His mother finally let go, eyes red but smiling. "You look exhausted. You didn't even send word ahead. We would've prepared something—"
"I didn't want preparations. I wanted to come home quietly," he said.
Behind them, servants were already bustling about with urgency and reverence, preparing a grand welcome, though Apollo had indeed hoped for something quieter.
They then quickly went inside to talk more. But the outside of the eastern continent was shaken, as the sudden appearance of such a powerful and mysterious spaceship was shocking news.
News of the colossal, otherworldly spaceship descending upon Fletcher territory had already spread like wildfire. It was no ordinary vessel—it carried pressure that bent space, rippling through the skies like the breath of a divine being. Even warriors who lived hundreds of miles away felt the trembling air, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
