The room was quiet after his family finally left. Their words still lingered in the air—soft with care, heavy with worry. For all their strength, his father, his mother, and even his siblings treated him as if he were a fragile crystal that might shatter at the slightest touch.
Loryn lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his hand resting on his chest. His heartbeat was steady now, though the memory of the black hole still echoed inside him. They don't understand… I'm not weak. I can't be protected forever.
The door clicked open.
"Master Loryn," came a calm voice.
Alther stepped into the room, the black-and-silver robe flowing around him like the night sky laced with starlight. His posture was straight, his expression unreadable. He had stood silently earlier while the King and Queen visited, but now, with no one else present, his gaze was sharp, direct.
"You seem restless."
Loryn sat up slowly. "...I don't need a babysitter."
A faint smile tugged at the edge of Alther's lips. "Indeed. You do not. But you do need discipline."
He crossed the room with measured steps, the silver trim of his robe catching the faint light of the lanterns. Unlike his family, Alther's presence was not suffocating—it was grounding. He didn't see Loryn as fragile. He saw him as incomplete.
"You wielded something beyond comprehension," Alther said, his voice low but steady. "A black hole, born from Infinity Energy. Such power can tear worlds apart… or collapse upon the user if left unchecked."
Loryn's fists tightened. "So what? Should I just stop trying?"
Alther stopped in front of him, his gaze steady and unyielding. "No. You must try harder. Your Majesty forbids recklessness, but he cannot forbid growth. The Omni King and Queen… they love you too much. Love blinds them to what you truly need."
Loryn knew Alther was no ordinary servant. The butler's calm presence carried a pressure that few could bear. Alther was a Sixth-Rank Chakra Cultivator—a realm so rare that most beings in the Omniverse never even reached the fourth. Only five people in existence had ever stepped into the Eighth Rank, the absolute peak of cultivation. And Alther was just two steps away.
The butler extended his hand, and with a faint ripple of energy, a weapon manifested—a plain steel sword. No gems, no runes, no divine aura.
"This is where we begin."
Loryn blinked. "A… sword?"
"A blade," Alther corrected. "Infinity is not controlled by brute strength, but by balance. Before you chase the stars, you must learn to stand firmly on the ground. You are a genius in weapon mastery—so let your sword become the vessel through which Infinity flows."
Loryn reached for the weapon, his fingers brushing the cool steel. It felt heavier than it looked, yet perfectly balanced. His chest tightened—not with fear this time, but with something else. A spark of hope.
Alther's tone softened, but only slightly. "The Academy awaits you, young master. You will not be coddled there. You will meet others who are heirs to Monarchs, who command mana and bloodlines older than empires. If you arrive unprepared, they will crush you."
Loryn's grip on the sword tightened.
Alther's gaze hardened. "So I ask you, Loryn… will you let Infinity consume you, or will you learn to command it?"
The boy raised the sword, its edge catching the faint glimmer of lantern light, as if reflecting his resolve.
"I'll command it," he whispered.
For the first time, Alther allowed himself a full smile.
"Then your training begins."