"I have returned to my world and this is the plaza of the city and when I was walking to my home fortunately Goddess summoned me!" I pondered inwardly, my entire body was shaking in panic as I tried to understand what was happening.
"Hay look at that boy, he seems like he wakes after a heavy drink"
"Seriously kids this day started drinking at such a young age"
"Don't look at him, how's know if he walks to words us"
"Let that f#cker come. He's not worth even a punch or a kick. He'd probably faint if I clapped near him. Hahaha!"
The people surrounding me started to speak ill against me, while the shop owner's frustration escalated seeing me not moving away. He fetched a pipe and released cold water at me.
When I felt freezing water continually thrown at me, I looked at the shopkeeper and shouted "What's wrong with you? Stop bathing me!"
"Get lost, you piece of shit!" The shopkeeper continued to douse me with cold water, his expression morphing into amusement as he witnessed my discomfort. Onlookers quickly pulled out their phones to create reels for social media attention.
"This is amazing! I will get so many views and followers thanks to that loser! Hahaha! don't stop uncle!"
Struggling to remain upright, I realized the shopkeeper had no intention of stopping; he was rather enjoying himself at my suffering. With a glance at him, I attempted to cast a low-level spell, murmuring "Veil shield!"
But to my horror, nothing happened. "What! My magic is...!"
"F#ck off you little Bart!" The shopkeeper immediately cranked up the electric pump, causing the water pressure to spike. The intense jets stung my skin, but I refused to show any signs of pain to the spectators. Instead, I looked at my hands in disbelief, realizing that my spell had failed.
"What happened? The spell... It didn't work... Wait, I remember losing all my power against the demon lord, but... But I can't even use basic normal magic!" As I pondered, the shopkeeper threw water on my face.
"It hurts so bad! I need to escape, or he will make my skin red." I turned around and ran away from the shopkeeper. When the spectators saw I was gone, they let out a sigh of discontent.
"Hahaha, he ran away because of shame, that stupid kid, hahaha!"
"Look at how many views I got, 1000! This is crazy, and it's still increasing!"
"He is soon going to become a meme for sure!"
Glancing behind, I saw no one was following me. I wiped the dirt from my face and let out a sigh. "That bastard!... Cough! Cough! Cough! My school uniform is completely wet!... I can't use magic, but even though I have mastered several ancient and advanced magic at the Academy of the Holy Church, I should at least be able to cast low-level magic, but..."
As I found myself lost in thought once again, a wave of nostalgia washed over me upon returning home. I lifted my head and spotted a jet airplane soaring through the sky, accompanied by the cacophony of vehicle noises and polluted air.
"My home... I almost forgot that I have a life here too... I was in school and lived with my mother... Wait! My mom, I haven't seen her for five years. Is she alright? I need to go home now as soon as possible!" I mused, feeling a sense of urgency to reunite with my mother after such a long time.
With determination, I dashed towards my home, eager to see my mother after what felt like an eternity.
As I walked to my home I grinned with excitement and glanced at many familiar places like my favourite park, the veg restaurants, and people busy on their phones not minding their surroundings, cars honking, tanks,100 military soldiers with heavy gear, and holding XM7 assault rifles.
"Wait a minute!? WHO ARE THEY?" I exclaimed, feeling bewildered as I turned around to gaze at the military personnel patrolling the city with their arms and tanks, as though they had emerged from a Warzone. Despite their imposing presence, the people around seemed oddly relaxed, barely sparing them a glance as they went about their daily routines.
"Daily report, today we haven't encountered any monsters or detected any dimensional gates in the city," a soldier's voice crackled over the radio.
"Copy that. Keep patrolling the designated locations until the next shift arrives! If you encounter any monsters or detect dimensional gates, immediately inform headquarters!"
"Roger that!" The soldier glanced back at his comrades and signaled to them. They nodded in response and continued on their patrol.
I watched the military soldiers closely, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. "I can't hear them from this distance, but what are they doing in the city plaza? I know that modern world militaries don't typically patrol inside cities, especially not with this kind of high-tech gear, guns, and tanks! Has something happened while I was in the other world, or is my country now under a dictatorship?"
As the soldiers disappeared from my view, my interest in them waned, and I continued to walk back to my home.
"I have returned!" I announced, facing a small house with a black-tinted shade, faded colors, and a rusty door that resembled an abandoned structure. Nervously, I swallowed hard as my heart pounded uncontrollably. It had been five years since I had last been home, and a flood of emotions overwhelmed me—sadness, elation, shame, and palpable anticipation. With hesitant steps, I approached the door and slowly pushed it open.
"Creak!" The door's rusty hinges let out a piercing squeak as I entered. Glancing around the sparsely furnished room, I noted only a small pair of couches and several colorful cloth flowers. My mother, a tailor who now worked as a laborer in a factory after her divorce from my father, had clearly made the room as cheerful as possible with her creations.
