Chapter 6 – The Forgotten Pendant (Part A)
Morning had arrived.
The city was slowly waking up—
the faint hum of traffic on the roads,
soft chirping of birds,
and warm sunlight slipping through the windows.
Everything felt… normal.
Sam stood near the balcony, a cup of coffee in his hand.
But his eyes weren't on the city ahead.
They were fixed on the gate below.
His daughter was leaving for school, laughing to herself, walking with careless excitement.
Her bag looked slightly too heavy, slipping off her shoulder again and again.
She was humming a tune under her breath, as if the world held nothing dangerous at all.
Just before she crossed the gate—
Sam's gaze shifted.
To the dining table.
And there it was.
The pendant.
The one Sam had sealed with his own hands.
The one that carried divine-level protection.
The one that was not merely a gift—
but an invisible shield.
Sam exhaled slowly.
"She left without the pendant… again,"
he murmured, almost to himself.
There was no anger in his voice.
No panic.
Only controlled concern.
Meera walked out of the kitchen and followed his line of sight—from his face to the pendant on the table.
"She's just a child, Sam," Meera said casually, as if it weren't a serious matter at all.
"She's bound to be careless sometimes. You overthink too much."
Sam looked at her.
A small smile appeared on his face—the same smile that always made Meera feel like everything was under control.
But inside…
Sam was already on alert.
He knew—
today would not remain normal.
At the office, Sam followed his usual routine.
Glass walls.
A spotless desk.
Multiple files open.
Trade reports.
Contracts.
Forecasts.
Everything looked exactly like the day of a seasoned businessman.
But Sam's mind wasn't in the numbers.
His fingers froze mid-motion.
The atmosphere shifted.
The air grew heavy, as if an invisible weight had been placed upon it.
Sam's eyes narrowed.
At the center of his forehead, a nearly imperceptible glow flickered.
No one else could see it.
Only Sam knew what it meant.
The Forehead Kiss Spell.
A tether.
A silent locator.
A bond that ignored distance and barriers.
Sam stood up instantly.
"So… you finally tried,"
he said in a calm, almost cold voice.
The very next second—
the office was left with nothing but a violent gust of wind.
Elsewhere, in an abandoned part of the city—
A deserted alley.
Cracked walls.
Broken lights.
A silence that felt wrong.
Sam's daughter stood in the middle.
Fear filled her eyes.
Her hands trembled slightly.
In front of her—
ten figures.
Elder-level wizards from a dark guild.
Their auras were heavy.
Their eyes held filthy curiosity and absolute confidence.
The leader stepped forward.
"A tiny princess…"
he said mockingly.
"We'll take you with us and expose your father."
He bent down to her eye level.
"His normal businessman act ends today."
Tears streamed down her face.
"Papa…"
she whispered through sobs.
At that very moment—
a faint glow appeared on her forehead.
The air froze.
As if the entire alley had stopped breathing.
A sharp pressure spread.
And then—
Sam appeared directly in front of her.
No flash.
No sound.
Just presence.
His expression was calm.
The same calm he carried at home.
Sam gently placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"Shh…"
he said softly.
"Papa's here."
She grabbed his shirt instantly and cried into his chest, as if all her strength finally gave out.
Sam raised his gaze.
Ten wizards.
One cold stare.
"Attack!"
the leader shouted.
Lightning chains cracked through the air.
Shadow daggers took form.
Firestorms and ice spikes surged together.
Sam merely lifted his hand and made a small wave.
And—
everything dissolved in midair.
As if none of it had ever existed.
The leader's eyes widened.
"Impossible!"
A blood-red glow bloomed in Sam's eyes.
Illusion Magic.
One wizard hallucinated his allies attacking him.
Another felt himself burning alive.
The rest turned on each other—panic, confusion, terror consuming them.
Sam whispered calmly,
"Just 0.1 seconds…"
"…and you'll forget who your enemies are."
Grinding his teeth, the leader summoned a massive dark vortex.
Sam gently moved his daughter behind him.
Then he raised his hand.
🔥 Phoenix Fire.
A flame that did not merely burn—
it erased.
The vortex struggled.
Then collapsed.
The leader fell to the ground.
Alive.
Broken.
Sam looked at him and spoke calmly,
"I do not take lives."
Then he turned to his daughter.
"But your life…"
"…is now at your own mercy."
Sam knelt before her.
Placed a finger on her forehead.
A soft glow emerged.
"Whether you wear the pendant or not,"
he said gently,
"it doesn't matter."
"I will always find you."
"Papa… how?"
she asked through tears.
Sam replied with a single line.
"A small forehead kiss."
Back home, Meera froze.
Sam casually kissed their daughter's forehead—
then placed a soft kiss on Meera's forehead as well.
"T-you…?"
Meera's voice trembled.
Sam answered calmly, just as he always did,
"Can't a husband kiss his wife?"
Meera's face turned red.
