Chapter 103: Pick Up

The Overseer was already preparing to take his leave.

​After all, the core matter had been settled. The Astral Dominion had officially gained a Blessed Lord, that Blessed had agreed to stay rooted within the Dominion, and although the financial price tag attached to the deal had nearly made Louis question several of his major life choices, the outcome was still undeniably worth celebrating.

​Slowly, the old man rose from his seat, straightening the subtle folds of his simple robes. "Since there is nothing left to discuss," he said, offering a dignified nod, "I shall take my leave."

​Before he could take a single step toward the doorway—

​"It seems you’re forgetting something," a gentle voice chimed in.

​Louis paused.

​Cassian paused.

​Both men turned slowly toward Seraphina.

​"Forgetting something?" Louis asked, a faint hint of confusion breaking his composed posture.

​"Yes." Seraphina nodded with utter seriousness. "You’re supposed to pick up Ruby from school."

​The living room fell into a dead, suffocating silence.

​The supreme Overseer of an entire interplanetary civilization stared blankly at the middle-aged woman standing before him.

​"..."

​"..."

​Unfortunately, Seraphina wasn’t finished.

​"I’ve already called and informed the school administration," she added with a warm, maternal smile.

​Louis felt an immediate spike of danger, the kind of existential dread no cosmic battlefield had ever managed to give him.

​"And I sent them your photo beforehand for identity verification."

​The feeling of impending doom intensified.

​"You should also collect her complete weekly curriculum while you’re there," Seraphina continued casually, listing off tasks as if reciting a grocery list. "That way, you can properly align her private tutoring sessions with the school’s active teaching schedule."

​Louis opened his mouth to protest, but not a single sound came out.

​"And please remember to incorporate other foundational subjects," she pointed a gentle finger toward him. "Not just history."

​The old man felt as though his soul were physically trying to vacate his body. He wasn’t even sure how his life had devolved to this point in a matter of minutes.

​One moment, he had been negotiating the grand future of an entire galaxy-spanning Dominion. Now, he was being given explicit instructions regarding primary school lesson plans.

​"Oh." Seraphina suddenly snapped her fingers, her eyes brightening. "Before I forget!"

​Reaching into her apron pocket, she pulled out a small slip of paper and handed it over to the frozen Tier V Ascendant Lord. "The school address."

​Louis stared at the slip of paper. Then at her. Then back at the paper.

​His brilliant, centuries-tested mind had gone completely, utterly blank.

​Seraphina smiled warmly. "Try to have her back home before three o’clock."

​Before the Overseer could process her words, a gentle hand pressed against his shoulder, followed by a firm, effortless push. The ruler of the Astral Dominion stumbled forward, guided smoothly through the apartment’s entrance.

​The front door shut behind him.

​Click.

​A split second later, the door creaked open once more.

​Seraphina leaned out, her head popping around the frame with a stern look. "And don’t buy her too many sweets on the way home!"

​Click.

​The door locked tight.

​Silence.

​Louis stood frozen on the carpeted floor of the apartment corridor, holding a piece of paper in one hand and the school’s precise address in the other.

​A gentle draft drifted through the hallway.

​For several long seconds, the old man simply stood there, motionless as a stone statue, while his mind desperately replayed the absurd sequence of events that had transpired over the last hour.

​The negotiation. The Divine Blessed. The future of the Astral Dominion. The tutoring arrangement. The primary school pickup. The weekly curriculum. The prohibition on sweets.

​"..."

​Louis slowly looked down at the address in his hand. Then up at the ceiling. Then back down at the paper.

​"What the hell just happened?"

​A Tier V Ascendant Lord.

​The supreme Overseer of the Astral Dominion.

​A hardened veteran of galactic wars and a legendary negotiator of interstellar treaties...

​Had been completely, utterly outmatched.

​And somehow, the entity responsible for breaking his spirit wasn’t a Cosmic Monarch, a rival empire, or an ancient monster from the deep cosmos.

​It was a mother.

....

Seraphina stepped back into the living room, a deeply satisfied look gracing her features.

​For some reason, seeing the supreme Overseer of the Astral Dominion leave with explicit instructions to pick up Ruby from school had improved her mood considerably.

​Unfortunately for her, the moment she turned around, she met Cassian’s unblinking gaze.

​The smile on her face faltered slightly.

​Releasing a soft sigh, Seraphina gestured toward the coffee table. "Why don’t you help me clear this area?"

​Cassian remained silent. He simply stood up and began gathering the empty cups and snack plates.

​Neither of them spoke a word as they worked side by side. The atmosphere in the apartment was oddly quiet, almost suffocatingly calm.

​Several minutes later, the coffee table was wiped down and everything had been returned to its proper place in the kitchen.

​Seraphina leaned back against the kitchen counter, crossing her arms as her clear blue eyes settled on Cassian.

​Cassian stared back, refusing to look away.

​A long, heavy silence stretched between mother and son.

​Finally, Seraphina broke it, her voice quiet. "Aren’t you going to ask me anything?"

​Cassian didn’t hesitate. "What are you?"

​The question left his mouth with blunt, razor-sharp precision before he could even stop himself.

​The room went dead silent.

​Seraphina froze.

​For a brief, fleeting fraction of a second, something subtle flickered across her face: a faint, almost imperceptible trace of raw sadness.

​Then she offered a small, quiet smile, one that somehow hurt far more than if she had exploded in anger.

​"That is a rather sad question to hear from your own son," she murmured softly.

​Cassian felt a sudden, sharp pang of guilt coil in his chest. Yet, despite the sting, he didn’t retract his words, not after everything he had witnessed today.

​Not after seeing her casually subdue an Ascendant Lord. Not after feeling an immense, terrifying aura from her that far surpassed anything he remembered from his previous life. ℯℯ𝑙.

​Seraphina didn’t seem offended by his confrontation, only quietly disappointed.

​Slowly, she walked past him, her gentle footsteps carrying her toward the quiet corner of the living room.

​There stood the family altar, a small, unassuming celestial altar resting quietly against the wall. It was the exact same shrine Cassian had grown up seeing his entire life, the same shrine Ruby frequently placed fresh flowers before, and the same shrine he had never once given a second thought.

​Seraphina stopped right in front of it. Her slender fingers reached out, lightly brushing against its smooth, polished surface.

​For a long moment, she simply stood there, gazing down at the faint, shimmering reflection looking back at her.

​The living room fell into an absolute, solemn quiet, a silence that felt impossibly heavy.

​"If you truly wish to know..." Her voice was softer than he had ever heard it before. "...I will tell you."

​Cassian remained completely still.

​His heartbeat quickened against his ribs. For reasons he couldn’t quite articulate, a sudden wave of genuine nervousness washed over him, as though whatever answer she gave would permanently alter something fundamental between them.

​Seraphina continued staring at the altar, her reflection shimmering faintly across its dark surface.

​Then, she turned slightly to face him. A gentle, faint smile touched her lips, yet her blue eyes carried a fragile trace of vulnerability he had never seen in her before.

​"But I hope..." She paused, the words seeming exceptionally difficult for her to voice. "...that after hearing it, you will still see me the same way."