She was still reeling about yet another of his displays of magical geniality.
His family joined in the laughter, and the girls even teased Hannah about her reaction.
After calming down, they all sat together on the stone floor of the training grounds.
Hilda looked at Sokram expectantly and repeated her question, “How does the spell work, dear?”
Sokram turned back to Hilda and explained:
“To put it simply, imagine the fabric of space as an intangible cloth, and this needle as Point B in spacetime, and the runic key drawn in my hand as Point A. When I activate the spell in the needle remotely, it causes the fabric of space to warp into itself from Point B back to Point A.”
Hilda nodded thoughtfully, while everyone listened attentively.
Sokram continued, “Once the warped space reaches whatever is marked by the runic key, it will envelop it and bring it toward Point B through spacetime in a blink.”
Sokram frowned at the needle, disappointed, “But the spell is far from perfect. The maximum distance over which I can maintain the link with the needle is five hundred meters.”
Then, shrugging in resignation, Sokram added, “But the runic key can also teleport whatever or whoever carries it, as long as the activation runes in the Point A and B written spell match each other.”
Sokram turned to Leona, unsummoned his Void Glove, which transformed back to a mark over his fist, and showed her the runic key drawn in his palm, “So for you to use, you would need either the same runic key with your needles or anything you want to use as Point B marker.”
A thoughtful frown crossed Hilda’s expression for a moment. Then she nodded. “This means you can add teleportation points around this huge house, right?”
“That… is an amazing idea, Mom!” Sokram's eyes shone. Eager to implement her idea.
Then, Leona, studying the needles with suspicion, asked, “But those needles look frail, how about a strength test?”
Sokram grinned, knowing his Master was wrong.
Mithril and Adamantium were nothing but frail, but he agreed to let her test it anyway, “Alright, then. Ready?”
“Sure!” Leona unlocked the sword from the sheath and assumed a defensive stance for a quick draw.
The needle pierced the air with a low, sharp whistle toward his Master.
Leona’s blade deflected it, sending the needle whistling over her head.
Her gaze snapped back to the empty spot where Sokram had stood.
Before her mind could register the absence, her instincts screamed a warning just as a light slap landed on her backside.
“Dead!” Sokram’s voice, now right behind her, was a teasing whisper.
Leona whipped around so fast her blade brushed against her mane-like hair, cutting a few tips, her eyes wide with shock.
“This is amazing!” Leona didn’t even mind his provocation or the slap she received. “Come on, draw this runic key on my hand so we can train a little before you leave for your hunt.”
“Alright,” he agreed, but behind Leona, Sokram saw the other looking at him expectantly.
He shot Leona a pleading look, “Can they join in?”
“Of course.” The grin on her face showed that the training she had in mind wouldn’t be anything simple.
A few hours later, the dining room chairs were occupied. Everyone slumped with stiff postures and slow, pained movements as they dined.
Most of the girls were glaring at Leona and Sokram, who were sharing a sickeningly cheerful grin.
“Heh, that was just some basic training,” Leona scoffed, the sound grating in the tense room, “and they are acting like some sore pussies.”
She chuckled, leaning back on the chair, relaxing after a good workout.
The table froze. Forks hovered midair. A few girls choked on their tea. Hilda glared at her childhood friend.
Sokram, with a book in one hand and a fork in the other, subtly nodded. Trying to avoid upsetting the girls even more.
But Astrid didn’t hold back, “Basic? BASIC?! No wonder you two are such monsters, not even the army trains like that!”
“Well, if they did, Norwinter would already be an empire by now.” Leona’s tone was cocky, but no one could say it was an exaggeration.
“Not even the Imperial Army trains like that.” Miralyn shook her head, a glint of worry in her eyes. “Poor Alyssa… She had it easy with Alian so far.”
She glanced at Amber, whose legs trembled visibly as she ambled toward the table, barely supporting her own weight.
“How is she?” Hilda asked Amber, who had helped Alyssa back to her room.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“She will be fine, she was even smiling when I placed her on the bed, hope those pills don’t take too long to kick in, though.” Amber's hopes weren’t just for her mother but for herself, too.
Leona frowned, “You’re all too soft! I got to set you straight. Look at Hannah, she took double the training you did, and she’s fine.”
Hannah grinned, having recognized that many of Leona’s training methods were used by Dracony’s Army, “Your killing Blade must be derived from some Draconic War Art, right? That was a good workout, but for dragons. Other races would have trouble handling that.”
“See?” Leona looked around the table, then nodded as if deciding something, and cast Sokram a knowing look, “As the family Head, do you give me the approval to train them from here on out?”
The others glared at her wide-eyed, then at Sokram pleadingly, but their hearts dropped when they heard him say: “Sure, give them the will to reach the sky, Master.”
Sokram stood up and, ignoring the betrayed glares he was receiving, began walking to his room.
But not before ordering, “Good night to all of you, her training will start tomorrow before sunrise, your presence is mandatory.”
Then flashing a grin at his Master, he added, “Feel free to do all you can to ensure their participation. This is my order as Patriarch.”
Sokram left grinning, knowing that he wouldn’t be there the next day as he would rejoin his team.
“I’m still the Head of this household, son. You’re not of age yet.” Brunhild argued, crossing her arms defiantly, but looked away, avoiding his gaze.
Sokram's wolfish grin widened as he stared at her, “True, but what if instead of a thermal pool, all you can use is a freezing one?”
“Blackmail?!” Brunhild’s head snapped back to him, wide-eyed as she stood up abruptly.
“As the Head of this household, now it’s your obligation to make everyone attend, Nana.” Sokram winked at Brunhild.
Then he summoned two rings from his Void Glove and handed one to Leona and another one to Hannah, "The runic keys for the entire house are in these rings.”
