CH 55

While the Pantheon was having their battle with the Abdicates, it was peaceful back home. Back in Kanada.

A young boy looked over the ducks swimming on the lake water. Their white feathers were getting wet from the splashes made by the movements of their feet, but they didn't care, they didn't even seem to know about the concept of getting wet.

"Ok, now try raising it higher." A gentle voice called out to the boy who had lost his excitement over training his ability.

He was advised to just practice whenever he had time, but he insisted on training it properly. That was when big sister Tina volunteered to help him and his little sister train. His training was simple, focus on what he wants to build and assemble it properly. He was already on his seventh trial today, with only the fifth being able to exceed Tina's standards.

"Hey, hey, look!" Little Tina had already been exercising her ability freely. She had the ability to control plants, and she was wielding it right now to make a flower bloom.

One patch of golden tulips grew visibly while little Tina gently petted their flowers. Her smiling face captivated Tina's attention away from Charles who then proceeded to watch over the ducks again. She had the ability to control plants, and she was using it right now to make a flower bloom. They just seemed so... free.

"Good job Tina! Tina's the best!"

Tina couldn't help but laugh inside while calling little Tina the best. She felt it was extremely embarrassing to praise herself like this but that was ignored since she received a grin from the little girl in return.

"Look! Big brother, look!" Little Tina then took out a bunch of seeds from her pocket and flung it towards the ducks.

It was about to startle them off when the seeds suddenly grew into vines that confined them together. This caused the relatively silent Charles to feel angry, and he erected a wall of earth that brought along those vines up, releasing the ducks. Though the ducks didn't offer their thanks and just swam away.

"What are you doing?!" Charlie stared intently at little Tina who hid her hands behind her back while holding back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She then spoke out in a delicate and stuttering voice.

"I-I'm sorry. I just wanted to feed them the seeds. I'm sorry." Little Tina's control of her ability wasn't refined yet.

Touching the seeds had allowed her mana to seep into the seeds, activating her ability and compelling them to grow instantaneously. She merely wanted to show her big brother how to attract the ducks, as she had asked mommy what ducks eat before they went to the park.

"Sigh." Charles had seen little Tina's mischievous side before and it wasn't what she was displaying now. Her look of guilt was genuine, and he didn't feel the need to turn something small into something big. She had already apologized anyway.

"Fine, just be careful next time. Ok?"

"Um! Um!" Little Tina felt her big brother's hand stroke her on the head and she merely nodded vigorously. The tears had burst out while she gave her big brother a hug.

'I wonder where you are now?' Tina observed this all from the side and couldn't help but think about her big brother. He used to be like this with him too, so much like this.

Ever since her father left the house, he had been the one who took care of her. Her mother's death had compelled their father to exhaust his interest in living as a family, pushing both of his children away. Though he nonetheless transferred them money every month, he never visited them.

That lasted until they received a letter, notifying them about their father's death. He had left behind an inheritance that they will only receive when they were of age. They've already received both of their shares when she reached 18, allowing her to continue to study without having to support herself at the same time.

Eventually, her brother had entered the army to provide for the both of them. The money was only enough to last them through her first two years in college, so he had to earn money to let Tina continue to go to college. She had last heard from him last month, when he was dispatched to some mission on the coasts of Lojo city. A city on the eastern side of Kanada, the city's harbor was the entry point to the nation of Cina.

"Let's go get something to eat." Tina watched as Charles coaxed the little girl by gently caressing her back. She felt the two needed a break, and she knew exactly what to get. The two may try to hide it, but she had personally seen their reactions when she said the words.

"Let's get frappuccinos!"

"Gasp. Yes!"

The crying little Tina raised her lowered head and gave out a startled gasp. Charles, on the other hand, bore stars in his eyes as he remembered the taste of frappes. The two had split to gather their things. Charles picked up his bag that was placed on a table made of earth while little Tina collected her bag that was placed over a stunted tree.

"You guys ready?"

"Yes!"

"Yeah! Yeah!"

The three then went on to a coffee shop a few blocks away, completely oblivious to the fight happening on the other side of the world. The three had picked up a box of doughnuts on their way home, as Tina had to bring back the kids to Mr. and Mrs. Halsey. It was already late in the evening when they got back. They were planning on surprising the two but when they knocked on the door, no one responded.

"Maybe they are already asleep?"

Charles experienced his fair share of being locked out. It's been something done to him when he wanted to pee and his roommate at the time barred him out because he said he was being too noisy. He had to sleep on the kitchen that day, using the burlap sacks of potatoes for cover.

"Silly boy, your parents can't sleep when you're not home yet. You should understand that, so don't stay out too late, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

Little Tina held on to the door handle which was surprisingly unlocked. The three pondered why the door was unlatched but when they saw Mr. and Mrs. Halsey sitting on the couch while watching the TV, they understood.

"Turns out they're watching a movie, I think?"

Charles had watched the whole first season of "The Men" and loved its action-packed story. Maybe mom and dad also have a series they liked to watch, they clearly seemed engaged to it.

