The campfire crackled softly in the quiet night, casting flickering shadows against the dense forest surrounding the caravan. Seraphina sat near the fire, her sharp gaze scanning the darkness beyond the trees. Even in the safety of their resting spot, she remained vigilant.
Leon, cradled in her arms, pretended to sleep, but his mind was far from idle. The gentle glow of the flames reflected in his golden eyes as he quietly ran through his thoughts.
The journey has been uneventful so far, but that won't last forever.
He had spent the past weeks slowly refining his control over fire and light, using Absolute Calculation to study their properties. But there was only so much he could do in his current state. His physical body was weak—far too fragile for the true power he once wielded.
But he had time.
And patience.
Eon, what is the next recommended step toward unlocking Universal Synthesis?
[ Analysis in progress... ]
A moment passed before the answer came.
[ Current restrictions: Physical body too underdeveloped for large-scale synthesis. Suggested course of action: Absorption of external energy sources to accelerate growth. Recommended target: Ambient mana refinement or artifact enhancement. ]
Leon frowned slightly. Refining mana was a slow process, one that required either a proper cultivation method or exposure to high-quality magical environments. The second option—artifact enhancement—was intriguing, but he had no tools for that yet.
Still… I should begin absorbing mana passively. The sooner, the better.
He closed his eyes and reached out with his senses, feeling the faint traces of energy lingering in the air. It was weak here, far weaker than what he was used to in his divine days. But it was still something.
One step at a time.
------
As the night deepened, the crackling of the fire mixed with the distant rustling of the wind. Seraphina remained awake, lost in her thoughts.
House Aeternis… Father… Reynard…
So much had been taken from her. So much lost. And yet, she could not afford to break—not now. Not when Leon depended on her.
She looked down at him, her expression softening.
He was all she had left.
Her son.
Her reason to keep moving forward.
A part of her still grieved for what they had lost, but another part—the part trained in battle and survival—knew that grief was a luxury they could not afford.
She had to be strong.
For him.
But even as she steeled her heart, she couldn't shake the feeling that this journey was only the beginning.
------
As the night stretched on, Leon's senses stirred.
Something was watching them.
It was subtle—an almost imperceptible ripple in the mana around them. But to Leon, whose soul had once ruled the cosmos, it was unmistakable.
A presence.
Not divine. Not overwhelming. But something… unnatural.
He didn't react immediately. Instead, he allowed his Absolute Calculation to activate at full capacity within its limited 5% range.
The world shifted slightly, calculations and patterns forming in his mind. He traced the disturbances, following the flow of mana like threads in a vast web.
And then he saw it.
Faint. Hidden.
A single pair of crimson eyes gleaming from the darkness of the trees beyond their camp.
Not human.
Not entirely beast either.
Something in between.
Interesting…
He remained still, watching, waiting. Whoever—or whatever—it was, they were observing rather than attacking.
For now.
-----
The presence faded before dawn. By the time the sun rose, there was no trace of the crimson-eyed watcher. But Leon did not forget.
Seraphina remained unaware of what had transpired. She was focused on preparing for the next leg of their journey. The caravan would reach a border town within two days, the last settlement before they officially entered the Kingdom of Astralis.
It was there that they would begin anew.
But Leon knew better.
This was not just a journey for survival.
It was the foundation of something greater.
And when the time came, he would not just reclaim what was his.
He would surpass it.
He would forge a future where no one—not gods, not men—could threaten those he called his own.
The road ahead was long.
But he would walk it without hesitation.
For this was not just about vengeance.
This was about destiny.
And destiny was something no god could deny him.