Five years passed.
Clank!
Inside the vast private training chamber of the Astaraeas estate, the sharp, relentless ring of clashing steel echoed off the reinforced walls.
A young boy, standing at a striking height of 140 cm, moved with fluid precision. This was ten-year-old Aeon. His signature white hair, still tipped with a vibrant shade of blue, had grown much longer over the years and was now tied back securely in a sleek ponytail.
His hands gripped the hilt of a slender katana. His sharp purple and gold eyes remained locked onto the imposing figure of the man standing across from him. The lingering baby fat had completely vanished from Aeon’s face, replaced by a serious, focused expression that radiated combat readiness.
His father, Aldrich Astaraeas, stood before him wielding a heavy longsword. A proud smile broke across the Duke’s face as he shifted his stance. "Come at me again."
Aeon didn’t waste his breath on a reply. He simply lowered his center of gravity, exploding forward from his position.
Whoosh!
In a fraction of a second, Aeon closed the distance, his katana carving a lethal arc through the air as he slashed at Aldrich.
Clack!
Aldrich deflected the incoming blade with effortless grace. With the same fluid motion, he countered, driving a strike back at his son with identical force.
Aeon parried the blow seamlessly. The two blades ground against one another, sending a shower of sparks between them.
Catching his father’s momentum, Aeon deflected the longsword away and executed a flawless, highly mastered side-step. Utilizing his perfect footwork, he launched a swift horizontal slash aimed directly at Aldrich’s exposed right flank.
Aldrich reacted instantly. He twisted his torso to dodge the blade, simultaneously driving a powerful kick straight toward Aeon’s ribs.
Anticipating the counter, Aeon crunched his body low to duck beneath the sweeping leg. Using the momentum of his duck, he spun low to the ground and swung his katana in a vicious counter-attack aimed directly at his father’s abdomen.
Seeing the clever low strike, Aldrich’s smile widened. He brought his longsword down just in time, intercepting Aeon’s blade before it could hit its mark.
Clank!
For a brief moment, the two remained frozen in a deadlock. Father and son locked eyes over the crossed metal, both wearing matching, confident smirks.
With a sudden burst of physical strength, Aldrich shoved his blade forward. Aeon rolled backward with the pressure, taking a few calculated steps to perfectly reset his combat stance.
Aldrich smiled warmly, and with a sudden shimmer, the longsword in his hand vanished into thin air.
"Good. Very good," Aldrich praised, rolling his shoulders. "Your swordsmanship is truly amazing. Let’s continue with the spear now."
A long, ornate spear materialized directly into the Duke’s hand.
Aeon nodded, walking back to the weapon racks. He carefully racked his katana and selected a training spear of his own.
Within moments, father and son clashed once again, this time filling the hall with the rapid rhythm of spear mastery.
For ten uninterrupted minutes, they traded blows at a breathtaking pace, each targeting the other’s vital points without a single drop in intensity.
Clank!
The two spearheads collided directly in mid-air, releasing a fierce, concussive ring that vibrated through the room.
Exploiting the recoil, Aeon spun his spear cleanly around his body, channeling tremendous physical force into a sweeping strike targeted at Aldrich’s left ribs.
Aldrich quickly brought the sturdy handle of his spear down to absorb the impact. Deflecting his son’s weapon to the floor, the Duke immediately followed up with a lightning-fast thrust toward Aeon’s chest.
Instead of retreating, Aeon leapt directly into the air. He landed perfectly on the shaft of Aldrich’s extended spear, using it as a stepping stone to sprint forward. In a flash, he drove a thrust of his own directly toward his father’s temple.
Amazed by his son’s unorthodox, high-speed movement, Aldrich raised his left hand and used his bare palm to deflect the incoming spear tip safely to the side.
With his attack diverted, Aeon used the momentum to vault over his father, spinning mid-air to land gracefully directly behind him.
But the moment his feet touched the floor, he realized Aldrich was already ahead of him. The Duke had spun around, bringing his spear down in a massive, sweeping vertical slash.
Reacting on pure instinct, Aeon raised his spear horizontally to block. The heavy strike connected, safely defending the blow but throwing him back a full foot across the polished floor.
Bam!
Aeon’s boots dug into the floor as he stabilized himself instantly, immediately dropping back into a defensive posture, ready to either attack or defend.
Aldrich let out a booming laugh, dismissing his spear into particles of light. "Hahaha! Excellent! Your improvement over these past five years has been absolutely exceptional."
Aeon finally relaxed his rigid stance, letting his shoulders drop as he walked toward his father.
Aldrich clapped a heavy hand onto his son’s shoulder, his tone brimming with immense pride. "You are incredibly good, son. Your talent with weaponry is undeniable, but your raw combat instincts and battlefield judgment are what truly make you amazing for your age."
Aeon smiled modestly. "Thanks, dad. But I still have a long way to go."
