The Pourfendeur household was calm, as usual. The only sounds you could hear were the mouse clicks of Matthias Pourfendeur, browsing through online forums, searching for the test news and achievements of uprising Hunters.

  While the man was on his computer, Marianne, his wife, was testing new recipes in the kitchen as she cooed at Orange's pyful antics. The grave purrs and the meowing of the furred creature made the woman smile as she sliced vegetables.

  Despite this apparent peacefulness, the atmosphere of the household was always heavy with worry and sad hope.

  Worry for the youngest daughter, who began again her life as a Hunter, risking her life everyday to dive in the dangerous phenomenons that were the Portals. And while the two parents hoped she'd instead make friends and pass her full time studying, they couldn't prevent her from doing what she said she needed to do.Sad hope, for their son, the eldest sibling, to return. Five years of prayers to the Stars, five years of Matthias searching for any trace of the long lost family member on the internet. Five years of milkshake-making that only served to fatten Orange. Five years of Jeanne cutting ties with most other than her parents because of her distrust in the institutions of today.

  Meow...

  "I know I know Orange. But you've already had your treat today. Anymore and Paul will scold me when he'll come back."

  As if it understood the woman, the feline squinted its eyes and stormed off in its basket, not before catching a crumb of meat that had fallen on the floor. Meanwhile, Marianne turned around to face her husband, who just got up from his daily internet browsing session. He scratched his chin and hummed deeply, looking at Orange kneading its basket sheets.

  "Orange has been unusually clingy since yesterday. Did you give him something Matt ?"

  The man rose his hands in mock surrender and shook his hands. He has observed this behavior since yesterday night but thought only him had noticed it. The cat was usually pying with toys by itself, either balls with jingles or a robot with ser pointer. The rest of the time, it would ze around in Paul's bed or mess with his Amerindian dream-catchers. It only clung to the family members when something reted to Jeanne happened, like her passing her exams, getting her driver's license or more recently, her Hunter promotion.

  "Diner's almost ready. It should take about five more minutes. I'm going to turn on the TV dear. Could you prepare the dining table at the same time ? And send a text to Jeanne, to see if we save a piece for her or put it in the fridge."

  "Already done. She hasn't answered yet."

  Marianne nodded and messed around with the TV settings. Soon enough, the broadcaster's voice rang out loud and clear in the room, somehow catching Orange's attention, who stopped grooming itself and came back to y on the living room's couch.

  The channel seemed to hold some sort of debate. But with only half of the context, the couple would have to listen a little more to understand what was being talked about.

  "- false readings from ancient equipment that still used mana-chamber measuring technology. The House of Knowledge has since then sent a formal apology to the Awakeners over the world. It's true that mana-chamber equipements have been heavily criticized as unreliable when dealing with high density of magic miasma. But to such extent ?"

  "Absolutely." a man in medieval schor robes answered, adjusting his monocle. "For our uneducated audience, I will briefly expin the way such devices work. Mana-chambers devices, or MCB, were based on a principle of chain-reaction, much like the one happening in nuclear power-pnts. In this case, a determined and purified quantity of magic miasma, referred to as mana is held in an isoted chamber and then exposed to a sample of raw miasma fog coming off a Portal that just appeared. The speed of contamination and the amount of miasma delivered to corrupt the tank were the pieces of data that helped determine the rank of the Portal."

  "But based on recent discoveries on miasma evaporation..."

  "You would be correct, Mr. Foucault. Up until a few months ago, miasma that reacted with pure mana was thought to instantly vanish in a burst of energy we commonly call magic. And while that is true... a colleague of mine in Shenzhen, Mr. Qion-hua and his team, discovered that in a confined environment, high densities of miasma and mana managed to create some sort of equilibrium, where none of the two states of matter interact with each other for a few instants, before vanishing altogether."

  "So the sudden reaction would... speed up this reaction ? And would give false readings to our machines ?"

  "Exactly. Even though the state of equilibrium is reached, this small dey is rgely nullified by the following instantaneous reaction, which drastically increases the overall speed of corruption. This would give much higher density readings than what there is in reality. For example, a Portal cssified as an early S-rank, could very well be a peak A+ rank one."

