Rylan opened the door to his room, then entered it. The moonlight shone through the window, proudly displaying the starry night sky. The room was as tidy as he'd left it. Taking a breath, Rylan walked to the middle of the room and turned around.

Facing him were his parents, siblings, and Sarah. The people closest to him, who knew the truth. He looked at Elizabeth's angry expression and smiled bitterly at her.

"What were you thinking?" she snapped less than a second after Regis closed the door behind him and Gerard created a barrier to keep the sound from escaping. "How could you just decide something like that on the spot?"

Rylan shook his head.

"It's the only way," he replied. "Even with me here, we're still completely at the Empire's mercy. The pressure created by the mere existence of Ninth Circle Mages is simply too great. We need to struggle, and desperately."

She frowned, but didn't immediately reply.

"…I'm just worried," she said after a second. "I don't want you to go to war, son. You don't deserve it. It doesn't matter how many battlefields you fought in in your past life."

Rylan kept his bitter smile.

"It's too late for that, Mom. It was too late from the moment they sent assassins after us."

She sighed deeply.

"…I know. I just wish things were different."

Her shoulders were shaking. Gerard gently hugged her from behind, as if cradling the world's most precious treasure.

"It'll be fine, Liz," he said slowly. "We'll do everything we can."

Rylan nodded, his smile becoming brighter as he hid his true feelings deep within him. In practice, his family was simply too weak to make an impact. Even Gerard, the strongest of them, was only in the Fifth Circle. If the Empire wanted to go after him again, there was nothing they could do.

That's why I have to be the one to protect them.

Even if it meant going through hell to become powerful enough to stand against the entire Gaidar Empire. He knew he could do it. He had been the world's strongest once before.

"Father is right," Rylan said after a few seconds, watching Regis and Lillia shift uncomfortably. Only Aelfric and Sarah seemed calm. "I won't let any of them hurt any of you. Things will be fine. Even if I—"

"I don't want you to die," Elizabeth cut him off before he could continue. She stared straight into his eyes with a piercing gaze. "That's the whole point. Please, son. Stay safe. I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for any of us. Life without you would be… dimmer."

Rylan swallowed his next words and only stared at his mother, his heart throbbing. How many decades had he spent in his past life wishing to hear something like this?

Focus.

He shook his head and smiled at Elizabeth.

"I know. I know you feel that way about all of us. Thank you, Mom."

She gave him a sad smile. Rylan looked at Gerard, who was staring at him with a grave expression, then at his siblings and Sarah.

"I think all of you should stay in Damian's Mage Tower for the time being," he continued. "I still don't know how the Empire will react, and I don't want any of you to be in unnecessary danger."

Regis tilted his head.

"They sent three Sixth Circle Mages and failed," the young man said. "At this point, if they send more people, wouldn't Damian's Mage Tower defenses be useless? Since all soldiers would be even stronger than the ones you killed?"

Rylan nodded.

"Yes. But it's better to be safe than sorry. Please, humor me for a while," he stopped for a second, then decided to just be honest. "I can't bear the thought of any of you getting hurt because of what I did. Even if it's only to prevent being attacked or surrounded by weaker enemies than the previous imperial soldiers, please stay here."

Regis blinked twice, then scratched the back of his head with a complicated expression. Lillia and Aelfric smiled, and Sarah bowed slightly with a grin. Gerard and Elizabeth only looked at him.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"…Fine, I'll stay," Regis finally said. "I'm not strong enough to shrug off even a group of Third Circle or Fourth Circle Mages, anyway. This place is still the safest one in the kingdom. Thank you, brother."

Rylan widened his eyes, then reflexively calmed down his speeding heart. How long had it been since Regis had called him 'brother'? He couldn't help but smile warmly.

"…Yeah."

"Son," Gerard said. "What are you going to do from now on?"

Rylan looked at him.

"Become stronger, as always. Please tell Jack, Scott, and the others to come here. There's a lot they need to learn. I'll start by teaching the student council, Hayden, Jasmine, and Damian."

Gerard furrowed his brow.

"…Just be careful. Your secret is too great."

Rylan nodded. Regardless of it being this kingdom's only option, the magnitude of Mana Circulation was obvious. It was why he was planning to tell the Flameheart soldiers to come to the capital instead of going back to Cantavega to teach them – he needed a place with few eyes and ears. Suddenly, his expression became colder.

"And there's someone I need to kill."

He hadn't forgotten the promise he'd made to Jason.

I swore that I would kill him if imperial Mages appeared in the kingdom.

Killing intent bloomed in his heart. It was as if the surroundings had become heavier. Lillia took a small step back with wide eyes. Once he saw this, Rylan hurriedly contained himself.

