The plane landed just after sunrise.
Ezekiel Swiares stepped off the aircraft slowly, carrying a single duffel bag over his shoulder. The air of the city felt different from the battlefield, quieter, heavier in a different way.
He had imagined this moment many times during the long nights in the military.
Coming home.
Seeing his family.
Seeing Lucas.
He expected his youngest brother to be waiting at the airport gate, probably waving both arms like he always used to.
But Lucas wasn't there.
A driver approached him instead.
"Welcome back, sir," the man said politely.
Ezekiel nodded and followed him to the car.
Lucas must have been busy.
That was fine.
They would see each other soon.
At the Swiares estate, the gates opened slowly as the car rolled inside.
The mansion stood exactly as Ezekiel remembered it, large, elegant, and strangely quiet.
Nothing had changed.
And yet everything felt different.
He stepped out of the car and walked inside.
Jeremy had arrived earlier that morning.
The second son of Senator Swiares had already gone straight to Lucas's room the moment he entered the house.
But when Jeremy pushed the door open, the room was empty.
No Lucas.
No mess.
No noise.
A maid appeared behind him.
"Mr. Lucas left early for school," she explained politely.
Jeremy nodded once.
He didn't show it on his face, but a small disappointment settled quietly inside him.
He had come home expecting to see Lucas first.
Instead, the house greeted him with silence.
Jeremy turned and walked down the hallway toward his own room.
As he passed the large glass doors overlooking the garden, something caught his attention.
A boy was outside trimming the plants.
Jeremy slowed.
The boy's back was turned, but something about him felt… familiar.
Jeremy stopped a maid walking past.
"Who is that boy?" he asked calmly.
The maid glanced toward the garden.
"That's Mr. Darius's nephew," she replied. "He arrived yesterday. He'll be helping his father with the farm work."
Jeremy looked at the boy again.
For a moment, a strange feeling tugged at his memory.
He had seen him before.
Somewhere.
But the memory stayed just out of reach.
After a few seconds, Jeremy turned away and continued walking.
When he reached his room, his phone rang.
His father.
Jeremy answered immediately.
"Where are you?" Senator Swiares asked.
"I just got home," Jeremy replied.
"Good."
His father paused before continuing.
"Make sure everything is prepared for Ezekiel. I don't want him lacking anything."
"Alright, sir."
The call ended.
The message was clear.
Senator Swiares loved all his sons.
But Ezekiel was the one he treasured most.
And he never tried to hide it.
Meanwhile, across the city, Lucas sat in a classroom with his friends.
His phone buzzed.
Jeremy.
Lucas immediately answered.
"Where are you?" Jeremy asked.
"I'm almost home."
Lucas straightened in his chair.
"Wait… you're already back?"
"Yeah."
Lucas couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face.
"Okay," he said quickly. "Just one more class. I'll be home soon."
After he hung up, he turned to his friends.
"My brother's home," he said proudly.
"My favourite one."
His friends laughed.
"Nice," one of them said. "So are you still coming to the bar tonight?"
Lucas shook his head.
"Nope."
"I'm going home."
Night had already fallen by the time Lucas arrived at the estate.
Jeremy was in his room finishing a phone call when Lucas slipped inside quietly.
Without warning, Lucas jumped onto his back.
"Hey!" Jeremy laughed, almost dropping his phone.
For a moment, nothing else existed.
They were both laughing, the kind of laugh that makes the whole world feel lighter.
Jeremy ended the call.
"When did you get back?" Lucas asked.
"Just now."
Jeremy grabbed him and tossed him onto the bed.
"You're not a kid anymore," he said. "Behave yourself."
Lucas grinned.
"So when are Ezekiel and the teacher coming back?"
"Any moment," Jeremy replied.
Lucas had just returned from school and hadn't eaten yet.
So they called the kitchen.
Soon they were sitting at the dining table, eating Lucas's favourite food and talking like they always used to.
Like nothing had ever changed.
Like time had never passed.
But someone else was watching.
Near the doorway stood Lily.
He had just returned from work with his uncle.
And the moment he saw Jeremy and Lucas sitting together…
He froze.
The boys he once knew… the silly ones he used to run through gardens with, were gone.
In their place stood tall, confident men.
So different they almost looked like strangers.
A tight feeling spread through Lily's chest.
He suddenly felt small.
Like he didn't belong there anymore.
So he turned quietly to leave.
That was when Lucas noticed him.
"Hey!"
