The forest clearing was quiet—shielded by formation, veiled by mist, and far from the reach of palace eyes. Jalen, Tyrian, Jaya, and Walford stood beneath the canopy, the tension of the palace encounter still lingering in the air. The trees here were old, their roots tangled like memory, their leaves whispering secrets only the wind could hear.
Walford bowed deeply. "Senior. It's good to see you again."
Jalen returned the gesture with equal respect. "I'm glad you both survived. I see you've suffered these past years we've been apart."
Walford straightened, his posture rigid with pride. "It's nothing. I live to serve the royal family—and I'll die for them too."
Jalen's gaze shifted to Jaya. "I assume you both withdrew from the royal competition because of me."
Jaya nodded slowly. "After the squad failed to capture you. I was disqualified from the royal competition and confined to the palace—locked inside, forbidden to step beyond its walls. Walford was imprisoned for aiding you."
Her voice was steady, but the weight behind it was unmistakable. She didn't flinch, didn't dramatize. But the pain was there—in the way her shoulders held tension, in the way her eyes didn't meet his.
"These past few years have been miserable," she admitted. "I didn't expect to see you again. And certainly not like this."
She looked at him—at the quiet power in his stance, the calm that is always in his eyes. A few years had passed, and yet nothing about him had changed.
"You've grown stronger. Stronger than even my father. You are now an elder of the Light Clan… I still can't believe it."
Jalen's voice softened. "If you wish, I can take you both away. You don't have to return."
Jaya hesitated. This was her home. Her bloodline. Her duty. She couldn't drag Jalen into further conflict—not with her father already seething over her brother's death. She had no illusions about the emperor's wrath. But she also knew her place. She was a princess. And she had responsibilities. Besides, she had implicated Jalen enough—she would deal with her family herself.
"I appreciate the gesture," she said. "But I'll stay."
She turned to Walford. "However… take him with you."
Walford blinked. "Princess, I'm your protector."
"It's alright, Walford. I can stand on my own now." She wasn't entirely confident in herself, but she had to stay tough for Walford's sake. After all, he had endured so much suffering because of her. So since there's a way out for him, she wouldn't let him miss the opportunity.
"But," Walford stuttered.
"Can you protect me while you're stuck in a dungeon undergoing punishment?"
That silenced him.
"You're going with Jalen," she said firmly. "That's an order."
She took a breath, steadying herself. As long as I'm in the palace, none of my siblings would dare bully me too much. And as angry as my father is, he wouldn't harm me—not directly. In a twisted way, this is the safest place I could be. I don't need protection.
"…Yes, Princess."
Jalen didn't try to change her mind. He simply nodded.
"Take care of him," Jaya said, drying her eyes with the back of her hand.
Walford stepped forward and hugged her—like a father would a daughter. His arms trembled slightly, but his grip was steady. "Take care, Princess. And don't push yourself too hard."
"I won't."
She pulled away, then turned to Jalen. "Could you take me back to the palace?"
Jalen nodded. With a flick of his spirit sense, he activated Flash Reversion. She vanished in a shimmer of light.
At his current level, he no longer needed to accompany someone physically to move them through Flash Reversion—so long as they were weaker than he was and the distance wasn't too great. And the palace wasn't far.
He turned to Walford. "So… what will you do now?"
Walford exhaled. "The Princess said I should go with you. But I want to grow stronger. Strong enough to protect her."
"Then leave Rale," Jalen said. "Go experience the world and seek out opportunities to increase your powers."
Walford nodded. "I'll do it."
Jalen turned to Tyrian. "As for you, little prodigy… you're too much like me to stay put. I don't want your growth stunted. Go to a continent less dangerous. When you're stronger, you are free to go or stay anywhere you want to."
Tyrian bowed. "This junior will heed his ancestor's word."
"Ancestor?" Walford asked, smiling wryly.
"Don't ask," Jalen muttered.
Then, with a sweep of his spirit sense, he activated Flash Reversion once more.
Walford and Tyrian were sent miles away from the Rale continent; wherever they chose to go next, it was up to them.
And Jalen… was alone again.
He sat atop a mountain, the wind brushing past his shoulders, the sea murmuring below. He had left Rale behind, seeking realms where time flowed differently, for almost a week now. But so far, he'd found nothing. So he stopped here—not just to rest, but to reclaim something rarer: peace and quiet.
But peace and quiet rarely lasted.
As he meditated beneath the open sky, a scream shattered the stillness.
Jalen opened his eyes.
A boy—no older than thirteen—staggered up the mountain path, bloodied and bruised. His clothes were torn, his fists clenched, and his face streaked with tears.
"If only I wasn't such a failure," the boy cried, voice raw. "No one would dare bully my mother. Bully me."
He collapsed to his knees, sobbing.
"If only you hadn't died so early, Father… If only I was born with a spirit root…"
His anguish echoed across the cliffs. Jalen remained silent, watching from a distance.
Hours passed.
Eventually, a woman ascended the path—her presence graceful, her aura steady. She rushed to the boy and knelt beside him, wrapping him in a trembling embrace.
"There you are, Calen," she whispered. "I've been looking everywhere."
Her hair was a rare shade of yellow, her eyes the same—bright and unusual. Despite her age, she radiated youthful beauty. Her cultivation pulsed at the early Diamond Realm.
"Who did this to you?" she asked, though she already suspected the answer.
Calen hesitated, then lied. "I fell… climbing the mountain."
The truth was he was bullied again by his cousins, who are within his age group. He hid it from his mother to not cause her more trouble than he already does.
But Cali already knew. She didn't press him—not because she believed the lie, but because she understood the weight he carried. Her silence wasn't ignorance. It was mercy.
She sighed, pulling a vial from her pocket realm. "Take this."
He drank it. Warmth spread through his body as the medicine worked its magic.
"I'm sorry I made you worry," Calen said, guilt heavy in his voice. "If only I weren't so weak."
"Don't say that," she scolded gently, cupping his cheeks. "I'm your mother. I'll always worry about you."
She smiled, though her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "Now come. I made dinner."
But before they could leave, five cultivators landed nearby—four in the Gold Realm and one in the early Diamond Realm. Calen tensed. So did his mother.