Alistair had long sensed their approach before their arrival and had already made his way to the door when he heard his mother knock at the door.

  Opening the door, he was greeted by his mother, sister, and Fluffy, with Teddy excitedly wagging his tail.

  After embracing his mother and sister and exchanging pleasantries, he roughhoused the large Bernese who pressed himself into Alistair excitedly.

  "So, where is Viv?" Melissa asked, unable to suppress her curiosity any longer.

  "She's on her usual spot," Alistair replied as he picked up the massive dog, which squirmed happily in his embrace.

  Riseth joined the small procession, hugging and greeting them before they made their way back into their quarters.

  He noticed the slight tension when she glanced at him and Teddy. She knew she might have the same decision in front of her whether or not to give Teddy the pill of enlightenment since their clan alchemists had made big strides towards creating their own supply of those pills, with the first few already hitting their clan contribution system.

  They had high hopes the pills would become a staple product for their clan soon.

  However, the success rate of their pill creation was still relatively low as their alchemists still experimented with alternative ingredients.

  Alistair watched as his sister approached the cat lounging on an elevated shelf overlooking the living room.

  Viv had always preferred a perch with a view, and the shelf—once home to neatly arranged books—had long since surrendered its purpose. The books had been unceremoniously evicted to make way for her reign.

  Viv stirred lazily, her sharp eyes flicking downward at the new arrivals. At first, they were just movement and noise—not worth disrupting her perch. But then she spotted her second favorite person.

  She rose slowly, stretching luxuriously as the comforting drowsiness drained from her limbs; the languid motion sent a pleasant rush of energy through her. The comfort of her spot faded as purpose took over, and with a graceful leap, she descended to the floor.

  The now white-haired one stepped toward her, but Viv brushed past her leg, her focus fixed entirely on her goal.

  "Hi, Mom!" she purred, springing into Juliana’s outstretched arms as she always did.

  Juliana caught her effortlessly, her hands moving to stroke Viv’s fur. “Oh, is that what you meant with those meows?” she remarked, her voice warm as she glanced at the white-haired one with an apologetic smile that made no sense to Viv.

  "What else would I call you?" Viv questioned, tilting her head slightly.

  Juliana chuckled, stroking Viv’s fur exactly the way she liked. "Fair enough," she replied warmly.

  Alistair, watching the exchange, hesitated before asking, "I’m almost afraid to find out, but... what do you call me?"

  Viv blinked at him, mildly confused. "You’re my favorite person, of course! You’re also my dad," she added as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.

  "Well, I’m certainly not your favorite person," the white-haired one said with a dramatic pout.

  Viv turned her gaze to her, evaluating for a long moment before replying, "You’re like my fourth favorite person."

  Melissa blanched at the response, her expression caught between disbelief and irritation. Shaking her head, she muttered, "I guess I know why I prefer dogs."

  As if on cue, Teddy trotted up to her, tail wagging, and leaned against her leg for comfort. Melissa sighed, petting him fondly. "At least you’ve got my back, huh, buddy?" she said, patting his big body.

  "And that's why you are now my sixth favorite person," Viv retorted with a sidelong glance at the Bernese dog.

  Melissa blinked, momentarily stunned, while Viv continued thoughtfully, "At least you have the sense not to have a chihuahua." Her remark earned a burst of laughter from Alistair and Riseth.

  "Am I your third favorite person?" Fluffy asked excitedly, her large, serpentine eyes glimmering with hope as she leaned closer to Viv.

  "No, because you aren’t a person," Viv replied flatly, watching as Fluffy’s shoulders slumped, her excitement visibly fading.

  Viv tilted her head slightly at the worried glances exchanged between the others. After a moment, she added, "You’re my friend," her tone calm and final.

  Fluffy brightened at once, a few glossy feathers in her hair catching the light as she straightened up, her mood restored. The earlier tension in the room melted away as her cheerful smile returned.

  What was that about? Viv wondered, her gaze flicking briefly between the others before dismissing the thought entirely. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem worth dwelling on.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Alistair watched the exchange with quiet amusement. Unlike the others, he hadn’t been particularly worried when Viv declared that Fluffy wasn’t a person—he’d already assumed that Viv’s classification of “people” excluded beasts.

  What caught his attention, however, was how Teddy, ever attentive, seemed to absorb every word spoken. Alistair also couldn’t help but note the subtle control in Teddy’s aura, its precision reminiscent of his mother’s. The similarity wasn’t just intriguing—it hinted at a depth of potential Alistair made a mental note to keep an eye on.

  Melissa let out a sigh as she approached her mother, who was still holding Viv. "Alright, this works too," she said with a shrug. "I’m supposed to set up some ritual evolution circles anyhow."

  Alistair perked up slightly at that. He knew those kinds of rewards were offered through the contribution system, and he was aware his sister was responsible for managing the rituals. But he hadn’t realized how common they had become. Just another reminder of how much I’m out of the loop when it comes to the Clan’s inner workings, he thought, the realization tugging at him briefly.

  He shook the thought off. It’s not my job, he reminded himself firmly. Their Clan’s numbers were about to hit their first million—a scale he still found staggering. The fact that they hadn’t been discovered yet was something he attributed equally to the anti-divination array shielding their bloodline and the tireless efforts of Nessyra and her people. Her team’s meticulous screening of new members and the use of contract magic to root out bad actors, spies, and infiltrators had been indispensable.