Lucas stood up suddenly.
"You!"
Lily froze.
Lucas pointed at him.
"You're the little brat who threw a stone at my car the other day!"
Ezekiel turned.
"What?"
Lily's heart raced.
"It was a misunderstanding," he said quickly. "I'm really sorry. It just happened."
His uncle Cyrus stepped forward immediately.
"Please forgive him," he said politely. "It was only a small accident."
But Lucas was already irritated.
"He almost broke my baby," Lucas said, referring to his car.
Lily lowered his head.
"I'm sorry, sir."
Lucas frowned.
"What are you doing here anyway? Who do you work for?"
"I'm with my uncle," Lily replied quietly.
"Cyrus."
Jeremy had been silent the entire time.
But now he looked at the boy more closely.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Larius," the boy said softly.
"But people call me Lily."
The moment the name left his mouth…
Something changed.
The air shifted.
Old memories stirred quietly beneath the surface.
Because the one they had forgotten…
had just walked back into their lives.
Lucas stared at him.
For a second.
Then two.
Then recognition slowly appeared in his eyes.
A smile spread across his face.
"So… you're really back," Lucas said softly.
"You really are Lily."
He stepped forward.
"Welcome back, Lily."
Before anyone could say more, a worker rushed inside.
"Master Ezekiel is back!"
Jeremy immediately stood.
Lucas ran after him.
Lily followed behind them slowly.
Unsure if he truly belonged there.
The car door opened.
Ezekiel stepped out.
He looked around the house he hadn't seen in four years.
The place he had left for war.
The place filled with memories.
Then he saw Lucas.
The little boy he remembered had grown into a man.
Ezekiel pulled him into a tight hug.
"Did you miss me?" Lucas asked.
"Every single day," Ezekiel replied quietly.
Jeremy rolled his eyes.
"Stop acting like you didn't miss us too."
Lucas laughed.
"Come on. You need food and rest."
Ezekiel smiled faintly.
But he never noticed Lily.
Not once.
Jeremy and Lucas surrounded him, pulling him inside.
Laughing.
Talking.
Touching his shoulders like they were afraid he might disappear again.
And just like that…
Lily was forgotten.
He stood alone in the courtyard.
The warmth faded.
The noise drifted away.
His uncle had told him to return to the garage.
So he did.
The boy they once promised to protect…
was now just someone standing in the background.
And it hurt more than he wanted to admit.
Later inside the house, the brothers gathered around Ezekiel.
They asked carefully about the war.
But Ezekiel shook his head.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"I just need to rest."
Before he left, Lucas said suddenly,
"By the way… Lily's back."
Ezekiel stopped.
"Lily?"
Lucas nodded.
"The boy from Grandma Natina's garden."
Ezekiel frowned.
"Why was his name Lily again?"
"It wasn't," Lucas said.
"His real name is Lyris."
"You gave him the nickname."
Ezekiel rubbed his face.
"We'll talk later."
"I'm not ready for this right now."
He went to his room.
And once the door closed…
The memories returned.
Nathaniel.
His best friend.
The man he had loved.
The man he had lost.
Sleep never came.
Out in the garage, Lily paced angrily.
"They didn't even look at me," he muttered.
"I don't need them."
"One day I'll be Lyris LaCroft."
"And they'll remember my name."
"Wow," a voice said.
"That was intense."
Lily spun around.
A small boy stood behind him.
"Where did you come from?"
"The bushes," the boy replied casually.
"…What?"
"I was hiding. A rat scared me out."
"So you were listening?"
"Yeah. You were yelling in my garage."
"Your garage?"
"Yep. I live here. I'm Poppy."
"One of the maids' kids."
Lily stared.
"That's grease you're standing on."
"Oh," Poppy said.
"I thought it was dirt."
They both paused.
Then Poppy shrugged.
"So… you know the Swiares brothers?"
"I used to," Lily said quietly.
"And now they don't remember you?"
"No."
"That's rough."
Before Lily could reply, his uncle entered the garage.
Poppy ran away immediately.
His uncle looked at Lily.
"Stay away from the Swiares boys."
"We're here to work, not cause trouble."
"Okay," Lily said.
"And you start school next week. I already registered you."
Lily's eyes lit up.
"School?"
"Don't get excited," his uncle said. "It's a government school."
Lily smiled anyway.
"I don't care."
"I've been waiting my whole life to go back."
His uncle told him to return to work.
And Lily did.
But this time…
He couldn't stop smiling.