Reincarnated Jester: Taming Players-Chapter 129: Family

Before Jung’s senses tingled with familiarity, he was enveloped by white smoke.

As his eyes opened, his ears picked up sounds, and his skin felt the warm breath of the wind, appearing in a different location.

He stood in front of the door.

It wasn’t a magical door, leading to a great room or abyss of nothingness.

But this door meant way more than those mystical entrances.

Not that it differed from any other door in the neighborhood.

Although it was built with common wood and average craftsmanship, Jung preferred this ordinary door over any other existing entry.

"I am going to knock," he said either to Nira, who was holding his hand, or to himself, regaining strength to control his voice.

The woman slapped him on the back.

"You can do it," she encouraged.

Jung nodded and breathed in and out before knocking.

"I am coming!" the familiar voice called out, causing Jung to change his appearance back to his teen face.

It was his real look in this world, something his parents had bestowed upon him and which he cherished deeply.

He heard approaching steps that made his heart beat in sync.

The most important door opened fairly easily, and in its frame stood a man.

He was barely a youngster, approaching his forties.

His clean-shaven face didn’t cover his age or his serious yet friendly nature.

The moment he saw Jung, his eyes squeezed water out, and his frame froze in place.

As his mouth opened, Jung stepped faster than he did.

"Dad?!" he whispered.

Then he moved, embracing him tightly.

"Jung! Son! My son! My son is here!" Baki shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice reaching an entire street.

He was holding Jung strongly, as if afraid he would disappear.

"My boy..." he said, still hugging him.

"I am home," Jung said with tears of his own.

"You rascal," Baki was about to scold him like in the good old days when someone else neared them, drawing Jung’s attention.

"Mom!" he called, escaping from dad’s clutches; he ran to his mother.

Lisa seemed almost unchanged, her eyes shining with joy at getting her son back.

"Jung," she called as well, reaching out to him.

"My little boy. You have grown so much. Your mother missed you, my dear."

Her face was covered with tears, rocking her head against Jung’s and leading him inside the home.

The moment he stepped inside, the first thing Jung noticed was the warmth mixed with familiar scents.

It was his home, unchanged and cozy as always.

But in this home stood another reason for his life.

"If it isn’t my dear brother," the voice was heard. "Come on in, give your little sis a hug."

"Elara!" Jung barely muttered. freēnovelkiss.com

His already wet face became wetter, with a rain of tears bleeding down his face.

Then he dashed to his cheeky sister, tossing her into the air.

"This is the real rascal of our family," he said.

Elara’s giggles filled the room until she begged Jung to stop.

One more hug was delivered in his daily collection, and the atmosphere in the house was pleasing.

It was the first time in over ten years for the entire family to gather.

After Elara was gone, only Jung, Baki, and Lisa remained.

When he left for the academy, the lonely couple had a hard time finding peace in solitude before Elara came back one day.

It was completely unexpected, stunning the pair with happiness.

She didn’t share much of her past, but said that Jung would arrive as well.

Her prediction proved to be right, and here he was, making their home feel complete once more.

After releasing his sister from a tight embrace, Jung observed her carefully.

Her face was still childish, but in the same way as his.

They were almost the same age, and with various time dilations, it was to be expected.

Physically, she was tall, with white, silky hair neatly combed, and her light-colored eyes looked like an unseen galaxy.

Her cheeks stretched with baby fat, making her delicate features adorable, and Jung couldn’t help but squeeze them.

"Hey! Stop it," she yelled, pouting. "Don’t you dare touch a lady’s face like that?"

’I was afraid she would change,’ Jung pondered. ’She wasn’t described like that. But what really happened to her? I hope she isn’t masking her true feelings.’

As his thought process danced, Baki asked out of nowhere, changing the attention from siblings to an unknown girl standing in the hallway.

"Sorry, who are you?" he asked Nira.

Baki spoke softly, but after glancing at her love, Jung almost coughed out blood.

Nira had changed her appearance to match Jung’s age.

She winked at him and said, flabbergasting his parents.

"Nice to meet you. I am Jung’s wife."

She sounded convincing with her serious tone shift and hand manners.

"Wife?" Baki and Lisa repeated in unison.

The former glared at Jung.

"You have an explanation to give, young man," he stated. "I sent you to the academy for studying purposes, and you did what?"

"Don’t worry, father. You don’t have to overreact. She isn’t pregnant... at least as far as I know."

"Oh, my!" Lisa exclaimed, covering her mouth, and continued, "Come inside, sweetheart. Let’s have a cup of tea, and we can chat."

The mother invited the girl inside, befriending her at a moment’s notice.

As for Elara and Baki, they looked at Jung.

The former had a curious expression, and the latter had a judgmental face.

"I need an explanation!" the father demanded.

"What can I say?" Jung started. "I found love, and she is someone I will spend every lifetime with."

It didn’t sound like a wish or a promise, but a fact.

As if Jung was confident in the path he chose, leaving Baki no other choice but to respect his decision, even if he didn’t agree just yet.

Then the whole family sat at the table, and like a clingy child, Elara didn’t leave his side.

Nira didn’t mind her antics.

She was truly happy for Jung for having such a great relationship with his parents and sister.

Lisa and Baki asked stuff about their relationship: how they fell in love or why they decided to marry each other so soon.

"The thing is..." Nira said. "We aren’t officially married, and he wanted to get your blessing before the marriage."

"He did? My sweet boy," Lisa exclaimed, rolling her eyes as if she could guess that the words were sugarcoated.

But she didn’t mind.

On the contrary, she liked Nira’s personality and planned a betrothal ceremony that would take place two days later.

"What about your family?" Baki asked her softly, afraid to touch sensitive topics.

"My siblings would join us... my parents are no longer alive, but they can handle everything," she explained truthfully.

"Wait, your brothers too?" Jung reminisced about the sage and the creator god, imagining them at his wedding.

"My brother has grown up so much," Elara said in loneliness.

After the conversation went on for hours, Nira asked Baki and Lisa for a quick tour of the city, saying that she wanted to live somewhere close by.

The parents saw her intentions and agreed immediately.

Only Elara and Jung stayed indoors, talking about some useless nonsense.

She was constantly laughing like a child, but Jung’s uneasiness didn’t disappear.

He abruptly stopped talking, observing her intensely.

Elara watched him as well, not afraid of the eye contact.

After a while, she lowered her head.

"You will not pretend, right?" she asked.

Jung didn’t answer, waiting for her to speak.

"I thought so, honestly. You have always been like that. I remember almost everything from the moment I was born, and in every piece of my memory, you have always been there."

Tears formed in her eyes, making them even lighter.

"From every vision I can see from my childhood, Jung always cared for me. I knew it wouldn’t change; no, I hoped and wished it wouldn’t change when we met again."

She wasn’t the only one crying.

"But there is only one memory when I searched for you, and you weren’t there."

"I am sorry," Jung barely uttered the word, regretting the day he ran away from home to unleash the archetype.

"No, I am not blaming you. It just shows how much I was used to you being by my side, and when I lost that, it was really hard and lonely."

She was talking about the sadness with a smile because she was happy it was over.

"What happened to you? Can you share them with me? he asked, anticipating her response."

So Elara started recalling the events she had to deal with.

It all started when the ruler god sent people to kidnap her.

His influence was strong, allowing him to see her talents and struggles from his realm.

The ruler god wanted to find a successor, and Elara was the number one candidate to inherit his godhood.

No matter what she said, not once did she speak ill of the ruler.

Even though he was the reason for her trials, it didn’t change the fact that she was saved because of him.

The biggest revelation was that the ruler god was ill, and he was dying.