279 Home, sweet home

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—-------

/Fwoosh…/

/CRUNK!/

"Phew…"

'Back in Edas Village, Silver stepped out of a portal before placing the Black Dragon's scale back in its shrine as he whipped out a bead of sweat from his forehead.'

It's done… Somewhat...

I should be happy it ended, but I just feel worse than before.

"Those fucking people..."

I shouldn't have met the Freya Familia… Or at very least, I should've approached this another way… This wasn't how I expected things to go.

I heard Ottar was a serious man, but not that he held contempt for others, did I poke him at a bad spot or something?

Maybe I should've baited him to strike it… No, it wouldn't have worked.

It doesn't matter, Ottar is not strong enough to damage the scale, that's all I need to know.

His Magic wouldn't change anything, but maybe, with a Level Boost or another form of enhancement, he might've been able to leave a scratch on it.

Well… That's about what I expected to see anyway.

I went there to fulfill my curiosity and to try and motivate the bear guy to grow stronger because I felt that if he tried harder, he may be able to Level up within a year and grow stronger…

The stronger he gets the lesser of a burden will fall atop Orario in the future.

But alas, I underestimated how stuck up in their asses that Familia is, they don't care about anything that is not Freya or directly related to her, which limits their potential despite how much effort they put into themselves.

What purpose is there in pursuing a romance with a Goddess when the world is about to end? Do they have no sense of urgency? Is it because the Dragon is far beyond them?

Ottar seems to try, but not hard enough, he has the qualities of a Hero, but those qualities were thrown away when Zeus and Hera vanished, now he's just Freya's butler.

Anyhow, whatever he wishes to do with his life, it's not of my concern anyway.

As for the rest... Do they think they're safe? Do they ignore reality?

Their safety and arrogance are so easy to shatter, the moment the 'lid' falls the entire world will be plunged into desolation yet they have the balls to act like that.

For adventurers that never went beyond the 60th floor, what do they even think they have to boast about?

To most... It would be, but who are they supposed to be?

Is the concept of Orario's fall simply too fantastical for them to even conceive?...

Well… Today I won against Allen due to "luck", he underestimated me and lost his momentum.

And without his spear, things became simpler. Not to say he wasn't wearing his combat equipment, just simple training gear… Albeit even that alone is likely more expensive than all of the equipment of the Hestia Familia combined, not counting mine.

Not to undervalue myself, I do think I did pretty well, but... He won't commit the same mistake again, and he'll likely prepare for our next encounter.

I made an enemy without even wanting to… Maybe the most annoying out of them all.

That place is hell on earth…

"Sigh… It's over anyway, no point in crying over spoiled milk."

'It's been around… 40ish minutes to an hour since I left? Time sure passes quickly…' Silver thought as he checked the time through a pocket watch

But this means Hestia and Artemis are likely bothered I'm not there with them yet, and this is not counting the time I spent playing with the children...

Time to go see what they're up to.

/Pad pad... Brush brush.../

'After cleaning the shrine and giving it a light inspection, Silver turned around, going deeper into the forest, circling the Village as he thought of what excuse he was going to use to explain his absence.'

'Hopefully, they didn't even notice he left…'

…

/Later…/

"... And that's the gist of it!" Hestia said with an excited expression as she looked at Silver

"Uhum… It's a shame I lost that." Silver replied with a smile as he looked at her

I got lucky... Again.

'After going after them, Silver's senses led him to a house at the edge of the Village, it was about the same size as the others but its location was a bit different, central almost.'

'Without much ceremony, he entered the Village Elder's house where he saw both Artemis and Hestia in strangely unique clothes sitting around a table.'

'In short, not long after they got in, both of them were dragged to a small party in their name where they danced quite a bit.'

'Hearing about it surprised Silver, but when he thought about it, things made sense.'

'They were Gods, GODS. For the common folk, the mere sight of one would make them pious to an unbelievable degree, especially if the God in question was an unworldly gorgeous girl who was also kind.'

'Hestia and Artemis may be no Goddesses of harvest, but Hestia watched over the fire within all people, the fires of their homes, the warmth of a family.'

'While Artemis watched over the hunt and the bow, an intrinsic part of their lifestyle within the woods hidden within these mountains.'

