Leaving his inner world, he returned to the real. He had decided to keep the filters running as they churned out roughly a fifty-fifty split of space and time essence.

He had no use of it, and it just passed through his body before being expelled outward. However, having them run helped train his willpower and ability to focus on other tasks without failing during a lapse of concentration.

Stretching, he let out a big yawn. He had been trying his best to get some physical exertion during waking time to build his body up, but it wasn't as much as he would have liked.

It had been roughly six months since he arrived in the world he now knew was called Tyrannis.

Looking around, he noticed he led on his rug at home, surrounded by toys. His mother was over by the fireplace and looked to be using it to heat a large cooking pot.

It smelt like some kind of meat stew, causing his stomach to rumble, and he realised this must be a sign he was getting ready to move onto a more solid diet. Not that he disliked milk, but it got a little boring after a while.

Light shone in from the open doorway and windows, and he judged that it must be sometime mid-afternoon. He stretched out again, yawning again, feeling more alert than before.

His mother must have heard him stirring as she turned to look over her shoulder, sending a gentle smile his way as their eyes met.

Part of him wanted to open up with deep and meaningful questions to his parents and blow their minds in the process, but he knew this would be cruel. He also wasn't sure if they might think him some kind of devil if he was to advance too fast and didn't want to get thrown out by them in fear. That is why he had decided to remain quiet until the time felt right.

Rolling over onto his front, he looked around, choosing to get in a little workout. Using his legs and hands, he pushed forward towards one of the blocks at the edge of the rug.

It took him a short while and much effort, but he could semi-crawl there. He felt like the finer control was there to be able to act; there just wasn't enough built-up muscle strength to follow through.

I wonder if I can get to the door.

Turning, he rolled, facing headfirst towards the open doorway. His mother had turned back around, humming as she cooked. Pushing off with a tiny heave, the distance between him and the doorway started to shrink as he did his best impression of a slug slithering across the wooden floor on his belly.

There was a little regret in his heart at the attempt as it turned out the floor wasn't exactly clean as he knocked up dust in his passing, causing him to cough a little. Thankfully, his mother didn't hear, so he wasn't caught in the act.

It must have taken him longer than a minute of hard work, but he had managed to get past the door and now led panting, looking outside at the world.

As he stared out, he realised it seemed to look different somehow. Every other time he had been here, it was due to someone else's effort, but now he had managed it alone.

It suddenly hit him just how much he had felt constrained by his lack of mobility. Apart from the dreamscapes that weren't real, he hadn't had the freedom just to go where he pleased since his time back on Earth. Smiling, he continued lying there, taking in the distant mountains and trees as cool air blew in.

The beautiful scenery reminded him that hast makes waste and that sometimes a person needs just to stop and enjoy the view. Initially, he had decided to form his core tonight, but now he had second thoughts. Instead, he wanted to get a good night's sleep and to compose himself first.

"What are you doing here?" Marcus said as he appeared in the doorway, walking up the short steps and onto the patio.

"Trying to escape?" He bent down and picked him up, giving him a once-over.

"How did he end up there? He was only playing on the rug a moment ago." Valeria exclaimed as she walked over, looking a little shocked.

"Seems he's doing fine after all." Marcus joked as he kicked his muddy boots off, walking inside and closing the door.

"It would appear so. Naughty child," Valeria said with a laugh and smiled at him as she tapped his little nose gently as if punishing him. Thankfully, he had already grown out of his adverse reaction to such a thing.

"Food should be ready soon. Why don't you go and get changed and set the table, and I will keep an eye on our little escapist." She said as Marcus grunted in the affirmative, setting him back down on the rug in the corner as he passed.

While his parents went about getting ready for food, he decided to test something else. He was already on the flat of his back, staring up at the ceiling. Clenching his core muscles, he used his hands by his sides to forcefully try and propel himself upwards. When he was close to sitting upright, he felt his arms give out, and he fell backwards in failure.

Choosing another tactic, he rolled onto his front, deciding to do a push-up instead. It wasn't long before he was up into an upright crawling position, and he forced himself backwards, landing on his behind. The first time he managed it, he couldn't keep his delicate balance and fell to the side, face-planting the fluffy rug.

