The next morning, Lakshman woke up early from the couch he had been using as a temporary bed. The reason for this was due to all the rooms in the house being occupied by his wives, children, and Mariana. They slept in groups of two while sharing a room since the house was not that big. Seeing the cramped situation in the house, he decided an increase in its size was necessary.

“The kids would need a room of their own, or rooms to share together with,” he had contemplated with his wives, who agreed happily and were excited at the prospect of a bigger house.

He sat upright on the couch and yawned hugely before he started hearing sounds coming from the kitchen. Turning to the wall clock, he saw that it was indicating six in the morning, causing him to smile as he understood who was in the kitchen that early in the morning.

“Emilia,” he said with a smile, rose to his feet and went to greet her. “I’m amazed you still wake up so early.”

“Ah, it’s just the usual,” she replied with a smile.

“But all this work,” he said and indicated the plates and bowls waiting to be cleaned from last night’s feast. “Need a hand?”

“It’s okay. Lucky,” she replied coolly. When he looked concerned and was about to protest, she smiled and said, “It’s fine. I’ve actually figured something new out during your absence. Watch.”

Curious by her statement, he became silent and watched her as she turned her attention to all the dished needing cleaning. She made her first move by raising her right hand in the air and aiming it at the dishes in front of her. In that instant, Lakshman felt her activate her magic as energy seeped out of her outstretched hands and soared towards the objects.

All the dishes were surrounded by the energy and they began glowing in a dim light. Then they rose slowly into the air steadily and stayed hovering a few centimetres off the kitchen bench. For her second move, Emilia aimed with her left hand and waved it around in a strange pattern. In an instant, the soap and scrubber soared into the air and flew towards the first plate.

The scrubber applied some of the soap and began rubbing the plate rigorously until the whole plate was covered in puff before the plate moved towards the tap on its own. As they did, Emilia waved a finger from her left hand, causing the water to start flowing out, which was where the flying plate came to rest to allow the water to completely soak it. A few seconds later, the plate was perfectly cleaned and once done, the plate moved towards a set of plate stackers for it to set itself upright and rest for air dry.

“Wow!” Lakshman said, blinking in amazement. “Voiceless Incantation!”

“Ah. So it was that after all,” said Emilia, looking mildly surprised.

“This is really amazing, Emilia! It’s even more elaborate and advanced than what I’ve been able to do!” Lakshman exclaimed, looking very impressed. “You’ve really come up with something amazing for this kind of work!”

“Ah, Lucky. You’re praising me too much,” she said bashfully.

He chuckled and said, “Alright then. I’m going out for a bit to get some fresh air.”

She blinked in surprise by his statement and asked, “Fresh air?”

Noticing that she was confused, he smiled and explained, “Since I’ve been back for just a day, I want to get a good view of the place. You know? Feel the surroundings. Relax a little.”

“Oh. I get it now,” she said, nodding in understanding. “Enjoy.”

They smiled at one another before Lakshman walked out of the kitchen and headed out of the house. Once outside, he could see that the sky was covered in soft clouds that completely hid the sun from view. However, he could see the sun rays trying to penetrate through the clouds, casting a cool view down onto the surface.

“I suppose it’ll be winter soon,” lamented Lakshman, and he smiled as he took a deep breath and released it smoothly.

He walked down the porch and turned to see two gravestones etched nearby. Wearing a sad smile, he walked over to them and saw that each were written with a name of the people he recognised and had a great bond with.

“Darian’s grave’s been added here,” he commented with a satisfied smile. Then he looked at the both of them and said in a soft voice, “Felix and Darian, I’ve returned.”

The cool wind breezed around him as he knelt down before the graves and faced them with a sad smile on his face.

“Darian,” he started by turning to Darian’s tombstone as he went on to say, “after my dad’s training, you took me in and pointed out my faults and kick started my training to overcome my failures on my journey to be brave, courageous, strong headed, determined and be truly strong. I really appreciate that. Felix,” and he turned to the past Phoenix Emperor before saying, “you opened up a whole new world to me, training me me to be to surpass my limits. You were also the first to open my eyes to me being the reincarnated Phoenix Titan and lead me towards what I was meant to achieve. For that, I am really grateful.”

He paused as he watched the graves silently with a cool smile on his face.

“Though your bodies do not lie in here, I do hope my words do reach you wherever you are, and… I just want to say… thank you for everything. If it weren’t for the two of you, I don’t think my potential would’ve risen this much.”