'A simple party to welcome them into the Village so their blessings may remain even when they leave wasn't that out of the expectation.'

'If they ever pass by another Village, things like this would likely happen again, not that they minded, it was fun even.'

"Sorry for missing it, I played with the children for a while and then I made a 'trip' outside of the Village to the forest."

"In the end, I lost track of time." Silver said apologetically as he mixed in lies with truths 

'Well, there were no lies, but they weren't truths either.'

"Fufu… It's never too late ya know?" Hestia said with a slightly flushed expression as she got up from her seat

"? Oh…"

As expected, Hestia has grown greatly, in the past, she would throw a fit if I arrived back at the Church even a few minutes late...

It took me a while to convince her to let go of that...

'Chuckling a little, Silver got up from his seat as well, holding onto her hand as he pulled her to the side, and under music that seemingly came from nowhere, they began dancing.'

'As expected, Hestia was terrible at it, she just jumped around and about without course, but that was the style of this folk dance, it wasn't meant to be formal at all.'

"..."

I'm still here!

'Artemis, on the other hand, stood still as her forehead tensed, her expression only seemed to deepen in displeasure whenever her and Hestia's eyes met, because it seemed the little Goddess kept mocking her with her eyes whenever she spun around.'

'Of course, Hestia wasn't being mean, but it was a form of… Rivalry.'

'Artemis was usually the one who acted first whenever they were together, but this time, she did it first, even if awkwardly.'

'It was a refreshing feeling.'

/Get up…/

'That is why, she got up too, and with a twitching expression, she looked at Silver who woke up from his slight moment of carelessness.'

"..."

Crap… 

For a moment, I forgot she was there… An excuse… Ugh...

"Cough… Do you want a dance too? Ohh... Don't be like that, let's have some fun for once." Silver said as he spun Hestia one last time before raising his hand to her

"Humph."

"Ahem…"

I can't complain, I'm happy even... But I dug this hole myself… And if someone asks, I can't say that I've been coerced to do it either... Only partially.

The heat of the moment sometimes causes things to go... Awry, but those are just excuses.

I chose to finish this hole with the shovel I was given... Though this is quite the grim way of seeing this situation.

I love both of them.

... But this is hard.

'In the end, Silver danced with both of them and they laughed loudly while the birds chirped nearby...'

…

/Later…/

"... Cough… Are you leaving already?" An Elderly man said as he looked at Silver and the Goddesses

(Image)

"I'm deeply moved by your hospitality, Elder Caam, but we still have a destination, and the day is still very long." Silver replied calmly as he looked at the old man

"That is unfortunate, but understandable, be very much aware that our Village is always open for you three and… Cough!... That we'll… Cough cough!"

'Amidst his happy words, the Village Elder went into a fit of coughing, so much so he needed the help of his daughter to stand up, who helped him sit at the edge of the bed.'

'Due to his advanced age and condition, the Elder usually remained inside his home, leaving only to greet others and for a light walk around his home and often times, in the main roads of the Village.'

'It was clear to all that he didn't have much time left.'

"Father…" Lina, Caam's adoptive daughter said in worry as she helped him sit down

"Cough… Don't worry, I'm fine, my throat's just a bit dry, that's all."

""...""

'Hestia and Artemis said little to nothing throughout this ordeal, knowing full well this old man's time was coming, it may not be today, but it would be soon, very soon…'

'They were no Goddesses of death, so they couldn't foretell his time, but they, as beings deeply connected with the world and the Souls of mortals, it was easy to see that Caam's body was slowly failing him.'

'As Loki would put it, even if a God was stupid and careless, they would still be one at the end of the day.'

"I meant to say that… You're always welcome." He said with a smile as he gently grabbed a small cup of water from his daughter's hand

/Tug…/

'Hestia tugged at Silver's shirt, clearly meaning something, but there was little he could do here.'

'There were times he could extend someone's life by helping them overcome a decaying part of themselves... But today wasn't it.'

'It may have been a long since he tried anything of the sort, Silver could still do so, but Caam was beyond saving through normal means, even if he pulled up technology from another world.'

'Maybe Hestia was merely feeling sad and nothing else, but he also felt she wanted to see him do another miracle… It's just that this time, he truly had no solution.'

'This old man's body was dying not just from its physical condition, but from something deeper than that.'

