Apple of tree

## Hidden Valley, 200 kilometers from Yerevan - Ancestral Sushiyanse Shelter

The ancient stone structure had been carved into the mountainside centuries ago, its existence known only to the Sushiyanse bloodline. From the outside, it appeared to be nothing more than natural rock formations, but within lay chambers that had sheltered Eugene's ancestors through wars, plagues, and the collapse of empires.

Eugene materialized at the entrance through dimensional travel, carrying supplies that would have required a truck to transport conventionally. The shelter's defensive systems recognized his Scientific_mathmetical signature and allowed him passage through barriers that would have repelled any other visitor.

"( Mayr)Mama!" came an excited shriek from deeper in the shelter, followed by the sound of small feet running across stone floors.

Eugene smiled—a genuine expression that he reserved only for these moments. His six-year-old sister Lara burst around the corner, her dark hair flying behind her as she launched herself into his arms with complete confidence that he would catch her.

"Eugene!" she giggled, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. "You came! You came! Artush said you wouldn't come because you're too busy being important, but I knew you would!"

"Of course I came," Eugene said, lifting her easily. "I promised, didn't I?"

From behind Lara came his five-year-old brother Artush, moving with the determined waddle of a toddler who refused to be left behind. Artush was quieter than his sister but equally devoted to his older brother, reaching up with both arms in the universal gesture for "pick me up too."

Eugene somehow managed to scoop up both children, a feat that would have been impossible for most people but was simple enough when you could manipulate gravitational fields with mathematical precision.

"Eugene, my son," came a warm voice from the main chamber. Sira Sushiyanse emerged, a woman in her forties whose gentle beauty had been deepened rather than diminished by years of raising children alone. Her hair, streaked with premature silver, was pulled back in a practical bun, and her clothes were simple but clean.

"( Mayr)Mama," Eugene said, his voice carrying an affection that no one outside this shelter had ever heard. He set the children down and embraced his mother, noting automatically that she seemed thinner than last time. He would need to increase the supplies he provided.

"You look tired," Sira said, studying her eldest son's face with maternal concern. "Are you eating properly? Sleeping enough?"

"I'm fine, Mama( Mayr)," Eugene assured her, though privately he calculated that he had averaged perhaps four hours of sleep per night over the past month. "I brought food. And gifts."

"Gifts!" Lara squealed, bouncing on her toes. "What kind of gifts? Are they big? Are they magical? Can I see them now?"

"Lara," Sira chided gently. "Let your brother breathe first. He just arrived."

But Eugene was already reaching into his dimensional storage, producing packages wrapped in colorful paper. For most people, dimensional storage required complex magical artifacts. For Eugene, it was simply another mathematical application.

"This one's for you, little star," he said, handing Lara a package that seemed to glow faintly from within.

Lara tore open the wrapping with the efficient destruction that only children could manage, revealing what appeared to be a simple music box. But when she opened it, instead of a tiny dancer, a miniature dragon made of crystallized light emerged and began performing an elaborate aerial ballet while soft music played.

"It's beautiful!" Lara gasped, watching the light-dragon with wide eyes. "Is it real?"

"It's as real as you want it to be," Eugene said, which was actually a precise description of how the enchantment worked. The dragon responded to the observer's emotional state and imagination.

Artush received a set of building blocks that defied several laws of physics by automatically arranging themselves into increasingly complex structures when stacked. The little boy immediately began experimenting, giggling with delight as the blocks formed castles, bridges, and impossible geometric shapes.

"Eugene," Sira said quietly, "these must be incredibly expensive..."

"They're prototypes," Eugene replied dismissively. "Failed experiments that I adapted for children's use. Better that they bring joy than sit unused in my laboratory."

This was technically true, though he didn't mention that the "failed experiments" had cost more to create than most people earned in a lifetime.

"And this is for you, Mama," Eugene said, presenting Sira with a much smaller package.

Inside was what appeared to be a simple pendant on a delicate chain. But Sira, who had been married to Hovhannes Sushiyanse and knew something about their family's unusual abilities, recognized it immediately as far more than mere jewelry.

"Eugene, I can't accept this," she said, though her hands trembled slightly as she held it. "This is... this is military-grade protection magic, isn't it?"

"It's a family heirloom I've been working on," Eugene said, which was sort of true if you considered "working on" to include "completely redesigning using advanced dimensional mathematics." "Papa would have wanted you to have it."

