The speck grew rapidly, glinting faintly in the sunlight. Her brows arched in surprise.
"Wait… is that… Kaelen? And what in the world is he riding?"
She stepped out into the garden just as the object descended, revealing a sleek, black-and-red flying bike with glowing neon exhausts. The machine landed with a soft hum, kicking up a faint breeze that stirred the garden flowers.
Her eyes widened. The young man dismounting was both familiar and… not.
Kaelen's once-dark hair now flowed long and snow-white, catching the light like spun silver. His frame was taller, broader, his movements carrying a quiet confidence. His features had sharpened into striking handsomeness, and the faint definition of a six-pack showed beneath his fitted tunic.
Elira blinked, momentarily stunned. "What on earth happened to you in just a month and a half…?"
He smiled at her, warm and genuine, and she felt her chest tighten.
"Kaelen… it seems your trip brought more than just experience," she said with a teasing smile, looking him up and down. "And hm, you've even grown taller than your mother."
Kaelen closed the distance and wrapped her in a hug, holding her close. "Mom… it's been too long. I missed you."
Hovering invisibly near his shoulder, Kitsu's AI presence lingered, unseen and undetectable to anyone… anyone except, perhaps, Elira. Her gaze flicked briefly to the space beside him, a knowing glimmer in her eyes, though she said nothing.
Kaelen leaned closer, his voice low. "Mom, let's talk inside the house. I'm starving. Haven't had a proper meal in ages…"
Elira's lips curved in amusement. "Alright, alright. Let's go inside."
They stepped into the villa, the familiar scent of home wrapping around them. The moment they entered the living room, Kaelen dropped onto the sofa, stretching out as if every bone in his body was finally allowed to relax.
"Three days," he thought. "That's all it took to return to Wonder Town with Kitsu's flying bike."
His mind drifted back to the Frosthaven Rainforest dungeon, where he had been unconscious for an entire month. When he'd finally opened his eyes a few days ago, the sight outside had left him stunned: countless powerful beasts of all kinds lay dead, their bodies perfectly intact.
Floating nearby, Kitsu had looked almost bored, as if massacres were an everyday thing. Seeing Kaelen's stare, the AI spoke matter-of-factly.
"These bugs tried to attack the wooden hut while you were unconscious. I neutralized them with Gamma Rays, but kept the bodies intact so we can sell them for a good profit."
Kaelen had raised an eyebrow. "That's… cool, but your body's so small. How did you do that?"
"In the underground," Kitsu explained, "there is a spaceship. I am its controller. I sent a signal, and the Gamma Rays were fired. Also—this planet, Abandora, is orbited by a massive spacecraft cloaked in an invisibility barrier. It was built with advanced technology and no one can detect its location."
Kaelen had smiled. "For a background character like me to have this kind of power… I might just be the strongest background character in the world."
The smile widened as he looked at his transformed body. Laughing under his breath, he extended his left hand, summoning his elemental power. A flame bloomed, but it wasn't yellow or orange. It was bright blue.
"Wait… I had shadow talent. Why is this fire element? And why blue?"
After a moment, the answer clicked. "Ah… Aetherium Dragon Fruit."
He closed his eyes, focusing. This time, a sphere of swirling black shadow formed in his right palm—a darkness so deep it felt like a fragment of a black hole. Satisfaction tugged at his lips… but before he could revel in the moment, something unexpected happened.
A third presence emerged. In his left hand, alongside the shadow, a small, white, translucent orb hovered gently in Kaelen's left palm. Within its core swirled a delicate cosmos of shimmering stars and drifting nebulae, as if he held an entire galaxy in miniature.
The orb radiated a subtle, otherworldly glow, cool and infinite casting faint constellations that danced across his fingers. It pulsed softly, bending the very fabric of space around it, warping light and shadow in an elegant, silent rhythm. Holding it felt like grasping the endless void itself, both weightless and immeasurably vast, brimming with untapped cosmic power.
Kitsu floated closer, scanning the readings.
"Master, are you certain you're human? You now possess three elements—Shadow, Fire, and Space. According to my database, that Shadow element is S-tier. The Fire and Space elements… are beyond S-tier."
Kaelen stared in disbelief. "My Shadow was D-class before… Seems that fruit had far greater powers than anyone imagined."
He remembered the original plot how the protagonist's talent had only reached S-tier after countless life-and-death battles. But here he was, rewriting the story entirely.
"How did my talents grow so much stronger, so fast? Kaelen wondered, eyes fixed on the swirling orb in his palm. My Shadow talent was barely D-class before, and now it's S-tier. The Fire and Space elements… they're beyond anything I've ever seen."
"Could it be the Aetherium Dragon Fruit? Or something deeper—something tied to this world itself?" He recalled the legends written in books. Gods who once ruled Abandora, mighty beings of power who shaped the stars and then vanished, abandoning the planet to its fate.
"All this power… it's tempting." Kaelen's eyes flicked between the swirling elements in his hands. "But I don't want to become the center of the story. The protagonist's journey is theirs to walk—not mine."
"I'll stay in the shadows, move unseen, and avoid changing the plot too much. Being a background character means freedom and freedom to grow without the world's eyes watching, freedom to choose my own path without fate's heavy hand."
