Chapter 99: — Returning Home.

Kael sat up, the lingering warmth of Emily’s lap fading as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

He felt groggy, his core still aching with the ghost of the depletion he’d put it through. Seeing the soft, almost tender smile on his grandmother’s face, he felt a twinge of embarrassment.

“Sorry, Grandma,” he mumbled, ducking his head. “I didn’t know what happened to me. I just felt dizzy, and then—I don’t know, I was out.”

Emily didn’t scold him. Instead, she reached out, her hand lingering on his cheek with a touch that was both maternal and grounding.

“The first rule of the mages, child,” she said, her voice soft but carrying an edge of iron.

“Never use up all your mana. You must always keep a reserve for emergencies. A mage without mana is nothing but a sitting duck, waiting for the first blade to find their throat.”

Kael offered a wry, lopsided smile. “I know, Granny. I just… I felt safe here. I wouldn’t pull a stunt like that in a place I didn’t know.”

The smile didn’t reach Emily’s eyes. Her brows knit together, and the hand on his cheek tightened just enough to be firm, pulling his gaze up to meet her icy, experienced stare.

“Kael, it seems you didn’t understand me at all,” she said, her tone dropping into a cold, lecture-like cadence.

“Let me be clear so it sticks: I said never exhaust your core. Not once, not ever. It takes less than a few seconds for a ‘safe’ place to transform into a death trap. If you are ever too tired to lift a shield or cast a bolt of water, you are a corpse in the making.”

Kael felt a chill run down his spine. She wasn’t just teaching him magic; she was teaching him survival.

Looking at her, he realized he was seeing the shadow of the woman who had survived the frontlines of the great wars—a perspective his own experiences couldn’t possibly match.

He straightened his back and nodded, his expression turning serious.

“I understand,” he said, his voice firm. “It won’t happen again.”

Emily’s stern expression broke, and she let out a short, satisfied breath.

She pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around him in a tight, affectionate hug that smelled of jasmine and ancient power.

She kissed his lips, her touch possessive and protective.

“Good. You have a talent that could change the world, Kael, but talent is worthless if you’re dead,” she whispered, her voice dropping to a vulnerable, intimate hum.

“I’ve lost too many people to the cruelty of this world. I won’t lose you to your own carelessness.”

She held him for a moment longer than necessary, her thumb tracing a gentle, soothing line down his spine.

It was a gesture of profound love, but there was a suffocating intensity to it—the love of a woman who was determined to shape him, protect him, and perhaps, eventually, own his potential entirely.

Emily watched Kael bob his head in quick succession, his eager compliance bringing a rare, genuine crinkle to the corners of her eyes.

She leaned back, crossing her arms beneath her chest, her expression shifting into a test.

“But, there is one exception to my rule, Kael. Do you think you’re smart enough to tell me what it is?”

Kael didn’t even have to think twice; the logic was as clear as the water she commanded.

“That’s easy, Grandma,” he replied firmly.

“When I’m already in a life-or-death situation. There’s no point in hoarding mana to ‘save’ it if I’m going to end up dead before I ever get the chance to use it.”

Emily’s laugh was bright and melodic, echoing against the stone walls of the courtyard.

It was the laugh of a mentor who had finally found a student capable of grasping the brutal realities of their craft. “Haha! Good lad.”

The afternoon sun was beginning to dip, casting long, golden shadows across the garden and illuminating the tree he had grown.

“The light is fading,” she said, her voice dropping into a softer, more domestic register.

“It’s late, and you’ve pushed your core to its absolute limit today. If you’re hungry, there is food inside. Otherwise, you are free to head home for the day.”

“We meet here again tomorrow at dawn,” she added without looking back, her voice firm once more. “Don’t be late, Kael. We have much more to cover than just growing trees.”

Kael stood for a moment, watching her. She was his grandmother and his master—and as he turned to leave, he felt a thrilling, terrifying certainty that his life would never be the same again.

The sky was bleeding into shades of purple and orange by the time Kael stepped through his front door.

The house was quiet, and the first thing that caught his eye was his mother, Amber.

She was bent over in the middle of the floor, scrubbing at a stubborn stain, her house dress hiked up just enough to leave her wide, heavy ass completely exposed to the room.

Kael didn’t say a word. He moved across the floor like a shadow, his pulse spiking as he reached out and grabbed both her firm, round cheeks.

He squeezed them hard, kneading the soft flesh, and immediately jammed his already throbbing cock right into the damp crease of her crack.

Amber jumped, letting out a sharp, startled yelp as she spun around, her face flushing deep red. But the moment she saw it was Kael, her shoulders slumped and she let out a long, weary sigh.

“Kael! You should tell me when you’re home instead of sneaking up on me like that,” she scolded, though her eyes were soft.

Kael didn’t back off. He just leaned into her, grinding his pelvis forward and dry humping her ass with rhythmic, heavy thrusts.

“I am telling you now, aren’t I, Mom?” he said, letting out a wicked, satisfied laugh as he felt her heat against his pants.

Amber’s expression melted. Seeing him in such a high, aggressive mood made her own body react.

She didn’t push him away; instead, she just shook her head and turned back to her chores, leaving her ass wide open for him to keep playing with while she worked.

Kael stood there, his cock throbbing, but he didn’t go any further. He held back.

He’d decided to pull the leash on their usual fucking sessions—he didn’t want to exhaust himself completely.

Besides, the brutal, bone-deep fatigue from Emily’s training was starting to pull at his eyelids.

He didn’t bother with dinner. He told Amber he was skipping it, his voice raspy with exhaustion.

He stumbled straight into his room, stripped off his damp clothes, and collapsed onto his bed.

The moment his head hit the pillow, he was out, sleeping like a dead man.

•

[Mommy is cleaning the house]