The morning light streamed through the tall windows of the guest chamber, warm.

Brandon stood near the bed, pulling on the last of his clothes.

He adjusted the collar and rolled his shoulders, feeling the pleasant stretch in his muscles after a restful night.

At that moment, he heard a soft knock on the door "Come in,"

The door opened quietly, and Amelia stepped inside, holding a small wooden box in both hands.

She was dressed in a simple morning gown with her blonde hair neatly braided and pinned back.

Her hazel eyes were bright, but there was a touch of nervousness in her posture that she tried to hide behind a polite smile.

Brandon turned to her fully, "Amelia."

She walked closer "Sir Kael, good luck on your journey."

Brandon’s smile softened as he looked at her "Thank you, I appreciate it. We’ll be heading to the western side soon. Hopefully it won’t take too long."

Amelia nodded, her fingers tightening slightly around the edges of the wooden box.

"I... I brought something for you," she said as a faint blush touched her cheeks.

She extended the box toward him with both hands.

Brandon was surprised and accepted it carefully, surprised by the gesture.

As he opened it, he saw a finely crafted quill with a dark feather and a small ink bottle.

Brandon looked up at Amelia, genuinely touched by her gesture.

Amelia met his gaze, and her blush deepened slightly as she spoke "Um... if you are free, please send letters."

"I know you and Lady Rheanne will be traveling a lot, clearing towers and dungeons across the empire and beyond. It might be lonely on the road."

"And... I thought it would be nice to hear from you sometimes. To know how you’re doing. How the journeys are going. If you’re safe."

"You don’t have to write back often. Just... whenever you have time. I’d like to know that you’re alright. And maybe... tell me a little about the places you see and the world outside these walls."

She glanced down at the box in his hands, then back up at him with a small, hopeful smile.

"It’s nothing grand, I know. But I wanted to give you something useful."

Brandon looked at the quill and ink again, then at Amelia.

He closed the box gently and gave her a warm smile.

"Thank you, Amelia. This means a lot. I’ll make sure to write when I can. And I’ll tell you about the places we go. I promise."

Amelia’s face brightened visibly "I’d like that. Very much."

With that, she bowed gently "Then I shall take my leave. May the sun shine and illuminate the path of your journey."

As she left, he stared at the door ’Sun huh... yeah, Rheanne told me that everyone worships the sun and the land.’

’I guess after she ascended to godhood, people began to worship her.’

After Rheanne’s ascension to godhood, the worship of the sun had gradually shifted toward her as well.

She became a living legend...

Looking at the wooden box in his hand, a smile appeared on his lips "...Damn, these Bleaufort women."

At this time, the door opened and Rheanne entered in "Shall we leave, Kael?"

He turned to look at her and nodded "Yeah..."

They walked together toward the balcony.

Rheanne extended her hand slightly. Brandon took it, and together they levitated upward, rising smoothly into the air above the castle grounds.

The wind rushed gently around them as they gained height as the sprawling castle and the capital city of Eurasania unfolded beneath.

Looking at the vast sky stretching out ahead, a soft sigh escaped Brandon’s lips.

’I wonder what’s gonna happen from now on...’

----

Two years have already passed since then-

*THOOM*

An enormous bear-like aberrant crashed down onto the forest floor.

The impact sent a shockwave through the ground, splintering nearby trees and sending a cloud of dirt and broken branches exploding outward.

"GRAARGHHHH!" It roared in pain, rolling violently and smashing through several trees before finally coming to a stop against a massive oak.

"Is that all you’ve got?"

Brandon stepped forward into the clearing, completely shirtless, his black hair tousled by the breeze.

Sweat glistened on his toned, battle-hardened body, highlighting the defined muscles of his chest, shoulders, and arms.

Two years had changed him noticeably.

He approached the fallen aberrant, and the creature snarled, trying to push itself up, but Brandon was already on it.

With bare hands, he grabbed one of its massive arms and yanked with raw force.

The aberrant roared as it was lifted off the ground and slammed back down, cracking the earth beneath it.

Brandon dodged a desperate swipe of its claws, then drove a powerful punch into its side that sent the creature skidding across the clearing and crashing into another tree.

*BOOM*

The aberrant lunged again, but Brandon sidestepped easily, caught its arm mid-swing, and used the creature’s own momentum to flip it over his shoulder.

The aberrant slammed into the ground with a thunderous BOOM, shaking leaves from the surrounding trees.

It tried to attack again, but he slammed his elbow on its face, shattering its face.

"GR-"

Before it could even scream, Brandon followed up with a powerful, downward punch.

His fist connected with the center of the aberrant’s chest.

CRACK

The beast’s entire body lifted off the ground for a split second before it was blasted backward through the air, crashing through multiple trees.

The aberrant tumbled end over end as its massive body broke apart mid-flight.

Its body exploding into a mess of mangled flesh and silence returned to the forest.

Leaning back against a tree trunk a short distance away, Rheanne watched the entire fight quietly.

’His growth has been exponential...’

In the two years since they had emerged from the Dead Clock Spire, Brandon had changed dramatically.

He still conserved his ether and rarely used it for anything beyond minor enhancements or recovery.

Most of the time, he fought with nothing but his body, his sword, and pure skill.

And yet, his physical strength had become monstrous.

Without relying on large amounts of ether, his body had adapted to the constant, grueling training and battles.

Even without ether enhancement, he could now overpower creatures that would have required significant power two years ago.

Rheanne’s gaze condensed slightly ’If we both fought without ether... he would win a pure physical battle.’

She was still the stronger ether user by far... but in a pure contest of raw physical strength, speed, and technique... Brandon had surpassed her.

It was impressive.

She pushed off the tree and walked toward him, "You let it thrash around too much before finishing it. A cleaner choke would have ended it faster."

Brandon turned to her with a small grin "Yeah, yeah. I was just playing with it a little. Didn’t want to break the forest too badly."

She let out a soft chuckle and replied "That is the last monster of this dungeon, shall we leave?"

"Mhm..."

---

Brandon rode at a steady, unhurried pace on a strong chestnut horse, holding the reins loosely in his hands.

Rheanne sat behind him with her arms lightly wrapped around his waist for balance.

Her fingers gently caressed Brandon’s hair, running through the dark strands "How long are you planning to grow your hair?" she asked softly.

His black hair had grown longer, now falling just past his shoulders in a tousled, windswept style.

Brandon turned his head slightly, a low chuckle escaping his lips "It’s a good length now. I kind of like it."

Rheanne smiled faintly behind him "It suits you."