The Protagonist's Useless Brother-Chapter 120: The Prodigal Son’s Return [1]

The first rays of dawn pierced the horizon.

Golden light spilled across the vast landscape below. It illuminated rolling hills, dense forests, and a distant, winding river.

The wind rushed past Marcus’s ears. It was cold and crisp.

He sat on the edge of the woven wind carpet. His legs dangled over the side.

He looked down at the world passing beneath them.

They were high up. The trees looked like moss. The roads looked like thin ribbons.

"We are entering Aldridge territory," Ventessa announced.

Her voice came from the top of his head. The white fluffball shifted slightly in his messy hair.

"Finally," Marcus breathed. "Home sweet home."

He didn’t sound excited. He sounded like a man walking to his own execution.

"The sun is up," Ventessa noted. Her tone was flat and bored. "People will see us."

"That is a problem," Marcus said. "A flying carpet tends to draw attention."

"Humans are noisy," Ventessa complained. "I do not want to deal with pointing fingers."

"Can you fix it?" Marcus asked.

"Obviously," she replied.

Ventessa let out a small squeak. It sounded like a yawn.

The air around the carpet began to shimmer. It rippled like heat haze on a summer road.

The light bent. The colors shifted.

Marcus looked down at his hand. It was becoming translucent.

He looked at the carpet. It was fading into the sky.

"Invisibility?" Marcus asked.

"Light refraction," Ventessa corrected. "Same result. We are now a cloud."

"Useful," Marcus admitted.

"Do not fall off," Ventessa warned. "I can’t catch you if I can’t see you."

"That is reassuring," Marcus muttered.

He gripped the invisible edge of the carpet tighter.

The landscape below grew familiar.

He recognized the vineyards. He recognized the shape of the forests.

And in the distance, he saw it.

Silverwood Manor.

It sat on a hill. It was a sprawling estate surrounded by high stone walls.

It looked peaceful. It looked majestic.

To Marcus, it looked like a prison.

He sighed and turned his attention to his companions.

They needed to wake up. They couldn’t arrive asleep.

He crawled over to the center of the carpet.

Elara was curled up in a tight ball. She was shivering slightly in the morning chill.

Her face was pale. Her brow was furrowed in a nightmare.

"Elara," Marcus whispered. He shook her shoulder gently.

She gasped. Her eyes snapped open.

She sat up instantly. She looked around wildly.

Panic flooded her gaze.

"Where..." she stammered. "Where am I?"

She looked at the sky. She looked at the invisible floor beneath her.

For a moment, she thought she was falling.

She grabbed her chest. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps.

"Thomas?" she called out. "Thomas, help!"

Silence answered her.

The wind howled softly.

Elara froze. The name hung in the air.

The memory crashed down on her.

The dungeon. The cell. The cold body in her lap.

It wasn’t a nightmare. It was real.

She looked at Marcus.

He was kneeling in front of her. His grey-blue eyes were sad but steady.

"It is okay," Marcus said softly. "You are safe."

Elara stared at him.

She saw the dirt on his face. She saw the kindness in his eyes.

The confusion faded. The grief returned, but the panic subsided.

She wasn’t back in the cell. She was with the man who saved her.

"Marcus," she whispered.

"We are here," Marcus said. "We are almost at the estate."

Elara nodded slowly. She hugged her knees.

"Okay," she said. Her voice was hollow. "Okay."

Marcus gave her a moment. Then he turned to the dragon girl.

She was sleeping soundly against the bear.

Thanks to Ventessa’s illusion, her horns and tail were invisible. She looked like a normal human child.

"Hey," Marcus said. He poked her cheek. "Wake up, little one."

The girl groaned. She swatted his hand away.

"Five more minutes," she mumbled.

Marcus blinked. "Did she just...?"

He looked at the bear.

Goliath shrugged his fuzzy shoulders. "Kids these days. No discipline."

"We are landing," Marcus said. "You have to wake up."

He picked her up. She went limp like a ragdoll.

"No walk," she complained. "Sleep."

"You can sleep later," Marcus promised. "We have arrived."

She opened one eye. It was blue and grumpy.

She looked at him. Then she closed it again and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Fine," Marcus sighed. "I will carry you."

