It was 1 p.m.
Alden sat alone on the comfy living room couch.
His thumb moved absently over the remote, shuffling through the TV channels. He wasn't really interested in all the news, his mind was somewhere else.
Today was a rare rest day.
Alden has taken a long trip out to the countryside to visit his mother first thing in the morning. Visiting her home tucked away in the folds of green hills and rustling trees.
He had brought back some tea and other desserts from his business trip overseas, a place that he remembered she once wanted to visit.
So he was a bit eager to share his experience with her.
However, it seemed Hila didn't want to leave her room today.
It was not the first time this happened, so he could only wait patiently.
"Would you like anything for lunch, sir?" The in-house housekeeper asked as she refilled his cup of water, her voice soft with practiced politeness.
"I'm alright. Thank you, Amelia." Alden smiled thinly and declined.
If he wasn't going to see his mother, maybe it was best to head back early. There was always work to be done.
He rose from the couch, smoothing out the back of his pants with a quiet sigh.
He should at least give his goodbye.
As he turned toward the staircase, his feet turned light on the creaking wood.
He saw her.
She stood at the top of the stairs, lit up by the halls' dimmed sunlight. A blanket draped over her shoulders, her thin fingers clutching the thin fabric close to her chest.
It was unknown how long she had been standing there, looking down at him quietly.
When she noticed him turning back, her lips parted as if to speak, then pressed shut again. They settled at a smile. Small. Soft.
But her eyes—
They weren't happy.
Her gaze pinned him in place, fragile and distant. It was the look you gave a stranger you pitied but couldn't help. The kind of look that kept something unsaid trapped behind.
A dull ache curled beneath his ribs.
"Alden…" she murmured.
His name traveled down the staircase as light as dust in the air.
***
"Alden. Al?"
The voice tugged gently at the edge of sleep. Warm. Familiar. Closer than the dream.
"Al, can you wake up? If you sleep too much now, you won't have a good night's sleep later…"
As he heard someone was calling him, Alden's eyelids fluttered open in response.
The sky above him was soft blue, filtered through the shifting branches of a tall tree. A familiar scene, but it wasn't what he noticed first.
He saw her. Eyes dripping with worry.
"Al?" she repeated, her lips curling into a soft smile as she noticed Alden lazily opening his eyes.
It was that same smile.
Gentle. Reassuring on the surface. But underneath—it was stretched thin over something heavier.
Sadness. Guilt. Fear.
He didn't like it at all.
The dream still clung to him, and for a moment, disoriented and raw, he remembered his mother.
He blinked harder.
"Al, are you up?" Sylvia asked again, her voice full of concern.
Over her shoulder, Liam was also leaning down, his piercing green eyes examining Alden closely.
In moments like this, Liam looks pretty scary—calculating, silent, serious. His normal lazy grin was nowhere to be found, and his scars look much more visible.
They were Alden's mother and father. At least in this world, in his second life. They were watching him like he might disappear if they blinked.
"Alden? Can you hear Mom?" Sylvia continued. Her grip tightened, her worries increasingly apparent. "Can you nod for me?"
She motioned her head up and down, hinting at Alden to repeat after.
Alden's consciousness snapped awake, his mind caught up to the situation.
Right.
They were worried he would enter the previous slumber state again.
He immediately widened his eyes and gave the couple a reassuring nod.
"Hah." Seeing him move, Sylvia's worries finally melted with a sigh as her smile widened. "There you are."
He is here. He was still with them, so she didn't have to worry anymore.
This happened earlier this morning too. The first thing Alden saw today was also serious and worried looks. It seems that was not just a one-time thing. Alden wished he could communicate better. He wanted to tell them he was really fine, and to tell them not to jump on him after sleep again.
"What a troublemaker, you made my wife worried." Liam chuckled from above, then walked around to lie down in front of them.
"I'm not worried, Al is strong." Sylvia smiled happily as she gently planted a kiss on Alden's forehead. With her level of beauty, her happiness was blinding.
Currently, it seems that the couple really did go through with their plan. The three of them are back under Myrr's shadow for an afternoon picnic. A real picnic, with a soft blanket under them, and a basket nearby full of snacks.
