[Welcome, First Commander.]
A calm yet mechanical voice instantly echoed in his head, answering his call.
[What do you desire, Commander?]
Nathan swallowed hard. His voice trembled but remained steady.
"I... want to leave the Tower."
For a moment, silence. Then the translucent blue panel rippled, as if a new pathway was being unlocked.
[Connection established with the outside world.]
[A revolving gate is now available. Do you wish to use it?]
Nathan frowned. "This... gate leads where exactly?"
[Destination: the place where you were first pulled into the Vortex.]
He let out a long breath. "...Alright."
But before he could step forward, Lilith’s voice cut in.
"Validia, disguise yourself first."
Validia gave a short nod. The black horns on her head slowly faded until they completely vanished. Her long black hair cascaded down freely, and now her face looked no different from any ordinary human.
Lilith extended her palm toward Validia. In an instant, pitch-black light engulfed her body. When it dispersed, Validia was already wearing a modern outfit—eerily similar to the Hunters.
Nathan’s eyes widened. "Eh? Why... like a Hunter?"
Lilith glanced at him with a faint smile. "So we don’t stand out. And that outfit—you can just say you bought it at the Hunter Trade Center."
"...Oh." Nathan could only nod quietly, with no argument to make.
As he braced himself to open the gate, Lilith reached her hand out again. This time, resting in her palm were a wallet, a phone, and his apartment keys.
Nathan froze. Slowly, he took the items, breathing out deeply, a bitter look on his face.
"So... you really kept everything, huh?"
Lilith’s smile was faint, her gaze piercing yet warm. "As a proper mother... I can’t allow my child’s belongings to just go missing, can I?"
Ruby, still in her arms, scrunched her face. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
"Papa... don’t take too long to come back..."
That tiny voice pierced straight into Nathan’s chest. For the first time, something strange welled up inside him, filling his heart.
"So... this is what it feels like to be a father..." he muttered under his breath.
He gave Ruby a faint smile and gently patted her head once. Chapters first released on novel[f]ire.net
"Papa will definitely come back."
With one long breath, Nathan turned his gaze to the glowing door forming before him.
Slowly, he pushed it open.
Cold night air rushed in, the city’s breeze brushing against his face.
Nathan was standing outside the Tower.
Beside him, Validia stood calmly in her human form, sharp eyes focused—ready to face the modern human world that felt utterly alien to her.
The evening air of Earth felt strange against Nathan’s skin, yet oddly familiar. He drew in a long breath, calming the pounding in his chest.
"...Come with me," Nathan muttered quietly.
Validia simply nodded, walking by his side. Her eyes darted everywhere, and with every passing second her expression grew more baffled. Street lamps, towering buildings, and the steady flow of vehicles left her slack-jawed.
A car sped past, headlights blinding. Validia immediately tensed, her hand twitching upward as if to summon her energy.
"Nathan...! What kind of iron beast is that? And why... why are humans inside it?"
Nathan nearly choked on air, then slapped a hand over his face. "...That’s a car, Validia. A vehicle. Not an animal."
She blinked a few times, still unsatisfied with the answer, but eventually snorted. "Hmph... strange."
Nathan could only sigh heavily, leading her down the street until they finally arrived in front of a modest apartment building.
He paused, staring at it. His hands trembled as he pulled out the keys. "This... is my apartment."
Validia watched without comment, following as Nathan unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The door swung open, revealing a small yet tidy space. The sofa was neatly arranged, the table spotless, and the floor looked freshly mopped.
"...What?" Nathan froze, brows knitting.
His eyes widened. His body moved on instinct, rushing toward the small drawer at the corner of the room. His hand yanked the bottom compartment open in a frenzy.
His breath hitched, his face burning hot.
The body oil he always kept hidden—gone.
The tissue roll he used for his nightly rituals—also missing.
Nathan slammed the drawer shut, his face half red, half pale.
"Mom... hell nah..." he whispered, covering his face with one hand. "She must’ve found it... and... oh no, she must be so disappointed..."
A storm of emotions squeezed his chest—shame, frustration, and bitter regret all tangled together.
Validia, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke. "...What were you looking for? And why does your face look... like that?"
Nathan groaned, lowering his head. "It’s... nothing. Trust me, you don’t wanna know..."
Validia stood in the middle of the living room, her sharp eyes scanning every corner of the small apartment. The sofa, the table, the tiny kitchen in the corner—everything looked strange to her.
"This place... is so small," she said bluntly, brows furrowing. "Do humans not like living in the wild? We’ve only seen a few trees since earlier."
Nathan froze, his mind a mess of question marks. How the hell was he supposed to explain that humans preferred living in concrete boxes over forests?
"Eh... well... it’s just... more practical this way," Nathan scratched his head awkwardly. "Kinda hard to explain in short."
Validia still looked confused, but eventually kept quiet, waiting.
Nathan drew in a deep breath. "I... need to call my mom first."
He grabbed his phone and dialed a number etched deep in his memory. His heartbeat spiked as the dial tone rang.
"Nathan?!" His mother’s voice burst through the speaker, overflowing with relief and joy. "You’re back?! Oh God, I... I almost lost hope...!"
Nathan froze, blinking rapidly. His throat tightened. "...Yeah, Mom... I’m back."
A soft sob came from the other end. "I want to see you, son... tonight!"
Nathan bit his lip. "...Yeah. I’ll come home tonight."
His mother’s voice broke into a mix of laughter and tears. "Thank God... Nathan... thank you..."
The call ended. Nathan lowered the phone slowly, his chest heavy with tangled emotions.
Validia, who had been silently watching, finally spoke.
"Why not sleep here instead? Then go to your mother’s house in the morning?"
Nathan lowered his head, his voice soft but firm. "...I miss my mom."
Validia fell silent for a moment. Then, slowly, a gentle smile curved on her lips. She stepped closer and, with a graceful motion, brushed her hand through his hair. The gesture was the same as back in the Tower, when she had comforted him.
"Then go. I’ll come with you."
Nathan lowered his gaze, her touch sinking straight into his heart. But behind his serious face, his thoughts were a chaotic mess.
...If I sleep here tonight, I’ll be hard all night.
A middle-aged woman sat in the living room, her eyes still glistening from the call she had just received from her son. Her hand covered her mouth as she tried to hold back happy sobs.
"Lily..." her trembling voice called out.
A young girl with twin ponytails peeked out from her room, curiosity on her face. "Yeah, Mom? What is it?"
A wide smile spread across the woman’s face. "Your brother... Nathan... he’s back!"
Lily froze in place, then her eyes widened, sparkling with light. "Huh?! Big Brother Nathan?! For real?! YEEEESSSS!!!"
With an excited scream, Lily jumped onto the sofa, stomping her feet like a little kid who just got the best birthday present ever. "I knew it! I knew Big Bro Nathan could never be gone! I KNEW IT!!"
Her mother chuckled softly, wiping away her tears. But the smile quickly faded, replaced by a look of resolve. She grabbed her phone again, her finger hovering over a name that had long been sitting in her contacts list.
Beep... Beep... Click.
A girl’s voice answered, slightly breathless as if she’d been running. "Yes, ma’am? What is it? I’m out jogging."
"That boy... Nathan. He’s back. He’s at his apartment right now."
Silence. The only thing audible was Sophia’s heavy breathing from the other end.
"...What?" her voice cracked, almost unbelieving.
"He’s back, dear. You can—"
Before the sentence could finish, Sophia froze in the middle of the street. Her eyes went wide, her face instantly flushing red.
"N-N-Nathan... is... b-back...?! F-For real?!"
Her body trembled, and then—BOOM!
Sophia leapt high, spinning midair like a professional ninja. Passersby stopped in their tracks, gawking at the spectacle. She landed on top of a car roof, then dashed forward, bouncing from surface to surface like an acrobat, her face lit with a mix of tears and the brightest smile.
"YEEEEESSSSS!!! NATHAN!!!"
In the middle of the city, a tsundere ponytail girl was leaping through the streets with sparkling eyes—completely forgetting she was still in her sweaty sports outfit, and that everyone was staring.