"So you're telling we're not originally from the Pri Universe?" Grandma asked from across the table while I sat in the kitchen eating the food she had prepared.
"Yes. All Ironharts aren't," I replied. "Did you ever know anything about it?"
She shook her head slowly.
"No. I had no idea." Then a small amused smile appeared on her face. "All Ironharts, huh? Interesting."
She leaned back slightly and chuckled.
"So I guess that ans I married an alien."
I chuckled as well.
"Yeah, looks like that. So how does it feel to have married an alien?"
"It was alright," she said with a small smile. Then her expression slowly turned serious.
"But we still don't know where their souls are, right?" she asked quietly. "And… could your grandfather be there too?"
"It's possible," I said with a nod.
She exhaled slowly, as if steadying herself, then straightened in her chair.
"Well then," she said firmly, "I suppose I'll have to rejoin the military and start preparing to welco your grandfather back."
I raised an eyebrow.
"But why did you leave in the first place?" I asked.
"Well," she said with a small shrug, "I thought it was ti to retire and relax. There aren't any real threats left on Vaythos anymore."
She pointed at with a faint smile.
"You made the planet too safe."
She chuckled lightly.
"That's alright," I replied. "It won't stay safe for long."
Her expression imdiately shifted.
"What do you an?"
"I'm planning to connect Vaythos to one of the planets I recently acquired. And then—"
"You acquired a planet?" she interrupted sharply. "What does that even an?"
I coughed awkwardly.
"It ans… I took control of a planet."
She stared at .
"And now I need people to help run operations there," I continued. "So I plan to connect that world to Vaythos."
She remained silent, clearly trying to process that sentence.
"That planet sits near the center of our galaxy," I explained. "From there, our people will have access to other regions where rifts appear."
I leaned back slightly.
"Those places are the frontlines against the Eternals."
"Then I definitely need to rejoin the military," she said suddenly as she stood up from her chair.
I paused mid-bite and looked up at her.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"I need to make so phone calls," she replied while already turning toward the living room.
"Wait, grandma," I said quickly. "I haven't told anyone that I've arrived yet."
She waved a hand dismissively without even stopping.
"That's alright. It won't take long for people to find out anyway."
I frowned slightly.
"How?"
She looked back at with a knowing smile.
"The Winter family," she said. "They'll inform the royal family imdiately. They won't hesitate for a second."
"Oh," I said quietly.
That… was probably true.
"Still," I continued after a mont, "there's no need to make those calls."
She stopped walking. Then slowly turned back toward .
"What do you an?"
"You can just co with directly," I said calmly. "Leave Vaythos and co with ."
She blinked.
"Leave Vaythos?"
I nodded.
"Yes. Co with ."
I leaned back slightly in my chair.
"You said you wanted to rejoin the military and prepare yourself again, right? You can train there if you want. The world I control is far more dangerous than this one, which ans the training will be much more effective."
I paused briefly before adding,
"And I can help you grow stronger much faster than the people here ever could."
She stared at for a few seconds without speaking. The idea was clearly unexpected.
Finally she muttered quietly,
"That… doesn't sound like a bad idea."
She slowly walked back to the table and sat down again, thinking carefully about what I had said. She remained quiet for a few monts after sitting down again. She folded her hands on the table and looked at carefully, as if studying my face and trying to asure how much I had changed.
Then her expression softened slightly.
"So," she said slowly, "that boy… Steve. Is he still following you around everywhere?"
I chuckled.
"Yeah. So things never change."
She nodded with a faint smile.
"I always liked him," she said. "That boy had a good heart even when he was small. Always getting into trouble with you."
"We still get into trouble," I replied.
"I'm not surprised."
She leaned forward slightly.
"And what about that girl?" she asked casually.
I paused for a second.
"What girl?"
Grandma raised an eyebrow.
"Don't pretend with ," she said. "North."
I sighed quietly.
"Yes, North is still with ."
Her eyes brightened a little.
"Good," she said imdiately. "She is a very good girl," Grandma added firmly.
"I know."
She studied my expression for a mont before asking the question she had clearly been holding back.
"So when are you marrying her?"
I nearly choked on the food I was eating.
"Grandma!"
"What?" she said innocently.
"You two have been together for enough ti now."
"It's complicated," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Complicated how?"
"We've been fighting wars across the galaxy," I said. "It's not exactly the best ti to plan a wedding."
She waved her hand dismissively.
"That sounds like an excuse."
I looked at her in disbelief.
"An excuse?"
"Yes," she said calmly. "People have gotten married in the middle of wars before."
I opened my mouth to argue, then stopped.
She leaned forward slightly, smiling.
"You love her, don't you?"
I hesitated for a mont before answering.
"Yes."
Her smile widened.
"And she loves you?"
"Yes."
"Then what exactly are you waiting for?"
I leaned back in my chair.
"Maybe… when things calm down."
Grandma laughed softly.
"Billion, if you keep waiting for things to calm down in your life, you will never get married."
I couldn't help smiling at that. She pointed a finger at .
"Don't make that girl wait forever."
"I won't."
She nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
"Now tell more about these two… Amun and Theras," she said, leaning forward slightly. "I want to understand what we are really up against."
I nodded slowly.
Then I began explaining.
I told her about my first encounter with Amun, about the trials he had placed before and the strange guidance he had given along the way.
She listened quietly, not interrupting once.
Then I spoke about Theras.
About the power he wielded and the ambition that drove him. About the conflict between the two brothers and how their struggle had spread across countless worlds. I explained what I had learned about the Pri Galaxy and the forces moving behind the scenes.
From there the conversation naturally moved to the wider universe.
I told her about the different races I had encountered—the Nagas, the Ferans, the Elentals, and the many other civilizations that existed beyond Vaythos. I described the alliances I had ford, the battles we had fought, and the strange worlds I had seen during my travels.
At tis she asked questions. At tis she simply listened.
But throughout the entire conversation, her expression remained thoughtful and serious as she tried to piece together the scale of the conflict I had beco part of.
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