For an hour, Simon remained in the sky—relentless.
Each time his Astral energy replenished, he unleashed another barrage of white-blue flaming spears, arrows, and fireballs. He became a blazing guardian above the battlefield, decimating pockets of remaining Dreadbeasts and covering the soldiers below as they pushed back with renewed strength.
Finally, the riot began to die down.
The once-roaring tide of monsters thinned into scattered groups, easily dispatched by the military forces that now surged with morale.
Simon let out a long breath, his flames dimming slightly. Slowly, he descended, his hover bike easing toward the ground. As he approached the front gate of the base, soldiers gathered, forming a line despite their injuries and exhaustion.
They erupted into cheers the moment his feet touched the ground.
"It's him!"
"The hero of the sky!"
"Our savior!"
Hardened warriors, bloodied and bruised, hailed him like a champion returning from war. They pounded their fists against their chests in salute. The sound echoed through the damaged walls of the base.
Commander Kael stepped forward through the crowd, his expression solemn yet proud. The grizzled veteran met Simon's eyes and gave a firm nod of respect.
"Simon," he said, voice steady, "what you've done today… no words will ever be enough. On behalf of Riverstone Base—thank you."
He gestured toward the massive headless corpse of Ghostho in the distance. "As commander of this base, I offer you the body of the Dreadbeast you killed. A gift—for the one who saved us all."
Behind him, a few officers stirred, whispering in protest. That corpse could fetch an astronomical price, possibly enough to cover the entire damage the base had suffered.
But Kael turned sharply and shut them down with a glare. "He earned it."
Simon looked at the remains of the Awakened Dreadbeast, then back at the soldiers surrounding him—many injured, some missing comrades.
"I appreciate the gesture," Simon said calmly, "but I'd like to gift the corpse back to the military. Use the funds to support the families of those who died defending the base."
A hush fell over the crowd.
Even the skeptical officers looked stunned. The tension melted into admiration.
Commander Kael's eyes softened. "That's... incredibly generous. You've not just saved this base—you've honored it."
The commander took a deep breath, visibly moved. Then, with a smile, he extended a hand. "Join me for dinner. It's the least I can offer."
Simon shook the older man's hand firmly and gave a respectful nod. "I'd be honored, sir. But first... I need to find my family. Just send me the location—I'll be there."
With that, he turned and walked away from the gate—toward the heart of the base.
Toward home.
Commander Kael watched him go, hands behind his back. He could still feel the residual pressure in the air where Simon's flames had blazed. The sheer power. The control. The heart.
He let out a low sigh, shaking his head with a small smile.
"Young generation always outshines the old," he murmured. "And thank the stars for that."
As the cheers from the soldiers slowly faded behind him, Simon stepped away from the crowd, the fatigue of the battle finally starting to creep into his bones. But he didn't have time to rest—there was still one thing clawing at the back of his mind like a wildfire refusing to die out.
His family.
He pulled out his phone, quickly navigating to the private line assigned to the security team tasked with protecting his home. The signal connected within moments.
"Status report," Simon said sharply, skipping pleasantries. "Where are they? Is my family safe?"
The guard's voice on the other end was calm but rushed, clearly in the middle of chaos. "Sir! Your sister was outside the villa when the attack began, but we located her within the first ten minutes. She was extracted and is now safe inside the villa with your father. We've locked the perimeter and reinforced the internal defense systems. No Dreadbeast has come close."
Simon let out a deep breath, the knot in his chest slowly unraveling. "Good. Keep the security active at maximum level until I arrive."
"Yes, sir."
Simon ended the call and swung a leg over his hover bike. The engine flared to life beneath him with a roar. Without wasting a second, he shot into the air, rising high above the base and then angling toward the northern district where his villa was located. The wind whipped past his face as he soared, weaving between broken rooftops and cracked towers, but his focus never wavered.
He needed to see them.
The moment his bike touched down in front of the villa, the front doors burst open.
"SIMON!" a voice shrieked.
Before he could take a step forward, his younger sister Olivia launched herself at him, arms flinging around his torso with the kind of reckless force only a teenager could muster. Her hair was wild, her cheeks streaked with tears, but her smile radiated with overwhelming joy.
"You're okay! I saw you on the news, on the livestream—was that really you? Flying around shooting fire like some kind of fire god?!" she said, her eyes wide as she pointed toward the large TV screen visible through the front window.
It was paused on an image of Simon hovering in the sky, white-blue flames swirling around him like a halo. Flaming spears rained down beneath him, catching the sunlight in a display that looked less like war and more like divine wrath.
Simon grinned and ruffled her hair. "Who else could pull that off besides me?"
Olivia rolled her eyes dramatically but hugged him again. "You scared me, dummy."
"I scare everyone," Simon said with a wink, walking inside with her clinging to his side.
The warmth of the villa greeted him like a balm to his soul. The chaos of the battlefield faded behind its walls, replaced by the subtle scent of home—roasted herbs from the kitchen, polished wood, and his father's cologne lingering faintly in the air.
Footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Matthew Reid, Simon's father, descended slowly.
He stopped in front of Simon and laid a firm hand on his son's shoulder. For a moment, he didn't say anything—just looked at him, pride gleaming in his eyes.
"You were incredible," he finally said, voice deep and calm. "I saw what you did. The whole base did."
Simon glanced away, a rare flicker of modesty crossing his face. "I did what I had to."
Matthew smiled. "Exactly. And that's what makes me proud. You protected our city, our people... and your family."
Simon met his father's gaze and nodded.
"Tonight," Matthew continued, "we celebrate as a family."
Olivia pumped her fist. "Yes! Finally! And I get to choose dessert!"
Simon chuckled. "As long as it's not that green alien pudding thing again."
"It's matcha mousse, thank you very much!"
They laughed together, walking toward the kitchen where the house staff had already begun preparing a meal worthy of celebration. The warmth of flickering lanterns replaced the cold void of battle. The weight on Simon's shoulders lightened with every step he took away from the war zone and deeper into the sanctuary of home.
For the first time in days, he allowed himself to relax.
To laugh.
To simply exist as a brother and a son—not a soldier, not an Astral Lord, not the flame-wielding savior of Riverstone Base.
Just Simon Reid.
And in that simple moment of peace, surrounded by the ones he fought so hard to protect, the world outside could wait.
Because tonight, he was home.