[Flesh Eaters' Forest.]
"Mom, why hasn't Aaron returned yet? This is the third day," Lilly said, her voice laced with worry.
"Your brother might be young, but he's smarter than you think. Especially for a six-month-old," Aurora replied with a reassuring smile, her attention focused on the book she was writing.
"What are you doing, Mom?" Lilly stood up from her seat and hurried over to her mother's side.
"You already know a great many spells, Lilly, but Aaron doesn't. So, I'm writing down some for him," Aurora explained, her pen gliding across the parchment.
"Wow, Mom! These are all high-class spells! You're so amazing!" Lilly exclaimed, hugging Aurora's neck as she peered at the intricate writing.
Aurora gently tapped Lilly's forehead. "Don't be mischievous, Lilly. I know you're secretly trying to practice these spells."
"But…" Lilly rubbed the spot where she'd been tapped. "I can't even understand these three spells, and I'm a Master Mage! How will Aaron learn them?"
"You can't learn these spells because they've been altered. To use them, you have to break the initial seal and then form your own version based on the core spell," Aurora explained.
Lilly blinked, utterly confused. "I don't get it."
"You're still young. I just hope Aaron can understand it within five years," Aurora said with a sigh.
"That long?! Can't you teach him?" Lilly asked, her brow furrowed.
"I can only write them down; I can't actually use them," Aurora sighed. "Warrior Class individuals can't utilize spells like those in the Mage Class. We primarily rely on innate skills to enhance our physical abilities and attacks. So, I'm unable to use these myself—"
"—But you're writing the spells in a book for Aaron… We don't even know his class. He moves like an Assassin, strikes like a Warrior, and detects things and magic like a Mage. He can even read Runes and knows how to make potions like a Rune Master and Alchemist…" Lilly trailed off, holding her chin thoughtfully. "What if my brother is an 'All Class'?"
Aurora looked up sharply. "All Class? In this world, only three individuals could truly be called 'All Class.' But if Aaron is indeed an 'All Class,' he'll be one of, if not the, strongest Realmers in all three continents."
"If that happens, we can finally leave this forest and maybe even return to our own race," Lilly said, a hopeful smile gracing her lips.
Aurora's smile faded, replaced by a look of sadness.
"What is it, Mom?" Lilly asked, sensing her mother's shift in mood.
"We are considered dead to our race, Lilly. So, what is there to return to?" Aurora said softly.
"But—" Lilly began, but was cut short by a guttural roar that echoed from outside.
GRRAAAA!!!!
The two turned towards the door, their senses on high alert.
"I know that sound," Aurora said, standing up swiftly. She summoned her sword and a set of sleek armor materialized around her.
"Isn't that the monster that injured you before?" Lilly asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.
"Diamond, show yourself!" Aurora commanded. In a flash of light, a white Baby Dragon appeared beside her.
"What is it, Master?" Diamond asked, its eyes alert.
"We have an intruder," Aurora stated, her grip tightening on her sword.
Graaaaa!!
Graaaaa!!!!!
Graaaaa!!!
"It sounds like it brought backup!" Lilly exclaimed, her eyes wide with apprehension.
"Tsk! One was already powerful enough, now there are more!" Aurora gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Who are these fools outside?" Diamond grumbled.
"Some bastards who—" Aurora began, but a series of violent sounds interrupted her.
BOOM!!
GRRAAA!!!
BANG!!
BOOM!!
GRRAAA!
"What is happening outside?" Lilly asked, her voice filled with confusion and fear.
"It sounds like a battle. Stay here, I'll check it out," Aurora said cautiously, moving towards the door.
[Outside.]
Five humanoid Talos stood huddled together, trembling with fear as they stared at the three figures standing before them.
"Where is your king?" Aaron demanded, his voice cold and laced with killing intent.
'After absorbing ten cores out of the nineteen, I entered the Master Realm. These Omega-Stage monsters are just a warm-up,' he thought, a hint of satisfaction in his mind.
"Let's just kill them," Protean suggested, standing beside Aaron in his skeletal form, his red broadsword resting casually on his shoulder.
"First, I need to know where that fool who hurt my Mom is," Aaron said, turning his attention back to the terrified Talos. "This is your last warning. Where is your king?"
"Aaron, I know where the Talos' King resides. I can take you there," Emily revealed, wiping a smear of black blood from her dagger with her fingers.
"Why didn't you say that from the start?" Aaron smirked, then lunged towards the five Talos. 'Getting to kill a Demon-Stage monster and absorbing its core will be highly beneficial to me!' A sinister grin flashed across his face as he slashed the first Talos with his dagger.
{All Seeing Eyes.}
{Success rate: 100%.}
Emily and Protean watched in silent awe as Aaron swiftly and efficiently dispatched all five Talos.
"Hey, skeleton," Emily called out.
"My name is Protean," the familiar corrected her.
"Is he getting faster?" Emily asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Anytime my Master activates his Demonic Energy, all his stats receive a fifty percent increase," Protean explained, then added, "So these Omega-Stage fools pose no real threat to him. I'm only surprised by how lethal all his attacks are."
"What about you? Can you kill these things?" Emily asked Protean.