  Leaving a bloodline wasn’t a simple matter either. Betrayal could be crippling, leaving permanent scars on one’s soul and aura—consequences most spies couldn’t afford to risk.

  Even so, with their growing numbers, Alistair wouldn’t have been entirely surprised if someone had slipped through the cracks. Not that I’m too worried, he mused. Nessyra had implemented Neshan security measures reinforced with magic, which far surpassed anything Earth could dream of. Whatever weaknesses existed, he trusted they were being handled with care and precision. On top of that, they weren't truly alone anymore, with a strong web of alliances and friends that would come to their aid if needed.

  Alistair watched as Melissa worked her magic, letting it wash over the cat while scrutinizing some kind of feedback. He thought he understood the gist of it, but he couldn’t quite get a clear reading—and he wasn’t the only one. His mother and everyone else also strained to discern what was happening.

  His mother hadn’t managed to pick up the skill, as Melissa used abstract methods that even Alistair couldn’t fully comprehend.

  Many of Melissa's skills were like that. Her core concept of Preservation—and its directly linked concepts—didn’t align neatly with what she wanted to achieve and specialize in. As a result, much of her magic relied on other, unrelated concepts where her strong affinities allowed her to thrive.

  Fortunately, she could compensate for many of the gaps with her strong Magic and Arcane concepts, as her powerful affinity for them only grew stronger with practice.

  "Huh," Melissa said, eyeing the cat thoughtfully as she finished her analysis.

  "Oh, I don't like that reaction. Is something wrong with me?" Viv asked anxiously, her big yellow eyes wide and fixed on Melissa.

  "It’s an odd one," Melissa mused, purposefully dragging out her response just long enough to make the cat squirm.

  "Come on, sis, don’t tease her," Alistair said with a light laugh.

  "Fiiine," Melissa relented. "She actually got a rare and pretty powerful one. Her core concept is Fusion."

  Viv’s face lit up with pride, clearly pleased with herself. "Of course, I have something amazing and powerful," she declared.

  "I wasn’t done," Melissa interrupted. "While it does have combat applications, it’s best suited for a crafter, since it includes concepts like Integration, Catalyst, Connection, Combination, and Heat. All of those are incredibly useful for someone skilled in crafting."

  Alistair paused, turning the information over in his mind as he tried to recall the linked concepts for Fusion. His thoughts quickly shifted, realizing that Viv had serious potential as a combatant too. Concepts like Absorption, Plasma, and good old Energy came to mind. He’d once thought energy would be the most powerful concept due to its vast interconnectedness. And he might’ve been right—if not for what Sotarr had told him. Energy was one of the very few concepts believed to be incapable of becoming a core concept. No one had ever been recorded to be born with said affinity.

  "Well, I gotta run—lots to do, little time to do it," Melissa said with a sigh.

  "Thank you for taking the time, Sis," Alistair said sincerely.

  She waved him off casually. "Small stuff, don’t worry about it." Turning to Viv, she added, "But the sixth favorite’s gotta leave."

  "Ah, let it go," Viv said nonchalantly. Alistair couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not, but he couldn’t suppress a snort, which earned him a pointed glare from his sister.

  "You’re my fifth favorite now," Viv added as if that would cheer her up.

  Melissa just shook her head, throwing her hands up in mock surrender before giving Riseth and her mother a quick hug and ruffling Fluffys head as she walked past. "Alright, bye, everyone," she said as she made her way to the door. "Come on, Teddy," she called, motioning for the dog to follow her as she headed out.

  Alistair reached out and scratched Viv’s chin, his thoughts drifting as he considered her known affinities and their potential applications. Viv let out a contented purr, basking in the attention as both Alistair and his mother doted on her.

  "No wonder she adores the two of you. You’re spoiling her rotten," Riseth remarked jokingly.

  Alistair chuckled but paused, his gaze shifting to Fluffy, who had transformed back into a serpent and was now comfortably coiled in Riseth’s lap. He raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her. "Look who’s talking," he said with a smirk.

  They spent the next two days training with Viv, brainstorming ways to integrate her previous combat style with her new affinities in a way that allowed her to support Alistair without relying on his protection. The solution was quite obvious. One notable discovery was how her ability to meld into shadows and step into the void, while similar in appearance, drew on two entirely different concepts and skills that shared a comparable flair.

  They decided to refine her void skill as an escape and ambush tool, while converting her shadow skill into Cloak of Shadows. This new skill allowed her to integrate into any shadow, even those of other people. She could extend and grow these shadows across the body, making it easy for her to use Alistair as both a shield and a base to support him directly from his shadow.

  While she already had a few skills that could be developed into something practical, none fully utilized her supportive affinity. This became the primary focus of her training, alongside honing her absorption abilities to bolster her own defenses and create a more balanced combat style.

  Juliana participated in the training since she had some spare time. Her Stars concept was directly connected to Fusion, allowing her to offer assistance and recommendations on several overlapping concepts.

  On the third day, their training was cut short when Sotarr's ethereal form appeared in their midst. Alistair could immediately tell that something had changed. The dragon's demeanor and aura exuded excitement and eagerness, a stark contrast to his usual calm and detached disposition.

  Alistair couldn’t help but wonder what had the dragon so excited, as he and Riseth greeted Sotarr with a deep bow.