William approached his father and elder brother, both of whom were deep in concentration as they trained. Malcolm’s tall frame and broad shoulders would intimidate any normal human, along with his rugged beard and his crackling aura around him as he moved; even a trained soldier would think twice before attacking him. Adam, on the other hand, was lean and muscular, his movements fluid and precise, but there was a metallic feeling to his actions due to his aspect.

William took a deep breath and stepped forward, trying to steel himself for what was to come. He knew that he didn’t have to go through training with his father since he already had an optimized path for his cultivation; training here would only hinder his progress, but he knew he couldn’t do anything about it, so he decided to just use his training methods only after his father had returned to the front-lines.

Malcolm noticed William's arrival and turned to face him, his eyes narrowing as he studied his son.

"Good, you're finally here, let's get started."

He said, his voice gruff.

William could immediately tell that he was displeased with his late arrival and didn’t say much.

Unlike what William expected, his father didn’t spar with him or anything of that sort. Instead, he left him to do whatever he wanted, only overseeing him and correcting any mistakes he had with his aura.

This meant that William didn’t have to wait for his father to leave, making him able to progress freely while at the same time improving faster, thanks to his father pointing out the flaws in his moves.

It was an eye-opening experience for him since he had never trained with his father in the previous timeline. Just from the few hours they spent training together, William realized that his father was an incredible teacher and an even better knight.

Although William didn’t reach the grand knight stage, especially with his old body, he still had incredible Aura manipulation talent; even the sword saint, Orpheus, praised him for it.

Speaking of Orpheus, William couldn’t help but remember that he was a few years younger than him. At most, Orpheus was six or seven years old, but William didn’t doubt that he had already awakened his aura.

Orpheus was a prince of the Kingdom of Nazigez, a warrior kingdom with no mages and only Aura users. Everything in this kingdom relied on power, the king being a monarch who was allowed the position only after killing the previous monarch. From this fact alone, it was evident that the monarch of Nazigez was an incredibly powerful man, and Orpheus was the second son of that monarch.

All twelve of the council members of the future were either children, teenagers, or already powerful in this period.

General Alexander Rothsgomery was the fourth prince of the Thelwedean Empire, being around the age of sixteen.

Commander Xeons Irwin was an ancestral Vampire and one of the vampire rulers with great combat prowess.

Sage Gymoris was just a mischievous druid teen with no aspirations, spending his time in brothels and bars, unlike the sage-like version William knew.

Warlord Zemyrth was the youngest Draconian lord, surpassing even the current Draconian Hero, Kothog.

Commander Alvin Dragonlance was the younger brother of Rasiel Dragonlance, the human Hero.

Commander Jesse Ward was currently under the tutelage of trader Bill, becoming the next ruler of the black market.

Elder Igettha Arslan was the first princess of the Dalaman Sultanate and also the younger sister of the Beast-kin Hero, Sgesbir Arslan.

Commander Astetri was the second Princess of the Napjes Kingdom, a kingdom ruled by Beast-kin just like the Dalaman Sultanate.

Archmage Leonardo Lincoln was the god of the Thearchy of Bazilarar, leaving only the person William despised the most in the future.

Elder Sylmare Inarel, also the treacherous elf that killed her entire race, as well as the world tree, Yggdrasil.

As William continued his training with his father, he couldn't help but think about the future and the people he would eventually meet. It was strange to him that in this new timeline, many of the people he knew had changed or were different from what he remembered.

Stolen story; please report.

But he had no time to dwell on it, for his training was grueling and exhausting. His father pushed him to his limits, forcing him to use his aura to the fullest potential.

After several hours of training, William collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. He was drenched in sweat, and his muscles ached, but he felt a sense of satisfaction from the progress he had made.

His father stood over him, a look of approval on his face.

"You've improved, but you still have a long way to go," he said with a pleased voice.

William nodded, knowing that his father was right. He had only scratched the surface of what he was capable of, but he was determined to continue training and become stronger.

