I continued anyway.
"Of course, all of that was mostly internal business for Vaythos. While the Empire was busy expanding and consolidating power, I was dealing with a completely different set of problems.
The abominations and phantoms were still causing chaos across the planet, so I spent some time hunting them down, locating their nests, destroying their sources, and eventually wiping them out entirely.
By the time I was finished, both species had effectively disappeared from Vaythos. There are still occasional incidents here and there, but nothing significant enough to be considered a real threat anymore."
I noticed my grandfather opening his mouth and immediately pointed a finger at him.
"No interruptions."
Roland frowned.
I continued before he could object.
"After that things became a little busy.
I ended up fighting the Ferans and their elemental allies, got dragged into several interplanetary conflicts, somehow formed an alliance with the Demon Race, spent some time dismantling Eternal influence across our region of space, closed a collection of rifts that were threatening entire sectors, defeated multiple Eternal-controlled civilizations, unified most of the Blue Spiral Galaxy under a single political structure, and eventually established an organization called the Order of Absolute which is currently recognized as the strongest independent force in the galaxy.
It is stronger than the Naga Clans, stronger than the major planetary coalitions, and at this point most powers either cooperate with us or try very hard not to offend us."
At this point all three of them looked as though they had forgotten how to blink.
Naturally, I continued.
"Because of all that, my own reputation spread quite a bit. The Ironhart name did too.
These days people know who we are not only throughout the Blue Spiral Galaxy but in portions of the Prime Galaxy as well.
Actually, one of the reasons I came here was because my next campaign will be taking place in Prime Territory, so I figured it would be a good idea to visit my family before everything becomes even more complicated."
Nobody said a word.
The silence was becoming impressive.
"Oh, and before either of you asks, the reason I arrived here alive is related to that mission.
The Order discovered methods of crossing into the Null Realm without dying first. The Eternal Empire has been exploiting the Prime Territory for countless generations. They harvest souls, manipulate the natural cycle of death, create phantoms and abominations on an industrial scale, and use our own people as resources for their war machine.
My objective is to break their control over the region, free the souls trapped under their authority, dismantle their infrastructure throughout the Prime Territory, and permanently stop them from creating more phantoms and abominations."
I finally paused to take a breath.
"Anyway, once all that is finished, I should have some free time."
The expressions on their faces were magnificent.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Roland slowly lowered the hand he had been trying to raise for the last two minutes.
"Can I interrupt now?"
I nodded.
Roland stared at me for several seconds before rubbing his forehead.
"What in the hell is wrong with you, kid?"
"What?"
"Listen to what you’re saying."
He gestured vaguely in my direction.
"You defeated planetary powers, wiped out abominations and phantoms, fought the Ferans, allied with demons, crushed the Eternals across an entire galaxy, took control of the Blue Spiral, founded an organization stronger than the Naga Clans, became a Saint before reaching thirty, and then casually arrived in the Null Realm to visit your parents before marching off to liberate Prime Territory."
He paused.
"Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?"
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it again.
Because when he put it like that, it did sound somewhat ridiculous.
Roland sighed heavily.
"It sounds less like a real life and more like one of those online adventure novels people write after drinking too much."
My mother ignored him completely.
Her attention had remained fixed on only one part of everything I had said.
"Billion..."
I looked toward her.
"Is it true?"
The question came out quietly.
Almost cautiously.
"Everything you said about Vaythos."
I immediately understood what she was asking.
I reached forward and gently took her hand.
"Yes, Mom."
For a moment she simply stared at me.
Then I continued.
"Vaythos is free. The Blue Spiral Galaxy is free too. The Eternals no longer control anything there. The phantoms are gone. The abominations are gone. Children grow up without fearing attacks. Cities no longer disappear overnight. People don’t spend their lives wondering when the next Eternal scheme will destroy everything they’ve built."
I smiled softly.
"It’s over."
The moment the words left my mouth, her eyes filled with tears.
This time she didn’t even try to hide them.
For years she had lived with the knowledge that humanity had been trapped in an endless struggle. Every victory had only delayed the next disaster. Every generation had inherited the same war.
Now I was telling her that the war was over.
Beside her, Julius released a long breath.
For a while he said nothing. His gaze remained lowered as though he was processing everything he had just heard.
Eventually he looked up. There was moisture in his eyes now as well.
"Billion," he said quietly, "when I left Vaythos, I hoped you would grow into a good man."
I remained silent.
"Maybe a respected grandmaster. Perhaps even a great warrior if you worked hard enough."
His eyes met mine.
"But what you’ve accomplished..." He shook his head slowly. "I don’t think I ever possessed the imagination necessary to picture any of this."
The smile widened.
"You have protected an entire galaxy. You have given countless people a future they would never have had otherwise."
His voice grew softer.
"And somehow, despite everything you’ve become, you’re still sitting here worrying about whether your parents would recognize you."
A laugh escaped me. My mother laughed too through her tears.
Julius smiled.
Then he reached across the table and squeezed my shoulder.
"I don’t know if I’ve earned the right to say this after being absent for so much of your life."
The smile on his face turned almost painfully sincere.
"But I’ve never been more proud of anyone than I am of you right now, son."