Ex rank talent Awakening: 100% Dodge rate

"What happened? Where is Kate?" Greg's voice cut through the room like a blade, sharp, cold, and trembling with fury.

He and Jessica had returned to the safe house after deciding it was best to lie low for a while—just until he could "sort things out" with the world leaders. It was supposed to be a place of safety. A breather. But instead of comfort, they were met with chaos.

The sight before them was harrowing.

Aaron lay on the floor, blood dried around the edges of his lips. Dual Blade and Will were unconscious nearby, their bodies bruised and scorched as if they had just survived a battlefield. Only Aaron showed signs of life—barely.

Greg knelt beside him without hesitation. His hand glowed with power as he invoked dragon's tongue. "Heal." A wave of radiant energy pulsed out, enveloping the three. Their wounds began to close, bruises faded, and color returned to their faces.

Aaron groaned softly as he regained consciousness, clutching his ribs and blinking up at Greg. His eyes trembled—not from fear, but from helplessness.

"Where is Kate?" Greg asked again. His voice was quieter this time, but far more dangerous. The air around him felt heavier, as if the room itself were holding its breath.

Aaron winced before responding. "She was taken... Men in black clothing. Precise. Silent. Like ninjas. They moved like shadows. Before we could react, we were overwhelmed. They said something about her running away from home... and that it was time for her to return."

His hands curled into fists.

"They arrived just after Annabelle left. As if... they were waiting for the perfect moment."

Greg's aura flared briefly. The shadows in the room danced.

"Good. Very good." His words dripped with cold fury. "It seems people enjoy playing the villain in my story. I'll show them what happens when you provoke the wrong protagonist." His eyes gleamed red for a moment, bloodshot from restrained rage.

---

******

"Welcome home, my daughter," the man said smoothly. His voice was calm, but behind the gentleness lay steel.

He stood tall—his body toned like a seasoned warrior, dressed in a sleek, dark outfit that screamed silent lethality. An aura of absolute control radiated from him as he looked at Kate with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

Kate's gaze hardened as she stood before him. "I'm not your daughter. Let me go. I want nothing to do with you," she hissed, venom coating her words.

The man didn't flinch. He simply stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder—not forcefully, but with the weight of inevitability.

"That isn't your decision to make," he replied, as if speaking to a naive child. "I allowed you to play your little games out there. To dream, to pretend. But the time for indulgence is over. It's time for you to fulfill your duty as a member of our bloodline."

His grip tightened just slightly. "Prepare yourself. You will soon be married to the heir of the Rothschild family. I expect you to behave accordingly."

Kate's eyes flared with rebellion. "I will never marry that brat!"

He sighed, as if exhausted by her resistance. Her words, to him, were meaningless.

"They will come looking for me," Kate said coldly. "When they do, I hope you don't live to regret your arrogance."

He chuckled. "You mean that boy? Yes, his strength is impressive. A display worthy of praise. But that's all it is—a display. A fox may roar in the jungle, but when the lion appears, it knows its place. We, the hidden family, have remained in the shadows long enough. The time for secrecy is over."

He stepped away, walking slowly toward the exit of the room.

"We will make our presence known. One step at a time. And when we do... the world will remember who truly holds dominion."

The heavy door shut behind him with a cold echo.

Kate remained still for a moment, her shoulders trembling—not from fear, but from barely suppressed rage.

She wasn't bound. They hadn't chained her or locked her away. No, they didn't need to. She knew them. She knew how far their reach extended. Once caught, escape was no longer an option. Every hallway, every exit, every shadow... it all belonged to them.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her hands clenched.

"Please... Greg," she whispered, "save me from this hell."

---

******

After hours of strategizing, raging, and struggling to find a plan, Greg finally succumbed to exhaustion. Jessica lay beside him, her presence calming.

Their relationship had accelerated rapidly, skipping the awkward middle stages. Perhaps it was the intensity of their shared experiences. Or perhaps they were just making up for lost time.

Soon, Greg drifted into a deep slumber.

And again, like before, he found himself in that strange space—an otherworldly void where time held no sway.

He floated in a realm of pure silence and darkness, and before him, two humanoid figures enclosed in translucent cocoons hovered in midair. They pulsed with light and energy, slowly converging.

The world around them supported the transformation. Thread by thread, memory by memory, they merged—becoming one.

After what felt like both an eternity and an instant, the new being opened its eyes.

His consciousness, once divided, was now whole. His thoughts were aligned. His body, reborn.

He looked around with the wonder of a newborn, mesmerized by the vastness—even though it was a world of void.

Then he stepped forward, and as he did, the cocooned realm behind him unraveled like smoke. He entered the greater cosmos—a universe teeming with life.

Before him floated fifteen planets, orbiting his birth world like satellites. Each one shimmered with its own hue, brimming with unique energy.

Curious, the man flew toward one of them.

There, he witnessed towering beasts—scales glistening like gemstones, wings casting shadows over mountains. They breathed fire, ice, lightning. They played in the skies and roared into the heavens.

He watched them with awe.

"Dragons," he whispered. "I shall call you dragons."

At his declaration, the creatures roared back as if in approval. One among them—a regal, golden-scaled dragon—flew toward him and bowed.

He stayed among them, learning their ways, their customs, their kinship. In time, he departed, but the golden dragon followed.

On the next planet, he found radiant birds, their feathers ablaze with celestial fire. They soared like living suns, lighting up the sky with their presence.

"Phoenixes," he named them.

As before, one phoenix joined him when he left.

Planet after planet, he traveled.

On one, he met beings wrapped in holy light, their presence calming, their wings vast and white. He called them Angels.

Then came the opposites—twisted, horned beings oozing malice and dark charisma. Devils, he named them.

He met Elves in lush forests, Demons in crimson-lit lands, Dwarves in mountain fortresses, Elementals composed of fire, wind, earth, and water, and Mermaids beneath the shimmering oceans.

Each planet was a revelation.

Each journey added another loyal companion.

When he returned to his home world, it was no longer the barren realm it once was. The darkness faded, replaced by light and life, shaped by all he had seen.

Fifteen followed him. And more would follow.

From time to time, he visited those worlds again, his presence becoming legend across the universe