Chapter 27: Family Reunion

Zero and his mother, Alina, sat in the very spot where they had once said goodbye.

They looked up at the starry sky, which glittered with millions of points of light. Both of them were silent. They didn't need words - this silence spoke more than any conversation. Zero gently embraced his mother, feeling the warmth of her presence for the first time in years. A sense of peace mixed with joy spilled into his chest. Their faces were in tears, but those tears were not from pain, but from the happiness of a long awaited reunion.

They sat like that for a long time, enjoying the moment, but later they got up and moved towards their house. On the way Alina talked passionately about what she had achieved over the years. She shared news from the world, talked about the acquaintances that had changed her life, and how she was able to reach B-rank level thanks to Zero.

- Imagine, I'm so strong now that I could probably even spar with you ! - She said jokingly, a twinkle of excitement in her eyes.

Zero only grinned as he listened to her. He was already aware of all her accomplishments, but he listened silently, not interrupting. It wasn't the words that caught his attention, but his mother's shining eyes that radiated pride and joy. He could sense how deeply she loved him, and he was infinitely happy to be back in her life. As they approached the house, Zero began to notice details that immediately caught his keen eyesight. There were guards standing at the entrance, each of them A-ranked, and some of them skillfully hiding in the darkness, constantly monitoring the situation. Their presence was almost imperceptible, but to Zero these little things were obvious.

Alina had clearly followed his instructions.

Not only had she beefed up the guards, but she had also upgraded the house's defenses. Barriers and technical improvements turned an ordinary house into a real fortress. Outwardly, everything remained the same, simple and cozy, but Zero knew that everything here had been thought out to the last detail.

- You've done everything I told you to do, - he said quietly, looking around the house.

- You know me, son. I always listen to your advice, - Alina replied with a warm smile.

Although Zero was no longer worried about her safety, he realized: even if something happened, his mother was strong enough to protect herself. She had achieved great mastery over the techniques he had passed down to her. At the very least, he would stand up for her by coming out of training, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. Once inside the house, they continued their conversation. Alina had prepared dinner, and their house was once again filled with an atmosphere of warmth and unity. The family reunion was the best gift for both of them.

Alina, telling her son the latest news, could not take her eyes off him.

He seemed different to her, grown-up, majestic. In her memory he was still that little boy whom she had seen off on a long journey. But now there sat before her a man whose appearance made her both admire and proud. Though it was strange that she felt no aura or emanation of power from him that usually accompanied strong phantoms. But on a deep, almost intuitive level, her body was telling her: this power was limitless. She felt absolutely safe, as if the universe itself stood behind her back, protecting her.

Zero was taller than her. His gray hair, lightly backlit by moonlight, seemed almost magical. And his eyes... those gray eyes radiated a calmness that seemed to erase all her worries and concerns. To her, he was always her son.

Today was Zero's birthday. Although he himself never liked such celebrations, Alina couldn't help but give him a present. She chose a bracelet for him, created from a gray material that, according to legends, came from the debris of a distant meteorite. This bracelet had cost her a lot - much more than her own sword, which she was proud of. Its structure was mysterious, and even the best scientists could not understand its nature. She decided it would be the perfect gift for her son - unusual, like himself. They sat around a table with all of Zero's favorite dishes on it. Their home was filled with warmth and a cozy atmosphere. They talked about everything in the world.

- I'm finally home, - Zero thought, smiling.

He began to tell his mother about his training. His voice was calm, but his words opened up another world to Alina - a world of hard work, self-improvement, and unbreakable will. She listened to him, every word echoed in her heart with pride. Alina felt that this moment was one of the happiest in her life. She sat next to her son, heard his voice and knew that he was near again.

There was a tense atmosphere in the SON headquarters.

Officers and captains sat at the center table, reviewing the data they had received from the phantom. The words that Everest no longer existed in its former form had caused shock and disbelief.

- What do you mean, there is no Everest? - questioned one of the officers, raising his voice.

- That's impossible. AVI hasn't reported anything about it, - added another.

Phantom, who was on the scene, spoke calmly but firmly:

- Everest as we knew it no longer exists. The entire mountain within a radius of a few kilometers is devoid of any neon energy. It's a regular mountain, just like it was back in the days when the planet was neon-free.

The Captain leaned forward, glancing at the main screen.

- AVI, what can you tell us about it ?

AVI's voice sounded confident.

- I did a quick analysis. It looks like a large barrier has formed. It has absorbed all the neon energy of any structure in a spherical radius around the mountain. The barrier is perfectly round and devoid of even the slightest fluctuation in neon flow. I did not detect this immediately, as the upper layers of neon energy remained, giving the appearance that the state of the mountain was unchanging.

The captain pondered what she heard for a few seconds, and then issued an order:

- Complete the operation and return to base.

The phantom communication ended, and silence reigned in the headquarters. Finally, one of the captains broke the silence:

- So something extremely powerful, unknown to us, is now on our planet, and we don't even know who or what it is ?

- It seems that way, - the other replied briefly.

- But it's related to Project Megalodon, isn't it ?

- That's obvious enough. But it doesn't make it any clearer to us, - one of the senior captains replied irritably.

The tension in the room rose. No one could say for sure whether this phenomenon was a threat to the world or perhaps a chance for a new discovery.

- If the world finds out about this, we will lose control, - said the captain.

After a few minutes of discussion, it was decided: the information should be passed on with the utmost secrecy. The Megalodon project was decided to continue, using the new data to search for this object on the planet. The unknown forced everyone to act quickly but cautiously.