John and Joanne Miller
As Matthew drove down the streets of New York, he realized that he had no clue how to get to his sibling's school. So after parking on the side of the road, he pulled out his phone and went to input the school's name in the GPS, but before he could pull out the GPS app, he received a message.
'Hey, Matthew. Are you free anytime soon? There is something I want to talk to you about.'
-Eva Smith
"Eva Smith?" Matthew muttered as he tried to refresh his memory.
Now that Matthew had parked his car, he was able to take his focus off the road and think clearly. So, closing his eyes and going into a mediation-like state, Matthew tried to go through his memories of Earth from so long ago.
It had been an extremely long time since he had been on this planet, so it was only normal for him not to remember someone from this time. Thankfully, with a semi-awakened soul, he was able to sort through his encyclopedia-like memories and figure out who the sender was.
"Eva is a girl in the same major as me. I remember she wanted to set up a meeting like this in my previous life, but with school, work, and taking care of my siblings, I pushed it off to next week. Then, after Voyager made a hole in the seal, Countries worldwide announced a quarantine after they found that the air was being polluted by a foreign substance (Spiritual Qi), and I never did get to meet up with her. Finally, after Earth's metamorphosis, I never saw Eva again."
After remembering Eva's situation, Matthew grew curious about what she wanted to speak to him about. From what he knew, Eva had a small crush on him at university, but with the Spiritual Qi rejuvenation coming soon, they were sadly never destined to be together.
However, now that he had a new lease on life, Matthew thought he should see what she wanted to talk about. After all, if he followed the same route of being a cultivation madman without any emotions, what was the point of being reborn?
It would be a shame for whatever supreme being brought him back in time if he simply relived the same life again.
Thinking this much, Matthew opened the message logs and responded, 'Sure, how about tomorrow after classes?'
Though Matthew had no plans to attend university anymore, Eva didn't know of the impending future and was most likely to continue her classes until the day of the quarantine.
Eva didn't take long to respond, and she sent back a simple yes, followed by an excited emoji. After seeing her agree to the offer, Matthew closed the message logs and went back to the GPS app.
Typing in the name of his siblings' school, Matthew soon got a route that navigated him to it. Then, seeing that it was only 10 minutes away, Matthew unparked his car and drove off in its direction, following the speed limit.
Though Matthew was a Celestial Lord in his past life and wouldn't even think before breaking the rules, now he was still a weak mortal. Even if he were the best human fighter on the planet with his vast knowledge of martial arts, hand-to-hand combat wasn't common on pre-metamorphosis Earth but instead was dominated by firearms.
Without any cultivation, Matthew would get shot into a sieve before he even got close to a law enforcement officer. So before he could regain some of his cultivation, Matthew planned to be a law-abiding citizen and follow traffic laws. It took a real man to bend and stretch, and Mattew had no qualms about doing so until he was strong enough.
After 15 minutes of driving through densely populated New York City, Matthew finally managed to find his siblings' school, Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School.
Parking in the school's parking lot, Matthew went through the front door of the school, where he was met by two security guards who watched the entrance.
Usually, visitors would have to sign and go through a few hurdles before being allowed entry into the school. However, Matthew himself was an alumnus of the school and also a frequent visitor. Hence, the two guards easily recognized him and let him go to the office after walking through a simple metal detector.
Entering the office, Matthew found a secretary at the front desk, where he could ask for the release of his siblings.
So, walking over, Matthew put on a nice smile and said, "Hey, Miss, I want to pull my younger siblings out of school early. They have a dentist appointment soon."
This, of course, was a lie, but what did the secretary know?
The secretary, not knowing who Matthew was, questioned, "They need a parent or guardian to be able to take them out early. You obviously aren't a parent, so are you a guardian?"
Matthew was in his early twenties at most, and this was middle school. The youngest person here was, at the very minimum, 10. Obviously, Matthew wasn't the father of anyone here, so not wanting to be rude, the secretary asked if he was a guardian, which was the only probable scenario.
After Matthew nodded, the secretary turned on the computer in front of her and asked for the names of Matthew's siblings.
"Their names are John and Joanne Miller, and my name is Matthew Miller. I am their legal guardian." Matthew answered as he pulled out his ID.
Taking it, the secretary compared the information she saw on the computer with the ID and soon verified it.
"Alright, give me 5 minutes. I need to make an announcement." The secretary spoke as she stood up from the front desk and went behind a door.
Nodding, Matthew sat down on a nearby chair and waited for his siblings to come. Soon after he sat down, the secretary's voice came from the announcement system.
"Will Joanne Miller from class 703 and John Miller from class 701 come down to the main office? Will Joanne Miller from class 703 and John Miller from class 701 come down to the main office? Your guardian is here to take you home." A feminine robotic voice sounded from the announcement systems. The secretary made the announcement, and now all Matthew needed to do was wait.
Thankfully, the twins didn't take very long. Once the announcement came, it only took a few minutes for both of his siblings to come into the office.
Though the two were siblings, they looked nothing alike. John looked like a younger version of Matthew, with the same blonde hair and green eyes they inherited from their father, which made them look extremely European. His hair cascaded in soft waves, catching the sunlight in a way that seemed almost ethereal. But his eyes were apprehensive as he looked around everywhere, seemingly paranoid about everything. Moreover, they seemed to hold a depth that revealed a blend of curiosity and wisdom beyond his years.
