Timeless Assassin

While Leo made his way to Planet Vorthas, his competitor for the Dragon title, Aegon Veyr, completed the final steps of his preparation to break through to the Transcendent Tier.

"No matter how hard I train, my body refuses to grow any stronger. It seems like I've hit my limits," Veyr muttered to himself, feeling the unmistakable presence of a wall he could not breach.

No matter the intensity of his training, his body simply would not improve any further, for it had already reached the peak of Grandmaster potential with further training yielding no results.

"Inform the Fourth Elder that I'm ready for the breakthrough. Tell him to freshly prepare a high-quality Transcendent Grade breakthrough potion for me. I'll take it the day after tomorrow," Veyr instructed calmly, his tone demanding that there be no unexpected delays, as his assistant bowed deeply and immediately rushed out to deliver the message without hesitation.

With the annual Elder's Council meeting on planet FrostBurn less than fourteen days away now, the announcement that Veyr was finally ready to ascend had long been anticipated by the Fourth Elder, who was sure to be elated at receiving confirmation.

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(Meanwhile on Planet Vorthas, Leo's POV)

Upon landing on Planet Vorthas, Leo instinctively searched for his family members around the hangar bay area, scanning every corner and shadow in the hopes of catching a familiar face, however, he was once again left disappointed when he found no one waiting to receive him.

'No worries, I guess I'll see them soon enough…' he thought, brushing the disappointment aside, as the guard who had boarded the flight with him back on Planet Tithia wordlessly motioned toward yet another transport hovercraft meant to bring him swiftly to his new residence.

The two of them flew through a sprawling, densely populated city that, for a moment, reminded Leo of home back on Earth if it had been brighter, greener, and far more beautiful, as the sleek skyline, clean air, and golden sunlight bathed the city structures in warmth.

Eventually, the hovercraft slowed before pulling to a stop in front of an old estate, the same one that Leo had glimpsed in the communication crystal just a few days prior.

Now, seeing it in person, the structure loomed even larger and carried an undeniable aura of age and authority, with its vintage architecture standing in stark contrast to the modern, urban households surrounding it.

Unlike the clean-cut and minimalistic manors nearby, this one had trimmed hedges, thick creeping vines, and stone columns that made up its boundary walls, giving it a sense of timelessness that seemed to defy the passing years, as despite the surrounding houses being much more modern, none of them had the same aesthetic beauty.

*Step*

As Leo stepped down from the hovercraft, the guard beside him tapped his wrist-mounted communicator and spoke a quick confirmation code.

Within seconds, the towering iron gates groaned to life, swinging open to reveal a long stone pathway flanked by ancient trees and an inner courtyard that stretched deep into the estate grounds.

Two more layers of security checks followed.

First came the biometric scanner embedded in the pathway tiles, which read his mana signature and confirmed his identity.

Then came a brief yet meticulous scan by an automated turret array stationed beyond the main corridor, as their lenses flickered with red light before dimming once more, signaling acceptance.

As only after passing the second and final check did the inner doors part with a hiss, allowing Leo to step through.

'They're thorough about my family's security. That's good,' Leo thought, nodding to himself as he silently approved of the security protocols.

However, his gaze soon narrowed when he spotted uniformed soldiers patrolling the garden pathways, their rigid steps and stern expressions making the estate feel more like a restricted military compound than a personal residence.

'I'll ask them to stay concealed in the future,' he noted internally, as he walked swiftly toward the front porch of the mansion, his fingers brushing along the aged wooden railing, rough with time yet still sturdy, until he looked up… and forgot how to breathe.

Seated there, on the old swing beneath the porch awning, was Elena, his mother.

Her head was bowed, her fingers nervously fidgeting in her lap, her entire posture radiating unease, as though she were holding herself still to prevent shattering.

But the moment she looked up and saw him standing there, everything changed.

Her eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat, and her hands shot up to cover her trembling mouth, as disbelief and emotion poured from her in equal measure.

"Leo…?"

Her voice was barely a whisper, more breath than sound, yet it sliced through the quiet like lightning.

By the time Leo heard her, she was already on her feet, rushing down the porch steps with stumbling, frantic movements, her grace forgotten, her pride abandoned as her only thought seemed to be to desperately reach her son.

Leo didn't move. He just stood there, frozen like a statue, afraid that if he reached out or blinked too fast, the moment would vanish like a dream too perfect to be real.

Then she was in his arms.

She crashed into him with the full weight of her motherly love and longing, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso as if afraid he might slip away again if she let go.

*Sob*

*Sob*

Her sobs were raw, her tears warm as they soaked into his robes, as it was only when he felt her cry that he tightened his embrace around her, as he pulled her closer and felt her pounding heartbeat pulse against his.

A strange warmth burst from within him, swelling in his chest before rising outward as a soft pink aura flowed from his body like a quiet mist, swirling gently until it encircled both mother and son, creating a shimmering cocoon of pink light in the glowing afternoon sun.

For a moment, nothing else existed.

No assassins, no missions, no Cult orders, no ambition, no hatred, only the feeling of being loved and protected in a way he had almost forgotten.

For only in his mother's embrace, did he feel truly whole and safe.

For him, there was no love purer in this universe than that of his mother, as for all the power he had acquired and for all the strength he carried in his limbs, in her arms, he still felt like a child all over again, that was vulnerable, small, and strangely comforted.

Over the past few years, he had endured agony that would have shattered other men.

He had walked through impossible trials, stood over the corpses of enemies, betrayed and been betrayed, killed and nearly been killed.

But right now, he was simply her boy.

His throat tightened, his breathing hitched, and despite all his efforts to stay composed, his voice cracked when he finally managed to say it, softly, brokenly, but with more sincerity than anything else he'd spoken in recent memory.

"Mother…"

Elena looked up at him through her tears, her hands rising to cup his face with the same gentleness she had shown him when he was a child, brushing her thumbs across his cheeks with such tenderness it made his heart ache.

"You're home, my baby boy… you're finally home," she whispered in a cracked voice of her own, her lips trembling even as she smiled.

And for the first time in months, Leo let tears gather at the corner of his eyes, tears of joy, of longing fulfilled, of an ache soothed.

As through the watery blur of his vision, he saw the aura around them shift, a soft mix of pink and blue twining together like two flavours of cotton candy, as despite the emotional occasion, he couldn't help but chuckle when he spotted the oddity.