The table was full. Covered. Gleaming plates and deep bowls held:
Glazed slices of roasted beast-meat, shimmering in sweet, spiced sauce.
A large pot of stew still bubbling softly, thick with herbs, vegetables, and deep flavor. Baskets of warm bread. Grilled roots. Steamed greens.
And to top it all off... a beast steak seared to perfection, crusted in garlic and forest pepper, dripping with juice.
And standing in the middle of it all was Jayden.
Shirt slightly soaked in sweat, sleeves rolled, a kitchen towel slung over his shoulder. He was holding a wooden spoon like a sword. A victorious grin spread across his tired, satisfied face.
"Welcome home," he said, like he hadn't just fought a monster and cooked a gourmet meal in the same day.
Jessica blinked twice. "You... cooked this?"
Tasha took a step forward, her face lit with excitement. "Jay, this smells really good. I didn't know you knew how to cook,"
"I used to cook with my mom," Jayden said softly. "Picked up a few things."
The room quieted for a beat.
Jacob gave him a wary look. "Is this a prank? Are we being filmed?"
Jayden chuckled. "No pranks. Just dinner. Go ahead. Dig in before it gets cold,"
Jessica moved slowly, almost like she was approaching a wild animal. She picked up a fork, took a tiny bite of the meat.. Then froze.
Her eyes widened. "This is... Really good,"
Tasha was already reaching for the stew, spooning herself a bowl like her life depended on it. "Wow, this tastes like something out of a royal palace."
Jacob sat down, mouth already watering. "Okay, kiddo. I don't know when you learned to cook like this, but we're gonna need to talk. You're officially in charge of Sunday dinner from now on."
Jayden just leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching them devour his dishes like ravenous wolves.
"I'm glad you all are enjoying the meal," he muttered
Tasha looked up, mouth half-full. "Well... I am. This is amazing."
Jessica smiled softly. "Yeah.. it is," she muttered. Forgetting that she was supposed to be at war with Jayden. The same boy she refused to greet earlier in the morning
Jayden smiled, a small one, real and warm. Right now… he was just a guy who made a hell of a meal.
Jacob and the girls digged in without a care in the world. They didn't even bother to ask themselves where Jayden had gotten the meat. Or why the boy who used to be distant and indifferent suddenly prepared dinner for them.
Right now, they didn't care about all that. The food was just that good. Even Jessica had forgotten about the bad blood she had with Jayden. All they care about was filling their stomachs with the feast prepared for them.
Then, the front door clicked open again.
Heels echoed faintly in the hall. The rustle of a handbag being set down. Then a voice, slightly rushed, slightly curious:
"Why does it smell like heaven in here?"
Everyone paused.
Harleen stepped into view, dressed in her work blouse and pencil skirt, hair pinned up, keys dangling from one hand. Her eyes scanned the dining table.. then the kitchen.. then everyone gathered around bowls and plates like kids in a royal feast.
Her brows furrowed. "Okay, what is happening?"
Tasha smirked. "Jayden cooked."
Harleen blinked. "Jayden... cooked?"
Jacob, chewing thoughtfully, nodded toward her seat. "No jokes. Sit down. Eat. It's really tasty,"
Harleen's gaze snapped to Jayden.
Their eyes locked.
His face was unreadable. Calm. Still just a little tired. But there was something unspoken in his look... a quiet plea. A truce.
And Harleen... she didn't say a word about earlier. She just let out a soft sigh and set her bag down beside the counter.
Then, slowly, she walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"I'll judge this myself," she said, half-smiling.
Tasha passed her a plate, already heaped with meat and roasted sides. Jessica offered a bowl of stew. Harleen accepted both.
She took a fork. Took a bite. Chewed. And froze.
Her brows lifted, eyes wide with honest shock. "Wait.. this is..."
Jacob grinned. "Yeah."
"This is really good," Harleen said, taking another bite, more eagerly this time. "Like… restaurant good. No. Better than that."
Jayden leaned back against the kitchen doorway, arms crossed, watching her reaction quietly.
Harleen glanced up again. Their eyes met.
This time… she smiled. First, Jayden interacted with her. Then, he prepared dinner for the entire family. It was like someone had heard every silent prayer they had whispered over the years.
But Jessica wasn't sold on the miracle. She decided to question this so called... answered prayers.
"Jayden, are you... okay?" she asked, her tone cautious, almost suspicious.
