Recaps

Amon explained how the Mother Goddess of Depravity’s Chaos Primogenitor symbolism could threaten the barrier, while the Outer Deities launched an assault that Evernight, Calamity, and Roselle helped repel. The attack paused, but a colossal figure of light appeared on the southeastern horizon.

• Amon told Gray and Bethel that the Mother Goddess of Depravity’s Chaos Primogenitor symbolism could shake the barrier and that the Uncertain Mist’s defeat had helped prevent her from invoking it.
• The Outer Deities discovered changes inside the barrier and pressed eight great stars against it, while Lilith and Stiano realized that only four gods remained to support it.
• Evernight and Calamity moved their divine kingdoms into position, concealed cracks, and weakened the attack, stabilizing the barrier for a time.
• The Black Emperor, Roselle Gustav, arrived after accommodating part of the Nation of Disorder’s power, further calming the Astral World and stopping the Outer Deities’ assault.
• Amon explained that the Outer Deities feared triggering Primordial God Almighty’s revival, then Gray, Bethel, and Amon saw a giant of light appear in the southeast.

God Almighty returned and stabilized the barrier, while his influence reached people across the world. Audrey learned that she might soon advance, Derrick and Lovia recognized the radiant giant differently, and Leonard wrote to the sleeping Klein before receiving no response.

• Audrey and other Beyonders saw a radiant Giant of Light as God Almighty returned, changing the Astral World’s authorities and strengthening the barrier for another year or two.
• Audrey reflected on the divine war and told Earl Hall and Hibbert that the churches were directing the kingdom’s reforms through their control of Beyonder power.
• Fors Wall arrived to help Audrey deal with a Mind Dragon and took her into the Spirit World.
• Derrick Berg and Luvia Tiffany realized they had shared a dream of the radiant giant, which Luvia identified as the Creator reclaiming every authority.
• Leonard wrote to the sleeping Klein about his and Shermane’s expected child, then recited the Fool’s honorific name, but the letter remained unsacrificed.

Bernadette learned that the gods were preparing for the apocalypse while Anne arranged to obtain a Hand of Order for Roselle. As the Tarot Club shifted its gatherings and Emlyn worried about advancing before the apocalypse, the Ancestor appeared in his dream with an important task for him.

• Bernadette heard that Cattleya and allies had killed Letitia, then sensed that only one of the ancient Mind Dragons remained.
• Anne announced that she planned to borrow a Hand of Order, and Empress Roselle revealed that the Master of the Mirror World would provide it in exchange for the Mirror People’s submission.
• Alger weighed possible Sequence 2 pathways and wondered whether his dream of a Giant of Light and a thunderclap foretold the gods’ conflict.
• The Tarot Club gathering was postponed, and Emlyn feared the apocalypse was approaching before he could become an angel.
• Emlyn sought advice from Olmer about digesting his potion, then dreamed that the Ancestor called him and said she had an important task for him.

Cattleya foresaw and prevented a catastrophe in the East Sonia Sea, while the Tarot Club reconvened after a month with Mr. Fool and Miss Empress absent. Its members revealed that many had advanced to angelhood under mysterious circumstances, and they began to suspect Klein and Angel had helped arrange their advancements.

• Cattleya dreamed of an apocalypse, sailed to the East Sonia Sea, and prevented the catastrophe by finding Miss Empress in the God War Ruins and making her smile.
• Benson considered the concentration of Beyonders around his family as Melissa, a Savant, discussed the Analytical Engine with Lily.
• Leonard asked Xio to protect the Moretti family and Shermane while he left for a church mission, then learned that Xio had an opportunity to advance to Sequence 2.
• Audrey opened the Tarot Club gathering and revealed that she had become a Sequence 2 Discerner after killing the Mind Dragon Edefana.
• The Hanged Man, Derrick, Emlyn, Cattleya, Xio, and Leonard each described recent events that had advanced them to Sequence 2.
• The Tarot Club members suspected that Klein and Angel had arranged their rapid advancements and looked to Fors for answers.

At the Tarot Club, Fors explained the Outer Deities and the approaching Apocalypse, and the newly ascended Angels resolved to protect their people and serve as anchors for their Gods. The gathering ended abruptly as a gigantic crimson moon appeared, and the Angels learned that the Apocalypse had arrived ahead of time.

