roadtomastery
patreon
Chapter 376: Eric and Ebele
🕑 Added 2024-02-16 17:36:01 +0000 UTCAs Jack stepped out of the teleporter and onto green grass, he threw his head back and took a deep breath. After the Cathedral’s dark, bleak, airless void, the forests of Earth were paradise.
It had already been a year since Jack’s last visit. It felt shorter, for some reason—perhaps the constant training messed with his passage of time. Still, it made one think. Once upon a time, a year was the time from the Integration to when he defeated the planetary overseer. Now, it was just a long training session.
His children would have grown so much.
“What do you think, Brock?” Jack asked, turning to his best friend. “Will you come with me to see the kids?”
“Father and Mother first,” Brock replied. “First old, then new.”
Jack laughed. “Alright. You know where I live—see you soon!”
The two of them flew off in different directions. Their speed was extremely leisurely, the equivalent of strolling through the air. Jack felt so light. So powerful. Space was fragile here, and all the natural forces were laughably weak. His perception covered a hundred miles. If he simply willed it, the entire sky within that range would come crashing down like a million little comets.
Any casual punch could easily level a state.
But, of course, Jack reined in his powers and aura. To anyone observing him, he seemed like a mortal. Only now did he understand the Sage’s previous words, why all the high-level cultivators felt so relaxed on the Cathedral. Having to constantly restrain one’s power was a similar feeling to wearing socks: not bad, but it would feel amazing once you reached home and could take them off.
The trees passed by him, swaying in the breeze, and the sun was bright. It was early autumn. The forest below him was suffused with life, a myriad little creatures wandering around and struggling to survive. At this time of the year, food was aplenty, leading to fewer hunts and a more relaxed existence.
Jack’s perception could capture everything in the forest below, and he shook his head. Animals lacked food in the winter and water in the summer. Really, they had it rough. The Dao of Mortality encapsulated them as well.
Trees gave way to hills. Jack ascended the nearby mountain, landing before a house that was elegant yet simple—wooden walls, a red-tiled roof, and a glass window overlooking the scenery. Emotions welled up inside him. He didn’t need to knock—while his perception hadn’t rudely intruded, he could easily sense the waves of energy radiating from this house, and their owner could sense him too.
The door swung open, revealing a dark-skinned woman in a blue dress. Her legs were long, her waist slender, and her eyes bright with kindness. Her aura surged—she was a D-Grade.
“Vivi,” Jack muttered.
She smiled. “Welcome home,” she said sweetly, then stepped aside. Two little forms were revealed behind her. The boy yelped and followed his mom, still hiding behind her and peeking out his head, while the girl stood her ground, gazing at him with wide, bright eyes.
“This is Dad,” Vivi said, emotion in her voice. She did not push them to move. Jack didn’t either. He squatted down, bringing himself almost to eye level—they were tiny!—and smiling.
“Hey kids,” he said. “Ebele, Eric… I missed you.”
Something in his voice reached them. They did not remember him, but they recognized that sound, that powerful warmth. Eric hesitantly walked out from behind Vivi and said, “Da?”
Ebele made the connection. Her face brightened, she shouted, “Papa!” and rushed into his arms. Jack laughed as he hugged her. Eric moved as well, emboldened by his sister, and fell onto Jack as well. Vivi watched this happen with a huge, sweet smile on her lips.
She wasn’t tired from raising two children herself. However, watching her children rush into their father’s embrace… That feeling was just something else.
As for Jack, he felt the stress and exhaustion of the past year disappear. All the pain he’d endured simply washed off him, leaving him fresh and full of love. He laughed out loud, rising to his feet with one child wrapped in each hand. They yelped but didn’t cry.
“How brave you are!” he exclaimed, his own happiness transmitted through his aura. “I love you both! All three of you!”
“Will you eat with us?” Vivi asked, her voice sweet. “We just finished making lunch, and we’re looking forward to hearing about your adventures… Plus, I suspect you haven’t eaten a proper meal since the last time you were here.”