“Appreciating?” Asked a familiar voice from behind.

Instantly recognising the owner of the voice, he stood up and turned around as he greeted them with, “Yes, Sev.”

The Death Titan, Sevedant, stood there in his black robed outfit with a white mask with eye holes and a red mark of a smile etched on it. The mysterious being stared at him with a pair of red gleaming eyes through the holes in the mask that never showed what he was feeling.

Then extended a skeleton hand out of his robe and pointed at him as he said, “Taught you fear of death. Helped you.”

“Yes, you certainly did, which I’m grateful for,” replied Lakshman appreciatively. Then he thought of something in the way the Death Titan was presenting him and asked, “Wait, are you perhaps jealous?”

There was a moment of pause as the two warriors stared at one another before Sevedant simply said, “A little.” He walked forward and stood next to the Phoenix Titan while facing down at the graves.

“Great men. Lost early. Should’ve lived longer,” he said simply. “I can’t die. I’m eternally here. I am forever.”

“Yes,” agreed Lakshman with a nod of his head as he looked back down at them with a sad smile, “but I believe they are satisfied with how things turned out here. Besides, you may be eternally stuck here, but you’re not alone. Am I right?”

“Indeed,” responded Sevedant shortly. Then he turned to face Lakshman and said, “Glad you’re back.”

“Thanks,” said Lakshman with a smile. “It’s good to see you again. Where’s Ash?”

“Demon World. Fighting. Helping.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Rebellion against Calamity Titan.”

“Oh boy. That’s difficult to deal with,” expressed Lakshman wearily.

“Indeed,” agreed Sevedant. “He lost to you. He returned as a loser. No more trust. No more likes. Lesser followers. More oppression.”

“And I take it you’re aiding him in it?”

“Precisely.”

“Why though?” Lakshman asked, looking confused.

There was a slight pause before Sevedant replied, “Your brother.”

“Wait, what?” Lakshman asked, looking confused. “You’re helping him because he’s my brother? Even after all the evil that he probably had done over the many years?”

“A victim of the gods. Mind controlled. Now freed. Trying to set things right. Taming the demons. Teaching them right. Discipline. Order. Cannot do alone. Together. A better chance.”

Lakshman stared at the dark cloaked warrior in amazement before smiling appreciatively as he said, “I’m truly glad about what you’re doing. I really do appreciate it.”

Sevedant nodded in acknowledgement and did not say anything.

“So, what brings you here though?”

“To protect your wives.”

“Huh?”

“Remember last time?”

At his words, Lakshman thought back to the time when his wives almost lost their lives when a madman attempted to take out his revenge against them. That happened while he was in the Alzard World and even though he was able to come over in his Astral Form, he could not do much due to the limitations of the form he had taken at that time.

Sevedant jabbed a skeleton finger at him and said accusingly, “Overprotective.”

“That I am,” admitted Lakshman feebly.

“Defenceless. Useless. Weak. Almost died,” Sevedant went on saying, his voice finally showing the irritation he felt on the inside.

Lakshman did not know what to say, nor did he feel like making up excuses to defend himself. After all, if he was not so overprotective of his wives and had properly trained them along by his side, they probably would’ve gotten strong enough to protect themselves against a threat of that scale.

Just then, a girl’s voice said in annoyance, “Hey! You’re being too harsh on him, Sev!”

They turned around and saw Lakshman’s twin sisters standing there. One girl wore a disapproving look on her face while the other appeared nervous and worried.

“Facts,” stated Sevedant firmly.

“They may be,” said Priya as she stepped forward with a cross look on her face, “but it goes to show the great love he has for his wives in not wanting to involve them in dangerous situations. Even if they were properly trained, they still would face danger in a situation they were not expecting. Even worse if the situation was a place where there was no hope of winning at all.”

“T-That’s right,” said Indira as she came forward to stand alongside her sister. “Y-You cannot completely blame annyya over this matter. It’s not his fault the enemies were so determined to get at us.”

“And if you still want to point any fingers, point them at us!” Priya demanded fiercely.

“What?” Lakshman asked in puzzlement.

“Annayya,” began Priya while looking apologetic, “vodinalu sent us away to get help for them, and though we reached Dom and Lagron, we didn’t wait for them as they were in the middle of something. We rushed back without thinking as we thought we may have a better chance of helping them.”

