After wandering for two and a half years, Aeris finally returned home, not out of sentiment, but curiosity. He wanted to see how those who once tormented "him" were living now that he was gone.
From the airport, he took a taxi straight to his luxurious apartment. Because he had hired a caretaker, everything remained spotless and orderly. After a long shower and a night of deep rest, he decided to visit his stepmother, the root of "Aeris" childhood nightmare.
---
The next morning, Aeris sat in the cold metal waiting area of the prison.
Soon, Rosalind was escorted out.
She wore faded gray prison clothes. Her once carefully maintained face had collapsed into wrinkles and sagging skin. Her hair was dry, chaotic, and mostly white, with only a few stubborn strands of black remaining.
Her eyes burned with resentment the moment she saw him.
Aeris looked as if he had stepped out of a magazine; healthy, well-dressed, refined. The contrast was brutal.
"Do you know how we've been living?" Rosalind snapped, anger rising with every word. "If you hadn't disappeared without a word, I wouldn't be here right now. This is all your fault. If you have even a little conscience left, get me out!"
Aeris was amused by her delusional words.
"After everything you did to me, you expect remorse?" He leaned back, smiling without warmth. "No. Seeing you like this is the best reward I've ever received."
Rosalind's expression faltered, but she forced her voice to soften.
"I admit I wasn't perfect… but did I ever hit you? Ask around how many stepmothers treat stepchildren as well as I treated you?"
Aeris rolled his eyes, not bothering to hide his disgust.
"I'm not here to revisit the past. I just wanted to see what you were holding up. Now that I have that you weren't living well, I can leave."
He stood up to go.
Rosalind panicked. She slapped the glass barrier loudly, her voice hoarse and dry.
"Even if you don't care about me, what about your siblings? You're their older brother. You have a responsibility towards them!"
"You should dream that again tonight. It's the only place where it will ever come true." He said flately.
Without another glance, he walked away.
Though Aeris still had time to visit the rest of his enemies, he chose not to. Revenge, after all, was something to savor slowly. One person at a time, not all at once.
As he strolled through the town, a familiar aroma drifted toward him, triggering an instinctive rush of saliva.
This restaurant was one of the few places he had visited repeatedly in his previous life because of its unforgettable desserts.
He stepped inside, ordered his usual, and began to enjoy it. Dining alone had never bothered him. No matter what others thought or whispered, he would never deny himself the things he enjoyed.
Halfway through his dessert, his phone rang.
The caller ID displayed a familiar name "Mykel."
Mykel was someone he had met during his travels abroad. They got along surprisingly well; their temperaments matched and their humor aligned, making exchanging numbers feel natural.
"Hello?"
After a short conversation, they agreed to meet at a nearby nightclub.
Originally, given another life, Aeris had no intention of forming new connections. He planned to live freely—without responsibility, without emotional ties, without anything that could slow him down.
But Mykel was… different.
Exceptional both morally and intellectually. And more importantly, he possessed a skill Aeris had always admired, one he had dreamed of mastering as a teenager:
Hacking.
Under Mykel's guidance, Aeris had already learned enough to brush the edges of hacking world and he was improving rapidly.
By dusk, Aeris started his car and drove toward the agreed location.
Outside the nightclub, three muscular guards towered by the entrance, intimidating anyone who dared cause trouble.
Aeris slipped past them effortlessly after showing his ID.