Before Krishak could finish chiding his little sister, a sharp, authoritative voice cut through the air, interrupting their moment.
"Luna! Krishak! Why haven't you two come down for breakfast yet?"
The heavy, rhythmic footsteps of their mother echoed down the hallway. "Luna, didn't I tell you not to run around the house? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"
This was Ama. Inside the mansion, she possessed a wild, untamed temper like a tigress protecting her den. It was an unspoken rule in the household that even their powerful father, Veer, universally deferred to any and all decisions made by their mother.
The moment Luna heard the voice, her playful, hyperactive demeanor vanished instantly. Her expression shifted into one of absolute, pure innocence, her big eyes blinking wide as if she were a faultless angel who had never even thought of running. It was a masterclass in acting; anyone walking in would truly believe she had nothing to do with the chaos.
When Ama rounded the corner and saw Luna's angelic face, her heart melted. Even though she knew exactly what her daughter was up to—having witnessed this exact routine dozens of times—she simply didn't have the heart to scold her.
Instead, Ama shifted her stern gaze to Krishak, looking at him as if the entire ordeal were somehow his fault.
Krishak felt utterly helpless under her glare. He knew better than to try and refute his mother; no matter what logical argument a trillion-year-old Celestial could bring to the table, a mother's word was absolute law.
Not that he minded, of course. He doted on Luna more than anyone else, gladly playing the scapegoat if it kept his little treasure smiling.
As they walked down to the dining room, Krishak let his mind wander back to the global energy shift.
Speaking of which, it has been three years since I arrived on this planet, he mused silently. I never expected my celestial body's energy to leak out into a world near Earth and cause this massive awakening. But I know I hid my physical body inside a completely different, sealed universe—even if I purposely left the barrier weak so I could draw upon its power later in life. How in the cosmos did that energy escape? Was that hidden universe destroyed, causing a stray fragment to fall into this solar system?
Though he could easily sense the lingering frequency of his own celestial energy in the air, he was currently far too weak to trace its true source.
Well, let it be, Krishak thought, mentally shrugging the mystery away. Even if I discover the truth right now, there is nothing my three-year-old body can do to fix it.
Disregarding his cosmic dilemmas, Krishak took his seat at the heavy wooden dining table. The moment the steaming plates were set down, he found himself staring, a faint trace of drool threatening to escape his lips.
I have to admit, he thought, no matter how many times I eat this food, I am absolutely powerless against it.
In his previous life, he had long since surpassed the need for mortal sustenance. As a Celestial deity, he could survive for millions of years on the pure fabric of the void. Most cultivators at his level viewed ordinary food as a collection of impurities—a vulgar habit beneath the dignity of the immortal path.
Yet now, seated at a simple family table, Krishak discovered a profound truth he had never understood during his eons of isolation: food was not merely a means of physical survival. It was a vessel for love. Every single bite carried the warmth of the hands that prepared it and the shared joy of the people eating together. No cold, heavenly delicacy or divine pill could ever compare to a warm home-cooked meal.
As Krishak was savoring his breakfast, Luna stretched her tiny, chubby arms across the table toward his plate.
"Bwo-bwo!" she chirped loudly, demanding a taste of whatever her big brother was having.
Krishak smiled warmly. Meticulously checking for bones or harsh spices, he broke off a small piece of soft bread and gently handed it to her. Luna accepted the prize with both hands, grinning triumphantly as she chewed.
Ama watched the exchange and shook her head, though a soft smile tugged at her lips. "You spoil her far too much, Krishak."
From the head of the table, Veer burst into a booming, hearty laugh. "And what's wrong with that? A big brother should take care of his little sister!"
Krishak glanced between his parents, a rare, unshakeable sense of peace settling deep within his soul. In his former life, he had commanded enough raw power to annihilate entire galaxies with a wave of his hand, yet he had never possessed the one thing he held right now.
A family. A mother who worried over his safety, a father who laughed proudly at his growth, and a little sister who adored his very shadow.
For the first time since he had conceived his grand uotpian dream, his desire to change the universe was no longer a cold, abstract ideal born of philosophical dissatisfaction. It had become deeply, fiercely personal.
If he wanted to reshape humanity and end the cycle of war on this planet, he would first have to ensure that he could protect the people he loved.
After finishing his plate, Veer stood up from the table and stretched his massive, physically augmented frame. "Krishak, once you're done eating, meet me out in the courtyard. It's time I start teaching you the basics of body training."
Ama's brow furrowed instantly, her maternal instincts flaring. "Veer, he is only three years old!"
Veer grinned, flexing his broad shoulders. "And our son is no ordinary child. Look at how he carries himself."
Ama opened her mouth to argue further, but when she looked down and saw the burning, eager spark of anticipation in Krishak's eyes, her resistance crumbled. She sighed softly. "Fine. But do not overwork him, do you hear me?"
Veer placed a heavy hand over his heart, executing a dramatically solemn bow. "On my honor as a Hunter, my love."
Krishak bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. His mortal father had absolutely no idea that the silent toddler standing before him was an ancient Celestial who had mastered three thousand grand laws.
But as he stepped toward the courtyard, Krishak realized that his past titles no longer mattered. From this day onward, he would begin his ascension anew.
He was no longer the aloof, detached Celestial Anil. He was Krishak—the son of Ama and Veer, the elder brother and protector of Luna, and a child of Earth. And in this new life, he would forge a foundation stronger than the cosmos itself. Not just to pursue a distant dream of universal equality, but to safeguard the family that had given him a reason to live.