A house in the middle of the forest sang a soothing melody among the rather quiet atmosphere; a calm symmetry lay between its yard and the surrounding trees. Inside, static from a distant television played as a teakettle boiled on the stove, sizzling steam cheering within. "Damn it, they should've arrived twenty minutes ago," Aki said, resting by the table as he glanced between the window and door. "Where could they possibly be?

He looked down upon his empty cup of tea, then at the tea kettle, sighing in exhaustion. The clock behind, ticking away.

"Do I wait or go search for them?" He asked himself, glancing at the door once more.

At the faint sound of high rustling, he jolted from his seat.

The door burst open, and in came Elena, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Aki! Sorry for being late."

She stretched her arms after shutting the door, noticing the shouting flames underneath the tea kettle. 

Elena turned the stove off as she reached for a plate from the cabinet. "More tea?"

Aki rested his hand on his chest, taking a sigh of relief. "You guys gave me a heart attack for a second there." 

Elena then crouched to reach the lower pantry, searching through the dozen wrappers and empty bags. After a second, she finally found the spicy Cheetos. However, the few that remained barely satisfied her.

"Yeah, I hate to give them credit, but humans are getting better themselves." She stood up in disappointment, pouring the rest of the chips on her plate.

Glancing around for a moment, she was confused by the absence of others as a nearby television muted its static.

We usually have clients around this time. How strange. Elena thought worryingly, returning to preparing her snack. Not to mention, I don't see Kaito or Souta anywhere.

Getting her attention with a wave, Aki lifted his head towards the tea kettle. "Pretty please."

"On it, uncle." Elena nodded as she reached for the kettle, pouring him a cup.

"Yeah, I regret that title; it's embarrassing." He yawned afterward, stretching his hand upward. 

"All the local paradigms call you uncle, uncle." She snorted lightly, bringing the cup and plate over to the table.

He pushed aside the empty cup and grabbed the new, warm one. As he grabbed the handle, Elena ate her chips standing.

"Alright, alright, I get it." Aki looked around Elena towards the door, growing worried once more. "But where's Kaito and Souta?" 

The two stared off into the silence, unmoving for a second.

Elena slammed her hands on the table. "Huh?! They're not here yet!?" 

Glancing towards the living room and then the second floor through the railings, she couldn't find any trace of them.

"That's just great, now I have to wait even longer to tell you all and find them too." He stood up from the table, pushing his cup further from the corner.

Elena placed her hand in front of him, heading towards the door instead. But before she could leave, a sudden shock coursed through her hair.

"Nope, I'm here, so there's no need to worry," Souta said, appearing in front of the stairs with blue sparks floating from his feet.

He took a seat next to Aki, dragging his hands over the table in exhaustion and resting his head in defeat.

Elena groaned as she checked her nails whilst Souta harshly rubbed his eyes. 

Clap! The room went silent.

Aki clapped his hands together, getting their attention. "The thing is, they're already on their way."

Souta and Elena looked at him with confusion, leaning in closer out of curiosity. 

"Wait, who?" Souta asked, sitting up straight.

Aki took another sip of his tea as Elena returned to eating her chips, slowly to make sure her ears were open.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Souta added, the two were as impatient as little kids. 

The static of the corner television returned for a second.

He sighed once more, pushing away his tea. "As I went over to recover the cases, there was this eye-catching broadcast on a nearby billboard." 

A second of silence followed, giving a moment for the two to recall.

Souta gasped in shock. "The one about Lunar Province?" 

"No way! The Lunar Province?!" Elena's jaw dropped, tightening her grip on the tablecloth.

Souta leaned back in excitement. "Just tell us what happened!" 

"Turns out the loot was indeed their property. Something about secret capsules." Intrigued, he placed his hand under his chin.

"But how did you contact them? I don't think that paradigms would use the, um..." She paused, thinking for a moment. "...funky technology?"

"Correction, paradigm technology." Unaware of the open door, he continued to speak, looking down. "Our kind still holds origin and superiority in anything you can think of. Whereas the humans took a million years to reach a fair playing ground." 

"Except the food, that's long gone, trust me." Kaito blurted, walking over to the conversation next to Elena.

"Kaito, stop changing the subject." She brushed him off, only interested in learning more, just like her father.

"Basically, the very attendants who requested aid came across the picture I uploaded." Aki stared at the floor intently as if he were solving a puzzle. 

Elena and Aki paused and slowly turned their attention to Kaito, whilst Souta remained still.

"Wait, Kaito?!" She shouted, shoving him slightly. 

"Hey, sis." He said as he took a bite of a chicken sandwich. "Oh, and sorry for being late." 

She traced her finger over some blood on his forehead, a small stain reaching below his right eye.

"What happened to you?" With a worried expression, her eyes quivered.

Kaito nervously chuckled, scratching his head with the other hand. "I might or might not have fallen off a cliff."

As her worry became frustration, Kaito tried to distract himself by taking another bite.

"A cliff?!" Elena shouted, growing furious, slamming one of her hands on the table.

"Don't worry, it wasn't even that tall." He wiped the blood off his face as he laid his halved sandwich on the table.

Reaching for his pocket, he handed his sister a cheeseburger in an indented wrapper, smiling softly. 

Her frown became a smile, bright and warm as she cautiously accepted the gift. "Thanks." She whispered.

Souta watched with jealousy, narrowing his eyes, as Elena rested her hand on his shoulder.

"You're so lucky you took after your father," Aki sighed in relief, wiping the rest of his blood stains with a cloth. 

Kaito squinted his eyes, stepping back. "What do you mean by that?" 

"I w-was just talking about your durability." Aki stuttered, sitting back down.

Elena swallowed her food, wiping her mouth hurriedly. "Aki, a cliff isn't going to injure a paradigm much, and you know that, so for you to say such a thing is suspicious." 

She waved her hand at him, still holding the warm cheeseburger.

"Hey, stupid over there is not your typical paradigm; he's a rare mix between two of the strongest clans." Souta blurted, also suspicious of Aki. "Which makes him all the more annoying." He continued, crossing his arms.

"I must've hit a nerve there." Aki waved his hands in rejection. "See, you two are already jumping to conclusions." The tension around them tightened, glancing back and forth between one another. 

Her eyes narrowed, looking directly at Aki with suspicion. "Maybe cause I don't appreciate anyone bringing up our past, let alone our parents."

"Can we get back to the news of Lunar Province, please?" Souta interrupted, stretching his back in exhaustion. 

Kaito paused in shock, his jaw wide open as if he had just won the lottery.

Oh, great, Elena thought in defeat, bracing herself.

"Lunar Province?..." He questioned, halting in place. "Did you really say Lunar Province?"