The Homeseeker: Elemental Adventurer LitRPG [Isekai] (Series Complete!)

Asher went inside to put on some clothes and collect his car keys from inside. Zalan patted down the remaining dust on his waist and thighs and then stopped, seeing something on the ground gleam at him slightly. It was a single, green ring jutting out of the small pile of disintegrated Artifact. Evidently, one Ring of Range had survived the journey. Not that it would help him in his own world, but he was grateful to have a keepsake. He slipped it on his pinky finger.

Asher came out with a beanie and jacket on, looking Zalan up and down quizzically.

"When was the last time you changed your clothes?" he asked.

Zalan looked down at his worn shirt and pants torn at the hem. He hadn't worn regular clothes in what felt like months. Or perhaps the Homeseeker traded clothes to match the realm? Squinting, he tried to remember any timeline of day to day things that had happened before his time in the other realm.

"I don't know," Zalan said.

"Go put on some fresh clothes, then we can head out," Asher said, flicking his head for Zalan to move inside.

Zalan rushed within, not wanting to delay any longer than he had to. His room was surprisingly well put together, everything organized in an impressive manner. Asher must have been cleaning into the late hours of the night. Putting on fresh clothes and a sweater made him blink with surprise when he smelled how pleasant they were. The "day" before, his room had been a mess of clothes all over the bed and floor. Asher had gone out and done the laundry for him. He shook his head, baffled at the small acts of his cousin when he offered nothing in return.

The love of family.

Reentering the living room of his apartment, Zalan saw Asher studying the bottle for the sleeping pills. Scanning for side effects maybe. Grinning slightly, Zalan made his way to the doorway.

"Alright, I'm good, let's go," Zalan said eagerly.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Asher asked, placing the pills back on the side table.

Zalan looked down at himself. His waist felt rather naked without a sword and sheath weighing down on it, but he knew that wasn't what Asher was talking about.

"What is it?" Zalan shrugged confused.

"Seriously?" Asher said. "Your phone! I was telling you yesterday, you can't keep ignoring everyone checking in on you."

"Oh… Right, my phone. Yeah," Zalan said, scratching the back of his head.

He pulled it from the charger Asher had plugged it in overnight and gripped it awkwardly. It used to be such a familiar sensation in his pocket, but now he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with it. He could hardly imagine interacting with people without being face to face.

"Can we go now?" Zalan asked.

"Yeah," Asher nodded, leading the way down to his car.

Zalan shielded his eyes as he exited the building, blocking the sun from his vision. Merced was anything but a big town, but it felt like a concrete jungle compared to Oriton. One car drove by on the otherwise empty street. Zalan stared, transfixed by the vehicle, somewhat having forgotten what a car was like.

"You sure you're okay?" Asher asked. "You're definitely different from yesterday in a good way… But you're also a little…" Asher bobbed his head, unable to think of the right word for the transformation.

"Yeah, I'm good. Probably the most Healing Rest I've had in my life," Zalan assured him. "Just a little out of it."

"That's understandable," Asher said. "But if it's something I can help with, you have to tell me."

They hopped into his car and Asher got it going, occasionally turning to check on Zalan. Zalan watched the buildings roll by, his thoughts beginning to cloud his mind. Would the realm be able to heal okay once the Beasts of Slumber were gone? Did everyone make it home safely? What were Rep and Junill up to?

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Deep into his thoughts, Zalan was brought back to reality by the light thump of Asher placing his car in park. Zalan blinked, turning to his cousin. He suddenly had a heavy lump in his throat. Asher pulled out the keys and turned to Zalan with an encouraging, thin smile.

"You ready for this?" Asher asked.

"It'll be good for me, right?" Zalan asked, nervously.

"Yeah."

Asher guided Zalan through the short maze of granite slabs, dirt mounds, and flowers laid across the ground. They came to a halt in front of a particular slab and the two of them looked down on it forlornly, the energy between them turning sincere and reflective.

They stood before the grave of Zalan's mother. Haya Umm Alasif.

