The warmth of returning home didn't last long.
Not because the villages rejected them.
Not because their families doubted them.
But because reality returned faster than comfort ever could.
By the time night settled across the forest villages, Arin already understood there wasn't much time left.
The vision he witnessed inside the Expanse hadn't been vague.
It had been a warning.
And warnings like that never arrived without reason.
The village remained lively after the group's return. People celebrated quietly, relieved to see all seven of them alive after disappearing for so long. Lanterns glowed warmly through the streets while familiar voices echoed across the pathways connecting homes.
To ordinary people, tonight felt peaceful.
Normal.
But for Arin—
it felt fragile.
Very fragile.
He stood silently outside his home for several long moments before finally stepping inside.
The familiar smell of wood and incense greeted him instantly. The interior remained exactly the same as he remembered it. Simple walls. Small shelves. The old table near the window where his father usually sat during evenings.
And there they were.
His parents.
Waiting.
His mother immediately stood the moment she saw him.
"…Arin."
The relief in her voice hit harder than expected somehow.
She crossed the room instantly before holding him tightly while his father quietly exhaled nearby, the older man's calm expression finally breaking slightly after weeks of worry.
"You disappeared without a word for over a month," his mother muttered softly.
"…sorry."
The answer came quieter than usual.
Because despite everything he had become—
standing here still made him feel like their son first.
Not Karna.
Not the Suryaputra.
Not the wielder of Vijaya.
Just Arin.
His father eventually stepped closer afterward before placing one hand against his shoulder firmly.
"You came back alive."
That alone carried enough emotion behind it.
Arin nodded once.
"…for now."
The atmosphere changed instantly afterward.
His parents immediately noticed the seriousness in his voice.
His mother slowly stepped back afterward.
"…what happened?"
Arin looked toward both of them quietly.
Then finally—
"Everything."
And so he told them.
Not every detail.
Not the countless lifetimes or the full truth behind the cycle.
But enough.
The fragments of Vijaya.
The distorted Expanse.
The Entity.
The coming war.
And eventually—
the vision.
Silence swallowed the room completely after he finished speaking.
The lantern beside the table flickered softly while cold winds moved faintly outside the home.
His mother looked pale now.
His father remained calmer externally, but Arin noticed the tension in his eyes immediately.
"…you truly believe this is coming?" his father finally asked quietly.
Arin met his gaze directly.
"It's already moving toward us."
No hesitation.
No uncertainty.
Just truth.
And somehow—
that convinced them immediately.
Because they knew him.
Arin wasn't someone who exaggerated danger.
If anything, he usually hid it.
His mother slowly sat down afterward while trying to process everything.
"A war…"
The word itself sounded unreal inside a peaceful forest home.
Arin nodded slowly.
"I need both villages evacuated before it arrives."
That immediately made his father look toward him sharply.
"You think it'll reach the villages themselves?"
"If we fail to prepare properly—yes."
Silence followed again afterward.
Then finally his father stood completely.
"…then we start tonight."
The answer came without hesitation.
And somehow—
that nearly broke Arin more than anything else.
Because despite not understanding everything…
his parents still trusted him completely.
The rest of the group spent the evening doing the same across both villages.
Darin and Riven spoke to their families.
Liora, Selene, Kael, and Aira explained everything to theirs.
And surprisingly—
their parents believed them too.
Not every detail.
Not the impossible parts involving divine weapons and ancient cycles.
But they believed the fear in their voices.
They believed the urgency.
And most importantly—
they believed Arin.
The real problem began when the villagers gathered.
Because ordinary people don't accept the idea of an incoming supernatural war easily.
Especially not peaceful forest villagers who spent generations living quietly between rivers and trees.
By the next morning, nearly the entire central square of both villages had gathered after hearing rumors spread overnight.
The atmosphere remained restless.
Confused voices filled the streets while villagers whispered among themselves about monsters, armies, and impossible stories.
At the center of it all—
Arin stood silently beside the others while village elders questioned him directly.
An older man crossed his arms afterward.
"You expect us to abandon our homes because of visions?"
Another villager immediately nodded.
"These are stories."
"Exactly."
"We understand you children went through something dangerous, but this is too much."
The crowd slowly agreed louder afterward.
Doubt spread quickly.
Fear too.
Because believing meant accepting that their entire lives could disappear soon.
And most people resist truths like that until the very end.
Liora quietly looked toward Arin afterward.
He remained calm externally.
But she already knew what he was thinking.
This wouldn't work through words alone anymore.
Eventually one of the elders sighed heavily afterward.
"Arin…"
His tone softened slightly.
"You're a good boy."
That sentence alone nearly made Riven laugh because nothing about Arin's current existence qualified as normal anymore.
But the elder continued,
"However, asking hundreds of people to abandon their homes because of unseen danger…"
He slowly shook his head.
"…we cannot make such a decision without proof."
Silence followed afterward.
Then finally—
"…fair enough."
Arin stepped forward afterward.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Because unlike the villagers—
the group immediately understood what was about to happen.
Riven quietly muttered,
"…well this should convince them."
Arin slowly raised one hand afterward.
Then the world changed.
Not violently.
Not destructively.
But undeniably.
The sky darkened slightly above the villages while golden-black energy spread softly across the air itself. The wind stopped moving entirely. Trees bent gently beneath invisible pressure.
And then—
space fractured.
Gasps erupted throughout the crowd instantly.
A massive distortion appeared high above the village square like broken glass spreading through reality itself. Golden light poured through the fracture while ancient celestial symbols ignited across the skies.
Villagers stumbled backward immediately in terror.
Children hid behind parents.
The elders froze completely.
Then slowly—
Vijaya appeared behind Arin.
The completed divine bow floated silently above him while golden-black flames spiraled around its form.
And unlike before—
this time Arin didn't hide its pressure.
The entire village felt it instantly.
Power beyond human understanding.
Not evil.
Not cruel.
But overwhelming.
The atmosphere itself became heavier beneath the presence of the divine weapon.
Arin's voice echoed calmly across the square afterward.
"I am not asking you to believe stories."
The fractured sky glowed behind him.
"I am telling you what is coming."
Silence consumed the villages completely now.
Nobody doubted him anymore.
Because ordinary people might reject impossible words—
but not impossible reality standing directly before them.
The fracture above the village slowly sealed afterward while Vijaya disappeared once more.
The pressure vanished instantly.
But the fear remained.
And finally—
the villagers understood.
This wasn't rumor anymore.
War was truly coming.
The preparations began before sunset.
Families packed supplies.
Evacuation routes through the forests were mapped immediately.
The elders organized safe locations deeper south away from the opening beyond the plains.
And throughout all the chaos—
Arin quietly stood at the edge of the village again watching the distant horizon.
The peace of the forest still remained intact for now.
But not for much longer.
Because somewhere beyond the world they knew—
an army was already marching toward them.