• Audrey realized that the Tarot Club members had been advanced to Angelhood partly to strengthen the faith anchors of Mr. Fool and Miss Empress.
• Fors explained the Outer Deities, the Creator's barrier, and the uncertain timing of the Apocalypse to the other Tarot Club members.
• Alger and Audrey urged the Angels to protect ordinary people and support the Gods by fighting the Outer Deities' Angels and safeguarding their anchors.
• The Tarot Club gathering ended suddenly, and Fors and Xio saw an enormous crimson moon rising outside.
• Leonard awoke at home and questioned the old man as the blood moon appeared, while Angels across Earth heard that the Apocalypse had arrived ahead of time.

Audrey and other angels prepared to protect Earth as the Mother Goddess of Depravity breached the Astral barrier and entered the Western Continent. Klein revealed that he had secretly become the Lord of Mysteries and had already undone the Western Continent’s seal.

• Audrey entered the Sea of Collective Subconscious and joined Ariehogg, Hermes, Adam’s avatar, and other angels in calming minds and preparing for the apocalypse.
• The Mother Goddess of Depravity invoked the Chaos Primogenitor’s symbolism, shattered the Astral barrier, and descended toward the Western Continent to reclaim the Brood Hive.
• In Sefirah Castle, Klein explained to Angel and Gray that the Mother Goddess had delayed her invasion because she feared the Lord of Mysteries’ return and had been misled by Klein’s Fooling.
• Klein revealed that he had become the Lord of Mysteries a month earlier and had concealed his advancement from the Outer Deities.
• Klein spread his power across the universe, altering rules and symbolism, and revealed that he had already undone the Western Continent’s seal.

The Mother Goddess of Depravity entered the Western Continent and began accommodating the Brood Hive as the other Great Old Ones realized the barrier was a deception and moved to break through. Earth’s gods and allies raced to accommodate the remaining Sefirot and prepare for the Apocalypse, while Angel watched the unfolding plan from the gray fog.

• The Mother Goddess of Depravity discovered the false seal and flew toward the Brood Hive to accommodate it, while the Great Old Ones outside the barrier tore open new cracks after realizing the planet’s three Pillars were present.
• Amanises swore to strengthen the Haoli Lineage, became its Sect Master, and began fighting the Dao Integrators’ consciousnesses as she merged with the River of Eternal Darkness.
• Yuggs Stiano began accommodating the Knowledge Moor with the Celestial Master’s help, relying on a temporary deception of the Sefirah’s bloodline requirement.
• Will Auceptin and Ouroboros joined the Buddhist realm’s Dao Integrator to uphold the Key of Light and strengthen Earth’s defenses.
• The Master of the Shadow Cottage and Farbauti agreed to cooperate and entered the Tenebrous World after Farbauti received the Chained Uniqueness and an Abomination characteristic.
• Angel watched from the gray fog as a maternal figure holding an invisible infant sat in the World’s chair at the end of the long bronze table.

Angel and Gray fused to become the Calamity of Destruction, then Angel killed Lilith, Omebella, and Zedus to injure the Mother Goddess of Depravity as she accommodated the Brood Hive. Meanwhile, Roselle took the Celestial Thearch’s crown and throne, becoming another Great Old One of Earth.

• Lilith waited above the gray fog to serve as the sacrifice in Angel and Klein’s plan to wound the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
• Angel and Gray fused, stabilizing the City of Calamity and becoming the Calamity of Destruction; their emergence disrupted the eight Outer Deities attacking the barrier.
• Klein told Angel the time had come, and Angel used a greatsword of destruction to kill Lilith, Omebella, and Zedus.
• The harm from Lilith’s death was grafted onto the Mother Goddess of Depravity as she accommodated the Brood Hive.
• Roselle reached the Thirty-Three Heavens, received the Celestial Thearch’s crown, and took his throne to become a Great Old One.

Klein, Grisha Adam, and Angel tried to contain the Mother Goddess of Depravity and protect Earth as the Outer Deities broke through the Astral World barrier. Angel moved Earth into the Mirror World, but Outer Deities’ angels invaded it while Angel returned to face the Mother Goddess of Depravity.