Spitting out some fluff, he was unperturbed as he tried it again, this time being able to remain sitting upright. He was shaky, but that didn't stop his little smile as he looked around. It took some effort, but he was surprised at how much he could do with his infant body.

When his father walked back in, he was surprised to find Thanos sitting upright, staring at him with a look of triumph on his little face.

"Valeria, look, quick," Marcus said as he stopped dead in his tracks, pointing at him with surprise on his face.

His mother, bent over chopping some ingredients next to the fireplace, quickly turned around to see what all the fuss was about. When she spotted him staring at her, she stood straight, nearly banging her head off a put hanging above the fireplace.

She pushed it away and darted over, wiping her hands on her apron.

"I didn't think they were supposed to be able to sit yet for a few more months?" Marcus asked his wife.

"Does this mean he will be walking soon?"

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"He won't be able to walk anytime soon. How fast do you think they grow up?" His mother admonished him with a laugh and a shake of her head.

"All the other mothers had said it seemed different for each child. Perhaps he's just an early bloomer."

"Well, how am I meant to know? It's not like I spend much time around children." Marcus said, looking a little sheepish.

His mother bent down and picked him up, saying how much of a clever boy he was and kissing him on the cheek for his troubles. He reached out and batted her nose as he smiled back at her, getting a laugh from his parents.

After their food, his father set the lights around the farm for the night. Once inside, they spent the night in the living area on the floor as his parents seemed overjoyed at his sudden increase in ability and awareness. He could also pick things up and move them around when sitting up, surprising them once more.

He felt a growing warmth in his stomach as he watched his parents delight when they saw him succeed. Growing up wouldn't be so bad if every night could be like this.

Unfortunately, as seemed to happen to him when he finally found some semblance of inner peace, something had to go and ruin it.

It was late now, and darkness had spread over the land as Marcus carried him into his room, ready for bed.

His father suddenly stopped dead in his tracks just before the door to his room as a reverberating roar vibrated the house, causing Marcus to tense up.

He noticed a solemn look on Marcus's face as he quickly turned, sharing a glance with his mother, who was also frozen midway through clearing the table.

"Terror," Marcus said with a tinge of worry lacing the words.

Thanos felt slightly suffocated at hearing that roar, and part of him wanted to run away from it as fast as he could.

All the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stood on end as he looked on in worry at his parents, feeling suddenly helpless.

"What is a Terror doing here?" His mother said with worry as she moved over to the door, opening it a crack and sneaking a peek.

"I don't know. Be quick and put on your armour. We don't have much time. It sounds like it came from the valley entrance."

Thanos was placed on the rug as his parents methodically moved with super-human speed, equipping their armour in what he felt was a record time. He had seen them both wearing the matching armour before, but every time, it still struck him as they both looked like ancient gods of war descended from the heavens with their good looks and healthy physiques.

His father had grabbed the large twinblade from the nearby wall, and his mother now carried a bow and quiver filled with arrows. Multiple daggers were strapped around her body in easy-to-reach places, held by leather strips.

She picked him up, wrapping him in a heavy blanket as he was attached to the sling at her front as they headed out into the night. The house was left mid-use, making him think of those disaster scenes back on Earth where people left suddenly, tables still set, never to return.

He hoped that this wasn't going to be one of those situations.

Once outside, he finally got a look around as he was able to free a hand and use that to pull down the cloth sling enough to prevent it from blocking his vision.

He couldn't see much as there was no immediate threat nearby, and all the lights surrounding the farm were still illuminating the ground as his mother stood facing the valley entrance.

He could hear many things and thought he saw shapes moving in the darkness surrounding the farm, keeping just outside of the light. Whatever was out there seemed to be making all kinds of noises, such as clicking or grunting, that accompanied trampling footfalls.

"They're already between us and the village." His mother said as she turned to look towards the village.

He was still having a hard time making anything out, but he felt there seemed to be things waiting in the black, too.

A sudden noise came from a nearby field adjacent to the farm as shouting and combat started. His father shot off like a record-breaking sprinter, arriving at the edge of the light created by the torches dotted around the farm.

