The Hidden Valley.
Night had settled over the mountains.
Silver moonlight filtered through the ancient trees, bathing the valley in a tranquil glow.
Inside the small wooden cottage...
Kieran slept peacefully.
His breathing was steady.
Calm.
Without a care in the world.
Crystal stood silently beside his bed.
For a long moment...
She simply watched him.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"He sleeps just like his mother..."
The words escaped unconsciously.
She immediately fell silent.
"...Or perhaps..."
"...I'm simply remembering wrong."
With one final glance, she quietly left the room.
---
Outside...
Kael was already waiting.
"You've been thinking again."
Crystal leaned against the wooden railing.
"When have I ever stopped?"
Kael let out a low chuckle.
"Fair point."
For a while...
Neither of them spoke.
The valley itself seemed content with the silence.
---
Finally...
Kael broke it.
"You knew his parents."
It wasn't a question.
Crystal closed her eyes.
"...Yes."
"Were they strong?"
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
"Strong?"
"They were among the strongest people I have ever met."
Kael's ears twitched.
"Even compared to you?"
Crystal slowly nodded.
"Especially compared to me."
---
The Beast Lord remained quiet.
Over the years...
He had come to understand one thing.
Crystal rarely praised anyone.
For her to speak of someone that way...
Those people had to be extraordinary.
"What happened?"
Her emerald eyes lingered on the stars.
"I don't know."
"...You don't know?"
"I know they entrusted him to me."
"I know they fought."
"I know the world changed that day."
"And..."
Her voice became softer.
"I know I wasn't strong enough."
---
Silence returned.
Kael didn't press further.
Some wounds...
Didn't heal simply because time passed.
---
A breeze drifted through the valley.
Crystal looked toward the ancient oak.
"Do you know why I haven't taught him a cultivation technique?"
Kael smiled.
"Because you're stubborn."
She gave him a flat look.
"...That's one reason."
The great tiger laughed.
---
Her expression soon became serious again.
"The first cultivation technique determines the direction of one's future."
"It shapes the body."
"The soul."
"The Magna Core."
"The Path one is most compatible with."
Kael nodded.
"I know."
"So why wait?"
Crystal looked toward the cottage.
"Because none of mine are worthy."
The Beast Lord froze.
"...What?"
"I possess techniques capable of creating Monarchs."
"They're treasures that countless organizations would wage war to obtain."
She lowered her gaze.
"And yet..."
"They aren't worthy of him."
---
Kael stared at her in disbelief.
"You're serious."
"I am."
"What kind of technique are you waiting for?"
Crystal slowly shook her head.
"I don't know."
"But..."
"I'll know it when I see it."
---
Deep within her storage ring...
An ancient jade slip rested quietly.
Its surface was covered in cracks.
Its runes had long since faded.
She had tried to repair it countless times.
Failed every time.
The words engraved upon it had become almost impossible to read.
Only four characters remained clear.
The Origin Scripture.
Crystal gently brushed her fingers across the jade.
"I had hoped..."
"...it would awaken."
Nothing happened.
Just as it hadn't for years.
She sighed before putting it away once more.
---
At dawn...
Kieran awoke to the smell of breakfast.
He hurried outside.
"Mama!"
Crystal smiled warmly.
"Good morning."
He looked around curiously.
"Where's Uncle Kael?"
"Asleep."
"Again?"
"He spent most of the night hunting."
Kieran nodded thoughtfully.
"I should catch something for him today."
Crystal couldn't help laughing.
"I think he'd appreciate that."
---
The morning passed peacefully.
Kieran spent hours helping Crystal tend the valley.
Watering herbs.
Gathering fruits.
Repairing a wooden fence.
To anyone watching...
They looked no different from an ordinary mother and son.
It was a sight Crystal treasured.
Because she knew...
It couldn't last forever.
---
Meanwhile...
Far beyond the Hidden Valley...
A lone rider galloped through the mountains toward the Gardenia Empire.
The silver insignia on his cloak marked him as a messenger of the Grand Academy of Melika.
Within the sealed scroll strapped to his waist was an announcement destined for every major power in the Realm.
The Grand Entrance Examination.
Held once every ten years.
Open to every child below the age of twelve.
Noble or commoner.
Human or beast.
Rich or poor.
Any who possessed talent could challenge its gates.
The rider smiled as he urged his mount forward.
"This generation..."
"...is going to be interesting."
He had no idea.
Across the Melika Realm...
Children with extraordinary destinies had already begun taking their first steps.
Some dreamed of becoming heroes.
Others sought knowledge.
Some desired power.
Others simply wished to protect what they loved.
Hidden among them...
Was one child who had yet to take even his first step into cultivation.
Yet...
The world itself had already begun making room for his arrival.
End of Chapter 28