• Klein reached the barrier and used gray fog to stabilize it while several Outer Deities continued attacking.
• Klein’s countless marionettes and destructive powers helped the Brood Hive resist the Mother Goddess of Depravity’s attempt to absorb it.
• Grisha Adam reinforced the barrier and revealed that he had allowed the Mother Goddess of Depravity to enter Earth so the Great Old Ones could surround her.
• The Mother Goddess of Depravity triggered the chaos primogenitor’s first heartbeat, causing the Original Creator’s barrier to vanish and allowing the Outer Deities to descend into reality.
• Angel moved Earth into the Mirror World, then returned to reality and attacked the Mother Goddess of Depravity as the Outer Deities arrived.
• Outer Deities’ angels entered the Mirror World through the Painting World, leaving Earth’s angels to defend the planet.

Earth’s angels organized a defense against the invading Outer Deity angels while Angel, Klein, and Grisha forced the Mother Goddess of Depravity to expel the Brood Hive and weakened her. The other Outer Deities then returned to reality, setting the stage for Earth’s Great Old Dominators to meet them in battle.

• Bethel, Fors, and Earth’s other angels raised a barrier around the planet and joined Glaide Sauron’s coordinated legion to face the invading angels.
• Glaide Sauron ordered Earth’s angels to defend the barrier while they studied their enemies’ powers and sought to stop more Outer Deity angels from entering the Mirror World.
• Angel struck the Mother Goddess of Depravity with her Greatsword while Klein and Grisha disrupted the Spirit World, Astral World, and her symbolism.
• The Mother Goddess of Depravity expelled the Brood Hive, which Klein Grafted to another region, then restored her immortality by separating from it.
• Klein and Grisha ended their interference, allowing the Outer Deities to return to reality and face Earth’s Great Old Dominators, who prepared to fight them head-on.

Earth’s Great Old Ones faced the Outer Deities in the empty Solar System while Earth’s angel legion fought to defend the planet in the Mirror World. Angel’s opening attack on the Monarch of Decay was undone by the Circle of Inevitability, but Glaide Sauron’s forces gained the upper hand below and began their counterattack.

• Earth’s Great Old Ones and eight Outer Deities assembled for battle, with Klein and Grisha estimating Earth had an advantage and planning to kill several opponents.
• Angel attacked the Monarch of Decay with help from Amanises, but their combined powers formed a dangerous black point that threatened to draw their Sefirah together.
• The Circle of Inevitability used Reincarnation to return the battlefield to its state before Angel’s attack.
• In the Mirror World, Earth’s angels and Sefirah cultivators adapted to the Outer Deities’ forces and used the Calamity of Destruction’s abilities to improve their position.
• Glaide Sauron called for a counterattack, and Medici struck an enemy Leviathan with a Flame Spear.

Earth’s angels and Great Old Ones battled the Outer Deities across two fronts, with coordinated attacks driving off several enemies while Klein struggled to contain multiple Pillars. The chapter ended as Judith pursued the High-Dimensional Overseer with a destructive Greatsword after Klein’s rules disrupted its escape between dimensions.

• Queen Anne’s Revenge broke into the Outer Deities’ angel formation, and Judith’s team wounded the High-Dimensional Overseer with an attack that crossed dimensions, forcing it to flee.
• The Tree God’s attempt to heal the Observer and Leviathan instead rejuvenated the Time Giant, who was struck by the Star Dragon’s asteroid, while the Mirror World shook and halted both sides.
• Klein trapped the Supernova Dominator and the Goddess of fate, then used Marionettes to hold back the Mother Tree of Desire as the Mother Goddess of Depravity’s new life power threatened his control and stirred the Celestial Worthy.
• The Circle of Inevitability pursued the Key of Light but was intercepted by Amanises, Stiano, and the returning Key of Light and Tenebrous World, while the expected Outer Deity reinforcements failed to arrive.
• The High-Dimensional Overseer tried to help the Monarch of Decay, but Judith attacked it through War Fog and Klein’s dimensional rules slowed its escape, leaving it pursued by her Greatsword.

The Goddess of fate and the Mother Goddess of Depravity tried to sever Klein from Sefirah Castle, but God Almighty Grisha’s arrival let Klein turn their attack against the Mother Tree of Desire and kill her. On the other battlefield, Angel trapped and wounded the Inextinguishable Ravings, which rushed toward another fight, as Primordial Hunger appeared beside her.

