System's POV

The days he spent with his family went by so quickly, like fleeting clouds in the sky.

Thirteen made sure to play with Rhia and Remi, whom he happily spoiled rotten. When they said they wished to go to the amusement park together, he didn't even think twice before he agreed.

If only he could, he wanted to see them grow up and spend more time with them while they were still young. But duty kept him away for months… and even years.

Even without Thirteen saying anything to his family, he knew they understood. If left unchecked, Artem would continue to be a looming threat. Someone had to eliminate them before they could send another army to Pangea, and that someone was Zion.

This was their only chance—Artemians had just suffered a loss and wouldn't expect their arrival.

Even so, the scale of their army was many times more powerful than the one they had previously fought.

It was crucial to tie loose ends, so for the best of everyone, including his family, he had no choice but to go.

"Brother, will you be back before my birthday?" Rhia asked after she finished eating her ice cream cone.

"I don't know, Rhia," Thirteen replied. "But even if I'm not here, continue being a good girl, okay?"

"Un!" Rhia nodded.

"Good girl."

"Ehehe."

Thirteen lightly patted his little sister's head before thinking of a good idea.

"How about I buy your birthday gift now?" Thirteen asked. "While we're at it, I'll buy gifts for everyone as well."

"Yay!" Rhia hugged her brother with a big smile on her face.

Remi smiled sweetly and joined in hugging her brother, whom she loved very much as well.

After spending two more hours in the amusement park, the three went to the biggest shopping mall in the city to buy gifts for everyone.

"I'll also buy a gift for Papa and Mama!" Rhia declared.

"How about my gift?" Remi asked.

"I'll buy a gift for you too, sister!" Rhia replied. "I'll buy one for big brother and big sister!"

"Alright! Let's go!" Thirteen raised his hand.

"Let's go!" Rhia imitated him, which made the shoppers smile at them.

"First, let's buy a gift for Pops," Thirteen proposed.

"Gift for Papa!" Rhia nodded in agreement. "What shall we get him?"

"Um, a piece of candy is enough. Don't spend too much on him, Rhia. He's not worth it," Thirteen said.

"Papa's not worth it!" Rhia smiled sweetly.

Remi almost tripped after hearing what her siblings had to say.

She knew that her father would cry after seeing the gifts given to him by Zion and Rhia, so she decided to buy something expensive for him to balance it out.

"Then, what do we get for Mama?" Rhia asked as she walked hand in hand with her brother.

"Good question." Thirteen pondered.

Their family wasn't really lacking in anything, so picking out gifts was hard.

Thirteen thought of buying their mother a kitchen knife set or a cooking set, but they already had those in the house.

After a few minutes of thinking, he finally thought of something.

"How about a necklace?" Thirteen suggested. "Something simple but elegant. Mama likes those kinds of things, right?"

Rhia's eyes sparkled. "A shiny one!"

Remi nodded. "Yes. She likes the kind that isn't too fancy but still looks nice."

"Then that's what we'll get." Thirteen nodded and led his sisters towards the jewelry section.

The three siblings spent some time looking through the displays. Rhia pressed her small hands and face against the glass, while Remi carefully examined the pieces with quiet thoughtfulness.

When they finally found a delicate silver necklace with a small teardrop crystal, all three of them agreed.

"This will look good on Mama!" Rhia declared. "Pretty and warm."

Thirteen nodded. "We'll take it."

After buying it, they went to another shop to buy gifts for their other siblings.

Small trinkets, clothes, and things that reminded Thirteen of each of them. He made sure that no one was left out, even buying gifts for their grandmother, Lady Callista, and Hans.

As for Arthur and Gerald, Thirteen conveniently forgot about them. But when Rhia reminded him about her grandpa, he begrudgingly bought him some breath freshener out of spite.

Remi didn't know if she should laugh or cry at the treatment that her brother gave her father and grandfather.

But perhaps wanting to see how they would react, she decided to just follow her siblings as they went on a shopping spree.

Thirteen even rented a small push cart at the mall, which Rhia rode as they shopped for hours.

As the day went on, the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in soft gold and amber.

The laughter of his sisters, the sound of their footsteps, and the time they spent together made Thirteen realize that time really didn't wait for anyone.

When he returned, Rhia and Remi would be a little bit older.

He had already made a deal with Laplace Demon and The One to send Remi to a place where she wouldn't face any impossible quests that would endanger her life for her First Wandering.