At the mention of Hovhannes, a moment of quiet fell over the family. Eugene's father had died when he was twelve, Lara wasn't even born yet, and Artush had no memories of him at all. But his presence still lingered in the shelter, in the research notes he'd left behind, and in the genius he'd passed on to his eldest son.

"Papa would be proud of you," Sira said softly, fastening the pendant around her neck. "All of you. Look how smart and strong you've all become."

"Eugene's the smartest!" Lara announced, abandoning her light-dragon temporarily to climb onto her brother's lap. "He knows everything! Watch this—Eugene, what's seven times thirteen?"

"Ninety-one," Eugene replied without thinking.

"What's the biggest number?"

"There isn't one. Numbers are infinite."

"What's infinity plus one?"

"Still infinity."

"See?" Lara said triumphantly to Artush, who was trying to build a tower taller than himself with his magical blocks. "I told you he knows everything!"

Eugene found himself smiling despite the mathematical inaccuracy of his sister's claims. There was something refreshing about her absolute confidence in his abilities, even when applied to impossible questions.

"Eugene," Artush said suddenly, his tower having achieved impossible stability through the blocks' enchantments, "why don't you live with us?"

The question hit harder than any attack Eugene had faced in battle. He looked at his little brother—barely three years old but already showing signs of the Sushiyanse intelligence—and struggled to find an age-appropriate explanation.

"I have important work to do," he said finally. "Work that keeps people safe."

"But you could do it here," Artush said with perfect child logic. "Then we could be safe AND you could live with us."

Sira intervened before Eugene could respond. "Artush, your brother's work is very special. He has to travel to many places and meet with many people. But he always comes back to us, doesn't he?"

"I always come back," Eugene confirmed, ruffling Artush's hair. "No matter what happens, I'll always come back to you."

As the evening progressed, the family settled into comfortable routines. Sira prepared dinner using both conventional cooking and the advanced preservation systems Eugene had installed in the shelter. The children played with their new toys while Eugene updated the shelter's defensive systems and checked on the various automated systems that kept his family safe and comfortable.

But the real entertainment began when Lara decided to "help" with dinner.

"I can cook too!" she announced, climbing onto a chair to reach the counter. "I'm a very good cook!"

What followed was a delightful disaster. Lara's attempt to add "just a little bit" of spices resulted in what Eugene calculated to be approximately thirty-seven times the recommended amount. Her effort to crack eggs ended with shells in the bowl and egg whites on the floor. And her insistence on stirring everything "the right way" created what could only be described as culinary chaos.

"It's... creative," Sira said diplomatically, looking at the bubbling, technicolor mixture that had once been soup.

Eugene, meanwhile, was discreetly using molecular manipulation to fix the worst of the damage while making it appear that Lara's cooking was miraculously improving on its own.

"See? I told you I was good at cooking!" Lara said proudly as the soup gradually returned to normal color and consistency.

"The best," Eugene agreed solemnly, while behind his back he neutralized what would have been a truly dangerous chemical reaction between the spices Lara had combined.

Artush, not to be outdone, decided to "help" by setting the table. This involved carefully placing each utensil in a precise pattern that made sense only to a three-year-old's logic. Forks went in the center, knives formed a decorative border, and spoons were arranged in what appeared to be some kind of geometric mandala.

"Very artistic," Eugene commented, genuinely impressed by the mathematical relationships in Artush's arrangement. His little brother might not understand what he was doing, but he was instinctively creating patterns based on advanced geometric principles.

"It's the right way," Artush said seriously. "The spoons told me."

Sira and Eugene exchanged glances. The Sushiyanse bloodline sometimes manifested unusual abilities in early childhood, though they typically stabilized into more conventional forms as the children matured.

"What did the spoons tell you?" Eugene asked carefully.

"That they wanted to make a star," Artush replied, adjusting one spoon slightly. "There. Now they're happy."

Eugene looked at the arrangement again and realized that Artush had unconsciously created a perfect geometric star using mathematical ratios that most people couldn't calculate without assistance.

"You're right," Eugene said quietly. "They do look happy."

After dinner (which was surprisingly edible thanks to Eugene's covert assistance), the family gathered in the main chamber. This was their tradition—story time before bed, when the children would curl up with their mother and Eugene would tell them tales of adventure and magic.

