It was a peaceful night for the siblings.
Samantha was quickly pacified by candy...which Alan was thankful for.
He made sure she had fun to the best of his abilities...and although she wanted to appear angry, Alan saw through the mask quickly.
His sister was nearly everything to him...Everything...To the point, it was not an exaggeration to say that she was his weakness.
She was the only one he had...in his heart.
She was his little sister after all...Someone he cared for deeply.
He couldn't imagine his anger if anything happened to her.
Yet he wondered...why wasn't he feeling happy? Why did he have an ominous feeling?
She was happy...Yet Alan was not during this trip.
Maybe his mind was occupied with the drawing he saw...And all that came out of his mouth was a Sigh.
*Sigh...*
A sigh that displayed his tiredness, his exhaustion that he tried to hide...Thankfully his sister didn't notice.
******
[Leaving day]
Alan tucked Sabrina in a bed in the Predator Vehicle And sat next to her.
"Your sister asleep?"
Maxwell asked as he drove the large vehicle.
"Yeah, How are the preparations?"
Alan asked, Whilst he massaged his sister's head.
"Pretty good, we bought a building fit for the guild there, and some staff has already been sent to manage it, We just need to take charge of it when we reach there."
"What? I thought you said we didn't need more manpower?"
Maxwell stared at Alan for a while before answering, mainly focusing on Alan's tired eyes.
"I was wrong, after some thinking, I decided to borrow some from the guild. Don't worry, they are all trained."
"I see... How about Kazikato and Alice?"
Alan said as he moved into the front seat beside Maxwell. Staring aimlessly at the road in front of him.
"Kazikato is sleeping, While Alice is doing research for our mission."
"I see...She does do what she can to help...Even though I tell her it's ok."
Alan said as he sighed.
"You wouldn't understand her."
Suddenly, Maxwell's words intrigued Alan.
"She was one of the heirs of The three top guilds, And whilst Behemoth and Titan gave birth to promising heirs with talent, She was the only one with no Talent. Her mother died when she was young, And The guildmaster had nearly no time to take care of her due to his job.
She feels at home here, happy. She can finally do something to help. It's best to let her do what she wants."
Maxwell said, and Alan asked him a question.
"Don't be offended, but how was it like for you in...You know Titan?"
"Hell."
Maxwell answered immediately, Prompting Alan to be silent.
"It was hell the moment my talent as a Mere C-Rank was revealed. You wouldn't understand but A C rank awakened is considered Talented...but when compared to the others...I was shit. I was laughed at, and thrown away by my family. I couldn't even fight back because I was afraid. My own Siblings, indoctrinated into believing that Awakened talent was everything, didn't even dare glance at me and treated me like Shit.
And I wanted revenge. Which is why I endured the abuse whilst slowly building my power...But my Father was the biggest obstacle. His indifference to his children made it so that we had no protection and had to fight like dogs. And I was the one that suffered most from it."
Alan looked ahead, barely trying to keep his eyes open.
"You can go to sleep. We're gonna need you at full power."
"Thanks.."
Alan closed his eyes at MAxwell's advice...but he thought.
'Can't Understand you two?'
How funny.
'His' Memories, they are so vivid and filled with hate that maybe I understand even more than you...
His pain, his reasons...His life...They Plague my mind. But yet I think.
How...pitiful and miserable.
******
[Elijah Pov]
'I'm Finally Home!'
Elijah thought as he ran through the streets of Aror city, greeting everyone he knew nearby.
He ran excitedly through the streets, even bumping into some other citizens.
"Hey!"
"Sorry!"
He ran, towards his house, a shop that was owned by his parents.
'It should be open by now...'
Elijah thought, rushing.
He really wanted to eat his family's special recipe.
He tried to recreate it by himself in shield...but he could never get it right.
Something always went wrong...he didn't know what would go wrong but something always did.
His mother sent him the recipe, but he would always mess it up...