Jayden raised an eyebrow. "Just a little tired, but yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
Jessica shook her head, wearing a half-smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She couldn't put her finger on it, but everything about him just felt… different. And what unsettled her most was that everyone else was acting like it was completely normal.
Sure, she'd gotten carried away with the meal at first... everyone had. But as the warmth of the food wore off and the moment settled in, a thought stabbed through her like cold steel. "Wait a minute. Jayden cooked?!"
"It's nothing," she mumbled quickly, then glanced at him again. "It's just... You're acting different."
Jacob glanced at her, his expression firm. "Jessica, don't start." he scolded. Of course he knew Jayden was different, he wasn't stupid. But he decided to simply play along so they could all enjoy the moment. The moment where Jayden wasn't a cold mf.
Jessica didn't back down. She crossed her arms. "I'm not starting anything, Dad. It's just.. How can you all just go along with this like it's normal? I mean.. he barely even talks to us. And now, all of a sudden, he prepares a family dinner? It's... Strange," she voiced out
Tasha sighed, setting her fork down with a soft clink. She turned to Jacob with a small, gentle smile.
"Actually, I'm with Jessica on this one," she said, before turning her attention to Jayden. "Jay… did something happen? Or is something happening?"
Luna snorted in Jayden's mind. [He almost died again, is what happened]
But Jayden smiled and exhaled deeply, he had expected this to happen. He understood their confusion. After all, he'd kept himself locked away from them for so long.. emotionally, mentally… physically. But that was the reason he decided to make dinner in the first place... well, one of the reasons.
He felt like he needed to mend the relationship he had with Jacob and his family. This was why he played around with Harleen earlier. And why he prepared a feast for them. He was tired of keeping the wall up.
But before he could speak, Tasha continued
"We're not saying we're not happy about it.. about you. It's just… this is so unlike you. And I think that's why Jessica's reacting like this. She's cautious. I hope you're not offended."
Jayden shook his head. "I'm not."
He stepped forward, voice calm and steady.
"I get it. I understand why you'd be surprised... even worried. But I want to assure you that I'm still me. I've just… changed a little. And I made this dinner tonight because I wanted to say thank you. For everything you've done for me. For putting up with me… I'm grateful for all you have done for me and I wanted to express my sincere gratitude," he declared
"Awwn," Harleen smiled. "That's so sweet,"
Tasha also smiled and glanced at Jessica with a smug look that said "Told you so"
But Jessica didn't even paying attention to Tasha, she was staring at Jayden in disbelief. How could he change all of a sudden? How could he just wake up one day and decide to express gratitude? She didn't believe him. She couldn't trust anything he said.
Jacob leaned back with a chuckle, swirling the wine in his glass. "Thank you, kiddo. That means a lot."
Jayden smiled and continued. "I know that I haven't been the best... Version of myself for years. And I'm sorry about that... for pushing you all away... for being distant, even when you all wanted to help me. It was childish of me and I wasn't thinking straight. I also know that I've have been acting... uncaring and indifferent towards you guys for the past few days. But I was just still in shock about the... near death experience. I didn't mean any of the things I did... or said," he said, shifting his gaze to Tasha as he said the last part. And that caused her to blush and quickly turn her gaze to the ground.
Jacob smiled. "It's okay, Jayden. We understand what you were going through, and we'll always be here for you," he said
Jayden smiled. "Me too. I'll always be there for you guys as well. You're the only family I have and I will never take you for granted again. I had to almost... die to realize that you all truly care about me. And from today, I shall try my best to interact better with you all. To open up to you like I should have done all those years ago. To be a member of the family,"
"So if you'll forgive and accept me, I'll be really glad to have you as my family," he concluded
"Jay," Tasha muttered softly. "That was... beautiful,"
Harleen smiled happily. "Oh, Jayden. We accept you, we always have," she said
Jacob smiled widely, he was extremely happy. He never thought this day would come. "Come on, kiddo. There's nothing to forgive. I'm just glad that you finally decided to open up to us. And I promise we'll also try to understand you in the best way we can. Right girls?" he muttered, shifting his gaze to Jessica and Tasha.
Tasha nodded, she was also happy to know that Jayden had truly changed. It meant she was right all along. "Of course, Dad. We will," she said
But Jessica didn't reply, she wasn't buying any of it, she couldn't just accept it. She couldn't accept any of it. She had seen him grow claws and fangs, and now he was delivering a heartfelt speech. She hadn't even been sleeping well ever since the day of the spar. She was scared, restless and her mind was in turmoil. Jayden was hiding something. Something terrifying.
