[Domain Expansion: Requiem of Stars (S)]

At that instant, a sphere of bright blue energy sprouted from mom's body, rapidly expanding in all directions. The sphere grew and grew, engulfing everything in its path: trees, rocks, even the air itself seemed to distort within it.

In a matter of seconds, the sphere had reached a diameter of a thousand meters, enclosing mom and the Nightmare along with us and all the surrounding area inside it.

I observed the scene while my pupils contracted. It was as if the world had stopped, as if everything else had ceased to exist except for that sphere of pure energy.

—This is mom's domain, —Anastasia spoke with bright and shining eyes—. It's beautiful.

And it was. I watched how the landscape inside the dome began to change. The dark sky cleared, revealing a firmament full of bright stars. The ground, previously cracked and destroyed by the contaminant's advance, was covered with green grass and flowers of all colors. The air, which moments before had been charged with a nauseating stench, filled with the fresh aroma of a forest after rain.

Inside the sphere, the world seemed to have changed completely. The sky had turned an intense blue, almost electric, and the air seemed to vibrate with pure energy. Mom, at the center of it all, shone with a sapphire aura that made her hair and clothes ripple as if she were submerged in water.

The Nightmare, finding itself trapped in mom's Domain Expansion, roared again, its voice filled with fury at being cornered. Its tentacles thrashed violently, hitting against the walls of the energy sphere, but failing to break through them.

It tried to counterattack, launching waves of dark energy against mom.

Mom, however, didn't seem worried. With a confident smile, she raised both hands.

With a gesture of her hands, the stars in her domain's sky began to shine more intensely. Rays of pure light descended, striking the contaminant from all angles. Each impact pushed back the darkness, purifying the affected area.

The contaminant roared in pain and fury, its tentacles whipping the air in a desperate attempt to defend itself. But it was useless. In mom's domain, her power was supreme.

The battle, if it could be called that, lasted barely a few seconds. With each passing second, the Nightmare shrank, its monstrous form disintegrating under the relentless assault of divine light.

Finally, with a last agonizing scream, the Nightmare vanished, leaving behind only a small puddle of black liquid that quickly evaporated under the light of mom's stars.

The Domain Expansion remained for a few moments more, ensuring that no trace of the contaminant's corruption remained, before gently fading away, returning the landscape to its normal state.

Then, I realized, the domain barrier isolated the area from the outside world, which meant that the damage occurring inside the barrier wouldn't be reflected in the real world.

Mom turned towards us, the smile never leaving her face. —Well, that was a good exercise, —she said, as if she had just finished a light training session and not defeated a monstrosity capable of destroying cities.

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I was speechless, my mind trying to process what I had just witnessed. I had seen my mother, whom I had always admired but never seen in action, defeat such a creature with an ease that defied comprehension.

—That was incredible! —exclaimed Anastasia, running toward mom and hugging her tightly—. Mom, you're amazing!

Adelaide laughed softly, stroking Anastasia's hair.

Dad approached with a slight smile on his face. —Impressive as always, my love, —he said, leaning in to kiss mom's cheek—. Although I think we could have done without the light show. You know I like to keep a low profile.

Mom gave him a playful punch in the arm. —Oh, shut up. You know you loved it.

—Well, —said dad, breaking the moment—, I think after all this excitement, we deserve a good dinner. How about we go inside and celebrate that our incredible mother and wife just saved the day?

We all nodded happily, the danger already forgotten at the prospect of a meal together.

With a smile, I followed my family, my mind already planning how to intensify my training. After all, I had great examples to follow.

Finally, we reached the mansion. The servants received us with expressions of relief and concern.

—We're fine, —mom assured with a reassuring voice—. The threat has been neutralized. Please, prepare dinner. It's been a long day and we all need to recover our energy.

While the servants hurried to fulfill the orders, we headed to our respective rooms to refresh ourselves and change. I entered my room, closing the door behind me and leaning against it with a sigh.

My room, with its soft sky-blue walls and light wood furniture, had always been my refuge. But now, after the day's events, even this familiar space seemed different. Smaller, perhaps, or simply less safe than I used to think.

I prepared for dinner, took a quick shower, washing away the sweat and tension of the day, and dressed in clean clothes. When I was ready, I went down to the dining room.

The rest of the family was already there, seated around the large oak table. Despite the day's events, the atmosphere was surprisingly light. Anastasia chatted animatedly, with bright and shining eyes while describing the battle from her perspective.

—And then mom went 'whoosh'! —she exclaimed, waving her arms to emphasize her words—. And that horrible thing went 'grrrr'! It was incredible!

Mom laughed softly, while dad smiled. The aroma of the dishes filled the air, making my stomach growl. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until that moment. There was vegetable soup, herb-roasted lamb, freshly baked bread, and a variety of sautéed vegetables. For dessert, there was fruit tart and vanilla ice cream.

Wow, everything smells delicious. I guess facing a Nightmare opens up the appetite. As we ate, conversation flowed freely. Anastasia was still excited about the battle, asking questions about the techniques she had seen.

—Mom, how did you make your Domain Expansion so big? —she asked between bites of lamb—. It covered hundreds of meters!

Mom smiled, taking a sip of her wine before responding. —It's the result of years of practice and training, honey. Domain Expansion is a very advanced technique that requires precise control of stellar energy.

—I want to learn how to do it!

—All in good time, little one, —dad intervened with a smile—. First you must master the basics. Domain Expansion isn't something to be taken lightly.

Dinner continued in a warm and cheerful atmosphere. Despite the day's events, or perhaps because of them, we felt more united than ever. After everything that happened today, here we were, dining as if nothing had happened. But it felt good. It felt... safe.

Anastasia, despite her seemingly infinite energy, was now yawning widely. Mom stood up and took my older sister by the hand.

—Come on, honey, —she said softly—. It's time for bed.

I also stood up, before leaving the dining room, I stopped and looked at my parents.

—Thank you, —I said simply—. For everything.

Mom and dad smiled. —There's nothing to thank us for, son, —dad replied—. We're a family, we'll always be here for you.

With those comforting words resonating in my mind, I climbed the stairs to my room. I prepared for bed, brushing my teeth and putting on my favorite pajamas.

While I got into bed, the full moon bathed the landscape with its silver light, in the distance, I could see the magical fireflies beginning to appear, their soft flashes like fallen stars. I closed my eyes, letting fatigue overtake me.