Jack felt like he’d been caught. He laughed again, unable to contain his joy, then gave Vivi a warm gaze. “Of course I’ll eat. For the next two weeks…I’m all yours.”
***
Lunch was heavenly. Jack really hadn’t eaten a proper meal in a year—not only because he didn’t need it, but also because very little food could survive on the Cathedral. He ravenously fell on the table, enjoying every taste.
Between bites, he narrated his experiences at the Cathedral. Not accurately, of course—the children were listening. He framed them as fairy tales, omitting the dangers and pain to focus on overcoming impossible odds to succeed.
Eric and Ebele listened with rapt attention, forgetting to eat. Their little mouths hung open in wonder. Eric was clenching his hands every time Jack spoke about danger, only to exhale in relief when everything was good. As for Ebele, her eyes shone throughout, blazing at his adventures.
Even though they were still toddlers and anything could change, some things were clear about their temperaments. Ebele was sharp and adventurous. Eric was more restrained, but that didn’t make him any lesser than his sister—not everybody needed to be a warrior.
Jack felt fatherhood blooming in his chest. Every feature he discovered about his children felt perfect, making him love them even more—although, in truth, they would have felt perfect no matter what.
As he detailed his adventures, Vivi was also listening. She could glean the things he hid away or softened. Her heart was clenched; just by this fairy tale version of the last year, she could understand that Jack had been through a lot. His every day was a battle. However, she chose not to comment, because she could also tell that he loved it.
And she loved him for it. Even if her heart shook and he made her worry.
“So many strong people…” she said in wonder. “And you said the strongest one is that woman named Min Ling, right? Is she pretty?”
This question would have stumped the common man, but Jack was no amateur. “She couldn’t hold a candle to you, my love.”
“Mhm. Right.”
Vivi didn’t necessarily believe him, but that was beside the point. Butterflies fluttered inside her stomach.
“Can we explore again?” Ebele asked, revealing both impressive communication skills and that she remembered last year’s excursions with Jack.
“Of course!” Jack replied. “We can do whatever you like!”
“Yay!” both children cried out at once.
Vivi’s raised brow gave Jack pause. “But only if your mother agrees,” he added, making them turn their puppy eyes at Vivi. Under their pressure, she melted.
Jack and his family didn’t step outside their house for the entire day. They played some games, Jack learned about their lives as well, and he generally tried to form beautiful memories with his children. He was painfully aware of how little time he would actually spend with them growing up—at times like this, his heart was burning, and the sour taste of regret filled his mouth. But he knew it was necessary. He was a cultivator. He had his path. As much as he loved his children, he couldn’t betray himself—and them—to spend more time at home.
Enemies could appear at any moment. If he wasn’t strong enough, they would suffer and die. He would never let that happen.
Night came, and Ebele with Eric went to sleep. Their room contained many toys and decorations, including a few that Jack was familiar with. One was a picture of him from before the Integration—another was a lava lamp he’d personally forged for them inside an active volcano, and there was even a bowl filled with water from the deepest parts of the Marianna Trench.
The souvenirs from their shared adventures were proudly contained in the children’s room. Jack never thought he’d feel so warm from such little things.
“Goodnight, Ebele. Goodnight, Eric,” he said, planting a kiss on their foreheads and tucking them to sleep. “I love you.”
“We love you too, daddy!” Ebele replied. Eric laughed and waved his arms around.
Jack and Vivi headed to their own room, where they undressed and lay together. “How do you feel?” Vivi asked, leaning against his chest.
“It’s a new world,” Jack admitted. “Increasing my cultivation makes me happy, but this… This makes me even happier in a completely different way. Ebele, Eric…you…staying here forever would be a blessed life.”
“But not for you.”
“But not for me.” Jack sighed, then looked up at the ceiling. “I will be the best father I can, but above all else, I am a cultivator. Do you hate me for that?”
Vivi chuckled. “I knew it since the day I met you. That’s why I slept with you.” She rose from his chest to plant a kiss on his lips. “Your children are in good hands, Jack. Do what you have to do. Live your life. They will grow well, and they will love you for who you are.”
