After holding each other for about 30 seconds longer, Ace was the first one to speak.

“Mom, dad, can we go to the kitchen, I need to explain now.”

His dad was the first to remove his arms from around Ace.

“Your mom looks like she needs a little longer... I’ll be waiting in the kitchen.”

His mom still had a firm grip around Ace, not wanting to let go of her only son.

“Mom...”

“Just 10 more seconds... you can’t leave me for a whole day and expect me not to be relieved when you finally show up... I’m your mother.”

“Ok... 10 more seconds.”

Ace thought this may be one of the last times he would be able to hold his mom like this.

He wrapped his arms around her just as hard she was wrapped around him and gave her a hug of a lifetime.

His mom was shorter than him so you would expect her to be buried into his chest but...

She was Ace’s mother.

She could tell he was hurting just as much as she and her husband were when Ace went missing.

She grabbed the back of his head with her hand and buried it into her shoulder.

“I love you Ace... never forget that. If anything is bothering you, I want you to talk to me about it. Your father feels the same way... we’ll be there for you whenever you need us.”

“Mm...”

Ace nodded into her shoulder, holding back tears.

“Ok, let’s head into the kitchen and talk.”

Ace nodded once again and took himself off his mom, rubbing his eyes with his arms.

They headed into the kitchen where his dad was.

Once they entered, his dad looked back at them from the kitchen table, where he was pouring tea into cups.

Ace and his mom sat at opposite sides of the table so they would be facing each other when they spoke.

His dad sat next to his mom so he could also be facing Ace when they were talking.

Ace looked down and clutched his shorts, not knowing where to start.

How could he just drop all of this on them?

It was hard enough dropped on Ace, but... he was forced to believe his situation.

He was actually sent to that world.

—Will they really believe me?

He wasn’t sure.

—

“Ace... take your time... there’s no rush.”

He looked up at his mom who had a warm smile on her face.

—It doesn’t matter if they don’t believe me.

—This is my last day... I can’t leave without saying anything.

He looked directly at his parents, saying something that needed to be said with full seriousness.

“Before I start, please... believe everything I’m going to say. I want to say I’m joking and that this is all a dream but... it’s not.”

He kept his gaze on them, expecting a response.

His parents looked at each other and looked back at Ace.

They nodded to their son, who was completely serious.

Once he got confirmation, he brought his head back down, unable to face them while he explained his extremely bizarre situation.

“I’ll start two days ago, when I was still home.

“I went to school, came home, played games, played basketball with dad, and watched movies with mom.”

“It was a completely normal day until... midnight.”

He raised his head once again before he got into the main part of the story to look at his parents once again.

“Again... please believe what I have to say.”

He reconfirmed what he said earlier just because of how insane the next few things he was going to say were.

His parents nodded once again to show that they would believe everything he had to say.

“When I fell asleep...”

He hesitated before saying the next part, but... he had to get it over with, so he let it all out at once, trying not to hesitate.

“When I fell asleep...”

“I was surrounded by nothing.”

“You can think of it as a dream.”

“All around me was white. It felt like I was standing in heaven.”

“I’m not saying heaven as in a good place, I’m saying heaven more literally.”

“Just a place where you see nothing but white.”

“I was only here for a few seconds but, in those few seconds, someone apologized to me.”

“I couldn’t see the person or tell where it was coming from, all I knew was that he said sorry.”

“Right after this guy apologized...”

Ace hesitated once more and took a deep breath before saying...

“I was in the middle of a forest.”

Before he could say anything else...

His mom stood up from her seat and had her hands on the table with her head down.

“Ace...”

After everything that’s happened, the reunion at the front door, the hug, the warm smile she gave before he started, the nod in response to his seriousness, what he received was...

“This is not the time for jokes!”

His mom sounded just as serious as Ace did when he first started talking.

It wasn’t serious, more on the angry side.

After the reunion with her son, he tells her that he was in the middle of the forest when he woke up...

This was not the time for jokes!

She wanted a proper explanation from her son, not some fantasy he thought up in his head!

