“Don’t worry, Hilda. I know what happened wasn’t your fault. I’ve read that damn journal more times than I can count. I promise you that I have no intention of taking him away. I only ask that you allow me to be part of his life too,” Miralyn explained.

Although Hilda couldn’t sense any deceit in her words, her choice of words still irked her a bit.

‘Take him away…’ The thought alone sent a surge of defiance through Hilda’s veins. ‘I know she’s a princess of the elven empire, but they would have to kill me before they could take my son from me.’

Yet, as those silent words echoed in her mind, an unbearable weight pressed against her chest.

Her silence stretched, thick and suffocating, as the others watched, waiting for her response.

This wasn’t a decision anyone else could make. Even Sokram had been sent away.

This was a conversation for adults, they told him.

‘But is there really any choice?’ Hilda clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. ‘Even with Hannah’s protection, I know we couldn’t stop Miralyn if she truly wanted to take Sokram. The Androny family could fight, but they wouldn’t win. And if the empress decided to intervene?’

That thought sent an icy dagger of dread down her spine.

They would be crushed. Destroyed.

Fear coiled in her gut, sharp and insistent.

She didn’t have the power to keep him, not in the face of an empire.

The only way to protect Sokram was to accept Miralyn’s presence. “Listen to me, Princess. I’ll allow it. Mainly because Hannah vouched for you, but also because I know how much pain you must have gone through, losing so much. But if you ever break this vote of confidence…” Before Hilda could finish, Miralyn did something that shocked everyone.

With nails reinforced by spirit essence, she tore the skin of her palm, letting blood drip onto the floor.

Miralyn spoke with unshakable resolve, “By my blood, heart, and power, with Nhiria, the Paragons, and all of you as my witnesses, I swear this oath: I will never intentionally bring harm to you, Hilda, to our child, or your family. I swear complete loyalty to you in any capacity you allow me to be. I will never try to replace you as our son’s mother and will do everything in my power to support you. If I break this oath, may the Void swallow my soul.”

Hannah sighed. “You didn’t have to go that far.”

Miralyn shook her head, locking eyes with Hilda. “Yes, I did.”

Hilda felt a strange mix of emotions: relief, suspicion, and a grudging respect.

Despite her fears, Miralyn's oath had the intended effect, easing the weight on her heart.

“Can I ask for one thing?” Miralyn hesitated before continuing, her voice softer. “Please… stop calling me ‘Princess.’ You don’t have to call me ‘sister’ if it’s too much, but just ‘Mira’ is fine. That’s what my family calls me, and… that’s what I want us to be. Family.”

Hilda sighed and nodded. “Alright, Mira.”

“Well, with that settled, I’ll take my leave.” Miralyn scratched the back of her head, and for the first time, her gaze shifted from Hilda’s. “Can I say my farewells to him? Even though I plan to return tomorrow…”

But this time, it was Hilda who interrupted.

“What do you mean by ‘coming back tomorrow’? Didn’t you say we are family now, especially after that Oath of Loyalty? So you’re staying here. Our house isn’t anywhere near the imperial palace, so we don’t have enough rooms for your people. Yet we can accommodate you just fine unless you think our humble abode is too small for you.”

Hilda smiled; even with doubts and fears hiding in the corners of her heart, she decided it would be best to watch Miralyn from closer than otherwise.

Miralyn couldn’t help but smile.

Despite Hilda’s obvious discomfort, this vote of trust meant more to her than Hilda would ever be able to understand.

Miralyn’s eyes gleamed as she held back tears. “Thank you! I would love to stay with you.”

Her voice came out a little more excited than she would’ve preferred.

Life settled back into a stable routine after these events.

With Miralyn living with them, her presence filled a void in Sokram’s heart that in all his existence he rarely tried to touch, a wound so deep that he never found solace to heal it.

He and Miralyn quickly became the best of friends, sharing books and talking about Magi and all types of mystical knowledge.

But he always made sure that Hilda was included in these moments.

He couldn’t bear the thought of her feeling excluded.

Deep down, he also feared that jealousy might drive a wedge between Hilda and Miralyn, just as it had in his previous timeline.

Still, unknowingly, he had changed the fate of their relationship in a way not even he, with all his ancient wisdom, could’ve predicted.

Sokram was also happy, knowing the Imperial guards kept a watchful eye on his family, guarding them from the shadows.

However, he couldn’t shake an uneasiness brewing in his heart.

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Peace, more often than not, was an illusion one cast over the unprepared, fooling them into a false sense of security.

And this peace was too perfect.

This wasn’t safety. It was the quiet before a storm. And storms always came.

Time flew by, and his training continued.

He continued to amaze his family with his exceptional talent.

But with the quick passage of time, another concern weighed on him.

The timeline had undergone too many changes.

Events that should have occurred by then had not; this made him realize that, beyond a few pivotal moments, he could no longer predict the future with certainty.

Fate, he realized, wasn’t bound by a single unshakable path.

Every action, every seemingly insignificant choice, sent ripples through time, reshaping this timeline to become unrecognizable.

The road ahead was no longer familiar… and that was both an advantage and a danger.

But now his family was getting stronger.

The city of Eversnow was filled with powerhouses, many of whom were there because of him.

Even if that delayed some events that should have started by now, he knew most of those would happen eventually.

What he needed to do was to keep getting stronger, help his family grow stronger as well, and he was grateful for the extra time he got.

As Sokram’s cultivation advanced, he noticed Hilda’s and Astrid’s cultivation progressing quickly.

Hilda, who was once only a Tier 3 Arcane Warrior Uncommon Existence, had now reached Tier 9, and Astrid, who had been Tier 4, had reached Tier 10 Common Existence.

Sokram believed they would soon ascend to a new Level of Existence.