Jack felt warmth in his heart. People said that life couldn’t be perfect…but, right now, it sure felt like it.
“Thank you,” he replied, returning her kiss. One kiss led to many, and of increasing heat, until their two bodies were intertwined.
“I missed you,” Vivi said with a hot breath.
“So did I…” Jack replied, sinking deep into her night.
***
For the next two weeks, Jack remained with his family. They stayed at home, reveling in their love. They toured the world, exploring its wonders. They made memories. Jack was stuck to his children as if glued on them, and they loved every moment. Their carefree laughter echoed across the house, filling it with joy.
One day, Jack and Eric built a treehouse together—without using cultivator superpowers. The little boy was beyond excited. He rushed from side to side, happy to just be spending time with Jack and helping however he could. When they were done, Jack grabbed Eric and flew to the top. Eric cried out in joy. Then, Jack flew even higher, like a bird, using his aura to protect Eric from the sharp winds. Every peal of laughter was medicine to his soul—and the timid Eric believed in his father so fully that he never felt a shred of fear.
The two swam through the air for a while, unable to stop smiling.
Another day, Jack took Ebele to observe the clouds from above. Her eyes were wide in wonder, gazing at the infinite sea of white, then she yelped as they began free-falling, piercing through the white and towards the blue sea below.
Ebele was scared, but that only made her excited. She laughed through the wind, playing with it and admiring how her little limbs and hair flew upward. When they approached the surface of the ocean, Jack grabbed onto Ebele and swerved over it, cutting through the surface and raising waves. They then flew higher again, until the waves were nothing but lines on the vast blue, and Ebele was having the time of her life.
“Again!” she shouted, and Jack had no choice but to keep going. Only an hour later, when Ebele was completely exhausted and almost fell asleep, did she let him leave. He hugged her tightly on the way back—not out of caution, but of love.
His two children were different from each other, but he loved them equally. His heart couldn’t grow any fuller. If anything ever happened to them…
He didn’t want to think about that. He would grow so strong that he’d never have to.
Besides spending time with his family, Jack also met his other friends and relatives on Earth—his mother, Edgar, Harambe… Brock visited often, playing with the children and quickly becoming Uncle Brock. The children loved him. Somehow, his Dao of Brotherhood seeped through, making them see a wide world and learn to rely on each other.
While Jack and Brock were of different species, they regarded each other as brothers. He was also part of the family.
And so, two weeks passed. Finally, there came a day when Jack would have to leave again.
“When will you return?” Vivi asked him at the front door. The children were inside the house—Jack had already bidden them goodbye.
“I don’t know…” he admitted. “The Church hasn’t scouted out the hidden realm. It could be long or short—I really have no idea.”
Vivi nodded. Both of them knew that the hidden realm would be an exceedingly dangerous place. Perhaps, Jack would never return…but they both chose not to mention that.
“Be safe,” Vivi said, tears sparkling in her eyes. She bit back everything else she wanted to tell him. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He planted a hot kiss on her lips, savoring this final moment of warmth before the storm. His heart felt weak—did he really have to leave this place and risk his life in an unknown land?
Soon, however, he suppressed the doubts. He was who he was. If he backed away now, he would never be able to live with himself.
“I’m going,” he said. “Take care of the kids. Tell them I love them.”
“They know,” she replied with a smile, “but I’ll tell them. Every day until you come back to us.”
Jack looked deep into her eyes and nodded. Then, he flew away. Brock was already waiting for him at the teleporter. As he saw Jack arrive, he read all the emotions in his brother’s heart. “A good bro makes hard decisions,” he said softly, “and hard decisions make good bro. You best father I know. Believe.”
Jack gave a tight smile. “Thanks, Brock. I needed that.”
“No problem.”
The two stepped into the teleporter, activated it, then set off for the Cathedral again. The hidden realm expedition was upon them—the unknown and dangerous.
Besides himself, Jack really looked forward to it.