'He had already accepted death, he awaited it, embraced it.'

'There was no solution for a mind that expected its own end, and what point would there be in convincing an old man to live longer?'

'It was clear he was in severe depression, the only thing preventing him from dying right then and there was his immense mental fortitude, a sense of duty he carried deep within his heart.'

'But even Silver could tell even that was secondary to this old man.'

'Silver wasn't quite sure why that was the case, he didn't remember, but he had an idea what was weighing down on his mind… But it wasn't his business to pry into other's affairs, much less those of a dying old man.'

"Thank you Caam, we'll be passing by again soon, after all, if we're going, then we'll be going back eventually." Silver said with a smile as he gave the man a nod

"Hoho… Is that so?... Well… If it's not too much, pass by during the new year, we usually have a festival amidst the falling snow, it's one of the best times of the year… Cough!"

"... Albeit it's not that kind to my throat, as you can see." He said with a chuckle as he placed his cup of water aside

'Caam's smile was contagious, as it may be worn out, but it was a genuine one.'

'An old man at death's bed, doing what he could with the remaining of his time on earth… But just what was his true regrets?'

'It seemed he had no intention of sharing, or maybe, his daughter merely had no courage to ask it of him, fearing doing so may permanently shatter his fragile heart.'

...

/A few minutes later.../

"..."

We'll have to come back here… One day.

'As he left through the gates, Silver took one last look at the Village and the people waving them goodbye.'

'He wasn't sure if Hestia and Artemis had noticed, but Caam was an adventurer… Was one at the very least…'

'To confirm his suspicions, at his drawer beside his bed, Silver saw a bronze badge of a Familia long gone, recognizing it due to none other than Hestia.'

'He would often study in his bed, reading books to pass the time at night, and most of those times, Hestia would tag along and tell him stories or merely read with him, even if just for a few moments before sleeping, which would prompt Silver to move her to her room.'

'The badge on the drawer was the emblem of the Brigid Familia, one that never really popped off… Even after having properly registered.'

'Seeing the emblem sparked a few memories deep within his mind, causing him to have faint recollections of his past...'

'Caam was likely the only one left alive by now… Or maybe, the only one there ever was.'

'And that in itself told a story…'

'His depression may originate from his regrets… Likely connected with the one he misses the most.'

'That may explain his strange gaze when he looked at Hestia, because if it is Brigid, then there was a chance he saw something in her that reminded him of his Goddess.'

'Hestia herself said that Brigid was somewhat like her, albeit more childlike due to her antics, especially whenever she was about to lose.'

'The more he thought about it, the more of Hestia's stories he remembered of when they were still in the Church, it was kind of their pass time before going to sleep.'

'They used to exchange stories by their beds, she told him stories of her friends while Silver had to go with bits and pieces of his life in the Village.'

'Thankfully, he had enough, because even though she was a lazy Goddess, Hestia had an eternity of stories to share.'

'In any case, if Caam's regrets were carving away his health, and he was truly connected to Brigid, then this is something Hestia would wish to know.'

'But that was something from another time… It was a bit cruel, but Silver reaaally wished to know how his parents were faring, and he couldn't wait any longer.'

'Hopefully, Brigid could forgive him for ignoring the plight of her follower... Otherwise, he would accept punishment for being cruel…'

'Nonetheless, for now, he went on with his Goddess across the mountain path.'

…

/The hours went by.../

'The path back home was short and fulfilling.'

'All kinds of exotic creatures and plants, beautiful sights, all under the sunny skies as they made their way across the mountain path.'

'It wasn't as cold as they expected it to be but it wasn't hot either, just the perfect temperature for a stroll.'

'Whenever they got tired, Silver would stop, sometimes playing with them, oftentimes carrying them on his back, he didn't hold back on his powers nor did he overuse them.'

'He wanted to experience traveling around, and so they did.'

'They told each other stories of their lives as they walked, Artemis and Hestia laughed as they remembered things that happened back in heaven, and oftentimes, even Hestia got surprised, not to say Silver...'

'And like that, they eventually arrived at a forked road…'

...

/Step… Crunch.../

"..."

This road… I remember it.

It's a bit dirtier than before and partially covered in snow, it also looks like there was a landfall in the last few months... But I can still see it.

