"Do you feel it, bastard?" he roared at Elio. "How does it feel to have your son turn his back on you? But make no mistake about it, my grandson is doing something that would make our ancestors beam with pride, compared to what my stupid son did."

He didn't stop beating his son. Elio's power was also monstrous, but compared to his father, it was like a newborn cub facing a battle-scarred lion. Elio barely had a chance to react before another blow sent him crashing into a tree.

To her surprise, Ruele's silent prayers seemed to be answered. A woman appeared with a flash between Zavier and Elio. Her black hair flowed down her back like a waterfall, and her piercing blue eyes held a lifetime of experience.

"Zavier, stop this right now!" she commanded, her voice laced with a hint of concern, and with a gentle movement, she reached down and grasped Elio by the shoulders, helping him stand upright despite his obvious injuries.

Zavier hissed, his gaze shifting to his wife, Valeria. "Wife, don't interfere in this," he muttered, his voice gruff but a flicker of softness betraying his facade. "You know I'm right."

"Right or wrong," Valeria countered, "do you truly like the outcome of this?"

Zavier opened his mouth to retort, but a single withering glance from Valeria silenced him.

"Tsk! Fine," Zavier finally conceded, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Have it your way. But they won't go after Jayden. That decision is set in stone."

He turned his back on them and slumped down onto the hard ground, his grumpy face etched with a mixture of frustration and a strange sense of defeat.

"What do you mean?" Ruele pressed, her voice trembling. "I need to see my son right now." She pleaded with Valeria, her eyes searching for any hint of compassion in her mother-in-law's stoic expression, hoping for Valeria to be on her side.

Valeria met Ruele's gaze, a flicker of empathy softening her features. Memories of her own struggles as a young mother surfaced, the pain of watching her children endure rigorous training was all but too familiar. But she remained silent, her gaze lingering on Elio as he struggled to his feet, his body wracked with pain.

With a determined glint in his eyes, Elio carried his beaten body towards Zavier, blood trickling down his face from multiple gashes. Despite the beating he'd received, his spirit remained unbroken.

The two men locked eyes, the tension crackling between them. A second confrontation seemed inevitable.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Elio burst into laughter, a deep, hearty sound that echoed through the trees. "Hahaha! Old man," he boomed, wiping blood from his chin, "it's been a long time since I've had my ass handed to me like this."

Ruele facepalmed, a groan escaping her lips. 'There he goes again,' she thought, exasperated by her husband's battle-crazed nature. 'Why on earth did I marry into a family of these battle maniacs?'

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"But make no mistake about it," Elio continued with his grin widening, "the time will come, and I'll whoop your ass good."

Zavier mirrored Elio's laugh, a hint of grudging respect flickering in his eyes. "Hahaha! Let me tell you this, son," he countered. "Right now, Jayden has a better chance of beating you than you do me."

"Tsk! We'll see about that," Elio scoffed, dismissing his father's words as he turned towards Ruele.

Ruele couldn't bear to listen to their bickering any longer. She approached Valeria, her voice laced with desperation. "Mother, please. I need to see Jayden. He's too young to be alone out there!"

"I understand your concern, Ruele," Valeria replied gently. Her voice, though soft, held an undeniable authority. "But forcing Jayden to go against his will wouldn't solve anything. Remember, we were once in their shoes."

A wave of guilt washed over Ruele. She recalled her own youthful rebellion against the family's rigorous training methods.

Elio, sensing Ruele's turmoil, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Honey, I know this is difficult," he said softly. "We may have forgotten what it was like to be young and yearn to prove ourselves. We cursed our parents every day for putting us through those grueling training sessions."

"But look at us now," he continued. "Those same training sessions, those battles we fought tooth and nail against, ultimately made us who we are today. Stronger, more resilient, and capable of protecting the things we hold dear."

Ruele met his gaze, a tinge of understanding replacing the initial defiance in her eyes. "But Jayden is still a child," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "He doesn't understand the dangers that lie ahead."

"He may be young," Elio conceded, "but underestimating him would be a mistake. Remember his hidden potential? Perhaps this is his way of proving himself, of showing us that he's more than just our son."

A surge of pride welled up within Ruele. Despite her initial fear, she couldn't deny a sense of admiration for her son's determination.

"We were wrong, honey," Elio admitted, pulling her into a warm embrace. "We tried to shield him from the harsh realities of our world, to give him the childhood we never had. But perhaps, sheltering him wasn't the answer."

Ruele leaned into his embrace, tears welling up in her eyes. "But our son is special, I know that," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "He deserves the best training, the best guidance, but not at the cost of his childhood."

"Jayden made his decision, and as his father, I will go with him in the depths of hell if he decides to do that. This is my resolve as his dad," he stood against Ruele with an honest smile on his face. "If his decisions will come back to bite him, then we will be here to support him."

He turned towards Zavier, his expression resolute. "We just want to see him, old man. We won't interfere in his training, but as his parents, we deserve to see how he's doing."

Elio didn't take his father's words in a hard way. He remembered his younger days, when he stood alone against everyone, feeling that even his own parents were against him. He didn't want Jayden to be alone, he didn't want his son to feel like no one understood him.

Zavier remained silent for a moment, his gaze flitting between Elio and Ruele. A trace of something akin to pride flickered in his eyes. He hoped for Elio to understand his son's feelings and to stand at his side and encourage him in every decision, just as he did when Elio defied the entire family for Ruele.

"Let them see him, Zavier," Valeria spoke up. "They are his parents, and while mistakes are inevitable, facing them together is the key to a strong family."

Zavier scoffed, but a hint of amusement played on his lips. "Fine," he grumbled. "You can go. But break your word, and I won't hesitate to break a few bones myself. Remember that."

His gruff threat hung in the air before a flash of light engulfed him, and Zavier vanished from sight.

Elio watched his father disappear with a bittersweet smile. Despite their differences, a silent understanding had been reached.

"Thank you, Father," he murmured.

Ruele grabbed his hand, her eyes sparkling with a renewed determination. "Come on, Elio! Let's go find our son."

Together, they disappeared into the forest, following a faint trail of mana that Elio sensed – a trail left behind by Jayden.