I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World-Chapter 124: CP: Returning Home

[Oh right!] System said. [Forgot to mention—time dilation between worlds works BOTH ways. You were gone for 24 hours Earth-time, which translates to approximately 4 years Beast World time.]

"FOUR YEARS?!"

Alex’s shout echoed through the apartment, making Sally jump and nearly drop her backpack.

[Well, 48 months, but who’s counting?]

"I’M COUNTING!" Alex stared through the portal at his children—his BABIES—who were now... not babies. "They’re not infants anymore! They’re—they’re—"

"Toddlers?" Sally offered, peering through the portal with wide eyes. "No wait, they’re huge. Are those TEENAGERS? Your snake babies are TEENAGERS?!"

[More like pre-adolescent! Beast World aging works differently anyway. Snakelings mature faster than humans. Combined with the time dilation, your three-month-olds are now roughly equivalent to 4-year-old human children. Physically bigger, still young mentally, but WAY more mobile and capable.]

"Four years," Alex repeated numbly. "Granite alone have been watching them for FOUR YEARS."

[Don’t worry! I kept an eye on things. Well, a metaphysical eye. From a distance. The snakelings are fine! Healthy! Just... bigger. And more coordinated. And Siddy’s escape attempts have become SIGNIFICANTLY more sophisticated.]

Through the portal, they watched Siddy successfully reach the top of the obsidian wall, let out what was clearly a triumphant hiss, and then immediately tried to jump toward a platform that was definitely too far away.

Granite’s massive bear form shot forward and caught him mid-air.

"THAT ONE," Granite’s rumbling voice carried through the portal, "is going to be the DEATH of me. Do you have ANY IDEA how many times I’ve had to catch you in FOUR YEARS?!"

Through the portal, River lifted his head as if he’d heard his name, those calm blue eyes focusing directly on the viewing window.

Then he hissed.

Not a baby hiss—a clear, intelligent sound that seemed to carry meaning.

"Did he just—" Alex started.

"He sees you," Naga said, his coils tightening around Alex. "He can probably sense you through the portal. They all can, probably, but River is the most observant."

And indeed, one by one, the other snakelings stopped what they were doing.

Jade’s hood flared as he turned toward the portal.

Ripple’s head lifted, tongue flickering rapidly.

Siddy stopped struggling in Granite’s grasp, going completely still.

Sterling released the climbing structure and slithered closer.

Onyx woke up fully for the first time Alex had seen in—well, in four years apparently.

All six of them focused on the portal.

On Alex.

"Mama?" Jade’s voice came through—no longer a tiny hiss but actual words, slightly sibilant but clear. "Mama’s back?"

Alex felt his heart crack open.

"Oh my god they can TALK," Sally breathed. "Your babies can TALK. That’s—that’s—"

"Impossible," Alex whispered. "They’re only—they were only—"

[4 years old now!] System reminded helpfully.

[Snakelings develop language between ages 2-4. Jade’s been speaking for about a year. The others are catching up. River actually spoke first but he only talks when he has something important to say.]

Through the portal, the six snakelings were now moving as one unit—slithering toward the viewing window with clear intent.

"Mama left," Ripple said, his voice smaller, more uncertain than Jade’s. "Mama didn’t come back. Thought mama was gone forever."

"We TOLD you mama was coming back," Granite rumbled, though his voice was gentle. "I told you every day for four years—"

"But you also said it would be ’one sleep,’" Jade pointed out, with logic that suggested he’d been thinking about this a lot. "It was WAY more than one sleep. It was like... a thousand sleeps. Maybe a million."

"One thousand four hundred and sixty sleeps," River said quietly. "I counted."

Everyone stared at him.

"You COUNTED?" Granite asked, incredulous.

"I count everything," River said simply. "It’s interesting. Numbers make sense when other things don’t."

[Oh good, one of your children is going to be a mathematician,] System said. [That’ll be useful for the sanctuary planning.]

