Elijah woke up next day to the noise of the system in the back of his mind.
The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room.
He sat up slowly, stretching his stiff limbs.
"Another day, another existential crisis," he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
He glanced at the floating screen beside him, still displaying the unfinished quest details.
He groaned, already dreading the hours of reading ahead.
But before he could dive back into the grind, his phone buzzed on the bedside table.
He picked it up, squinting at the screen.
Mom Calling.
Elijah froze for a moment.
He hadn't talked to his parents since… well, since his old life.
Somehow, in the chaos of his reincarnation and the system's constant demands, he'd forgotten about them entirely.
"Crap," he muttered, quickly swiping to answer the call.
"Hi, Mom," he said, trying to sound normal.
"Elijah! Finally!" his mother's voice came through, warm and familiar.
"Your father and I were starting to think you'd forgotten about us. How are you doing, sweetheart? Eating well? Sleeping enough?"
Elijah's chest tightened.
He leaned back against the headboard, gripping the phone a little tighter. "I'm... fine, Mom. Just busy, you know. Lots of, uh, stuff going on."
"Stuff? What kind of stuff?" she asked suspiciously.
"Oh, you know," he said vaguely, waving his hand as if she could see him. "Work, life, the usual. Nothing to worry about."
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
Elijah could practically hear her frowning. "Are you sure? You sound tired."
"No, really, I'm fine," he insisted, forcing a laugh. "Just a little... overwhelmed. But nothing I can't handle."
"Hmm," she said, clearly unconvinced.
As his mother continued talking about their trip, the places they'd visited, the food they'd eaten, it hit him like a freight train.
If Earth was destroyed, so were they. His parents, the people who had raised him, loved him, supported him through every awkward phase and failure, would be gone.
They had no idea what was coming, no idea how fragile their existence was.
He closed his eyes, swallowing hard. "Mom…"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
The lump in his throat grew bigger. "I—I just wanted to say… I love you. You know that, right?"
There was a pause. "Of course I know that," she said softly.
"But where's this coming from? Are you sure you're okay?"
Elijah's voice broke as the tears started falling. "I'm fine," he said, though it was a blatant lie.
"I just... I don't say it enough. And I wanted you to know."
"Elijah," she said, her voice full of concern now. "What's going on? Are you in trouble? Talk to me."
He took a deep breath, wiping his face with his sleeve. "No, Mom. I promise, I'm fine. I just... needed to hear your voice."
Her tone softened. "Well, you can call me anytime, you know that. And your father too. We're always here for you, no matter what."
"I know," he said quietly. "Thanks, Mom."
After reassuring her for another few minutes, he ended the call.
But the heaviness in his chest didn't go away.
He sat there for what felt like an eternity, staring at the phone in his hand.
"What am I doing?" he muttered. "How am I supposed to protect them? Protect anyone?"
The sound of the doorbell jolted him out of his thoughts.
He frowned, glancing at the clock.
It was barely noon.
Dragging himself out of bed, he shuffled to the door and opened it.
"Mom? Dad?"
There they were, standing on the doorstep with worried expressions.
His mother's eyes scanned his face, while his father gave him a once-over like he was trying to detect any physical injuries.
"Elijah," his mother said, stepping forward. "What's going on? You sounded... off on the phone. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he said automatically, but his voice cracked slightly.
His father frowned. "You don't sound fine."
Elijah stepped aside, letting them in. "You guys didn't have to come all the way back. Weren't you supposed to be on vacation?"
"We cut it short," his mother said, brushing past him into the living room.
"You sounded upset, and we wanted to make sure you were alright."
He closed the door behind them, running a hand through his hair.
"Mom, I'm a grown man. You didn't have to—"
"Don't you 'grown man' me, Elijah Kane," she interrupted, fixing him with a stern look. "You're still my son, and if something's wrong, I'm going to be here for you. End of discussion."
Despite his protests, they stayed.
His mother immediately started tidying up the living room, as if she couldn't stand the sight of his clutter.
His father, meanwhile, busied himself in the kitchen, digging through the fridge like he owned the place which, in a way, he kind of did.
"Elijah," his father called out, holding up a half-empty bottle of milk. "How old is this?"
"Uh... a week?" Elijah guessed.
His dad raised an eyebrow. "Try again."
"Okay, fine. Maybe two weeks."
His mother rolled her eyes. "Honestly, what would you do without us?"
Elijah couldn't help but laugh, the sound surprising even himself. "Probably starve."
By the time dinner was ready a simple but delicious spread of pasta and garlic bread the tension in his chest had eased.
The three of them sat around the small table, talking and laughing like nothing was wrong.
For a few hours, Elijah let himself forget about the system, the Endless World, and the looming merge.
He let himself just be... a son.
After dinner, his parents lingered for a bit, tidying up and chatting about their trip.
Eventually, his mother turned to him, her expression softening.
"Are you sure you're okay, sweetheart?" she asked again.
Elijah hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, Mom. I'm okay. Really."
She didn't look entirely convinced, but she let it go. "Alright. But if you ever need to talk, you know where to find us."
His father clapped him on the shoulder. "And don't let that fridge turn into a science experiment again, alright?"
Elijah laughed. "No promises."
After they left, the house felt quieter, but not in the heavy, oppressive way it had before.
Elijah climbed into bed, feeling lighter than he had in days.
As he lay there, staring at the ceiling, he let out a long breath.
"I'll figure it out," he said softly. "For them, I'll figure it out."
And for the first time since his new life began, he slept peacefully.