“Instead of helping, we… we inadvertently caused vodinalu…” said Indira and faltered as tears began forming in her eyes.

Their brother remembered that their recklessness had caused the enemy to set their sights on them in an attempt to eliminate the sisters of the Phoenix Titan. At the last second, Venezuela, Emilia, Ondine, and Sumara pushed them out of the way and were hit by the lethal attacks instead.

Lakshman clenched his fists tightly in anger, not at his sister’s foolishness, but at himself for being in a position of being unable to do anything for them. All he managed to do was summon his two familiars out of rage and did his best to heal them but not to the maximum due to the fear that he would disappear from there.

“I think it’s best for everyone if we drop this topic altogether,” said a voice from the entranceway.

They all turned and saw Emilia standing there with a bemused look on her face.

“Honestly, we, the victims, aren’t worrying about it as much as you are,” she said coolly.

“Even so,” began Sevedant.

“Sev,” started Emilia in a firmer voice that promptly stopped the Death Titan from speaking. “I know you have the best of intentions, but if you think making my husband feel guilty will help then you’re wrong. In such a situation, anything could’ve happened. We might’ve been hypnotised, mind controlled, had our kids taken hostage, and probably something even worse happen to us. So, it’s just part of life that we face these things.”

“Also,” she added and looked very sincere as she said, “when we became his wives, we were prepared for these kinds of things. Danger is a next-door neighbour to us, and though we’re aware of it, it still falls on us for not being prepared for it. So, are you going to point fingers at us for being careless for trying to enjoy a peaceful life that my husband is fighting so hard for or live in a constant state of danger since, like I said, danger is a next-door neighbour?”

Sevedant did not say anything as he simply looked at her. Seeing this, Emilia smiled and nodded in satisfaction.

“Anyway, Lucky came out for some fresh air, and I’ve got breakfast on my agenda,” she stated her schedule and turned to the twins. “I think I remember you asking whether your brother would help you two in your morning exercises.”

“Yes!” Priya said while Indira nodded eagerly.

Beaming at them all, Emilia turned and winked at her husband before going back inside. He was momentarily bemused by her winking at him before letting out a hearty chuckle and greeting his sisters, where they expressed their desire to improve themselves. From the background, Sevedant watched silently while providing small advices here and there without being asked, which the girls appreciated despite them being annoyed at him previously.

“You’re as harsh as always, you know that?” Lakshman said after a while, to which Sevedant shrugged his shoulders.

“Natural,” the Death Titan said simply, to which the Phoenix Titan acknowledged it as the warrior’s nature.

Time quickly passed, and everyone went inside to have breakfast except for Sevedant, who had stated that he was returning to the Demon World. His sole reason for remaining in this world was to protect the Chand’s family during Lakshman’s absence, and since he returned, he saw fit to return to the work pending for him back in the Demon World.

“If you ever need help or support, you can count on us!” Lakshman said firmly, and Sevedant nodded in understanding before departing by turning into a small ball of light and flying off into the air to where the portal to the Demon World was located at.

After he left, the Chand family members began leaving for their different duties. Venezuela, Erza, and Cantia to the castle, Sumara to the Astral Academy alongside Priya and Indira. Meanwhile, Ondine, Emilia, Tetra, and Silvera were going to remain home with Mariana to look after the kids in their absence. That was the plan until Lakshman announced that he wanted to visit the academy together with his sisters.

“I remember Indira asking me before to go with you to the academy, but I was constantly busy and everything,” he said with a sad smile.

“So, you’re deciding to take a break from the political work for some time?” Silvera asked curiously.

“Ah, let him have some breathing time,” commented Venezuela with a smile. “Erza and I got it covered after all.”

“We do,” agreed Erza with a confident smile.

“That is true,” admitted Silvera with a smile and pouted a little. “I was just hoping you’d stay home with us since, you know, it’s been a long while.”

Lakshman chuckled at his wife’s pouting and said reassuringly, “I will be back once they enter the academy,” which caused her to instantly cheer up.

Everyone departed from the home while bidding each other goodbye. Their way of transportation was conducted, this time, by Lakshman as he activated Phoenix Portal to send Venezuela, Erza, and Cantia to the castle. After them, he connected the Phoenix Portal to the Astral Academy’s entrance.

“Wow,” he exclaimed in amazement as he walked out of the portal, which closed behind him. “It’s been quite a while since I came here.”

“It’s only been two years though,” said Sumara with a curious look on her face.

“I know, but it just feels like that,” he replied wryly. “Maybe a lot of things happened and that’s why I’m feeling this way.”

“That makes sense,” she agreed with a nod of her head.

As the older women and two younger girls were about to join the fray of boys and girls attending the academy, Sumara asked the girls, “Did you girls get the list of things to the morning’s magic lesson?”

“Ah!” The twins reacted, looking exasperated with a raised eyebrow.

“Yesterday, I think my colleague did say clearly what to bring? Don’t tell me you forgot in the heat of your brother coming home?” The older woman asked the twins in an exasperated tone.

“Um…!”

The young girls expressed dully and looked troubled while turning to face each other.

“Oh dear! I forgot about the supplies for today’s magic lesson!” Priya exclaimed, looking troubled.

“It completely slipped my mind!” Indira admitted, looking equally as troubled as her sister.

“What should we do now?” The two of them asked, turning to Sumara.

The one who responded to them was their brother, who smiled and asked, “It’s fine. Is the supply's list long? Is the shop nearby? Let’s get going quickly so you’re not late for class.”

His sisters were instantly happy at his idea, so the three of them bid Sumara goodbye at the entrance and departed to purchase the necessary supplies. They weaved through the streets crowded with people going about their business and students moving to attend different educational institutions. The siblings had a good time for the first time in a long time, with the twins enjoying their brother’s company, who would joke and be surprised by the cost of each item.

“Is it me or do the prices seem high or is that normal?” He asked out of curiosity.

“It’s inflation,” supplied Indira sweetly.

“They’re a little expensive right now compared to the prices during the start of the year,” added Priya with a nod of her head in agreement.

“I… see,” he said, looking bemused.

While Indira was waiting for the shopkeeper to gather the purchase items together, Priya looked curiously around at their surroundings, mainly at the people walking past them, before drawing closer to ask him a question.

“The bigger question should be as to why no one seems to recognise you, annayya?”

“Oh. That’s your big question?” He asked her with a dubious smile, which made her look quizzical. Then he explained, “I highly doubt the regular folk even know my face, for you see, I only appeared near the castle with only projecting my voice to address them without an image of me. So, it’s no surprise that they wouldn’t recognise me as I pass them by.”

His sister stared at him in surprise before she let out a small chuckle at the humour his words seemed to contain.

“That’s so funny. The strongest warrior that people around the world know, but they are clueless to know it’s you while you stroll down the busy streets. That is pretty funny.”

Lakshman laughed and said, “Yes. Well, I’ve got to admit that is for the best since it helped me do shopping with your vodinalu, otherwise I’d be hampered down with people trying to meet me and so on.”

“That’s true,” she agreed with a wry smile before returning to stand next to her twin.

They continued to move from shop to shop until they finally reached the final shop containing the last item they had to buy. All the purchases were conducted with Lakshman’s money, which he had retaken possession of from Emilia when she returned the Item Box that morning.

“I should check our family’s finances after this just to be sure,” he contemplated as he waited for the girls to buy what they required.

As he waited for them to collect the item, he heard a small group of girls coming closer while chatting loudly. They were talking to one another happily while not minding that their voices were a little louder than expected.

“I’m so envious of you!”

“Yeah! How did you get his attention so quickly?”

“Especially since he only transferred in, like, yesterday, right?”

“Right! Right! How’d you do it?”

Lakshman looked from the corner of his eye at the girls and figured that the gaggle of girls’ attention was focused on the one girl at the centre of it all. He did notice that she was looking a little flustered by all the focus that was solely on her as well as the focus of people on the street as passers by were drawn in by the girls’ excited voices.

“Poor girl,” muttered Lakshman to himself and felt sorry for her.

“Well,” he heard her stammer nervously before trying to act brave by saying coolly, “I was, I don’t know, Lucky?”

The moment, she finished her dialogue with that one word, a strange sensation ran throughout Lakshman’s body. A tingling sensation, a strange sense of familiarity. At the same time, a jolt of something strange stung him from the inside, making him feel as though the speaker was someone very important to him, but such a thing was impossible. He was sure that was the first time he had ever laid eyes on her, let alone know who the mysterious girl was for him to feel so strongly about her.

“Who is she?” He wondered, turning to glance sideways at her with narrowed eyebrows.