"Do you think I'm weak, girl? I'm a Non-Stage Familiar. Any form I take, my realm adjusts accordingly. For example, this Skeleton form is an Enraged-Stage monster. After eating its core and taking its form, I'll be Enraged-Stage. If I consume a higher-level core and transform, my stage will change again. Moreover, the stronger my Master becomes, the stronger I become," Protean explained proudly.
"That means… you can be any stage, depending on the core you absorb! Wow! That's an incredible advantage!" Emily exclaimed, her eyes wide with astonishment. "So, how many forms can you currently change into, and what are their respective stages?"
"This Skeleton is Enraged-Stage, the rat is Awakened-Stage, and the Griffin is Omega-Stage. With my master's recent increase in strength, I can now take the form of ten different monsters," Protean replied.
"Wow!" Emily repeated, clearly impressed.
"Can you guys help me here!" Aaron called out, his voice slightly muffled as he squatted down in front of the fallen Talos, tearing one open.
"Right away," Emily responded, rushing to his side.
"Wha… Aaron?"
Everyone turned towards the house as Aurora stepped outside, her expression a mixture of surprise and disbelief.
"Hi, Mom. Sorry to disturb you," Aaron said casually, not looking up from his task.
"You are now in the Master Realm?" Aurora asked, her voice filled with astonishment.
"It's nothing special, Mom," Aaron said with a smile, finally looking up at her before focusing back on the Talos.
Aurora thought, 'Nothing special?'
"What happened?" Lilly asked, walking out of the house behind her mother. "Who is this?" she inquired, staring curiously at Emily.
"Emily, Lilly. Mom, Emily," Aaron introduced them briefly, still occupied with the monster corpses.
"You are a Demon," Aurora said in surprise, her gaze fixed on Emily's tell-tale red eyes.
"Greetings, My Queen, My Princess," Emily said respectfully, bowing her head towards Aurora and Lilly.
Aurora: "Queen?"
Lilly: "Princess?"
Aaron removed a second core from a Talos and handed it to Protean, who stood calmly beside him. "Don't eat it yet. These things are too weak… You can carry on with this," he said, standing up and turning to his family.
"Emily, right?" Aurora asked, her expression still slightly bewildered.
Emily nodded respectfully.
"You might have a slight misunderstanding. I am a princess, not yet a queen," Aurora said with a small, polite smile.
"The Queen is already in a relationship with the King and has borne him a child, even without a formal wedding. You are our queen in the eyes of many," Emily explained in a rush.
Aurora and Lilly turned to Aaron, their expressions questioning.
"What is she saying, Aaron?" Lilly asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
"I just found out my father is the eldest prince of the Demon kingdom, and the Commander wants to see you… We can finally move away from this forest," Aaron explained, his gaze meeting his mother's.
Aurora thought, 'My love is a Prince? Why would he hide such an important thing from me? Did he not trust me… Wait.'
['Come back as soon as you save your kingdom. I have something important to tell you.']
'Wait, after we were intimate… he said he had something to tell me. Was it related to his identity?'
"What are you thinking, Mom? Don't you want to leave this place?" Aaron asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"No, son. I was just surprised by this sudden revelation. Lilly, go and gather all our belongings," Aurora instructed, a newfound resolve in her eyes.
'Even though I'm a little upset he didn't tell me this earlier, this forest is not a safe place for my children.'
Lilly nodded and hurried back inside the house. Aurora flicked her wrist, and a familiar-looking book materialized in her hand.
"This is a gift, Aaron," she said, offering him the book.
Aaron took the book with his bloodied hands and slowly opened it. "Huh?"
"I wrote these spells for you. They are difficult to master—" Aurora began.
"—That will be a problem," Aaron interrupted.
Aurora smiled slightly. "I know, son. It will likely take you five to six years to fully master them."
"Oh," Aaron said, looking up at her. "I didn't mean they're hard. It's just that I've already mastered them and even created my own variations." He handed the book back to her.
"…Huh?!" Aurora blinked in utter disbelief. "What did you just say? Mastered them?"
Aaron opened his palm, and a vibrant purple ball of fire materialized above it. "This is the more advanced stage of the first spell. I'll call it Fire Bullet. I'm not entirely sure what these spells are supposed to do, but they certainly increased my resistance to something," he added thoughtfully.
"You actually mastered the first spell… in less than twenty seconds?!" Aurora exclaimed, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"Nope, I mastered all three," Aaron corrected her casually.
"The three?!" Aurora repeated, utterly dumbfounded.
The purple flame on Aaron's palm condensed into a small spark at his fingertip, which he then pointed towards a nearby tree. In the next instant, the flame shot forward with incredible speed.
The three onlookers stared in stunned silence at the large, smoking hole that now pierced through the tree.
"I'll name the second one Inferno, and the third… Wind Walk," Aaron announced, a hint of pride in his voice.
"You mastered Wind Walk too?" Aurora asked, completely speechless.
"Yes. These spells are all High-Class, right? Thank you, Mom," Aaron said, flashing her his most charming smile.
Aurora simply nodded, her mind still reeling from the unbelievable display.
'This is all thanks to the All Seeing Eyes. I didn't realize it could also scan spells and transfer the knowledge to me in the form I need,' Aaron thought, turning towards Protean and Emily, who had finished extracting all the cores from the fallen Talos.
"Okay, guys, we leave in five minutes," Aaron announced, his tone decisive.