Chapter 11 Part 2: Back Among the Living

"Jaden! Jaden! Doctor, how is my son?" It was the voice of a loving woman, radiating timeless beauty that shines from within. Her deep, warm, and sparkling blue eyes expressed unconditional love.

It was Evelyne Lavender, Jaden's mother. She had soft, silky hair of a rich color like ebony or amber, framing her serene face. She wore a dark blue, loose-fitting blouse with long sleeves, adorned with horse-shaped designs, and pants of a slightly darker blue than her blouse, but still tending towards black.

"Don't worry, madam. Your son is incredibly strong." Dr. Waverley said with a reassuring smile to ease the overly anxious mother, which was understandable. After that, he added:

"I'll leave you for a moment." and left the room, leaving only the family behind.

Before the doctor had finished his sentence, Jaden was already in his mother's arms, receiving a big, tender, and warm hug. He could feel his mother's sadness and joy, which further lowered his spirits because he hadn't thought of anyone when he died.

There was his brother, too, but he wasn't the hugging type. He was the guy who was always working, always immersed in what he found interesting. The rest – which was almost everything, to him – didn't matter.

"Son, they say you're very resilient." Mr. Harrison Lavender, Jaden's father, said with a calm and intelligent voice. His voice was robust but sounded very smart.

The voice came from a phone. He wasn't there, and the call was video, but only the father could see them. It's often like that; he's rarely at home, and at times he can't make video calls. They were used to it.

Some places had to remain secret, and some people had certain privileges.

"Yes… that's literally true." Jaden answered his father's question lightly.

"Haha, did you hear that, dear? I told you not to worry too much." his laugh was that of a proud and reassured parent, and his sentence was calm and reassuring, but there was something in his voice, as if he was holding back.

"I thought Louf would be here by now; he told me he was in town." Harrison, Jaden's father, added after scanning the room.

"Uncle Louf is actually in the city?" Jaden asked with a surprised look, but instead of receiving an answer...

"Darling, are you okay?" Evelyne asked another question. Despite her son's assurance that he was fine, she wanted to make sure for herself, as they say you're never served better than by yourself. She asked this question after coming out of the embrace and taking one of the chairs near the bed.

"Yes, Mom, I'm in great shape." Seeing the worry on his mother's face, he did his best to respond as calmly as possible while smiling. But it had the opposite effect on his mother. She could see that something was wrong.

Jaden then raised his eyes to meet his mother's, but there was not only a smile on his face but also tears. They were flowing uncontrollably. There was no joy on his face, only grief.

"Madam Haïko is..."

"I know, I know. Let it out, my dear, everything will be alright." Evelyne reassured her son and approached to embrace him. Jaden cried silently; there were only his tears and his expression showing that he was crying.

Sometime after he had calmed down, a nurse entered, with an average face and a soft, caring voice.

"Excuse me, madam, you'll have to let him rest by now until tomorrow." the nurse continued after seeing Jaden's expression, which screamed 'Why tomorrow? I feel perfectly fine!'

"Dr. Waverley says it would be better if you stayed for at least a day because your case is a bit special."

A bit special? It was obvious that coming back from the world of the dead was much more than "a bit special"!

"Do what the doctor says, everything will be fine." Evelyne said in such a tender and gentle voice that a child couldn't say no to her, no matter how hard they tried.

"Okay, Mom."

Then Jaden realized that his brother hadn't said anything yet, it was already quite an accomplishment that he was here. His brother's behavior might be a bit odd, but they got along well. Despite his reserved nature, he always did everything to be an exemplary brother, even when he considered it pointless.

He was a young man in his mid-twenties, and he didn't have anything particularly outstanding about him, except that his glasses gave him a super-intellectual look. He had black hair and wore a black suit. He was an average guy; girls probably didn't swoon over him, but his face certainly wouldn't be an obstacle if he wanted them to.

"Bro, weren't you at work today?" Jaden asked, turning his gaze towards his brother.

"I finished early," came a terse and not-so-warm response from Clark – Jaden's brother.

'That's it? I thought I was being brief.' Jaden felt like his brother was struggling with conversation, maybe it was in the blood cause sometimes it is hard for him to make a proper one.

"You—"

Just before he could start the conversation, he was abruptly cut off by his brother, who instead of expanding the conversation, shut it down abruptly.

"I think we'll leave you to rest; you need it, as the doctor just said."

"Okay." Jaden said with a sigh. He knew he couldn't win against this guy in this kind of battle.

However, something was really bothering him.

'What's with these manners? Is it trendy or something? Even the devil used to interrupt me— '

'Oh, the devil...' Jaden had his senses back to normal, the grief was a little gone, so now the interaction with the was something that he ha