In contrast, Joanne had the Asian genes from their mother, with silky, smooth black hair that flowed down her back like a waterfall of obsidian silk. Her skin had a warm, golden undertone that spoke of sun-kissed days spent outdoors, coupled with her large brown eyes that oozed mischief. It was obvious that this girl was a rowdy one who loved to play.
Standing side by side, the contrast between the two was not just a visual distinction but also a personality shift.
John was a shy yet intelligent boy, while Joanne was a tomboy who loved adventure and playing.
Once they saw their older brother, though, both of their pairs of eyes lit up in excitement.
"Mat, why did you take us out?" John asked as soon as he saw his older brother running over to him.
"Yea! Today was Pizza Friday! Lunch was only a period away." Joanne chimed in from the side as she waved her fist angrily.
However, Matthew looked at them with love-filled and caring eyes instead of responding to them. Even though he hadn't seen them in more than 5000 years, there wasn't a week that went by without him thinking of them at least once. Despite being an emotionless cultivation maniac who only wanted to become strong, the only thing he could never forget about was their smile.
Their parents had died while they were young, leaving them orphaned with only a young adult brother to take care of them. Yet, no matter what, these two always kept on smiling. They were strong emotionally and were Matthew's pillars, whether they were dead or alive.
Seeing them in the flesh after so long struck a chord within Matthew's soul that made him a little emotional, and his eyes became a bit red at the sight of time.
Thankfully, with his long life came expertise in hiding emotions, so Matthew quickly controlled himself and put on a normal smile. Then, ruffling both of their hairs into a bird's nest, he spoke, "I'll get you better pizza later. Come on. You have a dentist appointment now."
"But you didn't tell us about this before in the morning?" John questioned.
Matthew was young, yes, but he managed to do everything well and was extremely responsible. It was rare for him to make such a mistake.
He clearly didn't make a mistake, but with the secretary just a few feet away, Matthew was forced to lie once more.
Scratching his head awkwardly, Matthew lied, "I forgot myself, too. I only remembered because of a reminder I set on my phone."
Matthew's words were perfect, without any strand of incredibility, so the twins believed his words. Also, John and Joanne were young. Who didn't want to leave school early at their age? So, being astute, they didn't ask any more questions. After bidding farewell to the secretary, the group of three walked out of the school.
As Matthew was taking his siblings to where he parked, he asked curiously, "How was school today?"
This time, it was Joanne who answered first: "Nothing special happened today. We are studying for the midterms, though. They are next week."
"Yeah, same in my class," John replied simply.
Nodding simply, Matthew found his car and opened the door for them to get in. Thankfully, the car he had was a 4-door and was able to fit the group of three comfortably.
In the car, Matthew started driving back to the apartment in silence. John and Joanne were on their phones while he was busy organizing his thoughts. Matthew hadn't seen them in so long, but now that he had, he didn't know what to talk about with them.
After all, Matthew couldn't just stand up and tell them that he was from 5000 years in the future, where he had the strength of the gods in their imagination, could he?
They would either think he was losing his mind or playing an odd practical joke.
Matthew did plan to tell them about the impending future and Spiritual Qi rejuvenation, as he wanted them to grow just as strong as him. But before he could, he first needed to regain some of his cultivation. Without some proof to back up his words, Matthew would come off as a nutcase.
Thankfully, he had the perfect way to do that even before the Spiritual Qi rejuvenation.
After a quiet 20-minute car ride, Matthew finally made it back to his apartment complex. Quickly finding a parking spot, Matthew got out of his car and walked to where the elevators were.
But seeing that his siblings were lost in their phones and ignoring their surroundings, Matthew saw an opportunity. So, sneaking up to John's window, he slammed the glass and screamed loud enough to scare him.
"AAHH!" John yelled out before he looked at the culprit. "Dammit, Mat, what the heck?! Why did you scare me and not her?!"
"We've been home for a few minutes now, and neither of you has noticed. And why would I scare Joanne? She's innocent." Matthew replied as he opened the door for his frightened brother.
Hearing the compliment, Joanne nodded proudly as she hid her phone and headphones.
"Am I not!" John looked aggrieved.
Not bothering to reply, Matthew went over to open Joanne's door before starting to walk back to the elevators again, this time with his siblings in tow.
Following a quick elevator ride and an even faster walk, the group of three was back in their apartment.
As she was taking off her backpack, Joanne asked, "Mat, when is the appointment?"
"Oh, that I lied. There is no appointment," Matthew answered calmly as he went into the kitchen.
"Ah! Then why did you take us out?" John asked in a confused tone.
"Because you both are going to follow me somewhere special!" Matthew spoke loudly as he spread his arms out.
"Dude, you're being weird. What was that pose?" Joanne asked with disgust in her tone.
"I tried something cool. Did it not work?" Matthew asked wryly. He had been too used to the cultivation world's trends, where showy acts were common.
Sadly, neither of his siblings was a fan, and both shook their heads with disapproval in their expressions.
"Besides that weird act, Mat, where are you taking us?" Joanne asked with bright eyes as she ran up to Matthew's side.
Matthew, happy for the first time in more than 5,000 years, smiled at Joanne's display of emotion.
'Everything will be different now. I promise no harm will ever come to either of you.'
However, Matthew obviously wouldn't say that aloud, so he jokingly pushed away Joanne and answered, "I promised you two pizzas, so before we do my plans, we'll get pizza. But change into some loose and old clothes that you can afford to get dirty."
Though it was an odd request, the two still nodded before running off to their rooms to change.
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