February 1st, 1810.

In the heart of the grand forest, where wild animals freely roamed and birds soared in flocks, the soft melodies of mother birds chirping to their young echoed through the trees. The forest seemed endless, stretching beneath a clear blue sky.

High above, a dragon with shimmering silver scales and striking golden eyes glided effortlessly. Its massive wings cut through the air with grace, dwarfing the smaller birds that flew alongside it.

Anastasia sat astride the dragon, Alcmena, her hair whipping in the wind as they soared above the forest canopy. Her laughter rang out, full of exhilaration and joy, as she experienced the thrill of riding a dragon for the first time.

Alcmena, pleased to see Anastasia's delight, suddenly sensed a shift in the air. A surge of powerful energy was coming from the direction where Xavier was training.

“My apologies, milady,” Alcmena said, his tone calm but serious. “It seems we won’t be able to continue our lovely flight. Xavier appears to have completed his training.”

Anastasia, a little disappointed but understanding, replied, “Oh, alright! I was starting to get a little worried about how the young master was doing.”

With a sudden burst of speed, Alcmena shot towards Xavier’s location, effortlessly breaking the sound barrier as he flew.

Arriving at said place, Xavier, who was in his RealmHeart state, sat peacefully meditating beneath a waterfall as he took slow, deep breaths with his eyes closed.

As Xavier slowly extended his right hand, the aura around him pulsed with life. Ethereal energy, drawn from the very essence of nature, began to converge toward him, swirling gently around his hand like a soft breeze. With intense focus, Xavier visualized compressing that energy into a single point in space, and as he did, the very fabric of reality began to warp and distort around him.

Then, without warning, a loud crack echoed as space itself folded inward. In his palm, a small yet visible black hole began to form, spinning with an otherworldly force.

After countless attempts and near-defeats, when hope had nearly slipped away, Xavier had finally achieved the godlike technique of the Dragon King—Blackstar Authority.

Opening his eyes slowly, he shouted with exhilaration, overwhelmed by his success in manifesting the black hole Alcmena had taught him to create.

"Master, look!" Xavier exclaimed in sheer delight. "I’ve done it! I’ve actually conjured a black hole!"

Alcmena stood frozen, his expression one of astonishment, though his thoughts raced with something deeper.

"I can hardly believe it," Alcmena thought to himself. "I knew the boy was gifted, but this... this is beyond extraordinary."

"Calling him a genius would be an understatement. He's something more—something far greater. A super-genius."

"To have mastered my Blackstar technique in just one month is incredible, but to form a quantum black hole? That's something I couldn't have foreseen."

Alcmena’s mind raced as he tried to comprehend it. "How did he manage to create a quantum black hole, a feat nearly impossible within the physical realm, and yet conjure something so minuscule and precise in his mind?"

Anastasia, standing beside Alcmena, couldn't hide her amazement. "To wield such a tremendous and powerful aura at such a young age is nothing short of astonishing! Young Master truly carries the bloodline of an Ivanovich!"

Xavier, rubbing his nose with a hint of pride, grinned. "Thanks for the compliment, Miss Anastasia!"

As Xavier reverted back to his original form, his hair no longer golden like the sun while in his RealmHeart state, Xavier slowly stood beside Alcmena as he teased. "What's wrong, Master? Why do you look so pale in shock? Are you perhaps a bit salty that I was able to use your 'great' and ' mighty' ability in only a month?".

Alcmena, clearly annoyed, flicked Xavier on the forehead with one of his massive fingers. "Don't get too cocky, brat. You've got a long way to go before you can start boasting about your achievements."

Xavier yelped, "Ouch!" rubbing his head. "You didn't have to hit me, you big meanie! No, not big—small!"

Alcmena, feeling provoked, shouted, "Small? Who are you calling 'small,' child? The only reason I'm this size is because I choose to be! If I wanted, I could grow as large as a grand castle!"

"You're still a small meanie!" Xavier shot back. "You stinky lizard!"

"Oh, you little...!" Alcmena growled, his anger flaring. He then unleashed a flurry of finger flicks at Xavier, who raised his arms in defense and ran, yelling helplessly, "Stop it! It hurts!"

From a distance, Anastasia watched the chaos unfold, trying her best to keep her composure as Alcmena and Xavier bickered, disturbing the peaceful surroundings and scaring off the birds. Finally, she snapped, her patience worn thin, and yelled, "That's enough already!"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Both Alcmena and Xavier froze, turning to face the now-fuming Anastasia. She clenched her fists in frustration. "Can you two act normal for once and stop trying to destroy everything around you?"

Instantly, they stood upright and answered in unison, "Yes, ma'am!" The menacing aura emanating from Anastasia left them both slightly shaken.

Xavier leaned toward Alcmena and whispered, "Look what you did now, Master. You made Miss Anastasia angry."

"I made her angry?" Alcmena scoffed, surprised. "It’s your fault she's like this! Don’t go blaming me for your mess!"

Then, with a sudden glint of affection in his eyes, Alcmena added, "Besides, I like her when she’s angry. Just my type of woman."

Xavier couldn’t help but smirk and tease, "You sure do talk about women a lot, Master."

Alcmena shot back, "And you seem to have zero experience talking to one."

"That's not true!" Xavier replied, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh really?" Alcmena asked, mockingly. "Isn’t it you who turns into a stammering fool whenever your crush, Princess Jasmine is around?"

Xavier’s eyes widened in shock. "What? I don’t—what are you talking about? Who said I have a crush on Princess Jasmine?"

