The tech floor of the mall was brighter than the others—holographic ads hovered in the air, shifting colors slowly. Screens displayed city news, dungeon warnings, and gameplay highlights. The biggest shop was unmistakable:
Digital Flare—a place buzzing with lights and soft electronic hums.
Rin pressed his face against the glass before anyone could stop him.
Arin sighed. "Your breath is fogging the display, goblin."
"I AM A HIGH-LEVEL ELF!"
"No, you're not."
Mother ushered us inside before Rin tried licking the glass out of excitement.
The interior was lined with display shelves of floating phones, shimmering visors, ear implants, and compact mana chargers. Each device hovered above its stand like it was being held by invisible hands.
A store employee spotted us. "Welcome! Looking for anything specific?"
Father answered plainly. "A phone for him." He gestured at me.
The employee lit up. "Of course! How old—"
"He awakened recently," Mother answered gently. "He needs something reliable, not too complex."
The employee nodded and led us toward the "Practical Tier" section—sleek but affordable devices.
One caught my eye immediately:
A slim, black model with soft blue edges. Clean. Simple. Nothing flashy.
"What do you think?" Arin asked, leaning in.
"It's fine," I said.
"Fine?" She squinted at me. "That means you actually like it."
She wasn't wrong.
Rin peeked over the stand. "Can I see? Does it have monster wallpapers? Does it have racing games? Does it—"
"Stop interrogating the phone," Arin said.
Father lowered his head slightly. "If Liam chose this one, then this one it is."
He tapped the bracelet on his wrist—a slightly older model than mine—and the purchase confirmation appeared instantly.
The employee brought over a sealed box.
As he handed it to me, Rin said, "Open it! Open it! OPEN IT!"
"Let him breathe," Arin scolded.
I unboxed it slowly. The phone felt cool, light, and comfortable in my hand.
Father reached out. "Give me your wrist."
I extended it.
He tapped his own bracelet against mine. A soft chime sounded.
My bracelet lit up with a small glow—like a pulse.
"There," Father said. "I transferred your allowance."
"...Allowance?"
Rin gasped dramatically. "BIG BROTHER GOT MONEY?? REAL MONEY??"
Arin added, arms crossed, "Dad barely transfers any to us."
"That's because you two ask for too much," Father replied calmly.
Mother smiled at me. "You'll need it. For books, games, small things… and your personal expenses.
I checked the display. A number appeared:
1,500 auric credits. 1 ac = 1 dollar
I blinked. "That's… a lot."
"It's not," Father said simply. "It's normal. And it's yours."
Arin leaned close. "Don't let Rin make you buy him snacks."
Rin gasped. "How could you accuse me of such a respectable request?!"
I took a picture of his indignant face.
He ran to check the shelves, shouting, "Delete that!!"
Father briefly activated his dimensional ring and stored the phone box inside with a quick shimmer. Only the device remained in my hand.
"Set it up later," he said. "For now… keep it with you."
Mother ruffled my hair. "It suits you."
Arin added, "And now when you take pictures of us, you can send them directly."
Rin shouted from across the store, "AND YOU CAN SEND ME GAMES!"
"No," Arin said instantly.
"Yes!"
"No."
Mother sighed quietly. Father stared at the ceiling.
I took a picture of all of them from behind the phone screen—then lowered the camera.
Everything felt strangely peaceful.
Father checked the time. "Next floor."
Rin grabbed my sleeve. "Come onnn! We're going to be late for the meeting!"
"The meeting?" I asked.
Mother smiled. "Varis and Serin are already here."
Arin straightened her hair. "Oh—right. And we'll meet Lilia and Syna too."
Rin wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Don't worry, Big Brother. I'll protect you from the girls."
Arin smacked the back of his head.
We left the tech store and headed toward the central fountain, where two familiar figures waited.
The central fountain of Azure Square Mall shimmered like a floating sculpture. Water rose and folded into shapes—birds, spirals, gentle waves—held together by mana threads. People gathered around it to take pictures, and Rin almost ran straight into a couple taking a selfie.
"RIN—" Arin lunged and grabbed the hood of his jacket a half-second before collision.
