If anyone ever asked Aarav what true fear looked like—
It was not the Titan Hunter.
Not the Null Sovereign.
Not even the First Origin.
It was this.
A normal Delhi house.
A front gate.
Warm evening lights.
The smell of fresh food from the kitchen.
And inside—
His mother was waiting.
Judgement prepared.
Rohan stood beside him outside the gate, hands in pockets, looking far too happy.
"This," he announced like a documentary narrator, "is where legends die."
Accurate.
Painfully accurate.
Behind them stood the four girls.
Aelina looked calm, though the way she kept adjusting her sleeves betrayed nerves.
Mira looked like she was prepared to assassinate social expectations.
Selene stood like she was entering diplomatic war negotiations.
And Nysera—
Nysera somehow looked like she had personally invented family blessings.
Completely unfair.
Aarav stared at the gate.
He had fought through time.
He had stood between gods.
And yet—
His hand shook opening his own front door.
Rohan patted his shoulder.
"If I die, clear my browser history."
"Why would you die?"
"Emotional crossfire."
Valid.
Very valid.
The door opened.
His mother stood there.
Calm.
Smiling.
That was worse.
Much worse.
Because angry mothers shouted.
Calm mothers planned.
Beside her stood his father, trying very hard to look uninvolved and failing.
His older sister leaned against the wall with the expression of someone attending premium entertainment.
His younger cousin had somehow also appeared.
News spread fast.
His mother looked at Aarav first.
Then at the girls.
Then back at Aarav.
A pause.
And then—
"Why are you standing outside? Bring them in."
Simple.
Polite.
Terrifying.
Everyone entered.
Like soldiers walking into destiny.
The living room had been transformed.
Extra chairs.
Snacks.
Tea.
This was not hospitality.
This was an interrogation with refreshments.
His sister whispered to Rohan,
"I respect the chaos."
Rohan whispered back,
"I came early for front-row seats."
Traitors united.
His mother gestured.
"Sit."
No one argued.
Because survival instincts existed.
Aelina sat first, graceful and polite.
Mira sat like she was tolerating civilisation.
Selene sat like royalty, accepting temporary diplomacy.
Nysera sat like the concept of peace itself.
His father quietly looked at Aarav with the sympathy of a man who had once survived this battlefield himself.
Brotherhood.
Unspoken.
Sacred.
Then—
His mother began.
She looked at Aelina.
Soft smile.
"What is your name?"
Aelina straightened slightly.
"Aelina. From the year 2526."
His mother nodded.
Normal.
Like that was a normal sentence.
"Good. Tea?"
Aelina blinked.
"…Yes."
His mother turned to Mira.
"And you?"
"Mira. Year 2726."
"Spicy food?"
Mira, confused by the interview format, answered honestly.
"Yes."
"Good."
Then Selene.
"Name?"
"Selene. Year 3026."
"Can you handle emotional damage?"
Selene, after a pause:
"Yes."
His mother nodded as if that confirmed a scholarship.
Excellent.
Then Nysera.
She smiled softly.
"Nysera. Year 5026."
His mother looked at her for a long second.
Then sighed.
"You look like you'd win every family argument."
Nysera inclined her head.
"That is statistically likely."
His father coughed to hide laughter.
His sister physically left the room for three seconds.
Even Mira looked impressed.
Aarav sat there like a man watching his funeral.
Then—
the real attack.
His mother folded her hands.
And looked at him.
"So."
Silence.
"Which one?"
Direct.
Efficient.
Merciless.
Rohan dropped a biscuit.
Aarav blinked.
"…What?"
His mother stared.
"The one you like."
The girls froze.
The house froze.
Probably, nearby planets froze.
Aarav wished to be legally erased.
His sister reappeared at superhuman speed.
Even his father stopped pretending to read the newspaper.
Aelina looked at her tea like it contained emergency exits.
Mira suddenly became fascinated by ceiling architecture.
Selene looked ready to fight a war instead.
Nysera, traitor supreme, was smiling.
Aarav attempted diplomacy.
"That is… still developing."
His mother narrowed her eyes.
"Meaning yes",
Disaster.
Absolute disaster.
Before he could recover—
His younger cousin, agent of chaos, asked loudly,
"Bhaiya, are all of them bhabhi candidates?"
Death.
Immediate death.
Rohan whispered,
"The child asks what scholars fear."
His mother did not stop it.
Which meant she supported it.
Aarav looked at the universe.
No help came.
Then—
unexpectedly—
Aelina spoke.
Softly.
But clearly.
"I care for him."
Silence.
Mira turned slowly.
Selene straightened.
Aarav's soul left his body.
His mother looked interested.
Very interested.
Then Mira, because apparently destruction required balance, said—
"He is reckless, irritating, and makes terrible decisions."
A pause.
"…I am also concerned about how much I care."
His sister screamed into a pillow.
His father quietly muttered,
"Strong candidate."
Traitor.
Ancient traitor.
Then Selene.
Of course, Selene.
She looked directly at his mother and said with complete seriousness—
"If required, I would destroy timelines for him."
Silence.
His mother blinked.
Once.
Then calmly sipped tea.
"Strong devotion. Slightly concerning."
Reasonable.
Deeply reasonable.
Aarav no longer existed as a person.
He was now a ghost witnessing his own social death.
Then—
Nysera.
Because destiny hated him.
She folded her hands elegantly.
"The future is statistically clearer."
Everyone leaned in.
Even the cousin.
Even the dog from next door probably leaned in.
Nysera smiled.
"Eventually, he loves all of them."
The house exploded.
His sister screamed.
Rohan fell off the sofa.
His father removed his glasses as he had aged spiritually.
His mother closed her eyes.
Long.
Very long.
Aarav stood up.
"No. I reject this conversation. I reject time itself."
Too late.
Far too late.
His mother finally opened her eyes.
Calm.
Terrifying.
She looked at him.
Then at the girls.
Then delivered the judgement.
"Fine."
Silence.
"No one leaves until I understand everyone's intentions."
Rohan whispered,
"We live here now."
Yes.
Yes, they did.
And somewhere—
The Null Sovereign was probably grateful he chose cosmic destruction instead.
Because this?
This was harder.