Return [2]

*Knock Knock Knock*

Lloyd waited several seconds, yet even though he was almost certain that his family would all be home this early in the morning, he could not help but think of several things that might have kept them out of the house, an example being him going missing for an entire night without a GPS signal to track his whereabouts.

'I don't think I thought this through properly. If my GPS signal suddenly disappears after all the weird behavior I exhibited, they will think I am likely in trouble. They will most likely attribute all my behaviors to my joining a criminal community or organization I'm not allowed to tell anyone about.'

Scratching his chin, Lloyd's frown deepened before a sigh left his mouth in defeat.

Allowing the scanner to take a scan at his watch, he heard the sound of mechanical locks unlocking the door before it opened with a final click.

'I guess I can do nothing but wait until they get back. Calling them would also be a suitable option since it would relieve them, but feigning ignorance would help me get past the situation without many problems. On the other hand...'

Lloyd's footsteps halted as he entered the dimmed hallways and towards the living room.

*Ring Ring*

*Ring Ring*

"Hello?! Lloyd is that you?" A voice shouted from the other side of the speaker.

"Yeah. Where are you guys? Did my family go somewhere with you guys?" Lloyd asked as he sunk into the sofa before using the tv remote to open the tv.

"What the f*ck, bro!? Where have you been? We haven't seen you since you left, and your parents are worried sick. We searched the entire city for you!" Zack shouted from the other side, making Lloyd let out an inaudible chuckle.

"Isn't that a little bit of an exaggeration? Why would you search the entire city just because I've been gone for a few hours?" Lloyd asked with audible amusement in his voice.

"You think this is f*cking funny bro?!" Zack roared in feigned anger. Lloyd could tell that Zack was relieved to hear Lloyd's voice, but he could also feel a little resentment behind his words.

"Alright, alright!" Lloyd waved his hands in defeat even though he knew no one could see him doing such an action.

While most people liked talking with face time, people like Lloyd enjoyed not having their facial expressions scrutinized over the phone. One could say it was Lloyd's inner introvert speaking, while others would simply call him old-fashioned.

"I'll compensate for the time you guys spent looking for me. I didn't know you guys would take it so seriously, to be honest." Lloyd chuckled while Zack simply sighed in frustration. He could hear the tv in the background and could already imagine Lloyd sitting on the sofa with his legs up, relaxing as he watched the latest news channels.

"Alright, talk to you later. I've already messaged everyone, and they should be coming back. Also, according to my mom, my sister and I will stay over for a couple more nights, or at least until the entrance ceremonies begin." Zack explained before hanging up immediately after.

"Bastard didn't even say bye." Lloyd sneered, but a smile crossed his face when he looked up at the TV showing the latest news.

[Presenter: Today on our show, we have an esteemed member of the seven reapers group, Arthur Starforger, better known as Transcendent in the adventurer community.]

Applause rang out through the studio as the camera panned toward a man sitting in the shadow. However, the next instant, lights began beaming toward him, allowing the audience and watchers to fully see the man.

His 6ft 2 stature was not undermined by the fact that he was sitting since his lean yet ripped stature trumped most.

With his hair that boundaries between silver and blonde, alongside his pale blue eyes that shone through the very shadows themselves, one could tell at a mere glance that Arthur was a lady killer in his own sense.

Lloyd had heard of adventurers with significantly good looks getting their own communities online, but he had never seen a crowd of women cheer so loudly before for someone who was not an intergalactic celebrity.

[Presenter: Mr. Starforger, it hasn't been too long since we last met, has it.]

[Arthur: No, it has not. I believe we have been meeting a little too often, actually. Have my actions been that eye-catching to the public?]

[Presenter: Hahahaha. For someone with a pseudo-mythic class, you sure are very humble about your talents. However, I'm sorry to disappoint you today, but your fame in the last 24 hours has been shared by another individual] The presenter laughed heartily, causing Arthur to let out a small smile.

[Arthur: I am well aware. If I'm talented, then I have no idea what he was. He deserves his current fame.]

Several gasps could be heard throughout the studio, but Arthur simply continued.

[Arthur: My main partner for this raid, Mr. Null, is remarkable in every way, shape, and form.]

[Presenter: Why do you say that? He seemed to have done just as well as you in the raid despite us not having heard of him before. You would think such a talent would have been spotted sooner.] The presenter laughed but eagerly waited for Arthur's answer.

[Arthur: Well, regarding that, what I'm about to tell you might shock you, but according to Mr. Null's team, this was the first time he had gone out for a raid.]

