Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Terra's reaction to Rain's high expectations was one of unease and concern. She couldn't help but feel troubled upon hearing that Rain had set such high hopes for those around him. This sentiment likely arose from her deep understanding of Rain's character. She knew that Rain was someone who had consistently strived to meet or even exceed the expectations of others.

He had, time and again, surprised and impressed people with his remarkable skills and qualities.

However, Terra was aware that, while Rain had often managed to surpass expectations, the weight of those very expectations could eventually become a burden. She understood that it was human nature to have limitations and flaws, and at some point, the pressure to live up to exceedingly high hopes could lead to disappointment, both for Rain himself and for those who believed in him.

Rain's continuous efforts to meet the often unrealistic expectations placed upon him had, in a way, set him up for a potential fall, as there was a limit to what any individual could achieve. Terra was concerned that the cycle of exceeding expectations and then grappling with the pressure of doing so might take a toll on Rain's well-being and emotional state.

One week later, Rain went to pick up Seara and Sealyn at the underwater castle and returned as fast as possible since he didn't have time to waste. Still, it seemed that she asked her father what they talked about when she left, but he didn't reveal anything, leaving the grenade in Rain's hands. In the end, he explained what happened without saying anything about his thoughts.

"The more you try to hide them, the more suspicious you look, spill the beans," Seara said. "That being said, I can understand more or less your thoughts."

"Well, that saves me a bunch of time," Rain shrugged.

"I think that you don't have to worry about that since Danny and Annie adore you. As long as you treat her in the same way, I don't think that she will feel bad in the human territory," Seara said. "Unless you scare future boyfriends like you do with your sisters."

"I will be even harsher with them. If they want my kids, they will have to defeat me in a Mortal Kombat!" Rain said. "Thun, thun, thun, thun, thunthunthun, thunthuntuton!"

"Your pronunciation is weird there, and why do you want to see the women in your family single so much?" Seara asked. "Fortunately, your sisters are working in another area."

"Men are territorial creatures… and what do you mean by that?" Rain asked, but Seara just looked away. "Could they have found boyfriends behind my back? How dare they?"

"... I am worried about the future of our children when you act like that," Seara said while facepalming.

Now that Rain thought about it, and Roan seemed a bit depressed the last time he saw him… even though he had the chance to spend a day with his grandchildren. Rain didn't think much about it since he had other things in his head at the time.

"Well… they are at that age, and if Dad has nothing to say, they shouldn't be bad guys," Rain finally said.

"Who are you, and what did you do with the overly protective and sometimes creepy brother that I know?" Seara asked.

"I don't have to worry since I know that they can kick the asses of those who mess with them," Rain explained. "Those who have the balls to approach them knowing that I am their brother and know that I will kill them if they make them cry should be commended for their courage. Besides, I will protect them no matter what."

"Isn't that the same attitude that you complained about, Dad?" Seara asked.

Rain groaned… she had a point. Rain won't be able to protect them forever; he taught them everything he knew so that they could protect themselves, but it seemed that his feelings were still there. Still, he wanted to believe that he was being more logical than Seadrei… even if it was weirdly convenient.

"That isn't fair, and you are using the worst kind of prejudice, prejudice against me," Rain said.

"Sometimes, you don't make any sense," Seara said and then began to rest her head on Rain's shoulders after she passed Sealyn to him.

At that moment, Rain thought that it would be awesome if his peaceful life could continue like that… but then he realized that he had raised a red flag, even without saying it out loud. Forget about competition. He was fine with just being the strongest human in that world and then surpassing his limits daily without the bloodshed.

Even if the bloodshed made his strength increase faster… he wasn't a kid anymore. He didn't want to be the strongest for no reason, and he just wanted to be strong enough to protect his family.

A few more days passed, and Rain confirmed that at least half of the recruits had already learned Magic Boost. Considering that the enemies had anti-magic barriers, learning that technique seemed useless, at least most of the time, but at least it would make them gain more experience for their paths.

Once Rain finished that training day, he found Seara breastfeeding Sealyn, but Terra, Danny, and Annie were nowhere to be around.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

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"Where are the others?" Rain asked while looking around.

"It is better if you don't know," Seara said. "You will feel proud but sad, too."

"Now I am curious…" Rain said while squinting his eyes.

Finding them was easy… Rain just had to use earth magic to check the presences of everyone around and soon found Terra and the kids training in the back of the headquarters of the area… actually, Terra was just reaching those two a bit how to train properly and copy his fighting style.

"... I told you," Seara said when he saw Rain sniffing a bit.

"I am not crying… it is just the rain," Rain said while looking away.

"I know, it is just you being you," Seara shrugged.