Hokori’s family and the villagers winced as the massive bullet train fell into the ravine. Even far away, the clanging remained grating. They also heard its windows shatter to dust upon its descent.

He cracked his knuckles and neck. “Aight. I had my fill.” He put his hands inside his pockets and went back to his family.

Surprisingly, his youngest siblings had bright smiles. They cheered up and down. “That was so cool, Uncle!” exclaimed Hayato. Yukino expressed similar feelings and jumped for a hug. Even more damning, their parents sighed. They learned to smile faintly with their eldest’s antics.

On the other hand, Kakunō and Kenkō had dropped eyes and mouths. “We gotta re-educate them…” they thought in unison.

The vampiric army had expressed fear and sweat par excellence. Blood ran colder when it was impossible. Their lieutenant failed to take one more step. He shook about, then gasped, “Leave this human realm, my men! It’s not worth it!” He stood tall when his soul could not.

One stepped in. “B-But, sir. Lady Carmilla would turn us in. We should—”

“I’ve not talked about that senile hag!” he shouted louder, but he calmed down. “Sister will forgive us either way. Like always.”

The lieutenant transformed and flew into the sky. The others followed suit. However, their wings could not ascend any higher. Now, they had stuck in midair like taxidermied creatures of the night.

The lieutenant grunted in place. “What powerful magic is this!?” He gruelly looked down and found the answer.

Hayato did not have it easy, either. Controlling more than a hundred had aura light up. Down to his knees, he pulled the bats to kiss the ground. Yukino ran for his aid and rubbed his back. “Never overdo it, Lil Bro. Use only enough.”

Kakunō looked upon the restrained vampires from afar. He raised a brow with a cocked head. “Gotta admit, Yuki. He’s quite the talent.”

Tokino walked in front and kneeled. “Don’t fret, honey. The mission’s over.” She stroked Hayato’s crown.

He took breaths and shook his head with closed eyes. Standing up, he never lost his happy look. “Let’s have pepper steak again, Mama! I wanna cook for Papa and Uncle.” He heard a giggle and an okay.

Haruto’s heart had warmed by the glow he showed. He recalled the scent of living atop a hill and two striking smiles. Sadly, his shoulder felt the wrath of a big hand.

Hokori patted him more. “So, boy… What’s it like to have a son?”

His annoyance faded quickly, and he turned back. “Not sure if I can tell the difference.” Gratitude that day was sky-high.

The villagers expressed such feelings the most. They raised a toast and threw wooden debris onto a bonfire. Courtesy of her eldest brother, Kenkō opened The Every Hub. The ancient earthly song of “A L’entrada del Temps Clar” boomed throughout the town center.

Her cheeks reddened upon finding out their native tongue was close to Occitan. She went for the screen—only for the folk to have her dance. Their ale gave the sanest man vivid dames swaying toward them. For her, it was the latest issue model of Coelestis’ “Beefcake Darling.”

She had never laughed and rolled in her life. “Oh, that’s it, baby. Right there….” Others laughed louder as she hugged an empty barrel.

Haruto shared his joy with the others, but his wife had pouted from behind. Before he knew it, his forehead felt something long forgotten. Tokino giggled with closed eyes and continued until she made the first move. It was all according to plan. However, she would not have the last laugh. His arms startled her, and she giggled again. “Honey, what are you doing? I’m not a princess.”

She was instead a queen, Haruto declared. He opened a nearby door and walked backward. “Sorry, fellas. Need some privacy.”

As it closed before them, the villagers flustered more. However, sweat covered them instantly when a beast flung its fourth victim onto a tree. The drunkard’s pearly whites got downed by one.

Hokori fully healed each poor sap, and blood vessels pulsated on their skin. He stood and chuckled. “Aight! Who’ll give me another all-natural jump rope? It better be fresh!”

If the villagers had dealt with a random thug, God Law could have saved them trouble. Coelestis’ majesty would never handpick a walking calamity, they once hoped.

Yukino clapped around the beat of the song’s flute chorus. Then, she gasped at the still ruined areas. Within seconds, a runic circle covered the entire residence. Roof and tree, none got spared from the reversion. Hayato observed closely and looked at his hands.

She wiped her sweat and waved with both raised. “Thank you so much, everyone! To you as well!” Her giggles were endless when her parents showered her with praise and head pats. They told her not to go inside the house behind them.

