As the family began their lunch, the clatter of utensils and soft chatter filled the room. A warm breeze drifted through the open windows, carrying with it the scent of blooming flowers from the villa gardens.

Kallus paused between bites, glancing at the empty chair near his mother.

“Mom… where’s Dad?” he asked casually, though the question had been on his mind since he entered the villa. He could’ve easily reached into the Universal Plane and sensed his father’s location—but he chose not to. It felt too invasive. Some questions, he felt, deserved to be asked directly.

Amelin, who had been enjoying her hearty lunch with a soft hum, paused briefly and looked at her son with a fond smile.

“Your father’s gone out to train,” she said warmly. “He told me this morning he’s getting very close to breaking through to the next realm of Word-Building.”

Kallus blinked.

He set his spoon down, his mind freezing for a brief moment. Next realm? He remembered clearly—his father was already in the Eighth Realm of Word-Building, nearing the Ninth.

“So… he’s breaking through the Ninth Realm?” Kallus asked, unable to hide his surprise.

Amelin nodded gently. “Yes. He’s been working hard. Really hard, Kallus. Compared to Luna and me… he’s pushing himself every day. He wants to be useful to you, son. To lessen your burden. He doesn’t want to sit idly in this Universal Plane, watching while you fight for all of us.”

She said it simply—without grief or complaint.

Because the truth was… she and her husband had already come to terms with everything. Even though the original Kallus, the one born to them, had long since merged with the being he was now… they both accepted him. They chose to. He was their son—no matter the change, no matter how far he’d evolved.

They saw the pressure he carried.They saw the storms he stood against.And they refused to just sit by and let him do it alone.

Even Luna, only six years old, understood this in her own way. She trained not just for herself, but because she wanted to stand beside her brother. Not as a burden—but as someone who could walk part of the path with him.

Kallus stared down at his plate.

The food, so delicious a moment ago, now carried a bittersweet taste.

He had tried so hard to protect them… to shelter them from the battles and responsibilities he shouldered. But he had forgotten something critical:

A parent’s love doesn’t ask to be protected.It asks to share the burden—even if only a little.Because it hurts more to watch your child suffer than to suffer yourself.

His heart tightened.

He hadn’t just underestimated their strength… he had underestimated their love.

He let out a soft breath and looked up at his mother.

“…Thank you,” he said quietly.

Amelia noticed her son fall silent, clearly stirred by her words. She reached across the table and lightly tapped his hand.

“There’s no need to thank us, Kallus,” she said softly. “We’re your parents. That’s what we’re here for.”

She leaned back slightly, her voice calm but firm.

“And Kallus… don’t overthink it, alright? That’s your real problem sometimes. You think too much, too far ahead. The future is vast—it changes with every breath. What really matters is the present. Right here. Right now.”

She smiled and gestured with her chin. “And you’re not alone. I’m here. Your father is working hard too. And Luna…”

Kallus turned to look at his little sister, who was quietly enjoying her food, eyes sparkling but ears clearly tuned to every word.

Before anyone else could speak, Fafnir suddenly lifted his head—his mouth still full—and gave a loud, dramatic howl like a proud wolf declaring himself.

Amelia blinked, then burst into laughter.

“…And yes, of course, you’re here too, Fafnir,” she said, amused.

On cue, Solaria let out a musical chirp, spreading her wings slightly from her perch on Luna’s shoulder. And Lunara, nestled on Kallus’s shoulder, gave a soft trill of agreement. It wasn’t just words—these companions felt like family now.

Amelia chuckled warmly. “Yes, yes. Fafnir, Solaria, and Lunara. I suppose I’ve got a whole pack of new kids, haven’t I?”

She looked back at her son.

“So stop trying to carry everything alone, Kallus. Share the burden. We promise—we won’t slow you down. Not even a little.”

Kallus smiled softly, eyes glimmering with emotion. “I got it, Mom. Really, I do. I’ve already promised Luna… and I’m saying it to you now too. You and Father won’t be exceptions. I’ve been thinking about it a lot.”

He reached over to gently pat Luna’s head. She didn’t flinch, letting him pet her while continuing to munch on her food, content.

