After escaping from the factory, I walked back home with Aria in my embrace. Luckily, I didn't encounter any pedestrians or trouble along the way, as it was already past midnight. I knew Mom would be enraged when she saw me.
"Papa? Where are we going?" Aria asked curiously, looking at her surroundings and seeing many shady houses and complexes.
"We're heading home, and I have several questions for you," I replied, petting her tenderly. When we arrived, Erina was waiting for me at the entrance of our shabby house.
Hearing our footsteps, Erina's gaze shifted towards us. Her facial expression turned pale and her breath caught in her throat as she saw two unknown figures with fair features and exquisite beauty walking towards her, one of them holding a little girl.
Their existence looked completely unrealistic by worldly standards, and Erina thought she was dreaming or seeing a ghost. She stepped back in fear, her voice trembling. "What!... What are you? No, don't come near me! Go away!"
"Mom, it's me, Evan. I'm not going to hurt you," I spoke and chuckled, seeing Erina scared of me.
When Erina heard my familiar voice, her fear faded away completely. She stared at me in disbelief, her eyes wide open.
"That voice... Evan! Is that you?" Erina asked, her eyes wide as she saw my pink, heart-shaped pupils. Though she knew it was me, she couldn't help but ask. Her face flushed a deep red, a mix of joy and disbelief overwhelming her. "Your eyes are pink."
I nodded and walked closer to her. "Yes, Mom, it's me, your son. My eyes are pink. I know my looks have changed, but I'm still your son."
"My son! Where were you? What happened to you and your body?" Erina examined me closely, her eyes tracing over my altered features. Her inner desire grew more intense as she took in my fair skin, long smooth white hair, and slender, without any masculinity. I could see the blush on her face as she was captivated by my new appearance. Yet, there was discomfort in her eyes too, a sign of her struggle with the loss of my original looks.
Then her eyes fell on the silent little girl in my embrace, clutching my shirt. Erina's mind seemed to stop working as she gazed at Aria. The ethereal white hair and pink heart-shaped pupils of Aria's eyes froze Erina in place. Aria's godly looks and aura made it clear that she was not human.
"Who... What is she?" Erina stammered, her eyes locked on Aria. She seemed to realize that Aria was from another world, and her guess was not far from the truth.
I wanted to tell Mom who she was, but this was not the right place to talk openly. "Mom, I will explain everything, I promise, but first, let's go inside. It's already midnight, and I can't tell you at the door."
Erina heard me and hesitated to speak, my patience running thin with concern that someone might see Aria and go crazy, like what happened with that military guy.
After many thoughts and calming herself, Erina finally nodded. "Okay, let's go in."
We walked inside and sat down. Erina sat opposite me, unable to help but stare at my face in awe. She blushed continuously, and some forbidden thoughts seemed to cross her mind. The food I had left was untouched. She had waited for my return to resume dinner with me.
Aria remained in my embrace the entire time, refusing to leave my side. Erina was curious about the little girl clinging to me. She examined Aria's dress, finding it very odd and luxurious, thinking she must be from a wealthy family and her parents must be worried about her.
Erina couldn't resist her urge to know the answer. She wanted to understand what had happened to me and why I looked so different. But more than that, she wanted to know about Aria. "Evan... who is this little girl? Is she lost from her parents?"
"Mom, what I'm going to say might sound unbelievable, but please, don't panic," I said, looking into her desperate face.
"Papa, who is she? Is she going to hurt us?" Aria asked, tugging at my shirt. She wanted to know about Mom. She could feel that Erina was close to me, but she didn't know that she was my mom.
Erina heard Aria's cute little voice but couldn't understand what she was saying. The language she was speaking was unfamiliar.
"No, my princess, she is not going to harm us. This person right here is my mother, Erina, like your mother Arulia," I explained to Aria, who glanced at my mom with surprise.
"Papa's mama!" She mused, continuing to stare at Mom.
Erina watched us chatting in a strange language and was astonished by Aria's gaze, her heart pounding once again. Seeing her curiosity, I smiled.
"Mom, I lied to you about my disappearance and my unconsciousness in the plaza."
"What do you mean you lied?" She asked, her eyes widening in shock.
I explained to her about my summoning to another world by Goddess Arulia and my entire journey, from saving the world to defeating the demon lord, except for the part involving Victoria and Alexander.
Erina stared at me blankly, starting to believe I was imagining things during my disappearance. "Evan... What are you saying? You went to another world and defeated the demon lord? Are you sure you're feeling okay?"
"Mom, I'm fine, and what I'm saying is true," I clarified, denying that I was unwell. She reluctantly nodded, though it was clear she didn't really believe me.
I sighed at her skeptical nod. I turned my hand toward the table as both Aria and Erina watched. "Fire spark," I said, creating a low-level blue fire spell in my hand to prove I wasn't making up stories. Aria's eyes widened in amazement at the sparkling flame.
"Evan! Your hand is burning!" Erina staggered back, trying to extinguish the fire.
"Huh, blue fire?" I mused, surprised by the color of the flame I created. "I'm okay, Mom. This fire can't hurt me."
I closed my fist, making the fire disappear and leaving no trace on my hand. Erina was stunned, her mouth wide open in disbelief at what she had just seen.
