Chapter 5 — Silent Preparations
The days that followed passed quietly.
Too quietly.
To most people in the city, nothing unusual happened. Hunters continued entering portals, merchants traded monster materials in the markets, and the distant black tower continued standing like an ancient silent god watching over everything.
But inside the Dev residence, small changes began happening.
Changes so subtle that no one noticed their true meaning.
Except Aarav.
Year One
Aarav stood in the courtyard watching his siblings train.
Kavya swung her sword repeatedly while Arjun punched a wooden pillar.
Devendra occasionally corrected their movements.
From the outside, it looked like ordinary family training.
But Aarav's eyes saw something very different.
Every time Devendra corrected Kavya's posture, Aarav would casually say things like:
"Her left foot should be slightly more forward."
Or,
"If the sword arc is a little wider, the force will increase."
At first Devendra ignored those comments.
But after testing them…
He realized something strange.
They worked.
Not just worked.
They worked extremely well.
One afternoon Devendra finally asked,
"Aarav."
"Yes?"
"How exactly do you know these techniques?"
Aarav looked thoughtful.
"I read a lot."
Devendra stared at him.
"You've said that before."
"Yes."
"Your books must be very impressive."
"They are."
Devendra sighed.
Some questions were better left unanswered.
Year Two
Kavya's sword talent began to attract attention.
At the city training academy, instructors whispered about the young girl with perfect instinctive sword control.
They didn't know the real reason.
Every night, after everyone went to sleep, Aarav would secretly adjust her training plan.
He wrote simple notes.
Things like:
Focus on speed instead of strength
Avoid heavy sword techniques until age 14
Practice balance exercises
Kavya thought these notes came from academy teachers.
Aarav never corrected her.
Year Three
Arjun discovered something important.
Food.
Lots of food.
Body cultivation required enormous energy.
Arjun interpreted this information very enthusiastically.
"Mother!"
"Yes?"
"I require ten more dumplings for cultivation!"
Meera laughed.
"Cultivation or appetite?"
"Both."
Aarav supported this strategy.
"Body cultivation does require nutrients."
Devendra stared at him.
"Don't turn my son into a bottomless pit."
Too late.
Arjun was already eating his ninth dumpling.
Year Four
The Dev family reputation began spreading.
People in the city started noticing something unusual.
Commander Dev's children were… monsters.
Not literal monsters.
But extremely talented.
Kavya's sword talent became famous in the academy.
Arjun could break training stones with his fists.
And Devendra himself seemed to be regaining strength he had lost after retiring from tower expeditions.
One evening Devendra approached Aarav.
"You've been helping them."
Aarav looked innocent.
"I give advice sometimes."
Devendra folded his arms.
"Advice that turns ordinary training into advanced cultivation methods."
Aarav shrugged.
"Efficient advice."
Devendra studied him carefully.
Then he said quietly,
"Where did you learn these things?"
Aarav answered honestly.
"Experience."
Devendra raised an eyebrow.
"You're fourteen."
"Yes."
Devendra rubbed his forehead.
"This conversation is giving me a headache."
Year Five
Something else began changing.
The portals.
Hunters reported that portals were becoming more unstable.
New monsters appeared.
Stronger ones.
Some looked nothing like the creatures normally seen on Earth.
One report described monsters with crystalline wings.
Another described warriors wearing ancient armor that resembled humans.
Aarav read every report carefully.
His suspicion grew stronger.
These portals were not random.
They were opening pathways between different worlds.
Worlds he might have lived in before.
Year Six
Kavya defeated several older students in the academy sword competition.
When she returned home, she waved the trophy proudly.
"I'm the champion!"
Arjun immediately protested.
"That's because I didn't compete!"
"You're not a sword user!"
"I could punch them!"
"That's cheating!"
Aarav watched them argue calmly.
Devendra leaned toward him and whispered,
"You planned this."
Aarav tilted his head.
"Planned what?"
"My children becoming monsters."
Aarav smiled faintly.
"They worked hard."
Devendra looked toward the sky.
"You're a strange child."
Aarav didn't disagree.
Year Seven
The tower alarms sounded for the first time in decades.
Deep rumbling echoes spread across the city.
Hunters rushed toward the tower entrance.
Devendra frowned.
"That shouldn't happen."
Aarav asked,
"What does it mean?"
Devendra's voice was serious.
"A floor break."
Sometimes monsters inside a tower escaped before hunters cleared the floor.
When that happened…
Entire cities could be destroyed.
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
Memories surfaced.
In his third life, a tower collapse had wiped out half a kingdom.
This was not something to take lightly.
Year Eight
Training intensified.
Devendra personally began preparing Kavya and Arjun for real combat.
Sword techniques.
Body strengthening.
Combat awareness.
Aarav quietly added small adjustments.
Nothing obvious.
Just enough to accelerate their growth.
By now the Dev family had become one of the most promising rising clans in the city.
People often asked Devendra the same question.
"How did your children become so talented?"
Devendra always answered the same way.
"Good training."
He didn't mention the quiet boy sitting under the tree in the courtyard.
Year Nine
The portals grew worse.
More monsters appeared.
Hunters started disappearing during expeditions.
One night Devendra returned home late.
His armor was damaged.
"What happened?" Meera asked.
Devendra sat down heavily.
"Something new came through the portal."
"What kind of monster?"
Devendra hesitated.
"It looked… human."
The room became silent.
Aarav's expression didn't change.
But inside his mind, alarms were ringing.
A humanoid invader meant one thing.
Another civilization had begun entering this world.
Just like the disasters that ended several of his previous lives.
Year Ten
Aarav stood alone on the roof of the house.
He was now twenty years old.
Below him, the Dev family courtyard glowed with lantern light.
Kavya practiced sword techniques.
Arjun lifted heavy stones.
Devendra watched proudly.
Meera prepared healing herbs.
They had grown stronger.
Much stronger.
Exactly as Aarav planned.
But something inside him felt uneasy.
The portals were increasing.
The towers were becoming unstable.
And somewhere in the distance…
He could feel something approaching.
A storm.
A disaster.
One that would soon change everything.
Aarav looked toward the massive tower outside the city.
Then he spoke quietly to the night sky.
"I've prepared as much as I can."
"If fate wants to test this world…"
His eyes became calm.
"…then it will have to go through my family first."
But deep inside his heart, he knew something else.
No matter how strong the Dev family became…
The disaster coming from the tower might still be too powerful.
And when that moment arrived…
Aarav Dev would make one final decision.
Even if it cost him his life.