"Tell us about the dragon!" Lara demanded, settling herself comfortably against Eugene's side.

"Which dragon?" Eugene asked, though he knew exactly which story she wanted.

"The one Papa fought! The big one with the treasure!"

Eugene glanced at his mother, who nodded encouragingly. Hovhannes had indeed fought a dragon, though the full story was far more complex and dangerous than the version Eugene told his siblings.

"Once upon a time," Eugene began, "there was a very brave man who discovered that a terrible dragon was threatening innocent people..."

As he told the story, Eugene found himself editing and embellishing automatically. The real battle had involved dimensional warfare, mathematical spell-breaking, and casualties that he would never describe to children. But the version he told featured clever tricks, magical solutions, and a dragon that was ultimately more misunderstood than evil.

"And Papa talked to the dragon?" Artush asked, his eyes wide.

"He did. And do you know what he discovered?"

"What?"

"The dragon wasn't really mean. It was just scared and lonely, and it didn't know how to ask for help properly."

"So Papa helped it?"

"Papa always helped people who needed it," Eugene said, which was absolutely true. "Even when it was dangerous. Even when other people said he shouldn't. That's what good people do—they help others, no matter what."

By the end of the story, both children were drowsy and content. Sira carried Artush to his small bed while Lara insisted that Eugene tuck her in personally.

"Eugene?" Lara said as he pulled her blankets up to her chin.

"Yes, little star?"

"Are you like Papa? Do you help people even when it's dangerous?"

Eugene paused, considering how to answer. His "help" often involved methods that would horrify most people, and his ultimate objectives were far more complex than simple altruism.

"I try to make sure the people I care about are safe," he said finally. "That's the most important thing."

"Good," Lara said sleepily. "Because I care about you too. So you have to stay safe."

After the children were asleep, Eugene and Sira sat together in the main chamber, sharing tea and comfortable silence. These were the moments Eugene treasured most—when the weight of his research, his dealings with the Council, and his optimization project could be set aside in favor of simple family connection.

"They're growing so fast," Sira said quietly. "Sometimes I worry... about what they'll become. About whether they'll have normal lives."

Eugene considered this. Both children were already showing signs of unusual intelligence and possible magical sensitivity. In a few years, they would need to make decisions about their futures that most children never faced.

"They'll have choices," Eugene said finally. "Whatever they decide to become, I'll make sure they have the resources and protection to succeed."

"Even if they choose ordinary lives? Even if they want nothing to do with... all of this?" Sira gestured vaguely, encompassing the shelter, Eugene's work, and the hidden complexities of their family legacy.

"Especially then," Eugene replied. "Their happiness is more important than maintaining family traditions."

Sira smiled, reaching over to squeeze her son's hand. "Your father would be proud of you, Eugene. Not just for your intelligence or your achievements, but for your heart. For how much you love your family."

Eugene felt something complex stir in his chest—an emotion he rarely allowed himself to experience. Love, yes, but also fierce protectiveness and a determination that nothing would ever harm these people who mattered more to him than his own optimization project.

"I should go," he said reluctantly. "I have work to finish, and you need your rest."

"Will you come back soon?"

"Two weeks," Eugene promised. "And I'll bring more supplies. And maybe some new toys for the children."

As he prepared to leave through dimensional travel, Eugene took one last look around the shelter. This place represented everything he was fighting to protect—not just his family, but the possibility of innocence, joy, and simple human connection in a world growing increasingly dangerous.

His optimization project, his weapons for the Council, his research into power and evolution—all of it served this ultimate purpose. To ensure that places like this could continue to exist, and that people like his family could live, laugh, and love without fear.

**[FAMILY STATUS: SECURE]**

**[SHELTER DEFENSES: UPDATED]**

**[SUPPLIES: RESTOCKED]**

**[EMOTIONAL EQUILIBRIUM: RESTORED]**

**[PRIMARY MOTIVATION: CONFIRMED]**

Eugene stepped through his dimensional portal, carrying with him the memory of Lara's laughter, Artush's geometric spoons, and his mother's gentle pride. These moments of normalcy were what made all his other work worthwhile.

In two weeks, he would return. And until then, he would continue building a world where his family could remain safe, happy, and innocent of the darker realities that he confronted on their behalf.

The super-genius who could manipulate dimensions and create impossible weapons was, at his core, simply a big brother who wanted to protect the people he loved most.