The battlefield was a mess, with dead monsters everywhere. Only Vell's group remained standing, though even they were clearly out of breath. He looked at them, seeing how happy they were, and then he looked back, seeing Jia, who was broken.
[I am confused, Master. Why did you not transform? And you barely used the power from the new mana. What was the whole point?]
'Well, truth be told, I thought we would lose to her, but she turned out to be weaker than expected. I wonder how strong she was in her prime. I would have loved to face that version.'
He walked over to his kids, patting them on the head. "Great work, everyone. You all did great." His head turned towards Kana, still holding a flicker of hate for her. "Even you."
She flinched, but she held her head high, meeting his gaze. "Thank you," she said, her voice soft, almost wanting to cry. "I… I will not disappoint you again."
