The mother looked at the boy beyond the mirror and extended her hand as a tear of salvation slid down her warm cheeks.
“Eon? Is… that you?” she asked with eyes full of joy and a heart full of hope.
The boy on the other side nodded with a glad smile.
[ “Yes… mom. It’s me.” ] the voice on the other side of the mirror answered with the same tear-filled eyes as hers.
She couldn’t believe it but, her heart knew this was her son.
This was her son that she had raised all those years and the son that had fought to save his family.
This was her son… alive and fine.
He was talking to her, and she wasn’t the only one.
“Eon…?” the father asked in a voice filled with disbelief.
This wasn’t just the shock to see him, but the way he was contacting them.
He had tried countless things but, there weren’t any results other than the soul graph.
But it took abundant resources just to keep that equipment on the third floor running in normal mode.
And here was his son, contacting them with some strange method.
He was happy to see his son after such a long time but also shocked by the way they were meeting after that long time.
This was no ordinary magic or something even a genius mage like him could fathom.
He knew his son was in an unreachable place and there shouldn’t be anything that could connect someone outside the place with that extreme disturbance.
Just maintaining the entire system, he and his wife’s brother had created used energy equal to two whole mansion’s yearly amount in a single day.
And he was using something without a receiving point?
His thoughts were clear for the boy to read, but he just smiled at his crying dad.
At least, he was overjoyed to see his son more than those useless things.
The father was holding back his tears, unlike moments ago when he had cried over the small thing his daughter had done.
Oh, yes, the daughter.
The little girl was confused about what was happening in this room.
The sudden change of behavior from her dear parents confused her dearly.
She didn’t understand what was happening with them, but she seemed unafraid.
The sudden situation that might have made any kid cry in fear was just making her eyes watery.
She was more worried about her parents than anything.
This was the first time that her parents had acted this way, but she at least knew that there were always bad people.
Bad people in this world, bad people that might want her, or bad people that might hurt others.
She was afraid that something like that was happening but then seeing her parents’ crying faces deepened the confusion.
The father was holding her and his grip had loosened from before, so it was at least a safe situation.
Taking a deep breath, she looked at her mom and dad, that was blankly staring at the air before them.
“Mom? Dad? What are you doing?” she asked in her timid baby voice and gained the attention of the lost parents.
“Anna? You can’t see this?” the dad asked in confusion and at the same time, the boy on the other side of the mirror asked with the most emotional voice he had made, [ “Mom… is that?” ].
His voice was filled with love that was even more than when he addressed his parents.
He was finally, after three long years, looking at the one he had protected from the vicious demon on that day.
He couldn’t contain those overflowing emotions and the mother could feel it.
She nodded at her dear son, who was looking at his little sister for the first time.
He wanted to see her closer, to hold her, play with her and spoil her as an older brother should.
He wanted to be with her, but… he was still too weak for that.
At least he could talk with this little angel.
It still confused the little girl as her dad was pointing at the blank space before him.
They were talking to air and her behavior at that point was asking them if they had, at last, not gone nuts.
But, that cute expression changed into something of a shock when an unexpected round glass window-like thing popped in front of that place she was looking.
“Yikes! D-daddy! Something! Something just!” she shouted at her dad with a frightened face.
That round little face looked too cute when shocked.
This little one’s reaction made everyone smile, and the melancholic atmosphere changed into a warm one.
The boy looked at the little girl with love-filled eyes, then at the mom, and then at his dad.
His eyes were teary, but he was smiling.
Smiling for the family he so dearly had protected.
Looking down for a moment, he sighed and then took a deep breath and cleared the tears handing over his clear eyes.
Looking back at the shocked little girl who was glaring at the strange mirror and the person who had eyes of similar color as her dad, and hair almost the same as her mom.
She was confused, but she understood this person was someone his lovely parents cherished as much as hers.
But there can only be one person who could earn reactions like these from them.
“Big… brother…?” she asked while hiding on the shoulders of her dad and hugging him with her little self.
She knew this person was the reason she… they were here today, but her mom and dad had never told her how or where he was.
They just knew that he was safe and that something terrible had happened to him some time ago.
That time was hard for her as they both were trying to hide the pain from her.
She could feel it, but if they weren’t telling her, then it meant that this was more than what she could understand.
For the first time in her little life, she was seeing a special person, her heroic brother. .𝙘𝙤𝙢
She wasn’t afraid of him, not even a little.
Her heart was beating faster, and she was blushing as if some fan seeing her ideal for the first time.
