In the world of Aurelia, strength was not something measured by reputation alone.
There existed a path.
A path followed by warriors, cultivators, and countless powerful beings throughout the world.
Regardless of whether one was human, demon, elf, or belonged to another race or kin entirely, the fundamental path of cultivation remained the same.
It was divided into Nine Great Stages.
Each stage contained nine individual levels, and those nine levels were further separated into three tiers.
Primary Tier — Levels 1 to 3
This represented the beginning of each stage. A cultivator had entered the realm but had yet to fully understand or master its power.
Intermediate Tier — Levels 4 to 6
At this point, the cultivator possessed considerably greater control over the abilities of that stage.
Advanced Tier — Levels 7 to 9
These were the final levels of a stage. Those who reached this tier stood at the very peak of their current realm, with the next great stage waiting beyond the final barrier.
The difference between these tiers could already be considerable.
But the difference between entire stages?
That could be enormous.
And the higher one climbed, the more terrifying that difference became.
The First Stage — Mana Gathering
The beginning of all cultivation.
The Mana Gathering Stage.
Mana existed throughout Aurelia.
It flowed through the air.
Through the earth.
Through forests, rivers, mountains, and living creatures.
It was one of the fundamental energies of the world.
However, merely being surrounded by mana did not mean one could properly use it.
A cultivator first had to learn how to sense that energy.
Then absorb it.
At the Mana Gathering Stage, cultivators drew the mana of the world into themselves and used it to gradually strengthen their bodies.
Muscles became stronger.
Bones became tougher.
Senses sharpened.
The body slowly transformed into a vessel capable of containing greater amounts of power.
This foundation was essential.
A weak vessel could never contain overwhelming power.
And without a proper foundation, attempting to advance too quickly could cripple a person's future.
Thus, before one learned to truly wield supernatural power...
One first had to prepare the body to withstand it.
The Second Stage — Aura Manifestation
After accumulating sufficient mana and strengthening the body, a person could attempt to enter the second great realm.
The Aura Manifestation Stage.
This was where a cultivator's strength began to become truly visible.
The mana accumulated within the body was transformed and manifested outward as Aura.
Aura was more than simple energy.
It was an extension of the cultivator.
It could surround the body, dramatically increasing physical strength, speed, endurance, and defensive ability.
But its usefulness went far beyond strengthening the flesh.
A swordsman could pour Aura into a blade, making its edge far deadlier.
A spearman could reinforce his spear.
A warrior could coat armor in Aura to strengthen its defenses.
Even an ordinary weapon could become extraordinarily dangerous when wielded by someone capable of properly infusing it with Aura.
This was the stage where the difference between ordinary warriors and true cultivators became increasingly apparent.
But Aura Manifestation was still only the beginning.
The Third Stage — Elemental Aura
Beyond Aura Manifestation stood the realm Cornelius himself had reached.
The Elemental Aura Stage.
Upon reaching this stage, a cultivator's Aura underwent another transformation.
It gained an elemental attribute.
Seven fundamental attributes were known throughout Aurelia:
Fire.
Water.
Earth.
Wind.
Thunder.
Light.
Darkness.
Once an elemental affinity manifested, it could fundamentally alter the way a cultivator fought.
A fire cultivator might favor overwhelming offensive power.
Earth could provide exceptional stability and defense.
Wind could complement speed and mobility.
Thunder possessed frightening explosive potential.
Light and Darkness were considerably rarer and possessed their own unusual properties.
Yet affinity alone did not decide strength.
Experience mattered.
Technique mattered.
Talent mattered.
And most importantly...
Cultivation mattered.
Cornelius stood at Level Three of the Elemental Aura Stage.
In other words, he had reached the very peak of the Primary Tier of the third great stage.
Among ordinary humans, such strength was anything but insignificant.
Cornelius had survived countless battles.
He had risen from an orphan with nothing to his name to one of the Dacian Kingdom's greatest generals.
