Dinner finished quickly and with only small talk in between mouthfuls of stew. Neither I nor Uncle wanted to prod each other any further with my father present. After dinner, excuses were made. I claimed I was tired and needed to rest, and Uncle Wolf claimed he had some matters he needed to check up on. I had no doubt that those matters were related to me and the park, but I said nothing, instead retreating to my room. I could still hear them talking on the front porch as I lay down in my bed.

  "I don't know what happened to him; he doesn't want to talk about it, not yet. He's different. Very different."

  "I know Rob. I recognize the look in his eyes. There's no doubt wherever he's been, he's been through it."

  I closed my eyes, trying to block out their voices, but their words echoed in my mind. They were right, of course. I was different. How could I not be after everything I'd experienced? The System, the monsters, the constant fight for survival - it had all changed me in ways I couldn't even begin to explain.

  As I lay there, my status window flickered into view, a constant reminder of my new reality. I stared at the numbers and skills, still struggling to fully comprehend what they meant for me now. Sleep eluded me, my mind racing with memories of the Soul-Sheer and the creatures I'd encountered there. Of Uncle Wolf and whatever secrets he was holding now. A soft knock at my door jolted me from my thoughts.

  "Hey, kiddo. You awake?" It was my dad's voice, gentle and hesitant.

  I considered pretending to be asleep, but something in his tone made me respond.

  "Yeah, Dad. Come in." The door creaked open, and my dad's silhouette appeared in the dim light from the hallway. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click. I could sense his uncertainty as he approached my bed, his footsteps slow and measured.

  "Mind if I sit?" he asked, gesturing to the edge of the bed. I nodded, pushing myself up to a sitting position and making room for him. As he settled beside me, I could feel the weight of unspoken words hanging between us.

  "Listen, son," he began, his voice low and careful. "I know you've been through... something. Something hard. And I want you to know that whenever you're ready to talk about it, I'm here."

  I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. Part of me wanted to spill everything, to tell him about The System, the monsters, the constant fear and struggle. But how could I? How could I make him understand a world he'd never seen?

  "Thanks, Dad," I managed, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's just... complicated." I sighed, debating whether I should tell him about Uncle Wolf keeping secrets. My father would be able to wrangle the truth out of that wily old wolf far better than I ever could.

  “Uncle Wolf… Is keeping secrets. Secrets that relate to where I was. I don’t know what he knows and what he doesn’t, but I think I’m going to need to before long.”

  My father let out a long sigh. "I know."

  “You know?”

  A deep laugh escaped my father, shaking the bed. "I've known Carl longer than you've been alive, boy. I know when he's keeping something from me, but I also know that he's never done it without a damn good reason. That goes double where my children are concerned." His face was somber.

  "Carl was the first person to show up when you went missing. He would have moved mountains for any of you kids. He and I turned the whole city upside down looking for you." In that moment, my father looked older, more worn. Tired.

  "He called in favours, talked to old acquaintances. We did anything and everything we could think of. There was nothing, you were just gone. I'm not sure if the bill on those favours came due or maybe he found something he shouldn't have, but about a year in, he started saying that all we could do was wait and see." My dad shrugged. "So do me a favour, don't be too hard on him when you two butt heads. He searched for you just as hard as any of us did."

  "Alright, Dad." I grumbled, "Now let me sleep." I smirked, batting him on the shoulder.

  —-

  Saturday passed in a strange combination of hurry up, and wait. The day seemed to go by quickly, but never actually fast enough. I wandered the city. Went shopping for some new clothes beyond that single set of clothes I'd pilfered that first night. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you wanted to look at it, none of the clothes from my old apartment fit anymore. I had outgrown all of it.

  I couldn't help but feel a mix of pride and unease as I tried on clothes in sizes I'd never worn before. My new physique was a testament to my struggles and growth, but it was also a stark reminder of how much had changed. As I caught my reflection in the store mirror, I barely recognized myself. The lean, muscular frame staring back at me belonged to a hardened survivor.

  Soon it neared time for the family dinner my Dad had arranged with my siblings. Both had told him they would be there. The time found me sitting in my old room trying to relax. I sat on my bed, eyes closed. Breathe flowing in and out, aura pulsing with each breath. Then I felt their approach. My brother and sister were here. I could hear them, the slam of car doors, footsteps coming up the drive. I sighed; there wouldn't be any avoiding or delaying this any longer. I was undeniably nervous about seeing my siblings again, much the same way I had been nervous about seeing my dad. I smirked as I rose from the bed. As a consolation, the looks on their faces would be absolutely priceless.