Meeting someone she only had heard about and always dreamed of meeting.
She was nervous about this brilliant brother of hers and the boy on the other side could understand this little one.
This was the life he had protected, and he knew his little sister was nervous to see him for the first time.
He was seeing his family while they were seeing him after a long time but, this little one was seeing him for the first time.
And he knew what to do in this situation.
The mirror floated towards them and she tried to hide even more.
The action of this three-year-old was amusing for the parents that were overjoyed to see their son.
[ “May I have the honor to know your name, little lady?” ] he asked with a warm voice.
She didn’t know what to do but, after hearing the voice of her big brother for the first time, she couldn’t help but look at him.
Slowly, she looked back at the floating mirror and met her brother’s eyes.
Eyes that seemed more beautiful than her own.
There was something special about those pretty eyes.
Her jewel eyes lacked the fire, the magic, and the shin her big brother had.
These were more fresh eyes than normal and only her father, grandfather and white hair grandpa had.
But they still stood out among them.
They were just… different.
She loved those eyes.
“Pretty…” she exclaimed with genuine surprise and sparkle in her eyes but… quickly recovered from this astonishment.
“Ahem. Big brother… m-my name is Anna. Anastasia. I-It’s a pleasure to meet you!” she said while bowing her little head.
Such adorable sight…
He chuckled with a bit of sad eyes.
He wanted to pat that little head of hers.
Strock her soft cheeks.
Embrace her little self and never let her little hand go this time, but… he wasn’t strong enough to go to them just yet.
But at least he could talk to them this way.
[ “Hello Anna. I’m Eon. I’m… very happy to see you’re so healthy.” ]
His eyes were teary after this one, but his words reminded the two parents something had also happened to their son.
“Eon?! Are you okay? You were almost… than… and now you’re like this?” the father couldn’t find the right words as his eyes widened.
“Eon… are you ok? We know something happened to you and then suddenly you got better?
Are you really… ok?” the mother asked with a concerned voice and worried eyes.
I was only half visible to them right now, but I had no intention of telling them now.
This wasn’t the good way.
I wanted to tell them everything, but not like this.
Not when I can’t even hug them.
[ “I will tell you when I get back but, it will take a long time.
But you don’t have to worry now. I’m perfectly fine and I shouldn’t go through the same thing again… right master?” ]
He looked at the other side of the mirror in front of him.
His expression was hesitant as if he didn’t know what he was going to do from now on, but at least he had the hope that he won’t have to suffer the way he had last time.
But, he gulped when he just received a blank smile from his grandma and sighed in fear.
[ “Yes… I will be fine. You don’t have to worry.” ]
His mom sensed the hesitation in her son’s voice but, she didn’t ask further.
And he didn’t have much time to talk, anyway.
He could only use this device for a short time and that time wasn’t enough to talk for much longer.
The short meeting of the little one and her heroic brother had finished, and so did the time.
[ “Looks like I don’t have much time.” ] he said in a sad voice and as soon as those words escaped his mouth, the faces of his family fall from the grace.
They had seen their child for the first time in all these years and now he was going away without talking much.
Why!?
“Eon… how did you do this?! Can we see… you again?
There is still an entire family to introduce to…
Everyone had worried about you as much as us… and…” the mother asked in a worried voice and
He knew this would happen from the start but, fortunately, this wasn’t the last time they would meet.
[ “Don’t worry mom. I… we can do this every three months so, we will see you in some time.
Though the time I talk can’t increase from what the master said, we will meet again and then… you can also introduce me to them.
I can only think of the hardship you all might have endured but, thank you.
For your mom, to keep your promise and dad… to support her.
Anna. This was a small meeting, but I have fallen in love with you, so we will talk more next time, ok darling?
So…” ]
The communication window was starting to disappear in the air slowly, disintegrating, unlike the way it suddenly had appeared.
It was slow, so he was still there.
He was seeing them as everything disappeared into the particles and the sadness in their eyes turned teary once again.
He just waved at them with a cheerful smile, and… the window disappeared.
He disappeared from there, and everything turned back to normal.
He was gone.
They were now alone once again.
But… this at least wasn’t a goodbye.
This was a see you soon, and they will see him again in a few months.
Though this time would feel longer than before, they at least knew that their son was safe.
This was… enough.
Tears started pouring out of their mother’s eyes like never before, and the father followed suit.
The little daughter was trying to calm them down, but nothing worked, and then she just joined them with her innocent tears.
The room filled with the voices of crying but, unlike most, they were tears of relief and… joy.