Sandwiched between two wide plains of golden grass was a deep blue river, flowing slow and lazy, unbothered by anything outside its borders.

Bubble

The tranquil surfaces of the waters were ruined by a burst of force that made its way out, sending chaotic ripples and waves. In the center of the disturbance was a man standing half-naked.

He had a modest face that wasn't bad but not eye-catching, but his eyes and hair were deep obsidian black that one could lose themselves in. He had a slight beard and mustache that grew roughly around his face.

His body was a little more than slim, but the ripping muscles that could not hide looked as if they would burst out any moment.

However, there were two disturbing features. One was the warped, twisted, and deformed flesh on the left side of his body, looking like a half-finished knead of dough. The other was the sole ear on his right side.

This man was Oscar Terr.

"It's been over two months. I should head back." Oscar wiped and dried his body while looking over the scenery he had seen daily. "In the future, once I'm an Elite or Knight Exalt, I should return and go deeper."

"Oh, I should shave." Oscar cut off his reminiscence.

After Oscar packed up his things, he set off to Tufall City, but an unexpected intruder stopped him.

"GRRR" It was a large tiger, gold with black stripes, with one large eye and three legs.

"A Gold Cyclops Tiger?" Oscar stared at this beast, sensing its power as a Middle Apprentice Exalt. "If it were three months ago, this fight would have been a struggle."

The Gold Cyclops Tiger jumped with its claws at the ready, wanting to tear Oscar apart. But its prey was calm and stood firm despite the threat of its sharp claws.

CLANG

Oscar's skin turned the color of steel and deflected the tiger's claws without any issues. "Compared to the beak of that Rainbow Didus, it's lacking."

The other factor for Oscar's sturdy defense was the mix of 'Ein Awaken' and 'Steel Scales'. By utilizing 'Ein Awaken', Oscar controlled the Ein of his spell to be more compact and tight, increasing its hardness.

"It'd be nice if I could move freely with this spell, but everyone has its ups and downs. But I still have my next blow." Oscar's skin returned to normal. He stepped in before the tiger could react.

In a tight stance, he hit an uppercut on the tiger straight through the jaw. Its head blew into a red, broken mess and its body flipped over.

However, Oscar's fist was also torn as the outer layer of skin had been scraped off. Oscar quickly bandaged it up as he forced back a little blood in his mouth.

"Using both 'Ein Awaken' and 'Reis Awaken' together is straining. This 'Dual Awaken' is very powerful but a hundred-fold worse."

The 'Dual Awaken' affected his core, mind, heart, and body much more brutally than if he tried either 'Awaken' alone.

"Well, at least this makes more money for me." Oscar quickly dissected the Gold Cyclops Tiger with haste and returned to his journey back.

The gates of Tufall City stood tall as Oscar stared at them, knowing this was the last time he'd see them. There was no telling if or when he would return.

Oscar felt Adam's senses descend and watch him but turned away. The student and this City Lord had no reason to interact other than that time with Nicholas.

The familiar buildings and bustling activity of the people made Oscar feel sad that he was leaving. He had gotten very used to this place after a while.

With a final sale and goodbye to Sara's Elixirs and Tom's Smithery, Oscar left with a small smile. He had a place and people to return to.

Oscar sat down on the benches in the port, waiting for his ride. After the long, hectic three months here, Oscar finally felt a sense of relief and peace. It was time to go home.

The airship arrived at the port, dropping off some students. The captain aboard started to call for passengers to the Pavilion. However, Oscar did not move, staying still like a statue. Even as the airship made its last calls for passengers, he was still waiting.

Finally, he got up and went to the hangars. He walked past the airship bound for the Blue Ocean Pavilion and instead got on a smaller, less impressive airship.

"This is the airship to Greenwich City, right?" Oscar asked the captain.

"Indeed it is; it costs you a pretty penny, though. Three gold." The captain stuck out his hand in which Oscar dropped three gold coins. Since Oscar wasn't returning to the Pavilion, his pay exemption was no longer valid.

Travel by airship was expensive but also something people wanted to use due to its safety and assurance. However, only rich merchants, nobles, and other Exalts had the resources to use it. Most commoners never had the chance to ride one.

In time, the airship sailed south toward Greenwich City. In a few days, Oscar saw the city come into view. It wasn't as grand as Tufall City and was only half its size.

After he got off, he bolted out of the city, ignoring all the new views and sights, and ran on the rough dirt roads. His final destination wasn't this city.

His mind focused on one thing only.

It was something that stuck in his head after hearing Nicholas's last words.

"I want to see my mom and dad." Oscar usually kept up his manners when referring to his parents, but right now, the boy could not contain himself and spoke without reservation.

Nicholas's last words struck a chord with him.

Oscar felt his anxiousness rising like a storm inside his head. Even though this sprint wasn't tiring, his heart quickened like a music festival drum.

"I want to see them!"

The familiar woods, the same roads with patches of wooden fences, and the smell of grains all compounded Oscar's yearning and excitement.

In the distance, Oscar saw a large burly man with the same black hair and eyes as him. This large man was chopping up some firewood with a small ax.

"Dad!" Oscar sped up.

"Huh?" Henry Terr heard someone call his name. It was a familiar voice, but that wasn't possible. Oscar was at the Pavilion. He turned to his side to see a boy approaching him with incredible speed, leaving him flabbergasted.

"Oscar?! Slow down!" Henry waved his hands to stop, but Oscar came up and hugged his dad.

