Chapter 72: Family Interrogation

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Family Interrogation

A little after noon, Felix made it back to his apartment building. He reached into his coat pocket for his keys, stepped up to his door, and stopped.

​The door was already unlocked. In fact, it was slightly ajar.

​He stared at the brass handle, his eyebrows slowly climbing. "...What?"

​He pushed it open. The first thing that hit him was loud laughter, followed by his sister’s exasperated voice, and then the sight of a completely packed living room. His entire family had moved into his apartment like an occupying army: his father Cassius, his mother Lucia, Cassian, Elara cradling the baby, and his younger sister Liana.

​He didn’t need to ask why they were there. Cassian’s smug report had clearly made the rounds before breakfast.

​I am utterly screwed,

Felix thought, briefly shutting his eyes in silent prayer.

​"Look who finally decided to show up," Lucia said, looking over from the kitchen counter.

​"Took your sweet time," Liana chimed in, grinning from ear to ear.

​Cassian was stretched out on the couch with the most infuriating, self-satisfied smirk Felix had ever witnessed on a human face.

​"Why is everyone in my apartment?" Felix asked, setting his keys down on the entryway table.

​"Family gathering," Cassius answered from the leather armchair, unbothered.

​"In my place?"

​"You had the most open schedule," his father replied smoothly.

​Felix looked around. His mother was already chopping fresh vegetables on his cutting board; Cassius had firmly claimed the best seat in the room; Cassian was lounging like a landlord; and Liana was sitting cross-legged on the rug with a black controller already resting in her lap.

​Felix pointed at the floor. "You brought your console controller?"

​"Obviously," Liana said.

​"Why?"

​"Because we’re spending quality family time together."

​"That is definitely not the real reason."

​"You’ll find out soon enough," she said, giving him a wicked grin.

​Felix let out a long sigh, taking off his coat and hanging it up. "Fine."

​"Good boy," Cassian called out from the sofa.

​"Shut up, Cassian."

​Within ten minutes, the apartment had been completely surrendered.

​Lucia and Elara took total command of the kitchen, while Cassius hovered near the stove like an old bear, sneaking sliced mushrooms and getting his fingers smacked away every two minutes.

Cassian was gently rocking his sleeping daughter. Over by the television, Liana had already booted up a local split-screen tournament, patting the rug beside her.

​Felix dropped onto the carpet next to her. "What are we playing?"

​"Fighting game. Best of five."

​A slow smile crept across Felix’s face. "Perfect."

​Liana’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why do you have that evil look on your face?"

​Felix cracked his knuckles, the joints popping cleanly. "Call it overdue payback."

​Her brow twitched. "Payback for what?"

​"Remember that dinner party three weeks ago?"

​Liana quickly glued her eyes to the screen, suddenly very interested in the character selection menu. "I attend a lot of parties, Felix. You’ll have to be specific."

​"The one where you sat next to your boyfriend and spent twenty minutes telling him I was hopelessly boring."

​"That was affectionate sibling humor!"

​"You said I had the social skills of a damp sponge."

​"I was joking!"

​"You told him my idea of romance was handing someone a clean bandage, and that I’d probably die alone in an Association clinic."

​Her ears turned bright pink. "I was exaggerating for dramatic effect!"

​"Payback," Felix repeated, locking in his fighter.

​Behind them, Cassian let out a loud bark of laughter, and even their father chuckled into his tea.

​Liana glared over her shoulder at both of them before snapping back to the screen. "You’re all awful. Felix, I am going to wipe the floor with you."

​"Pick your fighter and let’s see."

​The round started, and within twenty seconds, Liana’s character was caught in an unrelenting juggle combo that bounced her health bar across the screen.

​"Wait, wait! Stop hitting me!"

​Felix’s thumbs blurred across the buttons. "No."

​"Let me land!"

​"No."

​"Felix!"

​"You said I was boring. I’m making this efficient."

​"You picked the top-tier character!"

​"You literally chose the matchup."

​"It’s completely unfair!"

​With a final crunching blow on screen, the announcer roared: K.O.

​The room broke into laughter. Liana stared at the red loss banner in total outrage, while Felix leaned back against the couch base, thoroughly pleased with himself.

​"Justice has been served."

​"You are the worst brother in the world."

​"You started it at."

​"Rematch!" she demanded, slamming her thumb into the restart prompt. "Right now!"

​"Anytime."

​They ran through four more matches. On the fifth game, Liana finally managed to bait him into a corner trap and squeaked out a narrow win, jumping up onto her knees with a loud cheer. "Yes! Finally!"