We're getting there.

"We'll be taking a left here, across the landfall."

"From here on out we're leaving the mountain, no more ragged roads, we'll be walking on the good and old stony paths across the plains."

"Really? This quickly? How long has it been since we left Orario?" Artemis asked as she approached Silver

"How long? Let me check… Umm..."

"About six hours." He said as he checked his pocket watch

"That's pretty fast, how far away are we from the city now?" Hestia asked as she raised her head to look at a nearby mountain

"How far?" Silver asked out loud as he looked at the mountains

"Hum… About 140 Kilometers away."

""What?!"

"J-Just when did we walk so much?" Hestia asked as her eyes opened wide

'Also, I'm pretty sure we spent half of that time resting if not longer… How far did he transport us?'

'Silver's abilities are stronger than I imagined…' 

"I told you it would be fast, each gate can cross dozens of Kilometers in an instant."

"I could even try opening a gate directly to Orario but... Since we still have some road left to cover, it would be best if I retained my consciousness." Silver joked as he took a step forward

"Come, there's still about 80 or so left." Silver said as he raised his hand, pushing the rocks and dirt out of the stone path

/Shuaaaa.../

'From the looks of it, no one had crossed this path in a while, it was desolate and untouched.'

'It was to show how afraid of monsters people truly were outside of Orario.'

"... Here, it says there's a Village down this path, is that the one we're going towards?" Artemis asked as she looked at a sign

'It was a pretty old stone sign carved within a large boulder just off road next to the fork."

'It was full of moss and cracked in some places, clearly in dire need of repair.'

"Village?"

'Silver stopped, looking at the sign for a moment before turning his head as he walked down the now cleared slope.'

"... No… In fact, we should take off that sign." He replied in a deep tone as he approached it

"Eh? Why?… Oh…"

"That Village is no more... It vanished long before I was even born."

"We'll be passing by its remains, it's a waypoint in a sense, if you wish to treat it as such. It's about 10 Kilometers from here."

I didn't even remember it was there, I must've rushed through it while on my way to Orario.

I was really excited back then... I still am to some degree.

"... What happened?" Artemis asked in a low tone as she looked away in frustration

'The fact she was asking Silver such a question came to show how confident she was in him, after all, hadn't he just said the Village vanished before he was born?'

'It would be strange for him to know anything.'

"What do you think? The same usual, it happens every now and then."

"A monster attack, which one I don't quite know, probably a Wyvern, there were quite a few around."

Although I shooed them away...

"Outside of Orario, if a monster doesn't take down an entire place, the people will eventually leave even if it means losing everything they built and have."

"It's just how life is outside, at least in here, people are somewhat close to Orario and the ground is fertile and clear, other places have far more than just monsters to worry about." He said in a deep tone as he turned around, raising his hands to them

"..."

'Artemis knew of that, but the truth was painful.'

"Come, time waits for no one." 

'With a light smile, he held their hands before pulling them gently.'

'And with mixed expressions, they followed.'

…

/Chirp Chirp…/

'Alongside a long river that flowed down from a nearby lake was a small humble Village surrounded by a forest that went into the distance.'

'It had stone paths, the houses were organized, and it had fences surrounding it.'

'From time to time, children could be seen running around, laughing as they played with each other, sometimes, with dogs and cats as well.'

'They held wooden swords and pot lids as they imagined themselves as knights, fighting monsters and evildoers as they became the Heroes of their own fabricated stories.'

'It looked peaceful, it was peaceful, a welcoming sight in this world filled with monsters.'

…

/Meanwhile, atop a hill…/

"..."

'Looking at his hometown from afar, Silver couldn't help but feel a bit strange.'

'A somewhat foreign feeling began rising in his chest, causing him some discomfort…'

'It wasn't until he took a deep breath that he realized what said feeling was… And that caused him to exhale loudly.'

The feeling of home and family… And a bit of embarrassment... Haha.

To think there would ever come a time I would go back home to show my parents my girlfriend… Plural… Plural?

... This is a bit concerning… 

'Silver smiled awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.'

"So this is the place… It's… Exactly as you described." Hestia said in curiosity as she looked around in excitement 

"The people here seem happy, I've seen some children with blessings on the road, those must be the reason why it's safe here." Artemis added as she looked behind her and into the path they had just taken

"Children of the Demeter Familia, they've become more proactive in protecting some of the Villages around the city in recent times. It's more correct to say they're external members." Silver added as he turned to the side

"These people will likely never be adventurers, I assume they're Villagers who decided to protect themselves, it's not uncommon. I've talked about this before…" 

In truth, the reason this place is safe is because my Grandparents hunted everything noteworthy within a few Kilometers of this region.

I killed quite a few too as I trained myself and my Plasmids.

The only things left around here are Level 1 monsters no one cares about, sometimes so weak they'll run away in fear at the sight of a Human.

Goblins and Kobolds, giant spiders as well, they'll usually stick to their territories, the only thing they'll attack is children or an adult when they're in groups of three or more, which is unusual.

Any decent trained knight can deal with a party of simple-minded Goblins wearing nothing of importance, they don't even need a blessing, so yeah, this place is rather safe.

'As he said that, he walked to a tree nearby, crouching next to it as he looked for something.'

"Hum… It should be around here somewhere… Aha!" 

/Dust…/

'Silver cleared some vines and dust from a tree's bark, revealing several straight knife marks in it, together with a few carvings on the tree's bark.'

"These are…"

H-How cute!

"My height as I grew up, grandpa used to carry me in his back to this hill with grandma so we could have picnics, he would then mark my height on the wood before we went back home."

I can see the back forest from here as well, including my training dummy...

'Far in the distance there was a tree bigger than the others, it was a rare and exotic Iron-Oak tree, its wood was strong enough to make materials for Level 2 adventurers, it was likely planted here long ago in the past before his grandparents were even born.'

'Silver used it as a training partner as he grew up, it was full of scars and cuts, but overall, Silver took good care of the tree, it was good to see it again.'

"I market my height once before leaving Orario on my own… I think I grew up a bit since then." He said as he scratched his chin

My body changed quite a bit, my parents will get quite a shock...

"Only one way to find out." Artemis said with a chuckle as she looked at him

"Of course…"

"Let me do it!" Hestia said excitedly as she walked closer

It has to be me!

""...""

'Both Silver and Artemis looked at each other, knowing full well there was a very glaring problem…'

"Hestia…"

"Eh? Something's wrong?"

"..."

'It was then that Hestia realized, due to her height, it was a bit awkward for her to carve a line atop Silver's head, and the moment she realized it, she puffed her cheeks as tears formed in her eyes.'

"NOT FAIR!!"

…

'Calming Hestia down took some effort, and it was only after reaching a consensus where Artemis would carve half of the line and Hestia the other half that she calmed down.'

'To help her carve it, Silver made a small rock manifest on the ground so she could step upon it, the rest was simple.'

'Because she was feeling extra feisty, Hestia also carved the symbol of the Hestia Familia on the tree's trunk, albeit at first, she wanted to carve H+M on it but ended up stopping halfway through due to extreme embarrassment.'1

'Little did she know, Artemis sneakily carved A+M on the side... But she was so embarrassed at her act that her face grew completely red, but Hestia didn't notice it.'

'The same can't be said for Silver, who felt even more stuffy than before, but he didn't show it since he thought Artemis might die of embarrassment if he did so.'

'Once they were done and both of them were smiling, Silver led them downhill and onto the Village, immediately meeting with people he recognized.'

'He began catching up with everybody, sharing stories of what happened...'

'But what he heard from them almost caused Silver to lose his composure.'

…

/Not long after.../

"They… Moved places?"

"Can you elaborate old Jul?" Silver asked in a deep tone as he looked at an old man

'Old Jul was a man around the same age as his grandparents, he was the father of one of Silver's mother, friends.'

'And he was currently acting as the Village Head after the passing of the last Head, unfortunately, he left this world when Silver was still a teenager.'

'Such is life.'

"Cough… It happened around two seasons ago…" Old Jul said as he looked at Silver

"That old bastard, Lington, suddenly came to me to warn everyone in the Village that a powerful monster was moving around the area and that it would be best for all of us to move closer to Orario, even if for a short period until adventurers from the city dealt with it."

"As such, we all moved directly into the territory of the Demeter Familia where we stood until the end of Summer once we received notice that the beast had been dealt with, we returned not that long ago."

