That evening…
Dom sat on the small wooden porch behind his house, a thick book resting open across his lap while frustration twisted across his young face. The fading orange light of sunset painted the quiet backyard in warm colors, but he barely noticed.
His eyes remained glued to the same pages he'd reread nearly twenty times already.
"Hey," Pops called as the back door creaked shut behind him. "Did that blast mess with your ears, too? I said dinner's ready."
Dom didn't answer immeiately.
Pops stepped onto the porch, stopping when he noticed the intense concentration on the boy's face.
"Still haven't figured it out?" He asked.
Dom sighed loudly and collapsed backward against the wooden floorboards, staring up at the darkening sky.
Anthony's words replayed endlessly in his head.
"The strongest abilities aren't always the flashiest… You just have to master what's already inside you."
Pops lowered himself beside him with an old man's groan.
"Well," He muttered casually, "I think he was just bullshitting you,"
Dom immediately punched his arm.
A soft chuckle escaped Pops as he reached over and picked up the book from Dom's lap.
"You'll figure it out," He said reassuringly. "Don't stress yourself stupid over it."
Dom let out another sigh. "I hope so."
Silence settled comfortably between them.
The evening wind drifted through the trees while locusts chirped somewhere in the distance. Nearby, the vegetable garden swayed softly beneath the breeze as Pops absentmindedly flipped through the pages of the book.
Eventually, his eyes narrowed slightly at the cover.
"Wait…" He frowned. "Isn't this the one you keep sneaking out to read?"
Dom stiffened slightly. "… Maybe?"
Pops slowly looked at him, his maroon-tinted eyes glowing threateningly.
"Kid…" He warned. "If you stole this shit, I'll knock the fuc—"
"Chill!" Dom shot upright with raised hands. "That bald shopkeeper guy felt bad because of what happened and gave it to me for free. I also got some other cool stuff, see?" He quickly pulled a strange toy from his pocket.
Pops blinked once, then raised a brow. "You know that bald guy has a name, right?" He said.
Dom stared at him expectantly.
Pops paused… then scoffed. "Yeah. I don't know it either."
Dom burst out laughing.
Pops grinned while examining the strange toy. He pressed something accidentally, causing the object to emit a bizarre squealing noise.
"The hell is this thing?" He asked, visibly confused.
Dom shrugged, just as confused.
Pops shook the toy suspiciously before setting it down beside him.
"I still can't believe you're acting this normal after everything." He admitted. "I'd probably shit myself if I were in your shoes,"
Dom's face squeezed with disgust. "Ew. Gross."
Pops snorted.
Then his expression softened slightly as he looked at Dom.
"You're stronger than you think, kid." He said quietly. "Don't ever forget that."
Dom smiled proudly.
Then suddenly--
His eyes widened.
"Wait…"
Pop raised a brow.
Then, without warning, Dom snatched the book back and began flipping through the pages at a frantic speed.
"What now?" Pops asked cautiously.
"I think…" Dom muttered while scanning page after page. "…I think I figured it out."
The pages finally stopped, and Dom's eyes locked onto a specific section.
Then Dom lunged forward, tossing the book aside.
Pops picked it up and stared at the same page Dom had stopped on.
The section dedicated to the legendary leader of the Monarchs…
Ethan Maximus… The man widely known as the Mage Emperor.
Even in the faded illustration, the man looked monstrous--towering white armor, a massive frame, and a helmet that concealed every trace of his true identity.
Meanwhile, Dom suddenly dropped to one knee in the small garden ahead with his right fist above his head.
A faint blue aura spiraled around his clenched fist, humming with raw energy.
Pops immediately stiffened. "Hey. What are you doing?" He demanded, his voice tight with alarm.
But Dom didn't answer.
His white brows tightened in concentration while mana surged violently through his arm. The air around him shimmered and hissed faintly as tiny sparks danced across his skin.
His fist trembled, the pressure intensified as he funneled every ounce of mana into those knuckles.
Then--
He punched the ground.
The dirt beneath him exploded with a deafening roar while jagged fragments of rock blasted through the air like shrapnel. Cracks ripped violently across the floorboards and spread through the porch like lightning bolts, one massive fissure carving dangerously close toward the outer wall of the house.
Dust rained from the roof.
The ground trembled.
Windows rattled, and the sharp barks of dogs echoed across the entire town.
Immediately, neighbors screamed from nearby homes.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"
"AN EARTHQUAKE?!"
"A BOMB! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
"MUMMY!"
Pops stumbled backward, heart pounding and eyes wide at the boy at the very epicenter of the destruction. "Holy… fuck," He breathed.
