Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

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Gradually Rain began to regain his composure. He recognized the need to outgrow the protective, and overbearing, instinct he harbored towards his daughter. The realization dawned that his impulse to intimidate or confront her potential romantic interests was an outdated stance – a relic of a protective father that needed to evolve with time.

"You never change," Sears said when Rain turned around. "Seadir told me what happened and what you two talked about.

"Is that so?" Rain asked. "You changed a bit, you are colder and you can bench press more than me as well. Can't blame you considering the problems that I left behind. I met my grandparents, Liss, Asche, Branden, Esmeralda, Orcis, and Lorene. I know most things that happened since I went MIA. I only don't know anything about my parents, Terra, Danny, and Annie."

"You are using some words that I have no idea what they are supposed t mean," Seara approached with her arms crossed.

"You don't have to know, I only wanted to say MIA because it sounds cool," Rain said.

Seara approached and studied Rain from head to toe. Deep down, she knew that he wasn't a fake or a monster trying to act like him… she didn't even have to analyze him to think of that, her feelings alone made her feel that. Still, she couldn't help but act like that… she had to be guarded because she acted like that for one hundred years.@@novelbin@@

"You have grown weak if even me can stop you now," Seara said.

"Not like I have grown weak, but more like you guys used the last one hundred years well," Rain said. "I have a feeling tricks up my sleeve to recover the lost time, though."

".... What happened that day and afterwards?" Seara asked. "We all felt that you weren't being your usual self, but what you told Dad to do was beyond our expectations."

As Rain nodded, he began to tell the difficult encounter with the dragon god, telling the details of the catastrophic event. He told her his deductions regarding the dragon god's immense power, which seemed to surpass the abilities of other dragons, incorporating them and expanding upon them in unprecedented ways.

Rain imagined that the dragon god possessed not only the amalgamation of powers from various dragons but also wielded improved abilities, making him a formidable force. The sheer magnitude of the dragon god's strength was staggering, capable of overpowering Rain with an overwhelming display of might.

He described the moment when the dragon god unleashed a devastating the meteor attack, an assault of cataclysmic proportions that left Rain completely battered and broken. The impact of the meteor was so intense that it rendered Rain incapacitated, thrusting him into a state of near obliteration.

"Are you satisfied with what you heard?" Rain asked.

"Not exactly," Seara shook her head. "Why didn't you use the seals to inform us that you were alive?"

"I couldn't," Rain said. "It is hard to explain, but if I could do that, I would have done so since Terra's skills would have made the process at least two times faster. If my healing skills were better, perhaps I would have returned a few decades sooner, but not much more than that."

Seara's reaction to Rain's story of his ordeal was complex, reflecting a mixture of emotions that momentarily flickered across her features. Initially, a troubled and sorrowful expression crossed her face, revealing a glimpse of the pain and concern she felt upon learning the severity of Rain's experience.

Her eyes conveyed a sense of empathy and sadness, hinting at the depth of emotion she felt for Rain's struggles.

However, the fleeting vulnerability in her expression swiftly dissipated, replaced by a composed and stoic demeanor. Seara's countenance transitioned into what seemed like a mask—a poker face that concealed any trace of her inner turmoil.

It appeared as though she, like many others in the grim and somber reality they inhabited, had hardened herself against the overwhelming challenges and difficulties they faced daily.

Seara didn't know what to say anymore, so she went silent and Rain just sat down to face the ocean as well. They had a lot of talking to do, but the words didn't come at that moment.

"Who is the guy that Sealyn is going out with?" Rain asked.

"Of all things you could have asked…" Seara said and then sighed. "It is a guy called Van?"

"That bastard… he was already an adult when Sealyn was only a kid… I will kill him," Rain said.

"He is only twenty years older than her… and something only happened between them ten years ago," Sealyn said. "Considering our lifespan, twenty years are like two years of difference between the demi humans. Besides, she will get mad since no one has the courage to approach her thanks to Dad. He did the same thing that you had planned and chased away all the weaklings."

"I see… I guess I won't have to break all of Seadrei teeth," Rain said. "Don't worry, he can live a good life with half of them."

"You might have defeated Dad one hundred years ago, but he got much stronger," Seara said and then sat down by Rain's side. "Sealyn is on his level as well… it took a long time for me to forget that she was that much more skilled than me."

"She has good genes, truly, but we can't deny her hard work," Rain said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Anyway, I can't forgive your father for splitting up my family. I will break his teeth and then you can break my ribs for making you all suffer for all those years. It is an equivalent exchange."

"I told you, you can't do it…" Seara said and then sighed. "Besides, it is neither your fault nor Dad's… we grieved in our ways and so did our kids. Terra and I tried to make them grow together, but that was hard…"