  I made my way downstairs, each step feeling heavier than the last. As I reached the bottom, I heard the front door open, and my siblings' voices filled the entryway. My father's voice joined theirs, warm greetings and hugs exchanged. I took a deep breath, steadying myself, and stepped into view. The conversation stopped abruptly. Three pairs of eyes locked onto me, and I watched as shock, disbelief, and a myriad of other emotions played across my brother's and sister's faces. My sister, Victoria, was the first to break the silence.

  "Oh my God," she whispered, her hand flying to her mouth. "Is that really you?"

  My brother, Sean, just stood there, his jaw hanging open. I could see him trying to reconcile the image of his older brother with the person standing before him now.

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  "Hey guys," I said, trying for a casual tone but hearing the strain in my own voice. "Long time no see."

  Vicky rushed forward, enveloping me in a tight hug. I returned it gently, acutely aware of my newfound strength. As she pulled back, I could see tears in her eyes.

  "Where have you been?" she demanded. I hesitated, unsure how to answer Victoria's question. The truth was so far beyond anything they could imagine. "It's... complicated," I said. I seemed to be saying that far too much these days, even for my own liking. "I'm not sure I can explain it all right now."

  Sean finally seemed to snap out of his shock. He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he looked me up and down. "What happened to you?" he asked, his voice a mix of awe and suspicion. "You look... different."

  I couldn't help but chuckle. "I am different, little brother," I replied, trying to keep my tone light. "Let's just say I've been through some shit."

  My father cleared his throat, sensing the tension building. "Why don't we all sit down for dinner? We can talk more over food."

  We made our way to the dining room, an awkward silence hanging over us. As we sat down, I could feel Sean and Victoria's eyes on me, studying every movement, every change. The meal began, and for a while, the only sounds were the clinking of utensils and murmured requests to pass dishes.

  Finally, Victoria broke the silence. "So, are you going to tell us where you've been all this time? We were worried sick about you." There was the Vicky I knew. Direct to the point and totally unwilling to sidestep things. I sighed, pushing the food around on my plate.

  "I know, and I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean to disappear like I did." I paused, trying to find the right words. "I was... somewhere else. Somewhere very different from here. It's hard to explain."

  Sean snorted. "Try us. We're not idiots, you know."

  I looked at him, seeing the hurt and anger in his eyes. "I know you're not, Sean. It's just that what happened to me, where I was... It's beyond my ability to explain properly."

  "So what, you just decided to vanish for years without a word?" Sean's voice was rising. "Do you have any idea what that did to us? To Dad?"

  I felt a flash of irritation. "You think I wanted that? You think I chose to leave everything behind?"

  "Didn't you?" Sean shot back. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you went off and got yourself some kind of fancy 'training' while we were left wondering if you were alive or dead!" Sean's voice slowly rose with every word until he was nearly shouting, fists clenched, red covering his cheeks. He was close to losing his temper.

  I growled from where I sat across from my brother. He always did know how to get under my skin. "You have no idea what I went through while I was gone, Sean. It wasn't easy, I can tell you that much. I've lost count of how many times I almost died. Should have died." My voice came out low, dangerous. Not threatening, but not far from it either. The way things were going, it felt like Sean and I were going to be headed towards the Kaesor male family tradition. Which was, if the males of the house had an issue that talking peacefully wouldn't resolve, we took it out back and let fists do the talking. There were no hard feelings allowed afterwards. Sean fell silent, watching me. I couldn't tell if it was with curiosity or something else. The anger and hurt were obvious.

  "In two years, you couldn't call? Text? Send a letter? Something?" Vicky chimed in from across the table. I sighed. Always the logical one, Vicky was. Unfortunately, logic didn't apply in the Soul-Sheer. At least Sean settled down at our sister's, re-entering the conversation.

  "No, Vicky, I couldn't. There weren't any phones where I was. No postal service, no radio. Nothing." I couldn't tell them the truth, not yet. Not until I'd had the chance to sit down with Uncle Wolf. Judging by the looks my family were giving me, that conversation would have to be sooner rather than later. I doubted my family were going to wait long for answers better than 'It's complicated. Ironically, my father turned out to be the most patient one, which I was not expecting.