“Explain properly! I want to hear the proper story! I’m your mom! Why’re you lying to me?!”

Ace couldn’t say anything to that, he was too shocked himself to respond.

He pushed his chair back with his body and stood up from the kitchen table.

“I am... being... serio--”

“ACE! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR YOUR FANTASIES! TELL ME THE TRUTH!

Before Ace could speak again...

“Ace...”

His dad was the one to speak this time.

—Dad must believe me! There’s no way he wouldn’t!

“Just tell us the truth...”

“—?!”

They didn’t believe him.

Ace couldn’t take it.

He wouldn’t be seeing his parents for a whole year, and this is how they’re going to say goodbye?

He couldn’t take it.

He ran to the bathroom, locked the door, and dropped to the floor in front of the toilet, vomiting as soon as his knees hit the ground.

“AGHH!!”

His mom started banging on the door.

“Ace! Are you okay?!”

He continued to vomit for a few more seconds, completely emptying out his stomach.

“Agh...”

Once there was nothing else left to be removed from his body, he stood up in front of the sink and turned the tap on.

He washed his mouth in the sink, then dropped his head in front of the mirror and responded to his mom.

“Leave me alone for a little... please...”

He didn’t get a response for a few seconds, his mom not wanting to leave him alone.

“We’ll be waiting in the kitchen...”

He heard footsteps leaving the washroom and he looked back up at the mirror.

He was a mess.

His hair was hanging over his forehead, not being styled in over a day.

His eyes looked tired from everything that’s happened over the past day.

His clothes were a mess, his t-shirt having a few rips in it and his shorts covered in dirt from the training from last night.

His body was tired and was ready to drop at any time.

His mind hasn’t been thinking straight for a while now.

It was all a mess.

——

—Why?! Why won’t they believe me?!

The only 2 people in the world he wanted to believe him... wouldn’t believe him.

He was going to cry again, but he’s cried a lot recently so tears wouldn’t fall this time.

That was for the best though... if he cried now, he wouldn’t be able to stop, and it wouldn’t let him think straight at all.

He gave himself one last look in the mirror and remembered his purpose for being back in his world.

He splashed his face with water and got out of the washroom.

He made his way back into the kitchen where his parents were sitting at the table.

He sat back into the seat he was sitting in before and started to speak, his parents letting him speak first.

“I know it’s crazy...”

“I know it’s idiotic...”

“I know it’s impossible...”

“I wouldn’t believe myself if I was you guys...”

“But... I will be gone for one year after today.”

“So... please... believe me.”

He looked up at his parents to see how they reacte--

*SLAP*

“ACE!”

“I’M NOT PLAYING AROUND ANYMORE!”

“TELL ME THE TRUTH!”

Ace wasn’t feeling sadness anymore, he was feeling the same thing his mom was...

Anger.

He was their son; how could they not believe him!

He disappears for a whole day, he shows back up, and they have a touching reunion.

After all that...

After looking at his desperate face, his desperate cries...

They still don’t believe him!

All he wants to do is have a proper goodbye with them!

Why won’t they believe him!

“MOM!”

He slammed his hand on the kitchen table where his dad was sitting and stared directly at his mom in front of him.

“I AM TELLING THE TRUTH!”

“YOU THINK I WANTED TO BE PULLED INTO THAT HELL HOLE!”

He swung his arm across his chest, his emotions raging.

“I ALMOST DIED IN THAT ONE DAY THAT I WAS THERE!”

“LOOK AT ME!”

“MY SHIRT IS TORN, MY SHORTS ARE MUDDY, AND I HAVE SOME STRANGE CLOTH HOOD ON MY BACK!”

“HOW WEIRD CAN THAT GET!”

Before he could continue talking, his mom chimed in, bringing her face close to Ace’s.

“I DON’T HAVE AN EXPLANATION FOR YOUR CLOTHES OR YOUR DESPERATE ATTITUDE BUT...”

“YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT YOU WERE PULLED INTO SOME CRAZY, OTHER WORLD!”

“WE’RE NOT IN A VIDEO GAME! THIS IS REALITY! TELL ME THE TRUTH!”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?! THIS IS THE TRUTH!

“I KNOW YOU’RE LYING! WHY WON’T YOU TELL ME! I’M YOUR MOTHER!

“Hey...”

“I AM TELLING YOU! YOU JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE ME!”

“HOW COULD I BELIEVE SOMETHING THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!”

“Hey...”

“I’M TELLING YOU IT’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE!”

“I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT!”

“Hey...”

“WHY?! I’M YOUR SON, IF YOU WON’T BELIEVE ME, WHO WILL!”

“NOBODY, BECAUSE YOUR STORY IS IDIOTIC!”

“HEYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!”

——

The man stuck his arms out in front of the mother-son pair and finally caught their attention.

“LISTEN TO ME! YOU TWO ARE NOT GETTING ANYWHERE YELLING AT EACH OTHER!”

He was just as furious as the other two.

Their attention was focused on him, feeling there would be consequences if they tried to speak.

“SIT DOWN ONE MORE TIME AND TRY TO TALK IT OUT AGAIN!”

“ONCE YOU TWO SIT DOWN, I’LL ASK THE QUESTIONS!”

The mother and son stood there staring at the man, too in shock to know what to do next.

“WHAT’RE YOU TWO DOING?! SIT DOWN!”

“—!”

They rushed over to their seats and sat down, obeying his orders.

“Now that you two have calmed down, we can have a proper talk. Ace, to be honest, it’s also hard for me to believe you because of how crazy your stor--”

“I’M TELLING THE TRU..”

“DON’T INTERRUPT ME!”

Ace’s whole body shook, and he sat up straight in his chair with his hands on his lap.

“It’s also hard for me to believe you because of how crazy your story is...”

“But!”

“If you have something to prove your story is real... I will believe you.”

“—!”

Ace remembered the blue haired girl sitting on idly on his bed.

“Do you have anything? Anything at all to prove you’re not lying?”

Ace stood up and bent his body over the table, slamming his hands into the table, bringing his face close to his father’s.

“I DO! Wait here!”

He dashed out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs.

He ran over to his room and opened the door to find the girl sitting in the same position she was when he first left her.

He looked at her through the door and waved his arm towards himself.

“Come.”

He was too in a rush to be polite or considerate.

Aliza nodded towards him and followed him down the stairs.

They started walking towards the kitchen, but stopped before becoming visible to his parents.

“Wait here a second.”

Ace went into the kitchen, leaving Aliza in the hallway.

“Mom... dad... this is my proof...”

He went back into the hallway and pulled Aliza into the kitchen.

“This girl came back with me from the other world.”

The two parents stared at her in surprise, not actually expecting some proof.

The room went silent for a few seconds, Ace expecting a response and their parents too dumbfounded to come up with one.

The one to break the silence was none other than the foreigner.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Aliza Runer.”

She was speaking more politely than normal, knowing that these people were Ace’s parents.

“I only met your son yesterday in Furio Village, where he was on the brink of death.”

The next one to speak was Ace’s father, the one who proposed the idea of bringing some proof.

“Nice to meet you... I’m Ace’s father... Joshua Bracker.”

He was still in shock from the proof.

The most he was expecting was a small item, not a person!

“Do you believe me now?!”

“I... sort of... have to...”

“WAIT!”

The next person to speak was Ace’s mother, the one rejecting Ace’s story.

“How do I know she’s not just some girl who dyed her hair blue?”

“Mom, just believ--”

Before Ace could finish his sentence, Aliza chimed in.

“Ace told me that there were none of my species living in this world so this should serve as some proof.”

Aliza lifted her chin to show the blue gem stuck to the bottom of her head.

“This is a gem that a species called Shuna have on their faces.”

“A blue gem superglued to the bottom of your head is not proof!”

His mom continued to reject the story, thinking it was too absurd to be possible.

“I assure you; this is part of my bod--”

“WAIT!”

The next one to try convincing his mom... was Ace himself.

