"Space, huh." That single word raced through Vahn's mind, and immediately the golden display reappeared before his eyes:

[NAME: VAHN ???]

[PHYSICAL ABILITY: 25]

[INNATE ABILITY: DEVOUR]

[ABILITY: SPACE, ERASURE]

'It replaced teleportation with space?' He mused, however he quickly understood. After all, teleportation had always meant shifting from one point to another in space.

Afterwards, Vahn turned to find curious glances directed his way. Once everyone had finished gathering their belongings, their eyes had been fixed on him. He truly had been acting suspicious, however what could they do, he had help them.

Ignoring their stares, he punched in a series of codes and pressed a button.

GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

A deep rumble shook the control room, and a section of the ceiling slid open to reveal the sky.

"Hahh…" someone murmured.

"Finally…" another whispered.

"Yessss…" a third voice joined in.

The expanse above was as if the world itself were congratulating them, and only then did they truly grasp what they had faced.

"Hey, I know we didn't see eye to eye," Blade Axe said, bowing his head in sincere gratitude, "but that doesn't change the fact that you helped us. Thank you."

One by one, the remaining ability users followed his lead, bowing their heads in appreciation.

Vahn felt a small surge of satisfaction, at least they acknowledged his contribution. With that, they began ascending from the cave.

'The Alliance would surely want to see this', he mused. The ability users would undoubtedly report their discoveries and bring the news back to headquarters, so it was best to leave this underground lab as it was.

As the last of them emerged, Vahn climbed the stairs and finally stepped out into the open.

"Haahh…" he exhaled deeply, marveling at the sight of the world bathed in light. For reasons he couldn't quite explain, simply seeing the sky filled him with gratitude.

Looking around, they found themselves in the midst of a vast forest.

Suddenly, an old man among the survivors spoke up, his voice trembling with familiarity.

"I know this place. Follow me."

Before long, the crowd trailed behind him, and they arrived at a modest village.

"Isn't this Coplim?" a woman asked hesitantly.

"Yes," replied the old man, though his face showed no sign of joy.

Instead their attention were on the military men in uniform patrolling the village with grim expressions.

"W-What happened?" Blade Axe frowned and stepped forward to investigate.

As they were facing their own situation, Vahn found himself in an entirely different predicament. Out of nowhere, a disembodied voice echoed around him:

["Come"]

A surge of unseen force pulled at him. His eyes widened in shock as he struggled in vain against it.

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***

"Urghh…" Being dragged without resistance left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Regaining his composure, Vahn strained to see who was behind the mysterious pull. When he finally caught sight of the culprit, he froze.

'Purple hair, golden eyes—like mine. Is that…?' A sudden, inexplicable longing overwhelmed him.

"We finally meet, Vahn," the woman said softly, a smile playing on her lips.

After staring in shock for what felt like an hour, he exhaled and spoke, "Haah… so it was true," his voice was thick with emotion.

"What are you talking about?" she tilted her head. Ever since the alliance headquarters, they had been acting like they knew each other.

"I was only about 20% sure before," Vahn confessed, "but recently, that certainty grew to 70%, and now it's 100%."

After another deep breath her asked, "So tell me, what is our relationship?"

With a gentle smile, she pointed at him. "You… are our youngest."

Boom!

It was as if an explosion had shattered his mind.

'Youngest?' The word was reserved for siblings, and if she said "our," that meant there were more.

"How many?" he stammered.

"Five. I was the youngest until you arrived," she explained, clasping her hands together as if relieved to have escaped that fate.

"So, I have parents?" Vahn echoed, his voice barely a whisper as he pointed to himself.

"Of course. You'll get to meet them soon," she assured him.

"But, why am I here?" Vahn asked, perplexed. If he had siblings and parents somewhere else, why had he been left in this place?

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer that," she said in a pained tone. "Besides, we hardly ever see them, they're always busy with work."

"What work?" Vahn pressed.

"You know, our family is like a vast empire. Even I barely see the others."

"Hmm… alright, I'll accept that excuse once I see the empire for myself," he replied, inwardly yearning for any tangible proof.

"You'll love it," she promised, her smile returning.

Vahn sank to the ground, sighing deeply. He had awakened, grown stronger, and uncovered the truth about his family, now there was a sense of satisfaction in him.

"Alright, now it's time to pay up," he said, extending his hand toward his newfound sister.

"What?" she replied, startled.

"You know, I have seven family members, and I haven't received a birthday present in 17 years," Vahn said, making an incredible face.

"What?" she gasped, stunned by his sudden change in demeanor.

Then something happened,

TSHTSH… TSHSTH

With a sound like space tearing apart, two objects fell beside Vahn.

"Nice…" he murmured with satisfaction, thinking they were gifts from his sister. He picked them up to inspect them.

However,

'That wasn't from me…' she whispered, looking skyward in disbelief. She knew only of two individuals capable of such feats.

"Nice, a sword." Vahn said, holding up a slender, silver sword nearly two meters in length. At first glance, it appeared plain, but upon closer inspection, intricate runes adorned its blade, however they were so dim they blended with the silver.

'That sword…' she murmured, discomfort evident in her eyes. It wasn't the sword's beauty that troubled her; it was the implication. If these objects came from the source she suspected, then it meant they knew she had left.

"Did they let me?" she wondered silently.

Vahn then dropped the sword and picked up the second object. "A cloth," he noted and It was plain black.

"So, what can it do?" Vahn asked, turning to his sister, who still wore a lost expression.

Snapping out of her reverie, she replied, "Try it on first."

Listening to her, Vahn ripped apart what was left of what he wore. As he draped it over himself, as if reading his mind, it transformed seamlessly into his favorite tracksuit.

Vahn's eyes showed surprise, however it wasn't over.

"It's a defense treasure and also has a space pocket."

After getting the ability Space, he had an idea of how a space pocket would look like. So placing his hand inside, he could clearly feel the extra dimension within.

"Woww..." Vahn couldn't help but exclaim at the effect.

"Vahn..." His sister called out, and getting his attention, "Those weapons aren't from me," she said honestly.

"What? Then…" Vahn's eyes widened.

"They're from Father and Mother," she revealed.

"Eh?" Vahn was shocked. "Wait, how did they do it? No wait, how strong are they?"

"Well, imagine those monsters you saw in that barren land," she said, smiling as she sat down.

"Yes, Wait… What?" Vahn's mind raced, recalling the terrifying sensations of those creatures, and she was saying there were more like them and alive, "Is that possible?"

"Oh, you should meet Grandfather," she said.

"Grandfather? We have one?"

"Of course, there's even Grandmother…"

Thus began a conversation about their mundane family matters, lasting what felt like an entire day.

***

Far away, in a small, dimly lit room, a man and a woman sat cross-legged in meditation.

Every so often, tears welled in their eyes as they smiled softly, a rare display of emotion from two otherwise formidable beings.

One couldn't help but wonder what could elicit such a response from these monsters.

The answer, it seemed, was painfully obvious.

***

After the siblings had spoken without pause for what felt like an entire day, their conversation finally reached its natural end.

Vahn had learned everything there was to know about his family, and without further words, they all understood it was time to part ways.

"It's time, huh?" Eselie sighed, gazing up at the sky.

"Right. We have things to do," Vahn replied.

"Yes, and before I go, I should tell you…" For the first time, her voice turned somber.

"This world is running out of time, you've spent too long in the first stage."