The villagers got awestruck by their exceedingly familial bond. Alas, they backed away instinctively when the beast grinned at them. “What ‘bout me, folks?” Hokori raised his arms sideways. “Any y’all free tonight? I swing both ways.”

Children held their parents close in tears. Adults sweated bullets, and a half even ran for the hills. The village head’s fists shook to their limit. “S-S-Stay back…! I warn you!” Sadly, it took a mere chest tap for lights out. He did not even feel a thing.

Kakunō walked into the distance. “Any idea what’re we gonna do with these?” He pointed at the railways. “Seems Yuki can’t just remove stuff.”

Hokori cleaned his ear with a pinky. “Ain’t it obvious, fam? We can remove roads and steel beams just by side-steppin’. Might as well use this little piggy to—”

Before their wide eyes was a miracle; Hayato beamed with determination. Hands up high, every track rolled into a beach ball-sized lump. The residents gasped, seeing him throw it into the stratosphere.

He was far from over despite his family’s warnings. “No, Lil Bro!” he heard Yukino, but he walked past her. In front of the hundred-meter ravine, he moved hands closer together. The earth had shaken to its core.

He grunted with clenched teeth. His aura made the grass beneath turn to ash. The land trembled more, and ale barrels spilled. For one final pull, he clasped his hands. The ravine was no more—a seamless stitch.

His sister did not waste any time catching his fall. He breathed slowly and smiled. “I did it, Sis… I helped when no one asked. Including all of you….”

Even when her heart raced, she could not help but return the courage. “Oh, Lil Bro,” she hugged him with closed eyes. “Good thing or not, I don’t care.”

Tokino flash-stepped in front and thanked the Gods. The waterworks turned on with more warm embraces. Haruto sighed in relief, but his shoulder felt the opposite again.

Hokori lowered his hand. “How ‘bout now, boy? Can you tell the difference or nah?”

This time, he had the last chuckle. “Sure do. Sons are wayward yet well-meant. And daughters give them direction.”

His wife stood and walked toward him. “You forgot a few things, honey. Fathers give strength. Mothers, hope.” She turned to the others. “And siblings rule the night even without shining stars.”

Kakunō and Kenkō complied with her fist bump immediately. Hokori was the last to show gratitude with a grin. “On the contrary, kid, it’s pretty bright out here.”

They shared their last joy and bid their goodbyes to the village. The unconscious undead army got piled in cells.

The family airship returned to the City of Gods by dawn. Hayato looked beyond a window, and a flock of steel-feathered cranes caught his eyes.

In their home, he was more than the talk. He was a kid to all—a hero to every kid. The citizens had never tired watching his clip of turning a firedrake queen into a pretzel.

Today was a breezy stroll in the central park with his siblings. It did not take long for rumors to spread. “Good morning, Hayato.”, “Hey, Hayato, catch!”, “Come play with us, man. The fair’s open!”, “Hey, Hayato… can you, um… tell your Sis to come here?”

Yukino’s cheeks turned red, and she refused with a bow and a mutter. It had been so long since she saw her one and only.

“What are you talking about, Sis?” he looked up. “Do we have more in the family?”

Kakunō stepped in from behind. “Pretty much, yeah. She made up her mind long ago.” He opened his Every Hub. “Wonder when they’ll come….”

“What do you mean?” Hayato cocked his head. “Is it a surprise? Is that why Big Sis isn’t here?”

He closed his screen and chuckled. “Lay off the question marks, Bro. You just read my mind.”

“Okay!” He went on roller skates with his sister—solely patented by his big brother.

The Celestial Summit took place once more in the king’s home. All but one voted Hayato an exceptional title: saint mage. An overwhelming majority agreed it would be the highest rank.

Harald raised a hand to end the applause. “Frankly, my friends… we never had tales of chosen ones, greatness in their palm. But that’s even better! We’ve now begotten a legend-in-waiting. And I strive to be the teller for the next millennia.”

All but one cheered louder. Tokino dried her joy as her husband rubbed her back. Then, the room fell silent upon another hand raised. Hokori stood and cleared his throat. “I propose somethin’ else just as cool, my man. It’ll be my million-year legacy.”

They listened closely for one minute. To think a quarter of Hokori’s speech would create such outcry. Not even his family agreed. Feuer had several veins popped within him, but all he got was a thrown coaster.