"Sorry-sorry-sorry!" Rin bowed rapidly to the couple and then whispered to me, "Why is this fountain so slippery? It moves!"
"It's not slippery," Arin said, dragging him toward us. "You are."
I lifted my camera and caught the moment—Rin dangling like a captured gremlin, Arin holding him by the hood, Mother hiding a laugh, and Father sighing quietly.
Then I noticed them.
By the railing near the fountain, a tall white-haired man stood talking with Mother and Father. He wore a black jacket with subtle silver lines—Varis Ardew. His posture was relaxed, but his presence had that polished sharpness hunter veterans often carried.
Beside him stood Serin Ardew, her soft pink hair tied in a neat ribbon, her pink eyes warm and bright.
A few steps away were the girls:
Lilia—tall, white hair flowing, sky-blue eyes calm like winter mornings. she is same age me so she and Arin are in same class.
Syna—shorter, pink hair in slight waves, holding the strap of her tiny bag like it might run away if she let go. looking at Rin i understand who she is.
When we approached, Serin smiled first. "Liam," she greeted softly. "It's wonderful to finally meet you again."
"Again?" I echoed.
"You were… very small then," she said gently, lowering her voice. "Too small to remember us."
Varis extended a hand—not stiff, not overly formal, just polite. "Good to see you out here. I'm Varis, your father's old squadmate."
I shook his hand once. His grip was steady without the hunter 'pressure' older men sometimes used.
Father rested his hand briefly on my shoulder. "He met him before," he explained to Varis. "But he doesn't remember."
"I didn't expect him to," Varis replied. "Children forget what adults hold on to."
His gaze moved to me again—sharp, evaluating, but not unfriendly. "You awakened. And with dual affinity. That's a good sign."
I nodded slightly. "Thank you."
Serin stepped forward. "And these are our daughters."
Lilia gave a polite bow. "Hello, Liam."
Syna bowed too—almost too low—then straightened quickly. "Hi," she said in a small, soft voice.
She peeked at me, then hid slightly behind Lilia.
Rin leaned in close and whispered loudly into my ear, "She's shy—DON'T SCARE HER."
Arin slapped his arm. "He's not going to scare an eight-year-old, idiot."
Syna blinked up at me.
I raised a hand. "Hello."
She nodded so fast her hair ribbon flapped.
Lilia smiled politely, her expression calm but observing. "It's nice to see you walking around," she said.
I nodded again. Talking still wasn't easy, but none of them pushed.
Serin turned to Mother, linking arms with her. "They've been asking to meet him ever since you told us he woke. Lilia wanted to say hello properly."
Lilia looked away, cheeks slightly pink. "It's only polite," she murmured.
Rin immediately whispered to me again, "Big Brother, she said hello politely—IS THAT LOVE??"
Arin strangled him with a headlock. "No… it's manners."
Varis chuckled deeply. "I see your children are the same as always."
Father's mouth twitched. "Unfortunately."
I took a picture of the moment when everyone wasn't looking—the adults talking, the girls standing neatly, Arin wrestling Rin, and Father staring into nothing like he regretted life choices.
This… felt real.
Not forced. Not heavy. Not dramatic.
Just two families meeting naturally.
Serin clapped lightly. "Well then, should we go? The comedy movie starts in thirty minutes."
Rin gasped. "MOVIE? MOVIE MOVIE MOVIE???"
Arin flicked his forehead. "Yes. That's why we came."
Varis said, "Let the kids walk ahead. We parents will follow."
The group arranged itself naturally:
Lilia and Arin walked side by side
Syna held onto Lilia's sleeve
Rin rushed ahead
I walked between Rin and the girls
Father and Varis talked quietly behind us
Mother and Serin linked arms, speaking softly
And for the first time, I didn't feel like a stranger in the middle.
I lifted the camera. Clicked once. A picture of all of them walking under the mall lights.
Then I tucked the camera against my chest.
Syna glanced at me and pointed at the camera shyly. "You… like photos?"
"Yes," I said.
"You're… good at it," she whispered.
I didn't know how to respond, so I only nodded.
Arin looked back and grinned. "Told you he has talent."
