Standing before me—
were my parents.
Suitcases rested beside them.
Not ordinary travel bags either.
Elegant.
Expensive.
Covered in faint glowing patterns that shifted under the light like flowing water.
My father wore a dark fitted coat lined with silver at the edges, layered over a black inner shirt that perfectly matched his tall frame.
For once—
he looked less like a terrifying warrior…
and more like a wealthy noble enjoying retirement.
My mother stood beside him dressed in flowing azure clothing that carried both elegance and warmth.
Her long hair rested softly over one shoulder.
Beautiful.
Effortless.
Dangerous.
No one needed to explain it.
This wasn't normal dressing.
Something was happening.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
My father noticed instantly.
Then—
without warning—
he blurted out:
"We're going on vacation!"
The words exploded out of his mouth so suddenly that even I froze.
My mother immediately burst into muffled laughter beside him.
One hand pressed against his chest.
The other wrapped around his waist.
Her shoulders shook slightly trying to hold back her laughter.
Meanwhile—
my father stood proudly like he had just announced the greatest revelation in existence.
Then he pointed dramatically toward me.
"Pack your things!"
"We're having a tour of the universe!"
Silence.
I blinked once.
Then twice.
My mother laughed harder.
Even my father struggled to maintain his serious expression before finally laughing too.
For a brief moment—
the house no longer felt like the home of warriors feared across galaxies.
It simply felt…
normal.
Warm.
Alive.
My mother waved her hand casually.
SWISH—
The large exaggerated travel boxes beside them vanished into the spatial ring on her finger.
Completely unnecessary.
But apparently dramatic entrances ran in the family.
I silently turned around and walked back toward my room.
A faint smile hidden on my face.
Inside my room—
I packed lightly.
A few outfits.
Some personal belongings.
Nothing excessive.
Most things could simply be bought later.
Or created.
Pushing the travel box into my subspace, I closed it with a thought.
Spatial storage without needing a ring was still useful.
Though I rarely bothered using it.
A few minutes later—
I returned to the living room.
And paused.
Azharyon was already there.
Dressed casually in a bluish round-neck shirt beneath a light open jacket.
Black jeans.
Simple.
Clean.
Yet somehow annoyingly perfect on him.
The kind of appearance that made people naturally stare.
"Hhhhaaaaaaa—!"
"That's my boy!"
My mother practically squealed.
She rushed toward him instantly and pulled him into a tight hug.
Azharyon scratched the back of his head awkwardly while laughing softly.
My father stared at them with visible jealousy before folding his arms dramatically.
"I carried him longer."
"No one appreciates my sacrifice."
That only made my mother laugh harder.
As I stepped fully into the room—
everyone turned toward me.
Then silence appeared briefly.
Unlike my brother—
I was still dressed in the exact same black clothing from earlier.
No effort.
No style.
Nothing flashy.
Azharyon looked between me and himself.
Then slowly grinned.
"…You forgot to change, didn't you?"
I stared at him calmly.
"No."
"…I simply don't care."
My mother glanced at me once—
then immediately looked away with a disappointed sigh.
My father walked beside her and held her hand dramatically.
"Leave him."
"Fashion cannot save everyone."
My brother burst into laughter.
I simply ignored all of them.
"Since everyone is finally ready…"
My father spread his arms proudly.
"…our journey begins!"
He turned and led the way outside.
The moment I stepped through the door—
I stopped slightly.
A spacecraft rested in the clearing outside.
Medium-sized.
Sleek.
Silver-black.
Its surface shimmered faintly beneath the sunlight.
The design was smooth and futuristic—
yet carried elegant artistic engravings along the sides.
Not military.
Luxury.
For a moment—
even I was surprised.
My father noticed instantly.
A smug grin spread across his face.
"Don't be shocked before the journey even starts."
He walked toward the ship confidently.
As he approached—
the spacecraft reacted automatically.
SHHHHHHH—
The entrance opened upward smoothly.
A staircase descended slowly toward the ground.
My father stepped aboard first.
My mother followed beside him gracefully.
BANG.
Azharyon closed the house door behind us before climbing aboard too.
I entered last.
The inside of the ship was even more absurd.
Spacious.
Modern.
Soft glowing lights lined the walls.
Transparent crystal screens floated silently in the air displaying maps, star systems, and coordinates.
Yet despite all the advanced technology—
the control room felt strangely simple.
Minimalistic.
Comfortable.
Almost peaceful.
Without anyone touching anything—
the spacecraft slowly rose into the air.
