As Bruce and Brandon stepped through the portal, they found themselves in the familiar place they knew as Rayville Teleportation station, Eleanor.
"It's good to be home, isn't it?" Bruce said.
"You said it, buddy", Brandon replied.
"Bruce, Brandon, over here" A woman called to them.
"Mum", Bruce said, running to her with his bags.
"Oh my little boy, how I have missed you, how was school? Brandon my dear, how have you two been?" She asked.
"We have been good, Mrs Devin; school was amazing", Brandon replied.
"Come now, I have said this before; Mrs Sarah is just fine,", She said.
"Don't mind him, mum, being away for so long has his brain wired differently", Bruce chuckled.
"Just make sure you don't suffocate your mum with that hug... Besides, people are starting to stare at the soldier boy snuggling his mum" Brandon said.
"Right, let's be on our way; your dad's waiting, Brandon. I hope you will stay for lunch; I will drop you off after," Mrs Sarah said.
"Of course, Mrs Sarah" Brandon replied with a smile.
They put their luggage in the car and zoomed off; Bruce took in every bit of the environment; he might have preferred the town where he did his shadow mission, but this place was his home, and nothing was ever going to change that.
They soon arrived at a moderate-sized house where Bruce's parents lived; though moderate in size, Bruce's parents spared no expense in painting and designing the place with beautiful colours and intricate carvings, giving it a celestial palace vibe.
"Wow, look at my boys, now Soldiers in training, how have you two been?" Bruce's dad said.
"Hi, Dad, how have you been?" Bruce greeted.
"It's nice to see you too, Mr Edison," Brandon said.
"I have been surviving since you decided to leave your old man at home alone", Mr Edison replied.
"Come on, Dad, you had Mum with you", Bruce said.
"It's not the same thing as when you two are around; I mean, not a single vase was broken or cracked since you left", Mr Edison replied.
"Honey, stop being a drama king and help Bruce with his bags while I get lunch ready", Mrs Sarah said, leading them into the house.
"Alright, you two, hit the showers; lunch will be ready before you are done", Mrs Sarah added.
"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Brandon said to Bruce.
Sarah Devin, a wind mage, was loving, kind, compassionate, daring and bold all together; she was the first amongst the parents to welcome Brandon into their home; her husband didn't pay much heed until he realized how close the boys got. She was a Design and Decoration expert, including graphic design. She always made sure they took a shower each time they came back home from wherever they went.
Her husband, a techno mage, Edison Devin, was a Technological consultant for the Ministry of Technology and a data analyst with a flare for theatre. He always had the boys' back when they needed something his wife usually wouldn't approve of.
The boys went upstairs to Bruce's room or as Brandon called it, Bruce's 'Techno den', it was still the way they left it, Bruce's gadgets neatly arranged in a closet to the left, his state-of-the-art digital set-up located near to the closet, his study table packed with books on the other side of the room a few meters away from his wardrobe and in the middle, the bed that had seen them through multiple sleepovers as kids.
"It's truly good to be back", Bruce said with a smile; with a flicker of his eyes, he turned the air conditioner on before taking a towel and heading into the bathroom.
A few minutes later, both boys returned downstairs with Bruce now dressed in casual clothes.
"Good, you are down, come have a seat," Mrs Sarah said.
"Woah, mum, we weren't starved in school; you don't have to serve me that much food", Bruce protested as his mum heaped a meal on his plate.
"I don't trust some fancy Military Academy cafeteria to feed you the way I would; eat up now", Mrs Sarah replied.
Brandon didn't bother protesting, he knew it was an argument he wouldn't win. With everyone served, Mrs Sarah had her seat, and they began eating.
"So tell me all about everything that happened in school; the only thing we heard is that you were selected for the mythic evolution process and that you and the other students helped stop a Prime Force raid", Mr Edison said.
"Well, after that, I was given an Athena medal, was made the first mage to work at Alphite Industries, won a weapons combat tournament, went on a shadow mission with a 2nd year, and that's about it," Bruce explained in summary.
"That's awesome; what about you, Brandon?" Mr Edison asked.
"Well, it turns out I have this rare affinity called the Zodiac Affinity", Brandon said.
