(Over The Next Few Months, House Skyshard)
Over the next few months, joy gradually returned to House Skyshard once again, as the news regarding Sophia’s pregnancy and the uping arrival of the family’s first grandchild slowly changed the atmosphere surrounding the Eternal Garden.
The tension left behind by Mauriss’ schemes gradually faded into the background, while old wounds within the family quietly began healing on their own in the presence of new life soon arriving into the universe.
As even Leo himself slowly softened during this period.
Because despite everything currently unfolding throughout the universe, the thought of being a grandfather genuinely brought him a strange sense of peace that he had not felt in many years.
As eventually, once Sophia entered the sixth month of her pregnancy, Amanda personally moved her from the frontier worlds toward the Eternal Garden, as she insisted on supervising the final trimester personally instead of allowing Caleb’s wife to remain upon unstable military planets any longer.
And surprisingly enough, Sophia and Amanda got along extremely well.
The older woman treated her almost like a daughter, while Sophia quietly listened to Amanda’s endless advice regarding childbirth, family life, and how unbearably stubborn the Skyshard men could bee whenever they focused too heavily upon responsibility.
Meanwhile Caleb himself became a frequent visitor to the Eternal Garden during this period as well.
And slowly...
The awkwardness lingering between him and Leo finally disappeared pletely.
The father and son gradually returned to speaking naturally again, while the suspicion and emotional tension created by Mauriss’ schemes slowly lost their influence over the household entirely.
In the end, blood still remained blood.
And Leo ultimately chose trust over doubt.
At the same time, just like Mairon, Caleb also officially began training beneath Leo once again, as after the Sophia incident, Caleb finally understood clearly that his current strength remained insufficient for protecting the people he truly cared about.
And because of that realization, he requested that Leo train him hard, as Leo guided him towards being a powerful Demi God by helping him identify and overe the shortings in his current fighting style.
However, while helping his children grow stronger...
Leo himself also gradually reached a decision regarding something extremely important.
Because during his moments alone, Leo found himself returning to Planet V-Star, where he spent long periods of time consulting with the Timeless Assassin’s projection about his future.
—--------
(Meanwhile, Planet V-Star)
Inside the rune-inscribed hut hidden deep within Planet V-Star, Leo quietly sat across from the Timeless Assassin’s projection while ancient runes glowed softly around the dim interior.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Then eventually, Leo leaned slightly backward before breaking the silence himself.
"I finally understand now why you became so obsessed with leaving shrines like these scattered throughout the universe."
Leo admitted while glancing calmly toward the walls surrounding them.
"Legacies.
Guides for future generations.
Something capable of surviving even if everything else you built gets erased someday."
Leo muttered while the projection quietly listened.
"And honestly speaking...
I think I’m going to do the same eventually."
Leo continued while faint contemplation surfaced within his eyes.
"I’ll leave behind parts of my legacy scattered throughout the universe in different forms.
Some through skill scrolls.
Some through books and records.
And for the most deserving individuals someday..."
Leo slowly looked around the hut once more.
"...perhaps I’ll build shrines similar to this one too, so that thousands of years from now, future generations can still receive guidance from me, the same way you guided me."
Leo shared as hearing those words, the Timeless Assassin’s projection immediately began stroking his beard while chuckling quietly.
"So you finally reached a decision regarding Godhood then."
The projection observed as Leo slowly nodded.
"Yeah.
I thought about it for a long time."
Leo admitted while his expression gradually became more serious.
"At first, I genuinely questioned whether I even needed to ascend any further.
However, eventually, I realized something important."
Leo continued while calmly intertwining his fingers together.
"It’s always better to possess strength you never end up needing...
Than to someday desperately require strength you failed to obtain beforehand."
Leo explained while the projection quietly nodded in approval.
"So yes...
I’ve decided that I’ll ascend to Godhood."
Leo admitted calmly.
"However once I do, I’ll keep it hidden from everyone until the final war begins."
A dangerous calm lingered behind his voice while even the projection’s expression sharpened slightly.
"I won’t tell Amanda.
I won’t tell my children.
I won’t tell the Cult shadows or Veyr.
Nobody will know."
Leo continued while his gray eyes gradually darkened.
"I’ll allow the entire universe to continue believing I remain a Demi God until the exact moment revealing the truth bees necessary."
Leo concluded as the Timeless Assassin’s projection slowly nodded again.
"A wise choice."
The projection muttered thoughtfully.
"But tell me something, Cult Master...
When do you believe the final war will begin?"
He questioned as Leo quietly shrugged his shoulders.
"Sometime within this decade for sure."
Leo answered calmly.
"Right now everybody’s consolidating their strength quietly while Mauriss continues weaving his web of deceit beneath the surface."
Leo explained while glancing toward the flickering runes nearby.
"However, eventually the pressure will bee too great.
The Great Clans are afraid.
The Dragons are unstable.
Mauriss is manipulating everybody simultaneously.
And the Cult itself is already growing too powerful for the others to tolerate us much longer."
Leo continued while the projection quietly listened.
"So sooner or later...
Everything is going to boil over."
Leo concluded as the Timeless Assassin’s projection slowly closed his eyes for several moments before speaking again.
"I genuinely hope the oute of your final war differs from mine."
The projection admitted quietly.
"Because defeating history itself is not nearly as easy as people imagine."
He muttered while Leo suddenly laughed softly hearing those words.
"Overing history isn’t easy when you keep trying to solve problems exactly the same way your predecessors did."
Leo replied while slowly standing up from his seat.
"However, your failures are exactly what taught me how to avoid repeating them."
Leo explained while turning toward the hut’s exit calmly, as he stood up and walked towards it, while smiling faintly from ear to ear.
"Until next time then, old man.... The next time you see me, I’ll hopefully already be a God."
Leo muttered before disappearing into the Fourth Dimension.
Meanwhile behind him, the Timeless Assassin’s projection quietly smiled.
"Yes...
Until next time then, War God Leo."
The projection replied softly, as the ancient hut gradually returned to silence once again.
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