"Look, our son is so smart."
"He's our pride," said the couple, their faces blurry, cheering their son on.
Suddenly, the room darkened as the father approached, placing a firm hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Do you know how much we spent? How could you fail the exam?!"
"I'm sorry... I just don't think science is for me, Dad."
"What? After all this time? Do you know how hard I worked to pay for this?"
"You were the one who chose this course, and now you want to quit?"
Both parents began appearing and disappearing, shouting from different corners of the room.
"You're a disappointment!"
"We don't have enough because of you!"
"Leave my house!"
"It's all your fault!"
"Selfish!"
"Think about us, not just yourself!"
The teen sat on the floor, covering his ears.
"I'm sorry... It's not what I want. You don't understand me... Nobody does."
The voices intensified until the boy stood on a bridge, looking down with a somber expression. Then—silence. He stared at the road below...And jumped.
May woke up drenched in sweat, with a startled expression.
"A nightmare..."
A maid entered, her face full of concern.
"Are you alright, May? You're sweating."
She picked him up and gave him a bath. Afterwards, she sat him on her lap and began feeding him.
"You're a strange baby," she said softly.
"You don't cry, and it feels like you understand me when I talk or read to you."
She looked at him, waiting for a reaction, then sighed.
"Alright, I'll let you pick what book you want me to read, since you seem to enjoy it."
She brought him to the bookshelf. May looked at her, then the books.
"I can't even read, damn it."
"Should I just pick one at random?"
His eyes landed on a book with a man pointing a sword at a dragon. "That one looks interesting. "He reached for it with both hands, trying to act like a curious baby.
"This one?" she asked.
She grabbed the book, sat down, and started reading.
The book was titled Leomord: The First Sage. It told the tale of Leomord Tavares, an elf who founded the Elven Kingdom and discovered Skull Island—an island between two continents filled with creatures powerful enough to destroy cities. Deep within it was a volcano that served as a runic prison for a monstrous creature called Tarrasque. The runes were so ancient that no one could decipher them, even today.
The book ended with Leomord vanishing on another expedition to the island.
"So that's how it is?" May thought.
"This world is way more dangerous than Earth."
He reflected on what he'd learned:
Even animals could grow stronger, rational or not.
Dragons and wyverns were born powerful.
There were flying ships for intercontinental travel and trains connecting cities—powered by something called essence cores.
"What exactly are essence cores? And how does someone grow stronger here?"
"The more I learn, the more intrigued I get."
The maid later brought May into the living room, where Ana and Paul were talking.
"Hello, honey," Ana said, picking May up and sitting down.
"They seem to be in a good mood..." May observed.
"Thank you again, Paul."
"You don't need to thank me. I'm doing it for myself too."
"Still, thank you."
"My sister is bringing my things tomorrow."
"No rush," Paul said.
"But I'd love for us to be together as soon as possible."
Ana looked away, slightly embarrassed, brushing her hair behind her ear."I hope I can make you as happy as you're making me right now."
"You will," Paul replied warmly.