​Felix looked at her, deadpan. "Pure luck."

​"That was pure skill!"

​"Total accident," he insisted.

​She stuck her tongue out at him, and he couldn’t help but laugh, tossing a soft cushion at her shoulder.

​By early afternoon, the kitchen was filling the apartment with the rich, savory aroma of simmering broth.

Lucia and Elara had set up a large hotpot burner in the center of the dining table, with platters of thinly sliced beef, fresh leafy greens, handmade noodles, and tofu surrounding it.

​Cassius was still lingering by the counter, trying to fish out a piece of meat early.

​SLAP.

​"Cassius, stop touching the pot," Lucia warned without looking up from her ladles.

​"I’m just testing the broth."

​"You’ve ’tested’ it four times in ten minutes."

​"It’s called quality assurance."

​Elara laughed, setting down a bowl of dipping sauces.

​Felix walked into the kitchen space, rolling up his sleeves. "Need an extra pair of hands?"

​"No," his mother said instantly.

​Felix paused. "Why not?"

​"Because whenever you help prep food, a quarter of the sliced meat vanishes into your mouth before it hits the table."

​"You do," Cassius noted.

​Felix held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. I’ll stay out of your way."

​He walked back into the living area just as Cassian stepped over, holding the baby. The little girl had woken up, her bright eyes wide and alert, and the moment she caught sight of Felix, her tiny arms started waving excitedly.

​Felix’s expression melted instantly. "Hey there."

​Cassian handed her over with an amused grin.

"She’s been looking for you."

​"Of course she has," Felix murmured, carefully cradling her against his arm. He gently tapped her tiny button nose. "Missed me already, didn’t you?"

​She let out a bubbly, happy gurgle, grabbing his index finger with both hands.

​Liana strolled over, leaning in. "She really likes you too much. It’s getting ridiculous."

​"That’s because I’m her favorite uncle."

​"You’re literally her only uncle."

​"Which makes the title undisputed."

​Liana rolled her eyes, but she reached out to tickle the baby’s cheek anyway. The baby grabbed Felix’s nose again with a surprisingly firm grip.

​"Ow," Felix mumbled, grinning through it. The baby giggled, and the living room felt warm, easy, and completely full.

​Lunch was a long, loud feast. Steam rose high from the bubbling hotpot, everyone dipping meat and noodles into spicy sauces while talking over one another.

With Cassian managing his own household, Liana tied up in frontline guild raids, their parents busy in the central districts, and Felix buried under Association duties and Acheron cases, afternoons like this had become precious rarities.

​Cassius lifted his glass toward the middle of the table. "To family."

​"To family," Felix repeated, tapping his glass against his father’s as everyone joined in.

​They ate and traded stories, Liana venting about her party’s clumsy tank, Cassian talking about his logistics work, Elara sharing new milestones about the baby, and Lucia steadily heaping more beef into Felix’s bowl every time it looked half empty.

​"Mom, my bowl is full."

​"You’re running yourself ragged with those gates. Eat."

​"I am eating!"

​"Eat more."

​"Mom."

​"Just take the beef, Felix," Cassian laughed.

"No one wins an argument against her."

​

​Once the platters were cleared and everyone had leaned back in their chairs, a brief lull settled over the table.

​Felix set his chopsticks down, looked across the faces of his family, and let out a dry breath.

​"Alright. Who’s going to start?"

​Every single person looked at him.

​Felix rubbed the back of his neck. "About Seraphina. I know why you’re all here."

​"Aha!" Liana beamed, leaning forward on her elbows. "Here it comes!"

​"Liana, hush," Lucia said, giving her daughter a light swat on the arm before turning her warm eyes back to Felix.

​"We didn’t come here to interrogate you, son," Cassius said, his tone low and reassuring.

​"We were curious, of course," Lucia added softly.

​"Cassian told us she stopped by," Cassius continued. "And Elara mentioned she seemed like a wonderful person. But your life is your own, Felix. You’re twenty-eight years old. You carry the lives of whole strike teams on your shoulders. You don’t owe us an explanation for someone you care about."

​Felix blinked, caught completely off guard. He had braced himself for an aggressive cross-examination about marriage, background checks, and Association gossip.

​"If she’s important to you," Cassian said, his voice unusually quiet and sincere, "then that’s all that matters to us. We just wanted to make sure you weren’t carrying everything alone."

​"We don’t need a formal report," Elara added with a gentle smile.