  "Going from a nation-wide threat to a multi-city one... such difference is no trivial matter. What if these readings did the opposite ? Can they ?"

  "No. Ever since this discovery was made, many boratories across the globe have tried to conduct experiments that would simute such occurrences. None of them managed to get values that under-evaluated the miasma density. The closest case from what you are talking about is referred as double-Portal, or bi-dimensional Portal. A Portal, often of B-rank and above, that absorbed the energy of a weaker one. This phenomenon is rare but we are currently able to predict and locate them very early on, so rest assured."

  "Thank you Mr. Scottman. That leaves us two questions. How many Portals up until now have been over-evaluated and why did we rely on outdated equipment ? Based on our most recent pieces of news, no less than thirty-five S-rank Awakeners had been called to deal with this false EX-Portal."

  "That I sadly do not have an answer for. I hope you'll forgive me for that."

  A woman on the studio cleared her throat before speaking up too."With that said... while this Portal was not an EX-rank one. It was definitely one worthy of being considered as S-rank. Hunter reports have began reporting about a dozen of wyverns and hordes of reptilian monsters with the usual goblin and troll."

  The broadcaster's eyes widened at the statement. The second guest was Fshkick. A retired S-rank Hunter who used her legs as deadly weapons. She still had many contacts in the Hunter circles and was Buster's former second-in-hand. Her words still held weight to this day and the ones that just came out of her mouth were frightening ones.

  She continued on after making sure she had everyone's attention."The Portal must for sure, have been challenging and according to different reliable sources, the party was unable to reach its heart. I know Pierre Coeur de Lion... ahem pardon my accent. The man must have preferred to not waste anymore lives instead of pushing through. Hence why they retreated."

  "But what was this magic burst that closed the Portal then ?"

  "A st-trump artifact that overloads the other side of a Portal with mana. It forcibly closes off any Portal no matter its rank."

  "Ohoh~ I assume that such an artifact is not a common thing."

  "Yep. It takes huge amounts of time and resources to create. So it's... expensive."

  "Well thank you for this insight. We wi..."

  Matthias tapped a few times on the remote to lower the TV's volume and let the couple eat in peace.

  MEOW... !

  "Awww, what's wrong Orange ? Do you want to hear what they're saying ? But you don't even understand them. C'mon you big loaf."

  Instead of accepting the piece of meat-pie its owner was offering, the cat flicked its tail violently and approached the door to sit on the welcome mat. Then it began to meow loudly over and over again. The two married individuals got up from the table to stare at the cat. As Marianne turned to her husband, a knock came from the other side of the door.

  Matthias frowned and looked at his watch. 20:14, or 8:14 PM for the rest of the world. No sane person would ever knock on someone's door at this hour.

  "Mom ! It's me ! I've finished today's raid !"

  The voice snapped the couple from their musings. So Jeanne was finally home.But something was strange in her tone.

  Matthias decided to look though the peephole of the house's front-door. He could see Jeanne's armor and a new spear of hers. Her sweaty, greasy light brown hair, with bloodstains and crass. That wasn't so weird. The couple was used to such things by now.The weirdness came from the fact that her face was not facing the door, she was speaking to someone else. Their daughter's ocean eyes were fixated on this certain someone and she was speaking fast, in an overly bouncy manner.

  Jeanne speaking to someone was not suspicious in itself. However, the fact that that the interlocutor specifically positioned themselves away from the peephole's angle of view... This was suspicious.In fact, only a shadow could be seen. A very tall shadow.

  A man ? was the patriarch's first thought. His protective mind kicked into overdrive mode in instants. Jeanne already had her share of mildly-interested love episodes, and the revenues brought by her profession was definitely a factor at py there. A factor that could bring unwanted attention.Matthias didn't want a repeat of this scenario again. Some guy barging in and trying to get a piece of what his daughter earned with her literal blood and sweat.

  Jeanne. Is this truly... okay ? the other person suddenly spoke up, catching the man and woman off-guard. They hadn't expected a woman's voice. A very powerful yet uncertain voice.