"My babies are four years old," Alex said, still processing. "My babies can talk and count and Siddy can scale walls and they’ve been without me for FOUR YEARS—"

"Alex," Naga said gently, turning him away from the portal to face him directly. "Breathe. They’re healthy. They’re safe. Granite did an excellent job. And now we’re going back. They’ll have you again."

"But they grew up without me," Alex said, voice cracking. "I missed four years. Their first words. Their first time really moving. All of it."

"You missed twenty-four hours Earth-time," Leo pointed out. "You didn’t choose to leave them for four years. Time betrayed you."

"Time is a JERK," Sally announced. "But Alex, look."

She pointed through the portal.

The six snakelings weren’t sad. They weren’t traumatized.

They were excited.

Jade was organizing his siblings into what looked like a proper greeting formation. Ripple was smoothing his scales nervously. Siddy was vibrating with barely-contained energy. Sterling had climbed onto a good viewing perch. Onyx was actually FULLY AWAKE and alert. River was coiled calmly, but his tail was twitching with anticipation.

"They’re okay," Sally said. "Look at them. They’re OKAY. Yeah, they missed you, but they’re not broken. They grew up with Uncle Granite and they learned to talk and they’re EXCITED you’re coming back."

She was right.

The snakelings were practically vibrating with excitement, all six pairs of eyes fixed on the portal, waiting.

"Mama comes back NOW?" Siddy asked, and despite being bigger and more articulate, he still had that chaotic energy. "Can we SHOW mama all the things? I learned to climb EVERYTHING. Even the things Uncle Granite said were ’absolutely not climbing surfaces’—"

"Which you climbed ANYWAY," Granite muttered.

"Because they WERE climbing surfaces," Siddy said reasonably. "They had TEXTURE. That means CLIMB."

"That’s not what texture means—"

"Does TOO—"

[PORTAL FULLY OPEN]

System announced.

[You can cross whenever you’re ready. The snakelings are cleared for reunion. Just... prepare yourself. They’re going to be VERY enthusiastic.]

Alex took a deep breath.

"Okay," he said. "Okay. Let’s go home. Let’s meet the... older... version of my children."

"Let’s go meet my NIBLINGS," Sally corrected, already heading for the portal. "Oh my god I’m going to be the COOL AUNT. I’m going to teach them SO MANY things. "

"Sally, wait—"

But Sally had already stepped through the portal.

There was a brief shimmer, a sensation of reality shifting—

And then she was standing in the Beast World.

The volcanic citadel stretched around her—obsidian and lava and impossible architecture. Heat that made Earth summer feel like air conditioning. The distant roar of dragons. The smell of sulfur and smoke.

And six young snakelings, each one twelve feet long and covered in gleaming scales, all staring at the strange new human who’d just appeared.

"Hi!" Sally said brightly. "I’m your Aunt Sally! Your mom’s sister! I brought BOOKS and also I’m going to spoil you ROTTEN and....WHAT THE HECK YOU’RE ALL SO BIG—"

The snakelings blinked in unison.

Then Jade, with the authority of the eldest, slithered forward.

"You’re mama’s SISTER?" he asked, hood flaring with interest. "Like how we’re siblings? You’re mama’s sibling?"

"Exactly!" Sally knelt down to be more at eye level, completely unafraid. "Which makes me your aunt. And aunts are VERY important. We’re like... bonus parents who give you candy and teach you questionable things."

"What’s candy?" Ripple asked, edging closer cautiously.

"Oh sweet child," Sally said. "I’m about to change your LIFE."

Alex stepped through the portal, followed by his mates, just in time to watch his sister start explaining the concept of sugar to six snakelings who had never experienced processed sweets.

"This is going to be a disaster," he said.

"Absolutely," Naga agreed.

"She’s going to hypercharge them with sugar and chaos," Zale added.

"I give it three hours before Granite bans her from unsupervised child-time," Drakar observed.

River had just slithered directly to him, wrapped the end of its coil around his legs, and looked up with those calm blue eyes.

"Mama came back," River said simply. "I knew you would. I counted the days. But you’re here now."

Alex knelt down, running his hands over River’s scales—so much bigger now, but still his gentle, observant youngest.