Of course, there would still be danger. But it wouldn't be on the level where she had to face off against a Majin Prince or a bunch of Archons planning to use her as a sacrifice, like the Artemians did to Shasha.

He didn't know when he would be able to return after his trip to Artem.

But for his stay there, he left orders for Mikhail and Shasha to do when they returned to Solterra.

In fact, he had already informed the Central Government, as well as the Monarchs, to pay extra close attention to any rumors or news about the Celestials and Fiends.

He also gave them some contingency plans if something happened while he was away.

"Brother, say ahhh!" Rhia said as she held a pretzel in her hand.

"Ahhh!" Thirteen bit on the pretzel, which made his little sister smile. "Delicious!"

"Un!" Rhia nodded and ate the rest.

Thirteen had already asked someone to deliver everything they bought back to their home, so he walked hand in hand with his sisters and headed to the park.

He had made arrangements beforehand to make this day extra special for them.

His only regret was that he wished there were more opportunities for him to go on a date with his siblings and simply have fun together.

After taking a stroll at the attractions of the park, Thirteen carried Rhia and took her and Remi to the viewing spot that overlooked the park and the city.

The sun had already set, and the skies were now littered with stars.

Even when they were in the city, the stars in the sky shone brightly, as if making up for the time when their light hadn't reached their world.

"Rhia, Remi, let's do a countdown, okay?" Thirteen said as he looked at his clock. "Let's start at ten… nine… eight… seven…"

""Six!"" Rhia and Remi joined the countdown.

""Five!""

""Four!""

""Three!""

""Two!""

""One!""

There, in the distance, a single firework rose to the sky before exploding in a shower of colors.

As if it cued the fireworks display to start, more fireworks illuminated the night sky, making Rhia clap her hands happily.

Remi's eyes sparkled as she hugged her brother, who was looking at the gift that he had prepared for them.

The fireworks display lasted for five minutes before finally coming to an end.

"Brother," Remi said softly, as she looked up at him. "You'll come back, right?"

Thirteen paused for a moment before kneeling down to meet her gaze.

"I will come back," Thirteen replied before kissing her cheek. "Maybe not right away, but I will come back as soon as possible."

He then proceeded to kiss Rhia's cheek as well before the little girl could even start pouting.

"Promise to come back soon?" Rhia asked. "Cross your heart?"

"Promise," Thirteen replied as he raised his two pinky fingers. "Cross my heart."

Rhia and Remi locked their pinky fingers with him, sealing his promise.

This promise under the starry skies was something that he wouldn't promise lightly.

He would definitely come back safe and sound to his family and spend more time with his sisters.

Suddenly, Rhia saw someone behind Thirteen, which made her raise her hands in greeting.

"Mama!" Rhia shouted.

Remi also turned around to see not only her mother, Alessia, but also her father, brother, and sister.

They knew that Zion would take his sisters to the park and waited for them there.

But they didn't show themselves until the fireworks display was over, so Zion could spend a special moment with his siblings.

"Did you have fun?" Gerald asked Rhia after he picked her up and kissed her cheek.

"Yes!" Rhia replied. "I bought you a gift, Papa."

"Really?" Gerald's face immediately brightened after hearing that his precious daughter had given him a gift.

"Really!" Rhia nodded.

"What did you get for daddy?"

"A candy!"

"Awwww! My Rhia is so sweet!" Gerald kissed Rhia's cheek thrice, making the little girl giggle.

Gerald was already happy that his daughter had bought him a gift.

In fact, he wouldn't even bat an eye even if Rhia picked a random rock on the road and gave it to him as a gift.

"Shall we go home?" Alessia asked as she rested her hand on Thirteen's shoulder.

"Yes," Thirteen replied. "Let's go home, Mother."

Alessia nodded and walked down the stairs, holding her son's hand.

When morning comes, he would be gone, and she would miss him terribly.

However, she was very proud of Zion. If not for him, their family might have already been erased from the world after the Ashford and Stallard Clans tried to eliminate them, while everyone was fighting in Cygni.

"You made a promise to come back safe, right?" Alessia said with a smile.

"Yes, Mother," Thirteen answered, giving her hand a light squeeze. "I'll come back, and when I do, please cook my favorite dishes for me."

"Okay." Alessia nodded and looked away as she held back her tears.

She was also a Wanderer, so she understood that her children still had a long journey ahead of them.

—----

(A/N: Only one chapter tonight. Regular chapters will resume tomorrow.)