With that, he left, leaving the rest of his family stunned while Leona grinned evilly and Hannah only giggled.
The next morning, Sokram found himself in the enormous dining room once again.
This time, though, only Amber, Savannah, and Lucy were present, having breakfast before they left for their mission.
Yet, if they focused their hearing, a faint, rhythmic thudding accompanied by muffled, frantic pleas for mercy was just audible, echoing up from the underground training grounds.
After finishing breakfast, Sokram and his three girls went to their team meeting room, but as soon as he stepped in, he heard Lara start to sing:
“Oh, Swift Wind! Oh, Mighty Killing Blade!
Strike them down with lightning and shade!”
And while giggling, the others joined one by one.
Sokram could only chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, heat creeping up in flush over his cheeks, sheepishly embarrassed.
“Oh, Swift Wind! Oh, Dark Lightning Killer!
From the storm he came, Eversnow’s mighty pillar!
We call to the wind, to the lightning, to the blade!
Oh hero, oh dark lightning, come save us again!”
“Welcome back, Captain!” Kan greeted him with a formal salutation, and the other also followed.
“Alright, settle down. Thanks for the greeting, guys. I missed you all very much as well,” Sokram, still slightly embarrassed, greeted them one by one.
He could see they were all much stronger than the first time he met them, and nodded proudly.
Savannah handed him the captain’s bracer while asking the others, “Any objection?”
No one objected, of course.
Lucy approached, linking her arm with his and asked him in her usual flirty tone, “So, Captain. Ready to kill some wendigos? Their meat, despite the foul taste, is quite expensive and rich in the three energies.”
Sokram flashed his team his usual confident grin and said, “Yes, but we’re going to do it differently this time, let me tell you my plan…”
And while Sokram spoke, they all sat there listening tentatively.
He could see the easy camaraderie between them.
Even Amira found common ground with the other team members after she stopped hiding her true personality.
That hunt, like the others before, was a complete success. The profit was enormous as always.
To some teams, killing wendigos would be a sacrilegious task. But a team led by an Ancient Existence? It was literally child's play.
When Sokram returned, he was met with a wall of frowns, crossed arms, and averted gazes, broken only by the welcoming, yet wolfish grins of Hannah and Leona.
He bit back a laugh, thoroughly amused.
But his joy was about to be fractured by a sudden visit.
Right as he was about to go to sleep, Fate’s voice echoed from within his Soul Realm.
Her visit was brief, but her warning was clear: “You must deal with the necromancers before the war starts if you truly want to save your country.”
That was all she said before sharing the glimpse of the future with him.
It was the vision of the complete destruction of Norwinter.
That night, Sokram jolted awake, lungs locked, heart hammering.
Panic seized him as visions of his past timeline, and the foresight that Fate had shared with him flooded his mind like haunting nightmares.
His cold sweat drenched the bed sheets, making lying in bed even more unbearable.
Then, a peculiar soothing sound reached his ears.
The sound of his family's laughter was a balm to his soul, a sweet sound that calmed his heart.
Sokram got up from bed and went downstairs to his triplex balcony.
Looking down at the pool, the steam carried up the honeyed sound of their unburdened laughter, which rippled across the water, bouncing softly against the moonstone-clad walls.
He watched them, a perfect picture of warmth and joy, and a stinging tightness gathered behind his eyes as tears threatened to fall.
At the same time, a smile also took over his lips, not his mask of a grin, not the smirk he sported for business.
A genuine smile bloomed on his face.
Sokram realized then that the weight of his regrets had been lifted from his heart.
The Realm of Regrets was nothing but a distant memory in a past he erased.
Before him now lay an unknown future.
Did he still hold knowledge that others didn’t? Yes. But was the future something he could predict? No, he knew he couldn’t.
He knew he wouldn’t let Fate’s visions come through. His purpose in returning remained the same.
But watching his family’s happiness, oblivious to the real dangers in the Path of Evolution, Sokram knew that he had merely completed the first step in his journey.
His regrets were no more.
He now had the power to shape his and his loved ones' fates.
Sokram looked up to the stars that shone past the open solar panels and inhaled deeply.
‘War and blood…’ Sokram thought to himself, ‘That’s what is ahead now.’
He looked down at his family one more time, ‘Now I know I won’t lose any one of you. And when the other join us, we’ll take this galaxy by storm.’
‘But first…’ Sokram teleported to the rooftop of his estate.
The guards patrolling there got spooked by his sudden appearance.
Sokram paid them no mind.
Cold wind whipped at his hair as he stared north, eyes hardened as his heart cooled.
The ancient being once again took over the persona behind his eyes. For a brief instant, the cheerful young dragon was no more.
‘War and blood… Frostaxe and Whiteland, I’ll take the head of your Kings, the Seed of your land, and create an empire so your existence will never threaten this city that I, this Ancient Gray Dragon, love. This I promise you.’
And while machinating his plans for the war to come, Sokram stood there, intently gazing toward the future.
Looking north, as if his eyes could pierce through the great distance that separated him from his enemies.
Meanwhile, in the center of the galaxy, Nhiria sat alone in her throne room.
Her eyes peering through the spacetime, fixated on a small planet on the outskirts of her galaxy, locked on the young dragon causing waves in her galaxy.
Light swirled in Nhiria’s ancient eyes as she watched Sokram while he dazedly looked north.
She thought to herself, too afraid of letting the words come out of her mouth.
‘It’s you… It has to be you! My champion, Sky Reacher.’
Author’s Note
Realm of Regrets has been about healing, rebuilding, and facing the shadows of a broken past.
Nhiria’s Chronicles: War and Blood, will open a new path.