He sent out a palm that fired out a cone of light, finally allowing Thanos to see what was happening. Two men in legion armour were wielding a sword and spear while fighting a small group of hideous creatures.

Both men were covered in black blood and gore as they crossed the field, heading towards them and killing anything that got close.

"Faster." His father ordered as he charged over, his bladed weapon cleanly slicing the head off a jumping insect that looked like a giant cricket from hell.

The light he had sent out still seemed to linger in the air as the attacking creatures fled into the night, allowing the two men access to the safety of the perimeter light of the farm.

"Report." Marcus snapped at the pair, not giving them a chance to calm their heavy breathing that made it obvious they had been running for their lives.

"A Terror appeared at the perimeter leading a horde. Texon tried to lead it away and ordered us to send word back. Albus was with us, but he didn't make it. He took a ranged essence attack by something that cut him in half. He had our Lightstone, but we couldn't go back for it. There's a powerful Nightling close to becoming another terror with the horde. That's what got him." The large man carrying the spear said as he panted, trying to catch his breath.

"We need to return for Texon before it's too late." The other man said.

"No. She led it away from the village to buy us time. We need to get back and report to the General. Do you know how powerful that Terror is? Was it a flyer?" Marcus said as he led the small group to the other side of the farm, facing the village but still within the surrounding light.

The two men looked at each other before the smaller one carrying a sword spoke up.

"We didn't get a look as we were in the rear sentry position. Albus was with Texon but didn't get a chance to tell us anything before he died. It all happened so fast. We did sense the essence it sent off when it pursued Texon." The man said, seeming apologetic that he had nothing more valuable to add but looking hesitant to say the rest.

"Say it." His father demanded.

"It felt like it was in the Body Rebirth stage. It was the same feeling we get from the General when he goes all out." The man with the spear said bluntly.

"Is it possible that you might advance?" The man with the sword said, a little hope in his voice. His father sighed.

"I'm still in the middle of my destruction phase. If I have to force it, I will, but I've no guarantees." Marcus said, sounding frustrated before he suddenly turned towards the valley entrance.

"Looks like it's here. Let's see what we're dealing with." His father said as he fired off a glowing orb of light that shot through the air, arching like an artillery strike. When it was halfway down to the ground on the other side of the arc, it exploded, covering the nearby ground in light.

It reminded him of those illumination flares used by the military back on Earth as it floated in the air like a miniature sun.

The response was immediate as the light shone down, revealing many creatures that looked up into the air and hissed or roared before running for darkness. A prominent figure on top of a rocky outcrop caught his attention, and it was staring directly at them.

It was an enormous black and grey four-legged thing that looked nearly as big as their house. Numerous tails that undulated through the air were fanning out behind it, reminding him more of tentacles. Each one looked to be tipped with a sharp spike.

On the face of the beast sat two large eyes that seemed to glow green with the reflection coming from the descending flare. Lengthy sharp teeth were then suddenly visible as it opened its insect-like mouth and let out a scream.

He had heard a fox scream at night back on Earth. The noise from this monster sounded something like that but much worse. With that scream, a bolt of darkness shot out of the creature's mouth, impacting the floating light and snuffing it out.

He nearly shit himself on the spot at seeing such a monster. It was like something had crawled out of his nightmares.

"At least it's not a natural flyer. That would've been harder to deal with." His mother said at the sight of the creature as the group surrounding him surveyed the Terror.

"Terrors are more intelligent than the normal Nightlings, and it's at Body Rebirth. This isn't going to be easy." Marcus replied with a frown, watching the light vanish.

"We need to move. These lights won't keep us safe with that Terror forcing the others to go against their instincts." His father said as he turned away from the creature in the distance to address the group.

"Grab a Lightstone from one of the nearby posts and attach it to yourselves." He said as he did the same for himself and Valeria before returning to the perimeter.

"You two take the sides. I will take the front. Don't get bogged down. We don't stop."

"Let's go." His father said, and the small group started running hard in formation, heading for the now lively defences of Mysthaven.