Max returned from his council meeting to Dombivli and was pleasantly surprised to hear the sound of children laughing and running around in the halls of his palace.
With his way of the wind mastery complete, Max could hear as well as any Saint Maximus out there and did not need to physically see the kids to determine their identity.
They were his kids, the notorious niece and nephews who were playing a game of hide and seek in his palace.
Walking slowly, Max tried to not disturb their game as he passed by the spot where Jake was hiding.
The little boy had squeezed himself between two pillars, a mischievous smile on his face with two big shining eyes that gave him the ultimate innocent look making Max feel an urge to ruffle his hair.
Unfortunately, he was in the Lord Ravan persona and could not behave like the kids uncle, otherwise he would have definitely ruffled his hair.
On the other hand, as Jake saw the masked man he immediately shrugged, trying to hide from his gaze as he hid himself deeper between the two pillars, a typical shy reaction from a small kid.
Max walked on, a big smile on his face as he realised that if the kids were here then it must mean that his sisters in law were here too.
As he walked some more, he saw a slightly bigger looking Amy with two ponytails holding the hands of the little Kartikeya as the two seemed to be searching for Jake together.
Amy seemed to have the same reaction as Jake when he saw the towering red eyed, masked man as she reflexively took two steps away from him, however, Kartikeya stretched both his arms outward towards Max beckoning him to pick him up as he said " Untle Mex "
Max's eyes widened in disbelief as he stopped in his tracks.
Amy, who was alarmed as well, pulled Kartikeya by her side and tried to tell him that this was some other uncle and not their uncle Max, but Kartikeya did not seem convinced.
Max, who did not know whether the kid had just mistook him for his uncle or had actually seen through his identity, laughed a hearty laugh as he kept walking.
The kids were growing up nicely, he felt proud to be their uncle.
As he reached the interior of the palace, he saw Asiva, Anna, Naomi and Ruby sitting in the dining room as the four of them shared some tea and cake.
" Lord Ravan" Asiva said perfunctioraliy as there were servants around.
" Lord Ravan, I'm Naomi Rajput, wife of Shakuni Won Knight and the sister in law of Max Rajput, who has invited me to stay with him in this palace for a few days, I hope I'm not imposing on you… " Naomi said with a straight face as Max could feel the underlying threat behind those words.
Coughing loudly, Max said " Of Course not, Commander Max's family is like my family"
That resolved the issue of his family staying here as although they had come, Max was glad that they were here and he was more than happy to host them.
Ruby and Naomi smiled at the response as Max pretended to make small talk before muttering that he would contact commander Max and inform him that his family was here.
Saying so, Max took his leave as he pretended to retire to his room, only to remove his mask, add the scar and return to officially meet his family.
********
( Meanwhile Rudra )
Rudra had learnt the spells that the unnamed god wanted to teach him and had warped right into planet Radiance, the new home of Earthlings.
It was a weird sensation for him to return to society as he looked at all the hustle and bustle while pretending to be an old man with very limited tier1 strength.
Thankfully the queen did not seem to detect anything wrong and the heaven's did not open up with his sudden return which meant that the unnamed god at least knew what he was doing.
Rudra stood on a corner, unnoticed in the crowd, watching the humans of Radiance.
Their lives seemed so simple, so ordinary, and yet so full of intricacies he could no longer understand. People rushing to and fro, voices filled with laughter, anger, love, and despair. The smell of cooked food, the distant sound of a child's laughter, the entire spectrum of human life played out in front of him. It was a cacophony of life that he found both perplexingly mundane and overwhelmingly rich.
The irony of his situation was not lost on him. There was a time when these same people would queue up for hours only to get a glimpse of his face, many would die at his command, yet now he was reduced to a mere spectator, someone inconspicuous in this crowd.
His appearance mirrored his new role perfectly. His head was as bald as a polished gemstone, every wrinkle etched into his skin telling a story of a long, hard-lived life. His clothes were ragged and torn, signs of a life lived in hardship and poverty. His eyes, though, were a vibrant shade of blue, holding an ocean of wisdom and an eternity of memories. His physique was stooped, the powerful body that once fought with Lucifer now frail and weak.
As he shuffled past a bustling food stall, the aroma of fresh apples wafted into his nostrils. The owner, a kind woman with a soft smile, looked at him, her eyes brimming with pity. She handed him one without asking for any coin, mistaking him for a beggar. He smiled, his heart warmed by her gesture. It was a simple act of kindness, but it reminded him of the goodness that humanity was capable of. It was amusing, he thought, how a god could be mistaken for a beggar.
Slowly, he began the long walk towards the other side of the city, where an imposing mansion rose majestically. It was his home, his palace, a place filled with his loved ones. He stood outside the iron gates, looking longingly at the windows, hoping for a glimpse of his family. He couldn't go inside, couldn't reveal who he was, the weight of his reality holding him back. His heart ached with longing, the emotions swirling inside him complex and overwhelming.
" What do you want, old man? " One of the palace guards asked his tone gentle yet his expression stiff.
" Nothing much my son, I just wanted to get a glimpse of the lord's wife and children, I hope they are safe and healthy" Rudra said with a kind smile as the guard seemed moved
" They are not here old man, they have gone to Dombivli, the vampire city.
Come back after a few days… " The guard said as he revealed the family's whereabouts.
Rudra thanked the man profusely for this information before slowly walking away, eventually entering an isolated alley before opening a warp gate to Dombivli.
If his family was no longer here, then he had no reason to stay on Radiance.
He was going to find them and try to integrate into their lives in some way.
Even though he could not reveal his true identity, he wanted to at least be close to them.