“THERE’S ONE MORE THING!”

Ace walked over to Aliza and whispered something into her ear.

“Huh?! You never told me!”

Ace smiled at Aliza and stepped away from her.

He gave her a thumbs up after putting about a meter of space between them.

Aliza nodded back at Ace and started to put her hands together out in front of her.

She closed her eyes and focused on her hands.

After about a second...

A blue light illuminated the space in front of her hands.

“—?!”

The two parents were shocked to see a light coming from nowhere.

It wasn’t strong enough to make someone cover their eyes, but it wasn’t soft enough for someone to be unable to see it...

Aliza was using magic.

“Mom! There is nothing you can say against this!”

Trying to go for the final push, Aliza also chipped in to confirm Ace’s ideas.

“This is healing magic that I used to treat your son’s wounds right before coming here.”

The two parents just stared in silence at the beautiful sight.

The first one to recollect their thoughts was Ace’s mother.

It wasn’t a very good recollection though...

“No! No way! I won’t believe it!”

“My son got taken to some other world?! I’m definitely dreaming!”

Just as she started to panic again...

*HUG*

“Calm down Selena.”

The husband hugged his wife tightly, trying to calm her down as she rejected the idea.

“He’s done everything he can to show to us that he’s not lying.”

“You have to believe him now.”

“And plus... he’s with us now, so it’s not like he’s gone forever.”

Ace looked away after hearing that, but his parents didn’t notice, their attention fully on each other.

“No way... it just can’t be real...”

“It’s okay Selena...”

His dad put his hand on her head and pulled her into his chest.

Tears started streaming from her eyes as she dug her face into his chest.

“AAAAAHHHH!”

She clutched her husband’s shirt tightly and cried her eyes out, finally accepting her son’s story.

While she continued to cry, Ace looked over at Aliza with a warm smile on his face and mouthed the words “thank you”.

Aliza returned the smile and mouthed “You’re welcome” back to the boy who was on the verge of tears.

He really couldn’t thank her enough.

She saved him from death, agreed to help him on his journey, got dragged into this weird situation, and never complained or hesitated once when it came to any of these events.

Ace looked back over to his mom and dad.

His dad was still comforting his mom, who was sobbing into his chest.

He looked at his dad, caught his attention, and pointed towards the living room.

With a soft tone...

“I’ll be waiting...”

His dad nodded back at Ace.

Ace walked out of the kitchen, grabbed Aliza by the hand, and dragged her into the living room.

“Take a seat anywhere, they’re having a moment, so we’ll just wait for a little.”

“Oh... ok... are you sure I shouldn’t go back to your room? You don’t want a talk, alone, with your parents?”

“Don’t worry about it... I’ve already dragged you in far enough and they’ll probably make me call you back down once they realize you’re alone in my room.”

“Ok... I’ll stay here but, I’ll make sure not to talk a lot.”

“Thank you.”

After about 10 minutes of sitting in silence, the two parents came into the living room.

His mom had her back hunched and was still wiping small tears from her eyelids but...

She seemed to have calmed down.

His dad had his arm over her shoulder, continuing to comfort his wife as she calmed down.

His mom looked up at Ace, who was staring back at his mom.

“Sorry... Ace... I’m your mother but couldn’t believe you... I’m horrible...”

“No... I... wouldn’t believe me either in my situation..”

His mom wiped the final tears from her eyes and sat down on the couch next to the one Ace was sitting on.

Their living room wasn’t too big but was large enough to fit two couches.

Aliza was sitting on the couch that his mom sat at, but got up once she saw his parents enter the room.

She just stood awkwardly in the corner of the room, not knowing where to sit.

“Aliza, just sit next to me... you look uncomfortable.”

Ace saw her discomfort and invited her to sit next to him.

She accepted his invitation and sat next to Ace.

His dad sat down next to his mom, as he was also going to be a part of the conversation.

“Oh, I forgot... Aliza... I’m sorry for not believing your words and letting you see me in such a miserable state.”

His mom also apologized to Aliza, the guest of the house. She felt terrible for treating her like that.

