Chapter 16

The last stretch of the journey was quieter than Eli expected.

After their run-in with the Rotfang Stalker and a night spent in the ancient ruins, he had expected more… drama.

Some ominous event, a sudden monster ambush, or another cryptic revelation about his HUD. Instead, the rolling hills stretched endlessly before them, golden fields swaying gently in the afternoon breeze.

It was almost too peaceful.

Alira had been silent for the last hour, her expression unreadable. Not tense, not uneasy, but… thoughtful. As if she were bracing for something, but wasn’t sure what.

Eli was about to ask her about it when he spotted movement ahead.

Two figures darted through a field, their small shapes weaving between the tall stalks of ripening grain. Children.

That alone was enough to make Alira halt mid-step.

Eli frowned, watching as the kids noticed them. One—a boy, maybe eight or nine—paused mid-sprint, pointing in their direction.

The other—a girl slightly younger—grabbed his arm, whispering something hurriedly before both of them turned and ran.

Straight toward a cluster of houses nestled near the base of a hill.

Alira’s fingers twitched at her sides. She hadn’t been expecting this.

Eli, now even more curious, glanced at her. “Uh. Are kids a bad sign?”

Alira shook her head slowly, still watching the children disappear behind the buildings. “No. Just… unexpected.”

Eli adjusted his pack. “What exactly were you expecting?”

Alira didn’t answer.

She was still piecing it together herself.

By the time they reached the outer edge of the homestead, three figures had emerged from the largest house.

One stood in front—a broad, solidly built man with graying hair, his presence like an immovable mountain. His posture was relaxed, but his sharp, dark eyes took in everything.

Dainen.

Behind him, slightly to the side, stood a man and a woman. Their expressions weren’t unwelcoming, but they were watching. Waiting.

Alira raised a hand in greeting.

Dainen said nothing.

Not at first.

Instead, he took a single step forward. Then another. And before Alira could even think of what to say—

He pulled her into a hug.

Eli froze.

Alira… froze.

She stiffened on instinct, caught completely off guard. For a full second, she didn’t react—then, slowly, her hands hovered awkwardly at her sides before settling against his back.

It had been centuries since anyone had greeted her like this.

Dainen finally pulled back, keeping his hands on her shoulders, his piercing gaze studying her face.

Then, in a gravelly, deep voice, he finally spoke.

"Alira. You don’t seem to look a day older than the last time I saw you."

Alira blinked. Still processing.

“I… Dainen, I…” She cleared her throat, grasping for the right words. “…It’s good to see you.”

Still off balance, she gestured to Eli. “This is Eli.”

Eli, who had been standing there watching this unfold with all the confusion of someone seeing a lion nuzzle a housecat, blinked.

Then waved. “Uh. Hey.”

Dainen turned his attention to Eli, expression unreadable.

Then, in a single smooth motion, he extended his arm.

Eli hesitated for half a second before reaching out—only for Dainen to grasp his forearm in a firm, warrior’s grip.

Eli’s HUD pinged.

☰ Entity: Dainen Kethral

☰ Affinity: Physical / Energy

☰ Mana: Unknown

☰ Tier: Ruby

☰ Titles: The Hand of the Monarch, Last Spear of Caelum

☰ Status: Unknown

"Pleasure, Eli. I am Dainen."

Eli, slightly intimidated but doing his best not to show it, gave a small nod. “Likewise.”

Dainen studied him for a moment, then released his grip. “I mean, likewise, as in ‘Pleasure’ to meet you. Not ‘likewise’ ‘I am Dainen’. Just to be clear.” Eli said as he waved again.

“Let’s go inside,” Daiene said simply. “We can talk there.”

As they walked towards the house and the two children that they saw earlier peaked out the door and then ducked back in. “Don’t mind those two, they are my grandkids.” Dainen said with a sense of pride that Alira hadn’t heard in, well ever.

As Eli stepped inside he felt he just shot back in time to the 1800’s. The inside was just a basic structure but had a very lived in and comfortable look to it. Eli put his hand on the wall, and his HUD pinged:

☰ Structure Identified: Kethral Homestead

☰ Age: Approx. 67 years

☰ Primary Material: Mana-Hardened Oak, Reinforced Stone

☰ Integrity: 92% (Well-Maintained)

☰ Mana Signature Detected: Passive Earth Mana Infusion

☰ Notable Feature: Self-Repairing Structural Weave – Reduces weathering over time

Dainen gestured towards the other two adults, this is my son and his wife, Taren and Mirelle, and those two wild Shadowtail Kits are Rhin and Liah.

