The instant Kael walked into the Sanctuary, Cirri shot into his arms, wanting her father's complete attention, which she, as the rightful firstborn daughter, has the sole right to.
Kael's smile widened. Even Vitaria had moved away from him since she had already spent a lot of time with her father today.
Yes, she was being a good girl since she had her share of fun today.
Kael was actually considering letting her prank one human a day just so he didn't have to deal with the demon Vitaria.
"Father~ Father~ Father~"
Cirri muttered, rubbing her face on Kael extra affectionately because she felt extra jealous today. The other two competitor princesses got to spend more time with HER father, and she didn't like it one bit.
Kael, who knew exactly what she was thinking, just chuckled and gently held her in his arms, patting her soft body.
"Children these days."
Imperia, who was sitting on his head, commented as she shook her head.
"I am older than you!"
"Yes, yes, I was just saying whatever came to my mind. I apologize, Elder Sister."
Imperia quickly admitted her defeat, something that should have satisfied Cirri, but for some odd reason, it just didn't.
It almost felt like… the little thing was giving in because she didn't wish to fight a child.
Cirri, however, quickly shook her head and,
"Yes! You better mind your manners. Otherwise I will punish you."
She spoke, showing her authority after she quickly snuggled into Kael's embrace again.
Kael shook his head, laughing at the interaction.
He stared at Igni, who, like the responsible older brother he was, waited and allowed his sister to get all the affection. Only once Kael extended his hand towards him did the firstborn walk close to him, and the two supported their foreheads with each other.
The father and son stayed for a while. Cirri, who was somewhat stuck between them, didn't mind. She just smiled, feeling both her father's and brother's embrace.
Vitaria, who was finally done being a good girl, felt left out and jumped on Kael's shoulder, wanting affection as well.
Kael smiled. Being surrounded by his children was indeed the best feeling in the world. Soon, Kael sighed and stretched his body. It was only 7 in the evening. He had plenty of time on his hands, so the first thing he did was read the spell book Elira had given to him.
The moment his eyes fell on the book, he paused for a moment. In an instant, his mind recalled all his interactions with Elira, Arlan, and Veylara.
He had gotten close to them. He had even started considering them his trusted allies, but… after the Vision related to the King, he couldn't bring himself to go to them.
He trusted the Stormhold Family, at least the three he had met, and honestly, he didn't want to lose that trust. If, in the future, he found out those three turned out to be enemies as well—which was very likely since they all were deeply connected to the King and had a positive opinion of him—Kael probably wouldn't be able to take it.
He wanted to trust them. He wanted to believe them. Therefore, he left without interacting with them.
Yes, a skewed logic, but to Kael, it made perfect sense.
In the end, he just sighed as he picked Elira's book and started reading the spells she had specifically chosen for him and categorized them into different parts.
After training magic, it was time to train [Ancient Pulse].
Yes, the playing time with his children had now turned into training time. The Dragons and Fox loved it when their father used their magic, and they told him everything he needed to get better.
The rate at which Kael was improving was quite terrifying.
After the training, Imperia told everyone to rest, and once again, Kael followed her words. After 5 hours of sleep, Kael woke up, and he and Cirri entered the Tempest Sanctum.
Once again, they failed, but Kael knew that he was getting closer and closer. The only reason he even lost was because he wasn't using [Ascendent of the Ancient]. Kael wanted to clear the trial without using his trump card.
He was also saving it in case of emergency.
Anyways, after spending some more time with his children, Kael walked out of the Sanctuary, where Xix'rah seemed to be waiting for him. She had even prepared a few fruits for him to eat.
Xix'rah bowed her head.
"You should eat these for breakfast. It isn't good to stay on an empty stomach for long. I will also help you hunt a few weaker beasts that will suit your taste, but for now, eat this."
Kael nodded as he started eating the fruits presented in front of him.
Once he was done, Imperia took him to a lake, where he could bathe. Then he hunted a beast for breakfast, and after about 2 hours, he was ready to leave this place.
The journey began once again. With Imperia's instructions, traveling through the forest couldn't be easier. They exited the forest before the sun set.
Kael even took Xix'rah and her ants with him. According to Imperia, they were highly inefficient because they were working alone.
Ants were supposed to work together—not just the Whisperveil Ants, the Duskmarch Ants, the Goldgut Ants, the Ironmarch Ants—there were different types of ants specialized in different fields, and if they all worked together, it was almost impossible to defeat them.
Imperia wanted to make this a reality, and for her dream to come true, she needed to recruit Xix'rah, something that Kael didn't mind one bit.
After all, he had already seen a demonstration of Imperia's abilities. Just thinking about how it would look like once these abilities expand, Imperia recruits other ants, and these ants work together with his other Bonds…
'Holy fuck, I am going to be OP…'
He cursed out loud, excited about the future.