Chapter 558: My Family. My Everything.
He had faced armies, powerful beasts, and terrifying creatures inside the Abyss, but none of them made him feel as helpless as his mother’s questions.
Ardyn could no longer hold back his laughter. "You see? I told you he would be fine."
Serene immediately glared at him. "You stay quiet."
Ardyn’s laughter stopped.
He raised both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright."
Serene turned her attention back to Thoren and carefully examined him once again.
Only after confirming that there were no obvious injuries on his body did she finally relax. Then Ardyn came closer and clapped Thoren on his shoulder, unable to hide the grin on his face.
"I told you he will be back to us." He bragged.
Thoren looked at him. "You have been saying that since I left?"
"Of course."
Ardyn raised his chin proudly. "I knew my son would return."
Serene rolled her eyes at her shameless husband before grabbing Thoren’s arm.
"Come inside."
She dragged Thoren into the living room before Ardyn could say anything else.
The moment Thoren sat down, Serene immediately sat beside him while Ardyn took his usual seat opposite them.
The atmosphere that had previously been heavy was now completely different.
The room was filled with warmth. Serene kept looking at Thoren as though she was still making sure that he was truly there.
Ardyn, meanwhile, continued to smile.
"So," Serene finally asked, "tell us about the Abyss."
Thoren leaned back slightly. "The Abyss?"
"Yes."
She looked at him with curiosity mixed with concern.
"How was it? The second floor. Was it really as dangerous as people say?"
Thoren smiled. "It was dangerous."
Serene’s expression immediately became serious.
"How dangerous?"
Thoren thought for a moment. "The first floor wasn’t too bad."
Ardyn raised an eyebrow. "Not too bad?"
Thoren nodded. "There were many beasts, but most of them could be dealt with as long as you were careful."
"The second floor was different," Thoren continued.
"Different how?" Serene asked.
"The beasts were stronger, and there were fewer safe places. There were also several factions fighting over resources and territory."
He spoke calmly, giving his parents only the surface-level details of what he had experienced.
"The environment itself was also dangerous. The desert stretched farther than I expected, and there were places where even experienced awakeners could die if they were careless."
Serene frowned. "That’s dangerous?"
"Yes."
Ardyn’s smile became slightly restrained.
"Then how did you manage?"
Thoren looked at his father. "I adapted."
That was all he said.
Ardyn stared at him for several seconds before laughing softly. "That’s my son."
Serene shook her head. "You two are exactly the same."
Thoren smiled and he knew his parents wanted to know everything. But there were some things they did not need to know.
The truth was that the second floor had been far more dangerous than he had described.
If he told them everything, Serene would probably die of anxiety the next time he descended into the abyss.
And Thoren had no intention of killing his mother with unnecessary information. His job as their son was to make sure they did not have to worry about anything.
That was how he saw it.
His parents had spent years protecting him.
Now that he possessed enough strength to protect himself, the least he could do was make sure that his parents could live peacefully.
Even though he was smiling and speaking casually, there was an invisible weight surrounding him that Selene could not describe.
She knew he had grown by a lot. Not only physically, but also mentally. And despite that change, he was still her son.
And that was enough.
The conversation continued for some time.
Thoren told them about the beastmen town and villages he had visited and some of the ordinary experiences he had encountered along the way, carefully avoiding the more terrifying details.
Ardyn listened quietly while occasionally adding his own comments.
Just as the three were having a pleasant moment, then it happened.
"THOREN!" A loud voice suddenly echoed through the mansion.
Thoren’s eyes widened slightly and Serene immediately turned toward the entrance while Ardyn’s eyebrows rose.
Before anyone could say anything, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor. From the corridor, Elara dashed out as if she was being chased.
Her face was filled with excitement, and her eyes immediately locked onto Thoren. Before she could even get close to him, she threw herself toward him.
Thoren barely had time to stand before Elara crashed into him as he instinctively caught her.
Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist as she buried her face against his chest.
"Brother!" Her voice trembled with happiness.
Thoren looked down at his little sister and a genuine smile spread across his face.
"Elara!"
She refused to let go. "You finally came back!"
"I did." He chuckled.
"You were gone for so long!"
"I know."
"I thought you forgot about us!"
Thoren’s expression immediately became helpless. "How could I forget about you?"
Elara lifted her head and stared at him with slightly watery eyes.
"You better not."
Thoren chuckled.
"I won’t." She hugged him even tighter.
Behind them, Serene smiled warmly. Ardyn folded his arms and watched his children with a proud expression.
The Starfall family had been waiting for this moment for more than a month. And now, Thoren was finally home.
...
...
While Thoren and his family were having a happy and pleasant time. A happy reunion, other awakener families were already on the move. Most especially the top three awakener families.
If Thoren’s quick return from the first floor was nothing but fluke, they would be a fool to think his return to the second in less than two months was also a fluke.
For a moment, the engine of the Suncrest City Base was all moving at the same time. Either for good or bad, only time would tell.
As of the danger clouding both inside and outside of the city, right now, all the powerful force inside the city did not care.
At this moment, the Starfall family had become the most important thing.