After resting for a few minutes, William got up and headed back to the house. He was starving and needed to eat something.

He wondered what his mother’s cooking would taste like after such a long period of time.

One might think that since they had servants, his mother wouldn’t put herself to cook a meal, but she did. Since she was a housewife with few friends, she spent most of her free time either cooking, sewing, or gardening, making her life relatively peaceful.

Although she did all these things, this didn’t mean that she was weak. She was the wife of Malcolm Don Virtu, after all. This was the main reason that she even survived the whole ordeal with the kidnapping.

Entering the house, he was greeted by a wonderful smell, making him salivate slightly.

He had trained since the morning without eating anything, so he was incredibly hungry at the moment; the pleasant aroma only elevated that feeling.

Following the smell, he found himself in the dining room, where his mother was setting up the table for them to eat.

Seeing him enter, she smiled before promptly covering her nose in discomfort.

“William Virtu! You will not act like your father and brother, go shower immediately! You will not eat anything unless you clean yourself properly!”

Her voice resounded in the room, making William hurriedly rush towards the bathroom. At the same time, Malcolm and Adam, who were on their way, chuckled before being scolded as well, dejectedly entering their own bathrooms.

Of course, a small villa like this had multiple bathrooms, especially for the family members, conveniently placed next to each bedroom.

William quickly showered and changed into fresh clothes, feeling refreshed and clean. He made his way back to the dining room, where his father and brother were already seated.

The table was full of delicious food, from roasted chicken to mashed potatoes and gravy, and William's stomach rumbled at the sight of it. His mother had always been an excellent cook, and he couldn't wait to dig in.

As they ate, they discussed the upcoming events and plans for the future. His father mentioned that they would be attending a ball at the palace in a few weeks. William knew that it would be a good opportunity to socialize and make connections, especially when it came to recognizing the nobles who had been corrupted by the demonic seeds.

It would have been easier if he had been able to inform the emperor of any traitors so the empire wouldn’t have been destroyed from the inside.

But he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive. He had never been one for social events, preferring to spend his time training or studying. However, he knew that it was important to make connections and build relationships.

After they finished eating, his father excused himself to attend to some business matters while Adam went to visit some friends. William decided to take a walk around the gardens, enjoying the cool evening breeze.

The garden was still in a relatively bad condition, but William didn’t mind. The nostalgia he felt made his heart calm and tranquil, an optimal state for him to train.

Finding the gazebo located at the center of the garden, he sat cross-legged to inspect his body. His recovery was going well, so he just had to wait for his body to return to normal.

Deciding that this was also a good time for him to train his aspect, he activated the rune form, and his body got covered from head to toe in bright green runes.

His thought speed accelerated, as did his absorption and circulation speed as if time itself had accelerated around and inside his body while not exhausting his vitality in the process.

This meant that he didn’t age at a faster speed while using his aspect, which was good. Just imagining himself becoming old again so soon sent shivers down his spine. He was finally free from back pain and was full of energy; why would he want to return to being an old man with no hopes for the future.

Like this, William cultivated until nightfall. Realizing that the sky was already dark, William got up and stretched his body, feeling relaxed.

His day was extremely productive, and he was making great improvements. Although he still had a long way to go, every small amount of progress meant he was closer and closer to his goal.

Growing the power of one's aspect was similar to mana and aura. However, growth came more naturally when the aspect was used. This meant that the more you adapted to your aspect, the stronger it would become. That’s why those who awakened at an early age were usually more powerful and proficient with their aspects.

Of course, there were grades to aspects as well, ranging from low to high, but that could be changed through the use of special potions or magical treasures.

He made his way back home.

Feeling content with his day's progress, William returned home and prepared for bed.

The maids assisted him, having already prepared his clothes as well as a small night snack after an exhausting day. William decided to call it a day after a bit, lying on his bed.

The warmth of his blankets enveloped him as he settled into his comfortable bed. He let out a long sigh, feeling the weariness of his muscles from the day's intense training.

Soon, he fell asleep, hoping that things would only get better.