“Ace told me about the situation... every mother would’ve reacted the same way you did.”

“If anything, I’m the one who should be sorry for coming into your home without permission.”

“Haha... if you weren’t here, I may have thrown Ace out the house...”

Ace’s mom reached over and grabbed both of Aliza’s perfectly pale hands and looked deeply into the girl’s blue eyes.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for Ace, I mean it.”

Aliza spoke after a few seconds, fully receiving the heartfelt thank you.

“Ace has also helped me so it goes both ways.”

His mom let go of her hands, stood up from her seat and directed her gaze at her son.

Before Ace could fully direct his eyes back at his mom’s...

*HUG*

“I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry...”

“You must’ve been through so much...”

“And to come home and your parents not believing you?”

“I’m sorry, Ace...”

“I’m a horrible mother...”

“I’m sorry...”

His mom truly felt horrible.

She was his mother.

She raised him for 16 years, only to not believe him when he needed her most...

She hated herself for it, but...

Her son was okay.

That’s all that mattered right now.

She could still hold him in his arms.

She could still feel the hair on his head,

The skin on his body,

His warmth,

His heartbeat.

He was alive.

She hadn’t seen him for a whole 24 hours, but...

He was now right in front of her.

Ace hugged his mom back, this one with a greater sense of relief than the first one because his mom now fully believed his story.

He clung to her for about 5 seconds and then...

Her knees dropped to the floor and her arms’ grip around her son loosened.

Her head rested on the couch’s armrest, but her body fell limp.

“Mom?!”

“Selena?!”

Both their faces had gone pale, and their minds immediately started to panic.

“Hey! Mom! Are you okay?!”

Ace dropped to the floor, grabbed onto her shoulder and started shaking his mother desperately, his mom in an unconscious state.

“Mom! Wake up!”

His dad didn’t have any experience with someone fainting, so he reached for his phone and called the local police, tapping his foot on the ground, parallel to his current, rushed state.

“Please! Wake up!”

Ace was desperate, he needed his mom to wake up.

Why did this have to happen now?

His last day together with his parents starts off with his mom fainting in the second hour.

How could this get any worse.

Everything had to go wrong.

Just as his mind started to go even more off track...

“I might be able to help...”

Aliza chimed in to offer her support.

Ace looked over at Aliza, standing behind him.

“I don’t know how much my healing magic can help right now but... I can try...”

Ace turned around, grabbed her hands, and dropped his head.

“Aliza... please... please... help my mom.”

She already helped him out so much and once again, she is offering her support.

He didn’t like the idea of relying on Aliza so much but...

His mom was his top priority right now.

He didn’t care about how much he had to rely on her...

His mom was in danger and needed help.

“I’ll try.”

Aliza dropped to the ground next to Ace, put both of her palms to face Ace’s mother, and generated a blue light next to his mom’s shoulder.

After about a few seconds of trying to heal, she looked over at Ace...

“Ace...”

“…”

He didn’t know how to respond... her tone of voice didn’t sound too good, but it didn’t sound as if something horrible had happened.

As he was searching his brain on what to say right now, he was interrupted by...

Zzzzzz...

The sound came from directly in front of Aliza.

It came from the person who Aliza was healing.

It came from the person who collapsed just moments before.

It came from his mom.

His mom was asleep.

Ace and his dad both looked over to their loved one.

His dad ended the call with the police before he got the chance to get transferred to an officer.

He placed his hand on to his head and started to speak.

“Ha... ha... seems like she was just... tired... from all the running around today.”

After hearing she was just asleep, a rush of relief hit Ace once again.

“Thank god...”

Ace hugged his sleeping mom once more.

His dad spoke once again... this time calmer than the first after realizing that his wife was only sleeping.

“We’ve been running around town since 7AM... I guess it’s only natural that she would be tired... haha...”

“Sorry Ace but... can we have that conversation tomorrow... we’re both tired.”

Ace also calmed down once he saw his mom was fine and looked over at his dad...