Briefly checking his status window, Alden noted that his stats have once again jumped by 6, which means that he was blessed by Idril.
However, it seems that the fairy did not join them as Alden couldn't spot her anywhere within sight. And with how vocal the fairy was, Alden shouldn't even have had to look to know she was not here in the first place.
"Are you looking for Idril, Al?" Sylvia responded to his shifting gaze. "She is not here right now, but she will come play with you later, okay?"
"Do you like her that much, buddy?" Liam questioned from the side with an elbow supporting his head up. "Do you look for me when I'm not here, too?"
"Of course he does, Liam."
"Men don't look for other men, love." Liam sighed exaggeratedly.
"But you are not just a man, you are his dad." Sylvia replied with conviction as she propped Alden to sit up straight in her lap facing Liam. She then gently guided his hand to make a waving motion.
Liam chuckled at their action.
"Oh yeah? I saw the little devil sneaking a look at your boobs during lunch, I don't imagine him looking for mine anytime soon."
Alden's eyes widened at his words.
He was caught. The man of the house appeared to have paid attention to every detail.
"Liam, don't teach Al that stuff." Sylvia was not amused.
"It's all programmed in already, I won't."
Maybe it's just an impossible coincidence, maybe it's due to his high luck, or maybe it's just a strange fate.
But Alden's name in this life was still Alden. Just that it was Alden Dane Drukas, instead of Alden Vaughn.
Al was a nickname he never had in his previous life, but whenever someone called him Alden, it would remind him of the past and he would feel a bit lonely.
Alden couldn't get used to it.
Forced to third wheel the lovey-dovey couple aside, he just couldn't get used to having another 'family'.
Maybe he needed time. More time. Occasionally, heavy questions still crossed his mind, but it was getting better.
What is done is done. And similar to Sylvia and Liam who worries every time their son closes his eyes, Alden could only do his best to move forward.
He had resolved to never forget his past family, to never stop being Alden. But to be Al, a part of this new family, also didn't felt wrong.
On the contrary, it felt natural, it felt right.
In this moment, looking up at Liam and Sylvia, he decided to be their son. To move forward as Alden Dane Drukas.
"Is Al thinking of something fun?" Sylvia whispered as she played with his baby fingers. "Do you want to share it with Daddy?"
"Alright, let's hear it." Liam lightly patted the spot in front of him.
Well, this moment is as good as any other to declare his resolve. With the buffed stats, Alden should be able to do it.
He started shifting.
More eagerly and fervently than he ever did since he came to this world.
He straightened his curled-up legs and arms, flexing and tensing every muscle he had in his undeveloped body to push himself forward.
The couple's eyes widened in surprise as they watched him struggle.
"Alden? Are you okay?" Sylvia was immediately flustered. "Are you hurt somewhere?"
"No, love, he is okay." Liam reacted differently. He sat up with an eager look, locking on to Alden's every movement. "Come here, buddy. Come to Dad."
Catching on to his intention, Sylvia loosened her hold with a worried look.
Two silent gazes watched his every movement as Alden slowly rolled down to the blanket.
The soft grasses touched his limbs through the thin layer. The sunlight felt a bit hotter on his skin compared to when he was cradled, the cool breezes felt a bit cooler.
Everything felt electrified.
Then, slowly, he crawled. With every wobbly action he took, Alden was a bit closer to Liam. His fragile body felt extremely sore after a long period of inaction, but it was manageable.
Slowly, but surely, he crawled.
Until he reached his dad's side.
"You did it, Al! You really did it!" Liam roared in laughter, reaching down to pick up Alden. "You are amazing!"
The dad raised his son high up, his face beaming with happiness.
"Dear Yggdrasil, Al crawled!" Sylvia gasped praises as she joined in, tears of joy already trickling down her cheeks. "Baby, you crawled!"
Well, this is embarrassing.
It was a minuscule distance a bit more than an arm's reach, and to be honest, Alden intended to walk. But when he was on all four, he simply couldn't get up. A little help there would've been nice.
Looking at his parents' reactions, though, Alden was still proud of himself. Not because of the crawl, but because he managed to make them happy.
He couldn't help but smile along.