"He's leaving out the part where he won the hand-to-hand combat tournament and took 2nd place in the elemental tournament not to mention the fact that he won two gold medals at the Military inter-school sports competition for the 500m and 1,500m races, he went on a shadow mission with a 3rd year all the while being a very supportive friend," Bruce said giving Bruce a look.
"Right, I fought some demons, and we also made new friends," Brandon said.
"Well, that's lovely," Mrs Sarah said.
"Nice, so who's stronger now?" Mr Edison asked.
"Honey!!!" Mrs Sarah reprimanded.
"Sorry, I was just curious," Mr Edison said.
"It's alright, Mom, we know Dad's always curious about change; I'm still the weaker one", Bruce replied.
"Don't say it like that; you are stronger than almost everyone else at school; besides, you are more of a brain than a brawn", Brandon said.
"Well, tell us about the new friends you made," Mrs Sarah said while still staring daggers at her husband.
Bruce and Brandon took turns explaining how they met Alec and the others.
"Wow, so you befriended nobles," Mr Edison said.
"Well, it's more like they befriended us, but yeah", Bruce replied.
"Well, that's amazing, eat up now, or am I dropping Brandon off alone?" Mrs Sarah said.
"No, give me a few minutes", Bruce said as he focused on his meal, emptying the place in under five minutes.
"That's always fascinating to see" Mrs Sarah chuckled.
After a few minutes of rest, they took the five-minute drive to Gaia's Home For The Lost And Left Behind, the orphanage where Brandon lived.
Pushing through the large double doors, about a dozen pairs of eyes turned to him, Bruce and Mrs Sarah.
"Uncle Brandon is here; Uncle Brandon is here", A little girl chanted as she ran to give Brandon a hug.
"Wow, Emily, you have grown bigger than the last time I saw you,", Brandon said as he crouched to hug her.
"Sup bro, you are looking pretty good for someone who went to a military academy", A boy said, looking about two years younger than Brandon.
"It's nice to see you too, Kai", Brandon said.
"We were just about to start a little sparring session, wanna join us?" Kai asked.
"No, I'm good, where are the masters?" Brandon asked.
"They should be somewhere in the garden; Master Cerian fell ill while you were away, so they usually spend some time resting with him during lunch", Kai replied.
"Is it serious?" Brandon asked.
"No, according to the doc, he just needs more rest", Kai replied.
"Don't they all?" Brandon said.
"I know, we are all wondering it too, when are the young masters going to return? or will they even return?" Kai sighed.
"They have to; their next meeting will take place sometime next year. I will be at school, but the rest of you have to convince the masters to step down", Brandon said.
"Dude, you have barely been here for 30 minutes, and you are already trying to solve problems; get some rest first, real rest; we will be going now,", Bruce said, patting Brandon's shoulder.
"Right, thanks for lunch Mrs Sarah," Brandon said.
"It's always my pleasure; make sure you visit when you can", Mrs Sarah replied.
Brandon saw them in the car before walking back in and taking his bags to his room.
It was smaller in size compared to Bruce's room, with just a bed, reading table, wardrobe and a shelf where some things were kept; he changed into a green shirt and some white shorts and then made his way to greet the masters.
The six Masters were the men who oversaw the affairs of the orphanage; new masters were usually selected when the previous ones were getting too old to handle the work. The current masters were six wise and strong mages, they each resided in a different wing of the orphanage.
The first Master was Raion Kiyago, a fire mage who resided in the south wing with his disciples; he was strict but always had his disciple's best interests at heart.
The 2nd Master was Lancelot Wikharm, a water mage; he resided in the North wing with his disciples; he was a more laid-back master, but his disciples never stepped out of line.
The 3rd Master was Trevor Franklin, a wind mage with a bad temper; the only reason he was selected as a master was because of his advanced management skills; his disciples were always calling on the other masters to help calm him down, and he resided in the east wing.
The 4th Master was Desmond Joseph, an earth mage, very humble and calm; he was the orphanage therapist, and he resided in the West wing.
The fifth Master was Drake Lucian, a shadow mage, very security conscious and defensive; he resided in the South-West wing, otherwise called the Night wing.
Last but not least, Master Cerian Vale, a light mage and also Brandon's master, was the most cheerful and encouraging of the six, always taking his time to get to know everyone and help them plan their future.
As Brandon opened the double doors that led to the garden, the six old men scanned him from head to toe before giving an approving smile.