He chuckled at him. “Yeah, das right. Less talkin’, more action.” He did not expect to get his wish instantly. Magma bullets flew at 300m/s, yet his head dodged each. He shrugged with a smirk. “C’mon, y’all… What’s wrong with the word ‘Bankai’?”

The Novusian archmage sat down and panted with a glare. “Listen to yourself, simpleton. You wish to erase our mega annum-old culture!”

“What?” He raised an eyebrow. “It def sounds cooler than ‘Zenith Corpus.’ It ain’t like it’d change anythin’, pretty boy.”

He grunted and pointed sharply. “That’s not the issue at hand! Zenith Corpus, words formed by Durus the Younger. The first archmage. Yet, you seek to crush his work in the name of ‘anime’!”

Hokori opened an eye and stopped leaning from his chair. “Hey, hey. Wait a minute,” he had spoken Japanese. “Better watch your mouth. Them’s fightin’ words.”

He squinted a little. “How could that possibly be? I enjoy it just as much. But never cross lines, brother! We must—”

Right beside him, he heard a massive table bang. Everyone had turned their eyes. Hagel sulked and said no word. The double doors to the outside banged harder.

The air grew cold around the throne room. Still, Hokori snickered. “Hahahahahahaha! Oh, my Buddha. That scrawny cunt tryna release his pressure on me. It’d be funny if frostbite worked on him.”

Everyone sat startled as they heard another bang, and from the Peerless Champion, no less. They expected much, but their eyes remained wide. He stood and sighed with closed eyes. “Welp, my day’s ruined. I hope Kenkō’s keepin’ her senses.” The double doors closed behind him.

Harald tsked for everyone’s attention. “No use bettering the air, Haruto.” His eyes remained stern as he sat. “We’re here for grave problems. And Hagel’s the key.”

They listened closely once more. The two hundredth citizen had suffered exsanguination. Carmilla of the Stoker Dominion still refuted such fingerpointing.

“I believe her 100%.” The king tented his fingers. “She’s taking responsibility for her cousin’s men as we speak. Perhaps she regrets giving her equal power.”

Harald dismissed everyone in the room. They bowed stoically, never to pollute the atmosphere more.

At the estate, Hayato had cocked his head more than ever. For hours, Kenkō played Tower of Hanoi, and his other sister joined. Curiosity had now fully taken over.

He lightly tugged the former’s shirt. “Excuse me, Big Sis. Why aren’t you finished?”

“Oh, nothing…” she shook her sweaty head. “I-I’m just really stoked for your surprise, that’s all. But I can’t tell you. T-That’s the idea.” She played faster, which shocked her little sister.

Once again, Kakunō stepped in. “Leave her be, Bro. It’s the hormones acting out.” He winked quickly, and Hayato agreed to go to his room. He turned to the couple in the kitchen. “Alright, guys. They’re almost here.”

His words made Yukino’s pace match a rabbit’s. She cupped her red cheeks until her mother gave her courage. She nodded, eyes confident.

Hayato killed time playing Stardew Valley in The Every Hub. He found tending chickens easier here, yet Big Sis was a diehard fan of her favorite series.

As he mined for a minute, he felt wind inside his room. His eyes darted but saw nothing. He was never the kind to let down one’s guard. Hands at the ready, several objects floated in midair. By the wall, a dark portal formed.

He tensed his hands, yet again, nothing. Curiosity took control once more. He slowly walked toward the vortex. Before he knew it, a hand grabbed his shirt.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

Hayato saw nothing but the abyss inside. Eyes closed, he shielded himself. Seconds in, he felt like he sat on something. It was not outlandish—but his favorite dining chair; before his wide eyes were the whole family.

“Happy Birthday!!!”

Their smiles shone like the glistening streamers and falling confetti. Behind them were even more smiles. Hayato cocked his head at the three he had never met. One of them immediately hugged him.

“I’m sorry if my William scared you, dear.” She let go. “Your parents are still working hard in the kitchen. There’s more where this came from!” She presented the larger-than-life banquet at the table.

Hayato noticed that they held not only one but two banners. The mentioned birthday girl walked closer. “Thank you so much, Grace. Yukichi’s waiting for you.”

Kenkō gave him the warmest hug that day. He smiled back and returned the gesture; both eyes had closed.

“Anything for you, Hayataro… I mean that with all my heart.”