  Jeanne was watching her brother walking in circles with an unfocused gaze and his tail whipping at the air. She knew he was a nervous wreck, an emotional disaster inside. They had talked during the flight back home, but she couldn't help but be weirded out by his humanoid body's... strangeness.

  The feminine form was the first thing. Having known her brother for almost a decade and a half, suddenly seeing her brother returning in a woman's body was definitely special. Even if he now looked like a tomboy for the most part...

  The previous Paul looked like a Canadian lumberjack, or a hippie, depending on who you asked, but all in all... he had the body structure of a biological male.

  Now however... Gone was the soft, slightly square-shaped head, the broad shoulders, the Adam's Apple and the unkempt mustache. Gone was the quiet ugh and the horribly hairy legs Jeanne liked to put shaving wax on. Gone were the callous hands Paul burnt himself with coffee in his early working days.

  All of that had been repced by much leaner and sharper features Jeanne managed to look into detail earlier. To put in into perspective, Paul had the physique of an anime military-looking woman... but dragon version.Less lewd, less busty and less objectified though. He wasn't ft but he didn't have some ungodly disproportionate forms either. Paul wouldn't have to curse at breasts getting in the way.But in any case, he still hated this body.

  The long, silky hair, as bck as space itself was another reminder, one he despised strongly. One symbol he swore to cut as soon as he'd get the occasion to.Only the draconian, very prominent features were the things he hated more than this woman body of his.

  He had said this himself... While he could hide his chest, cut his hair and wear clothes that hid most of his body away, the tail, his winged arms and the bck paws that repced his arms and hands were parts he could not help but see.

  The height too, was a new problem. Paul's friend, the Returnee Buster was almost two meters and fifty centimeters tall, but Paul himself seemed to have traded apparent muscle for height. This humanoid form was well over past two meters. The horns were giving a couple extra centimeters but the weirdly elongated feet were the main factor. The worst was his wingspan. Jeanne could guess that Paul's wing- or armspan could very reach past four meters.

  Jeanne. Is this... truly okay ?

  But the main thing was... the total ck of most emotions on his new face. While Paul showed on multiple occasions that he could express his feelings through voice, the few interactions and discussions he had held were ones where his face could only slightly reproduce negative emotions. Any smile appeared as cruelty incarnate on his face. Any ugh sounded like a crocodile bellowing at a prey.

  All of these changes were very unsettling to Jeanne. She wondered what their parents' reaction would be. And what about Paul's cat's ?

  As if on cue, the door opened.

  -

  Silence filled the porch's space.

  The Pourfendeur household hadn't expected Jeanne to bring a woman home. A very fierce-looking one at that.Jeanne and the woman in question probably didn't expect to see the door opening to show a man bending at peephole level with a face that showed suspicion then shock and embarrassment.The four humans looked dumbly at each other, not knowing how to deal with the situation.

  MEOW !The only one who reacted in an appropriate way was Orange, who approached the stranger to sniff their left foot and meowed loudly, again.The furry, chubby ball then jumped in the unknown woman's arms, who was clearly taken aback despite her bnk face.

  Ah- uh- Ha ? Eh?

  Orange then began to purr and nested itself deep into the scaled arms, forgetting everything else that existed in the world.

  F- fat ? Why's Orange so big ? What did he eat in five years ? Jeanne ?

  Marianne Pourfendeur's eyes widened. How did this woman know the cat's name ? Was she some friend Jeanne had made at st ? An acquaintance ? A colleague ? A lover ? Did her daughter share pictures of the fur-ball ?Jeanne chose to deliberately ignore the whisper-question and turned to her mother, who was still blocking the way.

  "Mom... are you going to let dinner get cold or what ? It's pretty rude to let someone standing on your porch like that."

  "Ah- I ? Y-yes ? Come in, come in."

  As the dumbfounded mother and father stepped aside, they couldn't help but feel weirded-out. The unknown woman seemed unfamiliar, but it was as if she was used to this pce. Still holding the cuddly cat in her arms, she looked around with her impassive gaze with her mouth opening and closing over and over again.Meanwhile, Jeanne was excitedly guiding her in the different parts of the house, talking about what had changed in the span of half a decade, the cat and various other things.

  At some point, when her daughter finally calmed down, Marianne decided to pop up in the conversation.

