The wind in the outskirts carried a dry heat as it swept over the meticulously trimmed green lawn.
With his hands behind his back, Lucian slowly descended onto the grass outside the little yard.
He raised his face slightly, wearing Homelander's signature smile, and looked over the white wooden fence.
The boy in the yard was absorbed in bouncing the basketball in his hands.
The dull thud of the ball striking the grass echoed through the empty yard, over and over.
Lucian adjusted his facial muscles slightly, making his smile look a little gentler.
"Boy."
He called out to the boy in the yard.
Ryan's hands abruptly froze. The basketball slipped out of his control and rolled down the sloping lawn to the edge of the fence.
The boy quickly looked up, a flicker of unmistakable panic flashing across his face.
He already knew that the man before him was his biological father, the one who had given him life.
But his memories of their last meeting were unpleasant. This man had roughly pushed him off a roof, forcing him to learn to fly.
He had even blown up at the mother who had always protected him, right in front of him.
That was not the father he wanted.
"Hey," Ryan replied timidly.
The word "Dad," which should have come so naturally, simply would not leave his mouth.
Looking at Ryan, Lucian knew perfectly well what the boy was afraid of.
His carbon skin activated instantly. He had to be careful. If this kid got worked up and fired off a blast of heat vision with a glare, his plans would be disrupted.
Only after preparing his defenses did Lucian step forward, walking unhurriedly to the white wooden fence.
He bent down and naturally picked up the basketball that had