I sat there, still processing everything.

The weight of my father’s words lingered in the air—heavy, undeniable. The Ghost Clan. The Abyssal Tower. The Old Bloods.

And the realization that I had just made a deal with them.

A deep unease coiled in my chest.

Had I made a mistake?

Had I promised something I wasn’t ready to deliver?

I clenched my hands, staring at the table. The more I thought about it, the more doubt crept in. The Mawling’s broken core. The Void Maw’s terrifying potential. The stakes.

What if I failed?

A hand gently touched my head.

I looked up.

Mother.

Her warm, steady gaze met mine, her fingers brushing through my hair like she had done when I was younger.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Akul,” she said softly.

I swallowed. “But—”

“They’re dangerous,” she admitted. “Yes. But tell me—who at the top of this world isn’t?”

I hesitated.

Her eyes gleamed.

“Power isn’t given freely, Akul. Those who rise high enough, who establish themselves in this world? They are all dangerous, one way or another.”

I let out a slow breath.

“You made a promise,” she continued. “And if the Ghost Clan truly pledged their friendship, then you’d better try your best to earn it. Because a bond with people like them? That is not something given lightly.”

I stared at her, my mind shifting.

She was right.

I had seen it myself. Lys and her mother weren’t desperate. They weren’t begging. They had the resources, the knowledge, the sheer presence of something that did not need to be here.

And yet—

They had come.

And they had trusted me to do what no one else could.

A slow realization settled in.

This wasn’t just about the egg.

This was an opportunity.

“But you need to understand something about them,” Mother continued. “The Ghost Clan are different from any other Old Blood family.”

I blinked. “How so?”

“They don’t group like normal families. They don’t have sprawling territories, vast estates, or a structured hierarchy.” She leaned back slightly. “You will never see a Ghost Clan gathering. They don’t live in the same place. They don’t build communities.”

I frowned. “Then how do they—?”

“You will only ever find them in small groups,” she explained. “And those groups usually consist of a mother and her child.”

A pause.

I slowly processed her words.

“Their women,” she continued, “raise the next generation alone. The fathers? They are independent. They go their own way, walking their own paths. They might gather for a time, like brothers in arms, but after that? They separate again. That is their culture. Their nature.”

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I exhaled, my mind flashing back to Lys and her mother.

“So… that’s why it was just them,” I murmured.

Mother nodded. “That’s why. And it’s also why you won’t have to worry about restrictions, traditions, or politics. Unlike other noble families, they don’t have rigid rules. They don’t care for alliances or bloodline purity beyond their own. Their only focus”—she met my gaze—“is reaching the highest floors of the Abyssal Tower. That is the only thing they live for.”

The words settled deep in my chest.

I let out a slow breath. “I see.”

Then Father spoke, his words heavy.

“But that also means they are battle-hungry maniacs who will fight to the last breath. They also have a very protective nature toward their clan, seeing every member as a brother or sister.”

“And if one harms even a single one of them, there will be no negotiations. Many will come, many who aren’t even directly related; all will show up. From every corner of the world, they’ll come.”

The Ghost Clan is not only respected—they are also feared.

My eyes widened. That sounded domineering.

Mother smiled. “But this is also a good opportunity, Akul. Before anything else…” She tilted her head slightly. “Do you believe you can do what you promised?”

The room fell silent.

I straightened, thinking of my Divine Eye of Origin, of the broken Mawling, of the knowledge burned into my mind—the paths that stretched before me.

And I spoke without hesitation.

“Absolutely.”

Mother’s smile widened slightly. “Good.”

She leaned back, satisfied. “Because you have bigger things to worry about.”

I blinked. “What?”

She folded her arms. “Your registration.”

Oh.

Oh, right.

“Registration happens every four months,” she reminded me. “And all those who have awakened during that time are required to attend.”

Chia and I… we’d both awakened during this period.

Which meant—

“You’ll be tested,” she said simply. “Evaluated. Ranked. And there will be a challenge.”

I exhaled. “Wonderful.”