"Who is there?" a woman's voice echoed through the air, causing me to freeze momentarily. Instantly, I recognized that voice, and my breath caught in my throat. When I laid eyes on her, she appeared to be in her 30s, with an average appearance, black hair, and two black eyes like mine. Wrinkles adorned her skin, and she had a petite frame with small breasts, standing at the same height as me. She was my mother, Erina.
As Erina stared at me with widened eyes filled with shock, tears began to stream down her cheeks.
"Mom—"
"Evan... My son!"
She rushed toward me and enveloped me in a tight embrace, her tears flowing freely. "You're alive... Thank the Goddess, she heard my prayers."
Yes, they really did hear your prayer, I thought to myself as I looked at my mother and returned her hug. She spoke, her voice trembling with emotion. "Evan... Where have you been these past two weeks? I searched for you everywhere and asked your friends about you."
"Two weeks! I was gone only two weeks? Is there a time dilation between my world and that world? It could be possible; there are records in ancient lost knowledge about controlling space and time, but it's not feasible for us mortals to control something so otherworldly."
"I was afraid that I lost you during the attack of those ruthless monsters... Evan, tell me where were you all this time? Did the monsters take you with them? Did they hurt you?" Erina examined my body from top to bottom, even removing my wet shirt to check for injuries.
"Evan, why are you wet and your skin looks so red? What happened to you? Tell me now, I won't let whoever hurt my son get away with it!"
"Mom, nothing happened to me... Wait, did you just say 'monster'?" I was dumbfounded when Mom mentioned monsters. I had encountered many kinds of demons and other races during my journey with Victoria, and some people would always mistake ordinary creatures for demons and try to harm them, even if they meant no harm. But the idea of monsters existing in my world was something I couldn't believe.
"No, I won't say anything until you tell me where you were this entire time!" Erina stuck to her demand, determined not to speak until I gave her an explanation. I found myself in a very confusing situation. If I told my mother that I was transported to another world to defeat a demon lord at the behest of the Goddess Aurelia, she would likely think I had gone mad and take me to see a doctor.
I couldn't help but sigh and fabricate a story, not wanting her to worry even more. "Mom... I don't know what happened to me... When I was returning from school, I suddenly lost consciousness for unknown reasons. When I woke up, I found myself lying on the street. I was afraid and panicked when I saw people laughing at me and speaking ill, so I didn't look back. I just walked straight home to see you, Mother!"
Erina stared at me blankly, not because of my fabricated story, but because she noticed that I spoke more eloquently and clearly than before. She knew that I was usually quiet and not particularly skilled in communication, but my previous personality seemed to be absent at this moment. Her heart began to pound uncontrollably as her body grew warm, and she couldn't help but stare at me with a flushed face and wide eyes.
"Huh? What was that?" I felt an unusual sensation in my eyes, something I had never experienced before. I couldn't determine if it was some form of magic or simply a random eye ache.
"Evan..."
Erina called my name, and I turned to look at her, noticing her flushed face. I didn't understand what had just happened to her or why she was blushing. "Mom, did you call my name?"
"Evan, you seem so different than before... You're speaking so well now. But what happened to your eyes? I swear I saw them turn pink with heart-shaped pupils just a moment ago before they returned to normal," Erina said as she examined my eyes closely.
My heart stopped functioning for a few seconds when my mom said pink eyes of heart, the flashback flashed in my mind remembering Aurelia-obsessed pink heart-pupil "Pink eye? That feeling I sensed before wasn't a random eye ache... Did Aurelia have done something with me while I was indulged with her body? I remember she was explaining something 'Pure love of...' I don't remember anything my memories are blurry"
"Evan, why are silent? What are you thinking" Erina spoke seeing me in deep daydreaming.
"No... No... No... It's nothing Mom I was just curious about something... hmm? Wait, Mom tell me about the monster and why many military soldiers are marching in the plaza with tanks! Did something happen while I wasn't at home?"
————————————
Meanwhile, high above in the sky among the clouds, a mysterious portal materialized seemingly out of thin air, and through it emerged a charming little girl. Her long, silvery-white hair cascaded down to her feet, swaying gently with the currents of the wind. She was adorned in a stunning dress adorned with hues of pink, blue, and black, enveloping her petite frame. A black, transparent veil veiled her face, adding an air of mystique to her appearance.
With a graceful motion of her slender hands, she lifted the veil, revealing two large, luminous pink eyes and an exquisite face that radiated innocence and beauty. Her mere presence had the power to captivate the heart of any onlooker in the world.
Surveying her surroundings, she floated effortlessly in the air, her eyes filled with determination as she searched for someone. Inhaling deeply, she savored the freshness of the air. "I have finally arrived! I have escaped from my mother's confines, and now I can meet my PAPA!"
Overwhelmed with joy and anticipation at the thought of meeting her father for the first time, the little girl trembled with excitement. Unable to contain her elation, she soared through the air, eagerly searching for her beloved father.