Evil's Return (1)

"Mom, can we go in already? We both know he isn't coming."

"Let's wait a bit more, Aiden," Nina replied, looking at her watch.

Arnold still had two minutes to attend the parent-teacher meeting. If he missed the meeting again, she would rip him a new one.

At first, Nina excused it all. After all, Arnold wasn't just a husband and a father—he was their protector. She had single-handedly raised their sons, but now things had gone on like this for too long.

This was his last chance to make it up to Aiden.

Nina didn't show it, but her anger intensified as time ticked away.

"I'm here!" Arnold exclaimed, jumping off Scylla's back.

A gust of wind swept everything away as the mighty dragon landed on the ground. Several students stumbled back, some even falling over. Dust swirled around, making a few people cough and shield their faces.

Gasps and muffled exclamations filled the air as wide-eyed students stared in shock. Some stood frozen, their mouths open in awe, while others hurriedly backed away.

Nina looked at her watch. Ten seconds were left.

"You were this close."

"Hey, I made it, didn't I?" Arnold raised his hands in surrender.

Who'd have thought? The man who made the entire world tremble in fear was scared—not of an outer god, but of the queen of his heart.

"Kyuuu~"

Scylla interrupted their conversation, nudging Aiden for pets. The frown on his face disappeared as he scratched her neck.

"Good girl, Scylla," Aiden said, smiling.

"Oh, so you know how to smile," Arnold laughed, ruffling Aiden's hair.

Flash!

The two rarely ever interacted, and since it was a joyous occasion, Nina wanted to capture it all.

"Mom!" Aiden complained, only to be pulled back by Arnold.

"It's your graduation," he said, putting his hand on Aiden's shoulder. "Let her do her thing."

Aiden rolled his eyes, but then made a silly face. Not one to be left behind, Arnold joined in, much to Nina's annoyance. Yet, she couldn't help but chuckle. Their family had grown, but the head of the family was as goofy as ever.

***

People nodded, and some even bowed as Arnold and Nina walked past them. It had been years, yet none of them had forgotten about the battles of the past.

The dungeons were a thing of the past, yet the chaos they had brought upon humanity remained like a hideous scar. Thankfully, with Nicole as the World President and Arnold's forces, everything was running smoothly in the world.

Global peace was no longer a dream.

Eventually, Arnold and Nina found their seats.

Gods or not, they were all there to celebrate their children.

"Where's Orco?" Arnold asked Nina.

"He's working," she said, shaking her head. "He has turned into a workaholic, just like his father."

Arnold didn't refute her claim. He just smiled, kissing her hand. Nina leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder.

Then, just for a moment, Arnold's thoughts drifted to work.

The truth was, while the world was at peace, their entire universe was in danger of constant invasion. So far, Arnold and Shiva's other fragments had been religiously protecting them, and he hoped it would remain the same.

But there had been signs. The primordials were getting desperate. So far, they had only faced the grunts and brutes among their ranks. But the moment an Elite appeared, things might take a turn for the worse.

"What are you thinking?" Nina asked, poking his cheek.

"It's nothing," Arnold replied, kissing her forehead.

"People are watching us—"

"Are they? Then let them."

Saying so, he leaned in. Just as their lips were about to touch, a loud announcement was made.

"From the class of '41, please welcome Aiden Ling to the stage!"

Arnold immediately let go of Nina's chin and began hooting and cheering for him. A minute passed before he realized his mistake. He turned toward Nina, who was glaring at him.

"Sorry…?"

"Hmph!"

However, their playful banter was cut short when alarms started blaring. They were no ordinary alarms, but ones that had been silent for over fifteen years.

The alarms that only triggered in a dungeon's presence went active… all over the world. Thousands of dungeons emerged around the globe, but Arnold's eyes were fixated on the one before him—right in the middle of the stage, where Aiden was.

Without a word, both Arnold and Nina went into action. Arnold called on his automatons to help Nina with the evacuation as he rushed to the stage.

"Aiden! Get down!" Arnold yelled as a hand emerged from the portal.