Alcmena laughed, enjoying the sight of Xavier struggling to hide the truth. "Why are you so flustered? You can’t lie to me, child. Did you forget we share a mind?"

Xavier’s face turned bright red as Alcmena continued, "Every time your heart races and your thoughts run wild when you see Princess Jasmine, I can hear and see all of it, no matter where I am."

"Not to mention, you’re my vessel, so I have access to your memories. I can relive every embarrassing encounter you’ve had with your precious princess."

Xavier, completely caught off guard, turned crimson, realizing Alcmena had witnessed all his awkward moments. Alcmena laughed even harder, reveling in Xavier’s embarrassment.

Anastasia, who finally calmed herself down, remembered that she had received a letter designated to Xavier.

Taking out the letter from her pouch, Anastasia hurriedly ran to Xavier, handing him the letter sent to him. "Here, Young Master, this is a letter that was sent for you today.".

"Oh, thanks!" Xavier replied as he took the letter.

Opening it, Xavier, Alcmena, and Miss Anastasia were surprised to see that the letter contained a small poster and a phrase written on it that read, "Hope to see you there!".

On the back of the small poster was the title, "The Gladiator Grand Festival". And Xavier didn't know what that meant, so he asked Miss Anastasia what it was.

Shocked that Xavier had never heard of the Gladiator Grand Festival, Anastasia quickly explained. "The Gladiator Grand Festival is a massive contest held every four years, where powerful warriors from all corners of the world gather to fight for incredible prizes. These can range from unimaginable sums of money to weapons crafted by legendary blacksmiths from different continents."

"That's amazing!" Xavier exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement. He was fascinated by this grand event he had never known existed.

Still surprised, Anastasia asked, "How is it possible you've never heard of the Gladiator Grand Festival, Young Master? People of all ages know about this famous event!"

Xavier chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Well, I grew up on a farm, so I didn’t really hear much about things outside my homeland."

"That explains it, farmer boy," Alcmena chimed in with a straight face, clearly trying to provoke Xavier. And it worked.

Xavier chose to ignore Alcmena’s jab and continued examining the small poster, which mentioned that this year’s Gladiator Grand Festival would be held in the Russian Empire, in the city of Saint Petersburg.

Anastasia then suggested that the letter Xavier had received might actually be an invitation to the festival.

The possibility made Xavier's heart race, and he clenched his fists in excitement. "Even though I can’t properly use my vector abilities anymore, and I haven’t yet broken through to my red-administrator core, I’m thrilled at the thought of testing the new strength I’ve worked so hard to build."

With a big grin, he added, "Now I can finally see just how far I've come—and how I can protect the people I care about." As he said this, his thoughts drifted to his late father, Jonathan, imagining the proud smile that would light up his father’s face.

Alcmena, watching from behind, couldn’t help but smile himself, his pride in Xavier growing stronger. He was glad to see that, despite everything, Xavier’s heart remained as pure as ever.

February 10th, 1810

Location: Saint Petersburg, the Grand Empire of Russia

Several days had passed, and the long-awaited Gladiator Grand Festival had finally commenced. The streets of Saint Petersburg were alive with people from every corner of the globe, here to witness and partake in the legendary contest.

Xavier, having just secured accommodations for himself, Miss Anastasia, and Alcmena at a local inn, was awestruck by the sheer size and grandeur of the Colosseum where the festival would take place.

"Wow, look how massive it is!" Xavier exclaimed in awe.

Alcmena chuckled softly. "You humans never cease to amaze me. Despite being the weakest of the four great races, you somehow manage to create such monumental and intricate structures—things even the other races wouldn't dream of constructing."

"An impressive species, indeed," he added thoughtfully.

Just then, Xavier was distracted by the sound of excited screams. Turning around, he noticed a large group of women gathered around a news poster, all marveling over an image of his older brother, Prince Aleksander Ivanovich.

"I can't believe such a handsome man will soon be king of our country!" one woman exclaimed, clearly thrilled.

"And don’t forget about his beautiful siblings!" another chimed in.

"Totally! Prince Xavier is absolutely adorable!" her friend gushed.

Xavier, feeling the attention from the crowd, pulled the hood of his cloak lower, laughing softly at their comments about him.

"Master Aleksander sure is popular with the ladies," Anastasia noted with a knowing smile.

"That’s my brother for you," Xavier replied, grinning.

Alcmena, perched on Xavier's shoulder, placed a paw on him in a teasing manner. "Don’t feel too bad about being called adorable by women, Xavier," he said in a mockingly consoling tone. "Maybe, just maybe, when you grow up, you’ll be as dashing and handsome as me."

"And just as stinky," Xavier quipped, earning a speechless glance from Alcmena.

As they entered the Colosseum, Xavier made his way to the registration center, signing up as a contestant under the alias Klay Worthmore, to avoid drawing attention to his true identity.

After registering, Xavier, Anastasia, and Alcmena headed to the main seating area, where the crowd erupted in cheers, watching the ongoing battles in the arena below.

Xavier was taken aback by the sheer number of spectators gathered to witness the Gladiator Grand Festival. Unfortunately, he had arrived just after the latest match had ended, with the winner now being announced to the crowd.

Down in the arena stood the victorious champion, basking in the applause of the spectators. Unbeknownst to Xavier, this champion was the very man who had been observing him the day he first set foot on the continent—the same man who had watched him battle the bandits, whose leader had been hired to assassinate him.

As the black-haired champion spotted Xavier among the crowd, his gaze locked onto him, and a chilling smile crept across his face. In a low, ominous voice, he murmured, "Glad to see you've finally arrived, Xavier Laurent."