(Author's note: The dialogues in telepathy are italicized.)

Coldor City's Cinnamall Fine Dining is one of the most renowned restaurants in the region, celebrated for its mesmerizing cuisine and aristocratic atmosphere. Normally, the place would be packed with elegant patrons, but tonight, it is reserved for a single family of five. Most of the staff have been given the day off, leaving only a few behind to maintain quiet privacy for their VIP guests.

They are seated beside a large, transparent window, elegantly adorned with warm Christmas decorations. Through the frosted glass, the busy street outside bustles with movement. People hurry past in the cold winter air, oblivious to the cozy luxury within.

Anna, the youngest of the family—a sixteen-year-old girl with sapphire blue eyes and wavy blond hair—speaks first, after quietly enjoying the view.

"Should we really use the whole restaurant just for ourselves? It's Christmas Eve, after all."

"Oh? Talking the traditional way now, are we?" Kyle, the second son, nudges his sister teasingly.

"So what?" Anna retorts. "I need to practice my voice too. I can't sing through telepathy, can I?"

Kyle chuckles, adjusting the collar of his brand-new police uniform. Across the table, their father, Daniel, a refined gentleman with grayish-blue eyes, smiles broadly. Looking at him, it's easy to see where his children inherited their looks.

"Of course!" Daniel encourages her. "My little princess is a rising idol. That Best Young Talent award didn't come out of nowhere."

"You can relax and do whatever you want tonight," Mary, his wife and the children's mother, adds gently. "I gave most of the staff a week off starting today. They've worked hard all year."

"You're right, Mom," Jason, the eldest son, says with a nod. A calm, elegant young man in glasses, he adds, "But wait... May and Clara took their vacation too?"

"Yes," Mary replies. "Our housekeepers deserve rest as well. Or do you think everyone's a workaholic like you, Doctor?"

Jason smiles weakly, sensing the edge in her words.
"Well, patients don't have holidays, you know."

Mary doesn't look entirely pleased. Her gaze drifts, distant, as though she's missing someone. Even in her fifties, she looks barely in her thirties—graceful and youthful. Daniel lifts his voice to lighten the mood.

"Come on, let's have a toast. An, congrats on your award! Kay and Jay, good work this year. And Mary—congratulations on your thriving business, ma'am!"

"You too, Daddy. Go for your upcoming re-election!" Anna raises her glass of juice cheerfully.

They toast together, laughing and chatting. A happy, picture-perfect family.

They are the Lanes, one of the most prestigious families in the nation.
Daniel Lanes, the father, is the mayor of Coldor City.
Mary Lanes, the mother, is the chairwoman of Cinnamall, a giant chain of shopping malls and restaurants.
Jason, the eldest son, is a surgeon at Coldor General Hospital.
Kyle, the second son, is a police detective.
And Anna, the youngest, is a famous, popular singer.

As night deepens, the Lanes wrap up their private celebration and return home in their luxury car. Anna gazes out the window in silence. Then she speaks—not aloud, but in thought:

"There are people still out on the street at this hour... handing out leaflets, cleaning the trash. Are they all recessives?"

The others remain quiet, but their thoughts respond—telepathy humming softly between them.

"Mostly, honey," Daniel replies. "Unlike us, they don't have special abilities. Their job choices are limited."

"But there are dominants who do those jobs too," Mary adds. "Three-quarters of the population is dominant, after all."

"I know. It's just... they used to be so far above us. I'm still not used to being treated equally—or even more highly—than them," Anna admits.

Daniel and Mary share a silent, uneasy glance.

Roughly a hundred years ago, only 25% of the world's population was born with evolved genes. These genes gave them telepathy, supernatural abilities, enhanced physical strength, and longer lifespans. At the time, the evolved—despite their powers—had to live in hiding. They were hunted and suppressed by "normal" people, who feared anything different.

The reason? Even with their abilities, the evolved couldn't kill. If they tried, their bodies would suffer paralyzing pain—an inbuilt biological barrier. For a long time, the so-called normal people sought to control them.

But Mother Nature had a hidden card. The evolved genes were dominant. They spread rapidly across the globe, and in just four generations, the evolved population reached 75%, where it remains today.

Now, as Anna knows, the "normal" ones are actually people like her—dominants, gifted with supernatural abilities. And the rest, those without powers, are now the recessives. Ironically, they are the ones labeled "different."

"Great! Amber accepted me! We're mindmates now!" Kyle suddenly bursts out, breaking the quiet in the car.

"What? Another girl?" Anna exclaims in disbelief.

"What's a mindmate?" Peter, their chauffeur—a middle-aged recessive—asks as the conversation turns verbal.

"Someone who accepted your invitation to connect on Evo," Daniel explains.

"Evo like a telepathic social network," Mary adds. "Like Pacebook or Trister, but it's not on a phone or computer—it's in your minds."

"I see," Peter chuckles. "No wonder phones are so outdated now, huh?"

His harmless joke makes Daniel tense. He checks his jacket pocket, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Mary asks.

"My phone. I forgot about it."

"Relax. Don't they usually contact you via Evo for work?"

"They do... but I should still check, just in case." Daniel sighs. "It's dead."

The car continues toward the Lanes' estate. Even from a distance, the grand villa glows warmly with holiday lights. When the car stops, the family steps out, and Peter waves as he drives off to begin his own vacation.

"Look! The house is all lit up and welcoming. May and Clara are the best!" Anna cheers, linking arms with her father. He laughs heartily and wraps his other arm around Mary's shoulder. Jason and Kyle walk behind, relaxed and content.

But as they approach the main gate, the family halts.

Someone is standing there—back turned toward them—wearing a black hooded jacket and carrying a light military backpack. The stranger holds a phone to their ear and stares at the glowing house ahead.

"Who's there?" Daniel calls out cautiously.

The figure turns, and Daniel and Mary freeze.

A young man in his twenties stares back, gray eyes gleaming beneath shaggy black hair. Seeing them, he lowers the phone, canceling his unanswered call. His expression shifts—shy, uncertain, and quietly moved by the sight of them.

"Hm? Mom? Dad? Why did you stop?" Kyle asks, walking up behind them with Jason.

Anna blinks. "Is that... him?"

The stranger hesitates, visibly tense in front of the full family. He takes a step back, as though pushed by some invisible pressure. The cold December breeze catches the edges of his hood, revealing his pale face.

"Yes," Daniel says softly, his voice full of disbelief. "That's your third brother."

"Gabriel... you're back?" Mary breathes, eyes wide.

Jason and Kyle are frozen, jaws slack with shock.

A long pause hangs in the air. Then the young man speaks, his voice hoarse and uncertain, wearing an awkward smile.

"H... Hi everyone. I'm... home... well—cough!"

They all stare in stunned silence.

Their third son has been away from home for seven years. 

Now, he has returned.