"Dad, I'm back." Oscar laughed.

Henry looked down and couldn't believe it.

"Oscar! It's you! You're really here. HAHAHA."

With his massive arms, he wrapped his son in a bear hug and let out a burst of booming laughter with small tears in his eyes. His son was back!

"What's going on outside, Henry?! Aren't you supposed to be chopping firewood?" A mellow voice laced with confusion and irritation came from inside the small house. The door opened to show a woman with brown hair and brown eyes wearing an apron.

"Gwen, it's our son! He's back!" Henry shouted to his wife.

"Oscar?! Henry, have you lost your mind? Where do you see Oscar? He's in the Blue Ocean Pavilion." Gwen could not see Oscar anywhere. How could she when Henry turned his back to her and hugged Oscar? His big frame completely hid Oscar's body.

"Here, Mom!" Oscar quickly waved his hand from within Henry's grasp. Although he could easily break out of this, he didn't want to.

"Oscar!" Gwen's eyes widened. She stepped closer to find her beloved son in her husband's arms. "Oscar! You're back!"

She hugged Oscar from behind, creating a sandwich of hugs with Oscar in between.

Oscar laughed joyfully, feeling the warmth of his family again. He missed them and this feeling. The letters could only offer so much.

"I'm back."

…….

The hug lasted for several minutes.

"You're heavy! I can't lift you up at all." Henry was surprised.

"It's because of these weights I have on. They're for my training."

"Are you sure they're not dangerous? What if your arms fall off?" Gwen worried. Her worry did not end as she noticed it. Her face instantly paled as her lips trembled.

"O-Oscar….Your ear! My dear son, what happened to your ear?!" Gwen shrieked as tears began to fall.

Henry came close to support her, and his eyes gravitated to the hole where his son's ear used to be. "Son…."

Oscar put his hand over the wound and looked ashamed. He didn't want to worry them, but it was unavoidable. It was too obvious. At the very least, he can hide his other grievous scars.

"I fought against a powerful beast. I won, but it took away my ear. I'm sorry for coming back like this." Oscar bowed.

Gwen tearfully hugged her son and tugged on his arm. "Come inside. I'll make you your favorite dishes. Everything's ok as long as you're alive."

Henry followed suit and held his son's shoulders. The Terr trio held each other as they went back inside.

"Make yourself comfortable, and I'll have everything ready." Gwen went back to the small kitchen they had.

Oscar sat down on his small bed and looked around his home. It was a one-room house with two small beds. In a corner was his small bookcase that was half full. The other half was in his room in the Pavilion.

The ceiling was also not that tall. The floor was lined with rugs made from animals with a table in the middle.

"Oscar, do you want to go look around the farm?" Henry suggested. "Your mother will take her time making food."

"Ok, Dad!" Oscar leaped off his small bed with a skip.

Together they left and went to the stables where the horses were resting. For some reason, Henry's steps were heavy. He was deep in thought.

"Tucker and Sherry, how have you two been?" Oscar stroked his horses with great care and fed them an apple. Henry looked on as his son enjoyed the moment with a somber expression.

"Do you remember when you first met Tucker?" Henry asked.

"I remember being kicked and breaking a leg." Oscar looked embarrassed.

"That was a scary moment. You were so excited to see him that you ignored what I said and went too close to him. Tucker was scared and fought you back." Henry sighed. "You were so stubborn in trying to pet the horse."

Oscar looked down shamefully. He remembered that scene well. It was when he was six years old. The pain of his broken leg was so bad that he cried and screamed until he blacked out.

"I remember you bought me a book."

Back then, his father brought him a storybook to read while his leg healed. From that moment on, he fell in love with reading and books, reading with great enthusiasm.

"You kept asking me for more books, so I took some extra money to buy you more." Henry smiled nostalgically.

They moved on from there and saw the great wheat fields or not. The harvest had already ended and what was left were empty fields.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come back to help you."

"Who do you think I am? I've been doing it alone for a long while before you finally learned how to do it. Speaking of, you tried too hard to keep up with me and didn't stop, which ended up in you cutting yourself the first time."

Henry remembered that day. Oscar was tired and desperate to help, but he lost his grip on the sickle and ended up stabbing into his arm. As time passed, the wound got really dark and green.

"You were so sick from an infection. I was scared we had to cut your arm off." Henry said in a rough tone.

Oscar kept his eyes on his father. The strong man that he admired in his childhood seemed so weary. His shoulders looked tired.

"That tree there. You refused to stop trying to climb it even though you kept falling. In the end, you slipped and fell on your arm, breaking it."

"Dad…."

"After all those incidents, you finally stopped and became more reserved, reading more books, relaxing, and calling us father and mother like you suddenly grew up. I never thought you'd call us dad and mom like a child again."

Henry turned to his son with downcast eyes.

"You were such a stubborn kid that didn't mind how hurt he got. We were so worried every time you got hurt, but at least we were there to help you. But now, you're an Exalt, fighting in battles, facing dangers where I can't do anything for you."

"I'm sorry…." Oscar teared up at his dad's words.

"You don't need to be sorry. I'm helpless as a father to do anything for you now. I know how stubborn you can be and how you sometimes don't know when to stop. But promise me that you'll come back to us. Even if you must fight with your life, survive and return." Henry clasped his son's shoulders with a grim face and a powerful grip, lacking the usual control of his strength.

Oscar stepped in and hugged his dad.

"I will. I promise. No matter what."