Sora leaned forward. "I came back because of Prestige. After she killed me, I reset. But I ime to grow strohat's why I've been gone for so long. The st month, I've been training, pushing myself to be strong enough to handle whatever es ."

  His father paced the room, his mind clearly rag. "This is… hard to believe, Sora. You… you reset, you said? Start over like it's nothing?"

  Sora nodded again. "It's not easy. I lose everything each time. My level, my progress, my possessions. But I get stronger. I wasn't able to e back because I hadn't reached that poi. And even after I did… I ime. I was not ready"

  They both stared at him, the disbelief still etched on their faces. His father crossed his arms, trying to make sense of it all. "If it's really you, then… prove it. There must be something, something only Sora would know. You've told us things already, but… it's too much to believe without something more."

  His mother wiped her eyes, still holding on to some sliver of hope. "Maybe… maybe we test him somehow."

  Sora nodded, expeg this. "You roof? Let's gh it. Ask me anything."

  His father stopped pag, his brow furrowed as he thought. "Alright. Something from your childhood. What was the name of the treehouse I built for you and Nathan in the backyard?"

  Sora didn't eveate. "Friffon. It was half-finished for weeks until you finally got the supplies to finish it. We spent all summer up there, reading id pying pretend."

  His masped softly, her eyes lighting up with reition. But his father wasn't done.

  "And when you were eight, you broke your arm. Why?"

  "I jumped off the tree in the park, trying to see if I could nd like a superhero. Spoiler—I couldn't."

  His father's gaze softened, but the tension in his body remained. "One more. What did you call your first bike?"

  "Red Lightning," Sora answered, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Even though it was blue, not red. I thought the name sounded cooler."

  His father slowly sat down, his stern expressioing away. His hands trembled slightly as he stared at Sora, the doubt beginning to fade. "It's really you…"

  His mother, still teary-eyed, moved closer to Sora. "I don't uand everything you're saying… but I believe you."

  Sora smiled sadly, feeling the weight of their belief settling on his shoulders. "It's me, Mom. I promise."

  His father finally exhaled, running a hand through his graying hair. "We'll figure this out. Together. I don't care what abilities or powers you have now… I'm just gd you're back."

  Sora felt a sense of relief wash over him. He had feared this moment, worried that his parents would never believe him, that they wouldn't accept the person he had bee. But now, seeing the way they looked at him, he khat no matter how much he had ged, he was still their son.

  They embraced, and for the first time in a long while, Sora felt like he was truly home. But even as the warmth of their reunion filled him, he couldn't shake the thoughts of what y ahead.

  "I'll stay for a little while," Sora said softly, breaking the silence. "But I 't stay forever. There's still so much I have to do. I will have to leave the house for long periods to train and hunt Rachel"

  His parents nodded, uanding but not liking it. His mother held his hand tightly, unwilling to let go just yet.

  "Just… promise us you'll always e back," his father said, his voice gruff but full of emotion.

  Sora smiled. "I will do my best. I promise."

  The m, Sora stood outside his family home, feeling the crisp air on his skin. The heaviness of the previous night had started to lift, but the weight of his mission remained. His parents were still in disbelief over his abilities, but they had accepted him back, and that was more than he could have hoped for.

  His mother's eyes were still red fr, and his father had remained silent for most of the night, deep in thought. Sora khey were struggling to process everything he had told them, but they trusted him.

  "I'll be back regurly," Sora assured them again as they sat together for breakfast. "But I have things to do, and Rachel is still out there. I 't let my guard down."

  His father hough his expression remained serious. "I uand, Sora. But don't push yourself too hard. You've already e back to us once… don't take unnecessary risks."

  Save a small smile, appreciating the but knowing deep down that risks were unavoidable. "I'll be careful."

  Before he could leave for the day, Sora remembered something important. "I o get you both something first. A way for us to stay in touo matter where I am."

  His mother looked puzzled. "What do you mean? We don't have much access to unication here in Ales. It's always been a problem."

  "Exactly," Sora said. "I'm going to solve that today."

  Sora headed to the au hall after breakfast, his mi oing what he he pce was bustling, filled with merts, adventurers, and collectors looking for rare items. As he walked through the hall, sing the various goods on dispy, his thoughts were clear: [Mana Phones].

  These items weren't hard to make, but they required rare materials, which made them expensive. A standard unication device was limited by natural barriers and magical interference, especially in pces like Ales, which were practically cut off frer unicatioworks. But Mana Phones operated differently, using pure mana to bypass those limitations.

  He found a mert selling them and quickly purchased three, each priced at 100,000 gold. It was a steep cost, but money was no issue for him. He had earned more than enough over the st month to afford them. Sora wasn't ied in anything alse in the au house—he had a mission, and this was just a tool to keep his family safe and in tact.

  Carrying the sleek, palm-sized devices bae, he couldn't help but feel relieved. "This should make things easier," he thought, his pace quiing.

  Back at home, Sora hahe [Mana Phoo his parents, pg one in each of their hands. His mother exami, her face a mixture of curiosity and surprise. His father tur over, iing the craftsmanship, though clearly uain how it worked.

  "These," Sora began, "will keep us ected, no matter where I am. Normal unication tools 't reach here reliably, but these Mana Phones don't have that problem. As long as I'm within a reasonable distance, we talk."

  His father raised an eyebrow, impressed. "How far is the range?"

  Sora smiled. "Far enough to cover most of the ti without interruptions. No more unication gaps."

  His mother looked up at him, grateful. "Thank you, Sora. This means… we won't have to worry about losing tact with you again."

  Sora nodded. "Exactly. You call me anytime you o, and I'll do the same. There's one more thing." He reached into his bag and pulled out a rge sack of gold s, totaling 500,000 gold. "This is for you both. Use it however you need—food, repairs, anything."

  His father stared at the sack, wide-eyed. "That's… a lot of money, Sora. We don't his much."

  "I want you to have it," Sora insisted. "You don't know how long I'll be out there. And I don't want you tle."

  His mother's voice quivered slightly as she said, "We'll be fine, Sora. We're just gd you're back."

  Sora smiled warmly, but his mind was already thinking of the steps. "I'll be training outside the city for a while. I o master the skills from my new css. I'll also be w in nearby big cities to level up my job when I ."

  His father looked ed. "How long will you be gohis time?"

  "I'll che regurly, I promise," Sora said. "I 't afford to lose focus right now. I o master this css, and that means hunting monsters, testing my limits. But I'll keep you both updated."

  His mother pced a hand on his. "Just… don't disappear again."

  "I won't," Sora reassured her. "Not like before."

  His father nodded, but there was a lingering tension in his gaze. "And Rachel?"

  Sora's expression darkened. "I'll deal with her. I'm sure I'm strohan her, but she had allies. And i have no idea how strong they were. I'm not strong enough yet, but I will be. Right now, she's not my main focus. But wheime es, I'll make sure she pays for what she's done. For Nathan."

  Silence hung in the room for a moment before his father finally spoke. "Then we'll leave it in your hands. Just e back to us. That's all we ask."

  Save them both a firm nod. "I will."

  ---

  As Sora ventured into the wilderness, leaving the f sight of his parents' home behind, he began to focus on his ask: uanding his new css, [Martial Titan]. He had pushed it aside for long enough, prioritizing his speed and maed skills, but now it was time to see what kind of raw power this css could offer.

  He found a quiet spot in the forest, sat down, and finally started going through the list of skills he had unlocked. The booklet the kid in Bara had given him described the css as one focused oreme physical strength and endurance—abilities that seemed perfect for a warrior who didn't rely too muana, but instead on the sheer power of his body.

  Sora smirked. "Let's see what we've got."