"Hey, Auntie and Uncle! I got the kids back home." Seeing as the two were still unaware of their presence, Tina tried to call them out. But when she saw that they still haven't tried to acknowledge them, she tried to see just what kind of movie they were watching.

"-om, dad, I love you! I love you, Johnny! I'm sorry I never accepte- Bang!"

The movie looked so bad as the camera keeps on moving that it's hard to see what exactly was going on. A giant monster's punching a giant ice thing, and a tiny person was lying on the ground. Maybe it's because they didn't see the start of the movie but even if the story might not be that good, the effects look great, though. When the giant was about to destroy the ice thing, a giant violet cone appeared over its head.

"Die! Bang."

"King!"

"Gasp." The monster's whole body got split in half. Mr. and Mrs. Halsey both gasped in shock while Tina thought that the fight was too quick. Wasn't it too much for the monster to die just like that? It was when she saw the person lying on the ground, his upper body naked and the blood scattered around his body that she finally came to realize something.

"Big brother!"

"Big brother Zel!"

A look of incredulity appeared on Tina's face as she saw his face. Wasn't he in Cina with Emilia right now? Was he a movie star too?

"My God! Call Emi right now!" Mrs. Halsey hurriedly urged her husband who was still not over the shock he took from what he just saw. He had heard of them being something extraordinary now and even about fighting to keep them safe, but this... What is this?

"James!"

"Oh!" James rushed towards his phone that was placed on the table and pressed the speed dial for Emilia's phone. He looked around to see that there were three more people in the room, but he didn't mind since it was just the kids.

"Ring. Ring. Hello?" James was about to reply when he felt someone tug on his hand and took the phone from him.

"Emi!"

"Mom! It's great to hear from you! Are you guys ok?"

"I should be asking you that! What happened? Why is Zel fighting those things?!"

Tina and the two kids felt very confused by the situation. Was there something they didn't know about? Zel was featuring in a movie on TV right now but was it appropriate to consider it fighting?

Tina then scanned the TV for more information when she finally caught something that seemed strange. Right at the top right corner of the screen was a word, 'Live'.

"Live?!"

"We told you mom. It's an abdicate. These monsters came out of nowhere and destroyed everything in their sight. I don't know how Zel did it as well, but they are certainly not easy to restrain, much less kill like what Zel did."

"How is he honey? Can you check up on him?"

"He's still lying on the ground right now. We can't call him unless he wears his helmet again. I'll try contacting the people around him. They're friends too."

Tina then saw two more men wearing high tech looking armor appear on the screen. One of them took Zel in his arms and then threw him in the air. Zel still had a helpless look on his face when he was being hoisted up and down like that. The third man was standing silently, then he nodded.

"We just called him, they're saying that everything there has been handled. They should be coming back here right now."

"Call us when he comes back honey! Stay safe!"

"Yes mom, love you."

"Love you too honey!" Lane sighed as she gave back the phone to James. She looked at the box right in front of her that was carried by a pair of little hands.

"Surprise!"

The family wasn't able to see it, but a few lingering eyes were surveying them. Hiding in places they can never see, but those people can see them.

...

"That was awesome Zel! What the hell did you do?"

A very inviting welcome was given to Zel, Billy and Matthew who had taken a secret passage to reach the 23rd floor. It was bad enough that one of the drones tried to follow them, so they had to immobilize it for a while. And by immobilize, they meant hurling a rock at it to make it fall.

Emilia promptly took Zel from Billy who had carried him all this time. As when Zel tried to walk away a while ago, his legs had given out. With no choice to select from, they just carried Zel out.

"I was just lucky, since I got recognized as someone who gave the most contribution to defending the dimension from the abdicates. I received something from that which allowed me to enhance my abilities. Maybe I was wrong in thinking that contributions only relied on fighting the abdicates, maybe there's more to consider as properly."

Zel's mind was wondering as about how he got first place. Was it just happenstance that he got first or was there something more to it?

"Who cares! We won!" Karl didn't care about possibilities. If they win, then they win.

"Yeah!" The unified Pantheon group celebrated their win by getting takeout. The team had stuffed themselves full before finally getting some rest. Though Phil and the others had to try and control what little information the internet has of Zel and the others to ensure their reputations don't get sullied by trolls. The reputation of the Pantheon rests on their names after all.

It was already a few hours later that Zel finally had the chance to rest. His mind may be tired, but he needed to use his ability to see what they should do next. That's what his talent was good for, what it's best used for.

"It's good to have you back." Emilia was gently stroking Zel's hair as he took her chest as his pillow. He hugged her waist while resting his eyes. Her smell, her heat, her softness, everything right now made him feel relaxed, made him feel at home.

"I'll always be back."

Hugging her more tightly, he pressed his face against her body to appease her. He knew precisely how much stress she might have built up when he had to encounter such a precarious situation without her by his side. The feeling of helplessness at witnessing your loved ones be in danger and not possessing any ability to aid them in anyway was excruciating.

The two cuddled the whole night, not even getting bothered by the rest of the group who had seen the 'Do Not Disturb' sign outside their door. At long last, after a long and stressful day, they all got to rest.