“I understand now. The way I’ve been doing things… it’s not sustainable. I need your help. All of your help. Only together can we really move forward.”

Amelia looked at him, her heart full.

“…Then that’s enough talk,” she said, smiling. “Eat your food before it goes cold. And after that, help me with the dishes.”

Kallus grinned and gave a quick salute with his spoon. “Yes, ma’am.”

Just then, Luna piped up with food still in her mouth, “I’ll help with the dishes too!”

Amelia raised a brow. “Okay, okay—you can help. But this time, with your hands, Luna. Not with magic like you usually try to sneak in.”

Luna’s whole body slumped with exaggerated despair.

“Awwww, come on, Mom! Who even does it by hand anymore?!”

Both Kallus and Amelia burst out laughing at her dramatic protest, and the room once again filled with warmth, laughter, and the small, unshakable bonds that held them all together.

Time passed.

The family lunch ended in warm spirits, just as promised. Together, they cleaned the table and moved on to the kitchen—though not without some resistance. Luna, arms crossed and cheeks puffed, grumbled the entire time about having to wash dishes by hand. Every time Kallus or Amelia chuckled at her exaggerated pouting, she’d glare at them with mock fury, muttering something about “ancient barbaric rituals.” Fafnir watched smugly from the side, curled up with a full belly, clearly pleased that he didn’t have to do any cleaning.

Once the chores were done, the household slipped into a peaceful rhythm. With time now flowing at a normal 1:1 ratio inside the Universal Plane—matching that of the Origin Planet—Kallus took full advantage of the lull.

He stayed close to his family, spending long hours with Luna, Amelia, and the little ones, enjoying the kind of quiet bonding he’d rarely allowed himself in recent years.

He waited patiently—for his father’s breakthrough, and for his subordinates to complete the final stages of the Void Fleet’s sub-fleet construction and system-wide upgrades.

While Kallus enjoyed rare tranquility in the Universal Plane, the outside universe was shifting rapidly. Nowhere was that transformation more dramatic than Earth itself.

What had once been a fractured world, weighed down by pollution, political bickering, and aging infrastructure, was undergoing a sweeping, near-miraculous overhaul.

And it was all under the direction of the Void Fleet.

Kallus had once imagined Earth might slowly rise on its own, lifted by the ambitions of its many powers. But after witnessing how long such progress would take—and how many lives it would cost—he made a different decision:

He would accelerate Earth’s evolution. Personally.

Waste was no longer buried or exported; it was converted. Advanced Void Fleet recyclers broke down mountains of garbage, reprocessing them into usable atoms to feed massive atomic printers. These printers built not just weapons or tools—but entire sections of infrastructure: homes, bridges, roads, data nodes.

Pollution?It had been reduced to near-zero in industrial zones—not due to the efforts of the Void Fleet, but thanks to the widespread integration of mana installations that had begun proliferating throughout the solar system and beyond.

Water pollution caused by chemicals and nuclear waste had been eliminated—atom by atom. The waste materials weren’t just destroyed—they were broken down and repurposed in the production of other resources.

However, while the contamination had been cleansed, the environmental damage to the land itself remained.

To address this, peak-grade terraformation nanobots were deployed. Using a fusion of advanced technology and mana, they had already begun healing Earth’s scarred ecosystems.

Though the restoration process was gradual, the presence of mana-based systems had significantly accelerated recovery—bringing the planet back to life at an increasingly advanced pace.

Energy? Nearly limitless—drawn from stabilized Tier-3 fusion reactors constructed across major cities. These reactors weren’t just built to meet current demands, but to exceed them, ensuring ample supply for future needs as well.

The overhaul touched everything:

Education was restructured and gamified in virtual reality systems.

Politics were unified under a single banner.

The internet, which had already been replaced by SkyNet, was now superseded by even more advanced Tier-1 technology: the multi-dimensional TerraNet.

This new network allowed users to access not just information, but immersive live VR experiences through widely available VR devices. Remarkably, TerraNet also possessed the capability to extend its reach into outer space.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep