After their heart-to-heart, Celso and Ruben stayed and talked in the room.
"So, how's the new leg?"
Celso's eyes fell on Ruben's prosthetic. Ruben tapped his leg.
"It was a hassle at first. I mean, it's durable and flexible, but it hurts like hell to attach. It's made of carbon fibres, so the cold or heat doesn't hurt if it's covered. However, it's still hard to get used to."
"Really? Are you sure you're not being stubborn? I mean, it has a battle form."
"...A what?"
"A battle form. I told them to give you the ones they designed for Heroes."
Celso stooped down in front of his father's leg.
"I think they put missiles and blades in it. Oh, and a rocket to make you fly—"
Ruben stepped in his face.
"Why the hell did you give me a weapon of mass destruction for a leg?"
"What's wrong? It's cool."
Celso stood up and wiped his face.
"Just imagine."
He kicked to the side.
"You can blow away bad guys just like that."
Ruben stood up and grabbed his collar.
"Why would you give me such a thing without telling me?! What if I accidentally fired missiles at your mother and sister?!"
"But they know about it."
"Huh?...Seriously?"
Ruben released him.
"Yeah, I told Belinha to tell them."
"She did."
The door opened and Martha entered the room.
"Obviously, I told them not to install it."
"What?! Why?!"
Martha looked at her son for a few seconds before sighing.
"Every day I grow more certain the reason Fatima is so smart is that she absorbed the brain cells you left behind in my womb."
She turned her back to them.
"Come downstairs and let Dona Belinha show you where you're staying."
She looked over her shoulder with a cold gaze.
"And be sure to be respectful. Otherwise, Fatima will stab you in your sleep. I may or may not stop her."
She walked out of the door, leaving the two behind.
"Papai."
"What is it, my stupid son?"
"Would you believe me if I told you I fear your wife and daughter more than Sinvula and Alala?"
"Stop being dramatic and let's go."
Ruben stood up and walked out of the room.
"Oh."
He stopped and looked back at Celso.
"Put a piece of furniture to block the door before you go to sleep tonight."
He turned back around.
"You know, just as a precaution."
He left the room as well.
"Good to be home, I guess."
Celso followed behind him.
"So how was it seeing your family after months?"
Sometime later, Belinha was walking through her home with Celso.
"Painful."
She lightly chuckled while Celso frowned.
"To me, it looks like they love you very much."
"Yeah, but they have a funny way of showing it."
"Really?"
She spun around and looked at him.
"I think they're treating you quite adequately."
She lifted her fists.
"You don't know how many times I wanted to punch you."
"A well-mannered person like me?"
Celso pointed at himself in disbelief. Belinha scoffed.
"You're a borderline thug. No, you're pretty much a criminal who's somehow on the right side of the law. Like a corrupt politician."
"That sounds nice."
Celso wore a huge grin.
"I've yet to see a broke corrupt politician."
Belinha sighed and turned back around and continued down the hall.
"You have no sense of morals when it comes to money."
"Morals don't put food on the table."
"Wow~. You really have the corrupt politician thing down. You even sound like them."
They stopped in front of a door.
"This is my room."
She pointed to the door next to hers.
"You'll be my neighbour."
"Sweet."
Celso opened the door and entered the room. He was greeted by a sweet vanilla scent, which matched the basic-looking room that had all the essentials and nothing more.
"You can customise it to fit your taste in the future."
Belinha entered the room and handed him a tablet.
"There's a catalogue of furniture and other items in there. Just pick them and they will be delivered to your room. There's an app that allows you to virtually design the room to your liking. Anything you do on it, the workers will do to this one."
Celso took it with a smile.
"It's great to have money."
"Just don't do anything that will annoy me in my room."
"Can't make any promises."
Belinha shook her head and started to leave the room.
"By the way, dinner will be ready in an hour when my father arrives."
"The Blood Tyrant? I kinda want to meet my future father-in-law."
Belinha stopped and turned around.
"What?"
"I've decided to marry into this family."
Celso's eyes sparkled.
"I mean, how could I not with all of this wealth flashing before my eyes?"
"...I'm not even going to comment on that. Just be down in an hour."
"Yes, Sugar Mama."
Belinha looked at him while he showed her a thumbs-up. She left without saying another word. A bird made of flames appeared on her shoulder.
"Becoming a Sugar Mama at 23. Good going."
Her mother's voice came from the bird.
"Your father may kill him first if he hears about this, though. Oh, maybe Celso can fight him for your hand in marriage. Wouldn't that be romantic?"
"Did you come to just tease me?"
"No, there's been an incident."
"Incident?"
Croatia, Yugoslavia. In the Slavonia and Baranja County lies the city of Osijek. This section of Croatia was known for its rich culture of wine and delicious foods; this was why it was a perfect place to hold a celebratory party. It was even better to hold it at the famous restaurant and winery, Brozovic.
"Welcome to Brozovic."
A hostess greeted a party of four who walked in with a smile. Her face twitched slightly when she saw who they were.
