It was completely clean—no trace of dark power remained.
Abraham’s body radiated dense, pure aura, so refined it appeared like a statue of light to Frey’s eyes .. a result of his Absolute Manipulator ability.
"You really did get rid of it... that quickly."
"Don’t underestimate me, son. Bringing me down isn’t so easy."
Abraham placed a hand on Frey’s shoulder.
For a rare moment, something softened in Frey’s expression as he looked at his father’s hand.
At that moment, Ada stepped out of the cabin.
"Oh... you’re back, Frey. Welcome home."
Frey turned toward his sister.
She was wearing a simple white dress that matched her tied white hair.
Her face, her skin .. she looked far better now than she had after everything she’d endured.
Dark circles still lingered faintly beneath her eyes from all the stress she’d suffered.
And though she hid her hands behind her back, Frey could see everything—how she was biting her nails and fingers from nervousness until they bled.
Looking at her, Frey nodded gently.
"Yes... I’m back, Ada."
That night, Frey stayed with his family.
The three of them sat together at the same table, spending time like a real family.
"I can see you’ve already reached SSS, son," Abraham said, having noticed Frey’s breakthrough immediately.
Ada gasped.
"SSS?! How—"
She was truly shocked.
Frey chuckled softly.
"I thought you were starting to get used to surprises like this from me, big sister."
Ada sighed.
"I know you’re strong and all, but SSS... at only twenty years old..."
She looked between Frey and Abraham.
"...Am I really part of this family?"
It wasn’t a serious question .. just a half-joking comment about the absurd gap between her and the two monsters beside her.
But they both answered at the same time.
"Of course you are."
They said it instantly .. then laughed lightly.
"Since you’ve reached SSS," Abraham said, "I think it’s finally time for me to help you with your training."
"What do you mean?" Frey asked.
Abraham stood up from the table.
"Meet me in the forest in thirty minutes. I’ll have everything prepared by then."
He smiled.
"It’s time I pass something on to you—something of real value. Something that will stay with you forever."
Hearing that, Frey nodded, already understanding what his father meant.
Abraham left the cabin quietly, leaving Frey and Ada alone.
They sat there in silence for a few minutes, until Ada finally broke it.
"I wish Mom were here with us... then we’d finally be able to live together as a real family."
She said it with a soft, bittersweet smile.
Frey said nothing. He knew very little about Ana Starlight . his mother in this world.
He had never truly considered her his real mother... but Ada, his sister, meant everything to him.
"It feels like a dream... Father somehow came back, and now he’s closer to me than he ever was when he was alive..."
Those words came from how gently Abraham had been treating her lately—how he cared for her now, after having avoided her in the past.
Seeing Ada smiling through tears—joy and sorrow mixed together—
Frey opened his mouth to say something, then stopped.
Instead, he stood up and walked over to her.
Gently, carefully, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a quiet embrace.
Ada cried for a while, burying her face against his chest.
All the while, Frey remained still, holding her, until she finally calmed down.
Only then did he let go.
"I don’t mind if you want to cry a little longer," Frey said with a soft smile.
"I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere."
Ada laughed lightly.
"You sound like the older sibling between us... since when did you become so mature?"
Frey laughed too.
"I’m not the mature one ... you’re just finally showing your true colors.
The spoiled-little-lady role suits you pretty well."
He looked at her quietly.
If their world hadn’t been such a chaotic hell .. if they hadn’t been forced to fight just to survive .. Ada might have been living as a cherished, pampered girl, protected by her caring brother Frey...
and her great father, Abraham.
She wouldn’t have had to become the head of the family.
She wouldn’t have had to shoulder everything she did, despite her frailty.
They talked for a little while longer, until Frey suddenly asked something strange.
"Ada... do you mind if I ask you something?"
Ada tilted her head.
"A question? You can ask me anything, Frey."
Frey nodded.
"Do you have a dream, Ada?
A goal... or something you want to achieve... a wish you hope will come true?"
Ada thought for a few seconds.
"A dream... hmm..."
She didn’t take long to answer.
"All I want... is for us to live together as a family in peace...
in a gentle world where we don’t have to fight for our lives...
without fearing that we’ll lose the ones we love every single day."
She smiled bitterly.
"Every time you went to the battlefield, I was afraid I’d lose you—just like I lost our parents...
And now that Father is back, the fear has only doubled, because I’m afraid for him too."
If she had her way, Ada would never let her family go out again.
But she knew it was impossible .. Frey and Abraham were too important to the coming war.
"All I want... is for us to live in peace. Nothing more, nothing less."
Frey narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Yes... a world like that would be wonderful.
A peaceful, gentle world... that kind of dream suits you perfectly, Ada."
He smiled at her, then slowly lowered his gaze to the floor.
"This world of ours is unfair—twisted and stained... filthy and brutal."
"The strong speak, and the weak have no choice but to wait quietly for death to crawl toward them."
"There are beings with enough power to destroy everything.
They live up there, above us, and they don’t care about the insects beneath their feet...
They don’t even see them, because they simply crush them and keep walking."
"Is that fair?
Is it fair that a person’s worth is judged only by their strength?"
"Is it fair... that kind, gentle people die, while filth gets to live another day?"
"If absolute power is everything... then what is it for?
What is the purpose of power?"
Frey slowly lifted his head toward Ada ..
a murderous intent leaking from him, shaping his face into something terrifying.
"I’m asking you... Agaroth."
At that moment, Ada smiled at him.
Her eyes turned a deep, dark crimson, and her presence completely changed ..
proof that a heavy, dreadful guest had arrived.
Days remaining until the Shattering: 65 days
...
...
...
Author’s Note:
2–3 Chapters remain before the end of this arc .. and the entire volume.