"Still… with powers like these, how long can I really stay in the background?" A wry smile tugged at his lips. "Guess I'll just have to be careful."
His thoughts drifted back to the present. Rising from the sofa, Kaelen headed to the bathroom. A hot shower washed away the dust and fatigue of his journey, leaving him refreshed.
By the time he entered the dining room, the smell of freshly prepared food filled the air. "Now that I've got a good fortune from selling those beast corpses… he mused. Soon, when I turn eighteen, I'll head to the Crimson Empire—to the Crimson Vale Institute."
Dinner with his mother, Elira, passed in quiet warmth. They didn't talk much, but their eyes kept meeting across the table, a silent exchange filled with unspoken feelings.
Later that night, they found themselves in Elira's bedroom. Lying together, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close as if afraid to let go.
"It's been a month and a half," she murmured against him. "It feels… good, after so long to cuddle like this."
She hesitated for a moment, then nipped his shoulder gently. "Don't you dare disappear on another long adventure like that again."
Kaelen let out a resigned sigh, his hand brushing through her hair. "Alright, fine, Mom… and please, stop biting me…"
Just like that, three years passed in Wonder Town.
Kaelen never once slowed his pace, his days filled with relentless physical training and perfecting control over his three elemental powers. By now, he had grown into a tall, strikingly handsome young man of eighteen.
That morning, he woke earlier than usual, though he skipped training for once. After breakfast, he spoke between measured breaths.
"Mom, I'm eighteen now. It's time. I need to get admitted into Crimson Vale Institute… I'm planning to leave today."
Elira didn't protest. She simply said, "Alright, then let's get our backpacks ready."
Kaelen blinked. "Our backpacks? Wait… you're coming to Crimson Vale Institute too?"
Her lips curled in amusement. "Of course not, but I am coming to the Crimson Empire. I've already prepared in advance and bought a lovely house there."
He frowned, suspicion flickering in his eyes. "But, Mom… how did you even manage that? It should've been insanely expensive and it's so far away."
She smirked knowingly. "Your mom has her ways. You'll find out later. Now stop sitting there like an idiot and pack your bag."
When they were done, their belongings fit into just two modest backpacks. After locking the villa's door, Kaelen strode to his sleek black-and-red flying bike. He started the engine; its neon exhaust flared to life. Elira swung onto the back seat, and with a deep hum, the bike lifted off the ground.
With a smooth acceleration, they rose higher, the wind rushing past as the houses below shrank. Within moments, the small Wonder Town vanished beneath the clouds, left behind in the wake of a glowing red trail.
Seated behind him, Elira poked Kaelen's shoulder, her lips curling into a pout.
"Kaelen, if we keep flying at this speed, it'll take us more than three months to reach the Crimson Empire!"
"Don't worry about that—I've got something prepared," Kaelen replied with a faint smile.
For the next hour, they cruised above the clouds in comfortable silence. Then Kaelen spoke in his mind. "Kitsu, where's the spaceship?"
Kitsu's calm voice echoed back. "Look above. In two minutes, we'll reach the spot where our ship 'Voidspire' is waiting.
"Master, increase our altitude. The Voidspire is directly above us now!"
Kaelen tilted his head back, his eyes widening. "Such a massive ship… Kitsu really outdid himself this time."
The Voidspire emerged from the sky itself, a titanic silhouette tearing through the cloud layer. Wisps of vapor clung to its hull like ghostly veils, twisting and breaking apart under its silent passage.
It stretched three hundred meters in length. Its black-and-white surface shimmered faintly, traced with glowing lines that pulsed like the veins of some living giant. Even from here Kaelen could feel the subtle hum of its engines, not sound, but vibration, like the heartbeat of an ancient god.
The ship's presence bent the very atmosphere, warping the clouds into a spiral that seemed to crown it as ruler of the sky.
Slowing his bike, Kaelen guided it toward a clear landing bay on the ship's surface. The neon exhaust dimmed as the bike touched down with a soft hiss.
"Mom, with this ship we'll reach the Crimson Empire in just a few days," he said with quiet pride.
Elira stepped off the bike, her eyes scanning the landing deck. Surprise flickered across her face before she masked it with composure.
"Kaelen… it seems you've been keeping quite a few secrets from your mom."
He chuckled lightly, avoiding her gaze. "Come on let's get you settled."
He led her through the airlock and down a gleaming corridor, stopping at a spacious, luxurious cabin. Once she was comfortable, Kaelen stepped outside, lowering himself into the captain's chair.
"Kitsu, take us to our destination."
A soft azure light shimmered into existence as Kitsu's orb-like body appeared.
"Coordinates locked. Increasing speed. Estimated arrival: three days."
The Voidspire's engines purred to life, the massive vessel cutting smoothly through the clouds.
Kaelen leaned back, content to let the hum of the ship lull him into calm, until Kitsu spoke.
"Master… unusual news. A representative from the Crimson Vale Institute will be at the Empire's capital to meet you. They say your admission is already secured."
Kaelen frowned. "Already secured? I never even applied."
Kitsu's orb pulsed softly. "Exactly."