POV: Arielle Halden

  The scent of freshly steamed rice met Arielle as she unlocked the front door and stepped inside. The hallway, usually scattered with school bags and toys, was remarkably tidy. Shoes lined up neatly by the rack. Coats were hung. The air was warm—lived-in, not abandoned like before.

  She blinked. The st time she was here, the home felt empty no matter how loud the children ughed. Like it was missing something invisible yet crucial. But now...

  Cttering echoed from the kitchen. She furrowed her brow, pcing her bag down gently, then made her way forward, heels clicking against the clean floor.

  She froze at the doorway.

  There he was.

  Kazen.

  In a casual T-shirt and sweatpants, barefoot and hunched over the rice cooker with a towel slung around his shoulder. A pot bubbled on the stove. His sleeves were rolled up. His hair was slightly damp—as though he’d just showered. Cooking.

  She almost spoke, but the words caught.

  He didn’t notice her immediately. He seemed so... normal. Domestic. Then he turned and saw her.

  He startled slightly. “Arielle?”

  She offered a small, polite smile, trying to process the surreal image before her. “I came back earlier than I thought. My sister’s delivery was smooth—healthy baby boy. Mother and child are doing well.”

  “Ah,” he said, fumbling to wipe his hands on the towel. “That’s… great news. Congratutions to them. Do you—do you need help unpacking or anything?”

  She shook her head gently and stepped inside the kitchen. “I’m more surprised you’re home. And cooking. You weren’t expecting me, were you?”

  Kazen chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “No, not exactly. I thought you’d be back next week, but… it’s good to see you.”

  She sat on the edge of the kitchen table, crossing one leg over the other. “Are the girls alright?”

  He hesitated.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Kazen.”

  “I’m trying,” he said softly, almost ashamed. “I really am. I’ve been spending time with them, cooking meals, helping Rei with her training… but I don’t know if I’m doing enough. I don’t know if they can forgive me. If they even want to.”

  Arielle’s brows softened, but she didn’t speak immediately. The man in front of her wasn’t the Kazen she used to know—the cold, dutiful father who never raised his voice but never lowered himself to sit beside his children either. When Lira was alive, she was the soul of this house. Kazen was the steady wall behind her. Present, but not warm.

  Now? He looked awkward, nervous… human.

  Before she could form a reply, a sharp electronic ding! bred from his phone.

  “Oh, shoot!” Kazen yelped. “It’s time to pick up the girls!”

  He bolted upright, grabbing a hoodie and slippers like a whirlwind. “Arielle, can you—uh—please turn off the rice cooker when it beeps again? It’s almost done.”

  “You’re… seriously running to school in slippers?”

  “No time!” he shouted back, halfway out the door.

  She stared after him for a long moment, lips curling into an involuntary smile. “Unbelievable,” she murmured.

  —

  The front door burst open twenty minutes ter, Nia’s excited voice piercing the air.

  “Ariiiiieeelleeeee!” she squealed, rushing in with her arms wide. Arielle crouched down, and the little girl leapt into her embrace.

  “Oh, someone missed me,” Arielle said, squeezing her tight.

  “I missed you so much!” Nia said. “Guess what? Daddy told us bedtime stories and made pancakes and helped me brush!”

  Behind her, Rei entered quietly, her steps slower. She wasn’t pouting, but her eyes were tired—guarded.

  Kazen closed the door and looked between the girls. “Alright, go wash your hands before lunch.”

  But Rei lingered.

  She turned to Kazen. “Are you… going to leave again?”

  A heavy silence fell. Arielle looked at him—but didn’t intervene.

  Kazen knelt down. “Do you want me to leave?”

  Rei stared at him, lips trembling. “No. You’re my dad,” she said in a soft voice. “And you said you’d train me. You can’t break your promise.”

  And before he could respond, she turned and dashed into her room.

  “Pffft.” Nia grinned, nudging Kazen. “Papa, she’s our tsundere type, you know?”

  “Tsundere?” Kazen repeated, tilting his head in genuine confusion.

  Arielle chuckled under her breath.

  “It means someone who acts cold or angry but is secretly very soft and sweet,” she expined.

  From her room, Rei’s muffled voice rang out. “Idiot papa…”

  They all ughed—even Kazen, who scratched his cheek sheepishly.

  —

  Lunch was simple but delicious: rice, grilled fish, miso soup, and sliced apples.

  After lunch, Rei stood up. “Training time, Papa.”

  Kazen stood too, eyes determined. “Let’s go.”

  They moved to the spare room Kazen had cleaned and repurposed. Arielle followed, curious.

  “Today we’re doing mana bancing,” he said. “Join your hands like this—yeah, just like that. Now push your mana into both palms equally. Keep it steady, stable. Feel the flow between your hands.”

  Rei did as told, furrowing her brow.

  Arielle leaned against the doorframe. “What kind of training is this?”

  Kazen gnced at her. “Something I read about—mana flow synchronization. It’s supposed to strengthen early-stage core formation by enforcing bance. Think of it as… shaping the inner vessel before filling it completely.”

  Arielle crossed her arms. “You read this online?”

  He shrugged. “Well, it’s a mix of that and what I learned from before… back when I trained.”

  She noticed how his voice quieted at the end.

  Kazen turned back to Rei. “Thirty minutes, then a ten-minute break. We’ll do two sets today. Tomorrow, we’ll try forming a mana thread between your fingertips.”

  Rei nodded seriously, beads of sweat already forming on her temple.

  Nia peeked into the room. “Can I train too?”

  “No,” Kazen said. “Not until you finish the training pn I gave you.”

  “Awww,” she groaned. “No treats for me?”

  “Nope. Discipline earns pancakes,” he smirked.

  Arielle smiled quietly. She could hardly believe it—this man, who four months ago hadn’t even attended Nia’s first recital. Who didn’t know what Rei’s favorite book was. Now he was correcting mana flow and joking about pancakes.

  Maybe he really had changed.

  Maybe not completely. But enough.

  —

  Dinner that evening was pancakes—at Nia’s insistence.

  “Extra syrup!” she shouted, waving the bottle.

  “Just a little,” Arielle warned.

  Rei drizzled a modest amount and sat down with a contented sigh.

  She ate quietly, but there was a glimmer in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. A faint smile pyed at her lips.

  After dinner, Kazen carried both girls to bed, tucking them in gently.

  But Nia clung to his sleeve. “Sleep with us.”

  “Huh?”

  He hesitated—then nodded.

  They climbed into bed—Rei on one side, Nia curled against his chest. Arielle watched from the door.

  “Goodnight, Papa,” Rei whispered.

  Kazen kissed both their foreheads. “Goodnight, girls.”

  Arielle closed the door quietly and walked to the living room, wiping at her eyes. She’d never seen them so peaceful. Not since Lira died.

  And for the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to believe:

  Maybe this broken family was beginning to mend.