We finished eating some sweet and savory desserts before going to sleep. When I arrived at my room, I was surprised by how tidy it was—it was clear that it had been cared for daily while I was gone.

I changed out of my casual clothes into a comfortable set of pajamas and leapt onto my bed. As I landed, I felt the mattress embrace me with softness. What is this feeling? Has a bed always felt this comfortable? It's winter, and the streets tend to be a bit chilly despite living in a warm region of the marquisate, so I tucked myself in under the quilt and felt like the heavens were lulling me to sleep.

"What a pleasure it will be to sleep in a real bed!" My body, still lively from the long conversation, began to feel drowsy, and my final blinks grew slower until I fell into a deep sleep in a place that felt like the sky.

"Young master, it's time to wake up. Lunch will be ready in twenty minutes!" The sound of the door and a sweet voice from a young girl slowly brought me out of sleep. I opened my eyes, which desperately wanted to stay closed—something I hadn't felt in a very long time.

"Thank you for waking me. I'll get ready." I rubbed my eyes and made my way to the shower, enjoying a proper bath for the first time in years. My body felt renewed. Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw a boy who looked much older than twelve. My body seemed fifteen, my face matched that, and my eyes reflected a maturity far beyond my age. Honestly, with this body and face, I could probably have a pretty smooth school life.

I picked out a slightly elegant casual outfit and headed to the dining room, using my domain to detect the presence of others. I sensed my parents and grandmother already waiting.

"Sorry for the delay. It's hard to get up after sleeping in a real bed for the first time in three years." I apologized as I sat down. All three of them greeted me while joking about how I'd been living like a savage.

Lunch flew by as we chatted. I felt a bit guilty for eating like two people, but I had really missed the taste of good food. Could I take the chef to school with me?

"Son, let's try these out." My father presented some collars, very similar to the ones my older brother Ritmo once brought. I noticed subtle differences in the collar's finish, and the mana they emitted was noticeably stronger.

"And you call yourself a good father? I've been back less than a day, and you already want me to fight." I tried to look sad, avoided eye contact, and fidgeted with my hands.

A small orb of light affinity landed on my head. "We know you want to go train." My grandmother spoke for everyone. When I looked up, all three of them were staring at me like I was some kind of rare creature. I looked at each of them and started laughing.

"Come on, Father. You must be itching to stretch those muscles after hearing my story." I caught one of the collars mid-air. He held his own while smiling from ear to ear, and my mother shook her head in mock disapproval.

"I was going to ask you to train with me, but your father beat me to it. At least now we can all see your full strength in our training room." We headed toward what used to be my small little training space. Upon arriving, I saw a beautiful structure of stone and metal. Inside was an enormous training space—at least 40 meters long, 30 wide, and 8 high.

"Impressive!" Not only had they expanded it, but I also sensed a powerful rectangular barrier covering the entire space. It felt like it could withstand all of my attacks without much issue.

"Right? It took a lot, but it's necessary to train quality soldiers under optimal conditions without damaging the grounds." My mother looked proud as she spoke about the room.

We set the collars to withstand a certain amount of damage and stood facing each other. My mother and grandmother remained seated in a corner of the room, where another layer of mana protected a spectator area from any harm.

"Go all out from the start. Don't worry about hurting me. I'm an Intermediate Ruby rank." My father raised his finger in approval, giving me the green light not to hold back. I took a deep breath and slowly released it. Once I was focused, I pressed the center button on the collar, activating the mana barrier around us. "Be gentle with your youngest son, Dad." He pulled out a massive hammer from his dimensional bracelet, his Imra and mana surging all around.

I wasted no time and activated every ability I could for the fight. Five V4 orbs, filled with both Laws, launched at my father the moment they formed. I'd already constructed my movement ability, my mind remained calm thanks to my control skill, and I had two ice swords for close combat—both infused with the pseudo Law and the full Law. My face and body were encased in a thick ice layer, containing everything possible within.

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Rita's point of view:

"Wonderful… so many constructions at once. His ice and lightning affinities are the first to manifest. Gravity is there too—I can't feel the pressure, but it looks powerful." My grandson unleashed his entire arsenal from the beginning. He's not the same child he was three years ago. The pressure I sense from him doesn't belong to an Emerald rank.

"Those five orbs don't just contain Imra and lightning affinity—I can feel both Laws inside. I don't know how long he must have practiced to create five of them simultaneously at that age. His other constructs to protect his body also look quite solid. They should withstand a solid hit from a Sapphire-rank opponent. Maki really is a limit breaker." My daughter-in-law shares my view. She's more attuned to the ice constructs because that's her own affinity. She can notice details I miss.

