A while later.

The hall of Kael's room was where everyone—at least the ones who were free—was gathered.

The hall was warm. Amber light spilled in through tall windows, touching the wooden floor and the smooth stone walls that curved like living roots.

The faint smell of tea lingered in the air—Evethra's doing, no doubt—and somewhere outside, children's laughter mingled with the deep, rumbling chuckles of a certain furry giant.

The furry giant, Druvarn, usually roamed around in his plush bear form, but sometimes, like right now, he gave children a ride on his huge back in his true form.

In the hall, Kael sat in his usual seat—a simple chair carved from pale timber, its back shaped like curling wings.

One elbow rested on the armrest, his chin lazily supported by his hand. Across from him sat Lyra and Selene.

Lyra was fidgeting—barefoot, bright-eyed, her staff leaning against her chair, her hair tied up in a loose tail that gleamed like moonlit silk.

Selene, by contrast, was composed—silver-haired and calm, though her once-pale silver eyes now shimmered with the same golden hue as Kael's own, casting her gentle face in an otherworldly light.

And to his side, as ever, sat Evethra. Silent and poised, her red eyes lowered but ever alert, her black hair neatly tied as she poured another cup of tea for her master.

Rue and Rina, who were usually at home at this time, were out playing with Druvarn and other children, while Alenia was busy with her work.

Their village finally had papers, as the craftsman had prepared them a while ago, and Alenia, who had been noting down everything on wooden slabs for about one and a half months, was now writing it all down on paper.

She was happy, as she finally had papers to write on, but at the same time, she—along with her subordinates—was tired.

No one here knew about it, though. For everyone here, she was just someone excited to see paper again.

Even Kael didn't know how tired she was. However, he would once he visits her a while later.

For now, there was peace.

Kael let out a faint hum, eyes half-closed as glowing blue panels unfolded before him—transparent windows of shimmering mana, reflecting in his golden eyes like pieces of a dream.

.........

Name: Lyra Dawnwhisk

Race: Leporin Sylvani (Beastkin – Rabbit)

Stats:

- Strength: A

- Defense: B+

- Agility: A

- Mana: S

Skills:

- Forestrunner (Passive—Enhances speed and maneuverability in forests.)

- Soundless Step (Passive—Footsteps are near silent.)

- Nature's Mark (Active—Allows the user to use nature to their convenience.)

- Priestess of Nature (Passive—An ability derived from the Nature's Mark, letting the user get a boost in their stats whenever they are fighting more than one enemy, while their health and mana regeneration increase.)

- Staff Expert (Passive—The user is an expert staff user.)

.........

Kael's lips curled into a smile as he saw her stats and how her mana was S-rank, something he had to work very hard to get up.

Kael had to personally supply her with mana every day, letting her mana pool expand, and only then was she able to get her mana to S-rank, and thanks to that, she was able to unlock her locked ability, Nature's Mark.

'Still surprising to see how talented she is with a staff,' he thought, glancing at the bunny girl who was now trying to balance her teacup on one knee, recalling how she had reached expert rank in staff use in just one and a half months.

Next, the screen shifted, flickering to a new page of golden text.

.........

Name: Selene Hazelfog.

Race: Temporal Aetherwing (Beastkin – Bird).

Bloodline: Elder Dragon {Inherited}.

Stats:

- Strength: B

- Defense: B

- Agility: A -

- Mana: S

Skills:

- Fractus (Passive Abnormality—Due to a major abnormality in the user's stats, their body will remain broken {Almost healed}.)

- Tempomancy (Active {Partially Unlocked} {Inherited}—An ability that lets the user bend time to their will, but is too powerful for the current user to use.)

- Sky Hunter (Active—An ability that grants the user a stat boost based on how calm they are and how many prey they need to hunt.)

- Temporal Intuition (Active {Derived from Tempomancy}—An instinctively created ability that helps the user to secure the safest future path.)

- Path of Possibility (Active—Glimpse the outcomes of a specific decision.)

- Golden Eyes of Truth (Passive—See through minor illusions and manipulations.)

- Temporal Delation (Active—Lets the user slow down the time of a particular area they decide upon.)

.........