• The Goddess of fate used the Mother Goddess of Depravity’s power to anchor a new fate tributary in Klein and prepared to sever his connection to Sefirah Castle.
• The Mother Goddess of Depravity and the Goddess of fate trapped Klein in reality while the Supernova Dominator shattered his barriers and launched an attack.
• God Almighty Grisha appeared, freed Klein, and helped him redirect the fate-cutting blade and the Supernova Dominator’s attack onto the Mother Tree of Desire.
• Klein stripped the Mother Tree of Desire’s connection to the Tenebrous World and delayed her restoration, allowing the Supernova Dominator’s attack to kill her.
• Angel used the City of Calamity and River of Eternal Darkness to trap and grievously injure the Inextinguishable Ravings, which then rushed toward the Circle of Inevitability’s battlefield.
• Primordial Hunger arrived beside Angel after its desire for convergence drew it toward the City of Calamity.

Angel left Primordial Hunger asleep under Amanises’s Eternal Sleep and joined the chaotic battle, while Klein and Grisha drove the Mother Goddess of Depravity’s forces away from the Solar System. As Klein’s side launched a coordinated strike, Primordial Hunger’s pull dragged Angel back toward it, but God Almighty created a phantom to return her to the battlefield, where she raised her scythe against the Supernova Dominator.

• Angel lured Primordial Hunger through a black hole imbued with the power of ending, then escaped through the Astral World toward the battlefield of the Circle of Inevitability and Earth’s allies.
• Amanises put Primordial Hunger to sleep and used her books to channel death toward the Circle of Inevitability’s future, while Angel attacked inextinguishable ravings with a scythe combining Eternal Darkness and the City of Calamity.
• The Shadow of Order and the Monarch of Decay arrived, disrupting the fighting and making the Circle of Inevitability suspect that something was wrong.
• Klein and Grisha scattered the Mother Tree of Desire’s remains and sent the largest portions of the Tenebrous World away from the Solar System, thwarting the Mother Goddess of Depravity’s attempt to recover them.
• Klein sent copies of himself to confine the Supernova Dominator and attack the Goddess of fate, while God Almighty confronted the Mother Goddess of Depravity and the Key of Light appeared to help target the Goddess of fate.
• Primordial Hunger’s convergence pulled Angel back toward its mouth, but God Almighty sent her phantom back to the battlefield, and Angel raised her enormous scythe against the Supernova Dominator.

Angel killed the Supernova Dominator with the symbolism of termination and secured its sefirah, then returned to the other battlefield as the Outer Deities tried to weaken Earth's side. The battle halted when the Mother Goddess of Depravity declared she would let the Chaos Primogenitor be born.

• Angel secretly reached the Supernova Dominator's battlefield, combined destruction and termination powers, and killed it after its attempt to resist failed.
• Angel gathered the Supernova Dominator's sefirah, Uniqueness, and Beyonder characteristics in her Mirror World, then returned to the battle against the Circle of Inevitability and the Monarch of Decay.
• Angel restored Amanises's authorities, while Primordial Hunger attacked and the Outer Deities coordinated to pressure the Key of Light and Tenebrous World with the inextinguishable ravings.
• Stiano unleashed an ocean of knowledge that provoked the inextinguishable ravings, causing the Key of Light and Tenebrous World to suffer severe disruptions.
• Angel hesitated to force a time reboot or form the Fourth Pillar when the Circle of Inevitability refused to intervene, then sensed danger from the battlefield near Earth.
• The Mother Goddess of Depravity declared that she was preparing to give birth to the Chaos Primogenitor, and a strange heartbeat made every Great Old One stop fighting.

Klein and Angel faced the Mother Goddess of Depravity’s threat to unleash the chaos primogenitor, then negotiated terms that could end the war without further devastation. As the Outer Deities began fleeing, Earth’s angels learned that victory belonged to Earth.

• The Mother Goddess of Depravity threatened to bring forth the chaos primogenitor and demanded the Brood Hive and the Mother and Moon pathways.
• Grisha reopened the Astral World, allowing the Outer Deities to escape, and Angel began converging the Mirror Creator as Earth’s deterrent.
• Klein told Angel to bring the Mother Goddess of Depravity into their team, and she agreed to negotiate for Earth’s support.
• Grisha demanded that the Mother Goddess of Depravity leave one pathway behind in exchange for his notarization, and she fell silent.
• The Outer Deities’ angels retreated from the Mirror World, and Glaide Sauron announced that the war was over and Earth had won.

