Time passed like a breeze, and before I even realized it, nearly two weeks had gone by. During this time, I dedicated myself to my family, strengthening our bond. I had made good progress, though, truthfully, I didn’t even need to try that hard—my parents were naturally accepting and never made me feel left out or alone despite everything. For that, I was deeply grateful.

As for Luna, the little princess and the heart of our home, she was practically glued to me.

And no, I’m not exaggerating. That little girl barely left my side throughout these two weeks! She constantly asked about magic, always eager to learn, and she never missed a chance to tease me.

Not just teasing—she made it her mission to roast me every opportunity she got. And let me tell you, those moments were rough! Every time she got the upper hand, my parents and even Fafnir would laugh their tails off at my misfortune, while Luna would stand there with her head held high and her chest puffed out in pure arrogance. Sniff.

Ah—I got sidetracked there for a moment. Anyway, that was how things went with my family during these past two weeks. I didn’t return to my fleet or attend to my duties as its leader.

Instead, I focused entirely on deepening my connection with my loved ones. Father had advised me not to neglect my role, and I had informed them about everything related to the fleet, including our alliance with another star fleet. However, I didn’t listen to his insistence that I return.

There was no pressing matter requiring my direct attention—my subordinates were more than capable of handling trivial affairs. Eventually, seeing that his words had no effect, he stopped urging me and, in truth, seemed a little happy about it.

Mother, too, was pleased, despite knowing that turbulent times lay ahead.

And really, who wouldn’t be? When an uncertain and dangerous future looms, wouldn’t anyone want to spend what little peaceful time they had left with their family? I’m sure you understand my feelings here.

During this time, my presence in the neighborhood became more noticeable. Nearly every day, I took Luna and Fafnir out for walks and playtime, something both of them greatly enjoyed.

Naturally, people in the neighborhood began to recognize me, and whispers of curiosity and surprise followed wherever I went.

After all, there had been missing person posters of me plastered everywhere, my face printed on them with a notice declaring me lost. They were being removed now under my father’s orders, but that didn’t stop the lingering curiosity.

Some people even approached me, offering their greetings and expressing their surprise. One such person was Auntie Helena, a close friend of my mother and our neighbor.

The moment she saw me, she practically crushed me in a hug. She had known me since childhood and, in my past life, was the only person who showed me care after I lost my parents. But that was a past I had already accepted and moved on from since awakening here.

Still, I felt guilty for worrying her. “I’m sorry for making you worry, Auntie Helena,” I said sincerely. She wanted to ask more, but realizing that I wouldn’t share the details, she accepted my answer with a nod. Instead, she agreed that she would certainly visit our house sometime. After some small talk, she left, looking relieved.

And Aunt Helena wasn’t the only one who approached us. As word of my return spread throughout the city, more and more people came to know about it. While we were well-off, we weren’t the wealthiest—there were many richer families—but my family did hold some influence in both the city and even the country.

As for my friends… well, they weren’t exactly my friends before, but they were now, so I suppose it’s all the same. I hope you all understand what I mean! Some of my close friends—people I had lost contact with, or rather, people I had shut out of my life—also reached out to me.

But things were different now. Since certain events that you all know about never happened here, everything was going quite well, and life was progressing in a good direction.

One of those friends was Jack—a close friend of mine. The moment my father handed me the phone

“Hello,” I said as I took the phone from my father’s hand.

On the other end, Jack stayed silent for a moment before exploding.

Like Aunt Helena, he demanded to know where I had disappeared.

Jack: “WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN FOR TWO MONTHS?! WHOLE TWO MONTHS, HUH?! DO YOU EVEN HAVE THE SLIGHTEST IDEA HOW WORRIED WE WERE?! YOU VANISHED INTO THIN AIR! NO TRACE, NO CLUE—NOTHING!”

Though he was shouting as if he was about to jump out and start beating me up, I could tell his anger came from genuine concern, though his yelling made my ears go numb. Jack had his way of showing emotions, and this was just how he expressed his worry. I sighed heavily before replying calmly,

Kallus: “Hey, bud… sorry about that, huh? It was just—”

Before I could even finish, Jack cut me off, yelling again.

