CHAPTER 81

In the largest and most opulent private room of New Veridia's finest restaurant, a tense silence hung over the celebratory dishes that had yet to be touched. All eyes—curious, worried, and demanding—were fixed on Ethan.

His paternal uncle, Steven Atherton, his handsome face set in a serious, protective expression, was the first to finally break the silence. "Ethan, what on earth happened? Why would the Evolution Cult target you out of nowhere?"

"It seems they took a fancy to his talent," Simon interjected, his voice heavy with a father's worry. Seeing Ethan still being fussed over by his mother and grandmother, he held up a hand. "But let's let him settle first." The news of the kidnapping had spread like wildfire, and their hearts were still raw with anxiety.

Facing the intense, loving attention of the entire family, Ethan felt a warmth spread through his chest, chasing away the discomfort.

"Ethan," Steven said again, his tone firm but kind, "don't hold back. This involves the Evolution Cult. We must know why they took you. This is dangerous." His voice lowered. "Your aunt and I have some influence in Pinnacle City. Tell us everything, and we will find a way to get revenge for you."

Ethan was aware his uncle and aunt were successful, but the sheer confidence in his uncle's voice hinted at a level of power he hadn't imagined. He decided to stick to a version of the truth. "It's probably because my talent is too dazzling," he said. "They got jealous and wanted to capture me."

"Your talent," his aunt Clara said, her intelligent eyes studying him. "Lily told us that you seem to get a new transformation with every major watershed you cross. Is that right?"

Ethan glanced at his cousin Lily, who gave him a subtle, encouraging nod. One new form per watershed? It's more like one per level, but this is a much safer explanation.

"That's right," Ethan confirmed. "I have five distinct forms now." He was at Rank Two, Level Three. Five major breakthroughs. The math checked out.

"An ability that versatile," Clara mused, "can't possibly be a mere Earth-rank."

Lily, who had been quietly sipping her drink, added, "At my university, there's a Celestial-rank psionicist who gets a new beast form with every major rank. But his individual forms are ordinary; his combat power is weak. He has to rely on absorbing skills from Aura Cores to compensate."

His grandmother, Eleanor, looked at him with dawning astonishment. "Then… then our Ethan's talent is… Legendary?!"

Lily nodded. "It's very possible. I've seen his forms. They're all incredibly powerful and unique. Given the number of them, I'd say it's Legendary-rank at the very least."

Simon shot up from his chair, his hands trembling with excitement. "My son… is a Legendary-rank!"

Clara smiled gently. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, big brother. We'll have to test it to be sure." With that, she retrieved a crystal-clear, shimmering orb from her Space Ring.

The room gasped. A personal Awakening Crystal.

"My goodness, Clara," Eleanor stammered. "You… you have one of those?"

Clara smiled slightly. "They're expensive, yes, but not impossible to acquire with the right connections."

"But since it's so precious," her mother-in-law asked, concerned, "what about our Leo? Is it too much to use on him?"

"Not at all, Mom," Clara said warmly. "And speaking of which, Leo is seventeen now. We'll help him awaken his own ability later."

Leo, who had been sitting quietly, looked up in disbelief. "Huh? I… I can do it now? I thought I had to wait for the unified awakening day?"

"The Global Concord has a unified day because the official crystals are precious," Clara explained patiently. "The optimal age for awakening is seventeen. The unified date after second-year graduation ensures most students have reached that physical maturity and gives them the long summer vacation to train. But that's for those who rely on the single, free, government-provided opportunity. Powerful families and Factions have their own. Awakening a day earlier is a day's advantage in training. No one cares how you started when you're taking the university entrance exams—they only care about your strength."

His grandfather, Arthur, hesitated. "That's still too precious, Clara. We shouldn't impose…"

"Nonsense, Father-in-law," she said, waving it away. "The energy is scarce, but for family, the price is no issue. This crystal has enough energy to awaken three people fully. We'll test Ethan, then awaken Leo. It's more than enough."

Hearing this, Eleanor turned to her other grandson. "Leo, my dear, give it a try."

Leo took a deep breath and placed his hand on the crystal. Instantly, it erupted in a dazzling, pure white light that filled the entire room.

"White light means it's either the rare light element or a pure, non-elemental physical type," Steven said, his voice filled with awe. "And the sheer intensity of that light… his talent has reached Celestial-rank."

"Celestial-rank!" Eleanor's eyes widened, while Leo's mother, Laura, began to shed tears of pure joy.

Leo opened his eyes, a look of profound wonder on his face. He grinned. "It's the Golden-Winged Roc."

Ethan stared at his cousin. "I've read the myths. The Roc can cross a continent in a day and breathe fire, with feathers harder than steel. You get all that?"

"First," Leo corrected with a laugh, "it's ninety thousand li, a poetic description. Second, my beastification has three attributes: metal, wind, and fire. I can feel it—when I advance in rank, I can obtain psionic skills from all three attributes simultaneously. When others get one skill at Rank One, I can get three!"

"Three skills!" Ethan exclaimed. "Then you're practically invincible!"

"Don't get too happy, Leo," Lily chimed in. "With a Celestial-rank talent, the power of those three skills will be divided. Any single one will be weaker than a specialist's. Your advantage is versatility, not raw power."

"True," Leo conceded. "But the most important thing is my physique. Right now, I'm the same size. But when I advance, my awakened form will be three times larger than my previous one!"

Ethan's eyes went wide. "Three times? You're almost two meters tall now. You'll be six meters at Rank One! Then eighteen at Rank Two! You'll just keep getting bigger!"

"That's right," Leo declared proudly. "When my rank is high enough, a full transformation will be the day of the apocalypse—"

"Then at that time," Ethan interrupted eagerly, "you can be my personal plane!"

Leo was speechless. His powerful, awesome new ability… was just a mode of transportation in Ethan's eyes. "No! This incredible ability… and you see a plane?"

"Well, can't it be used like that?" Ethan retorted righteously.

Leo opened his mouth, but couldn't form a reply. He knew Ethan was, technically, right. Before he could protest further, Ethan threw an arm over his shoulder.

"Leo, you have to train hard. I'll wait for you at Pinnacle University. For our great adventures, you'll be my personal mount!"

"SCRAM!" Leo yelled, and the private room, moments ago tense with worry, was filled with joyous, unrestrained laughter.

"Alright," Steven said, still chuckling. "Let's test Ethan."

Ethan smiled and placed his hand on the crystal. A brilliant light, equal in intensity to Leo's, shone out.

"Celestial-rank?" Steven frowned. "That can't be right. With his multiple forms, he should be Legendary."

Ethan knew it was time for his performance. The secret of his true power was too dangerous. "Although I get many forms," he lied smoothly, "I don't get any new, growable skills when I break through a major rank. I only get the new form."

Clara's eyes lit up with understanding. "So that's how it is. You gain versatility in forms, but you lose the advantage of a powerful, scaling psionic skill with each rank-up."

Lily nodded, playing along perfectly. "Exactly. An ordinary person gets one new skill per major rank. Ethan gets multiple new forms, which is like getting multiple new skills at once. If he supplements them with absorbed skills from Aura Cores, his potential is no worse than a Legendary-rank."

"Of course," Ethan said with a satisfied smile. "I'm very happy with my ability."

Just then, the waiter brought the lavish dishes to the table.

"Alright, alright," his grandfather Arthur declared. "The awakening is done, the test is done. Let's eat!"

With two Celestial-rank geniuses now in the family, the celebratory meal was truly a joyous one. That night, the family dispersed to their various accommodations, their hearts full, the earlier anxieties replaced by a bright, shining hope for the future.