Goliath stood up. He stretched his stubby arms.

He waddled to the edge of the carpet. He peered down at the approaching estate.

His button eye widened. It sparkled in the sunlight.

"Whoa," Goliath said. "Is that your house?"

"That is the estate," Marcus confirmed.

"It is huge!" Goliath shouted. "It is a castle!"

"It is a manor," Marcus corrected. "Viscount level."

"Whatever!" Goliath waved his paw. "It is fancy!"

The bear turned to Marcus. He looked excited.

"This is my first time in a noble house," Goliath squeaked.

He puffed out his chest.

"I have read about this," he said. "In the stories."

"Stories?" Marcus asked warily.

"Yeah!" Goliath said. "Noble life is amazing."

The bear began to pace back and forth on the invisible rug. He gestured wildly as he spoke.

"You have servants for everything," Goliath listed. "Servants to cook. Servants to clean. Servants to tie your shoes."

He looked at Marcus with awe.

"They must treat you like a king," Goliath said.

"They bow when you walk by," he continued. "They scramble to fulfill your every wish."

Goliath clasped his paws together. He looked dreamy.

"They probably line up at the door," he imagined. "Just waiting to greet you. ’Welcome home, Young Master! We missed you so much!’"

He mimicked a deep, respectful voice.

"You snap your fingers, and food appears," Goliath said. "You frown, and they panic."

He looked at Marcus with shining admiration.

"You are basically a god in there," Goliath concluded. "Everyone respects you. Everyone loves you."

Marcus listened to the bear.

His expression went flat. His eye twitched slightly.

He looked at the manor getting closer.

He remembered the morning he arrived in this world.

He remembered the knock at the door.

He remembered the servant entering without waiting.

The servant who entered looked like someone had starched not just his uniform but his entire soul.

Everything about him was rigid, from his perfectly pressed collar to his perfectly neutral expression that somehow managed to convey complete disgust.

Marcus remembered the cold stares in the hallways. The whispers behind his back.

To the staff, Marcus Aldridge wasn’t a god.

He was a stain on the family honor. He was a job hazard they had to tolerate.

Marcus looked back at Goliath.

The bear was still beaming. He was expecting a hero’s welcome.

Marcus let out a laugh. It was a dry, brittle sound.

"Hehehe..." Marcus chuckled. "Yeah... right."

It was a laugh of pure self-deprecation.

"A god," Marcus whispered to himself. "If only."

"What?" Goliath asked. "Did I get it right?"

"You have a vivid imagination, Goliath," Marcus said.

"Is that a yes?"

"You will see," Marcus said. "Just... lower your expectations."

"Why?" Goliath asked. "Are the servants ugly?"

"No," Marcus said. "They are just... honest."

Ventessa interrupted them.

"We are landing," she announced. "Hold on."

The carpet banked sharply. It descended toward a dense forest bordering the estate grounds.

"Why here?" Goliath asked. "Why not the front door?"

"We are sneaking in?" Elara asked. She looked worried.

"No," Marcus said. "But landing a magic carpet on the front lawn raises questions I can’t answer."

"Also," Ventessa added. "I do not want guards shooting arrows at me. It is annoying."

They dropped below the tree line.

The carpet weaved between the branches. It slowed down.

It hovered a foot above the grassy forest floor.

"Out," Ventessa ordered.

.

.

.

A/N:

Hey guys, how is it going?

Hope you guys are doing great. I am also fin... no not actually fine. Still in the phase of adapting to my new life in a new country.

First of all sorry for the long wait, even the word long isn’t enough. But I have really been busy... trust me reallllyyy busy.

And it has been an absolute nightmare of a month, although I am excited about this new journey, its still hard, hectic and stressful.

And due to all these, I just couldn’t get the time to write, heck I still can’t but I wrote cause u guys have been asking me for the next Chapters for a long while. And here it is... I don’t want to keep u guys waiting but here it is.

Don’t worry its not dropped, and not planning to do that as well. So, relax and chill out.

Although I am still not completely free, I will try my utmost to upload regularly, so just stay tuned, keep supporting and keep reading.

And please guys kindly support me with power stones and golden ticket, we need it to get back in the rankings and get more viewers.

Love ya guys (no homo).