Adam arrived at his small but cozy home, where he spotted his younger siblings in the front yard. Alfred was juggling a worn-out soccer ball, while Aria sat at a table nearby, her textbook open in front of her. She glanced at her twin brother with clear irritation.
"You should be studying, not wasting time playing," Aria snapped, her tone sharp. "Exams are next week, and all you care about is that stupid ball."
Alfred rolled his eyes and kicked the ball into the makeshift goalpost Adam had built for him. "What's the point? I already know I'm not going to ace some scholarship exam. I'd rather focus on football tryouts than pretend to care about grades."
As he turned to retrieve the ball, Alfred froze. His eyes widened when he noticed Adam standing by the gate, a warm smile on his face.
"Adam!" Alfred shouted, dropping the ball and sprinting toward his older brother. He threw his arms around him, holding on tight. "I missed you so much! When we heard you got shot, I thought… I thought we lost you. But Nurse Jane said you'd pull through, and here you are!"
Before Adam could even respond, Aria dropped her book and rushed over. She wrapped her arms around him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You're really okay," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I was so scared, Adam… I thought we'd never see you again."
Adam held both of them close, a lump forming in his throat as he felt their relief and love. "I'm fine," he said softly. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."
For a moment, the three of them stood there in silence, holding on to each other as if afraid to let go.
As they were having their little family reunion, Anita stepped out of the house wearing an apron. She called out to Alfred and Aria, "Dinner's ready—" but stopped mid-sentence when her eyes landed on Adam. She froze, her face turning bright red, and without a word, she spun around and darted back inside.
Adam raised an eyebrow, confused. "What's Anita doing here?" he asked, glancing at his siblings.
Before he could get an answer, Aria spoke up. "Your boss asked her to look after us while you were in the hospital," she explained, crossing her arms with a smirk.
Adam chuckled, shaking his head. "Didn't think the Ice Queen had it in her to care about me or anyone else, for that matter."
The mood shifted instantly as a familiar, icy voice spoke up behind him. "Who are you calling the Ice Queen?"
Adam froze on the spot, feeling the temperature around him plummet. Slowly, he turned around, and there she was—Gloria, his boss, standing there with a deathly calm expression that sent a chill down his spine.
"Uh… no one important," Adam muttered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, hoping to avoid the storm he could already see brewing.
"Oh really?" Gloria asked, her lips curling into a smirk as she locked eyes with Adam.
Adam, already sweating, froze in place. His siblings weren't sticking around to find out what would happen next—they bolted for the house like their lives depended on it.
"Y-Yeah... really," Adam stammered, taking a slow step backward, trying to act calm but failing miserably.
Gloria raised an eyebrow, taking a step forward. Adam's eyes widened. Without another word, he spun on his heels and bolted for the door.
"Get back here!" Gloria shouted, her heels clicking loudly as she chased him.
Adam skidded into the house, yelling, "Nope, not today! I value my life!"
From the kitchen, Anita peeked out, wide-eyed, as Adam dashed past her. Gloria stormed in right after him, muttering something about "teaching him a lesson."
By the time Gloria reached the living room, Adam had barricaded himself behind the couch, holding a cushion like it was a shield. "Truce! Truce! I was joking!"
Gloria folded her arms, glaring at him with the intensity of a drill sergeant. "You better hope you're faster at work than you are at running from me!"
Adam peeked over the cushion and grinned nervously. "Noted, boss."
Few minutes later
"Surviving a gunshot to the head is a miracle. Honestly, I'm surprised the hospital let you leave so easily without running a million tests," Gloria said, handing her empty plate to Anita, who was gathering the dishes.
"They ran the usual tests," Adam replied, taking the plates from Anita before she could head to the sink. "I'll handle this," he said, giving her a small smile. "And Nurse Jane gave me the all-clear before I left."
"Jane, huh?" Gloria repeated, her expression shifting slightly like the name sparked something in her memory. "Alright, if you say so."
Elsewhere
"You're telling me he's not awakened?"
An elderly man in his late seventies leaned back in his chair, his weathered hands gripping the arms of it as he spoke to Jane, who stood in front of him. Baldur, her grandfather and the patriarch of the Galveston clan, was a frail-looking man with deep wrinkles etched into his pale skin. His silver hair, sparse on top but long at the sides, framed his sharp yet tired features. Despite his age, his piercing blue eyes still carried a spark of authority and wisdom.
"That's right, Gramps," Jane replied calmly. "He's just a regular human. The only unusual thing is his regeneration—it's faster than normal, but that's likely because of who his mother is."
Baldur sighed, rubbing his temple with a gnarled hand. "You're telling me he has higher regeneration than most humans, and you still call him ordinary?" He chuckled dryly, glancing up at the ceiling as if looking for patience. "Jane, that alone means he's awakened. No regular human heals like that—or he's not entirely human."