Rin yelled from ahead, "BIG BROTHER IS A CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHER NOW!"
"No, he's not," Arin called back.
"Yes, he is!!"
Mother laughed behind us. Father sighed again.
We reached the cinema entrance as a group.
And it felt… right.
The movie theater entrance glowed with floating posters—animated, shifting slightly as people passed. A giant smiling mascot danced above the ticket counters, and Rin pointed up with awe.
"It winked at me! Did you see that?!"
Arin groaned. "It winked at the entire mall, Rin."
"I'm special!"
"You're loud."
Inside, the air changed—cooler, smelling faintly of buttered popcorn and fizzy soda. Screens displayed trailers. People lined up for snacks. A child dropped his popcorn; a teenager tripped over the carpet; an employee pretended not to notice.
It felt… alive.
Varis went to get the tickets Father had pre-booked. Meanwhile, Serin and Mother walked ahead to the snack counter.
Rin immediately tugged my sleeve.
"BIG BROTHER. POPCORN. WE NEED POPCORN."
"You just had chocolate," Arin said.
"That was emotional support chocolate!"
I photographed the scene—Rin begging, Arin judging, and Syna staring at the popcorn machine like it held the secrets of the universe.
Lilia stepped beside me quietly.
"Do you like comedies?"
"I've never watched one here," I said honestly.
"Oh." She blinked. "Then I hope you like it."
Her voice wasn't shy, just gentle. Controlled. She spoke the way older sisters do.
Rin leaned in and whispered,
"She talked to you TWICE. She LIKES you."
I ignored him.
The adults returned with armfuls of snacks:
One giant popcorn for the kids
Small butter popcorn for Mother
A caramel one for Serin
Drinks
Chips Rin didn't need but got anyway
Varis handed out the drinks like a soldier distributing supplies.
When Father passed me a cup, he paused.
"Are you okay walking inside?"
I nodded. "Yes."
He didn't say more. He just walked beside me as we moved toward the theater door—just close enough to catch me if my legs faltered, but not hovering.
The lights dimmed as we entered.
Seats wrapped around the giant screen, soft and deep blue. The children took one row:
Rin—me—Syna—Lilia—Arin
Adults sat right behind us.
As soon as we sat, Rin whispered loudly,
"We're going to laugh so hard—"
"Hush," Arin whispered back, covering his mouth.
I held my camera for one last shot: the dim screen glowing, silhouettes of Syna and Lilia, Rin bouncing in his seat, and Arin crossing her arms like she owned the row.
Click.
Then I tucked it away.
The movie began with a loud explosion of confetti and an actor screaming dramatically.
Rin almost choked on popcorn.
Fifteen minutes in, Arin was laughing with her hand over her mouth—not to be polite, but because her laugh was too sharp and would echo.
Syna covered her face every time someone fell.
Lilia laughed softly, the kind that comes only when someone actually finds something funny, not because they want to.
Rin laughed at EVERYTHING.
At one point he whispered, "Big Brother, look!" and mimicked the actor's fall so badly that I snorted before I could stop myself.
Arin gasped.
"You laughed?!"
"…No."
"You DID."
Rin threw his hands up.
"THIS MOVIE FIXED HIM!"
Syna giggled into her sleeves.
I leaned back in the chair.
My chest felt… lighter.
Not healed.
But less tight.
Near the end of the movie, a scene played where the clueless hero tried to impress a girl and tripped ten times. Rin whispered again.
"That's going to be me and Syna—"
Arin kicked his ankle.
"Shut. Up."
Syna turned red.
Lilia sighed.
I quietly added, "At least you'll have practice."
Rin gasped.
"You're HELPING HER!"
Arin choked on her drink, laughing.
The movie ended with bright music, applause from the audience, and the mascots waving on screen.
As we walked out, I noticed something small:
Syna lingered near me, glancing at my camera.
Lilia walked on my other side, silent but comfortable.
Rin kept bouncing.
Arin nudged me.
"You liked it."
I didn't deny it.
Mother said gently,
"It's good to see you laughing."
Father didn't say anything, but the look he gave me—just a faint narrowing of his red eye, like he approved—was enough.