After the Outer Deities fled, Angel and the other Great Old Dominators reviewed the temporary armistice and the risks they still faced. The survivors restored the Solar System and turned toward rebuilding Earth, while Angel ended the chapter looking forward to celebrating their victory.

• The Mother Goddess of Depravity and the other surviving Outer Deities left the Solar System after God Almighty notarized an armistice agreement.
• Angel recalled the agreement's terms: the Mother Goddess of Depravity returned to the Brood Hive and Mother Pathway, the armistice lasted 2,160 years, and the other Outer Deities received only sixty years of protection.
• Roselle warned that Earth's Great Old Ones remained weakened or unstable, including himself, Angel, Klein, Amanises, and Grisha.
• Earth's Great Old Ones agreed that Angel would receive the Supernova Dominator's Sefirah and Pathways, potentially allowing her to accommodate a second Sefirah.
• Klein restored the Solar System around Earth, and the survivors considered the work of repairing the damage and rebuilding relations with the Western Continent.
• Angel looked at Earth beneath its restored sunlight and decided that the day was worth celebrating.

Klein distributed new lives and considered how Earth’s Great Old Ones should divide the remaining sefirot, while Angel planned her next steps after the war. The chapter ended with Gray reminding Angel of a crucial final step from their time travels, as Audrey headed to the Church of the Evernight Goddess.

• Klein released the remaining transmigrators from Sefirah Castle and considered how to resolve the Key of Light, Knowledge Moor, and Tenebrous World.
• Klein summoned the Tarot Club members, who greeted him in the Gray Fog Palace.
• Angel arranged to distribute recovered Beyonder characteristics and told Judith she would try to revive Krismona.
• Angel planned to accommodate the Supernova Dominator’s sefirah, but Gray interrupted her to remind her of the final step in their time travels.
• Audrey walked through Backlund and turned toward the Church of the Evernight Goddess.

After the War of Doomsday, Audrey returned to her family and prepared to reveal her true status as an angel, while Alger led immigrants toward the East Continent on a mission for Mr. Fool. The fleet reached the former Giant King's Court, where Alger encountered the apparently living Leodoro.

• Audrey walked past the Loen Charity Student Aid Fund office and reflected on her family's uncertain future and her need for their support.
• At Saint Samuel Cathedral, Audrey saw Leonard and the Miracle Invoker reunite with a black-haired woman who appeared to have lost her memories.
• Audrey returned to Earl Hall's residence, gathered Earl Hall, Caitlyn, Hibbert, and Alfred in the study, and said she had something important to tell them.
• Alger led a fleet carrying believers and immigrants east across the Sonia Sea toward the Forsaken Land of the Gods, while wondering about Mr. Fool's purpose for the mission.
• The fleet sighted the former Giant King's Court, and Alger recognized the imposing blue-haired figure watching them as the fallen Wind Angel Leodoro.

Derrick helped settle which Silver Knight should use the City of Silver’s sole Sequence 2 Glory characteristic, while Fors and Amon opened an ancient seal and removed a spaceship containing a black hole. Amon then suggested that Fors pursue an Outer Deity pathway and become an archangel with dimensional powers.

• Derrick argued that Colin should advance to Sequence 2 first so the City of Silver would have time to find Waite another angel characteristic, and Colin agreed.
• Fors met Amon in a basement near Santa Port, where he restored an altar bearing the emblems of the Abraham Family and Amon’s family.
• Amon explained that he and Bethel had sealed a spaceship containing an unformed black hole created by the Supernova Dominator, and that local sea-praying rituals helped maintain the seal.
• Fors used her Door authority to undo the seal, causing the spaceship to rise from the sea before two great existences removed it along with the black hole.
• Amon told Fors that Steam wanted the spaceship’s technology and another existence wanted the black hole’s power, then proposed that she become an archangel of an Outer Deity pathway; Fors froze at the suggestion.

Emlyn learned that the final Beauty Goddess characteristic was on the newly accessible Western Continent, while Cattleya traveled there aboard Bernadette’s ghost ship. The expedition reached the continent as Bernadette decided to give the Knowledge Emperor characteristic to her mirrored counterpart.