Reaching a new Level of Existence was not merely a matter of leveling up; advancing without sufficient resources and support can be detrimental. This is because, upon reaching a new Level of Existence, one’s cultivation resets to Tier 1.

However, prior efforts are far from wasted; the physical enhancements and foundational improvements achieved during the previous ten tiers partially remained.

This means a cultivator’s combat prowess at the same tier will surpass that of someone at a lower existence level.

For instance, a Common being who evolves to the Uncommon level could, even at Tier 1, contend with someone at Tier 2 of the Common level.

When cultivating Chaos Energy, this advantage grows exponentially. At Tier 1 in the Uncommon level, a Chaos Energy cultivator could challenge someone at Tier 5 of the Common level with relative ease.

This pattern of power increase in common cultivation of one Tier of Combat prowess increase continues up to the Reformed Existence Level, where the gap between existence levels becomes even more profound.

At Tier 1 of the Reformed level, a cultivator could easily overwhelm a Tier 10 Common Existence, a Tier 8 Uncommon Existence, or a Tier 6 True Existence.

This exponential increase happens because, at the Reformed Existence Level, the being’s body and Energy Core are fully reformed.

The Energy becomes denser, and the Core becomes more compressed simultaneously. Thus allowing them to store and manipulate significantly greater energy reserves within their Cores.

However, for those cultivating Chaos Energy, the disparity is even more pronounced. At Tier 1 of the Reformed level, they could challenge and defeat any Tier 10 being True Existence level and multiple foes from the other lower existence levels.

Upon reaching the Pre-Ascendant level, the leap in power becomes extraordinary.

While a cultivator using inferior methods might already achieve tremendous strength, with a Tier 1 Pre-Ascendant able to defeat two Tier 10 Superior Existences, a Chaos Energy cultivator would be capable of facing and triumphing over ten Tier 10 Superior Existences with ease unless those Superior Existences cultivated Chaos Energy too.

But even the most powerful entities in Sokram’s world, such as Meriande and a few hidden figures, remained stuck at the Perfect Existence Level.

The value of a Chaos Energy cultivation technique was immense, as it could expedite the progress of those old monsters who lingered in the shadows and make them far more powerful.

Sokram knew they would eventually figure out how to reset or reform themselves to use it.

In the Northern Continent, only one Perfect Existence remained, a being who concealed himself well.

The previous Dragon King of Dracony, thought to be long dead, was still alive, cultivating in secret.

Only a few knew he still existed: Hannah, Meriande, and Gradoff, the current Dragon King.

Sokram doubted even Meriande could protect him from that old monster.

Though allies, draconic greed knew no bounds.

But there was little use in worrying about things he couldn’t control, so Sokram focused on preparing.

His vow not to lose those he loved in this timeline was something he would not break, even if it meant stopping pretending he was just a child and using all his past-timeline knowledge without a care.

So far, his plans had been working, and even if fate surprised him, he would be ready.

But life wasn’t only about preparing for the future.

Good things would also happen.

Sokram witnessed something he had never dared to dream of before: his two mothers growing very close.

Whenever Hilda went out to hunt or undertake a mission, Miralyn would join her.

The atmosphere between them was initially awkward, especially given Hilda’s prejudice against the High Elves, but it grew friendlier over time.

What surprised Sokram was the strange gleam in Miralyn’s eyes whenever she was around Hilda.

One night, after they returned from a mission, Sokram spotted a curious scene.

Hilda found herself impressed by Miralyn's skill and determination while they, standing unusually close, reviewed the mission she had recorded using a recording crystal.

“You're not what I expected,” Hilda admitted, her tone softening.

Miralyn smiled, her eyes gleaming with admiration. “Neither are you.”

There wasn’t any more hostility.

Instead, it looked like something else.

Miralyn would even blush when Hilda caught her looking.

And the most surprising part was that Hilda often wore a knowing smile when looking at the stunning elven Princess.

To Sokram, it was new and comical.

Not the idea of two women falling in love, but the contrast between this timeline and his previous one.

Another piece of good news came when Margiory, Brunhild, and Moira reached a new Level of Existence, cultivating Chaos Energy.

Margiory and Brunhild had ascended from Uncommon to True Existences, while Moira reached the Uncommon level.

Then, the day of Sokram’s enlistment at the city’s military academy arrived.

Miralyn and Moira wanted to use their connections to enroll him in more renowned institutions, but he refused.

The real reason for his refusal was that he needed to meet one person.

Sokram couldn’t tell them that.

Instead, he explained that he would fulfill his obligatory military service in Eversnow first, and only after completing his duties as the future head of the Dracnakrid family would he seek higher education.

They relented, secretly happy that Sokram wouldn’t have to study far away. Because after his classes and training, he could return home every night.

The news of his enlistment caused an uproar in the small city, as a boy only eight years old, already nearing Tier 1 Awakened, was a spectacle.

The City Lord, especially, paid attention to Sokram’s exceptional abilities. During the qualification exams, Sokram topped every subject, impressing even the most senior instructors.

The academy didn’t split students by year but by Class Levels. Level 1 was for newcomers, Level 2 was for intermediate trainees, and Level 3 was for those close to graduation.

However, any student could request an evaluation for promotion after six months.

Those with exceptional talent could graduate in just one and a half years.

Graduation, though, could be unavoidably delayed because its only requirement was to undergo awakening.

After graduating, every citizen was obligated by law to serve three years of mandatory service in the city’s military force, or they could be selected by one of the hunting squads or guilds.

But Sokram wasn't interested in the academic life, making friends, or any squad or guild.

Besides devouring the academy’s library, he had one person to find.

Three months later, he finally found her.

One night, as he was about to leave the training hall, he saw her entering. His heart raced as memories of standing beside her in many battlefields flooded his memory.

Without realizing it, he was already following her.