Aldrich laughed heartily. "Hahaha! That’s the spirit. Never allow yourself to become arrogant." He paused for a moment, glancing at the clock. "That is enough for today. Go clean yourself up and head over to your mother’s study for your magic class."
Aeon nodded obediently. He returned his training spear to its designated slot on the weapon rack and exited the training hall, making his way back toward his private chambers.
It had been exactly five years since he began his rigorous training regime. He was no longer just a protected noble child; he was now a highly trained warrior fully capable of defending himself.
With the innate physical durability of his dragon heritage, his hyper-accelerated reaction speed, and five years of brutal, daily conditioning, he knew that if he were to be dropped back onto Earth, the only things capable of truly harming him would be high-caliber sniper rifles or heavy military explosives.
Aeon soon reached the entrance of his room, where his personal maids were already lined up waiting for him.
Ever since his combat training started, he had established a strict routine. He would handle his morning bath completely by himself after his workouts with his father, and only then would the maids step in to assist him with grooming and dressing.
Aeon offered them a warm smile as he walked past.
Following a hot bath and a hearty, replenishing meal, Aeon dressed in his proper indoor attire and made his way toward his mother’s study.
The room was immense and deeply magical, with towering bookshelves packed to the brim with ancient grimoires stretching out directly behind a grand mahogany desk. Elisabeth was already seated there, completely engrossed in a thick tome held in her right hand.
Hearing the door click open, she closed the book and looked up. A radiant, happy smile instantly illuminated her face as she greeted her son. "Good morning, dear. How was your training session with your father today?"
Aeon walked across the room, a playful grin tugging at his lips as he answered calmly, "It was great, mom. I almost kicked his ass."
Elisabeth immediately covered her mouth, letting out a delighted, elegant chuckle. "Yes, I’m sure you did! My son truly is the best."
Aeon lifted his chin with mock arrogance, puffing out his chest. "Of course I am."
The two shared a quiet moment before breaking out into shared laughter. These small, lighthearted moments where they teased Aldrich behind his back were always their favorite interactions.
Meanwhile, deep within the training hall, Aldrich was sitting in a cross-legged meditative posture when he unexpectedly let out a massive, sudden sneeze. "Achoo!" He rubbed his nose, thoroughly confused.
Back in the quiet comfort of the study, Aeon took a seat directly opposite his mother. Elisabeth’s expression transitioned into that of a focused instructor as she began the lesson.
"Alright, then. You have already completely mastered the foundational theories of magic. You know how to manually construct spell matrices, you understand the core principles of controlling and manipulating cosmic energy, and you have already thoroughly studied intermediate-level spellcraft. To put it plainly, your theoretical magic foundation is absolutely rock-solid."
Elisabeth was a renowned SSS-rank Mage—standing as one of the most powerful Mages in both the Valtthoros Empire and the entire world of Nexos Earth.
For the past five years, she had personally dedicated herself to teaching her son the complex intricacies of magic, including spell configurations, elemental typing, and magic circles. Initially, she had realistically assumed he would need at least two full years just to fully comprehend the basic theoretical framework of spellcraft.
To her absolute astonishment, Aeon had completely mastered it in a mere six months. Not only that, but he had even gone as far as creating entirely new magic circles—fusing basic-level arrays together to generate output equivalent to medium-level spells.
While history recorded a handful of legendary geniuses who had accomplished similar feats, absolutely none of them had done it at the tender age of five.
On Nexos Earth, active magic circles and spells were categorized into six rigid tiers:
Basic, Medium, High, Advanced, Forbidden, and Divine.
Each tier was exponentially more devastating than the last.
Initially, the family had assumed Aeon would inevitably awaken as an Arcane cultivator due to his absurd magical aptitude.
However, he had simultaneously displayed flawless martial arts talent under his father and a profound, intuitive understanding of soul theory.
The only logical conclusion his parents could arrive at was that their son simply possessed an unparalled and unprecedented comprehension talent across all fields.
Elisabeth spoke again, her voice softening. "We have also thoroughly explored high-level magic theory, and we won’t be pushing beyond that for now. We will save the advanced applications for after your awakening tomorrow—assuming you possess the necessary talent for magic."
Aeon’s eyes widened in sudden, absolute surprise. He leaned forward, his heart racing. "Tomorrow? Tomorrow is my official awakening day?"
Elisabeth smiled warmly at his reaction. "Yes, dear. Tomorrow is the big day." She had finally delivered the news he had been eagerly awaiting for years.
"Yes!" Aeon pumped his fist, an uncontainable wave of pure joy washing over him. He was finally going to unlock his true power.
Elisabeth chuckled softly at his boyish excitement, though her expression quickly shifted back into that of a disciplined teacher.
"Hihi, yes, you finally get to awaken. But for now, focus. Act as my student and walk me through a complete summary of everything you have learned about magic."
Aeon nodded eagerly, organizing the massive library of information in his mind before he began to explain.