Chapter 6 - Reunion?
"Please.... Please...." Gier mentally prayed to every known deity that he could think of as he slowly regained consciousness, "Please.... Don't let it be the cliche where I wake up in a hospital.... Please!"
System Message
....
I'm right here, man....
C'mon now....
You know what? Just for that....
System Message
Gier's blood ran cold as the unforgettable smell of antibiotics and sterilization chemicals met his heightened senses causing his eyebrow to twitch violently.
"You know what?.... I think I might turn atheist at this point...." He let out a soft sigh as he slowly opened his eyes....
Only to come face to face with a tip of a sword.
"....Well shit."
_____________________
"In other news: the recent rumors of a black gate appearing over the 'City of Heroes, Caede' has been sweeping the nation!"
"That's right, just a few hours ago it was announced that a black gate had suddenly appeared over the center of the city and broke! Releasing what appears to be a-"
CRASH!
The TV in Gier's hospital room was destroyed as a familiar black sword went through it and imbedded the wall behind it.
Silence reigned in the hospital room for a few moments before, a rather calm looking, April Dixon let out a long sigh.
She rubbed her temples as her brain tried and failed to make heads of the current situation.
"Alright.... So let me get this straight.... You're trying to tell me that you, a being that suddenly fell out of an unknown black portal and both, out maneuvered AND knocked out several highly trained and experienced C and B ranked awakeners, not to mention an A rank one.... Are actually my brother who disappeared 30 years and had spent 3000 years down in hell struggling to survive.... Did I miss anything?" She asked calmly.
Gier, who was now tied up with chains and strapped to a chair in the middle of a secluded and secured hospital room, could only nod.
He, of course, had let them tie him up voluntarily in order to have a nice conversation with his dearly missed sister.
It was either that or get interrogated by some random B Rank know it all from this so called "Awakener's Association"....
He thought that he was being pretty reasonable overall!
Hell, he even let two other B Ranker's stand outside and guard in case he tried anything!
Gier gave his sister a wide toothy grin, "Yeup! That's pretty much it! It's not that hard to believe....is it?" He asked with hope clear in his voice.
"....OF FUCKING COURSE IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE! DO YOU THINK IM FUCKING STUPID?!" April snapped angrily, her sword suddenly ripping out of the wall and TV before majestically spinning into her outstretched hand.
She pointed the blade at Gier's face once more.
"Now tell me....! What the fuck was that gate and why the fuck do you look like that?!" She ordered sternly.
This caused Gier's features to darken however.
First of all, he didn't like to be threatened....
It never turned out well for those on the opposite end.
And second....
Do you know how long it's been since anyone's had the balls to order him around?
That shit didn't sit well in hell....
And it definitely won't now on earth.
But he tried to calm himself.
This was his sister after all....
And even though she married a lot since he's last seen her, she was still the same babygirl she was when he left.
At least in his eyes, but everyone seems young when you're over 3000 years old.
Gier closed his eyes and took in a deep calming breath before slowly letting it out. He then opened his eyes and leveled a stare at April that made her stance falter, but only for a moment.
"April.... I know this may seem confusing. Trust me, I do. I understand where you're coming from.... If I was in your position, I would be thinking the same thing.... But do you truly think we'd be having this conversation now if I meant you any harm?" He asked in a scarily calm tone.
This caused April to flinch.
There was something about Gier's eyes that was just so unnerving....
She couldn't put her finger on it.
But what April didn't know, was that this was the stare that Gier had honed through all his years ruling hell.
It sure as hell could put Hell's Generals in their place, so of course it'd work on his sister the same way.
Although it was severely watered down.
"W-What the fuck is this guy?! What's with this unusual pressure?! It's like I'm looking at the boss of a dungeon! And those eyes...." A shiver went up April's spin. "Those are the eyes of a ruler.... Someone who's authority is absolute.... I know cause Dad gives me the same look whenever I step out of line! Could it be....?!"
April didn't understand why, but she couldn't help but compare his looks to her father's!
The eyes, the hair, hell! Even his voice kind of sounded like his!
It didn't help that all these characteristics ran in her family!
But that's impossible! Her brother was dead! She's seen the bo-....
SLAM!
April was pulled from her thoughts as the door to the hospital room was suddenly kicked from its hinges.
Before she could even react, a black blur came flying in and tackled her to the ground.
"APPPPPPRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLL~~~!!!"
The voice of one William Dixon, the leader of America's one and only Holy Grail Guild, filled the hospital and nearly cracked every window in it as he hugged his darling daughter.
William rubbed his cheek against April's as he dramatically cried a waterfall of tears.
"I-I was so worried when I heard that Beatrice was sent to the hospital and you were nowhere to be found! I....I thought that....!" William stopped for a moment as his eyes fell on Gier's chained up form.
Gier was dressed in the usual hospital gown that one would see on most patients, though his was very tight on his body due to the rather impressive amount of muscle he had.
He was still thin, but the muscles and scars he gained in hell were nothing to scoff at.
His hair was also wild and fell to the middle of his back, nearly covering his eyes from view as his glowing yellow eyes stared into his father's own with a spark of familiarity.
Now that his mask was down, one could see the faint scar on his left cheek coming up from his jawline.
A wide grin suddenly split Gier's face, revealing two rows of extremely sharp teeth and even sharper and pronounced canines.
"Yo old man! You're looking good for a guy in his fift- OOF!"
Before Gier could even finish his sentence, his face was pulled into Williams chest as both he and his chair were picked up off the ground and pulled into a tight and loving embrace.
William was tearing up genuinely as he buried his face in his beloved son's hair.
It smelled like brimstone and ash, but he didn't care.
He had dreamed of this moment and thought it'd never come....
To hug his, long since thought deceased, son.
"H-How....?!" That's all he could ask as he held a very confused Gier.
Despite his confusion, a small smile appeared on his face as he slowly returned the hug.
"I'm home....dad...." Gier whispered as he relaxed for the first time in literal centuries.
April, who was watching and finally coming to terms with everything, could only tear up as she watched the scene.
She didn't want to accept it at first, but deep down inside she knew it.
That he brother had finally come home.
That last strand of hope she had been holding onto for desperately was finally bearing fruit....
The main reason was because there simply wasn't a body to be found of her brother.
The hospital that was supposed to receive her brother's body after the accident simply hadn't.
They said it had somehow disappeared while in transit....
Now they know why.
__________________
~15 Minutes Later~
As much as the reunited family wanted to stick together, the hospital was forced to kick both William and April out of the building after all the ruckus they made.
After making them pay for all the damages they caused of course.
But this was perfectly fine for Gier.
Of course he missed his family very dearly, but he had something else on his mind....
Once he had returned to earth, God had informed him that his powers would be restrained a bit for a certain period of time.
Now it was time to see the damage....
⚠️ System Message ⚠️
Warning! This user has not been registered as an awakener!
Warning! This user is using an illegal version of the system!
Access to the system will be denied until further notice!
Time until system update:
27hrs:45mins:37secs
⚠️ System Message ⚠️
"Shit...." Gier should've known.
His luck has never been the best, so nothing there has changed, even when he returned to earth....
"At least that's still the same after all these years...." He sighed and leaned back into his bed as he started at the usual blank white ceiling of the hospital.
Even though he doesn't have the system at the moment, all his skills, reflexes, experiences, and martial arts he had honed for the last few thousand years down in hell still remained.
After all, the system doesn't control the skill inside one's mind.
Once you have something, it's impossible for your mind to truly forget that feeling....
That is, if you had lived for as long as Gier.
After a while, he had stopped relying on the system for much, other than to keep track of progress for a skill or his level.
Other than that, activating said skill or passive ability came as easy as breathing for him since he had to use everything in his repertoire to survive the 9th circle of hell.
"I do wonder what the system for the guys on earth is like.... God did say it was a watered down version of the one he gave me...." He mumbled to himself before slowly closing his eyes.
And for the first time in what felt like a hundred years....
Gier could rest without having to worry about looking over his shoulder.
This was earth.
There were no demons coming to try and eat him while he slept.
Or demons trying to assassinate him to avenge the old Demon King or try to seize the throne....
As far as Gier was concerned, he had already died and gone to heaven.
Oh, he couldn't have been further from the truth.
For mankind had evolved during the last 30 years....
Relying on the system and gates for nearly everything.
Natural resources.
Food.
Clothing.
Energy.
Hell, even entertainment!
They didn't even realize that they were dancing directly into the palms of....
To be continued~
___________________________________________
~End Chapter 6~