Their daughter burst into laughter, teasing her.
That night, Sam stood on the balcony.
Moonlight fell across his face.
"Even if the world turns against us…"
he said softly,
"I won't let anything happen to either of you."
And that night—
Sam made a decision.
Sam finalized the vacation decision the very next morning.
A lake-side villa.
Far away from the city.
Far from noise, politics, and dark guilds.
This was not just a vacation.
This was a preparation phase.
Meera understood that completely, yet she said nothing.
She had learned to walk beside Sam—
without questions,
without pressure.
During the journey, their daughter sat excitedly in the back seat of the car.
Sometimes she asked about the lake,
sometimes about the animals she might see there.
The pendant around her neck glowed softly, as if it, too, was happy.
When they arrived at the villa, an entirely different world unfolded.
Glowing flowers released faint light into the air.
The lake's water was perfectly still, like a mirror.
Occasionally, enchanted animals passed nearby—
fearless, silent, unbothered.
"The world can hear us less here,"
Sam said calmly.
Meera looked at him.
"You chose this place deliberately, didn't you?"
Sam simply nodded.
Training began from the very first day.
In the middle of the field, their daughter stood with her hands extended forward.
A small orb of light magic formed—
like a tiny sun.
"Your gift is unique,"
Sam said calmly.
"Light can heal… and it can destroy as well."
The orb slipped out of control.
Boom.
Glittering sparks exploded through the air.
Sam calmly brushed the sparkles off his clothes.
From the balcony, Meera laughed.
"Your daughter is flashier than you!"
Sam's reply came instantly.
"Flashy is your attitude. This is talent."
Their daughter burst into laughter.
"Papa roasted Mama!"
"AGHHH!"
Meera protested in mock anger.
Mistakes kept happening.
One day, their daughter accidentally blinded a squirrel with light magic.
She screamed in panic.
Sam calmly healed the squirrel.
"Don't be reckless like your father,"
he said seriously.
Meera immediately responded,
"Are you indirectly insulting yourself?"
Sam replied without changing his expression.
"I'm stating a fact."
Another day—
She was supposed to create a light barrier.
The result?
Disco lights.
Rainbow flashes spread across the entire field.
Sam clapped calmly.
"The party has started."
Meera and their daughter laughed so hard they collapsed to the ground.
Months passed.
Their daughter fell.
Then she stood up again.
She learned.
She grew stronger.
Meera watched from the side—
sometimes smiling,
sometimes emotional,
sometimes trying to understand Sam.
Gradually, she realized—
Sam was not strict.
Sam was scared.
Scared that if he slowed down even a little…
the world would take his family away.
In the third month, meditation began.
A glowing circle.
Better control.
Sharper focus.
After three days—
A small spark of fire appeared in their daughter's hand.
Sam clapped.
"Light and Fire."
"You're gentle like your mother…"
"…and a little dangerous like me."
Meera froze.
"Fire?! You let her unlock fire?!"
Sam gave a savage smile.
"What? Did you think I burned myself?"
Their daughter laughed.
"Papa's savage replies are unstoppable!"
In the fourth month, combination training began.
Light-enhanced fireballs.
Healing flames.
One day, their daughter got excited.
"Mama, look! I'll heal you!"
The result—
White, glowing streaks appeared in Meera's hair.
Sam looked calmly.
"Congratulations. Your mother looks stylish now."
"SAM!!"
Meera's face turned red.
Their daughter collapsed laughing.
Fifth month—
Real combat training.
Sam became her opponent.
Sometimes illusions.
Sometimes lightning.
Sometimes phoenix fire.
In one sparring session, their daughter created a light barrier with perfect timing.
The phoenix fire stopped—
for exactly one second.
A rare smile appeared on Sam's lips.
"Good."
"You managed to stop me for one second."
Meera clapped and shouted.
"Yayyy! First point against Papa!"
Sam replied calmly.
"One second counts as one point. The rest of the match is still mine."
"Papa, you cheat!"
their daughter complained.
Sam didn't reply.
He only smiled.
The sixth month was the most intense.
Fear control.
Emotional channeling.
Light–fire fusion.
The first glimpse of the Dragon of Radiance.
One night after training, by the fireplace—
Their daughter slept on Sam's shoulder.
The pendant glowed softly.
Meera spoke quietly.
"Sam… I've never seen you this happy."
"Maybe your real strength isn't your calmness…"
"…maybe it's your family."
Sam looked at her.
"My calmness is my strength,"
he said softly.
"And you two are my reason."
Meera reached out and held his hand.
The final day.
Sunset.
Sam stood before his daughter.
"Training is complete,"
he said calmly.
"You're far ahead of normal children now."
"But remember—"
"strength does not mean hurting others."
"Strength means protecting."
Their daughter hugged them both.
"I promise."
Tears filled Meera's eyes.
The lake glowed.
Shooting stars crossed the sky.
And Sam—
stood quietly…
keeping watch.