Following the heartfelt and humorous family incident, Rey, along with his mother and sister, rose from the floor.
His mother proceeded towards the kitchen to resume her tasks, while Emmy returned to her interrupted breakfast.
Rey, still dabbing at his face, took a seat at the dining table. He was about to turn his attention to the system window when the wall clock caught his eye, displaying 7:32 am. Realization struck; he was running late for school.
With haste, he made for the stairs, ascending swiftly to freshen up in the bathroom.
The gravity of his tardiness weighed on him; today marked the final school day before exams commenced, and the impending decision of selecting a university loomed.
"Concentrate on the present, prioritize cleanliness," he mused, acknowledging the pungent scent of perspiration emanating from him. With that thought, he entered the upstairs bathroom, disrobed, and stepped into the shower.
He turned on the shower and began to cleanse himself. As he reached for the soap, an idea struck him, and he channeled his mana in a specific pattern. To his amazement, the soap began to vibrate and then levitate.
Indeed, he was utilizing his skill to manipulate the soap, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that using this skill was much easier now than in the mind realm.
He had assumed that the urgency of danger made it difficult, but he was unaware that the realm imposed certain limitations, making skill usage about 60% more challenging, which now made controlling his abilities in the real world seem effortless.
Emboldened, he started to apply his skill to other items, and soon, many small objects were floating around the bathroom.
He was still looking at the objects and only notice a guy standing in front of him on some distance.
His attention shifted to the figure hovering before him, inverted, which could have been frightening, but Rey recognized him.
"I've already told you not to appear while I'm bathing or engaged in private matters," he admonished, drawing the curtain for privacy, feeling awkward even though Aiden was both male and a spirit.
"First of all, I forget it. second of all I don't care and third I am seeing some serious improvement here huh." Aiden as all the things which were levitating stopped moving and goes back to their place.
"Okay, but you should know that the improvement comes from that hellish trial I endure, and I don't think I can maintain that improvement for much longer. I'm not some talented or genius guy who can achieve things like those main characters who have their cheats," Rey said, his voice fading to a whisper.
"Who says you're not talented enough or that you won't be able to grow like you did this time? Even if the growth was from the trial, it still comes from you, and besides, I don't care. Even that brat Victor said you're not a genius or talented, or the monster he claims to be, but you still have something they don't," Aiden said, looking him straight in the eye.
"What do I have that they don't?" Rey asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Your hard work and the way you never relinquish the will to strive to do something your existence doesn't allow. Even a small piece of iron can break a mountain if the wielder has the will to do so," Aiden replied, as Rey's eyes filled with pride and stars shone in them, though they quickly faded.
"No, I don't believe I am worthy to wield you all. I feel akin to a minor character in a novel, the one who isn't mentioned more than once and is quickly forgotten," he lamented, his mood darkening once more.
"Quiet now... Listen, kid, your talent or lack thereof is irrelevant to me. The undeniable truth is that we are bound to you, not to those so-called geniuses of the world. You have earned our approval, not them. And I have faith in you; I believe you can do this. I'm certain your family and those other two believe in you as well, even if they don't show it," Aiden counseled, lifting the boy's spirits slightly, though a shadow of gloom lingered until he finished showering, dried off, and donned his school uniform for the final days of school.
He prepared himself for school and descended the stairs, bag in hand, conversing with Aiden, who floated by his side. They entered the dining room where Rey began eating the breakfast his mother had prepared for him. As he ate, his sister descended the stairs with her own bag and headed for the door.
"Where are you off to, Emmy? Wait just a moment; I'll come with you," Jasmine called out, beginning to tidy up the kitchen. But before she could finish, Emmy gestured for her to stop.
"Mom, from today onwards, I'll be going to school with my friend. She'll pick me up at the gate with her bicycle and drop me back here afterward. You don't need to accompany me anymore; I'm grown up now and can manage on my own," she declared, slipping on her shoes.
"Okay, honey, if you want to, but did you take the house key? Your brother's school will be going much longer than usual," Jasmine said as Emmy reached into her school bag and showed a key with a cute keychain.
She nodded and walked out of the house to meet her friend who was waiting for her outside. She quickly sat down, and they both left for school.
"Who is she going with, Mom?" Rey asked curiously, as he was protective of his sister and didn't want her to be affected by his matters.
"Oh, it's her friend who lives just a few streets away from here, and they are quite close, so you don't need to worry," Jasmine replied with a smile.
"I'm not worried, just asking. And it's good because you don't have to travel as far now and can take the bus straight to your office, which will be helpful for you," Rey said. He stood up from the chair, his meal finished a few seconds ago, and started washing his dishes in the sink.
"Why are you doing this? Let me do it; I have plenty of time now," she said, trying to move him aside but unable to budge him.
"Son, have you been exercising or going to the gym? How did you get this much stronger?" Jasmine asked, astonished.
"Mom, did you forget about that old man who gave me that pill?" he reminded her, recounting the story he had told them about his body changing, which was obviously a lie, but they were unaware of it.
"Oh, that story you told us, did you really think I would believe it and just leave it at that? I've given it some thought and have reached a decision," said the mother, startling him slightly, but he continued washing the dishes.
"What decision have you made now?" he asked with a sigh, bracing for what his mother would say next.
"That you are my son, but some villains captured you and injected you with a chemical. Your body changed, but their experiment failed, and they discarded you. Little did they know, you had become the perfect creation, and now they will come after you, trying to harm both you and us," she explained dramatically.
"Really, Mom? Have you been watching too much TV lately?" he replied and walked away, leaving the house as only fifteen minutes remained until school started.
"Okay, Mom, I'm leaving now and will be back late today. James is throwing a party, so I'll be a bit late," he said, putting on his shoes and stepping out the door.