Aldebaran Continent in Pangea…
Ever since Thirteen had disappeared, his family had been under a lot of stress as of late.
What happened was truly unprecedented, and there had been no recorded incidents of a similar nature.
Only the Higher-Ups of the Leventis Family were aware of what had happened, and they advised Gerald and Alessia not to spread this information because it might cause wide-spread panic.
If the Thirteen age limit was suddenly rendered useless, people would fear that their children could be spirited away at any point in their lives.
Knowing that the Leventis Family was doing their best to look for Thirteen both in Pangea and Solterra, Gerald and Alessia calmed down a bit.
Both of them tried to live their lives as normally as they could, while waiting for news of their seven-year-old son.
In order to get his mind off things, Gerald went to the smithy early that day to practice his craft. However, it didn't take long before he understood that his mind was too occupied with other thoughts, that he couldn't focus on his work.
Suddenly, something moved in the corner of his vision, making him immediately hold the hammer in his hand as if it was a weapon, ready to strike at the person who had snuck inside the smithy.
However, his eyes widened in shock when his gaze landed on the intruder.
A Rabbit Demon, who was wearing a butler's suit was standing several meters away from him with his right hand pressed over his chest, and his body bowed slightly.
"My apologies for disturbing you. I have come bearing a message from your son, Zion Leventis," the Laplace Demon said. "Here are the letters… umm… documents that he asked me to give you."
The Laplace Demon took out a thick stack of papers and casually placed them on the table.
"I know that what happened with your son is truly unfortunate, and I assure you that something like this won't happen again," the Laplace Demon stated. "Just know that he is alive and well, and even had the guts to make me his errand boy. Now, I will be taking my leave. Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience that his disappearance had caused."
After saying those parting words, the Laplace Demon disappeared without a trace, almost making Gerald think that he was just imagining things due to worry and stress.
But the stacks of papers were still sitting on top of his table, making his body move subconsciously to see if they were real or not.
Picking up the topmost page, Gerald read its contents.
Dear Pops and Mother,
I pray that you and Mother haven't done anything reckless due to my disappearance.
Right now, I am well. But, due to certain restrictions, I cannot tell you where I am.
Even so, know that I am in good health, and even have a companion with me. Do you remember that chubby boy at the party, Cristopher? He is currently in the same place that I am, and both of us are working together to survive here in Solterra.
I know that Mother can be a worrywart, so make sure to let her read this letter as well.
Pops, I don't know when I will be able to return, so I made a list of all the things that you need to craft, while I am away. All of these things are important, so I want you to make as many of them as possible.
Aside from these things, I also created a proper guideline for what kind of things that you should tackle with your Blacksmithing Profession.
I also added the list of materials that you can practice on to improve your craft.
Of course, I didn't forget about Mother, so there is also a list of pills that she needed to make in the proper order. It is my hope that after I return to Pangea, both of you will have become proficient in your crafting professions, and helping our family's finances.
There is also a letter for Shasha and Remi included in this package, so make sure to hand it over to them. Don't worry, I taught Remi how to read. She's my sister, and a very smart girl. I'm sure she will understand everything.
Last, but the least, I am currently undertaking Thirteen Trials here in Solterra. It seems that I will be away from home for a year or two, probably more. But, worry not. When Cristopher finishes his First Wandering, I'll ask him to pass my message to all of you as well.
Pops, I may not be very strong, but my will to live is stronger than anyone's, probably more than everyone in Pangea combined.
I still have goals that I need to achieve in life, so this little setback will not faze me. So, do not worry about me because I am confident that I will be able to return safely to you, Mother, Mikhail, Shasha, and Remi.
I look forward to our family reunion.
P.S
There is a chance that I might take a liking to Cristopher, so make sure to tell Gramps to take better care of his mother. Also, there is a chance that I might make this chubby boy my permanent subordinate, so tell Gramps about this in advance.
Don't slack off Pops. If I find out that you've been lazing around while I'm trying to survive here in Solterra, I'm going to clobber you.
—————————
As Gerald read the letter, he didn't notice that tears were already streaming down his face.
His son was alive and well, so all was good.
Suddenly, the door of the smithy opened and Alessia came in.
"Gerald, is everything okay?" Alessia asked in a worried tone. "The Laplace Demon showed up in front of me and told me that I should come to the Smithy because there is a surprise waiting for me here. What happened? Why are you crying? Did the Laplace Demon attack you?!"
Being barraged by countless questions, Gerald shook his head, and wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Alessia, read this," Gerald said. "Zion sent it to us."
The beautiful woman, who was feeling anxious earlier, hurriedly took the letter from her husband's hand and read it.
Soon, she, too, was crying as she read the contents of the letter.
Gerald hugged her from behind because he understood what she was feeling.
That day, their family felt as if a heavy load had been taken off their shoulders.
Although the world of Solterra was dangerous, they believed that Zion had everything it took to come back to them safely, wearing a confident smile on his face as if he had just returned from taking a stroll in a park.