Jarrid slams his hammer on the ground, sending serpents of lightning tearing through Maki's constructs in an instant and heading straight for him. Maki uses his movement ability to reappear on Jarrid's right and sprints toward him directly.

I know that skill of my son well—it's strong, even for a Ruby-rank. The fact that it meets resistance from Maki's orbs surprises both Celes and me. Maki's movement skill is also special—I can tell he's keeping it active for further use.

"Is he going for close combat? I don't know if that's a good idea." Celes watches their son, concerned. I share her doubt—it's not the best strategy, but he doesn't have many other options. Maki knows he has no advantage from a distance or up close.

"You know him. He's always had a gift with the sword. Just look at your husband's hammer—you'll notice." At my words, Celes focuses and notices the difference. His hammer isn't giving off its usual presence—he's dialing back his mana and Imra to match the ice swords, all because Maki doesn't have a proper weapon yet.

Blows fly back and forth. From the first exchanges, it's clear they're comparing weapon mastery and close-combat prowess. Jarrid has always been a tank, focused on defense and heavy strikes. His lightning affinity makes up for his lack of speed. Maki, on the other hand, is speed and agility—he's fast, sharp with the sword, and his attack power is enhanced by his Imra. His defense is covered by his constructs.

"I can't believe this." Celes murmurs, and I completely agree. Jarrid is losing ground. Even though he reduced his strength to an Intermediate Sapphire level, this shouldn't be possible. Maki's cuts are precise, each one executed with the next four or five already in mind.

Jarrid tries to catch up using electric constructs, but he's never been good at that. Every bolt, wave, or variation is blocked by Maki's ice orbs. Jarrid has always been the team's tank, and these kinds of opponents are the worst for one-on-one combat.

"That death affinity is a headache." Celes has noticed how dangerous that ability is. Even wielded by someone of Emerald rank, it remains a rank (IV) skill. Whenever Jarrid gets hit, we can clearly see the ability attempting to consume his mana veil. The more it devours, the faster the safety system activates. He has to burn it off with his lightning.

"And it's not just that. Jarrid could build faster—but the problem is Maki's vision. Thanks to his domain, he can see in any direction and construct instantly." I had completely forgotten how annoying that ability was. Maki doesn't just sense mana—he can detect anyone or anything, and at this point, maybe even Imra.

Feeling pressured by his son's sword skill and mana, Jarrid begins to release the power he had been holding back. His speed and strength surge. A single blow sends Maki flying several meters, immediately followed by a wave of lightning toward where he fell.

My grandson creates nine orbs in response, rapidly countering the attack, and moves to another position with his movement skill. Jarrid appears beside him using the same method. Maki tries to escape again, but Jarrid follows effortlessly. With that powerful hammer, Jarrid starts forcing Maki into a corner. Once he's pinned, he channels an immense charge of electricity into the hammer and brings it down in a vertical smash. Maki takes it head-on with everything he has, but his constructs shatter, and the collar activates.

"Fascinating. That boy is already Sapphire rank in every way—he just hasn't officially advanced." My daughter-in-law is right. All of Maki's abilities are already at that level. Once he ranks up, they'll be even stronger, and he'll use them with more ease.

"Let's go congratulate them both." She gives me a sweet smile, helps me up, and we walk over to where the two of them are laughing and talking. "That was a good fight." My words make them both turn toward us. They each raise a thumbs-up—one standing, the other sitting on the floor.

I'll have to process everything tonight… I need to estimate just how strong my grandson really is.

Maki's point of view:

When my father released just a bit of his limiter, the fight turned around. His blows became hard to predict—even with my domain—and his strength pushed me back even when I blocked efficiently. That final blow was insane. Without the collar, I'd be fried like a fish. I'm not sure I'd have survived long enough to use my healing skill.

My grandmother and mother approached while my father congratulated me on my current strength. According to his estimates, I could fight against one Advanced Ruby rank or two Intermediate ones—assuming I play the surprise factor and heal mid-battle.

When my grandmother spoke, we both reacted the same way: with a thumbs-up. They all started giving me advice on the fight and promised to help me find a new skill—and more importantly, a pseudo Law or full Law related to electricity.

The rest of the day was like a typical family outing. We toured both cities, ate street food, and returned home for dinner, continuing to talk into the night about changes in the cities during my time away.

As we passed through Mancor, I made a mental note to visit my friend Edd. Wait—did I make notes to myself while in the dungeon? I hope I can remember them tomorrow. That would help me wrap things up. Now it's time to sleep in the heaven called bed.

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