strictlysupreme Chapter 4: Homecoming
Chapter 4: Homecoming
Chapter 4: HomecomingThe words hung in the air– "Mom, I am home." They felt unreal even to me. But it was real. All too real.
My mother clung to me like I might disappear at any moment, her sobs filling the café.
"You're alive!" she repeated, her voice trembling with disbelief and overwhelming joy. "You're alive!" Her grip on me tightened.
Her cries where loud–loud enough to draw attention from the café's customers. Conversations halted.
Chair scraped against the floor as they turned towards us, their expressions raging with confusion to concern.
Some whispered to one another, but I couldn't hear them over the sound of my mother's weeping.
From the kitchen, a man emerged, wiping his hands on a towel. He was tall and had broad–shouldered, his dark hair with streaks of grey. His eyes, weary from years of hard work, froze for a moment as he saw us.
The towel slipped from his hand as he rushed toward the scene.
"Eleanor, what's going on!?" His voice was steady, his steps halted as his gaze landed on me.
He stopped in his tracks, his face pale and eyes wide with disbelief.
My mother finally loosened her grip enough to move turn toward him–still hugging me, her face wet with all the tears. "L-Leonard... It's Zane. Our Zane. He's alive... See? What did I tell you for all this time... My baby boy... He is alive..."
He didn't move. For a long moment, he simply stood there, staring at me with disbelief as if I were a ghost.
His lips opened and closed like a fish, as if trying to say something, but no words came out.
The café grew even quieter, the onlookers holding their breath, as if they too were awaiting his reaction.
Finally, my father broke free from his shock, taking a slow, unsteady steps toward me. His eyes teared, and his voice cracked as he spoke.
"How... How is this possible? Is it really you... Zane?"
I nodded, my throat tight as I replied. "It's me, Dad. I'm Home."
His hands trembled as he reached out his hand to touch my shoulder, as if afraid I might vanish under his fingers.
When he felt the solidity of my presence, he hurriedly pulled me into an embrace. It was firm strong–the embrace of father who had longed for his son every day for three years.
"You are alive," he whispered, his voice breaking. "My boy...My Zane..."
"I'm... here," I said, my own voice breaking, my tears falling. "I'm here, Dad."
As the tears and the embrace between the three continued, a sweet voice suddenly came from the staircase.
Her voice shaky, A little hesitant. "What... What's going on? Dad, Mom–"
My heart clenched. There she was–My older sister, standing frozen at the top of the stairs.
She looks exactly like younger version of my mother. Her long black hair falls of her shoulders reaching her waist.
Her usually composed demeanour crumbles as she stared me, her pale hands trembled.
"...Zane?" Her voice barely audible.
Tears already streaming, I took a step forward. "Hey, Elise... It's me."
"Uh–" She gasps, her legs giving way for moment, as if her body couldn't handle the flood of emotions hitting her all at once.
But then without any hesitation, she rushed down the stairs, nearly tripping in her toes as she throws herself at my arms.
Her voice cracking as she sobs uncontrollably, gripping me so tightly it almost hurts.
"Zane! It's you–it's really you! I thought I'd never see you–...I thought I've lost you forever!"
Holding her tightly, feeling her shaking in my arms, My voice cracks.
"I'm here, Sis. I'm here. I'm sorry for leaving you... I'm so sorry."
For a moment it was just the four of us–my sister quietly sobs, my mother and father silently tears, and me, sandwiched between them.
The café faded away.
Nothing else mattered to me.
Eventually, my father pulled back slightly, his hands still on my shoulders. His eyes
They rolled down my cheeks, hot and continuously.
My sister, sitting across from me, leaned forward, her brows knitting together in concern. "Zane, why are you crying?"
I shook my head, trying to smile, "I don't know," I added. "Maybe... because it's been so long since I felt this. Since I felt."
"Idiot. You are crying because you're happy. And now you are making me cry."
We all laughed, the sound breaking through the emotional tension.
For the first time in years, the house was filled warmth and laughter.
As the conversation turned to lighter topics, Elise proudly pulled out her [NOVA] ID card, her name displayed along side her rank as a five-digit hero.
[NOVA] is the pinnacle of hero education, an institute renowned for producing the finest rankers.
Located in the heart of [Frostvile] Kingdom, it's more that just a school, it's a place where only the most determined and capable individuals rise to become the ultimate protecters of society.
"I'm training to become a hero, just like [Hope]," she said, her eyes sparkling.
I chuckled, the irony almost too much. "You're doing great, Elise," I said, ruffling her hair.
"Hey stop that! I'm the older." My sister said as she proceeds to pat my head.
The atmosphere was lighter now, I couldn't help but watch my family as they spoke–my mother pouring another bowl of stew, my mother grumbling about the customers, and my sister, beamed with joy as she shared stories about her time at [NOVA].
"[NOVA] huh? I didn't realize you enrolled."
"Of course, I did! I wanted to make mom and dad proud. After you..." Her voice faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "After everything that happened, I realized I wanted to protect people, just like all other Heroes."
'Heros huh...Could I be one day going back to that?'
I had left that life behind and gone into laying low from the Hero Association.
But now, hearing the excitement in my sister's voice as she spoke of [NOVA], I couldn't help but feel a spark of the old fire. I once was a Rank–1 Hero, feared by many.
But now...
Was that really all?
The days of my glory seemed distant, blurred by the pain and confusion that had followed me since that 'thing' took my life.
I wasn't the same anymore. How could I be? My body has changed, my powers had evolved, but had my purpose?
I looked at my sister–my brave, optimistic sister–and a part of me wanted to smile, to reach out and encourage her.
She was already a hero to her own right, and to see her admiring someone like [Hope] made me proud.
She didn't know the true weight of being a hero, the cost of that title–the losses, the sacrifices. I had lived that, and I didn't know if I could ever go back to it. I didn't know if I wanted to.
She was still full of hope, still looking up to [Hope] who had fought so fiercely, so selflessly. She believed in me. And maybe, just maybe, I could still be that for her.
'Maybe I could help her avoid the darkness I had fallen into.'
"Zane..." Her voice brought me back to the moment. "Why don't you come to NOVA with me, who knows maybe you could replace [Hope] and be my next hero."
The words hit me harder than I expected.
'Maybe this time, I can do it differently.'
I looked at her, at that girl who had always looked up to [Hope]—to me, and for the first time I saw the path ahead clearly. I had to grow stronger–not just for me, but for her, for my parents, for the world that has unknown threats lingering around.
A weight seemed to settled in my chest, but it was different–This time, It wasn't my anger or fear. It was my resolve.
I'll go back. Not as [Hope], but as Zane Skylark.
I'll become even stronger–No even strongest. So strong that even the gods will tremble with the very name of Zane Skylark.
End of Chapte