you encountered, today?" He glanced at Stark, Matteo, and Hafen.
Stark, Hafen, and Matteo performed handstand pushups at their training grounds.
Soldiers watched them in awe.
"My squad's mission is top secret, but the leader of Stribora will be informed of what occurred. My superior will most likely take either you or your kids in for questioning," General Remus firmly admitted.
Henry clenched his jaw and furrowed his eyebrows.
"It's only for the sake of investigation and to preserve peace within humankind," General Remus asserted. He raised a brow and interrogated, "Is there something else your family has to hide? How did you defeat The Exalted One and Sabre?"
"I defeated The Exalted One and Sabre out of sheer luck," Henry claimed with a stern expression and continued, "I'm sorry, but I can't let you take any of us. My adopted sons need a father figure. They're still too young and naive for the outside world."
"Are they not yours? Did you adopt them from The Orphanage," General Remus, in realization, inquired and implied.
"Yes, they're not mine by blood, but I treat them as my own," Henry confirmed. "How much did you see," he surveyed and narrowed his eyes.
General Remus smirked and remembered their powers. "Such talented kids you have. Extremely high potential. They're even trained in the martial arts," he praised and glanced at them.
Stark, Hafen, and Matteo ran laps around the farm.
Soldiers squinted and tracked them.
"Did you train them," General Remus asked bluntly.
"Yes," Henry confessed, and he sought to know, "What will you do with that information?"
"Ah... I know who you are, now. I thought you perished in that battle," General Remus commented and grinned.
Henry frowned and subtly glared at him.
"We're going to have to investigate The Sacred Forest for unusual activity and potential threats. That includes you and your adopted sons," General Remus revealed. He smirked and added, "You have no choice in the matter, unless."
Henry clenched his fists and teeth. "Unless what," he urged to know.
"If you turn in our criminals with some extra cash, then, we will be quiet about what we witnessed and leave your family alone," General Remus offered and smiled with assurance and a bit of greed.
However, Henry, enraged and appalled, growled. "Stribora has already taken everything from me before. I'm not rich, so I can't offer much," he insisted.
General Remus pouted with disappointment. "Darn that Octavius! Taking all the riches for himself to the afterlife," he grumbled and pondered for a moment. "Even though we were on different sides in the past, I'm grateful for your help, today. I don't do this often, but I'll be brief. This final compromise will be to have your adopted sons join the striboran military in the future," he proposed.
Henry's eyebrows downturned, and his eyes opened wide.
General Remus became serious and elaborated, "Your adopted sons are one of a kind, Henry. As one of The Union, my power can't be overruled except by the supreme commander. And so, I vow to keep them protected in the military. If you want your family to live safely and peacefully, you have no choice but to give up your sons for the future of humanity."
Henry closed his eyes, and he was reminded of a conversation with Adelia earlier. With that in mind, problems could arise in the future. However, General Remus gave him a chance where he could continue living with his family. At the same time, he would have to prepare his kids more than he had before. Determined, he opened his eyes. He looked at General Remus in the eye and proclaimed, "I'll make sure my kids are ready for anything in the future. Let's do it."
General Remus nodded and gave his word, "Everything that occurred here will not go public. Only The Union and the supreme commander will know."
Henry and General Remus shook each other's hands.
"Prepare your boys, for the future of their world depends on it," General Remus suggested.
Henry nodded.
What was in store for the future of The Fisher Family?
A bit later, the soldiers prepared to leave.
Hafen, Stark, and Matteo sat on the porch and observed them. The door was open behind them.
"I wonder what dad and that old man were talking about," Stark remarked.
Hafen looked around and sighed. "Such an eventful day," he muttered and laid back with his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes.
Matteo swung his feet back and forth. In realization of something, his eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "Hey, Pepe never showed up! Did he get lost?"
Just then, Henry came out of the house with The Exalted One and Sabre and handed them to the soldiers.
Hafen sat up and noticed.
The Exalted One and Sabre were in handcuffs and still unconscious.
The soldiers carried their flailing bodies into their vehicles.
Hafen, Stark, and Matteo peered at them. Their eyes opened impossibly wide.
Henry stood behind them and smiled.
"They were beaten," Stark exclaimed.
"How," Matteo questioned.
"It must have been someone stronger," Hafen guessed and blinked, struggling to accept reality.
Their dad was the only possibility.
Simultaneously, Hafen, Stark, and Matteo turned around and stared at him with anticipation.
"Dad, did you beat them both," Stark asked inquisitively.
Henry laughed and shook his head. "It was your baby sister, Ana. Ana is even stronger than me and Pepe," he revealed.
The jaws of his adopted sons dropped for a few minutes. They were massively confused and amazed.
After clearing his head, Hafen became skeptical and questioned, "Does our little sister have the ability to fight?"
Henry nodded and replied, "Ana is a fighter."
Stark, excited, stood up and raised his fist. "I want become as strong as my sister. Dad! Can I spar with her?"
"Ana is still a baby," Hafen reminded.
Henry chuckled and responded, "Maybe in a few years, son." He patted Stark's head.
Matteo, with an innocent smile, suggested, "Ana could train us by then, hopefully."
Henry affirmed and smiled. He teared up and looked at his sons. His family was safe and sound.
The military vehicles drove off and left The Sacred Forest.
"Let's go inside, boys. It's time to go to sleep. Your first day of school starts tomorrow," Henry asserted.
"Will you be able to train us," Stark inquired.
"After school, I'll teach you, three, a new technique," Henry reassured. He went inside the house.
Matteo smiled and noted, "I'm excited. What is school going to be like?"
"What will dad teach us after school," Stark wondered.
Hafen, who was looking at the direction of the depths, muttered, "Something feels weird."
"What's wrong," Matteo queried and gulped.
Hafen looked at his brothers. He was concerned about what was in store for the future.
Stark smiled and patted his shoulder. He pointed to the depths and declared, "One day, we will go out there, together as a family."
Hafen affirmed.
Matteo, Stark, and Hafen went inside.
Little did anyone know, the invited guest, Pepe, had fallen asleep behind a tree two hours prior.