“But,” she continued, “we don’t want you drawing attention. So, on the day of the challenge—”

“—I shouldn’t stand out too much,” I finished for her.

She nodded. “Not too great. Not too bad. Just… in the middle.”

I frowned slightly but didn’t argue. I understood the logic. But at the same time—

Hiding forever wasn’t an option.

“We’ll deal with that later,” Father interjected. “For now, we should talk about Bobo’s growth.”

Mother nodded. “Yes. Improving Bobo should be a priority before the registration.”

I exhaled, leaning back a little.

“Actually…” I started.

Both of them turned to look at me.

“I already have a path planned for him,” I admitted.

Mother blinked. “What?”

Father raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

I smirked. “Yup.”

Mother’s eyes narrowed slightly. “How?”

“Secrets.”

She huffed. “Since when does my child keep secrets from his mother?”

I grinned. “Since always.”

She gave me a look.

I coughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll explain.”

I took a deep breath, then leaned forward.

“When I reached True Materialization, my eyes… changed,” I admitted.

Mother’s expression shifted slightly. “Changed?”

“I can see more than just life force now,” I explained. “I can see paths. Growth routes. Development possibilities.”

Understanding flickered in her gaze.

Father let out a low hum. “Interesting.”

“So, with that ability, I looked at Bobo.”

“And?” Mother prompted.

“He has three potential evolution paths.”

Mother’s brows furrowed slightly. “Three?”

I nodded. “The first is his natural progression: the Golden Body lineage, the strongest path that follows his original trajectory.”

She nodded slowly.

“The second,” I continued, “is the Heaven-Sundering Ape. A balanced, highly adaptable evolution.”

She tilted her head. “A more versatile choice, then?”

“Yeah.” I exhaled. “And the last one…”

I met their gazes.

“The World-Breaker Ape.”

Silence.

Mother’s brow creased. “I’ve… never heard of that one.”

Father, however—his eyes lit up.

“World-Breaker,” he muttered. “Hah.” He leaned forward, smirking. “Go for it.”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“The higher you aim, the more you will achieve,” he said. “If that’s the strongest path, then go for it, boy.”

I hesitated. “But the requirements—”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “You have the eyes to guide him. You have the ability to make it happen. And if you need resources”—he grinned—“we’ll get them.”

Mother sighed, shaking her head. But she didn’t disagree.

I exhaled.

Right.

No hesitation.

I looked down at my hands.

The Ghost Clan. The Abyssal Tower. The Mawling.

And now—Bobo’s evolution.

So many things ahead.

But one thing was clear: I had a lot of work to do.

Just as the room settled into thoughtful silence, a tiny voice piped up.

“Sooo…”

We all turned.

Lina was perched on the armrest of Father’s chair, legs swinging, her plushie squished against her chest. Her expression was scrunched up in deep, dramatic contemplation, like she’d been pondering the fate of the universe this entire time.

She tapped her chin. “What I’m hearing is…”

Pause.

Then, with absolute certainty:

“…Bobo’s gonna punch the world?”

I blinked.

Father grinned. “Something like that.”

Lina gasped, eyes shining. “Oh my gosh.” She turned to me, gripping my sleeve. “Big brother.”

“What.”

She inhaled deeply.

“I need you to train me so I can punch the world too.”

Mother sighed.

Father laughed.

I just groaned, rubbing my temples. “Lina—”

“I WILL BEGIN TRAINING TOMORROW.”

“Lina, no—”

“NO ONE CAN STOP ME.”

And with that, she dramatically rolled off the chair, flopped onto the floor like a fallen hero, and just… lay there.

Face down. Arms outstretched.

Muttering, “...punch the world… my destiny…”

I sighed heavily.

Father wiped away a tear of laughter. “Well, that’s settled then.”

Mother just patted my shoulder, completely unfazed. “You’ll handle it.”

Lina lifted a single hand weakly. “World domination… begins at dawn…”

I buried my face in my hands.

I was never getting a normal day in this family.