(anwhile, Dozens of Kiloters from Moltherak's Floating Island, Leonardo's POV)
While Leo struggled to break through.... A few dozen kilotres away, the only back-up that he had brought in case things went wrong, Leonardo, watched as the entire world around him trembled under his uncle's power.
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
*KABOOM*
Even from this distance, the scale of what was unfolding before him beca impossible to ignore, as waves surged violently across the ocean below while the winds themselves twisted unnaturally in response to each attack.
*SKADOOSH*
The sky split again.
A streak of force carved through the heavens, as the clouds above were torn apart in a single motion, leaving behind a vacuum that collapsed monts later.
Leonardo's eyes narrowed slightly, as he felt the delayed impact of that strike reach him even from kiloters away, the air trembling faintly around his body.
"...Uncle..."
He muttered softly, as the weight behind that single attack lingered in his mind, refusing to fade even as the next one followed shortly after.
Another strike.
Then another.
Each one heavier than the last, as the island beneath Leo trembled under the continuous release of power, while the surrounding seas rose and fell in violent rhythm.
Leonardo did not move.
He simply watched.
Watched as the sky was torn apart repeatedly.
Watched as the ocean responded like a living entity to the pressure being forced upon it.
Watched as the man he called uncle stood at the center of it all
without wavering even once.
And in that mont, a quiet realization settled within him.
This... was the difference.
The difference between soone strong... And soone who stood at the peak of existence, as although they were both peak Monarch's, Leonardo knew that he could not produce even half the strength his uncle could.
*Sigh*
Leonardo exhaled slowly, as he clenched his fist subconsciously while his gaze remained locked onto the distant figure with longing.
Through the years, he had often sparred with his uncle, but back then, he always felt as though Leo was holding back.... As never in his entire life had Leonardo ever glimpsed at Leo's true strength.
However, today...
Witnessing it from afar, without being caught in the chaos himself, allowed him to understand just how vast that gap really was.
"This is not sothing one can bridge through talent alone....
Or sothing that can be rectified given enough ti.
There is not much room for to improve at the Monarch stage
anymore
Which ans, I can probably never be as strong as him at the sa tier...."
Leonardo concluded, as he very reasonably realized the limits of his own foundation.
And yet, even though he knew he could never be as good as his uncle at the sa tier, it did not suppress his desire to grow stronger, as instead, it made him want to jump tiers even more.
"The tournant you have hosted.... I will be one of its winners',
uncle.
I promise.
You do your best to breakthrough today, and later this month, I'll make you proud by winning a potion for the family."
Leonardo resolved, as he swore to train as hard as necessary to win the upcoming tournant that would give two Demi God Breakthrough Potions to its finalists.
(anwhile, The Skyshard Residence, Amanda's POV)
*Click*
*Sizzle*
While Leo broke through on Moltherak's island, Amanda tinkered on a new project within the basent of the Skyshard residence, when
suddenly.....
"ARGHHHH!"
A loud scream echoed from two floors above, breaking her focus.
'Huh?'
Amanda wondered, raising an eyebrow, as she placed her tools down with deliberate calm, already recognizing the voice behind the chaos.
*THUM*
The entire house trembled faintly in the next instant, as though sothing heavy had been slamd into the ground without
restraint.
"...Mairon."
She muttered under her breath, as she pushed herself up from her seat and began making her way toward the stairs without delay.
Her pace quickened as she ascended through the floors, as another muffled thud echoed faintly from above, confirming her suspicion before she even arrived.
By the ti she reached the first floor-
The scene unfolded exactly as expected.
Mairon sat in the middle of the room.
Locked in a full struggle with his ditation manual.
"I'll rip this stupid book apart limb for limb!"
He shouted, as he shook it violently in his hands, his expression filled
with frustration as though the book was his worst enemy.
"What do you an the red aura I just observed is not it?" "What do you an I now have to understand the difference between different shades of red?"
"What the hell does that even an?"
His voice rose with every question, as his grip tightened further while
he glared at the pages like they were deliberately mocking him.
"Do you know how long it took just to see red?"
"My dad just announced this huge tournant, damnit!"
"I really want to take part!"
"I need to beco a Monarch tomorrow!"
"Not ninety-nine years later!"
He complained, as his face grew more and more red with each
statent.
"I'll eat you alive! Stupid book!"
He declared next, as with that, in an act that completely abandoned
all dignity.... He leaned forward, and bit the book.
*Bite*
*SMACK*
Amanda's hand landed cleanly against the back of his head, the sound
sharp as his entire body froze mid-bite.
"Bad Mairon!"
She said firmly, as though scolding an unruly dog rather than a future powerhouse of the Cult, as Mairon paused and slowly turned to look
up at her.
"Mwon?"
He said with the book still in his mouth, as his expression changed
instantly.
His eyes softened, watering slightly, as his entire deanor shifted
into sothing pitiful and disarming.
Amanda paused.
Her stern expression faltered for a brief mont, as she let out a
quiet sigh while her frustration lted faster than she would have
liked.
"Studying aura requires patience," she said, her voice calr now as she placed her hand gently over his head.
"It's not sothing you can rush just because you want results
imdiately."
Mairon sniffed lightly, his grip loosening as he looked at her, though
the frustration still lingered beneath the surface. "And no... you're too young for the tournant," Amanda continued,
as she gently patted his head while maintaining eye contact.
"So you can stop thinking about it for now."
His eyes widened slightly, as the words hit him harder than the earlier
smack, his lips parting as though he wanted to argue.
"Your ti will co, Mairon," she added, her tone softening further as she ruffled his hair gently.
"But until then... cultivate patience first."
With that, she turned and began to walk away, leaving him behind
with the manual still clutched in his hands.
For a mont, silence returned.
Then-
Mairon's grip tightened again.
The book trembled slightly in his hands, as his expression darkened
while he prepared to resu his earlier attack.
However, unexpectedly, Amanda stopped mid-step, and turned.
"Uh oh..." Mairon said, freezing instantly as their eyes t, as almost imdiately, a bright and innocent smile appeared on his face, as
though nothing bad had happened.
"...Good book," he murmured softly, as he gently patted the cover before leaning forward and placing a kiss on it, before then pulling it into a tight hug, as Amanda stared at him for a long second. "...Hopeless, just like his father." she muttered quietly, as she turned
and walked away once more, leaving Mairon alone to deal with his anger issues.
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