Ancestral Lineage-Chapter 272: So, Papa Is Like Really Strong?

Andriel nodded, her eyes misty with emotion. "And that's just fine."

Laughter, love, and the warmth of family continued to bloom around them like spring coming home.

"So, Papa is really strong? Like… really strong?" Delphina suddenly blurted, her golden eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Ethan raised a brow, amused. "Delph, what's your definition of strong?"

"Huh?" she blinked.

"I mean, how do you understand strong?"

"Uhm…" She tapped her chin thoughtfully, then her face lit up. "Like what Mommy said!"

Ethan's smile froze a little. "Oh no… and what exactly did your mother say?"

Delphina leaned in dramatically, lowering her voice as if sharing a cosmic secret. "Mommy said you were so strong you could blow up the sun with a snap—" she demonstrated with her tiny fingers "—and make the planet bigger just by waving your hand like this." She waved her arms in slow motion, like a wizard casting a world-altering spell. Her eyes were practically glowing with awe.

Ethan blinked. Then turned, very slowly, to Lisa.

"Lisa," he said flatly, his voice as cold as a glacier and as tense as a drawn bowstring. His eye twitched like it had just been zapped by a rogue lightning bolt.

Lisa, lounging nearby with a plate of fruit and a self-satisfied smile, pretended to dab at invisible tears. "I'm just so… happy today," she said, utterly unbothered, her tone theatrical. "Look at all of us… together again. What a beautiful day."

Andriel stifled a snort, her shoulders trembling.

Delphina looked between them, confused. "Wait… can you blow up the sun, Papa?"

Ethan sighed dramatically and dropped his head back onto the mat. "Please don't spread solar system-ending rumors, sweetheart. Let's… let's just say Daddy's strong enough to open the pickle jar."

"Even the stubborn one?" she asked, deadly serious.

He turned to her with a wink. "Especially the stubborn one."

Delphina gasped, clearly impressed. "Whoa…"

Delphina stared at Ethan with squinted eyes, clearly mulling something over. Then, she jumped to her feet with a wide grin and jabbed a finger at him.

"Okay, Mister Pickle Jar—if you're really strong, then prove it!"

Ethan lifted his head, already suspicious. "Prove it, how?"

"Lift me," she declared. "But not just lift. Spin. Like, full tornado mode!"

Andriel raised an eyebrow, amused. "Tornado mode? That sounds dangerous."

"Only if Papa's not as strong as you said!" Delphina quipped, pointing again, now in dramatic slow motion.

Lisa folded her arms, still smirking. "Well, now I want to see this."

Ethan groaned playfully as he pushed himself up from the mat. "You're all ganging up on me. Fine, come here, storm child."

Delphina squealed and ran toward him. Ethan caught her effortlessly under the arms, then swung her up into the air. She shrieked with laughter as he spun her around, first slowly, then faster and faster until her red curls fanned out like wildfire and her golden eyes were nothing but happy blurs.

"Faaaster!" she cried, legs kicking joyfully.

"Faster?" Ethan huffed. "I'll show you fast!"

With a wide grin, he shifted his grip and tossed her a little higher, catching her in a bridal carry and doing a few exaggerated spins as he moved in circles. Her giggles rang through the field like music, and the nearby family paused their conversations just to watch.

Finally, he slowed, setting her down gently. Delphina staggered a little, dizzy but delighted, before stumbling back into his arms with a goofy grin.

"You win, Papa. You're super strong," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Even stronger than the tornado."

"Ha! I'll take that as an official endorsement," Ethan said, ruffling her hair.

"Okay, okay," Lisa said, walking over and patting Ethan's back. "You've earned your 'Sun Snapper' badge today."

"I didn't want that badge in the first place," Ethan muttered.

But he was smiling.

And as Delphina leaned against him, cheeks flushed with happiness, and Lisa and Andriel stood close by, Ethan took a deep breath. The air was warm, the sky clear, and for the first time in a very long time…

He felt like he was home.

...

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the sky in hues of violet and gold, soft lanterns were lit around the gathering space—glowing orbs swaying gently in the breeze, illuminating the clearing with warm, flickering light. A long wooden table had been set up beneath a canopy of trees, their branches weaving overhead like a protective dome, as if nature itself bowed to the moment.

The air was rich with the scent of grilled vegetables, roasted meats, spiced stews, and warm bread. Plates clinked, cups toasted, and laughter flowed freely—an orchestra of joy, layered with stories, inside jokes, and memories both old and new.

Ethan sat at the head of the table—not because anyone asked him to, but because it felt right. Everyone had instinctively gathered around him. Lisa sat on his left, sipping fruit wine and pretending not to sneak extra meat onto Delphina's plate. Andriel was on his right, her silver hair catching the lantern light as she listened quietly, her eyes occasionally drifting toward the flames in thought.

Delphina, now changed into a loose evening tunic, sat cross-legged beside Ethan, munching happily and bouncing with energy she hadn't yet burned off. "Papa, did you know that Uncle Lamair said you once punched a mountain?"

Ethan nearly choked on his drink. "Lamair talks way too much. I wonder where he got that from."

"Did you?" she pressed.

"No," he said flatly. Then muttered, "I kicked it."

Lisa and Andriel burst into laughter, while Delphina beamed like she'd just uncovered a royal secret.

"I knew it," she whispered.

The great table was full—Harley sat across from Ethan, her laughter warm, resting a hand on Clara's shoulder as they shared a quiet moment. Clara leaned into her, eyes content and peaceful. Nearby, Carmen and Pisces were debating something animatedly, Pisces gesturing wildly while Carmen rolled her eyes with a grin.

Christel and Elaine had taken charge of keeping the wine flowing, gracefully slipping between chairs to refill glasses while Seraphis cut roasted meat with divine precision. Barki howled with laughter at one of Ericson's jokes, while Eric challenged Devon to a bread-eating contest under the amused gaze of Trevor, who sat calmly with Emily on one side and Sixtie—visibly pregnant—on the other. Lamair sat not far, his arm around Lusamine while Cassandra whispered something into his ear that made him chuckle deeply. His children, Werock and Ivy, were already plotting dessert raids with Eric and Ericson.

Jerry and Kira were seated near Thomas, Jerry's brother, who was recounting an unbelievable adventure involving a misfired teleportation spell and a stolen goat. Reginald and Gertrude sat with quiet pride, watching their twin sons joke and laugh like the world had never known war.

Madeleine, radiant and serene, sat near the center of it all—her presence quiet but anchoring. She occasionally reached out to tousle a grandchild's hair or brush her fingers across Ethan or Trevor's shoulder, as if reminding herself it was all real.

Amor and Petra, Harley's parents, sat comfortably together at the far end of the table, smiling at their daughter and exchanging amused glances at the antics around them.

Occasionally, someone would lift a mug in toast. Sometimes to "the return," sometimes to "family," and once, Lisa toasted simply to "Finally."

Ethan didn't say much during those moments, but he always raised his cup. His golden eyes glowed, not from power, but from peace. The kind you only find once the storm is long behind you.

At one point, Delphina clambered onto his lap, mid-dessert, her cheeks sticky and eyes half-lidded with sleep. She curled up like a cat, content.

"I like this," she mumbled. "Can we have dinner like this… every night?"

Ethan wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"As long as I breathe, little star," he whispered. "Every night."

The fire crackled gently as the stars blinked awake above them, watching over a table not of warriors or heroes or legends, but of family.

Together again.

At last.