Jack: “DON’T GIVE ME THAT, OKAY?! JUST TELL ME, YOU LITTLE—WERE YOU KIDNAPPED, OR DID YOU JUST DECIDE TO DISAPPEAR LIKE A COMPLETE IDIOT?!”

I let out another sigh, understanding his frustration.

Kallus “Some things happened, Jack. Things that were out of my control, and they caused me to disappear for a while…”

Jack was still frustrated, but I could hear that his anger was cooling off. He let out an exasperated sigh before responding,

“Situations out of your control? What the hell are you even talking about?! Why make excuses when you left willingly, didn’t you?!”

“Hey, it’s not like that, Jack,” I reassured him. “Like I said, things were beyond my control, and a lot happened.”

Jack groaned in frustration, but I could tell he believed me.

“Fine, fine! But what exactly happened, Kallus? Do tell me, huh?!”

Though I didn’t give him a straight answer, I added a bit of mystery to my voice and said, “You’ll find out soon enough, my friend.”

That, of course, didn’t sit well with Jack. He immediately started another round of cursing and yelling at me stating with

“OH HELL NO! DON’T GIVE ME THIS CRYPTIC NONSENSE AFTER GHOSTING US FOR TWO WHOLE MONTHS! DID YOU HEAR THAT? TWO MONTHS! NOT TWO DAYS!” Jack shouted through the phone, his voice full of frustration. “WHERE. WERE. YOU?!”

making my ears suffer even more.

I sighed, this time speaking more seriously.

“I can’t really say… at least not right now. And definitely not over the phone.”

That only made Jack more furious.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW, BRO?!” he yelled. “YOU DISAPPEAR, LEAVE EVERYONE PANICKING, THEN COME BACK ACTING LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED—AND NOW, WHEN I ASK WHERE YOU WERE, YOU’RE PULLING THIS MYSTERIOUS ACT? AND WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH TELLING ME RIGHT NOW, OVER THE PHONE, HUH?!”

Seeing no other choice, I finally said, “I’ll tell you face to face, bro.”

Jack let out an exasperated groan. “OH, TRUST ME, KALLUS, I’LL DEFINITELY BE COMING TO FIND YOU! DAMN IT, MAN! And trust me, you’ll be getting the beating of your life!”

Then, after a brief pause, he muttered, “You’ve really changed, bro… Tell me, by some chance, did you get hit on the head or something? ‘Cause there’s no way in hell someone goes missing for two whole months and then acts like they just woke up from a long nap.”

I sighed again, this time sincerely. “I really am sorry, Jack. I didn’t mean for things to go like this, but… things were just out of my control. It just happened. But now, I’m back.”

I could hear the sound of Jack grinding his teeth on the other end.

“I hate that I can’t punch you through the phone right now,” he growled.

I chuckled. “I’d rather you didn’t.”

“You’re unbelievable, Kallus,” he muttered. “Just you wait. I’m visiting your house soon enough.”

“And, When I do, I’m tying you up with a GPS tracker and slapping a notification alert on you,” Jack threatened.

I chuckled. “Sounds a bit excessive, Jack.”

“It’s either that, or I beat you to a pulp. Your choice,” he shot back.

I pretended to think about it for a moment, playing along just to keep him from blowing up again. “Hmm… I’ll take my chances with the GPS tracker. Don’t really feel like being hospitalized.”

Jack groaned when he heard the sarcasm in my voice. “Ugh, I don’t have the energy for this right now. But don’t think for a second that you’re off the hook, Kallus. Different or not, I’m coming there soon, and you better have a damn good explanation ready.”

I smirked. “You’ll know soon enough,” I teased.

Jack scoffed. “Tch. You—ugh! Damn it! Goodbye, dumbass!”

Beep.

And just like that, he hung up.

Eventually, after I coaxed him a little, he calmed down—though not before making it very clear that he and the others would be visiting me soon whenever they had time.

[A/N: “This chapter was mainly a recap of past events, and nearly a quarter of the next chapter will serve the same purpose before we move on to the next arc. After that, there will be a proper one-month time skip, bringing us directly to the moment when the barrier surrounding the region, created by the Artifact, is completely erased from existence. So, expect one or two more chapters before the big shift!” Thank you]

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