346 Meeting the parents.

"So what's the estimate?" I asked.

"To consume the entirety of the old gods? 10 years at the least. And accounting for the rest of the preparations and Project Ascension, I'd have to say it will easily go over 15." The monster clone replied.

"Did you at least secure the area?"

"Yeah. This whole region of the void has been effectively isolated and hidden. No one should find it anytime soon. Oh and I sent Eliot and Margo back while I was at it. Gave them a sob story about how you sacrificed yourself to save the world. They won't doubt a thing."

"Good job. You can go back to the Arifureta cluster now. Conquer the multiversal cluster as soon as you can. I'll manage the rest." I turned to Yue was sitting on the couch, watching a feed on her tablet monitoring the first test subjects for the gamer system.

"Wanna come with me on a little trip?" I asked.

"Hm? I want to stay and watch him but if Jay wants me to go, I don't mind~ Oh he put another stat point in intelligence. Are you sure he won't become too smart?" She turned her attention back to the multiversal gamer experiment.

"If it comes to it, I'll just put a cap on stats." I waved her off, "Besides this is just the first system test. We'll calibrate them from his data, terminate him and reuse the stuff for the second round."

"Un." Yue nodded, "Maybe add emergency quests too."

"I will once I get back."

That woke her from her stupor.

"Where are you going?" She jumped up amd kissed me goodbye.

"A little trip home. I'm going to bring my parents over." I kissed her back, and gave her a tight squeeze.

She was of a far more appropriate hugging size now that she had an adult body.

"Meeting Jay's parents~ I wonder what they're like?"

"You'll find out soon enough." I smiled.

"Then I better go and get ready! I want to give them the best impression!" She perked up.

I let her go and she hopped into the portal, disappearing to her room.

Silently, I opened up a holoscreen and checked on one particular project's progress.

Project Country Roads.

Progress - 100%

Nine years. It's been a long nine years. A little over and change.

A long, long journey.

Finally, it's over. I can go home now. I just have one dilemma.

Should I go back in a parallel time? Nine years after my disappearance, or should I just return the night of my disappearance? How will each choice affect me?

In fact, did I even disappear at all? What if there's a version of me already there and I'm a copy?

I tapped my foot nervously as I considered it.

Each option has its pros and cons. If there was another version of me there, should I kill them? Should I absorb them? Who even put me here? What brought me to the citadel? Was it a ROB? A glitch? Some random coincidence?

I can't see any ROB influence on me right now. And I am a ROB.

Maybe it's stronger than me?

Maybe I'll find it after I ascend? But if a ROB that strong exists, am I even safe to ascend? Will I be enslaved after this long by some stupid extradimensional entity?

No. Not a chance. I won't allow it!

But that's not all of course

There is also that one possibility, the one that would free me from any ROB influence and confirm what I had long suspected. That theory I have had for a while now....

Hmm.... I'll just have to find out myself!

Taking down the coordinates, I tore open a path across space and time. Back to the past. The day I entered the multiverse.

.

A summer night, a lonely, desolate street. Crickets could be heard chirping, a cold breeze blew through the alleys gowling like a ghost.

The street lights above flickered as a guy in slippers and cargo shorts walked around with a grocery bag.

He scratched his cheek, slapping away a mosquito as he took out a snickers bar.

It was me. From nine years ago.

Silently, I followed my past self, unnoticed, as I watched him munch on a snickers bar.

One bite.

Nothing happened. He kept moving.

Two bites.

He spotted a cat sleeping in a corner and walked over to see if it would allow him to pet it. The cat ran away as he sighed and swallowed the bite.

Three bites.

He was almost done. The college dorms were in sight. It was now or never. Come on. Show yourself. Who sent me into the citadel?

He was just around the corner now.

Another turn and he'd be at the dorm.

I looked around, scanning the surroundings. Nothing. No one.

Seriously? No one?

No rogue trucks, no impromptu spatial anomalies, no portals, no ROB?

I sighed as I realised it.

I have to be sent on this journey. And if no one else will....

Fine. I'll do it myself. Even if I have to create another time loop. But I won't let fate have it's way.

With a swipe of my hand, mustering up my divine power I stopped time.

I pulled out my past self's soul and severed it's destiny, rewriting it in golden divine essence to account for all other problems that come with the bootstrap paradox and rewrote my path. Then shoving the soul back into my past self's body, I snapped my fingers and sent him on his way. Off to the citadel.

And I sighed again.

At least this way I'm sure there was no malicious intent or great game of ROBs behind my journey.

This is for the best.

Teleporting home, I shapeshifted back into my old self, rang the bell and waited. Moments later, my father opened the door, confused to see me here.

I smiled and gave him a big hug.