Dainen gestured towards some chairs and asked his son to give them a few minutes to catch up. Eli and Alira took two seats next to each other and Eli’s HUD pinged for the chair and table.

☰ Item: Kethral Dining Table

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

☰ Material: Earth-Mana Carved Ironwood

☰ Stability Rating: Immovable

☰ Notable Feature: Resists all non-destructive force. Will not wobble, crack, or shift under pressure.

☰ Additional Note: Dainen Kethral has flipped this table exactly 3 times in its lifespan.

☰ Item: Kethral Forged Chair

☰ Material: Reinforced Oak & Mana-Tempered Iron

☰ Durability: 100% (Practically Unbreakable)

☰ Notable Feature: Resistant to sudden force—has withstood over 1,000 falls, collisions, and outbursts.

Eli’s eye narrowed as he took in the ‘extra’ info his HUD gave. He will have to ask Dainen about this, later…much later.

Dainen waited until his son and daughter in law had went to the back room and shut the door to sit down.

He looked at Alira with a grin, “Let’s get the obvious question out of the way, My wife died 17 years ago next month. Seren, she was someone I never thought existed in this world, we met while I was getting supplies down at Briarthorne. A small village that was settled a while after, well you know.” Dainen nodded at Alira, who inclined her head in acknowledgment.

“Anyway,” he continued, “she was working at the store and I fell head over heels for her as soon as she looked at me. She of course thought I was a beggar as soon as I walked in. After about the 5th time asking her to have lunch with me, she finally accepted and we were Joined a month later.”

He was staring over their heads as if he was seeing it all again. “Ally, she wanted to meet you, I told her all about you and all the troubles we would get ourselves in.” He said smiling.

“She didn’t believe you were the same Alira The Grace and my Ally. Which, if they knew you the first 5000 years of your life, they wouldn’t have called you ‘The Grace’. More like Lit fuse.” Dainen chuckled to himself. “Ok, so now that is out of the way, why do I find you and this young man in my home?”

Alira’s mouth was hanging open, finally snapped shut, “Seren sounds like she was truly special, if anyone could get Dainen to…” she gestured around the house, “this. Then she was truly one of a kind.”

Dainen nodded his head in appreciation, but didn’t say anything.

Alira took a deep breath and started, going over all the details of the last several days, starting with the “vision” of Eli to finding him nearly dead, and every step after that until they were sitting here.

She didn’t stop and no one interrupted her. Eli sat in patient turmoil. Hearing it told as a story, this whole thing sounds absurd.

Dainen never took his eyes off Alira, absorbing every word she said.

“So, now we are here. And I don’t trust anyone else to train Eli’s Physical affinity, and when it awakens, his Energy affinity.” Alira paused after this, waiting to see if Dainen would ask any questions or say anything, but he just looked at her and then at Eli.

“I can train him in Life and Elemental, but I couldn’t take the chance of him going to an academy to learn from those halfwits.” Alira said this last part in a rush like she wanted to get it all out before Dainen refused.

Dainen looked at Eli finally, “Give me your hand.”

Eli looked at him and then Alira, “Um, what?”

Dainen looked at Alira and then back to Eli. “Give me your hand.”

Eli stretched this hand out towards Dainen. He grabbed Eli’s hand and closed his eyes.

Eli looked at Alira and then back to Dainen, his hands were strong, and rough. Hands that have forged Regions and cities. Hands that have dealt out more pain than almost anyone in Caelum’s history.

Eli could feel a warm sensation starting at his hand and creeping up his arm.

He was trying not to panic, trying to stay calm.

And then Eli felt himself pulled into a fast forward of his life…he could feel the emotions with each memory.

He could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead as he practiced.

He could feel the ball flowing in and out of his hands.

He could feel the joy that basketball gave him.

He could feel the pressure of being the #1 recruit.

The fear he felt at disappointing his parents.

The anxiety of a test he took in school.

The nerves of his first kiss.

The joy of hitting the game winning shot.

The joy of his teammates tackling him to the ground and his parents standing in the crowd.

Pure joy on their faces.

The gut-wrenching sound of the car accident, the metal crunching, glass shattering, his mom’s scream, his dad’s yell.

The cold of the hospital.

The grief after waking up to Miles telling him his parents didn’t make it.

The pity on everyone’s face that visited him.

The grief of the funeral, the anger he felt from every person that shook his hand and gave him condolences.

The anger and guilt he felt with himself everyday living with Miles who tried to be the rock he needed.

The relief of living in the one-bedroom apartment at Calderwood.

The glimpse of a chance at friendship with the physics students.

The boredom of cleaning late nights.

The excitement of the physics students doing some insane experiment.