Therefore, after numerous failed attempts he was dying to try out, the famous prized Ardor Chicken.
And finally, just when he was out of breath he reached his family's shop.
[Ardor Fried Chicken]
He saw the signup front and opened the door and said out loud.
"IM BACK!"
Everyone in the restaurant stared at him, And a few people recognized him...
"Is that...Elijah?"
"Eli...?"
"Yup, how you guys doing!"
Elijah said, greeting the customers he recognized.
But then...he heard the voice he wanted to hear, as the kitchen door opened.
"Eli?"
His mother came out.
"Who else mom?"
Elijah went and hugged his mother, and she hugged him back.
"My son is back!"
His mother, dressed in the family shop's uniform, was a beauty.
Elijah got his looks from her.
Her bright orange hair resembled his own, and her scarlet eyes.
His mother and sister boosted their sales a lot, People came just to take a glance at them.
Of course, if they tried anything else, Elijah's father was ready to beat them into submission.
Speaking of his father.
The door of the kitchen opened and His father exited.
A body unbefitting a cook, with a body full of muscle and bright red hair, His father stepped out.
Mike Ardor, the behemoth of a man that would make many think not twice, not even thrice but four times before trying to pick a fight with him.
The man's muscles looked like they could block sharp steel.
He took a glance around and saw his son.
"Your back already? wear your apron and get to work, today will be busy."
"Dear!"
Elijah's mother slapped her husband on the back as she scolded him for not welcoming his son.
"Meh, I'll do the welcoming after we've closed.
Your siblings aren't here, which is why I'm overworked So get in the kitchen."
"Ok!"
Elijah agreed but his mother was still angry, and to appease her Mike finally said.
"To celebrate my son coming back home, 30% off on all orders for today!"
"Woooh!"
"At least make it fifty!"
"Or do it for free."
The crowd cheered and booed Mike, but he didn't give a damn.
Elijah put on his apron and got to work, thinking.
'Well, I'm gonna be busy today...'
And then he went inside.
*****
The Predator Vehicle entered the city, passing by multiple checkpoints and going towards the building they had bought.
As they went across, multiple people stared at the vehicle in scorn, and some watched it with suspicious and wary eyes.
The vehicle reached the building and stopped and the people who were near it ran away immediately, only some brave fools daring to be close.
The door opened, and Alan and Kazikato stepped out first.
"This is the building?"
Alan said, looking closely at the building that was bought by Maxwell.
It looked like a standard 5 story office building.
Quite bland.
"We need to remodel it, Then it will look good.
And the price wasn't cheap!"
Maxwell yelled from inside the vehicle.
Kazikato, whilst staring at the building, was about to ask a question but grabbed a can thrown towards his head.
*Kkng!*
He crushed the can and looked at the idiot that dared to throw a can at him, and was about to go kill him but was stopped by Alan.
"Let it go, they're just afraid."
Kazikato, hearing Alan's words stopped.
But he released his mana outwards and scared everyone remaining off.
"Did you have to do that?"
Alice asked as she stepped out of the vehicle carrying a stack of paper.
She moved inside the building and Kazilato entered as well, Alan went inside to carry the sleeping Samantha and went inside along with Maxwell.
When they entered, they saw a few people working, which were probably the staff sent by Twilight.
"You two can do whatever you want, Me and Alice need to take care of some work."
Maxwell said, And Alan, who put down Samantha on a couch nearby said.
"Can you take care of Sam?"
"Sure."
Alice responded, and Kazikato and Alan left to tour the surrounding area.
"Hey boss, this is your hometown right?"
"Yeah."
"Tell me about it."
"Just see it for yourself."
Hometown?
Alan thought about it. He didn't really care for the place. He knew it would go down in flames, which was the reason he wasn't so serious about setting up a guild branch here. He didn't have any reason to protect this place.
He reached into his pocket and grabbed the 50% coupon that Elijah gave him and said.
"Wanna eat fried chicken?"
"Yeah."
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