"Throughout this entire period, everyone was rather euphoric, thinking they would never be able to return to their previous normal lives or that they would return to rubble and cinders… Thankfully, they were all overreacting." Jul said as he shook his head

"What about my family? What happened to them?"

"Calm down boy, they are all well as far as I'm aware."

"Although they did not come with us, I heard they moved to another Village deeper in the mountains, and knowing their capabilities, they should be fine."

"Especially since not too long ago, I received news directly from your grandfathers who were just coming from Orario after visiting you."

"They stopped by the Village to tell everybody that they were okay and also to leave a map with us in case you visited, which I thought odd."

"If they visited you in the city, why would they leave their address with us?..."

"That's because they forgot to tell me where they were…" Silver replied in an exhausted tone as he face-palmed

"Oho? That does look like something they would do!" He said with a light chuckle

"Phew… Not funny… Almost had a heart attack for a minute..."

"Ho… I apologize, the way I told the story was quite dramatic and with room for bad interpretations…"

"It's okay, they're to blame for everything… But you see…"

"I'll go fetch it don't worry… Meanwhile, shouldn't we be talking about those ladies you brought with you?" Old Jul asked as a smirk formed on his face

"Wh…? I, mnn… Yeah?"

"Ohoho… Embarrassed now? That's quite the sight… You were always a quiet child, none of the gals in the Village ever seemed to attract your eyes, it was just that you had a more refined taste!"

"To bring back two goddesses back home… Now that's a feat that will be remembered for generations!"

"Your grandparents boasted about your success in Orario, it seems they weren't exaggerating things!"

"Haha… There's no need for that, it's not that impressive…" Silver replied as he grew somewhat embarrassed 

"I'll make sure to record it, I was writing a biography you see, I'll make sure to record this day to its fullest."

"... Great, go for it..."

Please don't…

'The tales of how a man from their Village charmed two Goddess at once would resound across the land for many ages to come, though that was a story for another time.'

…

/Later.../

"... What else? You mentioned a Wyvern." Artemis asked as she looked at an old lady

"Ohh! The 'Great Scaled one', that's a story I love sharing with others..." 

"For close to a century, there was a giant Wyvern which used to reign over the nearby mountains..."

'While Silver talked with the Elder, Hestia and Artemis talked with his wife, hearing stories of Silver's and the Village's past, which was always very interesting to the Gods.'

'But eventually, once he returned from his talk with Jul, Silver led them both to his parent's home a few streets down the main road, somewhere close to another small hill where his grandfather's home was built.'

'It was going to be empty and dusty, but Silver wanted to visit it at least once, maybe even clean it if possible or bring back some items so once he does meet with his family, he has something to give them.'

'From the note left behind by his grandfather, they were located a few days on foot to the NorthEast, or in other words, they were deep in the mountains in a Village built atop a plateau, very much like Edas Village in a sense.'

'However, it was a Village not mentioned in any of the maps he had found, even the ones he checked on the Gnome Library, so it was likely either a recent one or an ancient Village with little to no contact with the outside world.'

'Albeit how it kept itself safe from the monsters that deep in the Beol mountains was a mystery to him, nonetheless, he now had an objective, a goal.'

'It was time to return to the Beol mountains and find his parents…'

...

"..."

Just being here makes me a bit relaxed, how simple Humans are...

Brings me back to when I was little, when the only thing I had to keep track of were the books I read in my spare time.

To think that while I got stressed over my height and strength the Leviathan was killed...

Growing up can be both a blessing and a hassle.

'Silver's house wasn't that impressive, it was a mostly wooden house with a stone base two floors high with a basement and an attic.'

'The house also had a garden on the side and a somewhat sizable shack on the side, the workshop Silver's father used to work in.'

'He was a smith in a sense, although even Silver himself never figured out what he was.'

'Sometimes, he was a farmer, other times he was a househusband, other times he was a smith, from time to time, a woodcutter, but most of the time, a slacker.'

/Clack.../

"..."

It's locked... Not like that can stop me...

/Click.../

'The door to his home was large and wide, made entirely out of Ironwood.'

'There were several runic carvings on its surface, but they weren't magic, only a few welcoming words and simple jokes that defined who they were as a Family.'

