The Solar System
Alex and the hunters had not even returned to the system yet, but news of his return had already reached home as the hunters on board could not hold back telling their companions and friends back home.
Inside the Knight estate, Julia had invited her teammates over as they practised their arts and teamwork. With nothing to do at the moment, they could only train while being on standby.
Suddenly, they all had their devices vibrate as a message came in through the hunters' common channel. The message froze everyone in place, turning their expressions into shock and disbelief.
[Alexander is back.]
It was a short and simple message, but anyone familiar with that name instantly knew what it meant.
"…."
Slowly, Julia raised her head and turned to Ross. Her heart was racing with all the emotions she had been holding in since they never found Alex.
Her eyes welled with tears as she and Ross exchanged shocked glances. But then, before anyone could say anything, Julia bolted out of the training space.
"Julia!" Ross called her and chased after her. He already knew where the girl was headed. "Wait for me!" He called her but the girl wouldn't slow down.
Nothing was going to stop Julia from seeing her long-lost Alex. And there was only one place Alex would appear first upon his return.
Back in the training space, Henry gritted his teeth as he felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. He barely had a chance with Julia since he came to this star system.
And even with Alex's absence, she never gave him the time of day. Now that he was back, Henry knew it was his loss. He silently left his colleagues as he needed time for himself.
The others watched him go in silence as they could guess how he was feeling.
"So what do we do now?" Violet asked Ethan who shrugged in reply.
"For now, we retire. Once everything settles, we'll see them." Ethan said as he made his way out of the raining space, leaving Violet alone.
....
Alex sat alone in the room James directed him, giving him the time he needed to rest. Everyone had questions, but Alex just arrived. Bombarding him with questions right now was not the way to go.
'Finally going home,' Alex thought with a small smile. 'I bet news has already circulated. So much for the surprise.'
His mind drifted to his friends, whom he was sure would wait for him at his home. It was the first place anyone would think of after being away from it.
'I wonder how strong they've become.' He lifted his right hand and clenched his fist, feeling the power course through him like a rushing storm.
He had pretty much reached the pinnacle of what humans could reach, but he knew he was nowhere near strong enough. He still hadn't reached the second bottleneck yet.
There was more room for growth and if he let himself focus entirely on refining void energy and contemplating, he could unlock secrets they hadn't even begun to imagine.
'Class S is not close to the limit at all… That must mean there is something we're missing. Something that is preventing us from moving above Class S.'
Alex's mind spun rapidly as many things flashed through his head. 'All in due time. For now…' He smiled and got to his feet.
The fleet of ships had arrived in the solar system. It was time to go see his family. Before any arrangements could be made for a landing vessel, Alex's figure disappeared from the ship and appeared in Earth's orbit.
'Home sweet home,' He gazed at the planet with nostalgia. Alex took his time to appreciate the breathtaking view.
However, he noticed something shortly after spreading his senses over the planet. 'Strange…' He wondered as most of the streets were empty, even on the side facing the sun.
'I'll inquire about it later. For now…' Alex looked at his armour and needed a change of clothing. Everything he had in his storage, he had outgrown.
With a thought, he appeared at the entrance of a clothing store he was familiar with in Central City, quickly getting a change of clothes.
Now set and ready, he turned towards the location of his home and seeing the people waiting inside with varying emotions on their faces warmed his heart.
Alex flashed another smile and abruptly appeared at the door to his home.
'Okay… Alex, this is it. After five years of separation, I get to see everyone again.' Alex wasn't going to lie; he was very nervous.
Raising his hand, he knocked on the door.
...…
Julia was brimming with so much excitement she couldn't sit down and was pacing back and forth in the living room.
William and Sarah sat in one of the couches and watched the restless girl. Sarah could only shake her head in resignation. They had tried calming her down several times but to no avail.
On another side of the couch was Olivia and her husband. Just like Julia, she was restless but at least had her Shawn to hold her hand and keep her down.
The nervous but excited smile on her face couldn't be hidden either. She and Julia would turn every few seconds to look at the door.
To the side was Ross who was just as excited but was able to hold himself back. But if one looked closer, his feet were anything but calm.
Beside him was Aaron, the youngest member of the family who was now a third-year student at the academy and a Class E awakened. He spent most of his time in the academy, burying himself in his studies and missions.
It was the only way he could get his mind off things. Imagine his shock and surprise when he got a call that his brother was returning and would arrive in a few hours. Without hesitation, he dropped everything and rushed back home.
He'd been back home when his mom woke up and couldn't have been happier, but the family did not inform him about Alex's imminent return since they didn't know when exactly he would be coming back.
Suddenly, the gathering heard a knock at the door and everyone froze, their breaths hitching as their hearts began to race rapidly.
'He's here!'
The first to rush to the door was obvious.