Lord Of Beasts

After Ethan knocked on the front door, it was less than a second before he and Elara were dragged inside. Warm hands pulled them forward, overlapping voices filled the hallway, and within seconds, they found themselves surrounded by smiling faces.

It wasn’t just a welcome.

It was a celebration.

And as promised, a massive meal had been prepared.

Plates covered nearly every inch of the large table in the dining room, filled with roasted meats, vegetables, fresh bread, homemade pies, and enough side dishes to feed twice as many people.

The rich aroma alone was enough to make Ethan’s stomach growl.

After surviving what had felt like months of eating prison gruel and beast meat, it smelled like heaven. Meanwhile, Mark slowly stepped through the doorway behind them, still wearing a puzzled expression.

His eyes drifted back outside.

He still didn’t understand what had happened, but he didn’t dwell on it, sighing before closing the front door behind him.

"What?" he asked dramatically. "Y’all not happy to see me, too?"

"No."

His younger sister, Lila, answered without even looking up.

The deadpan response was so immediate that everyone burst into laughter.

"Harsh."

Ethan laughed while heading straight for the food, but before he was allowed anywhere near the dining table, he and Elara were bombarded with questions.

"How are you feeling? Is your arm okay?"

"Did you really clear an A Rank Gate?"

"Were the news reports exaggerated?"

"You’ve both lost weight."

Clarissa, the elderly woman Ethan called Aunt, didn’t ask a single question of the blue-eyed man she had raised. Instead, she walked straight over to the red-eyed woman beside him.

"Oh, sweetheart."

She gently wrapped the blonde in a warm embrace.

"How can anyone call such a gentle woman the Blood Demon?"

Elara froze for a moment before awkwardly returning the hug, clearly not used to physical affection. This was her first time experiencing such genuine warmth and acceptance in as long as she could remember.

"You haven’t seen her when-"

Before Ethan could finish speaking, an elbow quietly found his ribs.

Thud!

He looked sideways, and Elara was glaring at him not very subtly.

Ethan couldn’t help laughing.

Clarissa looked between the two before a knowing smile spread across her face.

"You two are like a married couple and remind me of how I was with my darling Jerome, may he rest in peace."

Ethan thought back to the old man, who was strict but caring. He died young, before he really got close to him, but he was the closest thing he had to a father.

There was a moment of silence as they mourned him.

That’s when footsteps echoed from upstairs, and Adonis came running down the staircase, his hair still damp from a shower. His mother followed behind him, trying to hide how excited she was.

The little boy barely made it halfway before stopping dead in his tracks.

His eyes lit up.

"UNCLE ETHAN!"

He sprinted the remaining distance before skidding to a halt and scanning him up and down as if looking for something. That’s when he grabbed his uncle’s sleeve and pulled it up to reveal a veiny forearm that was so lean you could see his twitching muscle fibres.

The boy’s jaw slowly dropped.

"They’re sooo cool..."

Seeing Ethan shirtless on the news, he had seen the Fenrir on his chest, and his tattoos had caused quite a stir online. Now he was looking at the electric dragonfly tattoo, and couldn’t help but be amazed.

"I want tattoos like Uncle Ethan!"

The entire room fell silent.

"No."

"No."

"Absolutely not."

Every adult answered at once.

Adonis blinked.

"...Why?"

"Only thugs and rappers get tattoos," Maren said matter-of-factly, still wearing her high school uniform before glancing awkwardly toward Ethan.

"No offence."

Ethan shrugged.

"None taken."

Adonis frowned thoughtfully, then looked directly at Ethan.

"So... Which one are you?"

There was a moment of silence, then Ethan answered with complete sincerity.

"Well, I’m definitely not a rapper."

Nobody laughed, and there was a noticeable tension, knowing of his past. His answer wasn’t a joke, and for years, he had genuinely been nothing more than a street thug trying to survive.

Eventually, Ethan laughed first, breaking the tension.

He felt at peace with himself and his past as he glanced around the room.

’I have a family, I have a Title, and...’

His eyes briefly found Elara.

’...I think I might have a girl, too.’

A smile naturally spread across his face.

’I really can’t complain.’

Finally, they all sat down to eat, the first bite making Ethan close his eyes.

"Damn."

Aunt Clarissa laughed proudly.

"I knew you’d say that."

Nothing had changed.

Her cooking still hit exactly the same, and a proper home-cooked meal was unbeatable. Even Elara’s usually expressionless face softened after the first mouthful, as she quietly continued eating.

Nobody mentioned their Titles or asked them to demonstrate their abilities. To them, the B Rank and A Rank didn’t exist; there was only Ethan and Elara.

It was refreshing, especially after all the attention they had received recently.

During the meal, Elara even began making more of an effort to join the conversation. She still struggled, sometimes only managing a single word or two, but she kept trying.

"Good..."

She pointed at the food.

"...Very."

Clarissa beamed.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

Later, when Mark mentioned reopening the Black Howl, Elara quietly added,

"Busy."

"Exactly!" Lila smiled.

"See? You’re getting better already."]

Everyone encouraged her every time she spoke, not because they pitied her, but because they recognised how difficult it was for her.

Each word was progress.

Unfortunately, Adonis lacked that same tact.

He tilted his head.

"Is she slow?"

Smack!

His mother immediately slapped the back of his head.

"Ow! What did I do?"

"You don’t ask people things like that."

The young boy quickly looked toward Elara.

"Sorry..."

Elara looked at him for a moment before giving a small nod.

She wasn’t truly upset, at least not with him, since he was only a child. But it was difficult not to feel at least a little stung.

Ethan noticed immediately.

He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself laughing.

’She could erase this entire street with one Crimson Flash, and yet a kid’s innocent question gets under her skin.’

It was oddly adorable.

Thankfully, the moment passed quickly, and they enjoyed the rest of their wholesome meal together.

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