"I missed you."

"What happened?" He asked, serious as ever.

"You always assume the worst, papa." I sighed.

"You wouldn't be here of something wasn't wrong." His gaze bore down in me like a mountain.

"Well...yeah. Let's talk about it inside. It's a.... it's a bit of a wild ride. You'll want to be sitting for it."

He nodded gravely and beckoned me in.

.

"You expect us to believe that?" My father asked after I told him the story amd shapeshifted back into my current form.

"I just shapeshifted in front of you. I cured your back pain with a touch. The living room is the size of a football stadium." My voice echoed across the expanded space.

"Drugs." My father guessed.

"It's not drugs, papa."

"Or you're some sort of demon."

"I'm not a- tch. I just wanted you to meet my family. Your daughters-in-law and your grandchildren."

"You want to scam money off of us." My mother exclaimed, "Just yesterday your aunt was here asking us for a loan for your cousins wedding."

"I can literally rain gold." I deadpanned as gold coins flowed from my hands, clinking onto the floor.

"Don't litter on the floor. Who'll clean it, huh?" My mother swatted my shoulder.

"I can think them away. I can bend reality. I'm a literal multiversal god. You don't ever need to worry about a clean home, ever again Ma."

"See, I told you. He's drugged us." My father reiterated.

"It's not drugs!" I said, exasperated, "I just can't with you."

I stood up and stomped around as my brother began to laugh, then my mother and even my father smiled.

"We're just messing with you." My mother said with surprising gentleness as she walked over and hugged me.

I was stunned for moment before I reciprocated and relaxed.

"You've had it hard." She patted my head.

I nodded.

"But you're back now. And that's what's important." She patted my cheeks as I teared up.

"Yes." I sniffled.

"Welcome home."

I smiled and nodded.

"I'm home."

"Are my daughters visiting today? Should I cook some more? Do they have any likes or dislikes?" My mother rattled off like a steam engine.

"When do we get to meet our grandchildren?" My fathers teased from behind.

"And my sisters-in-law! Are they hot?" My brother asked with a cheeky grin.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" I grinned back and teleported them all back to the ship.

.

"Darling? What were you thinking, putting those two on that little planet? And why is the Sun screaming?" Wanda asked as she teleported in, huffing in annoyance.

I wrapped her up in my arms from behind as she looked up at me.

"You did not keep your word, mister." She booped my nose.

"Technically, I did. They will live to 200."

"As starving zombies." Wanda pointed out and I shrugged.

"They aren't just the top 2 percent, they are the richest people on the planet!"

"Because there's no one else on the planet except them."

"And they won't want for anything."

"Because you turned them into zombies. That's not fair." She pouted.

"I know. It's just a little practical joke. I knew you'd do them right when you visited them." I nuzzled into her luscious, red hair.

"And if I didn't?"

"The A.I. had a reminder set for an year in and it would've moved them to a parallel Earth anyways."

"Uhun?"

"Yup." I assured her.

"Just one last question. Why is the sun screaming?" She asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. I just thought it'd be hilarious." I chuckled.

"So immature~"

"And you love me for it." I kissed her forehead and saw her lips curl up in a happy little smile as she made a cute noise.

Suddenly Star ran into the room.

"Mama Wanda!" He jumped into her arms.

"You woke the kids ftom cryosleep?" She asked, rubbing his head.

"Yeah. And actually-" My little brother followed Star in and whistled.

"You weren't lying when you said she was hot."

"I didn't know we had guests?"

"Ah, right. Wanda meet my little brother. And ma. And Pa." I introduced them as they walked in with the rest of the kids.

"I didn't know your parents were coming to visit. I didn't even have time to prepare." Wanda gave me a cold smile that promised pain later.

"uh....hehehe...Surprise?"

Just then Yue jumped out of a portal, dressed immaculately, and greeted.

"Father, mother. Welcome home~"

"And you told her but not me." Wanda narrowed her eyes.

"Honey, listen. You had already left to visit Offee when I found out." I said, grabbing her hands discreetly, my voice soft and loving, "And I was sure my Wanda was perfect. Even if you showed up all muddied and soggy they'd love you." I kissed her head.

She pouted a bit but I could see she was happy I trusted her that much.

"We'll have a little talk later. And you'll make it up to me. With your body." Wanda whispered with a lovely smile.

"Yes, honey."

"Good. Let's meet your parents."

_____________________

Wanda meets the parents. Project Country Roads takes our MC home, to the place he belongs.

Two more chapters to wrap this fic up.

Next time Epilogue 1 : Reconciliation. It's about Ahsoka. Yes, mc is gonna go back and make amends.

Thanks for reading.

Donate your powerstones.

See ya later, alligators.