Entire groups of ordinary soldiers would hesitate before confronting him.
But the path of cultivation did not end at the third stage.
Not even close.
Above Cornelius stood six realms of increasingly monstrous power.
Fourth Stage — Master Aura Stage
Fifth Stage — Supreme Aura Stage
Sixth Stage — Stellar Aura Stage
Seventh Stage — Life Aura Stage
Eighth Stage — Draco Aura Stage
And finally...
Ninth Stage — Divine Aura Stage.
Every stage represented a tremendous transformation.
The higher a cultivator climbed, the more difficult advancement became.
At the lower stages, talent and hard work could allow someone to progress relatively quickly.
Higher realms were different.
Years could pass without advancement.
Decades could disappear while someone remained trapped at the same bottleneck.
And there were countless cultivators who would spend their entire lives without ever reaching the next stage.
Worse still was the difference in strength between realms.
Skill could sometimes compensate for a difference of a few levels.
Experience could allow a weaker warrior to defeat a careless stronger opponent.
But there came a point where technique could no longer compensate for overwhelming power.
There were gaps that courage alone could not cross.
And Cornelius was beginning to understand that he stood before one of them.
Scarlet watched him quietly.
She could see the frustration hidden behind his expression.
The clenched fists.
The wounded pride.
She knew Cornelius.
She knew exactly what her words were doing to him.
But lying to him would only get him killed.
"The place where I live is no place for you or little Silva."
Cornelius raised his eyes.
Scarlet's expression remained gentle.
But there was no uncertainty in her voice.
"Both of you are simply too weak."
Cornelius's jaw tightened.
Hearing those words from anyone else might have angered him.
Coming from Scarlet...
They only hurt because he knew she was telling the truth.
"If I took you there now, you wouldn't survive for long."
Scarlet turned toward Lucia.
"I'll take our daughter with me."
Lucia looked at her mother.
"I'll teach her."
Scarlet's gaze softened.
"I'll show Lucia how to properly cultivate. I'll help her become strong enough that what happened today can never happen to her again."
Cornelius lowered his head.
For most of his life, he had been the protector.
He had protected soldiers.
Protected his kingdom.
Protected his daughter.
Now someone was telling him that he wasn't strong enough to protect the people standing directly in front of him.
It was a bitter truth to swallow.
Scarlet looked back at him.
"If one day you and Silva wish to find us..."
Cornelius slowly raised his head.
"...then become strong."
Her words were simple.
"Become strong enough that I don't have to worry about whether you'll survive after finding me."
A brief silence followed.
"Only then should you begin searching."
Scarlet glanced toward the village beyond the house.
"And leave this place."
Her eyes became cold.
"It is no longer safe."
Cornelius remained silent for several seconds.
Then he nodded.
"I understand."
He didn't like it.
Every part of him wanted to argue.
But Cornelius had survived too many battles by knowing when emotion needed to give way to reason.
There was only one question left.
"Where?"
Scarlet looked at him.
"If Silva and I become strong enough..."
Cornelius continued.
"Where should we search for you?"
Scarlet answered without hesitation.
"The Sien Domain."
Cornelius's expression changed.
"And once you enter..."
Scarlet continued.
"Ask for Torikku Family."
Ancient bloodlines whose names carried enormous influence among demonkind.
And the Torikku Family was one of them.
Cornelius stared at Scarlet.
Suddenly, the woman he had loved for all these years seemed to possess yet another secret he had never known.
"You..."
Scarlet gave him a knowing smile.
"Save your questions."
Cornelius opened his mouth.
"You'll have plenty of time to ask them when we meet again."
He stared at her for several seconds.
Then laughed quietly.
"Still keeping secrets from me."
"Perhaps."
Scarlet smiled.
Cornelius shook his head.
Then he turned toward Silva.
The infant slept peacefully, completely unaware of the decisions being made around him.
Cornelius carefully lifted his grandson into his arms.