  "Jeanne, would you mind introducing us to... this lovely dy ?"

  Matthias gnced at the woman's giant scaled fists, tightening at the term, but said nothing. He instead looked at his daughter, interested in the newcomer's identity. Jeanne seemed to have frozen in pce at the question. She looked back and forth at the woman, then at Matthias' wife for a while before a heavy sigh escaped her lips. She got up and smiled softly.

  "Alright. Mom, dad. This is a strange... thing to say, but I've found... Someone. Pierre was wrong. Paul is alive. He's changed, stuff happened but..."

  Jeanne didn't finish her sentence, but instead looked at the person she had brought.

  The old couple looked at each other, jaw hanging in the air. Their daughter wasn't the type to pull pranks. And certainly not for such matters. But still... this was very different from... their son.

  ... With that said, Orange's reaction made sense if what Jeanne stated was right.

  "Paul ?" both asked at the same time, in a hopeful tone. The tall figure's head snapped in their direction, with hair swaying along the way.

  "Y- yes ?" an equally hopeful tone replied.

  "Is that... truly you ? What happened ? My dear..."

  I- I'm back. I- I... Mom. Dad. I missed you. So. Much.

  There were no tears, no moist eyes, no sad smile... But the intent and the tone were here. Longing. Nostalgia. Happiness. Euphoria.The cwed limbs embraced the family in a powerful hug that sted for a sweet and sacred eternity. Even the cat joined in by rubbing its face on its owners' legs.

  For the first time in two days, in centuries even, Paul could finally feel warmth again. He swore that if he were able to cry, he would have drowned the world in hot tears by now. Home... felt so nice.

  "P- Paul ! This this ! Oh Matthias, dear ! This is a grand occasion ! We have to celebrate this ! We'll make mango milkshakes, quiches, we'll get a nice cut of meat from the butcher downtown ! We must-"

  Matthias gently put his hand on his wife's shaking shoulder to try to calm her, all while he himself failed to keep his composed facade. After a few moments, the woman started sobbing and the husband couldn't hold back either.

  "Oh dear, oh chéri, we've waited this moment for so long..."

  Meow... !

  ? Administrator. System. ?Stars. Consteltions. For what purpose have you called us here ? You do know my task of finding worlds much be uninterrupted.

  ? We know ! But we have a problem. We Stars of Knowledge have been thinking. Nidhogg, the creature of Hyperion, has fractured space to such a degree that our barriers are mostly ineffective at stopping more Portals from forming en masses near Earth. ?? Something must be done to protect this budding world. ?And what do you propose ? The Administrator and I cannot keep using our authorities. You too, Consteltions, will have to start using your powers at some point. As far as I remember, none of you-...You were unwilling to use your Lightforces to stop the corrupted Earthling from coming back to Earth ! The Scout has paid the ultimate price to harm this Dragon and it recovered in mere instants ! Countless have lost their powers in many worlds following this sacrifice ! And that's how you repay him ! Only The Administrator and I have been exhausting our powers to protect this pnet for now ! All you do is ze around and impose unfair prices on your Apostles for them to use your powers.Stop this joke, or we will not intervene anymore. We cannot protect The Universe of Hyperion's annihition if you Stars keep indulging in the powers you got when you ascended.

  As The System said...Even you, Stars of Courage, did not try to harm the Heart of The Horde. Under the pretense of... harming other Stars by accident. What if two or three Stars dim ? The Universe is being eaten away by His spawns as we speak. If there are no more worlds to protect, the Stars will lose their purpose... and dim by themselves. You would lose your powers and Hyperion would ugh at your pathetic selves.But... Should we be really reminding you of this ?

  ? ... ?

  In the vast expanse of the Universe, the Stars kept silent. As the two overseers of the Creation vanished, the gaze of the Myriad turned to the countless spatial rifts from the mad being. It was as if... the Abyss from the other side of these cracks... was staring at them.

  -

  They slithered in delight as a wave.Cws, fangs, tails and wings... All twitched as He commanded.She had opened a way to expand the Hunting Grounds.She had opened a way to ensve more worlds. To forward The End.

  Onwards.