  The tension in the room was palpable. I could see the frustration and hurt in my siblings' eyes, mirrored by the concern in my father's. I knew I owed them more, but how could I possibly explain the Soul-Sheer, The System, and everything else? They would think I was insane without some serious proof, proof that could end up doing more harm than good, since I didn't have very many options for proving magic existed beyond a familiar that would probably look terrifying to them, or turning into a giant, terrifying spider myself. Not great options.

  "Look," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "I know it's not fair. I know you all deserve better answers. But right now, I can't give them to you. Not yet."

  Victoria leaned forward, her eyes searching mine. "Aiden, we're your family. Whatever happened, whatever you went through, we can handle it. We want to understand."

  I smiled sadly at her. "I know you do, Vicky. And I want to tell you. But there are things I need to figure out first. Things I need to understand before I can explain them to anyone else."

  Sean scoffed, pushing his chair back from the table. "More secrets. Great."

  "Sean," our father warned, but I held up a hand.

  "No, Dad, it's fine... He's got a right to be angry. I'm not exactly thrilled about keeping secrets either." I looked at Sean directly, meeting his glare. "Look, I promise I'll tell you everything as soon as I can. But right now, there are things I need to sort out first. Things that could potentially put you all in danger if I'm not careful." That got their attention. Victoria's eyes widened, and even Sean's anger seemed to falter for a moment.

  "Danger?" My father asked, his voice low and concerned. "What kind of danger, son?"

  I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "The kind I'm not entirely sure about yet. That's why I need time to figure things out. To make sure I'm not bringing something back with me that could hurt you all."

  The room fell silent as they processed my words. I could see the worry etched on their faces, mixed with curiosity and, in Sean's case, a grudging respect.

  Victoria broke the silence. "Is that why you look so... different? Because of this danger?"

  I nodded slowly. "Part of it, yeah. Where I was, it changed me. In more ways than just physically."

  Sean leaned back in his chair, studying me intently.

  "So what, you're some kind of superhero now?" His tone was sarcastic, but I could hear the undercurrent of genuine curiosity. I couldn't help but chuckle at the familiar sarcasm. The sarcasm ran as deep as the blood in this family always had.

  "Not exactly. More like... a survivor. I had to adapt to survive where I was. It wasn't a choice."

  Victoria reached across the table, placing her hand on mine. "Aiden, whatever happened, whatever you're dealing with now, you don't have to face it alone. We're here for you."

  I felt a lump form in my throat at her words. "Thanks, Vicky."

  My father cleared his throat. "Son, I know you said you need time to sort things out, but is there anything we can do to help? Anything at all?"

  I considered his offer for a moment. I'd already broached the topic of Uncle Wolf with dad, but this at least I could bring the siblings into as well. "I need to talk to Uncle Wolf," I said after some deliberation. "There are some things I think he knows, things that might help me make sense of what happened."

  Sean's eyebrows shot up. "Uncle Wolf? What does he have to do with any of this?"

  "I'm not entirely sure, but I know he knows something. I’m just not sure what." I let out a sigh. “I suspect he’ll be showing up again sooner rather than later for that conversation. He knows we need to talk as well.”

  The rest of dinner passed with a mix of tense silence and cautious attempts at small talk. My siblings were clearly struggling to reconcile the brother they remembered with the man sitting before them now. As we finished eating, I could feel their eyes on me, studying every movement, every change. After we cleared the table, Victoria cornered me in the kitchen.

  "Aiden," she said softly, her eyes searching mine, "I know you said you can't explain everything yet, but... are you okay? Really okay?"

  I paused, considering her question. Was I okay? After everything I'd been through, I wasn't sure I knew what "okay" meant anymore. "I'm... adjusting," I finally said. "It's not easy, being back. Everything feels different." I’m Different, went unsaid. Though my sister was eerily perceptive at times, I was sure she would pick up on what I meant.

  She nodded, reaching out to squeeze my arm. "We're here for you, you know. Whatever you need." She looked worried, not a surprise considering. The day had been a bit of a roller coaster for her. Family dinner. Long-lost brother showing up. Finding out their beloved uncle was keeping secrets. It was enough to unsettle anyone.

  I managed a small smile. "Thanks, Vic." She wrinkled her nose.

  "You know I hate that name." She wrinkled her nose and I chuckled in response, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

  "I know you do, little sister, that's why I use it. It is the prerogative of all big brothers to annoy their siblings."

  “As long as you stick around, I guess I can live with that.”

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