Chapter 2973: Reunion?
Chapter 2973: Reunion?
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City
"Hey, mister, can you step aside?" Jaya said, her voice laced with heavy disappointment. She tried hard not to be rude to the giant giving face to her boss.
She was thoroughly bummed out. This giant was completely interrupting her hard-earned moment to shine before her beloved boss. She had been perfectly staging this exact moment to be showered with Wyatt’s praise—and, if the timing aligned just right, she had fully planned to finally confess her undying love for him. Now, some crying behemoth was ruining the entire atmosphere.
However, the giant didn’t just refuse to step aside—he wiped his tears as his body suddenly erupted in a blinding burst of white light. When the glow faded, the behemoth stood dressed in a tight, familiar grey bodysuit complete with a flowing cape.
It wasn’t just familiar; it was practically identical to her own Viltronian combat suit.
The implications hit Jaya like a physical blow. He was a Viltronian, just like her. The annoyance melted from her face, replaced by a sudden, overwhelming emotion as her own eyes began to well with tears. Still gripping onto a shred of skepticism, her voice trembled as she asked, "Are you... a Viltronian too?"
The big guy simply nodded, clamping his jaw shut because he knew that if he tried to speak, he would break down and sob. His centuries of agonizing waiting and fruitless searching had finally come to an end; a fellow purebred Viltronian stood before him. Yet, a desperate part of Veerott needed to know the full depth of his fortune. Overriding his restraint, he blurted out, "Are there others? Your parents? Siblings?"
"...?"
Jaya blinked, the emotional tears instantly drying up as utter confusion took over. Why was he asking about her parents and siblings suddenly?
From the exchange her mind had immediately raced to the only logical conclusion a teenager could find in this bizarre situation: He must be my long-lost father or something.
But now he was asking about her parents and siblings. To her brain the math simply didn’t add up.
According to her, why else would a fully grown, hulking man sprint across the teleportation hub, stand in front of a young girl, burst into tears, and then dynamically transform into a matching outfit? It was the ultimate, albeit incredibly awkward, family reunion trope, right?
"Veerott, what are you doing? That girl’s not even a tenth of your age," Seraphina snapped at her friend, recalling how he would always propose to her dressed in his race’s battlesuit. But, he never asked about her parents and siblings when proposing to her. Was he trying new ways to pick up girls? Then he should get his money back as it’s definitely not working.
"Boss, who is this dude?" Jaya asked, peeping around the side of Veerott’s massive frame.
Not only had she completely lost all interest in the guy, but she now actively wanted to beat the absolute shit out of him using her Frosling corpse puppet card spirit. He had seriously just tricked her into thinking she was having an epic, long-lost-father reunion right in front of her crush. The utter embarrassment was killing her.
However, this encounter forced her to look right at a sad, deeply buried reality. For years, she had proudly claimed that Diana was all the family she ever needed or wanted—and in many ways, that was true. But looking at Veerott, a tiny, aching part of her couldn’t help but crave answers.
She wanted to know about her actual family. She wanted to meet them. She wanted to look them in the eyes and demand to know why they had abandoned her on a random dungeon, and what on earth had taken them so long to finally find her.
All the bravado of her "single punch" victory completely evaporated, leaving behind a vulnerable girl standing before an alien who shared her blood.
"He is Veerott," I sighed, stepping in to break up the awkward tension before Jaya actually swung on the emotional behemoth. "He’s just like you. But unlike you, he wasn’t lucky enough to meet Diana. He grew up completely alone out in the Way Beyond. Cut him some slack—he’s just overwhelmed to finally meet another one of his kind for the first time."
The lighthearted annoyance completely vanished from Jaya’s face, replaced by a sudden, heavy quiet.
Wyatt’s words had hit a chord, but not in the way one might expect. They didn’t make her feel sympathy for Veerott more than a stranger should. Instead, they served as a stark reminder of just how profoundly grateful she was to have a sister like Diana. If not for Diana, she would be no different from the tragic figure of Veerott standing right before her—lost, desperate, and isolated from civilization.
Her gratitude toward Diana far outweighed any pity she felt for the giant. She had long since learned a hard lesson about the world: never pity others for their misfortunes, and never envy others for their good fortune. Neither would help her. Dwelling on those feelings would only breed useless sadness and anger over things entirely beyond her control.
Meanwhile, Veerott seemed to pull himself back from the dizzying novelty of meeting a purebred Viltronian girl.
Hearing Wyatt say he and the girl were the same, a faint glimmer of hope sparked in his chest—but he quickly shook his head, pushing the thought away. He secretly believed that Wyatt, despite being a variant Viltronian himself, still only understood their race through the limited lens of Card Apprentices, thought of them as demi-humans and had no idea about Viltronians.
"Hi, my name is Jaya. If you don’t understand anything or if anyone is giving you trouble, just come find me. I will help you out," Jaya said, introducing herself politely.
She offered her assistance with a genuine nod, figuring it was the absolute least she could do for a fellow member of her race. Even if she didn’t pity him, a shared bloodline still carried some weight.
Hearing her speak, Veerott felt a strange sensation wash over him. It was a bizarre, jarring contrast—seeing a fierce, purebred Viltronian female, a warrior capable of shattering worlds with a single blow, speaking to him with the gentle, soft-spoken manners of a mundane civilized girl. It almost felt unnatural given the bloody, ruthless history of their people, yet it only made his gaze soften further.
"Thank you, young one," Veerott replied, his deep voice carrying a rare, profound warmth as he accepted her greeting.