Cassandra was shaking her head. "This is... I don't even know what this is. Scandalous? Insane?"
"It's love," Regina said simply, reaching across the table to pat Cassandra's hand. "Unconventional, yes. Shocking by mortal standards. But it's love nonetheless."
"We're not bound by mortal conventions here," Gregoria added in her regal tone.
"But... but you're his mother," Lyanna said to Regina, still trying to wrap her mind around it. "And you're his grandmother," she added, looking at Gregoria. "How does that even work?"
"Very well, actually," Regina replied with a mischievous smile that was very similar to Seraphine's. "Your father is quite talented."
"Mother!" Lyanna's face flushed red.
"What? It's true," Regina said unapologetically.
Julian laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "I suppose we are rather unconventional," he admitted. "But your sister is right—you deserve to know the truth about our family. We don't hide what we are or how we love each other."
Cassandra was studying her mother Lisa with new eyes. "You and mother Isabel... both with Father... Did you know? When you decided to... I mean, did you discuss it?"
Lisa smiled gently. "We did. It was complicated at first, certainly. But your father has a way of making you feel like you're the only person in the world when he looks at you. And rather than competing, Isabel and I found we could share that love and be closer for it."
"We support each other," Isabel added, her directness cutting through any awkwardness. "Strange as it may seem, it works for us."
Lyanna looked at Seraphine. "And you're okay with all this?"
"I had the same reaction you're having now," Seraphine admitted. "Complete shock, disbelief. But..." She glanced at Julian, her expression softening. "But seeing them all together, seeing how they love each other, how they waited for him for centuries... it's hard to judge something that pure, even if it breaks every rule I thought existed."
She paused, then added with a return of her mischievous smile, "Plus, Father made it clear I might be next in line for the harem, so who am I to judge?"
"He what?!" both Lyanna and Cassandra whispered simultaneously.
The entire table burst into laughter at their synchronized reaction.
"He was teasing," Eleanor assured them, though her smile suggested otherwise. "Mostly."
"I haven't decided yet," Seraphine said, which only made everyone laugh harder.
Lyanna buried her face in her hands. "This family is absolutely insane."
"Welcome to the clan," Seraphine said cheerfully, patting her sister's shoulder. "It only gets stranger from here."
Cassandra was shaking her head, but a smile was starting to tug at her lips despite her shock. "I suppose if we're going to have a scandalous family, we might as well commit to it completely."
"That's the spirit," Julian said warmly, raising his glass in a toast. "To family."
"To family," the others echoed, raising their own glasses.
As they drank and resumed eating, Lyanna leaned closer to Seraphine and whispered, "So... is Father really considering adding you to his harem?"
Seraphine's cheeks flushed slightly. "He was teasing. I think. Mostly. Maybe?"
Lyanna studied her sister's uncertain expression and grinned. "Well, given everything we just learned about this family, I suppose it wouldn't be the strangest thing."
"Don't even start," Seraphine warned, but she was smiling.
Cassandra leaned in from the other side. "Though you have to admit, you did inherit his looks. If he's adding daughters to the collection—"
"I will throw this bread at you," Seraphine threatened, though her blush deepened.
Both Lyanna and Cassandra dissolved into laughter, and despite her embarrassment, Seraphine found herself laughing too.
As the breakfast continued, conversation flowing freely around him, Julian turned his focus inward.
Hey, System, he called out mentally. I want to know about the realms above Grand Mage now.
There was a brief pause, and then a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
Host, the system responded. To understand this, you must first understand the fundamental principles of life and creation.
Julian continued eating, his expression unchanged.
Every world is created by the Heavens with a limit, the system continued. This means the inhabitants of that world cannot ascend above those established limits. Now, it's not entirely impossible to break through such barriers, but it is extraordinarily difficult—requiring not just talent and effort, but fundamental changes to one's very existence.
Julian nodded slightly.
Your previous world, where you were born. It was a mortal-realm with its limit set at Grand Mage. And ever since its creation, spanning millions upon millions of years, not a single person has ascended beyond it. The world's laws themselves prevent such advancement.
So the Grand Mage realm is truly the peak there? Julian asked mentally.
For all practical purposes, yes, the system confirmed. Now, let me explain the broader structure of cultivation realms.
Julian took a sip of his drink, his mind absorbing the information that would reshape his understanding of power itself.
The realms up to Grand Mage—everything you experienced in your mortal world—are collectively called the Mortal Realms, the system said.
And beyond that? Julian prompted.
Beyond the Mortal Realms lies the Demi-God Realm, the system announced, and Julian could hear something like satisfaction in its tone, as if it had been waiting to share this information.
This realm consists of three distinct stages: Early Demi-God, Mid Demi-God, and Peak Demi-God.
Julian's hand paused briefly on his glass, though he quickly resumed the motion to avoid drawing attention.
The gap between Grand Mage and Early Demi-God is profound, the system continued. A Grand Mage, no matter how powerful, is still fundamentally mortal. Their body, their soul, their very essence remains tied to mortality. But a Demi-God begins the process of transcendence. They start to shed their mortal limitations and touch upon the divine.
And only after reaching Early Demi-God can one truly ascend beyond their world's limits? Julian asked.
Correct, the system confirmed. An Early Demi-God gains the ability to perceive and interact with the barriers that confine their world. They can sense the greater cosmos beyond. And with sufficient strength and determination, they can break through and ascend to higher realms—worlds with greater limits, more abundant energy, and stronger inhabitants.