New Life

When the airship landed at Heaven's Arena airport, it was still early. A thin morning mist hung over the city. Ryan descended the boarding stairs step by step in his heavy tungsten-steel weighted armor. His pace was steady but slow, drawing curious looks from passing travelers who wondered if he was doing some kind of extreme training.

Ryan paid them no mind. He left the airport, hailed a taxi, and went straight home.

The driver was talkative, filling the ride with the latest city gossip. Ryan offered the occasional reply, but mostly watched the familiar streets slide past the window, stirring old memories.

The taxi stopped outside Ryan's apartment complex. He paid the fare and got out to find his father smoking downstairs. At the sight of him, his father hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette and came over.

"You're back." His father patted Ryan's shoulder, then asked with some surprise, "You carried all that the whole way here?"

Ryan smiled. "Yeah. I'm used to it now. It's good training."

His father shook his head helplessly and led him upstairs. "You're getting more and more like your grandfather was back in the day."

When they entered, Ryan's mother was sitting on the living room sofa, carefully cradling his newborn sister, Lena. She looked up with a smile. "Ryan, you're home. Come see your sister."

Ryan set down his luggage and hurried over. Crouching beside his mother, he took a good look at Lena. She was only a few days old, with pink skin and eyes still closed, and every so often her tiny body wriggled. His heart melted. He couldn't resist reaching out to touch her little hand with one finger.

"Lena's a quiet one," his mother said with a smile. "She hardly fusses, though she sleeps an awful lot. You