Hotel Room - Private Moment (Night)
The Cross family had retired to their suite hours ago. Jake and Lirien were asleep in the master bedroom, exhausted from the day's emotional rollercoaster—nearly dying, being saved by a mysterious expert, witnessing Elder Samsara resurrect millions, watching an entire demon planet get destroyed.
It had been a lot.
Runar lay on his bed in the adjacent room, staring at the ceiling. The transformation technique kept his appearance at seven years old, hiding the sixteen-year-old body underneath. His cultivation was perfectly balanced now—soul, body, and qi all at peak early Supernova equivalent level. His Void Severance Katana Soul rested in his spiritual sea, fully awakened and integrated.
Everything was in order.
Except one thing.
Celestia knows, he thought. She's going to want answers. And honestly... she deserves them.
A soft knock at his door interrupted his thoughts.
"Runar?" Celestia's whisper came through. "Are you awake?"
He sat up, unsurprised. "Come in."
The door opened quietly. Celestia slipped inside, closing it behind her. She was still in her sleeping clothes—simple pajamas that somehow made her look even younger than her five years.
But her eyes... her eyes carried an intensity that didn't match her appearance.
She sat on the edge of his bed, looking at him with that unnerving directness she always had.
"We need to talk," she said simply.
"I figured."
They sat in silence for a moment. Then Celestia took a breath and said what they both knew she'd come to say:
"It was you. The one who saved everyone. The mysterious expert who teleported millions of people to safety."
Runar considered denying it. Considered deflecting. Considered using his superior comprehension to construct a convincing lie.
But this was Celestia. And she'd already proven her perception was terrifying enough to detect his clone. Lying would just insult her intelligence.
"What makes you think that?" he asked instead, genuinely curious how much she'd figured out.
"Your clone," she said immediately. "The moment we materialized on that mountain, something felt wrong about you. You didn't smell right. Didn't feel right. Your presence was... hollow. Like a perfect copy, but missing the essence."
Runar nodded slowly. Her Frost Phoenix physique's enhanced perception. I knew it was sharp, but detecting soul-level differences in a perfect runic construct... Amazing.
"And then," Celestia continued, "you came back. Your real self. The hollow feeling disappeared and you were you again. Which meant you'd been somewhere else during the attack. Somewhere you needed to hide your real body."
"That's circumstantial," Runar pointed out, though without real conviction.
"True. But then there's the timing. The mysterious expert appeared right when we needed saving. Disappeared right after. And you—" she poked his chest, "—you're the only person I know who could actually do something like that. You've been hiding how strong you really are since the beginning."
She leaned back, crossing her arms. "So. Am I right?"
Runar looked at her for a long moment. Then he sighed.
"...Fine. Yes. It was me."
Celestia's face broke into a triumphant grin. "I KNEW IT!"
"Shh!" Runar gestured frantically toward the wall separating them from his parents' room. "Keep your voice down!"
"Sorry, sorry." But she was still grinning. "But I was right! You saved everyone! You're the mysterious expert!"
"Yes. And you can't tell anyone. Not even your parents."
Her grin faded slightly. "Why not? Runar, you're a hero. You saved millions of people. Why hide it?"
"Because," Runar said seriously, "the moment people know what I can really do, we all become targets."
He stood up, pacing the small room. "Think about it, Celestia. A one-month-old baby who can teleport millions of people simultaneously? Who can break through Space Locks backed by Rule-level comprehension? That's not just talent. That's..."
"Impossible," Celestia finished quietly.
"Exactly. And when things are impossible, people get scared. Or greedy. Or both." He turned to face her. "If powerful factions knew about me, they'd either try to control me or eliminate me as a potential threat. And they'd use my family as leverage."
Celestia's expression shifted from excitement to understanding, then to concern. "Your parents..."
"Would be in constant danger. So would yours, by association. So would you." Runar sat back down beside her. "That's why I hide. That's why I use clones and transformations and suppression techniques. Not because I'm ashamed of my power, but because I want to protect the people I care about."
"Including me?" Celestia asked softly.
"Especially you."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Then Celestia said, "I won't tell anyone. I promise. Your secret is safe."
"Thank you."
"But—" she held up a finger, "—you have to stop treating me like I'm fragile. I'm not a normal five-year-old, Runar. I know I'm not as strong as you, but I'm not weak either. So stop holding back when we train. Push me harder. Make me stronger."
Runar smiled. "Deal."
"Good." She grinned again. "Now, since we're being honest... just how strong are you really?"
"That," Runar said with a mysterious smile, "is a conversation for another time. But I can show you something right now that'll help close the gap between us."
Her eyes lit up. "Really? What?"
Runar reached into his system inventory—a mental action that appeared to Celestia like him pulling something from thin air—and withdrew a single pill.
The Void Phoenix Physique Enhancement Pill.
It was beautiful. A crystal-clear sphere about the size of a marble, glowing with soft purple-white energy. Void-aspected power swirled within it like miniature galaxies, and just looking at it made Celestia's own Frost Phoenix physique resonate with anticipation.
"What... what is that?" she breathed.
"A Void Phoenix Physique Enhancement Pill. Supreme Grade."
Celestia's eyes went wide. "Supreme Grade?! Those are—those are legendary! Where did you—"
"System rewards," Runar said, then immediately caught himself. "I mean, I found it in the storage ring of the red giant demons I killed."
Celestia was too focused on the pill to notice his slip. "What does it do?"
"It will enhance your physique. Your Frost Phoenix Awakening will advance by two to three sub-stages—from Early Divine Grade to Peak Divine Grade if we're lucky. It'll also dramatically improve your cultivation talent, enhance your elemental affinities, and possibly awaken new ones."
"New affinities?" Celestia looked up at him. "What kind?"
"I'm guessing Space and Void, based on the pill's properties and your existing physique. Maybe even minor Time affinity since Space and Time are linked."
Celestia stared at the pill, then at Runar, then back at the pill. "This is... Runar, I don't know the exact value of Supreme Grade pills, but from everything you're describing... this is priceless. Literally priceless."
"Probably," Runar agreed.
"Why are you giving it to me?"
He looked at her seriously. "Because you're my friend. Because you're talented enough to make full use of it. And because if we're going to be training partners—real training partners—I need you to be strong enough to keep up."
"Keep up?" Celestia's competitive spirit flared. "I'm going to surpass you someday!"
"I'm counting on it." Runar held out the pill. "So what do you say? Want to get stronger?"
Celestia didn't hesitate. She took the pill and swallowed it immediately.
"Wait, don't you want to think about—" Runar started, but it was too late.
"Why wait?" Celestia said, grinning. "We're partners, right? I trust you."
Then her eyes widened as the pill's energy exploded through her system.