• Emlyn watched the moon turn white and considered how Lilith might resurrect using the protected Beauty Goddess characteristic.
• The Fool told Emlyn that the final Beauty Goddess characteristic was on the Western Continent.
• Cattleya joined Bernadette’s expedition aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, bringing Frank and researchers from the Moses Ascetic Order.
• Cattleya overheard Bernadette decide that Empress Roselle would receive the Knowledge Emperor characteristic and gain a living body.
• Bernadette explained that Empress Roselle could then help upgrade Anne and the ship using a Prince of Abolition characteristic.
• Sunlight broke through the fog, and the expedition spotted the Western Continent’s mountain range.

Leonard brought Shermane and their infant son Mobet to Saint Triss Church for a blessing and to check for hidden dangers. After hearing of people resurrecting on the day the apocalypse began, Leonard suspected the incidents might be connected, while Xio received a report of a missing intelligence operative who may have become a zombie.

• Leonard and Shermane brought one-month-old Mobet to Saint Triss Church, where Trissy guided Shermane to pray for a blessing.
• Leonard noticed murals depicting Angelica redeeming Trissy, then recognized Ilian Sauron and Tracy in the church.
• Ilian told Leonard that a crew member had recovered from fatal injuries and come back to life, despite examinations finding no sign of evil-god corruption.
• Leonard connected Ilian’s story to a Mandated Punisher’s resurrection on the same day and considered that many similar miracles might have occurred worldwide.
• Shermane returned with Mobet, and Leonard decided to tell Klein about the resurrection cases later.
• Xio Derecha received a report that an intelligence operative had gone missing after death and might have become a zombie.

Xio investigated an MI9 agent who had returned from the dead, then discovered that Melissa Moretti’s radio technology was being used to locate transmissions and received a strange message from the Western Continent. At Bansy Harbor, Gray prepared to complete the time loop that would return her to her original future, but familiar figures appeared in the sky.

• Xio reviewed the case of an MI9 agent whose corpse had vanished after he appeared to return from the dead, and the Fool told her the incident was not caused by an outer deity.
• Xio referred the case to the Church of Evernight and ordered MI9 staff not to control or monitor Melissa Moretti after hearing her radio direction-finding method worked.
• Xio received a radio message reading “Hello, New Continent,” which she later learned had come from the Western Continent.
• Angel Gray arrived at Bansy Harbor and recalled how the City of Calamity’s power let her travel between the present and a mirrored past to complete a time loop.
• Gray prepared to return to the ruined future she considered her own, but familiar figures appeared in the sky and blocked the moonlight.

Gray returned to the past to complete the closed loop, while Angel, Klein, Grisha, and Amanises arranged for a mirror substitute to take her place and preserve her memories. Gray reappeared on the altar moments later, believing her transmigration had failed.

• Angel, Klein, Grisha, and Amanises tried to persuade Gray to stay, but she insisted she had to return to her original world and face its Apocalypse.
• Gray activated the altar and vanished before Angel could follow, leaving the others to mourn her departure.
• Klein and Angel realized Gray’s supposed alternate timeline was part of their own universe and planned to deceive her with altered memories.
• Angel provided a mirror substitute, and Grisha and Klein gave her Gray’s memories and sent her back to 1349 to begin the events that would lead to her departure.
• Angel and the others waited at the altar, and Gray reappeared moments later, confused and asking whether her transmigration had failed.

Angel and Klein reflected on the completed closed loop and held a Tarot Club gathering where Gray shared a story about a Demoness deceived by two pillars. Later, Klein and Angel returned to their former selves in Backlund and reunited with Melissa and the rest of Klein’s family.

• Angel asked Klein how Gray’s information had originated, and Klein suggested the Creator’s consciousness had intervened across time to save the universe.
• Klein kept the Tarot Club’s monthly gathering, where its members shared amusing recent experiences and Gray told a story about an unlucky Demoness deceived by two pillars.
• Klein returned to Backlund and considered how he had temporarily suppressed the Celestial Worthy’s consciousness while the Great Old Ones sought to delay their inevitable convergence.
• Angel appeared beside Klein, and they assumed the appearances they had worn when they first met in Tingen.
• Klein and Angel knocked on Melissa’s door, where Melissa, Benson, and Lily recognized them, and Klein greeted his family by saying they were home.