The boy now a little over 1 years old, shifted slightly before settling against his grandfather's chest.
Cornelius looked down at him.
"Looks like it's just you and me for a while, little one."
Silva slept on.
Cornelius smiled bitterly.
Then he looked toward Lucia.
His daughter was trying desperately not to cry.
Cornelius approached her.
"Father..."
He placed his free hand gently against her head.
"If you start crying, your old man might start too."
Lucia's lips trembled.
Cornelius smiled.
"And I have a reputation to maintain."
That earned the smallest laugh from her.
Then Lucia embraced him.
Cornelius held his daughter with one arm while keeping Silva safely against his chest with the other.
Neither wanted to let go.
Eventually...
They had to.
"I'll see you again," Cornelius whispered.
Lucia nodded against him.
"You promise?"
Cornelius closed his eyes.
"I promise."
They separated.
Cornelius turned toward Scarlet.
Their eyes met.There was so much left unsaid between them.
Questions. Regrets.
Years they could never recover.
But perhaps they could still create new years together.
Cornelius turned away.
And began walking.
Every step felt heavier than the one before it.
He didn't look back immediately.
He was afraid that if he did...
He might not have the strength to continue walking.
Scarlet remained silent until Cornelius had travelled some distance.Then her expression changed.
"June."
One of the twins immediately stepped forward.
"Yes, Master."
"Julie."
The second twin joined her sister.
"Yes, Master."
Scarlet looked toward the village.
"Burn it."
Lucia turned toward her.
"Mother?"
"Leave nothing behind."
Scarlet's voice was cold.
No hesitation.
No evidence that could lead their enemies toward Cornelius and Silva.
The twins turned and walked away.
Scarlet watched them for a moment before looking toward Lucia.
Her expression softened again.
"You have every right to hate me."
Lucia's eyes widened.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Lucia immediately shook her head.
"Mother, I don't—"
Scarlet raised her hand gently.
"Listen."
Lucia fell silent.
Scarlet stepped closer.
"Everything I've done..."
Her voice became quieter.
"Every decision."
"Every year I stayed away from you..."
Pain briefly crossed her face.
"...was for your sake."
Lucia's eyes began to water.
"I know."
She lowered her gaze.
"I know that now."
Her hands slowly clenched.
"But..."
Her voice cracked.
"Leaving Silva behind..."
Lucia pressed a hand against her chest.
"It hurts."
Scarlet said nothing.
"It feels like I'm abandoning my own son."
Tears rolled down Lucia's cheeks.
"What kind of mother leaves her child behind?"
Scarlet immediately pulled her into an embrace.
"The kind who wants him to live."
Lucia froze.
Scarlet gently stroked her daughter's hair.
"I know what you're feeling."
"How could you?"
Scarlet's hand stopped.
Then she smiled sadly.
"Because there was once a time when I stood exactly where you're standing now."
Lucia slowly looked up.
"I also had people I desperately wanted to protect."
Scarlet's gaze became distant.
"But I was weak."
Lucia stared at her.
"I had enemies ."
"Enemies I couldn't defeat."
"Enemies who would have used the people I loved to destroy me."
Scarlet gently brushed a tear from Lucia's cheek.
"If I had taken you with me back then..."
She shook her head.
"I wouldn't have been able to protect you."
"So I made the most painful choice of my life."
"I left."
Lucia lowered her eyes.
"This world is merciless, Lucia."
Scarlet's voice hardened.
"It doesn't care about love."
"It doesn't care about families."
"And it certainly doesn't care whether something is fair."
Her crimson eyes met her daughter's.
"If you want to protect the people you love..."
"Then become so strong that no one can ever take them away from you."
Lucia remained quiet.
Then another question came to her.
"But you're strong now."
Scarlet raised an eyebrow.
Lucia looked toward the road Cornelius had taken.
"You're strong enough to protect us, aren't you?"
"I am."
"Then why can't Father and Silva come with us?"
Scarlet stared at her daughter.
