Everyone is..

Just as we were about to leave, another surge of mana rippled through the air.

It cut through the calm like a blade, propagating across the park. 

This wasn’t chaotic like the warp gate had been.
I sense multiple presence of mana, moving in coordinated manner. 

They were moving fast, converging from different directions, like they were trained. 
The mana patterns were clean, disciplined, layered over one another without interference.

'Ah.. A guild response.'

Being seen here would complicate everything for me.

“I have to get out of here.” I muttered under my breath.

I wasn’t supposed to stop this warp gate in this life. 

A 17 year old student standing at the center of a resolved warp gate incident raises too many questions. I don’t have answers prepared for it yet. 

If I was a full fledged mage with an appropriate license, then this will be a different story.

I glanced at Virgilia.

She stood calmly on the surface of the lake, robes unruffled, gaze drifting lazily toward the incoming mana inflow as if they were little more than background noise.

I reached for the pendant. “Enough for now. We are leaving.” I said quietly.

Virgilia turned her head slightly, the corner of her mouth lifting.

“So soon?” she murmured. “Very well then.”

I didn’t give her time to elaborate.

The pendant responded instantly, light flickering across its surface as I drew her back inside. 
There was no resistance, no dramatic flare. just a subtle compression of space, and then her presence was gone.

The lake felt emptier now. I stood alone. but, i can't afford to linger here any further.

I retreated, keeping my mana flow low as I moved, using the uneven terrain and relying on the trees to cover me from the mages' line of sight. 

The remaining lesser demons, those escaped outside the lake and weren't pulled back by Virgilia had continued to roam with no destination near the lake’s shore.

I let them be. The incoming mages would handle them, and they would probably assume those roaming demons were all that remained of the warp gate before it closed on its own. 

That was close enough to a believable theory, and I think it would keep them busy for awhile.

By the time I reached the edge of the neighborhood, the sirens were louder. 

Mana barriers lit the sky behind me in sharp bursts of color, containment measures snapping into place with professional speed.

I kept running forward, I can't jump now. My muscles ache too much, and even if my body is alright, the guild mages would notice my presence.

When I reached home, the aftermath of my 'safety precautions' hit me all at once.

The house was loud with confusion. 

Overlapping voices. 

Furniture shifted out of place. 

Drawers half-open. 

The front door still bore the scars of forced entry, hastily braced in its place but not repaired yet.

I stepped inside and froze.

My father’s voice came first.

“hello!? anyone there, akira!!” A pounding sound followed, then another. 

The storage cupboard rattled violently as he struck it from the inside. “Why is this locked?!”

I winced.

I crossed the room quickly and pressed my ear to the cupboard door.

“Dad, I'm here.” I said. “Just hold on.”

He paused, then thumped the door once more, harder. 
“Akira? Where did my phone go? I was on a call-”

I unlocked the door and pulled it open.

He stumbled forward, shielding his eyes from the light of the room. His gaze flicked around the room, then back to me.

“What happened?” he demanded.

“I’ll explain,” I said quickly. “Just.. give me a second-”

I opened the bathroom to find Hikaru, but he is missing. I clearly placed him there and told him to hide.. 

'Where could he be!'

"Akira!! open the door!!" My mom shouted.

I hurried back towards the kitchen and freeing my mother from the kitchen.

I unlocked the door and stepped back just in time to avoid being hit as it swung open. My mother emerged, arms crossed, eyes blazing with a mixture of fear and anger that made my stomach twist.

“What happened?” she demanded. “Why were we locked in? Why is the house like this?”

Before i could respond to her, something made a weird sound beneath the sofa.

I crouched immediately, peering into the dark space.

Hikaru was curled up under there, knees tucked tight to his chest, eyes wide. When he saw me, his expression brightened slightly.

“Hey!” he whispered. “You took a long time to find me, I won!!”

Relief washed through me.

“Why are you under there?” I asked quietly.

“I figured we were playing hide-and-seek!” He glanced around. “I won, right..?”

"We were screaming for help, what part of it did you think it was a game!??" My mom pinched Hikaru's ears and dragged him back to his room. "You wait here, akira! We need to talk!"

I had definitely forgotten about this part..

'What an odd household.' Virgilia’s voice echoed in my mind faintly.

'Wait- you can talk to me through my mind?' 

'I suppose so. And I also see and hear everything that you do as well.'

'There's no privacy anymore then..'

'I'll not interrupt your intimate parts of your life, Hero.' Virgilia snarked sharply.

'HUH??.. you know what, never mind.' I sighed. 

I retrieved my father’s phone from where I’d dropped it earlier, ignoring the pointed look he gave me as I handed it back. 

"Sit there!" My mom ordered as she came back into the living room. 

The questions came immediately.

Too many. Too fast.

I answered what I could muster. Or rather.. I answered something close enough to the truth to settle their nerves. 

I told them there had been an emergency incident and I panicked and overreacted. 
I tried my best to fight against the demons that came near our door, and escaped to the rooftop when they overwhelmed me. 

"The noise and damage were my fault, but the danger was gone anyway.. I'm sorry, mom."

I carefully omitted everything else.

No mention of the warp gate location. No pendant. And definitely, no Virgilia.

'That's a clever excuse.' Virgilia remarked.

Eventually, their anger towards me was minimized after confirmation from checking the door, the rooftop which both of it had damages. And the sirens in the neighborhood were an obvious giveaway. 

My mother busied herself checking everyone for injuries. She calmed down, and was proud that managed to fight against the demons on my own for the sake of the family.

I don't deserve this credit.. I lied about a lot of things tonight, It just doesn't seem right.
But i obliged, letting her treat my bruises.

My father started pacing, muttering about repairs and insurance. Hikaru had went to sleep.

I sighed and leaned against the wall, closing my eyes briefly.