(Lexo's Point of View)
Dinner resumed, but the atmosphere had drastically changed. The earlier bustle had given way to an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the occasional clink of silverware and nervous whispers between the mayor and his wife. Inevitably, another place setting was added for my newly arrived grandfather, Gustav. Dad did so with a barely concealed grimace of distaste. And to my misfortune (or perhaps because the magical goddess of fortune no longer favored me), I ended up sitting with Mom on my right and my newly unlocked character—Grandfather, the Grandmaster of the Guild—on my left.
I tried with all my might to act like a normal five-year-old. I focused on my dessert pie, babbled about how good the apples were this year, and even made a funny face at Lila across the table. But I could feel Grandpa's gaze on me, constant and analytical. His cold eyes, despite his advanced age, seemed to penetrate every layer of my childish façade, reading every secret I tried to hide. It felt as if I were under a microscope wielded by an ancient, slightly sinister god. The tension was so thick you could cut it with my wooden sword.
Suddenly, his expression softened (though it wasn't exactly gentle). With a genuine smile that completely contradicted the stoicism he'd shown until then, he lit up his wrinkled face. He turned to me, ignoring everyone else at the table.
"Lexo, oh Lexo..." his raspy voice carried an almost wonderstruck tone. "You have incredible potential, my boy. Truly incredible." His gaze seemed to fix on my chest, as if he could see directly into my core. "You've nearly reached Stable Dark Red in your refinement, haven't you? At this rate, you'll rewrite the textbooks on magical development." He paused, his smile widening. "But you're still young. Very young." He tapped his cane on the floor to emphasize that last point.
His eyes swept across the table, stopping briefly on Mom. "I see your mother's Light in you—bright and pure—and the affinities with the four basic elements, awakened by your... incident." Then his eyes returned to mine, now with a dark, familiar glint. "You have even inherited my own affinity, Darkness, though it seems you haven't yet learned how to access it consciously. Ah, but all in due time."
He leaned in a little closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear. "And of course, the Vanyae blood. Spatium. Time and Space, Light and Darkness—the four elements... A combination the world hasn't seen in millennia. Two, perhaps even three, divine legacies in a single being. More than this world, as it stands now, is ready to handle."
I felt Dad tense up beside me, almost getting up, but Mom's firm, reassuring hand on his arm stopped him. Gustav didn't even seem to notice; his focus was solely on me.
"I was considering opposing the idea of establishing a significant Guild presence here," he continued aloud, now addressing the whole table even though his eyes never left mine. "Too remote, too... quiet. But I've changed my mind." He placed a surprisingly warm, strong hand on my shoulder. "We will bring the Guild—not just a branch office, but a full base of operations in Serena Village, with all the necessary resources." His gaze hardened slightly. "My dear grandson," he said, stressing the word 'my,' "you will have my total and absolute protection. No one will dare touch you."
His words hung heavy in the charged air—a powerful shield, but also a golden chain around my neck.
Then, my grandfather Gustav did something unexpected. He snapped the fingers of his right hand in the air. There was an almost imperceptible sound, like a tear in the fabric of reality, and a figure materialized next to him. The man was enormous—at least six and a half feet tall—dressed in an impeccable black suit that contrasted sharply with his intimidating presence. His face was obscured by a smooth black mask, with no distinguishing features. I felt a bitter echo in the air. Spatium! This man, too, wielded it, and with a fluidity that rivaled even Uncle Valerius's. This giant wasn't just a bodyguard.
"Urso, my personal assistant," the old man introduced calmly. "Dear grandson, from now on, Urso will be at your service—whatever you need. Just snap your left hand, and he will appear in an instant."
Dad let out a choked sound, struggling to form even the simplest words. "Father... that man... is he a…?"
Grandpa smiled, a somewhat enigmatic smile. "Yes, my dear Garen. Now you understand my position, don't you? Threats of this magnitude require appropriate countermeasures."
No one at the table spoke. The mayor shrank in his chair. Pietro watched Urso with feverish intensity, probably calculating tactical implications. Lila simply regarded the masked figure with childlike curiosity.
"That being said, I'll take my leave," my paternal grandfather announced, standing up. The tension in the room eased slightly with his movement. Without waiting for a response, he bent down in front of me—ignoring my parents' tense stares—and gave me a surprisingly strong and warm hug. "For whatever you need, Lexo. I promise I'll visit you more often."
With one last nod to the room, he and Urso disappeared as quickly as they had arrived, leaving behind an astonished silence and a host of unanswered questions.
(Gustav's Point of View)
As I left my son's modest house, I allowed a rare, genuine smile to spread across my face as Urso opened a discreet spatial portal in a nearby alley. Incredible. The word fell short. That child—my grandson, blood of my blood… Lexo.
Chronos. I had sensed a faint fluctuation when he tried to use it, and my own affinity with Darkness—the natural counterpoint to Time—allowed me to nullify it easily at his current level. But for him to even possess such power, and at that age… Spatium, too, latent but present thanks to Vanyae blood, alongside the four basic elements, plus Elara's Light and my own Darkness—he was a crucible of primordial forces, a convergence of Legacies the prophecies barely hinted at. An X-factor no one had foreseen.
My original plans for Garen, for this region, for the Guild... all were now obsolete. This child changed everything. We couldn't simply "protect" him. We had to guide him, nurture him, ensure his power didn't fall into the wrong hands—or worse, turn against us. The idea of only establishing a Guild branch was inadequate. We needed full presence. Control. Serena Village would become the new epicenter of our most critical operations.
A figure materialized silently beside me as I stepped out of the portal, appearing in my private study at the Guild's headquarters. Dressed in a sharp black suit and sporting a smiling monkey mask, my other trusted assistant emerged.
"Monkey?" I asked, settling into my heavy leather armchair. "Your opinion?"
"The subject is... extraordinary, Master," Monkey's playful yet piercing voice said. "He exceeds all our projections. His potential is…"
"Incalculable," I finished for her. "Exactly. And what about the 'submarine' report?"
She immediately handed me a thin folder. "Confirmed. The six-armed amphibious race, the Aqualus as they call themselves, are not hostile. They responded as expected to our undercover agents' simulated return of the remaining eggs (disguised as Garen and company). They've accepted our 'protection' in exchange for cooperation." She opened the folder. "We'll begin the next phase of Project Ark shortly, utilizing their technology and strategic location."
I nodded. Project Ark—a long-term plan to preserve certain bloodlines and technologies in case of a cataclysm. The Aqualus and their ship were key pieces. And now, Lexo… he might be the key to everything.
I glanced at a photo on my desk—a younger Garen awkwardly smiling next to Elara at some festival. My son. He had matured. He had found peace—a family. And now fate had thrown this monumental challenge at him. He might think I'm an old manipulator meddling in his life. And perhaps I am. But deep down, everything I do is for his own good. For all our sakes. The world is changing, and we must be ready. And Lexo... my grandson could be our greatest hope—or our ultimate downfall. Time was running out.