The final stages of construction passed quickly once the immediate danger had been removed. With the protection of my Saint Soul Force covering the entire region, the workers no longer needed to divide their attention between building and preparing for another attack, allowing them to focus entirely on completing the project.
What had begun as a chaotic construction site slowly transformed into a stable foothold in the Soul Sea as countless runes were carved into place, support structures were reinforced, and the final sections of the dimensional framework were connected together.
By the time the work was finished, an entirely new pocket space had been established beneath the waters.
From the outside, it appeared no different from the countless mountain formations scattered throughout the region, but hidden within the dimensional layers was a self-contained area large enough to support a permanent Alliance presence.
Defensive formations covered every surface, energy channels ran beneath the foundations, and at the center of the newly created space stood a massive teleportation circle whose runes pulsed with a steady silver glow.
My mother stood near the edge of the platform overlooking the completed construction while engineers and formation specialists carried out their final inspections.
The satisfaction in her expression was impossible to miss. After spending weeks overseeing the project and fighting off threats that seemed determined to delay it, she was finally looking at the finished result.
"So?" she asked as she folded her arms across her chest. "How does it look?"
I allowed my senses to spread through the entire structure, passing through every wall, formation, and dimensional anchor before finally withdrawing them a few moments later.
"It looks good."
A small smile appeared on her face.
I glanced around the completed facility once more before shaking my head.
"Although one thing still needs to change."
The smile immediately disappeared.
My father looked over. Roland raised an eyebrow.
The nearby engineers suddenly appeared nervous.
"What needs changing?" my mother asked.
Instead of answering, I simply raised a hand.
Silver Soul Force flowed outward from my body and spread across the newly established pocket space like an invisible tide.
The surrounding runes brightened instinctively before falling silent as the far greater force moved through them. Waves of distortion rippled across the dimensional boundaries while countless layers of illusion began weaving themselves into existence.
The process lasted only a few seconds. When it finished, the entire pocket space simply vanished.
The mountains remained. The waters remained. The currents of the Soul Sea continued flowing exactly as before.
Yet the facility no longer existed to any observer attempting to locate it.
Even the small section of the Soul Sea surrounding the entrance disappeared beneath the illusion, becoming indistinguishable from the countless regions that surrounded it.
My father slowly turned toward me.
"Well," he admitted, "that is considerably harder to attack."
I smiled.
"If someone finds this place now, then we have much bigger problems."
Roland let out a laugh.
"Good enough for me."
The final inspections concluded shortly afterward, and once everyone confirmed that the facility was operating exactly as intended, attention shifted toward the massive teleportation circle at the center of the pocket space.
Formation specialists moved around its perimeter one last time while the runes gradually brightened until the entire structure hummed with power.
The workers who would remain behind began organizing themselves while the rest of us gathered around the circle.
A few moments later the activation sequence began.
Light spread through the runic pathways beneath our feet, weaving together into a massive geometric pattern that filled the entire platform. The surrounding space distorted as spatial energy accumulated, and before long a column of silver light rose into the air.
The familiar sensation of spatial displacement followed immediately afterward.
The Soul Sea disappeared.
The pocket space vanished.
And the world around us changed.
When the light finally faded, I found myself standing inside the Ironhart settlement once again.
Compared to the harsh environment surrounding the Soul Sea, the settlement felt almost peaceful. Streets filled with activity stretched through the district while members of the family moved between buildings, training grounds, and gathering halls.
Several nearby Ironharts immediately noticed our arrival. Then they noticed me. The reactions began almost instantly. A few quickly started whispering among themselves.
One older Ironhart simply froze before muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "The Young Saint is back."
Before the situation could develop any further, my mother stepped beside me and grabbed my arm.
At nearly the same moment, my father appeared on my other side. For a second I thought they had noticed some hidden threat.
Then my mother started walking.
"Come on."
I blinked.
"What?"
"We’re going home."
My father nodded in complete agreement.
"You’ve escaped for long enough."
"Escaped?"
"Don’t argue."
I glanced toward Roland for support.
The old man immediately looked away and pretended to be interested in a nearby building.
Before I could object further, I found myself being escorted through the settlement by two extremely determined parents.
The journey attracted no shortage of attention.
Ironharts stopped conversations as we passed. Some offered greetings while others simply watched with open curiosity. News of my existence had already spread throughout the settlement, but seeing me walking through the streets alongside Julius and my mother was apparently an entirely different experience.
Neither of them seemed particularly concerned by the attention.
If anything, they looked proud.
Eventually we arrived at a modest residence located near the center of the settlement. Compared to the grand estates maintained by some of the older family branches, the building was surprisingly simple, though the warmth surrounding it made it feel more welcoming than any palace I had ever visited.
The moment we stepped inside, my mother immediately began moving through the house while inspecting everything with practiced efficiency.
My father, meanwhile, turned toward me and pointed down a nearby hallway.
"You should go get cleaned up."
I looked down at myself.
"I can literally remove dirt with a thought."
"That isn’t the point."
My mother appeared from another room.
"Your father is right."
"And while you’re doing that," she continued, "we’re making food."
I stared at her.
For a brief moment neither of us spoke.
Then something unexpectedly warm settled in my chest.
My mother smiled.
"Go."
My father nodded toward the hallway.
"We’ll call you when everything is ready."
I found myself looking forward to something far simpler than battles, politics, or the fate of galaxies.
I simply wanted to sit down with my family and eat dinner together.