Dimensional Descent

Finally, there was Franco. He looked toward Leonel with anticipation, hoping that his outcome would be as great as everyone else's.

His ability was quite simple, it was a pure physical boost. However, it wasn't as simple as the most common increases to strength, speed or the like. Rather, it was a holistic upgrade in everything from his senses to his speed to his reaction time.

Franco would probably benefit the most from comprehending all encompassing Universal Force, but Leonel understood that such a thing couldn't be expected. There would be very few people like him and Arnold. He had to be careful with setting the bar too high or else Franco would be the one to suffer most should he fail.

Rather than doing this, Leonel tailored Franco's future path to what he loved.

Franco seemed to think that the broad sword was the coolest weapon that there was, so Leonel allowed him to continue along that path. At the same time, he incorporated a mandatory daily routine for flexibility.

"Cap… You don't really want me to do this… Right?"

Leonel grinned. "What's the matter?"

"I would rather die!"

"Oh come on, it's just a little stretching."

"A little stretching in preparation for what?!" Franco was almost speechless. "I don't swing that way even for you, Cap!"

Leonel's lip twitched. He was just trying to help, how did this become a question of his sexuality. Franco really had an overactive imagination.

"Stop complaining so much, if you want to maximize your ability, your limbs need to be limber. If they aren't, you'll only be impeding yourself. Also, be sure to only perform the stretches after weight training. If you do it before, you'll affect your performance and increase chances of injury. If you do it after, you'll be able to loosen up tightened muscles and promote more healthy growth."

"Aggghhh! Why couldn't I get a cool routine like everyone else!"

"What did Cap ask you to do?" Milan asked curiously.

"Fuck you! I'm taking this to the grave!"

Light laughter filled the table as the nine of them talked and chatted. Finally, Leonel felt that it was about time he left.

"… I'm going to give each of you two treasures that suit you. But, you have to remember to only use the more valuable of the two if you're in a life or death situation. Don't go around showing off unless you all want to be buried before your time.

"I'm not entirely sure how long I'll be gone… But I don't think it will take much time. The person who gave me the map didn't specify too much, so I assume that since I can read it, I'm strong enough…"

Leonel casually explained some things before he began to Craft. It was clear he had no idea the level of commotion he was about to cause, nor the kind of sparks he was about to light ablaze.

**

Days later, Leonel found himself on the same small ship he had left behind on a deserted planet. He sat in silence for a long while, seemingly organizing his thoughts. His heartbeat was steady, his blood flowed smoothly, and his breathing had a calming cadence to it.

The items that Aina had left behind sat on his lap without making a single sound. He had already checked, but there was no final message, no apology, and not even an enraged rant about how terrible of a boyfriend he was.

Even if one pried Leonel open to the point of being able to read his mind, one would never guess that he was going through a breakup. Maybe even Leonel's own Dream Simulation wouldn't be able to pick up on this at all.

'I wonder how long dad has been away from mom… At least 18 years, right? Did they talk in that time? Did they miss each other? Why did they separate at all? Was there a good reason? Or was the reason as terrible as this one?'

Leonel wondered… His dad had left him without even a word of goodbye. Well, if his holographic messages were excluded, anyway. Could that be because he was so excited to reunite with his wife? Or was there another reason?

Now that Leonel thought about it, he wasn't even certain that his parents were still together. For all he knew, they were divorced.

'It would be nice if you were here, old man. You really know how to disappear at the worst of times.'

Leonel didn't even bother to try and speak to the dictionary. Although it had his father's voice, it sounded too synthetic. It would piss him off more than it would help him.

Before him sat a split path between Duty and Love. Somehow, Leonel almost knew that this same split road was what had separated his parents for so long. It was a cruel choice, indeed.

Leonel leaned his back into his chair and closed his eyes. Deep, rhythmic breathing filled the quiet ship.

Like this, a lone young man sat upon a desolate planet, being the only living soul within dozens of light years.

**

Within the depths of space, a small ship tore through the Fabric of Reality. It rattled and shook, but eventually pierced its way through. And what it saw on the other side was nothing short of maybe the most spectacular scene the three women on board have ever witnessed.

There wasn't just a single planet ahead. Rather, there were three. They slowly rotated around one another as though they were each others' moons while simultaneously having numerous smaller true moons hovering around them.

One planet was covered in deep violet oceans and had light lavender clouds to match. Its continents were endless expanses of silver that twinkled even in the night.

The second planet looked like a golden marble matched with swirls of the whitest white. The clouds formed gorgeous patterns across its body, making it look like a delicately sculpted pastry or a beautiful piece of abstract art.

The last planet was covered in mountains so tall that they protruded like horns out from its surface, through its clouds and past even its atmosphere. These monumentous mountains stood proudly as the lush blue oceans and delicate white clouds circled its feet.

Each one of these planets had a unique character to it that could shake one to their core. And this was the first sight these three women saw the moment they stepped into the Sixth Dimension.

Aina gazed out of the window, her red eyes having receded and her expression having become more neutral.

How long had it been…? How long had it been since she saw her father?