Asher placed a hand on Zalan's shoulder and gripped it lightly as Zalan stared sadly. The feeling felt so much like Rep giving him solace. Faster than he expected, tears welled up in his eyes and he began to weep openly. His mom was dead. She had been dead for a long time. He had the chance to visit her when she was living, but he made excuses until she had passed away. The guilt used to eat him to his core, but now he felt he could move on from it. And even the fact that he could move on while his mother would be dead either way left more uncertainty in his heart. It hurt to know he couldn't change anything about it. But there was a solace he clung on to in his core.

Wiping tears away, Zalan swallowed hard to clear his throat and look upon the gravestone.

"Hi Mom. I'm here. I finally visited," Zalan said, his voice shaky. "I should have seen you while I still could. It would have been better for both of us. I hope I didn't disappoint you too much when I never showed up."

"Every time my mom brought you up," Asher said, referring to Zalan's aunt, "Auntie Haya always said that you didn't need to be there. She didn't even say that you needed a decent excuse, she just said you didn't need to be there. I think… I think she knew you were having a hard time facing the fact she wasn't coming out of the hospital."

"She knew me better than anyone ever will," Zalan said. "Thanks for actually visiting her, Ash. Means a lot to me that I know she wasn't alone in the end."

"Yeah, of course," Asher replied. "You know, she was still consulting with other doctors even when she was bedridden."

"Yeah, that was her way," Zalan said, smiling. "I've only recently come to understand it. That we're all going to die. And that every beneficial action we take before death is worthwhile, no matter how small."

"Did you just come to this realization?" Asher asked, confused. "No offense, but you didn't exactly look capable of that kind of thinking yesterday."

"Yeah, I had a lot of time to think overnight. Sorry I've been so distant to everyone. I know it's hard to reach out to someone that doesn't want to be reached out to. I'm feeling a lot better now. And a lot more regretful for pushing you all away."

Zalan and Asher spent the next few minutes in silence, allowing the breeze to fill the silence between them as they reflected upon Zalan's mother's life. More tears were shed, and Zalan pushed through powerful emotions in such a short time. After letting everything out, Zalan took a deep breath and looked to Asher.

"Good to head out?" Asher asked.

"Yeah, I need to clean up my place."

"And return a lot of calls. Especially my mom's."

"Yeah, fine, let's just get something to eat first. I feel like I haven't had a real meal in months," Zalan said as they turned away from the grave.

"Dude, I brought you chicken yesterday."

"Yeah, but yesterday feels a lot different than today."

They headed off, leaving the cemetery behind until the next time Zalan would come to visit. He would return, but not for a while.

Because now that he had accepted his mother's death, he could finally start living.

* * *

After a day out with Ash and responding to about 100 concerned messages, Zalan finally returned to his newly cleaned home. Asher stayed out on the couch, determined to stick with his cousin at least for one more day before leaving him to himself.

Zalan lay back on his bed and looked up to the ceiling fan. At rest. Stable. Secure.

Exhausted, he took his phone out to place on the nightstand when he saw the container of sleeping pills Asher had placed inside his room.

The draw of the purple pills tempted Zalan. Another trip to the realm. Was it possible these were Artifacts that ended up on this end? A sibling Artifact to Rep's Realm Summoner? He picked up the container and examined the labeling. Not a single word was familiar.

Zalan got up and threw the pills into a drawer under some clothes. He didn't need them, even if they were only for sleep, and his mother would be disappointed if he became reliant on pharmaceuticals for basic everyday tasks. He had conquered the Five Monsters of the Mindscape. He could battle some restless nights.

Heading back to bed he rummaged in his pocket, took the Ring of Range, and slipped it onto his finger.

"I wonder…" he murmured to himself as fatigue began to overtake him.

At his bedside, he looked over at his graduation photo of his mother and himself. They were beaming. Proud. It looked like a totally different photo to him than the one he last remembered. He could finally connect with the happiness he saw in that picture.

Zalan turned over to his pillow and allowed sleep to drift over his mind. For the first time in a long time in his home world, he had a smile on his face.