"Papa, that was so beautiful! Please do it again, please," Aria pleaded, her eyes full of wonder. However, I knew it wasn't easy for me to perform magic repeatedly. My mana was very low, and I needed to find a way to increase my mana energy.
"Okay, I will do anything for you, but later," I replied to Aria and then turned toward Erina. Her mind was a mix of confusion, fear, sadness, and a slight bit of happiness. She took a deep breath and spoke.
"Evan... Were you really called to another world?"
"Yes, Mom, I was summoned to another world for real!"
Erina finally accepted it after much thought and wanted to know many things related to that world, but she stopped and looked at Aria. "O-okay, even if I believe that, what about this little girl? You haven't explained anything to me about her."
I looked at Aria before speaking to Erina. She had an innocent face and was tightly clinging to me. I knew I couldn't hide her real identity, especially from my mom. I cleared my thoughts and looked at Erina with determination. "Mom... Her name is Aria, and she is my daughter from another world."
As my words reached her ears, Erina froze in place, her breathing ceased. I sensed through mana that her heart had stopped pounding, her expression unchanged as she stared at me with lingering disbelief. "What did you say... your daughter?"
Erina murmured in shock, unable to comprehend the words I had just spoken.
"Yes, Mom. Aria... She is my daughter and your granddaughter." I lifted Aria onto my lap, bringing her closer to Erina.
She couldn't believe that this girl was her grand daughter from another world, possessing an extraordinarily beautiful appearance that could captivate any man.
"Aria is my... granddaughter?" Erina's body began to tremble, her breathing erratic as her mind struggled to process the fact that we shared identical features, from pink eyes to slender figures.
"Mom, I know this is sudden, but—" Before I could finish my sentence, Erina slammed her hand on the table, causing the food to scatter.
"Papa!" Arai was startled by the sudden outburst from Erina's slam and hid her face under my chest. I tried to calm her down but Erina shouted at me with rage.
"Y-your... Daughter! Do you have any idea what have you done Kid!" Her loud anger echoed in the room, her eyes turned red as well vain grow there. This is the first time ever I've seen Mom rage and call me a kid. I know that she thinks that a 17-year-old kid living in poverty brought a daughter home where they could hardly earn to live.
"Mom I understand what you mean but please calm down—"
Erina interrupted me and woke up from her place "Shut your mouth, You are a 17-year-old boy who hasn't completed his schooling, you said you went to another world but what did you do there? Sleeping with a slut and bringing this girl here? What would others would say when they come to know this!"
She continued to shout at me, she didn't let me take a chance to talk and the anger on her face was inevitable.
Aria turned around slightly and glanced at Erina's enraged face, She moved her move and confronted her "Don't shout at Papa! Go away leave us alone!"
"Aria," I saw her shielding me from Erina's furious outburst, and my heart melted at her protectiveness.
Erina couldn't comprehend Aria's words, but she could sense that I had asked her to stop shouting. Hesitant and feeling she might be in the wrong without fully hearing me out, she paused and attempted to regain her composure.
"Evan... I *Cough Cough*," Erina tried to speak but suddenly coughed up blood, losing her balance. Shocked, I rushed to her side.
"Mom! What's happening? Why are you coughing blood?" I asked, seeing blood dripping from her mouth. It wasn't a sign of poisoning or an attack; it seemed like a symptom of her illness.
Then, I remembered that Erina had cancer. She had selflessly given her kidney and liver to my father after his failed, along with other organs. It was heart-wrenching that after saving his life, he had left her for another woman.
Worried, I held her tightly. "Mom, please tell me what's wrong!"
"I'm okay... I just get a little bit angry. I'm sorry for yelling at you," Erina apologized as she wiped the blood from her mouth. She leaned against my chest, finding it warm and comfortable, and closed her eyes to rest as she put her hand on my shoulders.
Aria watched with cold eyes as I held Erina in my embrace. Her envy grew seeing another woman in my arms instead of her. "Papa, why are you holding her? Leave her now, please!"
"No, she's my mother. I can't leave her, can't you see her condition?" I shouted back at her, refusing to abandon Erina. But this became fuel on fire for me, Aria further her godly aura began emanating, making it harder to breathe.
"*Cough Cough*" Erina struggled to breathe under Aria's overwhelming aura, coughing uncontrollably as she started losing consciousness.
"Aria, stop this! You're hurting Mom!" I pleaded, but she ignored my words, increasing the pressure.
"You belong to me, Papa! Leave that woman, you're mine, Papa," Aria murmured, her pink eyes burning with obsession.
I couldn't help but think what to do in this situation, my mom could not bear her Godly aura and I could not stop Aria in strength.
"No, if this continues then I could lose Mom, no I can't let that happen but I can't stop Aria, she won't listen to me until I hold her. however, I can't leave Mom like this... What do I choose? Think there must be a way. I'm the hero of humanity, I have been in 100 times worse situations than this" I pondered and tried to find a way to control this mass but if I failed I lost mom here.
"Papa, that place is for me. No one else can be in your embrace except me, Papa," Aria insisted, standing inches away from me.
Suddenly, an idea struck me. Without hesitation, I abruptly pulled Aria into my embrace beside Erina.