[Arceid]

  “Hey!! I’m still a patient here! Show some concern, will you?” Azrael whined, throwing his hands in the air.

  I scoffed. “I did show concern. Otherwise, you'd still be a pulp.”

  Azrael grinned mischievously. “Fair enough. Still, you’ve got powers now, huh? Maybe I should visit that magic portal too — get myself some cool abilities.”

  I raised a brow. “Yeah, sure. That worked so well for you last time.”

  Unbothered, he pushed the sheets off and stood up, stretching his limbs. “Ugh… This hospital robe is the worst. Can I get some actual clothes or something?”

  Junia stepped in, opening her portable bracelet. With a tap, a holographic projection revealed three options — a ring, a watch, and a bracelet.

  “You can pick one. They each have a storage function with preset clothing catalogs.”

  Azrael inspected them briefly and grabbed the ring. “I’ll take this. Seems the least intrusive.” He turned to me with a smirk. “I’m guessing this’ll be on your tab, huh? These things look expensive.”

  Junia chuckled, “No worries. Consider it a gift from me — your brother’s long-time friend.”

  Azrael examined the ring for a moment, his smirk deepening. “Huh. A free gift, huh? Guess I’ll accept it then.”

  He skimmed through the clothing catalog within the ring, eventually settling on a black hoodie, black t-shirt, black trousers, and matching sneakers. Within seconds, his attire materialized on him.

  “Alright, I’m all set. Show me the way to this fancy portal of yours.”

  ……

  As we walked toward the portal room, I occasionally glanced back to check on Azrael. He seemed oddly comfortable despite everything. His eyes wandered, absorbing every detail of the facility as if he’d lived here all along.

  Junia sidled up next to me, leaning in with a whisper. “Hey… don’t you think he’s a little too calm about all this?”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  She lowered her voice further. “I mean — if I were him, I’d be freaking out, crying, or at least visibly shocked. He was gone for fifteen years, Arceid. But look at him — he’s walking around like he just took a nap and woke up in the future. No existential crisis, no panic — nothing. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  I glanced back at Azrael. His posture was relaxed, his hands in his pockets, his gaze curious but unnerved.

  I chuckled. “Nah, you don’t know my brother. He was never the type to lose his head over things he couldn’t control. Besides, I already told him the situation — why wouldn’t he believe me?”

  Junia didn’t look convinced. “Still… something feels off.”

  I raised a brow. “You’re overthinking it.”

  “…Maybe.”

  ……

  We finally arrived at the portal chamber. The air was heavy with residual cosmic energy, and the spatial rift in the center radiated a faint, ominous glow. Junia moved ahead to check the portal’s stability while I requested the workers to clear the room.

  Azrael, however, walked straight to the portal, his eyes locked on it with a strange intensity.

  “Oi. Don’t get too close,” I warned.

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out, letting the cosmic energy engulf his hand. Before I could stop him, he shot his palm toward me, signaling me to stay put.

  “What the hell are you—”

  He raised his right hand toward the portal. Instantly, the energy around him condensed unnaturally fast. Within seconds, a small hole formed above his forefinger — as if he’d just torn the fabric of space itself.

  The hole twisted, crackling with chaotic energy before abruptly collapsing. The sheer force shattered his forefinger, causing his bone to snap and dangle unnaturally.

  “Azrael!!” I rushed toward him.

  But before I could get close, his finger rapidly regenerated. Flesh reformed, bone realigned, and within minutes, his hand looked as if nothing had happened.

  Azrael stared at his healed hand… and then —

  “AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

  He erupted into a fit of wild, unhinged laughter.

  “…You finally lost it,” I muttered. “Or maybe you’re just a masochist. Is this some weird thrill-seeking stunt?”

  Azrael, clutching his stomach from laughing too hard, waved me off. “N-No… hah… I’m just— This is fun, man.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Fun?”

  His grin widened. “Yeah. I mean, come on — I just broke my own damn finger and watched it regenerate in minutes. You don’t think that’s insanely cool?”

  I blinked. That was… actually the most carefree expression I had seen on his face in years.

  “…Good for you, I guess,” I muttered.

  “Yeah, and you’re forgetting someone.”

  I raised a brow. “Who?”

  “Edith, you dumbass. It’s well past 4 PM. Didn’t you write in your diary that you pick her up every day?”

  I froze. “Shit.”

  Azrael grinned like a devil. “Hehehe, you are a bad uncle. Fret not Edith, your good uncle has returned.”

  My fists clenched. Without hesitation — SMACK! — I landed a solid hit on his head.

  “OWW!! What the hell!?”

  “Don’t get cocky, brat.”

  Still rubbing his head, Azrael’s expression suddenly turned nonchalant. “By the way, cancel my homecoming plan for a week. I’ve got things I need to figure out first.”

  I paused. “…What?”

  He shrugged. “I mean, I just came back from a death zone. Can’t I have a little fun before I meet mom and dad?”

  I stared at him, momentarily stunned. It wasn’t like he forgot our parents — it was more like… they weren’t his priority right now.

  “…Alright, fine. I’ll pick up Edith. You do your thing.”

  Azrael smirked. “Good. Oh, and before I forget — what’s your power level now?”

  I grinned smugly. “Planetary. Absolute control of my aspect.”

  Azrael’s face immediately contorted in disappointment. “…That’s it?”

  “What?” I blinked.

  “You’re telling me the strongest Astra is only planetary? Damn, bro. That’s kinda disappointing.”

  I gritted my teeth. “You little—”

  Azrael raised his hands defensively. “I’m just saying! You’re the peak of planetary strength but the shit we’re dealing with is clearly universal scale. Shouldn’t you, you know… level up or something?”

  My eye twitched. “If you think it’s that easy, why don’t you do it?”

  Azrael laughed. “Dude, I’m a teenager. It’s your job to solve problems. Mine is to create them.”

  The fact he said that with such a straight face made my fists itch again.

  “…I’m leaving. I’ll get Edith. You, enjoy your ‘fun’ or whatever.”

  As I walked away, he called out casually. “Oh, and don’t tell mom and dad about me yet. I wanna surprise them.”

  I paused, a faint smile forming on my face. “…Took you long enough to say that.”

  Azrael’s voice softened. “They’re my parents too, man. I didn’t forget them… just figured you were there, so they’d be fine.”

  “…Yeah. They were.”

  As I stepped out of the room, I couldn’t help but think — he came back alright. But something about him… felt different.