Anthony’s family all turned towards him as he stepped out of space with a smile on his face, his presence calm and welcoming when it came to his family.

"It’s been a while," Anthony spoke.

Mitchelle was the first to walk forward; she hugged her son with immense love, and after a couple of seconds, she pulled herself away as she ruffled his hair gently. No matter how powerful Anthony could get, it didn’t matter to her; Anthony remained her son, her only child, and nothing would ever change that in her eyes.

Everyone stepped forward as they greeted Anthony with various smiles on their faces; Anthony welcomed all greetings as he greeted them back with equal warmth, his expression relaxed yet filled with love.

"It seems you are out of seclusion, Monster Baby," Michael spoke as he patted Anthony’s shoulder, his tone light with a hint of warmth.

"I wasn’t in seclusion, Dad," Anthony replied as he shook his head calmly.

Michael arched an eyebrow as he had thought Anthony was in seclusion. "It seems you were going around with my daughter in law; where is she?" he asked, his curiosity evident.

Anthony shook his head yet again. "Vega left me alone and went into seclusion, so I was left alone," he sighed as he spoke; he missed her presence, and although it had only been ten days, it felt as though it had been years without her, the absence lingering more deeply than expected.

"Where have you been then?" Mitchelle asked this time, her tone gentle yet probing.

"Just hanging out with some friends," Anthony replied calmly, his words causing everyone to pause in their motion as the statement registered within their minds.

"Why do you all seem surprised? I’m allowed to have friends, you know," Anthony stated as he shook his head, a faint hint of amusement touching his expression.

"Ahem," Michael coughed as he spoke, "we know you have friends, but it’s to our knowledge that they are also in seclusion. We didn’t know you had other friends outside Aaaninja and Lucian," he explained, his tone thoughtful.

Collins remained silent without speaking, his gaze steady and observant, while Irene simply watched with a soft smile, quietly taking in the exchange.

"Well, I have friends from my Academy days; they were at the last birthday party that we hosted at the family estate," Anthony explained, as Bryan and the rest had indeed been present at the time, their presence not entirely unfamiliar.

"Hmmm... I seem to remember them," Irene stated as she fell into her thoughts; previously, she had thought Anthony was talking about the likes of Evelyn, her disciple, but now it seemed she had been mistaken.

"Well, I’m happy you have more friends," Mitchelle spoke with a smile as she lowered herself into a seat, crossing her legs with graceful ease, her posture elegant and composed.

Anthony simply sighed, and he decided to change the topic this time. "It seems everyone has gotten a boost in power, huh?" he asked, his tone casual yet observant.

"Well, although I wasn’t in seclusion, I guess with the skill books and artifacts you gave me, I also got a boost in power," Irene mused out loud as she sat beside Collins, her voice calm and reflective.

Mitchelle smiled at Anthony’s words as she stared at the new affinity she had awakened; she had wanted it for a long time, and she had finally gotten it, a quiet satisfaction resting within her expression.

"You are of age now," Michael began to speak, "how about a spar between father and son?" he suggested with a smile across his face, one that carried both pride and anticipation.

Anthony was about to decline, but he immediately stopped himself; he had always avoided his father when it came to spars, as he felt Michael would disturb him endlessly afterwards. But now, there was no reason to decline; even if Michael lost and came back for more, he could simply send one of his clones to handle him, simple and efficient.

But before Anthony could open his mouth to speak after he had arrived at a conclusion, Mitchelle spoke first.

"Don’t drag our son into one of your sparring sessions," Mitchelle spoke defensively, as she stared at her husband with a firm gaze.

"Mitchelle, you do know he is no longer a child, right?" Michael said helplessly, spreading his hands slightly.

"Then by your words, you should stop calling him Monster Baby," Mitchelle countered without missing a beat. She turned towards Anthony as she spoke, "do you know when Vega will be out of seclusion?"

"Not really, but just like you people, the moment she comes out, I will know," Anthony intoned; although he didn’t know when Vega would be out, he knew she would be out soon.

"What brings you, Anthony? Although Vega isn’t around, you hardly visit us to hang around," Collins finally spoke for the first time, as he seemed to know Anthony only visited them when he wanted or needed something, his tone calm yet perceptive.

"Gramps, you make it sound like I don’t love my family," Anthony spoke as he held his chest in mock heartbreak, as though he was crushed by Collins’ statement, his tone laced with playful exaggeration.

Collins said nothing else and simply stared at Anthony; he held his wife’s hand in his as he observed the performance with quiet patience, unfooled yet unbothered.

"Fine," Anthony spoke, "although I came for something, I also came to check up on you all," he shook his head as he spoke, his tone softening slightly.

With that, his gaze met everyone’s gaze at the same time as the smile on his face vanished ever so slowly, replaced by a more serious expression. Everyone simply stayed silent as they listened, waiting to know what Anthony was here for, the atmosphere subtly shifting. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Anthony didn’t know how to begin; he couldn’t just say, "you guys are way too talentless and hence can’t ascend, so here is my blood, drink it and ascend and become stronger." That seemed more like the words of a demon. What was the difference between that and calling his parents trash? The thought itself felt crude and distasteful to him.

So, his mind spun on how to begin the topic he was about to touch; after a moment, he exhaled as he began from wherever he could find footing, choosing his approach with care.

"I wanted to talk to you all about something I call the Calling or Beckoning," Anthony began to speak, his tone steady.

As he started, they paid rapt attention, as they knew their descendant always possessed more knowledge and power than normal, making his words something to be considered with utmost seriousness.

"As you guys know, the existence of another Galaxy is no secret," Anthony continued, "the existence of the Divinora Galaxy and the mission report on the Executioner on the Fracture World mission on Military Base Alpha-6 confirms this." He paused for a moment before he continued, "there are various levels of Galaxies, the upper Galaxies and the lower Galaxies. An example of the lower Galaxies are ours, the Acarnis Galaxy and the Divinora Galaxy, and an example of the Upper Galaxies is the Galaxy the Executioner comes from," his words calm and slow, making sure not to rush as he had the entire day to explain, his composure calm as he laid the foundation of his explanation.