Dimensional Descent

"There's something else I want to show you," Alienor said after Leonel had finished.

Alienor led Leonel through the somewhat familiar catacombs again, but this time, there was a barrier up ahead, one formed by the Luxnix family. It seemed that they had almost guessed that this was where Alienor would go. Or rather, they had assumed that this would be the first location she brought Leonel, and had even begun doubting their own judgment until they finally appeared.

Leonel moved, but Alienor held his shoulder, stopping him. She didn't use a lot of Force, but Leonel wouldn't just casually brush off his own mother's arm, at least she thought so. And luckily, he didn't seem to be rage-fueled enough to do so.

She lied lightly. Leonel was too smart to casually let something so detrimental to them slip. He probably only called her mom so that he would have someone to fight, it was uncharacteristic, but what it told Alienor was that her son was still very much a child.

Leonel might be 26, but it was hard to grow and mature when everything came so easy to you, and even more difficult when you had to fake much of your outward appearance.

Alienor knew exactly what that felt like. This wasn't just because she was a princess with a father like Emperor Fawkes, but it was also because she was extremely talented from a young age. It took her a long while, and meeting Velasco, to finally mature into the woman she was today. But even then, she had had her mother.

Velasco's method of raising Leonel had grown into a self-confident, and perfect warrior. He could face the battlefield without a change to his expression, and even smile at that. He was a true Morales.

Alienor didn't hate what her husband had chosen to do. Velasco had likely known the kind of situation they were in and that very soon, they would have to face a world far larger than their own. However, it had still neglected Leonel as a person.

Respect and Persistence. Another child wouldn't understand such an abstract thing, but Leonel had grown around those two words, slowly molding their definitions into his own understanding until

His mind was more than sharp enough to grasp it, he just didn't care right now. And that was what was missing. When logic couldn't lead Leonel to why he should care, then something

from the corner of his eyes singed her hands and burnt them slowly,

be true. He said you and

feel much better if he could just steamroll them all, he knew he would. He hadn't vented nearly enough against the Shadow Tail, it just wasn't as satisfying when it wasn't his own raw power,

rage within himself, but do you know what happened when he lost

been easy, just a snap of his fingers. Do you know why he didn't? Why he let them insult him behind his back? To show fear in his face, and yet scheme against his interests in

the billowing trail of smoke

were practically black now, but she still didn't release Leonel's cheeks, her

weren't worth his time, it's because he had a bigger, larger goal, it's because he was able to place down his temporary satisfaction for the sake of something larger

who don't understand what he truly faced and believe that he had simply overestimated himself. Did he ever spare a thought for

usual steady control,

winds in the surroundings growing agitated before he

always kept track of the exact number, but it was lost to him now, dancing within a dense blob of memories beyond him and only accessible to his

easily in the trillions, an impossible number, vast