​Lucia reached across the table, placing a warm hand over Felix’s wrist. "You’ve spent years putting everyone else first: your squads, your patients, your duties. If there’s someone in your life who brings you peace, we’re simply happy for you. We’re here to support you, not push you into a corner."

​Felix sat there for a second, looking from his mother to his father, then to Cassian and Elara. The heavy knot of defensive dread he’d been carrying since yesterday untangled all at once.

​"Though," Liana chimed in with a wicked grin, breaking the sweet moment, "I reserve the right to tease you relentlessly about it."

​A round of laughter broke out across the table.

​"Thanks," Felix said, looking down at his cup with a faint, genuine smile. "I mean it. Thank you."

​"That’s what family does," Cassian replied, clinking his glass against Felix’s.

​Then Liana leaned in, eyes glittering. "So... is she as pretty as Cassian described?"

​"Liana!" Lucia scolded.

​"What? It’s a completely normal question!"

​Felix buried his face in his hands, groaning while Cassian chuckled into his napkin. "I knew it wouldn’t last."

​Later that afternoon, the dishes were cleared, the leftover broth packed away, and the family drifted back to the living room.

The baby was sound asleep against Elara’s chest, and the conversation turned toward a long-overdue family debate: settling on the child’s official name.

​"She can’t stay ’the little one’ on the registry forever," Cassius noted from his armchair. "We need to finalize it."

​"Agreed," Cassian said, nodding. "We wanted everyone’s thoughts."

​Liana raised her hand from the floor. "I have a list ready!"

​"Let’s hear them," Cassius invited.

​"What about Luna?"

​"Cute," Elara offered politely.

​"A bit too common right now," Felix said, leaning back on the couch. "Half the rookie mages in the lower tiers are named Luna."

​Liana glared at him. "Who asked for your critical review?"

​"Cassian did."

​Lucia spoke next, her voice soft and reflective.

"What about Lyra?"

​Felix paused for a fraction of a second. The name stirred a faint, old memory from his earlier academy years, but it came without any old bite or sorrow: just a calm, distant echo. "It’s a pretty name," he said honestly, offering a small nod.

​Elara caught that brief hesitation in his eyes, but she simply smiled, keeping the thought to herself.

​Cassius offered, "Seren?"

​"No," Liana rejected immediately. "Sounds like an imperial court noble. We’re hunters and healers, not royalty."

​"There’s nothing wrong with carrying a bit of grace," Cassius countered.

​A few more suggestions floated around the room: some too grand, some too old-fashioned, and one from Liana that sounded so much like an exotic combat pet that Cassian flatly vetoed it on the spot.

​After a few minutes of back and forth, Elara gently looked down at the sleeping bundle in her arms, running a soft finger over her daughter’s brow.

​"What about Mia?" she asked quietly.

​The living room fell silent for a heartbeat.

​Cassius tested the sound of it under his breath. "Mia."

​"It’s sweet," Lucia said, her eyes softening.

"Simple and warm."

​"I like it," Liana admitted, her teasing edge dropping.

​Cassian leaned in, looking at his daughter’s tiny nose. "Mia."

​The baby stirred slightly, her little lips twitching in her sleep.

​"Mia," Felix echoed softly.

​It felt natural. It carried none of the heavy weight of grand family.

It was just gentle, bright, and grounded, the kind of name that belonged to a girl surrounded by people who loved her.

​"Then Mia it is," Cassian said, looking around the room. No one offered a single objection.

​They paired it with an elegant formal middle name for the official citizen registry, settling the matter once and for all: Mia Valerius.

​Felix looked down at his sleeping niece from the side of the sofa. "Welcome to the family, Mia."

​Cassian glanced at his brother, his usual teasing smirk gone, replaced by quiet affection.

"You’re going to spoil her rotten, aren’t you?"

​"Without a doubt," Felix replied, unbothered.

​"And I’m going to teach her how to beat you in video games," Liana declared, brandishing her controller.

​Felix smirked. "She’s welcome to try."

​Laughter filled the room again, easy and bright against the afternoon light filtering through the windows.

Felix leaned his head back against the cushions, letting the noise wash over him.

​His parents talking quietly on the couch, Cassian’s arm wrapped around Elara’s shoulders, Liana stubbornly practicing combos on the screen, and little Mia sleeping soundly in the center of it all.

​Felix felt a deep, quiet certainty settle in his chest. Afternoons like this: these ordinary, noisy, imperfect moments were the exact reason he went out to fight in the first place.

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