He hung up. He wasn’t afraid she wouldn’t come to see him. He just wanted to see how long it would take her to get here.

Kain lay on the bed, sighing. He had wanted to sleep some more. There is no way for him to describe what it’s like to watch others sleep while he floats around, watching everything happening.

He could remember being so bored that he decided to count the hair on someone’s head while they slept. Well, more than one person. People with pink hair had the most strands. Not information he found useful, but it helped to pass the time.

Thirty minutes passed, and in that time, he started cooking. This time, he wanted to eat everything and anything. The sound of the doorbell took him from his revelry. He moved to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, two disgruntled faces appeared. Noel and Amelia were at the door. The two enemies looked ready to fight. When the door opened, Amelia didn’t wait. She stepped inside and found a sofa to sit on.

Noel, not to be outdone, found a seat opposite her. He stood there listening to the two stomping inside. He had just closed the door and faced them when he heard...

[Parent match found]

[Biological mother located. Would the host like to link the biological mother to the Nuturing System?]

’You’re still there?’ he thought. ’What do you mean by biological mother? And what children? I don’t have kids.’

[Biological mother: a woman who provides genetic material sharing...]

’I know what a biological mother is.’ Kain cut in. ’I’m asking who you consider to be the biological mother. And don’t you know people need to have sex to have kids?’

[Negative, children can be conceived through assisted reproduction...]

’Alright, stop. Can I talk about this later? I have guests over.’

[Confirmed. The host will have two hours to decide whether to link the biological mother to the Nuturing System.]

Quieting the system, his eyes focused on the two people.

"What’s wrong with you?" Noel was the first to speak.

Amelia said nothing, only pursing her lips.

"Wrong with me?" Kain walked to a single seat, sitting between the two. "Nothing’s wrong with me."

"Then why were you standing there and staring off into space?"

He waved his hand, "...just thinking. Anyway, tell me about the project. How did it go?"

While saying that, he gestured to Amelia, telling her to get closer. He ignored the look of astonishment from the two people. He laughed inwardly.

He could understand. There was never a time when he actively sought Amelia out. In their eyes, there was most likely something wrong. Another reason he did it was to completely figure out the illusion.

He leaned back, relaxing as he looked between the two. He didn’t punch Noel the minute he saw him because he needed to understand. He didn’t see the three kids, so either they were dead or they were being kept apart from him.

If they were dead, then he needed to figure out what to do next. If he was no longer attached to them, he could find his own way in the world.

Another reason why drawing on memories from more than fifteen years in the past would leave some distortion. But for this, he was unable to find anything out of the ordinary.

If all of this wasn’t an illusion, then it meant he actually went back in time. That meant the system was real. But it also meant that the earth-shattering changes he remembered would occur.

He decided not to draw conclusions prematurely.

As she sat beside him, he held her hand. He gestured for Noel to continue speaking.

"The Donovans..." Noel started, but trailed off as he looked at the two intertwined hands.

He wasn’t the only one looking. Amelia was staring at their hands together, as was Kain. He was feeling the smoothness of her hand. Besides the slight calluses on the index and middle fingers, the rest of her hand felt supple.

Hearing him trail off, Kain laughed, "This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me hold someone’s hand, El."

He stammered, trying to find the right words. "I mean...I’ve seen you hold hands, but you’re holding...the viper’s hand."

"Yes...it’s weird, right? For some reason, I suddenly feel like holding it." He played with her fingers. He felt Amelia tense slightly as he did. "Hey, El, can we celebrate another night?"

"Ah...sure, sure, just...be careful." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Noel practically ran out of the house. He knew what kind of person Amelia was. As someone he trusted, Kain didn’t hide the things she did. And just like him, he didn’t tell anyone.

Though he found out later, Noel was planning on using the information he told him. If not for the world changing, in another month or two, he might have gone to prison. And all his worldly possessions would belong to Noel.

He chuckled when he thought about it. He lowered his eyes, not wanting anyone to see what he was thinking.

As soon as Noel left the villa, Kain called on the system. He wanted to create the link. The only other person in the villa was Amelia. He wasn’t sure about any of this, but he was willing to take a chance.

[Biological link activated]

[Both parents are now linked to the Nuturing System. Kain Nightfall, primary host. Amelia Hartwell, secondary host.]

[Please proceed with the first mission, locate the children]

[Reward updated: Complete activation of the system, Portable Nurturing Station Tier 1]

As the system notifications rang out, he watched Amelia’s face. He wanted to see any sign that this might be an illusion.

But when he saw her lip quiver, her eyes widen, and her grip on his hand tighten, he told himself to believe that this might be real. He watched her scan her surroundings and go on the offensive. She reached into the bag she had brought with her.

He stopped her before she could do anything else.