The pure fear he felt as he watched the Kash-Tar attacking the students.

The anger and determination to stop them at any means necessary.

The confusion when his HUD told him to activate copper level healing.

Waking up to find the students gone and a strange woman standing above him.

And then amusement and wonder at seeing Caelum.

Then fear and aww of Lilly.

The fear of what he was supposed to become.

The resolve and acceptance to become what he needed to become.

The promise to his parents, and regardless if it was to be the best custodian or to save this insane world, he would put everything he had into it.

Eli’s breath hitched as the last wave of memories surged through him. His heart pounded, his mind racing to make sense of what had just happened.

His hand still felt warm like he had his hand on a hot pan.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the sensation vanished. Left was an exhausted Eli, feeling as if he had his soul laid bare.

Dainen released his hand.

Eli almost tipped over in his chair, gripping the edge of the table to steady himself. He felt raw, like his entire life had just been played back at double speed while someone else flipped through his emotions like pages in a book.

“What.The hell—” Eli gasped. “What was that?!”

Alira was watching, her expression unreadable, she hadn’t seen him in a long time, and his powers have grown maybe more than hers. Maybe.

Dainen, meanwhile, leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin. “Hmph.”

“Hmph?!”

“Seriously?” Eli said, exhausted and annoyed.

That was all he had to say?!

Eli was about to demand some kind of explanation when Dainen turned to Alira.

“You feel like he can handle this?”

“I do.” She said.

“Well, we will see.” Dainen eyeing Eli said.

Dainen grinned. It was small, but it was there.

“He’s got fire. Not just in his affinities—in his soul.” Dainen crossed his arms, studying Eli like he was a particularly intriguing puzzle.

“Fear doesn’t sit right on you. It’s there, sure. But you don’t let it settle. You turn it into something else. The fear gets turned into pure determination.”

Eli hesitated. “…Was that some kind of test?”

Dainen tilted his head. “Something like that.”

Eli exhaled through his nose. “I feel like you should have bought me dinner first.”

Alira smirked. “You’ll get used to it.” Looking at Dainen, as he had his eyebrows raised looking at Eli.

Dainen turned back to her. “He’s not normal, Alira. You know that.”

Alira’s expression didn’t shift. “I do.”

“I am…. right here.” Eli said still holding his hand. With a deep pause between am and here.

“His body and soul weren’t made for this world,” Dainen continued. “They’ve adapted—are still adapting. But he’s going to hit limits no one else has ever faced and power that no one has had to control.”

Alira exhaled. “That’s why we came to you.”

Dainen leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking onto Eli. “So, tell me, Eli. What is it you want?”

Eli blinked.

“…What?”

“You heard me.” Dainen’s tone was even, but there was a weight behind it. “You didn’t choose this. But you’re here now. So, tell me—what do you want?”

Eli swallowed.

He thought back to Dainen’s soul viewing. The amount of fear and grief and sadness. But also, the amount of joy he had, and so much of that joy came from his parents.

He thought back to The Kash-Tar ripping through the students.

The moment his HUD had spoken for the first time.

☰ Activate Copper-Tier Healing?

His jaw tightened.

“I know that some scary all-knowing beings picked me to save the world,” Eli said finally. “Not because I was already super human or because I aced every test I took.” He met Dainen’s gaze, steadier than before. “But because of the person my parents raised. I don’t know what will happen or how any of this works, but I will never stop until I am either dead or we fix this world.”

Dainen nodded slowly.

Then smirked. “You say that now, after a week you might think differently.”

Eli sighed in relief. “So, does that mean you’ll—”

“Training starts at sunrise.”

Eli blinked. “…Wait, what?”

Dainen stood. “You want to survive in Caelum? You want to make use of what’s inside you? Then you train.” He turned to Alira. “I will pull every amount of potential out of Eli.”

Eli’s stomach sank. “That sounds ominous.”

Alira, for the first time all day, looked genuinely amused.

“Oh,” she said, standing as well. “You have no idea.”

Eli signed deeply. “I regret everything, can I take my super big speech back, I take it back, I am going to fold like a Giant Rat in a level 1 dungeon.”

Dainen clapped a heavy hand on Eli’s shoulder, grinning. “This is going to be fun, for me... definitely not for you.”

“I have an extra house that we have been working on, it’s basically livable, might have some leaks if it rains. But you two can stay in there.”

“Man, I am really missing my kidnapper right now.” Eli mumbled under his breath.

“Come on, meet my grandkids!” Dainen gestured to the closed door. They all heard a scrambling noise as he said that. Dainen smirked and opened the door to his son and wife acting as it they were reading a book. His son’s book was upside down.