He knew he didn’t have a lot of time today, but his parents were tired, and he didn’t want to force them...

“Yeah, it’s fine... I’ll explain everything tomorrow.”

His dad nodded at Ace.

“I’ll carry her to our room. Ace, you can sleep on the couch or lay a mattress in your room for Aliza.”

“Ok... I’ll make sure to.”

His dad grabbed his mom, carrying her princess style, and headed up the stairs.

Ace looked to Aliza, who has been sitting next to him.

“Haha.. that was crazy... I didn’t even bother to check if she was sleeping. Let’s call it a night for now.. we’re both also tired.”

“Are you sure? You only have 24 hours...”

“Yeah... don’t worry about it... I still have time.”

“Ok...”

Ace headed upstairs with Aliza and they entered his room.

Ace turned on a small lamp in his room, one that was bright enough to light up the room enough to see.

“You can sleep on the bed... I have a small, single-person mattress I can sleep on.”

“No! It’s fine... you sleep on the bed. It’s your last sleep here... enjoy it.”

“Are you sure? It’s pretty comfy.”

“I’m sure.”

“If you say so...”

Ace reached under his bed and pulled out a small mattress, about the size of one person.

He then grabbed a spare blanket he had underneath his bed.

“Do you want some spare clothes? Both of our clothes are pretty dirty.”

“Yes please...”

Ace reached into his closet and pulled out a grey sweater and a pair of shorts.

He didn’t want to give her a t-shirt, in consideration of her being a girl.

“I’ll step out, let me know when I can come back in.”

“Ok.”

He stepped out of his room for about a minute.

“You can come in.”

He opened his door and looked up at Aliza, his face turning red instantly from the sight.

She was cute wearing his clothes.

He never thought he would see the day where a girl from another world was wearing his clothes.

He quickly looked away, his face red...

“I need to change also... could you step out for a minute?”

“Hmm... Are you blushing?”

She had a sly smile on her face as she brought it closer to Ace’s.

“Just step out already.”

He said in an embarrassed tone.

“Haha, I will.”

She stepped out of his room for about a minute and Ace also got changed.

“You can come back in.”

She opened the door and came back into the room.

“Do you want to take a shower? I can set it up for you if you don’t know how.”

“No, it’s fine, it’s late right now so I’ll take one tomorrow.”

“Ok, then it’s lights out.”

He grabbed one of his pillows from his bed and gave it to Aliza.

He then got into his bed and snuggled up into his blanket.

Aliza did the same, tired from the day before.

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

Ace shut off the lamp, faced his body towards the wall, the opposite direction of Aliza, and closed his eyes.

——

*rustle* *rustle*

——

*rustle* *shuffle*

——

After twisting and turning for about 30 minutes, Ace faced his body toward the ceiling and opened his eyes.

“Aliza? You still awake...?”

“…”

“Guess not, eh?”

“*sigh* We did do a lot recently so it’s to be expected.”

A soft voice made its way into his ears.

“I’m awake...”

Ace looked over in the direction of the voice but couldn’t see her from where he was.

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“I wanted you to get some sleep, but...”

“Doesn’t seem like that’s happening any time soon.”

“Haha... I’m too nervous for tomorrow.”

Her voice got even softer than before but this time... more reassuring.

“I’m not in any position to say this, but... I think you’ll get through it.”

“We haven’t known each other for long but, the time we have spent together has shown me that you are strong.”

“Not only physically, but mentally too...”

“You almost died just the night before but, once you woke up... instead of panicking and crying at your situation... you came looking for me instead, focusing completely on thanking me instead of your own horrible situation.”

“You will get through this and... if it’s too hard for you on your own... I’ll be there, to lend you a shoulder to cry on.”

“Haha, thank you... but I’m not that much of a baby.”

“Yes you are... but I’m being serious, I’ll support you when you need it.”

“Thank you... that’s reassuring.”

“So try to get some sleep tonight and have a proper talk with your parents tomorrow.”

“Yes, ma’am...”

And he turned his body back towards the wall, drifting into a deep sleep...