Then...
She laughed softly.
"My silly daughter."
Lucia frowned.
"You still don't understand men."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Scarlet looked toward the distant figure of Cornelius.
"Everything."
Her smile became nostalgic.
"Your father has spent his entire life protecting others."
"He protected his comrades."
"His kingdom."
"And after you were born, he wanted nothing more than to protect you."
Scarlet folded her arms.
"Do you really think a man like that would be satisfied spending the rest of his life hiding behind me?"
Lucia fell silent.
"He wants to protect the women he loves."
Scarlet smiled.
"Not stand helplessly behind them."
"If I forced your father to follow me now, surrounded by people whose strength he couldn't hope to match..."
She shook her head.
"I would crush the very pride that made him the man I fell in love with."
Lucia glanced toward the road.
"He left because he knows he's weak?"
"For now."
Scarlet's smile widened.
"And that's precisely why I allowed him to leave."
Lucia looked confused.
Scarlet knew that expression well.
"He has never lacked determination."
"He certainly has never known when to give up."
Scarlet laughed softly.
"He simply needed a reason to surpass himself."
Her crimson eyes gleamed with confidence.
"And now..."
"He has one."
Lucia's eyes widened.
"You think Father will become stronger?"
Scarlet looked toward the horizon.
"No."
Lucia blinked.
Scarlet smiled.
"I know he will."
"The next time you see your father..."
Her eyes narrowed with pride.
"...he won't be the same man who walked away today."
Lucia stared at her mother for several moments.
Then she lowered her head.
"I'm sorry."
Scarlet tilted her head.
"For what?"
"For doubting you."
Scarlet gently tapped her daughter's forehead.
"There's nothing to apologize for."
Lucia rubbed her forehead.
Then she looked toward the horizon once more.
Her sadness remained.
But something new now existed beside it.
Determination.
"I'll become stronger too."
Scarlet smiled.
Lucia clenched her fist.
"I'll train."
"I'll become so strong that no one will ever threaten our family again."
Her eyes hardened.
"And one day..."
"The people responsible for tearing us apart will answer for everything they've done."
Scarlet's smile widened.
"That's my daughter."
Lucia wiped away the last of her tears.
Scarlet approached and gently cupped her daughter's face.
"My dear..."
Her voice carried nothing but warmth.
Lucia looked at her.
"Your father and I couldn't be prouder of the woman you've become."
Scarlet's gaze shifted toward the road.
Cornelius was now little more than a distant figure.
Silva remained safely cradled within his arms.
Scarlet chuckled.
"And that little boy..."
Lucia followed her gaze.
"He's Raven's son."
Scarlet's smile became knowing.
"Zi Family blood from his father..."
Then she glanced at Lucia.
"...and our blood through you."
She shook her head.
"That child has no excuse for growing up ordinary."
Lucia laughed through her tears.
For the first time since learning she would have to leave him, the pain became slightly easier to bear.
She stared toward her son.
"Wait for me, Silva."
Her voice was little more than a whisper.
"Grow strong."
"I'll grow strong too."
"And one day..."
Lucia placed a hand over her heart.
"...our family will be together again."
Behind them, the first flames began to rise.
June and Julie had carried out Scarlet's command.
Fire spread from building to building, swallowing the abandoned homes and erasing the final traces of the life they had once lived there.
Lucia watched for only a moment.
Then she turned away.
There was nothing left for her here.
Scarlet stepped beside her.
June and Julie soon returned, taking their places behind their master.
"Ready?" Scarlet asked.
Lucia took one final look toward the distant road where her father and son had disappeared.
Then she nodded.
"I'm ready."
And with that...
Scarlet, Lucia, June, and Julie departed.
Their destination— Sien Domain.
For Cornelius and Silva, one journey had begun.
For Lucia, another.
They were separated by distance, danger, and an enormous difference in strength.
But this was not the end of their family.
It was merely the beginning of the long road that would one day bring them together again.