"...Do you mean the boy who likely informed the Empire?" Gerard asked slowly after a second.

Rylan nodded.

"I promised it. Despite the threat, he still went ahead and talked to the Empire."

Gerard shook his head.

"He's likely out of the kingdom by now. In fact, he probably left on the same day that he ratted you out. But I understand. I'll look into it."

Rylan smiled at him.

"Thank you, father."

Meanwhile, the others had gone silent, with Elizabeth clearly uncomfortable.

"And, Father. Call Calan, too," Rylan continued, changing the subject.

Calan Vaard had been one of this life's first allies. Rylan was already intimately familiar with the boy after so many years in Cantavega, making a mess of things. Calan deserved an opportunity to rise above that town.

And the stronger the people in Cantavega, the better.

It was entirely possible that the Empire would target his hometown, even if only to affect him and his mental state. He needed Cantavega to be well-protected, or, at least, as much as possible.

Gerard nodded.

"Consider it done. Now, we'll leave you. Good evening, son. I'll talk to you once you're done with your lessons tomorrow."

Elizabeth frowned, her unwillingness to go clear in her expression, but she didn't say anything. Sarah bowed again.

"Good evening, young master," she said.

"Bye, Rylan!" Aelfric exclaimed.

Lillia smiled at Rylan and waved, and Regis followed suit, a bit tense. Rylan smiled from the bottom of his heart and said his goodbyes. A minute later, his room was empty of all other people.

Rylan stretched his body, took off his boots and shirt, and sat on his bed with his legs crossed. He closed his eyes. After thinking about the conversation he'd just had with his family, he threw all idle thoughts aside and focused on his inner world. Both his Mana Core and Aura Heart were easily perceived. Rylan watched them attentively. His Mana Core was buried in his soul's abdomen, blue in color and pulsating with a rhythm. Meanwhile, his Aura Heart was completely white and throbbed in the same rhythm. They looked like twin stars, even similar in size.

…This is an unprecedented situation.

He had started out with nothing but his Mana Core. In his efforts to become stronger, he had modified it and turned it into something that resembled an Aura Heart, which he was far more used to. It had paid off, but now he had an actual Aura Heart, the thing he'd been aiming for all along. Even though he'd just awakened Aura, his Aura pool was already higher than he'd expected. From here on, it would be far easier to just focus on Aura and try to reacquire his past life's Skills and sword styles.

But I won't do that.

There was no need to dismiss this life's power system and knowledge. To begin with, his Class amplified his power when using both magic and swordsmanship at the same time. It was the path he'd chosen to follow, and the greatest evidence of its greatness was the energy his Aspect had revealed to him.

Aether.

A power that transcended both mana and Aura, created out of their perfect harmony and unison. It was what he needed to seek and reach.

He turned his attention back to his Mana Core and Aura Heart.

The balance has been broken.

A Mana Core, the foundation of mana, had been altered to resemble an Aura Heart. His actual Aura Heart reinforced it. But how could he achieve perfect harmony when he was so heavily in favor of Aura? Even his Mana Cultivation, at its core, was a method that used mana to try to achieve Aura's physical effects. As such, his future path was simple.

I need to learn how to make my Aura Heart affect my mana and even my spells.

Once he achieved perfect harmony, Aether would be within reach. He would transcend both lives permanently instead of only for a few seconds.

Rylan took a deep breath and focused entirely on his Aura Heart, leaving only a sliver of attention on his surroundings, as usual.

How do I do it?

Was it because he didn't know enough about mana to begin with? The answer wasn't immediately obvious. Rylan connected with his Aura. Immediately, it started circulating through his body clearly and smoothly, empowering it to a much greater extent than Mana Cultivation. He could feel the power raging within his body, ready to spring forth at a mere thought. The power he was most familiar with.

Rylan raised his hand and opened his eyes, still circulating his Aura.

"Wind Blades," he whispered.

The air within the room shifted and gathered above his hand in the shape of sharp, crescent blades. An ordinary First Circle spell. He narrowed his eyes and started trying to make his Aura affect the spell's structure, as if using a Sword Art. The first attempt ended in a clear failure. The Blades lost their stability and collapsed, melting back into the atmosphere. Unshaken, Rylan cast the spell again. This time, he modified his Aura's flow slightly.

Another failure. Like before, the spell's structure came undone.

He didn't even blink, casting the spell for a third time. Failure. Fourth time. Failure. Fifth time. Failure…

Rylan focused on this alone. From the start, he hadn't hoped to get it right in one try. There was no way to tell how long it would take for him to succeed, but what mattered was to keep trying.

Unceasingly, he continued. The night was still far too young.

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