Between the trees, mystical creatures roamed the fields. There were horses with sky-blue coats, crystal wings that shimmered in the sunlight, and deer whose antlers bloomed into small bushes, laden with rare fruits and flowers. The river that meandered through the farm had crystal-clear waters that reflected the eternal sky, flowing lazily through the plains and hills. On its banks, flowers of changing colors blossomed, absorbing the light of a sun that never set, and giant fireflies emerged at dusk, illuminating the land with their soft glow.
The house of the god and his family stood atop a hill, made of white stones that gleamed with golden touches. From there, it was possible to observe the vastness of the farm, surrounded by eternally blooming gardens. The god’s wife, a figure of serene beauty, had long blue hair like the deep sea and eyes that shone with the same intense hue. Their seven children, all with the same vibrant blue hair and eyes, tended to different parts of the farm, ensuring the trees grew healthy and the mystical animals thrived
One of the most powerful beings ever existed was tending to his farm humbly, without any luxury. His children wore worn-out clothes and all seemed to be in the Fourth Kingdom, though amusingly, they were barely 2,000 years old. They were all the same age and looked ridiculously alike. There were three girls and four boys. Kayden could sense the latent power within them; they were truly the offspring of a real god. Each of them was a mage of either eight or nine rays, true geniuses cultivated to their limits with resources. The rest was something they had to achieve on their own.
Kayden and Reyna hovered in the air. Reyna was completely still, trying in every way not to draw attention and to project an image of elegance. Meanwhile, Kayden was doing what he had done for the last thousands of years—evaluating the children for their strength and talent. Each of them underwent a long soul and talent inspection. Kayden found them to be geniuses, but… that was it. Only two of them had real potential; the rest relied merely on resources and superior genes.
One of them, Kayden concluded after seeing his calloused hands from wielding a sword, had obviously worked hard to catch up with his siblings. He had the least talent, but without a doubt, the greatest will to succeed among them all. The other was a girl who… well, Kayden couldn’t quite find the words. Her talent was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. The space around her seemed to move to accommodate her steps. The mere act of her breathing was supported by the universe itself. Kayden had never seen such a great talent before.
"What do you think of them?" Yan appeared beside Kayden, proud and smiling. His eyes, once wild and dreamy, were now strong and loving. Kayden was not fazed by the natural pressure the god exuded. He thought for a few seconds before giving an answer, while Reyna remained completely petrified, unable to react.
"Only two of them have potential. The rest have only reached their level through resources and superior genetics." Yan’s eyes closed. Kayden’s words hit him like a punch to the face. The father of the false gods was not used to receiving criticism. In fact, he couldn’t even remember the last time someone had dared to speak to him like that, not even a god.
Swallowing his anger—after all, he was a god, not a fool controlled by emotions—Yan didn’t need to think long and pointed to two of his daughters, one of whom Kayden had chosen, while the other Kayden had not even paid attention to.
"These two?" The two girls, with shoulder-length blue hair and pale skin, stood confused as their father presented them like lambs to Kayden and Reyna.
"No, that one has insane talent," Kayden pointed to one of them and then to the other. "This one is following a foolish and pointless path." Kayden didn’t weigh his words at all as he spoke.
Jasmine was the one insulted. She had never been treated like that by a stranger, especially in her father’s presence. He made sure everyone understood the extent of their talents, and that they were not just anyone. The girl exploded in response, her path— a true wind path—erupting all around them with tornadoes and whirlwinds made of the divine wind, golden and seemingly sacred.
"Is this weak to you?" The girl attacked Kayden with all her strength. A divine hurricane spanning dozens of kilometers appeared, an attack of the highest level capable of tearing space even in the Fourth Kingdom.
"No," Kayden snapped his fingers, and the hurricane vanished, surprising everyone watching. "You are strong, ridiculously strong. Your path is perfect, your attacks are perfect, and you are barely a few thousand years old. But that’s it. You will never take the final step because you are following a path that does not belong to you."
Kayden’s words didn’t make sense to anyone there except Yan. He fully understood what Kayden was saying because he also knew that this path had come to Jasmine through a dream and not directly like the others. Even though it was perfect for her, it still wasn’t hers.
"Ridiculous! Who are you?! Father, kill this fool!" Jasmine knew deep down that Kayden was right. It was a secret she carried with all her might, and seeing it exposed made her lose control.
"Pathetic! You’re the only one here who recognizes my words, yet you choose to close your eyes." Kayden’s harsh voice caused an extremely rare event in the family. Jasmine began to cry. The emotions were too strong, but only two people understood what was happening: Kayden, who was manipulating the souls around, and Yan, who could feel him doing it.
The only reason the god allowed this to happen was that Kayden didn’t seem to harbor any ill will toward his family. Quite the opposite, he appeared to be doing something that would benefit them all.
A woman appeared in the sky, glaring at Kayden with a hatred capable of destroying worlds. She had white hair, white eyes, and extremely pale skin, practically albino, but her whiteness had a slightly golden hue. She was the mother of the seven children and had come to comfort Jasmine as soon as she felt her daughter’s tears. She was on the verge of killing Kayden and then punishing Yan for letting something like this happen, but by the god’s orders, she only embraced her daughter.
"Is that it? Do you run to your mother’s arms? You will never be able to catch up to your sister this way. You will slowly see her distancing herself until you can’t even be in the same realm as her." Kayden’s words were harsh and once again made the girl cry, but this time she looked directly at Kayden while shouting.
"What do you expect me to do!? She’s a natural monster; there’s no way to catch up to her." Those words seemed to come straight from the girl’s soul.
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"How do you expect to surpass someone if you aren’t even following a path of your own making? Abandon this path; you’ve wasted your life up until now."
Kayden’s words were extremely harsh, and even Yan was trying to understand what was happening. He was a god and could make billions of calculations per second, but he couldn’t read souls as easily as Kayden.
"The strength you have wasn’t built by you, Jasmine," this time, Kayden’s tone softened. "You’re at the top of the universe in terms of power, but you know you will never be able to surpass your sister because what you are building is not what you truly want. Abandon your path, follow your own destiny."
Finally, Jasmine couldn’t take it anymore. She flew down at high speed and went inside the house. Kayden’s confrontations were too much for her, and she needed time to think.
"Thank you," Yan thanked Kayden, surprising all the children as he floated down to follow his daughter. "Wait here while I speak with your sister and mother."
Kayden and Reyna were left alone, facing six pairs of eyes, most of them filled with hatred and resentment for what Kayden had just done. This was a very close-knit family.
"Who are you, and why did you say those things to my sister?" asked the brilliant woman who had risen alongside Jasmine.
"I am Kayden Heart. I said only what she needed to hear before it was too late." These were words Kayden spoke with complete sincerity. No one there fully understood his intentions.
"What about us? What are the words we need to hear?" one of the boys said boldly, his ego was ridiculously high for being Yan’s son and having a nine-ray strength since the first realm.
Author’s note: You should be back home on Wednesday, so on Thursday or Friday we’ll be back with two daily chapters.