[Presenter: Hahaha... Well, that's impossible. It would simply not make sense. One cannot have the experience shown by Mr. Null without fighting monsters like the goblins in the past. Goblins are intelligent and cruel; their sight alone would have caused most to wet their underwear] He laughed.

[Arthur: I don't know what to tell you, but that's all I know about him. He is a very secretive person, and it was very hard to get him to talk to me, let alone divulge his secrets.] Arthur shrugged, causing the presenter to feel even more excited than before.

The interview continued for another 30 minutes or so, and in that time frame, the presenter had asked everything he could think of relating to Null, from how the rest of the reapers felt about him to the question of if Null would be joining them.

Of course, Arthur kept many things to himself, but to give credit where credit is due, Arthur did not lie once, an act that caused a small smile to creep up Lloyd's mouth.

*Click*

Lloyd's smile disappeared for a moment; however, after remembering the role he had to play to make his story believable, he let on a cheerful smile and continued watching tv as if he hadn't just heard the front door click open.

"Lloyd?!" A feminine voice entered his ears, yet he waited until she was in his line of sight before answering nonchalantly-

"Yeah?"

To his surprise, he was wrapped into a tight hug he could not escape from within seconds.

"M-Mom! You're killing me!" He pleaded.

"What happened?! Where were you?" She asked with a crestfallen expression.

"I was just outside for a few hours." Lloyd argued.

"Few hours!? You've been gone for an entire day! You've been acting all weird since that break-in. Is there something I should know? You know you can tell me anything, right?" She pouted but didn't let go of Lloyd.

"You worried your mother sick you know." Another voice berated.

Looking at the woman standing at the door frame, Lloyd's eyes flickered with worry before the emotion disappeared as if it had never been there.

Taking in a deep breath, he calmed his heart and slowly pushed his mother off him, to her dismay, of course.

"Sorry?" Lloyd scratched his head.

"Where were you?" She asked, but instead of answering straight away, Lloyd's face turned into a mixture of confusion while a frown appeared on it.

"With all due respect, Mrs. Glade-"

"Mrs. Glade?" Lloyd's mother asked in confusion.

"... Aunt Layla, there is no need for all of you to know about my whereabouts at all times." Lloyd argued.

"Why didn't you answer your calls then?" Layla frowned.

"I wanted a little bit of privacy," Lloyd replied, and since half of that was true, it didn't set off alarms in Layla's head.

However, it did tell her-

'A half truth?' She thought, her frown deepening.

"For an entire night?" She asked.

"With all due respect-"

"Answer her question. And stop being so formal. This isn't an interview," Lloyd's mother commanded, causing him to wince slightly before sighing out in defeat.

"Come on. What were you doing." Layla crossed her arms.

"Uhm, well... I was out with a girl."

"..."

"..."

"Uhm... Sorry for not telling you." Lloyd scratched the back of his head with an innocent smile, and while Lloyd's mother had a hundred questions running through her mind, Layla seemed preoccupied with something else as a frown crawled down her face.

"You got yourself a girlfriend, left with her for over 24 hours and didn't tell us a single thing?" Lloyd's mother roared, yet he still seemed completely unfazed, mostly because of the fact he could not imagine his mother's reaction if she even knew a fraction of the truth. Hell, she might not have even believed him.

"I wanted a little bit of privacy. You guys are so up my ass all the time that I just felt I could not be around you anymore." Lloyd lied. In reality, they were pretty good at giving him personal space unless it was the sisters he talked about.

He used this to his advantage by distancing himself from his family and making Layla think he was telling the truth.

"R-Really?" His mother asked, her voice on the verge of breaking. Seeing this, Lloyd could not help but feel an ounce of pain in his heart, but at the same time, he was certain this was the best thing to do. On the other hand, Layla had a nerve bulging behind her bangs, but she kept her facial expression the same.

After a few more minutes of speaking to his mother, the rest of the family came back alongside the Glades, who all had equally annoyed expressions on their faces.

Lloyd said the same thing to them, and Layla held back the urge to smack him in the temple and leave him unconscious.

"So when do we meet this bitc-... I mean, when do we meet this girl." Zack's older sister asked, making everyone look at her with a weird expressions.

"You don't. I like my privacy." Lloyd sneered.

So you made us run around out there like maniacs just for us to not know who this mysterious woman is?" Zack asked.

"Yep." Lloyd let out a smile and showed Zack a thumbs-up. The two bickered for a while before they all retreated to their bedrooms after a long day of both stress and activity, yet in a way, Lloyd needed that sleep the most as he knew the next week-

[Next Void Walk: After the entrance ceremony.]

Would be a stressful one.