For a moment, Dom remained frozen in place, chest rising heavily.
Then slowly…
He lifted his fist.
The blue aura surrounding it dissolved into tiny sparks that floated harmlessly into the night air. His knuckles remained flawless-- completely untouched, unscathed, yet beneath him lay a deep crater spiderwebbed with cracks.
Raw proof of the force had just been unleashed.
Shock filled Dom's wide blue eyes.
Then excitement crashed into it.
A grin spread across his face.
"Physical Enhancement," Dom whispered, his voice trembling as he turned toward Pops. "That's my affinity."
Realization immediately struck Pops.
"You're right," He muttered, glancing at the discarded book nearby. "Ethan was such a monster that people forgot that his actual affinity was simple physical enhancement."
He then rubbed his forehead in disbelief.
"No wonder you always broke the toys I built for you as a baby. Why didn't I think of that?"
Dom laughed excitedly before abruptly pausing, his expression slowly paling.
"... Thank God I've never used this while angry before," He muttered nervously. "I could've actually killed somebody."
"Forget somebody," Pops snorted. "With a punch like that, you might accidentally erase a building."
Dom stared at the crater again.
Then smirked.
"... That's actually kinda cool."
Pops laughed before shaking his head as he sat back on the cracked porch. "Well…" He said, "…either way, looks like you've cleared the first step."
Dom's grin widened again, but curiosity replaced it once he recalled the riddle. "It's like Tony already knew about my power. How?"
Pops picked up the book again, gaze lingering on the sketch of Ethan.
Even after all these years, the legendary Emperor, unlike the other Monarchs, remained completely hidden in every historical depiction. No confirmed face. No confirmed origins. Just myths, victories, and fear.
"No idea," Pops admitted eventually, eyes narrowly suspicious as he recalled Antony's confident words. "But Anthony's a veteran. Maybe he's seen someone like you before."
"I guess," Dom mumbled, staring at his fist.
Then Pops stared at him thoughtfully.
"...You do realize how insane this is, right?" He asked.
Dom blinked, lowering his fist slowly.
"You want to surpass the Emperor…" Pops continued slowly. "… and somehow you awakened the same affinity."
He shook his head in disbelief.
"It's like the universe itself is backing you up."
"Really?" Dom asked hopefully.
"Yeah," Pops replied with a small smile, then stroked his beard thoughtfully. "And now that I know your affinity…"
His smile sharpened.
"... I can finally start a training routine until you're old enough for the academy."
Dom froze.
Then his eyes exploded with excitement.
"You… you'll train me?" He asked.
"It'll be tricky," Pops admitted. "Between school, the restaurant, and making sure you don't destroy my house…"
His eyes drifted toward the crater.
"...again."
Dom rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
Pops sighed heavily, then turned his smile back toward Dom. "But we'll make it work."
"YES!" Dom cheered, both fists raised.
Then he suddenly paused.
"...Wait." His excitement faltered slightly. "I thought you didn't want me joining the army."
Pops' expression softened.
"Don't get me wrong," He said quietly. "If it were up to me, I'd keep you as far away from fighting as possible."
He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it silently.
"And I don't think that feeling will ever change."
Dom frowned slightly as Pops inhaled deeply before releasing a slow cloud of smoke into the darkening sky.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Pops finally broke the silence.
"Back when I was still a soldier…" He muttered quietly. "…the war was technically over."
He paused, eyes narrowing.
"But it wasn't peaceful."
Dom frowned, and Pops took another drag before continuing,
"I became a Captain eight years after the War. But the Official Peace Treaty came two years later."
Dom blinked in confusion.
"Why did it take so long?" He asked.
Pops stared silently at the smoke curling upward.
"Because some people refused to let the hatred die."
His voice darkened slightly.
"We've spent over five hundred years slaughtering each other for. Entire bloodlines have come and gone. Clans wiped out. Cities vanished."
His jaw tightened.
"A lot of people couldn't accept the peace that came from fear of the Monarchs instead of victory. Not after all they lost."
Dom lowered his gaze quietly, struggling to grasp it.
"Twenty-five years," Pops continued. "That's how long the remaining rebels fought to break that peace even after the treaty was signed."
He then got up and slowly walked toward the small vegetable garden beside the shed, both luckily spared from Dom's punch.
"My last mission…" He added quietly, his gaze darkened further. "… was to stop one of those rebel groups from assassinating an East-Land diplomat."
His fists clenched.
His body stiffened.
Old memories resurfaced behind his tired eyes. Images he truly tried to forget so many times.
"We were forty-five soldiers when we deployed."