"I’m here," Alex confirmed. "And I’m so, so sorry I was gone so long—"

"Its alright." River said, with that mathematical precision. " You are back now."

"You’re very smart," Alex said, voice thick.

"I know," River said matter-of-factly. "Uncle Granite says I think too much. But I like thinking. It’s nice."

The other snakelings had abandoned Sally (who was now being interrogated by Jade about "what Earth is like") and swarmed Alex.

Ripple pressed against his side, scales warm and familiar despite the size change.

Siddy climbed halfway up his back before Naga plucked him off.

Sterling coiled around his arm, demonstrating his new climbing grip.

Onyx just... flopped against him and immediately started to doze.

And Jade—Jade looked at him with those serious green eyes and said:

"We missed you, mama. Uncle Granite was good. He kept us safe. But we missed YOU. Don’t leave again, okay?"

"I promise," Alex said.

[REUNION COMPLETE]

[Family Status: Expanded (Sally added)] 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

[Snakelings: Aged but healthy]

[Time dilation: Acknowledged and compensated for]

[Granite: Extremely tired but relieved]

[Next objective: Build the sanctuary ]

"So," Granite rumbled, looking at Alex with exhausted eyes. "How was Earth?"

"It was 24 hours," Alex said.

"It was FOUR YEARS," Granite said. "Do you have ANY idea what I’ve been through? Siddy tried to climb a DRAGON. An actual DRAGON. I had to apologize to three different Dragons because your son thought their tails were ’interesting textures’—"

"That WAS interesting," Siddy said, unrepentant.

"And River started counting numbers at age two—"

"It’s not my fault numbers make sense—"

"And Jade organized a REVOLUTION among the younger dragons—"

"It wasn’t a revolution, it was a DISCUSSION about fair food distribution—"

"And Sterling climbed the CITADEL SPIRE—"

"It was there. It had handholds—"

"AND ONYX ALMOST FELL INTO A LAVA TUBE—"

"I was TIRED—"

Alex looked at his six children—bigger, older, more capable, but still fundamentally the same chaotic babies he’d left yesterday.

Then he looked at Sally, who was taking photos of everything while asking Drakar detailed questions about dragon aerodynamics.

Then at his three mates, who had stepped through the portal and were now home.

Then at Granite, who looked like he’d aged several decades in four years despite being a bear who lived for centuries.

"I owe you," Alex said to Granite. "So much. I can never repay—"

"Just take them back," Granite said. "Please. Take your children. I love them. They’re wonderful. But if I have to stop one more climbing attempt or explain one more time why lava is NOT a swimming pool—"

"I’ve got them," Alex promised.

"Good," Granite said. "Good. I’m going to sleep for approximately six months. Maybe a year. Wake me when the sanctuary is built."

He lumbered off toward the sleeping chambers, already shifting into full bear form.

Zale floated up in his ocean sphere, looking only slightly less exhausted.

"They’re good kids," he said. "Really. But four years is a LONG time to be on constant child-watching duty. I can’t believe he pulled through."

Alex stood in the center of the volcanic citadel, surrounded by his six four-year-old children (who looked more like adolescents), his three mates, his sister, a dragon, a recovering eagle, and two exhausted caretakers.

His family.

All of it.

"So," Sally said, appearing at his elbow with Jade coiled around her shoulders like a very large scarf. "When do we start building this sanctuary? Because I have IDEAS. SO MANY IDEAS. Starting with proper sleeping quarters because I’m NOT sleeping on a rock—"

"We’ll figure it out," Alex promised.

"Good! Because I already told Jade about architecture and he has OPINIONS—"

"The Mama’s sister said the structures should be EFFICIENT," Jade announced. "With proper temperature regulation and strategic defensive positions—"

"He’s FOUR," Alex said.

"He’s SMART," Sally corrected. "We’re getting along GREAT."

[WELCOME HOME] System said warmly.

[Population: 14 adults + 6 snakelings]

[Next objective: Find sanctuary location]

[Time until next crisis: Unknown but probably soon]

[Chaos level: MAXIMUM]

[Family level: Also MAXIMUM]

[Overall status: Home]