“Twenty seconds have passed,” Doma smiled, speaking from inside Arad’s chest, “Join in, Aella!”

PEW! PEW! PEW! Three arrows flashed toward Arad’s head, approaching his skull at a tremendous speed.

CRACK! Arad’s back bent backward, whipping his head down away from the arrows. The spell above his head disappeared as his eyes glared at Aella.

“It isn’t uncommon to face multiple people. And the goal is pushing you to the limit, and Lydia isn’t enough.” Doma laughed her lungs out as the arrows that missed Arad turned back and flew at him, “Aella’s arrows will chase their target till they hit!”

BAM! Arad hit the ground with his left leg, spinning mid-air, avoiding the arrows.

CRACK! Lydia jumped behind him, swinging her sword at his head. Arad’s red eyes and yellow eyes focused on Lydia while his void eyes chased the arrows. It was like tracking multiple dots on a single screen from him.

^Dodge!^

^Arrow from below^

^Arrow from behind^

^The last arrows disappeared behind the trees^

^Lydia should swing her sword in the next second^

^It’s a feint. The attacks come a moment after^

^It’s a smite. I have to dodge and avoid the arrows at the same time^

^The pain from Doma’s decay curse is getting worse. I shouldn’t put my weight on my left knee since it hurts the most^

^I have to start conjuring the fireball again^

^I don’t know how much time I have left^

^Is there a way to stop Doma from interfering^

^Will she call someone else^

^How much stamina do I have left^

^I’m thinking a lot. I need to calm^

^Weren’t we talking about the void^

In the blink of an eye, a hundred thoughts raced across Arad’s brain as time itself seemed to slow. ^I need to breathe,^

**** 𝘦𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝑙.

“He’s a genius. He’s getting a hold over it rapidly,” Doma growled, biting her nails.

“He’s my son, after all,” Mom stared at her, “Don’t underestimate void dragons,”

Doma glared back at her, “You understand nothing. No one does.” She growled, “Being a genius isn’t a blessing or something to celebrate. It’s a curse to be hated.”

“You aren’t making any sense,” Mom sighed.

“Of course, you won’t understand the struggle of the genius.” Doma stood, glaring at Mom. “You start off pretty well, happy-go-lucky. Your talent alone is enough to put you ahead of everyone else,” She lifted her hands, grunting.

“You start relying on it. It never lets you down.” She growled, “But after just a few years, your peers who struggled and built up experience and skill start having an easier time all white you struggle due to the lack of foundation.”

Mom glared back at Doma. Her rage wasn’t coming out of nowhere.

“The people who called you a genius start calling you a failure, blaming you for it. White it was them, the bastards who deceived and led you astray with honied words.”

CREEK! Doma’s eyes turned toward Mom, “You aren’t leading him astray.” She started walking toward her, her hair crackling with magic, “If I found you hindering his growth, I will rip you apart from his soul,”

Mom felt her bond with Arad weaken. The magic bounding her to him was a type of curse, and Doma could easily break it.

“HA!” Doma sighed, turning around to look at Arad.

“You were treated like that?” Mom stared at Doma.

“Kinda. I wasted several years of my life and failed to meet people’s expectations. Some of them died because of it.” Doma looked back at him, “It’s true that he’s a genius, but he needs to understand and muster his powers.”

With a finger flick, she conjured a chair and sat. “His stomach for example, that a convenient ability due to him being a void dragon.”

“All void dragons have it by nature. There won’t be a moment he lacks access to it.” Mom replied.

Doma sighed, “I should really cut your tail off,” She flicked her finger and conjured an image.

“Dragon shackles. Those are used to seal dragons’ powers.” She looked at Mom with a disappointed face. “What if he was chained and all his weapons are stored in his stomach? He’s dead. If they knew he’s a vampire and were prepared, he is screwed.” She deleted the image.

“What I’m saying is that he needs to learn some actual magic and skills that don’t rely on his innate talents for backup.”

“You’re right, but I already stated that to him,” Mom growled.

“That it wasn’t enough,” Doma stared at her, “Let’s take his void step and stomach for example. Those two allow him to store and teleport but are tied to his draconic powers. I suggest he start studying teleport magic and storage magic and also keep some items that can achieve that effect on him at all times.”

“Isn’t that going a bit overboard?”

“No it isn’t. Without efforts, he has no chance reaching s-ranks, let alone world powers. Do you think the people standing on top got there with talent alone? They are the ones who dug their way with blood, sweat, and tears. Their talent and genius only make a small fragment of their power.” Doma glared at Mom with a pink flare in her eyes.

“We double, triple, and quadruple down on talent and effort. Until the moment we die, that is the curse of the genius.”

Mom stared at her, and then back at Arad dodging Aella and Lydia, “Do your best, get stronger,”

Doma lifted her hand, “Time is almost up. Isdis join them,” She said, and Isdis joined the fight.

Thud! Doma sat down, “Well, I don’t mean he shouldn’t work on his void and natural talent. I’m only saying he shouldn’t rely on them. I will start teaching him what I know about the void when he understands its fundamentals and get some basic skills down.” she looked at Mom, “Like how to use his brain and body. Can you explain to me why I’m teaching you child how to speak and walk?”

“He can learn on his own,” Mom replied, looking away.

“No! They learn by mimicking their parents. You just aren’t strict and harsh enough,” Doma sighed.

“You sigh a lot,” Mom replied.

“Don’t get me started on how the first thing you thought after him hatching was sending him to get a woman,” Doma pointed at Mom, “Why do I smell him on that elf? He should be two months old, isn’t he?” She growled, scratching her head, “You should have got him to train and grind his stages and strength for at least a decade before going out for women,”

“It’s important for the void dragons…”

“No, it isn’t,” Doma looked at Mom, “Your kind live for at least ten thousand years, a decade to you is like a week to humans.”

The two remained silent for a second, “We should stop this topic.” Mom sighed.

“You’re right.” Doma looked aside, “I shouldn’t be fighting with my mother-in-law on the second day. Sorry about the rant,”

“Don’t worry about it. You want the best for Arad. I can see it,”

The two sat beside each other, watching Arad run for his life from the girls.