"This is... Esca household... Wait a minute, is that your Middle name?" Artemis asked with surprise as she looked at Silver

"Yes, it's my father's surname, the one he inherited from his father and a few more generations down the line, I don't usually use it and it doesn't appear in the Status Sheet either, this is because my parents did not give me their middle names when I was born."

"Although technically speaking, I do carry the name and consider it to be mine."

"Why?" She asked as she tilted her head to the side

"Because my name would've been too long..."

"Oh... That's true... Hm... Silver Esca... Doesn't sound as bad."

"You forgot to consider that is just from my father's father side, there is also his mother's side and my mother's and they wouldn't be happy if I just inherited one side of the Family."

"Mother may have married and adopted father's surname, but my grandparents are unwilling to let their family names vanish, every one of them and they're all quite stubborn... So you see, it's not just one or two extra names, it's four."

"And I can't have those all, but neither can I have just one..."

"It would mean war." He said with a chuckle as he pushed the door open

They eventually settled down with my father's name though, but for quite a penny...

/Creak…/

'What greeted Silver was a sight he was far too used to, a living room with a set of stairs in the back, together with a large fireplace on the side and a kitchen on the right far corner of the room.'

"Fell free to explore the place, my parents wouldn't mind."

"I'll clean the place and fetch some things in the meantime, if you find anything interesting, just let me know, I would love to talk about them." He said with a smile as Magical power began to gather around his fingertips

"Though try not to break anything if you can though..."

"As if I would do that!!" Hestia exclaimed with a pout as she saw his gaze, stomping her feet on the ground as she turned around

"Uhum..."

...

/Later.../

"Urg... Cough... So much dust... Oho?... Ha!!"

"Is this what I think it is?!" Hestia exclaimed out loud as she looked at a small wooden cradle on the side

"Ah? Awn~…"

"Wh..."

Shit, how did she find that?

'Connected to the living room was a small storage room with many items inside, gathered atop one another to form a small and orderly, messy pile.'

'Boxes of all kinds pilled up together covered in cloth to protect the items within from dust and dirt, hiding away treasures of the past…'

'Memories.'

/Thud thud…/

"Sigh… Stop digging around for things…" Silver said awkwardly as he saw Hestia open a box, trying to sneakily close it as she began laughing from ear to ear 

"No way… Pfft… Did you make this?" Hestia asked as she lifted a small painting of a family of 7, four old people, two young, and a child

It was rough but it was quite clear.

"Yes… I made it when I was four."

I forgot this was even a thing… Did my parents keep these little things? 

I never paid attention… Sigh.

At the time I was still trying to properly grow my motor skills so the painting came quite... Bad, though I was also making an effort to make it stupid.

"! You made this when you were four? HA! Silver was a genius!" Hestia said with a laugh as she looked at the painting 

"Hm? What is this?..." 

'Meanwhile, Artemis pulled a slightly thick book from one of the boxes, curious over what it was.'

"Oh no…"

'The moment he saw the book, Silver immediately knew what it was about…'

/Open…/

"!!!"

'As she opened the book, Artemis became completely mesmerized by what she saw, stopping to even breathe as she was overtaken by a cuteness overload.'

'In the book, several pictures of a baby Silver doing things could be seen, there were dozens, hundreds…'

'Those, of course, weren't pictures, those were paintings SIlver made with his Plasmids after he awakened them.'

'To train his powers, Silver thought about recreating scenes from his childhood, one by one based on his memories and those of his parents and grandparents as well.'

'And like that, one picture at a time, this book was born.'

"Awn… So cute!"

"Let me see…"

"..."

Maybe it was a bad idea to bring them here… How embarrassing.

But... At least they're happy... And distracted.

For now.

…

.

.

.

Notes

This is a massive chapter going through a lot of nothing so we can move on to more interesting matters.

As such, I'll be posting the next chapter only on Sunday, if I can.

I have an exam on Monday so yeah, we'll see about that.

And also, I had a terrible loss recently, my Cousin was shot in a horrific shootout so I'm not in the mood to write a lot, I hope you can all understand.

Such things are rare but when they do, you can only move on... And to me, writing is a form of relaxation and a distraction, but not to the degree I can maintain 3 chapters a week.

Either way, this one is already that.

I hope you all have a phenomenal week, pay attention when you're out late, peace.