"It's a great honour to have the Milenkovic Family at our establishment."
She did a formal bow before gesturing them inside.
"Allow me to escort you to your seats."
"Thank you."
The middle-aged man leading thanked the hostess and they followed closely behind. After seating them, the hostess bowed again before leaving.
"Seeing people in awe when you two come around is always a sight."
Mira was all smiles when talking to her parents with Kira beside her.
"I think she was more impressed with our superstar children."
Her father, who she strongly resembled, smiled back at her while her mother discreetly fixed his tie.
"Stop it, Daddy. You're making me blush."
Mira's face was beaming as she happily rocked her body.
"Your father and I are so proud of what you two have become. Being able to stand against beings on the level of the Calamities is a great achievement."
Their mother, from whom the twins got their brown hair and green eyes, wore a small smile as she spoke. She looked at Kira.
"Especially for you, Kira. I'm proud to see you showing more of your skills and not hiding in your sister's shadows."
"I'm merely helping Mira become the star she's meant to be."
Their mother frowned.
"What about you? Do you not wish to be a star?"
"As long as Mira shines, I'm satisfied."
She frowned and opened her mouth again.
"Vesna."
Her husband called out to her while gently touching her thigh. She turned to him and he shook his head.
"Fine. I won't press the issue again."
She didn't hide her displeasure. Mira discreetly elbowed Kira in the side, causing him to look at her in confusion. Their father raised his hand.
"General Milenkovic, is your party ready to order?"
A waiter, the only one they've seen so far, quickly made his way over.
"We want Pašteta od čvaraka (Pork rind spread) and garlic bread as an appetiser. For the main meal, two servings of Pijani šaran (Drunken Carp), two Čobanac (Meat stew), and two bottles of red wine to go with."
"We will prepare your orders and bring it to you as soon as possible, General."
"No need to rush, you can take your time."
The waiter saluted and quickly left after seemingly memorising the orders.
"This is supposed to be a celebratory dinner as a family. We came all the way to Croatia, so let's just enjoy ourselves and leave the complicated matters for later."
"You're right, Dejan."
His wife sighed and showed a smile.
"No matter what, at the end of the day, I'm proud of my children."
Smiles appeared on everyone's faces and their family dinner began and ended at the same time.
*BOOM*
An explosion rocked the restaurant without warning. The building crumbled and was reduced to burning rubble.
"Seriously."
A piece of the rubble was thrown to the side and the Milenkovic family emerged with Dejan first. He helped his wife up before looking at his suit. It was covered with burns and holes.
"This was my favourite suit. I paid good money for this."
"We're fine, Daddy. Thanks for asking."
Mira mumbled as she and Kira got up from under the rubble.
"Of course you're alright. You took stronger attacks from the Calamity."
Dejan started scanning his surroundings. Other than his family, no one else came from under the rubble.
"Vesna, how many people do you think were in the restaurant?"
"Including the staff, I would estimate a little under 30."
"And how many do you sense?"
"None."
"I see."
Dejan took off his jacket and threw it on the ground.
"Congratulations, you're a mass murderer."
They all faced a man standing on the rubble wearing a black mask with red tears.
"Hello, Milenkovic Family. As I hoped, you all survived my greeting."
"Greeting? Ah..."
Dejan turned towards his children.
"From the dramatics, looks like this guy is your customer, a Villain."
"That's right. I'm the Supervillain, the Dollmaker."
"So, Mr. Dollmaker."
Vesna's arm transformed into a cannon.
"Burial or Cremation?"
The twins did the same while their father looked on in silence.
"You're not used to the Villain-Hero dynamic, are you, Admiral Milenkovic?"
"I don't really care for it."
Vesna fired from her arm cannon and the twins did the same. Dollmaker was engulfed in explosions. Body parts flew through the air, which caught Dejan's attention. His eyes slowly widened as he came to a realisation.
"Stop."
His family stopped their attacks but kept vigilant while they observed the smoke around them.
"As expected of the experienced, General Milenkovic. You noticed it."
Dollmaker's voice echoed as the smoke slowly faded. He appeared with several disfigured bodies floating in front of him.
"Ugh...."
Painful groans came from those floating in front of him.
"I noticed the number of body parts flying exceeded that of a single human..."
Dejan mumbled.
"No way...."
Mira's face paled.
"Those are the people who were in the restaurant."
Vesna wore a strong frown.
"Correct, Admiral."
Dollmaker moved his fingers and the people started clapping, some even with their hands missing or falling apart.
"You see, there's a difference between the soldiers and terrorists you and your husband deal with, and Villains like me. Can you guess what it is?"
He moved his fingers and more people floated in front of him. They were all crying with fear and horror swirling in their eyes.
"Since you're an outsider, I'll tell you."
He bowed and so did his victims. They spoke in unison by no will of their own.
"The difference is our level of Insanity."
He straightened his back and grinned behind his mask.
"Welcome to the world of Heroes and Villains."