The sky was completely clear. The sun was shining at its peak, and I could feel the fresh, clean air filling my lungs.
Before me stretched a vast garden, at least two hectares wide, bursting with a variety of flowers that painted the landscape in an explosion of vibrant colors.
In the distance, I could see the mansion I was heading toward.
No matter how many times I walk through this place… I always lose myself in its beauty.
After a few minutes, I stood in front of the main door. I pressed the bell that signaled my arrival.
In less than a minute, the door opened. In front of me stood a beautiful middle-aged woman. She was about 1.70 meters tall, with fair skin and an oval face marked by symmetrical features. Her light brown hair fell in soft waves, and her coal-black eyes looked at me warmly. She wore a short white tunic and a black coat that made her gaze all the more striking.
When she saw me, she smiled and spoke with an upbeat voice:
"James, you're finally here!"
"Yeah, Grace… Sorry I'm late."
"It's fine. I'm just glad you're okay. Come in, Oliver and the kids have been waiting for you."
That bastard? Waiting for me? Of course — without me, he has no one to mess with nonstop.
I stepped through the door, glancing around the majestic house that, at first glance, looked like a two-story home. Few knew that beneath it lay a massive underground basement.
I walked down the familiar hallway until I reached the main room, where a middle-aged man was waiting. I usually call him "the bastard," though others know him as Oliver.
He had a small boy in his arms, laughing as they played.
Cute. Still uncorrupted.
When the bastard saw me, I noticed a brief flash of relief cross his face. Maybe it was just the light pouring in from the windows. Or so I thought… because a second later, I heard his mischievous laugh. Guess my eyes had already adjusted.
"Hey, asshole. Still in one piece, huh?"
"Well, someone's got to work," I replied with a smirk.
"I do my share too. But you're better at those boring political things," he said with that damned smile.
"Interesting way to say you suck at everything that isn't fighting."
"Asshole."
"Bastard."
"Guys," a soft voice interrupted, laced with a silent threat that sent a chill down my spine. It was Grace, the bastard's wife. "I'd appreciate it if you watched your language in front of Liam."
We both shut up immediately. Grace was usually kind and calm… but when she got mad, well, it was better to be on another planet.
Liam, the boy in Oliver's arms, looked about ten years old. His face was a miniature copy of his father's: same sharp features, same jet-black hair. The only real difference was his eyes — just as dark as his mother's.
His personality, though… seemed more like Grace's. Thank God.
Kid, looks like God hasn't abandoned you yet.
"James," the bastard said, this time with a serious look. "How was the meeting?"
"Things are still tense, but it doesn't seem like anything will happen… for now," I replied, equally serious.
"Ha, so I guess it was a boring few days."
"I won't lie. It was a week and a half of listening to powerful old men argue about territory. None of them seemed truly committed —just going through the motions."
"No doubt all the major clans are focusing their resources on strengthening their internal military power, rather than expanding. Of course, we Evans are no exception."
"Any clues as to what the other clans are planning?" Grace asked, joining the conversation.
"Just rumors, mostly unconfirmed. The only thing that stood out was the constant movement of the Morgans. A lot of the chatter seems to point to them," I said, thoughtful.
"Major clans?" Liam's curious voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
Shit… I forgot he was here.
Wait…
"Liam, you don't know what the major clans are?"
"Nope," he answered with that classic childlike curiosity.
"You're ten, right? Don't your classes start tomorrow?"
"Yup."
I shot his parents a look that clearly said, "What the hell? You haven't told him anything?"
They both looked away, whistling innocently.
A few seconds later, the bastard decided to speak.
"We've taught him what a kid his age should know. We're not going to fill his head with political crap. That's what school's for."
"There's a difference between political crap and basic culture," I said, rubbing my forehead.
Grace and he have always been pretty laid-back. They hate obligations. That's why they get along so well. They adore their kids and don't like pressuring them with clan matters. They've always tried to let them make their own choices.
And I respect that. But...
"Still, it's not ideal for him to show up on his first day completely clueless. He's going to meet other kids from the clan for the first time."
Liam looked from his parents to me, confused.
"Liam."
"Yes, Uncle James?"
"Do you know what world you live in?"
"Nexus, uncle."
"That answer is only partially correct. It's true the planet you live on is called Nexus. But it's just one of countless planets in the universe."
"See, in the universe there are things called galaxies, made up of millions of planets and stars. There are nearly infinite galaxies. Right now, you're in the Nixara galaxy, which is ruled by seven major clans. Each one controls a sector, along with all the planets and stars in it."
"Evans, Morgan, Yoshida, Martínez, Ivanov, Abraham, and Wang. Those are the names of the seven major clans."
"Each of them has a capital planet —usually large and ecologically stable. For us Evans, that's Nexus."
"Your parents might've already told you this, but inside us exists a kind of energy called mana. With training, we can control it, and it allows us to do extraordinary things… though with some limits."
"Thanks to this, space travel is possible, conquering other planets, and a lot more you'll learn about soon."
"That's just the basics. The details about the clans and mana will be covered at school."
"Got it, uncle," Liam said, processing the information.
"You know… we already explained about half of that," the bastard said with a wince.
"Liam, lunch is almost ready. Go take a bath," Grace told him kindly.
"Yes, mother," he replied, then left the room.
"By the way, where's my son?" I asked.
"Oh, he and Alice are training in the basement," Grace replied.
Ah, Alice… their oldest daughter. As beautiful as her mother. The only thing different about her was the hair she got from her father.
That…
And the fact that her personality was almost identical to that bastard's.
What a damn shame.
She and my son have known each other since birth, and a couple of years ago they started dating.
My son, on the other hand… they say he's a lot like me.
That's not true. It can't be.
There's no way I could fall for a female version of that bastard. No matter how pretty she is.
As we walked toward the basement, Grace spoke to me.
"By the way, James… did they already send them their mission?"
I opened my eyes in surprise and smacked my forehead.
"Shit, that's right! I almost forgot… I got the message on the way here, but I haven't checked it yet."
I pulled my comm device from my pocket. Along with Grace and the bastard, I opened the message that had arrived a couple of hours ago.
...
Shit.