The ground beneath us shrank rapidly.
Soon—
our planet became visible below.
Massive.
Beautiful.
Endless oceans reflected sunlight like liquid gemstones.
Clouds drifted across entire continents.
Cities glowed faintly like scattered stars.
Even after seeing such sights countless times—
it was still breathtaking.
Then—
the ship accelerated.
The planet shrank further.
And further.
Until finally—
we saw it completely from outer space.
Floating silently within the darkness.
Beautiful beyond words.
My mother leaned softly against my father while holding his hand.
Meanwhile—
Azharyon and I stood by opposite sides of the viewing glass silently watching the stars.
The universe stretched endlessly ahead of us.
Galaxies.
Nebulas.
Solar systems.
Endless lights scattered through darkness like cosmic oceans.
For a moment—
everything felt calm.
No towers.
No trials.
No destiny.
Just family.
And the stars.
---
The journey lasted weeks.
And for the first time in a long while—
we simply lived.
We visited planet after planet.
Some worlds were covered entirely in oceans glowing beneath moonlight.
Others held floating cities suspended within clouds.
One planet had forests so massive the trees pierced beyond the atmosphere itself.
Another was built almost entirely from crystal.
Entire civilizations reflected through shining glass streets beneath artificial suns.
Each planet carried different cultures.
Different styles.
Different foods.
Different ways of life.
And strangely enough—
I enjoyed observing them.
Humans.
Beast races.
Spirit races.
Even weaker civilizations unable to cultivate properly still found ways to evolve through creativity.
Fashion.
Art.
Entertainment.
Technology.
Sports.
Music.
Life.
In a universe ruled by strength—
they still found reasons to smile.
That realization stayed with me longer than expected.
We visited beaches where tiny fairy-like creatures attended visitors politely.
We explored underwater cities beneath glowing oceans.
We watched interplanetary combat tournaments.
Visited shopping districts stretching across entire continents.
Even amusement parks.
Though watching my father attempt "normal behavior" inside amusement parks was a disaster of its own.
At one point—
he challenged a strength-testing machine.
The machine exploded instantly.
He then spent twenty minutes arguing that it was "obviously defective."
Meanwhile—
my mother laughed so hard she nearly collapsed.
Azharyon and I simply walked away pretending not to know him.
We bought games.
Clothes.
Random useless items my parents insisted were "important memories."
At some point—
our spatial storage rings became completely filled.
Which somehow still didn't stop my mother from buying more things.
"You can store them in your subspace," Azharyon muttered toward me one day.
I stared at him blankly.
"That would only encourage them."
He immediately nodded.
"…Fair point."
Three weeks passed faster than expected.
Too fast.
Before long—
we returned home.
The spacecraft descended slowly toward the clan territory.
As the landing platform opened—
Azharyon and my father stepped out first.
Both had paint across their faces from the amusement parks.
Apparently the "competition" between them had escalated violently while I was elsewhere.
My mother exited afterward gracefully—
completely pretending not to know either of them.
Azharyon and I carried several travel cases manually because our parents had completely filled their storage spaces.
Not because they lacked space—
but because they simply kept buying more things.
"We are one of the strongest families in the galaxy," my father said proudly.
"It would be disrespectful NOT to spend money."
No one bothered responding.
We entered the house.
Exactly as we left it.
Quiet.
Warm.
Familiar.
Azharyon and I carried our parents' luggage upstairs first before dropping everything inside their room.
Then immediately went toward his room afterward.
Priorities.
We began setting up the games we bought during the trip.
Meanwhile—
our parents remained downstairs doing what they always did best.
Acting like newlyweds despite being terrifying cosmic warriors.
I sat beside Azharyon while connecting the gaming system.
Yet even while relaxing—
part of my mind drifted elsewhere.
The towers.
The Ascension Tower.
The Black Tower.
The trials never truly stopped.
Ten stages cleared within the Black Tower.
Five floors partially completed inside the Ascension Tower.
All only ten percent.
The deeper I climbed—
the more terrifying the towers became.
Not because of power.
But because of understanding.
The higher floors weren't trying to kill me.
They were trying to transform me.
And honestly—
that was far more frightening.
Azharyon handed me a controller.
"You're zoning out again."
I glanced at him.
Then took the controller calmly.
"…Maybe."
The game loaded before us.
Bright lights filled the screen.
Outside the room—
my parents' laughter echoed softly through the house.
Warm.
Peaceful.
Human.
For now—
that was enough.