That afternoon, Kazien had arrived in Joltam City. And right now, he was standing right in front of a magnificent yet lush mansion, the residence of his older sister.
Without wasting time, Kazien quickly stepped up the terrace stairs.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Kazien knocked on the door with a fairly fast rhythm, impatiently.
"Sister Virena! Brother Victor!" he called out the names of his older sister and brother-in-law from outside. "It's me, Kazien!"
Not long after, the sound of a key turning from the inside was heard.
Click!
The double doors opened wide. On the doorstep stood a harmonious husband and wife. Victor, the husband, smiled broadly seeing who the guest was, while Virena, whose stomach was already visibly bulging due to pregnancy, beamed happily.
They welcomed the arrival of their youngest brother with full joy.
"Kazien! You came here?" greeted Virena warmly. "How unusual. What brings you all the way to Joltam so suddenly?"
Kazien did not reply to the pleasantries casually as usual. His face looked a bit serious and hurried.
"Brother Victor, Sister Virena, I'm sorry to interrupt your relaxing time." said Kazien quickly. "But please, hurry up and get ready and change your clothes! There is a funeral we must attend this afternoon, as well as an introduction to—"
Before Kazien could finish his sentence, Virena's previously bright face instantly turned pale. The word "funeral" struck her ears like lightning.
"Funeral?!" cut in Virena with a shrill voice. Her hand reflexively held her chest which was pounding fast due to panic. "Who? Who died? Tell me, Kazien! Is it Father? Mother? Or..."
Virena was in heavy shock. Bad thoughts immediately filled her head, thinking one of the core Altavis family members had passed away. Her pregnancy hormones made her emotions explode faster.
Seeing his sister panic, Kazien immediately realized his mistake in delivering the news. He sighed deeply, trying to calm the atmosphere.
"Calm down, Sister. It's not our core family." answered Kazien with a soothing tone. "The one who died is Borris... Arken's biological father."
"Arken?" Virena frowned, still confused but slightly relieved.
"It's a long story, but essentially, right now Arken, the son of the late Borris, has officially become our adopted brother! So you might as well meet him there, while also paying final respects to his biological father."
Hearing that explanation, Virena's shoulders slumped weakly. She let out a very long sigh of relief.
"Hah... thank goodness..." mumbled Virena while rubbing her stomach. "You almost made my heart stop, Kazien. I thought something happened to Father or Mother."
"Sorry for startling you. But time is tight, so please get ready immediately." urged Kazien again.
Virena nodded. She then invited her husband, Victor, to immediately enter the room and change clothes.
"Wait a moment, we will return shortly." said Victor.
While they were getting ready, Kazien decided to wait in the mansion's living room, sitting on the sofa while tapping his fingers, counting the time remaining before sunset.
Only a few minutes later, Victor and Virena returned to the living room. Their appearance had changed. Both were now wearing all-black formal attire that was elegant yet polite, according to the etiquette for attending a funeral.
Kazien rose from his seat. "Brother Victor, Sister Virena, are you ready to go?"
"Of course, Kazien! We are ready!" answered Victor firmly while holding his wife's hand protectively. "Let's go!"
Kazien extended his hands to the two of them. Victor and Virena, who were accustomed to their brother's ability, immediately held Kazien's shoulders and closed their eyes, preparing to face the sensation of spatial displacement.
Kazien's mana surged softly.
Zap!
In the blink of an eye, the view of the living room in Joltam vanished, replaced by the luxurious interior of Duke Elgard's residence in the Altavis territory. They arrived right in the main guest room of the mansion.
"We have arrived." said Kazien. "Let's go straight to the family room!"
The three of them walked side by side towards the central room of the mansion. And sure enough, the atmosphere there was already very crowded.
Everyone had gathered. Duke Elgard, Duchess Larina, Elisa, Alvin, Allen, Arken, even Sarias (Selena's husband who was an elf) and Karen were also present.
Seeing the crowd, Virena laughed a little. "Hahaha. The atmosphere here is getting livelier than before! It feels like just yesterday we gathered, now the members have increased again."
As soon as she saw her sister arrive, Selena, their eldest sister, immediately approached Virena. However, instead of hugging her sister's body, Selena's hand immediately reached out to touch Virena's bulging stomach gently.
Virena rolled her eyes, pretending to be annoyed. "Sister Selena, why are you touching my stomach instead of welcoming your own sister's arrival? I'm the one who came, but my stomach gets greeted first."
Selena laughed crisply. "How can I hug you properly if your stomach has grown like this, Virena! There is a 'mountain' between us. Inevitably I can only touch your stomach like this as a greeting!"
Virena smiled wryly, teasing her sister. "Just admit that you actually can't wait to have a child, right?"
Selena's face blushed slightly, but she didn't deny it. Her gaze on Virena's stomach softened, implying longing.
"Which woman doesn't want to have a child, Virena..." mumbled Selena softly. She glanced briefly at her husband, Sarias, who was chatting with Elgard. "But you know it yourself, right? Because Sarias and I are different races. For a human and an elf to have offspring is not an easy thing. Inevitably we can only be patient and keep trying. Hopefully, Goddess Nirfelia will soon entrust me to have offspring."
Virena felt the sincerity and a little sadness in her sister's tone. She placed her hand on top of Selena's hand which was still on her stomach.
"I understand, Sister. I also really hope you and Brother Sarias can have a cute descendant soon. I will pray for it."
After that warm moment between sisters, Virena's gaze shifted to sweep the room. She realized there were several unfamiliar faces she had never seen before. A beautiful woman sitting near her father, a purple-haired young boy, and a borwn-haired young boy.
"Father, Mother," asked Virena curiously. "Who are they?"
Duke Elgard smiled broadly, then embraced the woman next to him.
"Let me introduce, Virena, Victor. The one next to me is Elisalva Altavis, my biological sister!"
Virena and Victor's eyes widened in shock. They stared at Elisa with disbelief.
"Father's biological sister?!" exclaimed Virena in surprise. "But... I was never told that Father had a biological sister! All this time we thought Father was an only child."
"We purposely kept it a secret for years for her safety, and the story is also very long to explain now." answered Elgard wisely. "What is clear, she has now returned. All this time, only Selena has ever seen her face and knew this secret."
Virena nodded slowly, still processing the surprise. However, her curiosity wasn't satisfied yet. Her gaze was now fixed on the other two figures: the purple-haired boy sitting next to Kazien, and the cute brown-haired boy holding Kazien's hand.
"Then..." Virena pointed slowly. "Are those two cute boys near Kazien Aunt Elisalva's children?"
Allen and Arken could only smile shyly when Virena praised their faces.
"This purple-haired boy is named Allenzi Altavis, just call him Allen. He is Aunt Elisa's son, our cousin." answered Kazien quickly. "And this cute brown-haired boy, he is Borris's son." Kazien held Arken's shoulder.
"I understand." cut in Virena while smiling at the two boys. And then she turned to look at Arken. "So, that cute brown-haired boy is the one named Arken?"
"Yes, you are right! He is Arken!" answered Kazien proudly. "And starting today, he is your brother too! He is part of the Altavis family."
Virena and Victor immediately stepped closer. Warm smiles radiated on their faces, welcoming the new family member without the slightest hesitation.
"Hello, Arken!" greeted Virena gently. "I am Virena, your other sister. And this is my husband, Victor."
"Hello, Champ! Welcome to the family!" greeted Victor friendly while waving his hand.
After greeting Arken, they turned to Elisa and her son.
"Nice to meet you, Aunt Elisalva. Nice to meet you too, Allen."