"Mom, Dad, I am home", Aaron announced as he opened the house's door.

Thomas and Maya were in the hall of their house, eagerly waiting for their son's return. Some weeks ago, the Alliance had informed them that Aaron had fallen into a portal weeks prior.

They had waited to see if he would return, and they were also searching for a way to find out what had happened, but so far, there were no results. So, the alliance declared him MIA.

The chances of his returning were very low, and he could be considered dead, or at least what the alliance officer said to them. The news saddened them.

Aaron was, after all, their only child.

They didn't plan for a single child. They wanted to give Aaron a sibling when he was a kid. So that they could grow up together and have each other's backs when they needed it, but it failed.

For whatever reason, they couldn't have any more for years, and Aaron grew up. So, they stopped trying altogether.

All their life, Aaron was their everything. Nothing else mattered to them. There was nothing else to them. So, when they heard the news, they were devastated. They hadn't returned to work since that day, wallowing in sadness, thinking of their son.

They hoped that he was alive and would return to them one day, but they knew the odds of that happening in a world such as this. The Alliance delayed the news, as they too waited some time, thinking that alarming families early would do no good.

By the time Thomas and Maya learned about Aaron's situation, it had been weeks since his disappearance. So, they were unsure if he would return, but they hoped for his return and prayed for it to happen.

There are no proper gods in this world, but they prayed nonetheless. Many did when they were in trouble, hoping that there was someone higher in existence who would answer their prayers.

Whether there were any gods or not, their prayers were answered.

Their son was alive.

It was not something that they heard from the Alliance officers, but from Aaron himself. He called them a few days ago to say that he was still alive and would be returning home soon.

Since the day of the call, they have been eagerly waiting for his return, though they knew travelling back home would take a few days.

In the days of waiting, they didn't sit ideally. They prepared a lot of food, mainly his favourite sweets and also prepared everything to create Aaron's favourite dishes when he returns.

When Aaron finally arrived and announced his return, they both pounced on him and hugged him, fearing that it might be an illusion that could disappear at any moment.

Aaron just chuckled at their enthusiasm. He understood that they were happy to see him return. He may not understand how it would be for the parents to lose their child, but he had seen such scenarios many times in his past life.

He even experienced loss of loved ones. So, he could understand a little of how they must have felt when he disappeared into that portal.

It was like a boon and a curse.

He gained a lot of resources and a few levels by entering those ruins. Also, those memories that he got from the smoke man, he was experiencing even more of them whenever he slept. He had no idea what they were telling him, but he knew that they were important for his life.

How? He has no idea at the moment.

So, it was a boon that he entered the ruins.

At the same time, due to his disappearance for a long time, he was assumed dead, and his parents were informed about the matter.

So, he understood their actions after seeing him alive. Maybe he too would have done the same if he were in their position.

"Mom, Dad, I am fine", Aaron spoke as he too hugged them.

He too missed them, as it had been months since he was with them. So, instead of pushing away from their suffocating hugs, he pulled them in.

After a few minutes of a prolonged hug, they let him go.

"We thought you were dead, after what we heard from the alliance. Thank god, you are alive", Maya muttered between her tears.

It was only then that Aaron felt that both his parents were in tears.

While Maya cried openly, Thomas didn't, but one can see the tears in his eyes.

Aaron didn't know what to say here. In this world, life would always be in danger, no matter what you do.

Unlike on Earth, where precautions can be taken to lessen the chances of something bad happening, here, there are no such guarantees. Sure, such guarantees do not exist even on Earth, but in comparison, living on Earth, barring some war-prone or disaster-prone zones, is generally safe.

Here, every area falls under those zones, including Rock City. A few months ago, Aaron, due to his immense luck, averted a disaster orchestrated by the cult.

If not, it could have become a disaster zone.

It was a common theme in this world and in any disaster zone; deaths would be common, and sometimes a lot of people would die.

Even if that was not the case, one may die when they go out to hunt for resources in the hands of monsters or fellow humans who were greedy for their spoils of war.

So, losing a family member, that was a situation one has to be prepared for from the start, but truly, no one would be, especially not someone who is a chef in a restaurant.

---

"I am sorry, Mom, Dad. I was reckless, and because of that, you suffered" Aaron also cried a little.

Maya immediately took Aaron's face into her hands and rubbed off his tears, "Don't cry, Aaron. We know that you didn't do it on purpose. We know how cautious you were. It was something no one could have guessed".

"Your mom is right, Aaron. We were so happy that you were not as reckless or naive as others. A cautious person may appear cowardly, but their family would cry less and be full of people. Accidents like these happen from time to time. No way to predict such a thing", Thomas chimed in.

"It was good enough that you were able to return in one piece. We could ask no more", Thomas said.

Maya wiped her face, "Enough of this. You must be hungry after such a long travel. Go and clean yourself. Your father and I will be ready with food before you come back".

Aaron smiled at that. He was quite happy that he got a family such as this.

"Yes, Mom", he replied before leaving for his room to clean himself.

"Come, dear, we have much to do", Maya dragged Thomas to the kitchen. The ingredients were prepared beforehand and stored. They wanted to prepare fresh and hot dishes when Aaron returned.

Additionally, they wanted to prepare a variety of dishes for Aaron. It was why Maya dragged Thomas quickly to the kitchen, as it would take a lot of time to make them.

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