The mansion felt too quiet for what was coming.
Blade stood near the living room window, watching the long driveway beyond the frosted glass. He could hear the faint tick of a wall clock. Could hear Ryu whispering to Iris like they were plotting a heist.
Alice sat on the staircase with her arms crossed, acting like she didn't care while staring at Blade like he was a mystery she refused to solve.
His mother kept moving. Straightening pillows that didn't need straightening. Adjusting a vase that had probably never moved in years. Anything to keep her hands busy.
His father stayed still. Too still.
Blade didn't say anything.
He waited.
Headlights flared outside.
A car slid into view, tires crunching on snow, stopping a little too hard at the front steps. Another set of headlights followed behind it. Then another.
His father's eyes narrowed. "He brought them."
Blade's gaze stayed calm. "Of course he did."
The front door opened before anyone could announce anything.
Cold air spilled into the warm hallway.
And Jack Wilson stormed in like the house owed him answers.
He was taller than Blade remembered, but still carried the same energy. Expensive coat half-open. Hair messy. Eyes sharp. Behind him, three boys and a girl filed in with him, all wearing the same rich-kid confidence that came from never being told "no" hard enough.
Blade recognized them immediately.
Kieran Vale. Always smirking.
Mason Rook. Big shoulders, small patience.
Juno Kess. The girl with the bored eyes who used to throw rocks at cars for fun.
And Eli Hart. Quiet, but the worst one when he finally spoke.
Jack's eyes locked onto Blade the moment he entered the living room.
He stopped.
Like his body didn't know whether to punch or hug.
Silence stretched.
Then Jack's expression twisted into something sharp.
"…That's not him."
Blade didn't react. "It's me."
Jack took a step closer, eyes scanning Blade's face like he was trying to find the child version and couldn't handle the fact that the child was gone.
"No." Jack's voice rose. "No, don't do that. Don't stand there and say it like it's normal."
Blade stayed calm. "It's not normal."
Jack laughed once, harsh. "You vanished. Thirteen years. We searched. Mom cried herself sick. Dad nearly tore the city apart. And you just—"
His mother whispered, "Jack…"
Jack didn't stop. He couldn't.
"I was eight," Jack snapped, voice cracking just enough to betray him. "I was eight and I watched them carry your little coat around like it was a corpse. Do you know what that does to a kid?"
Blade's eyes narrowed slightly.
Not anger.
Focus.
Jack stepped forward again. His fists clenched. "So if you're really Blade… prove it."
Blade tilted his head. "How?"
Jack's gaze flicked to the fireplace mantle. To the framed photo. To the old memories.
"What did you call me?" Jack demanded. "When we were little. When it was just us."
The room held its breath.
Ryu whispered loudly from behind Iris, "He called him 'bro'."
Alice elbowed him. "Shut up."
Blade's gaze didn't move from Jack.
Then he spoke, low.
"Jackal."
Jack froze.
His friends blinked.
His mother's hand flew to her mouth again.
Jack's face changed in a single heartbeat. The anger didn't vanish.
It just got drowned by something deeper.
Because that name wasn't written anywhere.
Only a child would say it. Only Blade had said it.
Jack's breath shook.
Then his jaw tightened, stubborn as ever.
"So you remember," Jack said. "Good. Then tell me where you've been."
Blade didn't answer right away.
Because the truth would stain the living room.
Iron City. Syndicates. Blood. Razor Leon.
He could see his mother's face already breaking if he spoke.
So he chose the smallest truth that still mattered.
"I wasn't safe," Blade said. "I couldn't come back."
Jack's eyes flashed. "You couldn't? Or you didn't want to?"
Blade's voice stayed even. "I wanted to live."
That hit like a slap.
Jack's friends shifted awkwardly now, their bravado shrinking as the room turned real.
Juno cleared her throat, trying to cut tension. "So… uh. This is intense."
Mason muttered, "We should've stayed in the car."
Kieran tried to smile. "I mean, if you're really Blade, that's kind of—"
Jack turned his head sharply. "Shut up."
They shut up instantly.
Jack's chest rose and fell fast. He looked like he wanted to hate Blade for leaving.
And he did.
But hate didn't fill the empty years.
Jack's voice lowered, rougher now. "I kept your side of the room the same. For years."
Blade's eyes flickered once.
That was the first crack.
His mother's voice broke softly. "Jack…"
Jack stared at Blade again, and the anger finally slipped enough for the truth underneath to show.
"I missed you," he said, like the words tasted bitter. "And I hated you for making me miss you."
Blade didn't move.
But his chest tightened in a way no fight ever caused.
He nodded once. "Fair."
Jack let out a shaky laugh, half-disgusted. "You're still like that. Cold. Simple."
Blade looked at him steadily. "And you're still loud."
For half a second, Jack's mouth twitched.
A familiar expression.
A near-smile.
Then Jack stepped forward quickly, and the room tensed—
But instead of punching Blade…
He grabbed Blade's coat and yanked him in, forehead pressed against Blade's shoulder for one rough second like he couldn't breathe otherwise.
Then he shoved him back just as fast, wiping his face like nothing happened.
"Don't think this fixes it," Jack muttered.
Blade's voice was quiet. "I don't."
Jack stared at him again.
Then nodded once, sharp. "Good."
Ryu chose that exact moment to shuffle forward, proud as a soldier.
He pointed at Jack. "He's real."
Jack blinked. "Who are you?"
Ryu puffed out his chest. "Ryu. Your brother."
Jack stared.
Then stared harder.
"…We have another brother?"
Alice called from the stairs, dry. "Two sisters too. Try to keep up."
Jack's friends looked like they'd been hit by a truck.
Kieran whispered, "Your family just keeps spawning."
Iris gasped. "Kieran!"
Blade's mouth twitched again.
This time, it almost became a smile.
Jack looked around, finally seeing it.
Not just Blade.
But the whole messy, impossible scene.
And for the first time since he walked in, his voice softened.
"…Okay," Jack said. "Okay. You're back."
He pointed at Blade like a threat. "But you're explaining everything. Not today. But soon."
Blade nodded. "Soon."
Jack exhaled hard and turned toward the door.
His friends hesitated.
Jack snapped, "Go wait outside."
They scattered instantly.
Jack turned back one last time, eyes sharp again but not cruel.
"If you disappear again," he said quietly, "I'll drag you back myself."
Blade held his gaze.
"You won't have to," Blade said.
Jack stared at him for a long second.
Then nodded.
And for the first time in thirteen years, the Wilson brothers stood in the same room—still broken, still stubborn, but finally close enough to start repairing.