Seeing her abilities and how her bloodline was now unlocked, Kael wondered how strong she had to be to use her Tempomancy to its full power.

Because until now, all she had been able to do was derive some skills that weren't very effective in fights.

Yes, the temporal delation was good, but that ability was better for support than for attack.

Still looking at how much progress she had made, Kael couldn't help but smile, recalling how the girl, who used to think that she would never grow stronger, was now someone with the third-highest mana quantity in the whole village.

Kael could already tell that she would only improve as her Fractus status was completely removed.

And to completely remove it, she needed more than two stats at A-rank.

Evethra, on the other hand, caught Kael's faint smile and tilted her head, whispering, "Did you think of something funny, Master?"

Kael didn't answer. Instead, he waved his hand, and the window curtain parted, letting the sunlight fill the room.

"I was merely… inspecting progress," he said lazily, his voice smooth and even. "It seems both of you have improved."

Lyra shrugged. "Of course we did. You provided us with everything we lacked, and if we couldn't do this much, then we can't live with our heads held high."

Selene blinked once, serene as ever. "True."

For a while, there was only silence in the room, then Lyra grinned. "Still," he began, "The one who grew the most was me."

That made Selene lower her head in defeat, as she knew that she couldn't say anything to that, but Evethra, who was sitting beside Kael, narrowed her eyes.

She wondered if she should burst Lyra's imagination-filled bubble, but a low chuckle from Kael made her drop that thought.

'Yeah,' she muttered to herself. 'As long as Kael knows it, I don't need to prove anything to anyone.'

Kael also smiled, noticing the change in Evethra's expression, swirling the cup of tea she had just poured for him.

The faint fragrance of jasmine rose. "Speaking of which," he said quietly, "Selene—show me the near future."

Evethra's eyes flickered, concern surfacing as she recalled how badly Selene was injured that time she tried to use this ability. "Master—"

That day, her eyes had bled, all because she had included Kael in her prediction.

Kael lifted a hand gently, silencing her without looking away from the seer, as he knew what she was concerned about. "Exclude me from the sight, as usual."

Selene nodded once.

She closed her eyes, and the room seemed to dim.

Golden threads began to weave across her skin—delicate strands of light forming a pattern over her temples, her hair lifting slightly in the unseen wind of magic.

The temperature dropped. Teacups trembled faintly.

Then she spoke.

"I see…" Her voice was distant, echoing with faint reverberations. "The forest stirs again. The village grows faster than the roots beneath it can stabilize. But within two weeks' time, something will arrive—a presence… not hostile, but searching."

Lyra frowned. "Searching for us?"

Selene opened her eyes, golden and glowing. "I can't say for sure, but if I had to guess," she gestured toward Kael, "I would say they would come for him."

She had excluded Kael from her prediction, so she couldn't tell for sure, but for some reason, she felt like it was for him.

And Kael, hearing that, leaned back, unfazed. "Good. I like visitors who never arrive."

Selene's lips curved slightly. "Then you will like this one very much."

The light faded from her eyes, and the room returned to normal.

Evethra exhaled softly, tension melting from her posture. "Every time you do that, my heart skips," she muttered.

Selene smiled faintly. "Mine too."

Lyra blinked. "Wait, your heart skips when you're predicting the future?"

"Only when the future is interesting," Selene said, eyes glinting.

Kael chuckled under his breath, setting the teacup down. "Then it seems I've surrounded myself with women who enjoy chaos. I suppose I deserve it."

Evethra leaned closer, voice tender but teasing. "You encourage it, Master."

Lyra crossed her arms with a grin. "He definitely does."

Kael sighed, the sound soft but amused. "Perhaps. But so long as this peace holds, I'll tolerate your insubordination."

Outside, a faint boom sounded, followed by the unmistakable laughter of Druvarn and Rue arguing over who cheated at their game. The hall rippled with shared laughter.

Kael looked toward the window, the golden light of sunset painting his face. "The future may shift," he murmured, "but for now… I rather like this one."

Evethra's hand rested lightly on the table's edge, close to his. "As do we, Master."

Selene's eyes softened, Lyra beamed—and outside, the golden sky deepened into the velvet blue of evening, the first stars peeking through above the village that had begun as nothing and was slowly, quietly, becoming a city.

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