But she couldn't tell anyone about what she had seen, because no one would even believe her. She couldn't tell Tasha, who was already drunk in love. And she couldn't tell Jacob or Harleen, who were both looking for Jayden's redemption. They would all think she had gone crazy. And even she, herself, was having mixed feelings about what she had seen. Somewhere deep down, she still believed she was hallucinating that day.
"Come, Jayden," Jacob called out. "Sit and eat as well,"
Jayden nodded and approached the table, as everyone continued their meal. He noticed Jessica wasn't talking or eating anymore, and to lighten the mood, he offered a small smirk.
"Don't worry, Jessica. It's not poisoned." he teased
Laughter erupted around the table.
Jessica clenched her fists under the table, she hated everything that was happening. She hated that everyone had just accepted Jayden easily. She wasn't even annoyed by the joke or the laughter, it was the speech that upset her.
She stood abruptly. "Screw this. I'm done."
The chair scraped loudly across the floor. She didn't wait for anyone to stop her. She shot Jayden one last look.. one full of confusion and quiet rage before disappearing up the stairs with tears in her eyes.
"Jessie!" Tasha called out, trying to follow her. But Jacob stopped her
"Let her be," he said. "She'll come around,"
Jayden exhaled, pulled up a chair and joined them on the table. He was worried about Jessica, she looked really upset. But most of all, he had seen it in her eyes... She was terrified.
But Jayden put it at the back of his mind, he sighed and turned his attention to the food. His appetite was low, but there was something else he needed to test. Luna's thesis.
He chewed and swallowed, then waited. But nothing happened, there was no effect at all.
"Sigh* It didn't work, Luna," he stated inwardly. "I don't feel any different,"
[Well, too bad] Luna replied. [Perhaps it's because you are not an Evolved human... or even human at all]
Jayden sighed and put another piece of meat in his mouth. "So, this was all for nothing. I can't be..."
[C-Rank Beast meat consumed]
[+2 Strength]
[+2 Agility]
The system screen appeared with a notifications, interrupting his thoughts.
A smile formed on Jayden's face as he read the messages. "Well, this is interesting,"
[Interesting, Indeed] Luna agreed. [It seems the beast meat doesn't amplify your energy or ability. But it increases your stat]
Jayden smirked. "That's much better.. I think," he muttered, before stealing a glance at Jacob, Harleen and Tasha.
"But still, it should atleast amplify their energy," he pondered.
[Perhaps it doesn't work for certain people] Luna said
But almost immediately after Luna spoke, Tasha suddenly dropped her fork. Her eyes widened, her hands trembling.
Jacob furrowed his brows. "Everything okay, Tasha?"
Tasha remained silent for a few seconds before responding. "Yeah, Dad. I'm fine. But I think... My energy output has increased," she muttered softly, clearly in shock.
Harleen's eyes widened, she was surprised. "But how is that possible? You weren't training," she asked
Then Jacob also felt it, a warm feeling coursing through his cells. "I can feel something as well.. it's strengthening my coupled energy. Darling, can't you feel it too?" he asked, shifting his gaze to Harleen
Harleen smiled wrly. "I can, but... I overlooked it," she muttered. She and Jacob had reached level 30 a long time ago, but they couldn't break through. So things like enhancement and amplifying serums couldn't work on them. Only beast meat of C-Rank and above could have an enhancing effect on their coupled cells. But it was very expensive.
And even though Jacob was above average in terms of financial status, high ranked beast meat wasn't something he could just purchase consistently. So it had been a while since he felt that warm sensation.
"I think it's the meat," Tasha muttered. And immediately, all eyes turned to Jayden, who wasn't even paying attention to them.
He felt the multiple gazes upon him, so he looked up, staring at them in confusion. "What's wrong?" he asked innocently
Jacob sighed. "Kiddo, this is beast meat, right?" he asked, motioning to the entire dish.
Jayden nodded. "Yes,"
"What rank?" Jacob asked again
"Um.. C-Rank," Jayden replied casually
They nearly choked. Their eyes widened in shock, they had all been eating a C-Rank beast meat the whole time. They had expected it to be maybe E or D-Rank.
"Where did you get it? You didn't buy it, did you?" Jacob asked
"No," he said again, just as calmly.
Harleen's heart dropped. She remembered her encounter with Jayden in the morning. How he said he went hunting. The blood. The look in his eyes. And that led her to one conclusion.
"Jayden… did you kill it yourself?" Her voice was low, cautious.