"Greetings masters," Brandon said with a bow.
"One of my best disciples has returned, Brandy, my boy; how are you?" Master Cerian greeted.
"I have been doing well, Master; I heard you were feeling a bit unwell and thought to check on you", Brandon replied.
"That's sweet of you; I'm happy you came home for the holidays," Master Cerian said.
"Don't tell me you didn't miss the rest of us" Master Desmond said.
"Of Course I did; it's the combined teaching of you all that makes me live to honour this orphanage", Brandon replied.
"I see you are still a sweet talker" Master Trevor said with disdain.
"I see you are still a bitter elder" Brandon retorted.
Between everyone in the orphanage and Bruce, it was known that Brandon and Master Trevor never got along, their interactions always resulted in Brandon getting smacked and punished.
"As well as that sharp tongue, I see,", Master Trevor said as the wind picked up.
"Let the boy be Trevor, we all know you stepped on his toe first," Master Lancelot said.
"Besides, he's awakened now; if he decides to fight back, the garden will have scorch marks all over,", Master Raion said.
"We will pick this up some other time, boy", Master Trevor said, and the winds calmed down.
"So how was School? tell us all about it?" Master Cerian asked; the next moment, he began coughing.
"Maybe over dinner, you need to rest" Brandon replied.
"Nice, we could eat around a nice bonfire tonight,", Master Lancelot said.
Leaving the garden, Brandon decided to take a stroll around town.
"Wait up, we need to grab a few things around town," Kai said from behind.
"With Emily?" Brandon asked.
"Yes, she's actually good at remembering things. Plus, Master Drake says the little ones need to start getting familiar with places other schools and here", Kai replied.
"I see, where's Alicia?" Brandon asked.
"Probably somewhere doing some art or something" Kai replied nonchalantly.
"Okay then, let's go," Brandon said.
They took a walk down to the supermarket; the few individuals along the road who recognized Brandon were surprised by the change in stature and appearance; only when he greeted some did they stop staring.
At the supermarket, Kai took a basket and showed Emily the various sections to get what they would need, Brandon looked at his smartwatch, he had earned quite a lot of credits during the year, especially from the tournaments, expeditions, special activities and even the sports competition, not to mention the allowance Miss Silver had the school pay them at the register.
"That's all you needed?" Brandon asked as he stared into the basket that contained a few vegetables and spices.
"Yeah, we have more at home; this is just to make sure we have enough", Kai said.
Brandon walked up the confectionary aisle and picked out some cakes and a Popsicle, after they paid for the vegetables and Brandon paid for the cakes, they walked back home taking a longer route so they could get a good view of the setting sun on our way home, the mix of orange and purple hue in the sky had a sort of relaxing effect.
"Is that who I think it is, Brandon?" A boy called from across the road.
Kai and Emily weren't happy to see who it was.
"Kai, Emily, go home, don't wait for me in front," Brandon said.
The boy across the road was none other than Dexter Lumen, a notorious bully when they were in high school, he and his gang never let the others, especially the orphans have any peace, he graduated along with Brandon and Bruce but now that Military Academies had gone on holiday, he was back in town.
"What do you want Dexter?" Brandon asked plainly.
"Now, now, is that any way to greet an old friend?" Dexter asked with a narcissistic grin.
"We weren't friends" Brandon stated.
"Then why did you stop to talk to me after I called you?" Dexter asked.
"Because I'm a civil human being, I was hoping you might have changed. So I decided to give you a chance", Brandon replied, his tone cold and steady.
"Well, I have changed, I got into Brooke Bay Military Academy, teleportation port's a few towns away, what about you?" Dexter said with an arrogant smile.
"I got into Blue River Military Academy; your school didn't show up for the sports competition", Brandon replied.
"Yeah, we, ugh, well how was it?" Dexter asked dodging the question.
"It was fun; we got a few medals", Brandon replied.
"Cool, that's cool" Dexter replied, his initial arrogant composure now shattered.
"Well, I gotta go; I will catch you later,", Brandon said, walking away.
"Yo Brandon, bye", Dexter said, throwing a fast-moving fireball at Brandon.
Sensing the incoming attack, Brandon swiftly turned around, dispersing the fireball with a flick of the wrist.
"Bye," Brandon said.