Honey, I'm Home!

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The 40 year old man, dressed in a sharp business suit, rapped on the wooden door of his home, expecting the door to open at any second. His beautiful wife and diligent son should be at home, awaiting his return. Yet no one was answering the door. Which was odd, he had taught them to always be punctual with things like answering doors or phones. He’d have to remind them of what he taught them. That would, of course, be after they all had their family reunion. Afterall, they should be happy to see their husband and father after he was gone for so long on a business trip.

“BRENDA! JOHN! WHERE ARE YOU TWO?!” said Mr. Newman. “I KNOW YOU TWO ARE IN THERE!” he said as he continued to beat on the door. “COME ON! LET YOUR HUSBAND AND FATHER IN!” he said as he banged harder on the door. It was at this time, he began to notice that people were starting to look at him and whisper. He did not like this attention. He did not want attention. He wanted to see his family. He would have to make sure they knew this humiliation would not stand now that he was back.

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Tenebris

“You must be mistaken!” a startled Brenda said. Her body language clearly showed she was visibly unsettled by this. “He’s...he’s dead!” She was not happy with this news.

“I know, mom. I remember the funeral,” John said as he rubbed his mother’s back. The physical touch clearly made her feel better as her face became less tense as his hand touched her body.

“Yes, he’s dead. So how can he be at the house?!” she said in confusion and anger.

“I don’t know mom, I don’t know,” John said as he stood up. “But I plan to find out,” he said as he began to walk towards the door.

“Honey...be careful…” was all Brenda could say as her son and current lover went to see her dead husband and former lover.

“I will, mom. I can’t leave you, Yuria, and the babies all alone, can I?” he said with a smile on his face. That smile and promise made Brenda’s heart flutter, and she could not help but meet her son’s smile with one of her own.

“Exactly! You must meet your children!” she told him.

“I plan to. Now you,” John said as he pointed to the scout that saw his father, “come with me and give me every last detail you remember. Maybe I can figure something out,” ordered John.

“Yes, my lord,” said the scout as she quickly got up and followed after her king.

“He arrived a few hours beforehand, where he watched the house. He did not seem to notice the sentries you had posted at your house to watch it just in case something...well something like this happened,” started the scout. “After what I can only assume was long enough for him to wait to see if someone came in or out, he approached the door and, after his key did not work, began to knock on the door and yelled to be let in. He is currently still doing that, but now at a slightly lower tone, since he began to attract attention,” finished the scout. John mulled over the information that was presented to him. He remembers his dad being a man who taught him to be studious and respectful. To always respect authority and do as his elders told him. However, as John grew into an adult with his father gone, and met some of the people in the normal world and Abyss, he could not help but think that blind obedience to authority or elders may not be the best idea. Except for him, however. He was quite strict about his people being extremely loyal to him. Plus the way his mother reacted to his return...she seemed scared. John was not sure why, but perhaps he missed something about their relationship while he was younger. The young king pondered what to do about his supposedly dead father returning when they reached the transportation room.

“Welcome, my lord. I have alerted your scouts that you are on your way to deal with your father personally. They are standing by, waiting for your orders,” the transportation chief told John.

“Very good. They will stay in the shadows for now. I will see if this man is truly my father or not,” John told his people before he was transported to his old home. There was a small flash of light as he was transported from his kingdom to his old house. He did not care before, but now, with his father at the front door, he hoped his father did not notice. He immediately went to the front door where he heard the knocking and his father half yelling/half saying various things about being let in.

John took a deep breath before he stretched his hand out. He unlocked the chain and the deadbolt then he opened the door and stood face to face with his supposedly dead father.

“John! My boy! Look at you!” he said happily as he reached in for a hug. John let the man hug him as he tried to figure out what to do. He decided the best thing to do was to cast Observe on him and see what that said.

Error! Unable to Observe! Please console your technical manual!

“WHAT TECHNICAL MANUAL?!” John blurted out, completely flabbergasted by the error message.

“Huh? Technical manual? What are you talking about, boy?” asked Mr. Newman. “Besides, didn’t I teach you better? What do you say to your father and elder?” asked the stern sounding man. That is when it hit John. The flashbacks to his father always swatting him with a newspaper or spoon, or something else nearby whenever he did not show his father proper respect. When he was young, he just thought it was proper disciple. But now… now he knew it was ****. His father taught him to fear him, to keep him in line. That John, however, died 6 months ago, when he got his powers. This new John feared no man. No, they feared him.

“Sure, if maybe you were really my dad,” John told him in a cold tone. The man that stood before John looked shocked and confused by that statement.

“What do you mean? Of course I am your father!” he countered.

“No, my dad died many years ago. I remember the funeral. The rain falling on me. The sadness and relief my mom had. In fact, it’s been pretty nice since you’ve”

“ENOUGH OF THIS DISRESPECT!” roared John’s father as he raised a hand. John, however, did not flinch like he would have as a child. The hand came close to John’s face before he caught it. What caught John off guard, however, was the **** behind that smack. While he did stop it, he could feel that the man in front of him held back much of his power. John was unsure if his full strength could stop a full blow from the thing that stood in front of him.