"Vildan?" Kazien called out suddenly, breaking the remaining silence between them.
"What?" the boy answered in a tone that still sounded a bit sharp. He had not fully forgiven his uncle for laughing at him earlier.
"Why are you all alone in such a big house?" Kazien asked gently, ignoring his nephew's snarky tone. "Why didn't you go with them to the military headquarters?"
"I just wanted to stay here!" Vildan answered, still in his sharp voice. He crossed his arms over his chest, putting on a defensive face. "I don't like crowds!"
Kazien slightly furrowed his brow, never expecting his nephew to have a personality so contrary to both his parents.
However, Kazien didn't want to ask too many questions. He worried that if he kept pressing, the young boy's mood would only worsen.
The youth sighed softly, then stood up from the sofa. The sudden movement made Vildan flinch.
"Where are you going, Uncle?" he asked spontaneously, his curiosity overcoming his annoyance. He tilted his head up to look at his towering uncle.
"I want to go to the dining room, to sit and relax while waiting for them to finish cooking." Kazien answered. He began to step slowly, leaving the family room.
Seeing his uncle leave, Vildan didn't want to be left alone. The boy immediately stood up as well, patted his pants, and trailed right behind his uncle down the long hallway toward the mansion's dining room.
Upon arriving at the spacious dining room, Kazien immediately pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. Tiny footsteps could be heard following, and Vildan quickly climbed onto the chair right next to his uncle.
Nothing has changed inside this mansion since I fell into a deep sleep for more than eight years. Kazien thought with a melancholic feeling. His sapphire blue eyes scanned the surroundings. It seems only the time and the faces of my family have continued to change while I was asleep.
"Uncle?" Vildan called suddenly, pulling Kazien from the vortex of his thoughts.
Kazien turned his head. "What is it, Vildan?"
"Are those three from earlier... your wives?" the young boy asked with an innocent face full of curiosity.
Hearing such a naive question, Kazien offered a faint smile.
"Yes, the three of them are my spouses." he answered matter-of-factly.
"Spouses?" Vildan repeated, his brow furrowing in confusion upon hearing the foreign term. "What is the difference between a wife and a spouse, Uncle?"
"Of course there is a difference, Vildan." Kazien explained in a patient and calm tone. "Wife is a term specifically used for a woman one is married to. But, as you saw for yourself, the three of them are men. If I were to call them wives, the term would feel very inappropriate and rather strange, wouldn't it? That is why the most appropriate term to describe our relationship is to say that the three of them are my spouses."
The boy fell silent for a moment, digesting his uncle's words, then gave a small nod of understanding.
"So, what should I call them?" Vildan asked to make sure, so he wouldn't use the wrong title and be considered impolite.
"Just call them Uncle, exactly the same way you call me." Kazien answered, establishing a clear boundary that Vildan's status remained as a nephew who must respect them as he would his own uncles.
"Yes, Uncle!" Vildan replied obediently.
Not long after, the faint sound of approaching footsteps could be heard coming from the kitchen. Alvin, Allen, and Arken finally arrived in the dining room with beaming faces. Their hands were full, carrying trays loaded with various warm dishes that had just been cooked.
"Food has arrived!" Alvin announced enthusiastically, a sweet smile adorning the High Elf's face.
With great dexterity and care, the three youths placed all the dishes on the dining table. The savory aroma of meat broth, warm bread, and strong spices instantly wafted out, filling every corner of the dining room and tempting the olfactory senses of anyone who inhaled it.
Once all the plates and bowls were neatly arranged in front of their respective seats, Alvin, Allen, and Arken pulled out their chairs and sat down with Kazien and Vildan.
Smelling the mouth-watering aroma right under his nose, Vildan subconsciously swallowed hard several times. His previously empty stomach was now protesting even more, eager to devour the delicious food spread before him.
However, despite the gnawing hunger, Vildan was still a child raised well by the Altavis family. To maintain table etiquette and respect those who were much older than him, the boy bit his lower lip and held back with all his might, resting his hands neatly on his lap.
Seeing his nephew struggling to endure his hunger, Kazien smiled warmly.
"Come on, let's eat!" Kazien said, officially inviting them all to begin the meal.
Hearing his uncle's words, Vildan didn't delay any longer. His hand immediately grabbed the silver spoon in front of him, scooped up the meat broth that was still emitting thin steam, and blew on it softly before bringing it to his mouth.
As the rich, flavorful broth touched his tongue, Vildan's eyes instantly sparkled brightly.
"So delicious!" Vildan praised very honestly, his voice slightly raised in amazement. "This is the first time I've ever tasted soup this good!"
Hearing their cooking praised so sincerely by their husband's nephew, Alvin's, Allen's, and Arken's hearts instantly bloomed with joy.
"Eat a lot so you can quickly grow big and strong, Vildan!" Alvin said with a crisp, happy laugh. "But remember, you must eat slowly, okay? Don't rush, so you don't choke."
"Yes, Uncle!" Vildan replied enthusiastically, then went back to scooping his soup eagerly but still carefully.
The delayed lunch proceeded calmly and comfortably. The mansion's dining room, which previously felt quiet and cold, was now warmed by light laughter, the clinking of spoons, and family bonds that were slowly beginning to knit back together.
But alas, that warmth and peace were not destined to last long.
Right after they put down their spoons and finished their last bites...
Rumble...
Without any warning, the dining room suddenly shook violently. The plates rattled on the table, and the crystal chandelier swung wildly like a pendulum that had lost its way.
Kazien, Alvin, Allen, and Arken instantly tensed. Their fighting instincts, honed in the divine realm, took over immediately. Kazien swiftly stood up and pulled Vildan into his protection.
That was no ordinary earthquake. The tremors were too ancient, too saturated with a dense, suffocating magical aura.
Not only in the mansion's dining room, the massive earthquake swept across the entire land. On the streets of Lazavis City, in the center of the royal capital, across continents, down to the deepest corners of the world, the earth continued to shake and roar.
And the most terrifying thing was the view in the sky.
The bright, bluish afternoon sky suddenly churned. The clouds were forcefully swept away, and the color of the sky drastically turned into a deep blood red, covering the sunlight with a veil of despair.
Along with the endlessly shaking earth, bizarre phenomena began to occur all over the world.
Simultaneously, hundreds of dimensional rifts tore through reality. The mouths of giant caves radiating a thick aura of darkness suddenly appeared at many coordinates.
Some tore through the ground and jutted out amidst dense forests, some emerged from the bottom of the ocean, some shattered mountain cliffs, and most horrifyingly, several dark caves manifested right in the middle of densely populated cities, destroying the surrounding buildings.
The atmosphere around the world turned grim in a matter of seconds. The people who had run into the streets to avoid the earthquake could now only freeze in place.
They stared at the blood-red sky and the mouths of those dark caves, gulping with pale faces. Screams of terror were caught in their throats.
Inside the mansion's dining room, Kazien stared sharply at the red sky through the window. Beside him, Alvin, Allen, and Arken also looked at the same sight with cold and fully alert eyes.
The four of them understood perfectly well. The time for rest was up. The day of absolute chaos, previously warned of by Goddess Nirfelia and the one that would determine the fate of the world, had now truly arrived.