Ben and Eden were on one of the < Dragons > training grounds.

"It's been more than a month, and you're still bitter about your loss?"

"It didn't count! You shouldn't have used that!"

"I advised you not to use the sword since I'm the one who modified it."

"You really wanted to bully me." Eden pouted.

"If you give me such an easy win, I'll take it."

"And now you're cheating!"

However, Ben didn't argue against that conclusion. He only held his new walking cane over his shoulder and smiled brightly.

"Does it feel unfair? But I'm old, and this minimizes the side effects."

The teenager, covered in dirt, pouted even more.

"I promised I would only use as much as I could act on my own. Don't you believe me? And with this, I can play with you more often."

"This was your idea anyway!"

"You liked it, though. And you might not understand now, but you'll regret it sooner or later. Those people always treat you like a glass doll."

"And how is dealing with an apex killer help on that?"

"You always sound angry that your father doesn't train enough with you, but you don't have the same excitement with others. You don't even bother when they act too nicely with you, even when training. And I'm just a knock-off brand. Your father will be the true apex killer, and that's likely why people treat you so carefully."

"They're also scared of you."

"Fair enough, that won't help, either. But you need to ask if you want a serious match. And I might have been slightly rough, but I see no broken bones."

"I've never broken one, anyway! I'm a genius!"

Ignoring Eden for a moment, Ben turned around, which made the kid also turn around.

Eloise had arrived and sat on the bleachers and was now watching them.

Even while expecting, deep down, the pressure emitted from her surprised Ben.

"You now have a special audience. And I'll let you know: if that wouldn't leave a scar in your heart, your mom would likely laugh at your overconfidence."

"She wouldn't!"

"Ask her if she truly thinks you're a genius. And demand your sparing patterns to take you seriously. You might be young, but you still hold power over them due to being Ginn's son. Even if they aren't doing it for malice and your faction is in a healthy state, those people still respect your parents too much."

"Would I lose that easily?"

"Probably not, but age doesn't matter. You might be slightly strong for your age, sure. But you aren't strong for your level. Your movements aren't sharp. It's such a waste of the privilege you hold. So, if you truly want to hold such ambition and reach for the top, then push it."

"I don't know."

"Aren't you always mad people treat you like a kid? That's not because you are one. That's because you act spoiled frequently, and it's cute since they all saw you growing up. It's like a big family. They all hold a good relationship with you and your parents. You're insulated."

Eden seriously looked at Ben and then at his mother, who shrugged it off.

"They won't force you, and neither will I. But if you want to, I'll be here every week when I'm free. We can fight for a bit. I promise I won't treat you like a kid then. I don't have much to teach you, though, as I don't hold a concise structure. But I can point very clearly at what would get you killed. Don't you want this?"

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"I do."

"Then let's be clear. The array key in the cane is not for me but for you since you wouldn't be happy with a spare match once a year. And because of how I'm, once I can't easily deal with you, those matches will become pointless, so we'll stop then."

"Are you going to show me your power someday?"

"Sure. How about our last day? That would likely be when you might be able to see it."

"Aren't you the one being overconfident now?"

"Well, I might be weird, but who cares about your cores if you can't use them? Power levels are very dependent on how you use what is available. For example, do you think I'm at the apex?"

"Yes?"

"Nope. I'm far from it."

"But you killed an apex cultivator!"

"So, let's say that your father angered this world. If every non-cultivator person in this world takes upon a sharp object and throws themselves at your father, can he survive?"

Eden shook his head.

"Does that makes them into an apex figure? And the answer for that is: not at all. Next, who do you think is stronger, your father or I?"

"My father."

"So, if he decides to kill me today, like right now. Could he?"

"Maybe? He is stronger."

"He can't. I'm hard to kill in one shot. But he could force me to choose death by imprisoning me. But even then, I can still blow myself instead of going out quietly. Can he survive that? I'm not sure."

"That's..."

"That's what a fight to the death entails. It's not a game with fair rules and definitively not a sport. Strong people die for silly reasons. And my choice is a weird one, but it served me well. It's a good deterrent for people with a lot to lose. And I'm sure it saved me many times since I don't hide it, at least not once I'm in battle mode."

"I think I get it."

"Good, that's a lot to process. But one last question for today. Do you know the most common cause of death while exploring ruins?"

"Lack of preparation?"

"Being cocky."

Ben's smile immediately disappeared after he answered as he let go of the cane.

Following this, Eden felt a similar pressure as when he first met Ben with his father. But this time, it felt like it was aiming at his heart.

The teenager felt frozen.

Eden stared frantically at Ben. So he noticed a slight change in the corner of his godfather's left eye.

Yet the teenager couldn't make sense of it because Ben disappeared soon after. But he couldn't see what transpired.

Eden lost consciousness as he felt a hand holding onto his shoulder. The last thing he felt was a sharp pain in his left arm.

But Ben didn't allow the teenager to fall to the ground, so he caught Eden with his arms.

Holding onto his godson, he opened his hand and ordered the cane to fly toward it.

He then turned around and talked to Eloise.

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

"What weird thing you want. We just met for the first time in more than a century."

"Make sure no one in here tells the whole story to Eden. No need to lie, though. They must stay silent. I'm sure Eden will ask for details but don't give them to him."

"If I wasn't here, what would you do?"

"Death threats, which isn't as nice."

After Eloise agreed, Ben walked to the Doctor waiting by the side and gave the unconscious Eden to him.

"If he asks you if his bone broke, don't tell him. Just send him to talk to me."

"Alright, Sir." The cultivator replied.

"You finally appeared." Ben talked with Eloise again.

"Do you think we spoiled the kid too much?"

"It's inevitable given the circumstances. Eden is a good kid, though."

"I heard you were also spoiling him."

"Why can't I do both?"

"Fair enough. It's been a long time." Eloise said, standing up.

"How have you been, my friend?" She hugged Ben.

"To be fair, not that good. But I'm glad you convinced your family back then. How have you been outside of that? It's incredible you still found time to raise a child."

"That was harder than trying to save the world. But let's eat first. I'm hungry from the travel. I hope you don't mind catching up while I stuff myself."

"I've been stuffing myself lately, too. The good food had spoiled me, so I missed it."

They began walking out after Eloise talked with the Doctor waiting by the side. And the Doctor eventually left with Eden while they went to have an early dinner.

They kept having small talks, but Eloise waited until they sat alone to approach the serious subjects.

"I'm not going to lie. When I asked you to be our son's godfather, I hoped you could teach him about the world in a way we can't. I noticed when I met Ginn that I suffered from the same narrow-mindedness. And we've been trying our best, but I can still see myself on him."

They kept talking at the dinner table.

"Yeah, it's hard. You want to teach, but excessive exposure is dangerous."

"How can we balance that? I don't know how!"

"You've done a good job. Eden isn't arrogant in a death-seeking way. But he still acts like a country pumpkin. And to Cultivators, that insulation is also dangerous."

"And as a mother, that's difficult to swallow. We're very busy people, too. And even when we take as much free time we have, it's never enough."

"Put the assignment on his hand. Even if he fails, he should have some involvement in that. He isn't a young kid anymore, and he must be way more mature too due to his weird family."

"It's time already? Isn't it too early?"

"He's 15. I'm sure you could wait a bit more, but give him space to fail."

"They grow up so fast."

"Wait a bit. And you'll notice you grow old just as quickly."

"It's been a while, and I missed this. I had grown used to talking to you like this."

"It feels like it was yesterday that you were tied into place when I went for a hunt. And look at you now: you aren't that far from the apex yourself."

"We all grow up so quickly."