System's POV
chapter-199

Alessia sighed for the umpteenth time as she closed the book of Alchemy in her hand.

It had been a few months since Zion had disappeared, and she was very worried about him.

Although the latter had sent their family a letter through Laplace Demon, as a mother, she still couldn't help but feel worried about her seven-year-old, who should be home with them right now.

Suddenly, Remi, who was initially sleeping on the couch beside her, raised her small head as if she had felt something in the distance.

The four-year-old then walked toward the sliding door that led toward the backyard.

Alessia followed her youngest with her gaze, but the moment she saw someone on the other side of the door, the book in her hand dropped to the floor.

The sliding door opened wide, and Remi didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around her big brother, whom she hadn't seen for months, and then started crying her eyes out.

"There, there. Don't cry, Remi." Thirteen lovingly patted her sister's head, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Why are you crying?"

"Wuwuwuwu!" Remi continued to hug Thirteen. "Bwah-der!"

Before Alessia knew it, she was already running toward her two children and wrapped her arms around them.

Shasha, who suddenly heard Remi's cry, rushed toward the Living Room from the Training Ground with her sword ready to strike.

But the moment she saw Zion, she joined her mother and sister and hugged him as well.

'Girls are really loud…' Thirteen mused as the three girls cried while hugging him.

Thinking that her mother and sister were playing a game of who could cry the loudest, Remi increased the volume of her cry, making even Gerald, who was busy in the Forge, come running to her rescue.

However, when he saw the reason why his girls were crying, Gerald joined them and hugged his son, who had suddenly returned to them.

After a few minutes, Thirteen decided that enough was enough and asked everyone to back away.

He was only given a short period of time to stay in Pangea, so he didn't want to waste it by listening to his family's cries.

"Pops, I need your help," Thirteen said as he looked at his father.

"You got it!" Gerald replied. "I don't know what kind of help you need from me, but consider it done."

"Um, I plan to bring you with me to Solterra to fight against a Majin Prince." Thirteen blinked innocently.

"Okay! No biggie. It's just fighting a Majin Pri—" Gerald paused, as if realizing something.

Thinking that he only misheard his son, he decided to ask Zion to repeat what he said a while ago. "What?"

"I plan to bring you to Solterra to fight against a Majin Prince with me."

"You unfilial brat! Do you want to kill me?!"

Gerald smacked the head of his no-good son, making the latter rub his head in pain.

Alessia and Remi, who didn't approve of Gerald hurting Zion, immediately started pounding him with their closed fists!

Only Shasha didn't do anything to harm her father. Instead, she lightly rubbed Thirteen's head, helping ease the pain he was feeling.

Gerald, who was being wrongfully beaten by his wife and youngest daughter, raised his hands in surrender and asked his son about the details of his mission.

After listening to everything, Gerald's and Alessia's faces turned grim because he didn't expect that their son and the other Wanderers, who had been brought to the Valbarra Archipelago, would suffer such a fate.

"Zion, how did you manage to come back here?" Gerald inquired. "Did Laplace Demon help you again?"

Thirteen nodded. "Hmm. I said that it's impossible with just me alone and that I need some backup. I was planning to ask for Gramps, but Laplace Demon and The One rejected me."

Gerald and Alessia glanced at each other before shaking their heads helplessly.

They knew no one in Pangea could casually talk about the Laplace Demon and The One as if they were people giving away brochures and flyers in the streets.

"Zion, tell me. Is there a chance for us to win?" Gerald asked. "I will gladly do everything in my power to help you, but fighting against a Majin Prince is way beyond my abilities."

"Pops, I wouldn't tell you to come with me if we had no chance of winning," Thirteen replied. "In fact, I even wanted to bring Mother with us, but I decided not to ask for it in the end. Someone needs to look after Shasha and Remi while we are away after all.

"I'm not going to lie and say that it's going to be easy, but right now, I need all the help I can get. Also, this is a good way to have you promoted to the Champion Rank. I'm sure that when you return to Solterra to face off against those Assassins from Death Wish, they will definitely suffer losses in your hands because they wouldn't have known that you've already become a Champion."

Thirteen then looked at his Mother and sisters with a calm expression on his face.

"The ultimate goal is for all of us to reunite once again and eat at the same table," Thirteen said softly. "For that to happen, I plan to work hard and survive regardless of the obstacles that I am facing. Right now, I'm faced with a tough opponent that even Monarchs will not be able to fight easily.

"But as long as Pops is with me, there is still a chance of victory. Mother, Shasha, Remi, believe me when I say that no matter what happens, I'll make sure to return Pops home safely."

"How about you?" Alessia asked. "Aren't you going to return after this mission ends?"

Thirteen smiled bitterly before shaking his head. "I might have to stay in Solterra for a little longer. But, if I can survive a Majin Prince, I think no one in the world can threaten me anymore. So, you don't have to worry, Mother. I will definitely return."

Gerald held Alessia's hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"Alessia…"

"I know. Make sure that Zion is safe."

Gerald gave his wife a hug and a kiss on the cheeks before returning to the Smithy to grab some items that he would be taking with him to Solterra.

A few minutes later, he stood with his son in their backyard, where a small portal opened up to allow them to enter.

"Pops will be back in three to five months, Mother," Thirteen said. "Don't worry. I'll keep him out of trouble for you."

Alessia nodded and kissed Thirteen's cheeks. Shasha and Remi did the same, making the seven-year-old's chest feel warm.

'I guess this is what it means to have a family,' Thirteen thought as he hugged his mother and two sisters goodbye.

"Let's go, Pops."

"Let's!"

The two then entered the portal, sending them directly to Thirteen's room in the warehouse.

The moment they arrived, Gerald looked at his surroundings and almost jumped back when he saw a Black Snake looking up at him from the floor.

Just as Gerald was about to attack Tiona, Thirteen stood in his way, making Gerald stop his attack mid-air.

"Calm your tits, Pops," Thirteen stated. "Tiona is my Beast Companion. She's not a threat."

As if to prove that he was telling the truth, he picked the snake up from the floor and allowed her to coil around his neck like she usually did.

"Tiona, this is my father, Gerald," Thirteen said. "Father, this is Tiona."

The Black Snake hissed at Gerald as if greeting him.

"Err… nice to meet you too, Tiona," Gerald smiled stiffly because he had recognized what kind of breed the snake was.

He had a lot of questions in his head, but he decided to wait for a proper time to ask them.

For now, he just wanted to know his son's general situation, so he could better understand what kind of plans he had to face off against a Majin Prince.