He turned toward Dom, his eyes softened.
"I was the only one who came back."
Dom's eyes widened instantly.
For the first time in his life, Dom saw true vulnerability in Pops. It made him seem small…
Not physically… emotionally.
"Watching my men die…" Pops whispered, looking away. "Brothers I grew up with…who trusted me. Even your f-"
He quickly cut himself off, his cigarette crumpled between his teeth.
"... that shit…" He grumbled. "…fucking broke me."
Dom stayed silent, trying to process this new side of his guardian.
"I left the army because I thought I could move past it." Pops laughed bitterly. "But I never did. No matter how far I ran, the nightmares always caught up. And for a long time…"
His stare lost focus while the crushed cigarette slipped from his lips and sizzled harmlessly into the dirt below.
"I thought I was going to die with that feeling." Pops' words were dark, laced with so much self-hate and guilt that they made Dom's skin crawl.
Silence settled heavily between them.
Then Pops slowly turned back toward Dom.
This time, he smiled.
Sad… but genuine.
"And then I met you."
Dom blinked.
"I never had a plan for a wife or kids," Pops admitted as he walked toward Dom. "Never wanted one either."
He then stopped and gently rubbed Dom's head.
"But… raising you…" His smile softened further. "… was the best thing that ever happened to me."
Dom's cheeks immediately darkened.
"You kept me together, kid. Even though you were mostly a huge pain in my ass."
Dom laughed at the crude comment, but then looked away, his expression now awkward. "But…" He muttered quietly. "… I'm still leaving someday."
Pops nodded slowly, his expression turning somber. "You're heading to the exact place I spent years trying to escape." He stepped back slightly, folding his arms. "So yeah…I'm sure even you understand why that's hard for me."
"Yeah," Dom murmured.
His earlier excitement dimmed as conflict twisted in his chest. Part of him still burned with the dream Anthony had reignited inside him…but another part hated the thought of leaving Pops behind.
"But you're different," Pops said, smacking Dom's shoulder lightly, pulling him from his thoughts.
"You've already faced a real monster," He continued. "Most grown men would've broken after going through that kind of shit."
Dom flinched immediately at the memory of Elon.
The suffocating pressure… the scent of blood… the unbearable helplessness he felt as he watched Matt and his friends being slaughtered right before him.
"...But I couldn't do anything," He muttered bitterly, fists tightening at his sides. "I just…ran."
"Of course you did." Pops flicked his forehead.
Dom yelped softly and grabbed it with a pout.
"There was nothing you could do," Pops said firmly. "You're just a kid, Dom."
As Dom rubbed his forehead irritably, Pops chuckled.
"But… even after seeing all that…" His voice softened slightly, "…you still stood there and declared that you wanted to fight anyway."
He rested a hand atop Dom's head.
"That's something even the bravest soldiers struggle to do."
Dom blinked quietly while Pops smiled faintly.
"You're strong, kid. Stronger than a lot of people…"
His smile weakened just a little.
"... including me."
Warmth spread through Dom's chest at the praise, childish happiness immediately breaking through the heaviness from before.
"That's why," Pops continued as he stepped away again, "… as a coward who ran from battle,"
He paused briefly before smiling to himself.
"I don't really have any right to stop you."
Dom stared at him silently.
"So the least I can do…" Pops pointed directly at him. "…is to make sure you survive long enough to chase that dream properly."
Dom's eyes lit up instantly.
"YES!"
He threw both fists into the air again.
Pops immediately pointed at him warningly.
"Don't get too excited. I might be a coward, but I was still a damn good commander." A dangerous grin stretched across his face. "I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a kid."
"Fine by me," Dom shot back confidently, punching his palm with a grin of his own.
Pops laughed loudly, arms folded. "That's my boy," He commented, then glanced toward the house. "Now come on… dinner's probably freezing by now."
Dom nodded quickly and picked up the book--
Only for Pops to suddenly point toward the massive cracks running across the porch wall.
"First thing tomorrow morning…" He added flatly. "You'd better fill those in. I don't want my house looking like some ancient ruin."
Dom froze, his eyes slowly following the destruction back toward the crater.
"But…" He muttered sheepishly, eyes widened innocently. "…you can fix it faster with your affinity, right, Pops?"
Pops smirked evilly as he turned away. "Consider this your first lesson on the price of power." He scoffed dismissively and walked away. "If I find a single untouched crack, you're doing one hundred straight push-ups."
"Fuck…" Dom groaned dramatically.
Then, with one final exhausted sigh, he followed Pops back inside--
Annoyed about his brand-new chore…
But more excited than ever to begin the journey toward his dream.