"How would you feel about surprising your parents?"
The mischievous grin on Roland’s face should have been enough warning. Unfortunately, I was still distracted by the possibility of seeing my parents.
"A surprise?"
"A very good surprise."
Across the table, several people immediately looked as though they had developed headaches.
Arlen leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.
"Why did I not expect this?"
"Because you’ve known me for too long but understood too little father."
"What is there to understand? You are dumb, noisy and an alcoholic."
"Wow, you do understand me."
The old man waved dismissively before turning back toward me.
"Well?"
I hesitated only briefly.
The truth was that I wanted to see them. I wanted to see them far more than I was willing to admit. Ever since arriving in the Null Realm, that’s all I was thinking.
Yet despite all of that, I still hadn’t seen them. The opportunity to change that was impossible to ignore.
"I’d like that."
Roland immediately slapped the table.
"Excellent."
"Roland—"
"No objections."
"There are many objections."
"Denied."
Arlen closed his eyes. A few minutes later, after enduring a final round of complaints from the rest of the family, Roland stood and motioned toward the door.
"Come on, grandson."
The title sounded oddly natural coming from him.
"We have somewhere to be."
I followed him outside. Behind us, I heard Arlen mutter a prayer to whatever higher powers still tolerated Roland Ironhart.
The old man either didn’t hear it or chose to ignore it. Neither possibility seemed particularly unlikely.
******
The district was quieter than before. Night had fully settled over the city, painting the streets in silver moonlight and the warm glow of lights and lanterns.
For several minutes we walked without speaking. There was a strange ease to Roland’s company. It felt as though neither of us was entirely certain what to say, yet neither felt pressured to fill the silence.
Eventually we reached the edge of the district. A circular platform waited there. Ancient runes covered its surface. Spatial fluctuations drifted lazily through the air above it.
A teleportation array. Roland stepped onto the platform.
I followed.
"Where exactly are we going?"
"The Soul Sea."
That was not an answer.
"The Soul Sea is very large."
"Fair point."
A pulse of soul energy spread from beneath our feet as the formation activated. The surrounding world blurred.
Space folded. Then unfolded.
A heartbeat later the district vanished entirely. Cold wind greeted us. I found myself standing atop a floating stone platform suspended high above an endless expanse of glowing water.
The Soul Sea stretched beyond the horizon. Moonlight danced across its surface. From a distance it almost looked peaceful.
Almost.
Beneath the water, I could sense countless powerful lifeforms moving through the depths.Some were merely strong. Others felt terrifying.
The ocean itself seemed alive. Roland walked toward the platform’s edge.
"Your parents are operating near Region Two."
I joined him.
"Region Two?"
"One of the sectors bordering settled territory."
The old man folded his arms.
"Several decades ago the Alliance began discussing expansion projects. Establishing forward positions, hidden outposts, emergency retreat locations."
I nodded. The logic was obvious. The Null Realm was enormous. Having fallback positions throughout unexplored territory would be invaluable.
"One of those locations was identified near Region Two."
"And that’s where my parents are?"
Roland nodded.
"The area has strategic value. The only problem is that the local inhabitants disagree."
I laughed.
"Naturally."
"Quite rude of them, honestly."
The old man sounded genuinely disappointed.
"Imagine discovering the perfect location for a secret military outpost only to find it already occupied."
"How inconsiderate."
"Exactly."
For a moment Roland looked pleased that I understood. Then his expression became slightly more serious.
"The region is controlled by several native sea creatures. Nothing organized enough to qualify as a civilization, but powerful enough to create complications."
"Complications?"
"They keep killing any being that goes to their territory."
I blinked.
"That’s more than a complication."
The old man waved dismissively.
"Your parents and their unit were assigned to clear the area and secure the territory. Once that’s complete, construction teams will move in. Portal anchors, emergency gateways, storage facilities, creation of spatial pockets."
Roland pointed toward the distant ocean.
"Eventually they’ll build an entire hidden support network out there."
The scale of the project was impressive. Then again, everything involving null realm humans seemed to operate on a completely different scale from normal reality.
The thought led naturally to another realization. Everyone I had met since arriving in the Ironhart district had been powerful. Arlen, Jess, Garth, Mira and my grandfather Roland. Every single one of them had been Transcendents. Not ordinary Transcendents either, but almost at the peak.
Until now I hadn’t really thought about it. The power surrounding me had become normal surprisingly quickly. Yet looking back, it was ridiculous. Which inevitably led to another conclusion.
If my grandfather was a Transcendent. And his closest friends were Transcendents. And the entire family seemed filled with Transcendents.
Then there was very little chance my parents were anything else. For some reason that realization made me smile.
I wasn’t sure why.
Perhaps because it felt exactly right. My parents had always occupied an almost mythical place in my mind.
Roland glanced at me.
"What?"
"Nothing."
The old man narrowed his eyes.
"I’ve raised enough children to recognize that answer."
"You raised children?"
"Several."
I blinked.
He laughed.
"You thought your father appeared naturally?"
"Fair point."
A moment later the teleportation platform activated once more.
The world shifted. Then shifted again. Over the next hour we crossed enormous distances using a network of relay formations and hidden transportation nodes.
Each jump carried us farther from settled territory. The ocean grew darker and wilder. The lifeforms beneath the surface became increasingly powerful.
By the time we reached the final platform, I could feel the difference. The atmosphere itself seemed heavier.
Roland noticed my expression.
"First time this far into the Soul Sea?"
I nodded.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
I shrugged and smiled.
He gave me a curious look but did not ask any further. He stepped off the final platform and headed directly into the water.
I rolled my eyes and jumped in after him.