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"Everything you've told me." Aldric's right hand tapped the desk in a slow, unconscious rhythm. It was the tell he'd never managed to suppress, the one that meant his mind was running calculations at a level that would give lesser Card Masters migraines. "It's all true?"
"Every word." Victor nodded. If I were lying, you'd have figured it out before I finished the first sentence. And then you'd have beaten me for wasting your time.
"Independent Black Gate destruction isn't unheard of among high-tier Card Masters," Aldric said slowly. "But for a Commander Realm student..." He paused, searching his memory. "If I'm not mistaken, the previous record for the youngest independent Black Gate destroyer was Selene Dawnford."
Selene Dawnford. Born in Stormveil, one of the Eastern Region's three capital cities alongside Ashenmere. The name still carried weight years after her debut, and for good reason.
Selene had demonstrated extraordinary talent during her entrance exam, taking first place in the entire Eastern Region that year. But the moment that had truly launched her into legend came afterward, when the Night Empress herself selected Selene as her personal student.
The Night Empress. One of the Ancient Kingdom's four Undying Realm masters. The woman who ruled the entire Eastern Region. She hadn't taken a student in centuries. And then she'd chosen a fresh exam graduate.
Nobody understood why. Not until the incident.
On a routine expedition, Selene, freshly advanced to Monarch Realm, encountered a Black Gate guarded by nearly ten extradimensional beasts. She destroyed all of them and collapsed the Gate. Solo. At an age and level that shattered every existing record.
From that moment on, the Eastern Region understood why the Night Empress had chosen her. Selene wasn't just talented. She was generational.
Under the Night Empress's guidance, Selene had torn through the ranks at a pace that left her contemporaries choking on dust. She'd earned the title "Dream Consort" after reaching Emperor Realm in under a decade, a feat so rare that the last hundred years had produced only a handful of comparable examples.
Now, years later, she was approaching Emperor Realm peak. The jump to Sovereign was likely only a matter of time. Even Victor, who'd spent decades at Sovereign Realm, acknowledged that Selene would probably surpass him before long.
"Selene accomplished her Gate destruction at Monarch Realm," Aldric said. "Luke did it at Commander. That's two full tiers lower. Even accounting for the difference in the number of guardians, the record is broken."
"It is." Victor felt a flush of pride he didn't bother hiding.
"And you're telling me this through private channels instead of official ones because..."
"Because Card Masters who destroy Black Gates have been targeted before. Assassinated, sabotaged, pressured by factions that don't want competition. Luke is a student. He doesn't have the protection that Selene had when the Night Empress was standing behind her. Until he's strong enough to defend himself, the fewer people who know, the better."
Aldric nodded. That was sound reasoning.
"I agree with your caution. But Victor." Aldric leaned forward. "Selene had the Night Empress backing her from the start. The resources, the training, the political cover. Luke has none of that. Comparing their trajectories requires context."
"I know." Victor met his grandfather's gaze steadily. "And I'm telling you, even without any of those advantages, Luke's talent at this stage surpasses Selene's at the same point in her career. By a significant margin."
Aldric raised an eyebrow. That was a very bold claim. Selene Dawnford had been considered a once-in-a-century prodigy. Saying someone surpassed her wasn't something you did casually.
"Explain."
"Luke isn't just a prodigy, Grandfather. He's beyond that category entirely. Given time to grow, what he'll achieve will exceed anything we can currently imagine."
"Those are large words."
"They're accurate words. And there's one specific area where Luke surpasses not just Selene." Victor paused, and his voice dropped. "But you as well."
The tapping stopped.
Aldric Ashford, Governor of Ashenmere, Immortal Realm Card Master, one of the three most powerful people in the Eastern Region, stared at his grandson through the communication array with an expression that had made grown men reconsider their life choices.
"I've been very patient with you, Victor." His tone was mild, which was somehow worse than if he'd shouted. "But if the next words out of your mouth don't come with evidence attached, I'm going to fly to Ashenvale personally and remind you what happened the last time you exaggerated to my face."
"I'm not exaggerating."
"Then there's something you haven't told me yet." Aldric's eyes narrowed. "Something that makes you confident enough to compare a Commander Realm student to an Immortal Realm Card Master and mean it. What is it?"