Time, as always, marched forward, indifferent to anyone's desires.

Three months after the incident with the Necromancer, Sokram applied for a class promotion from the beginner level at the academy.

At just nine years old, he became the youngest student in Eversnow's history to be admitted to the intermediate class.

A year later, he applied for another promotion, acing the examinations with ease.

By the age of ten, breaking yet another record, Sokram had reached the advanced class.

He knew he would remain in this class for some time, as graduation required awakening, but his cultivation progress wasn't as swift as he had hoped.

Despite his relentless cultivation, Sokram observed a puzzling phenomenon: the merged Vital and Aura Golden Core within his purple Draconic Mana Heart began condensing and compressing rather than expanding.

His Chaos Energy Core followed suit, becoming even denser.

No matter how diligently he cultivated, it appeared to him that his Chaos Energy Core was consuming the golden one, and neither of them advanced toward awakening.

This unexpected stagnation puzzled him, as he had never encountered this obstacle in his previous timeline, mainly because he hadn't used Chaos Energy before awakening.

His days followed a routine: training with Leona, cultivating, sparring with his family, or poring over the books in his spatial artifact or the academy's public library.

The scent of old parchment and the faint hum of mana-infused tomes filled the air as he spent countless hours immersed in study, his mind racing with theories and possibilities.

Aside from cultivation, studying, and training, something good happened involving Miralyn and Hilda.

Sokram, who was ten by the time this occurred, had been closely observing their relationship.

During his late-night study and cultivation sessions, he frequently noticed Miralyn sneaking into Hilda’s room, only for both of them to pretend nothing had happened at breakfast.

Tired of this charade, Sokram decided to give them a mischievous but helpful push.

While joining the breakfast table, he purposefully pushed himself between Hilda and Miralyn. Staring at Miralyn with a serious expression, Sokram slid her a piece of paper with a spell written on it. "Since it looks like this is something permanent, at least use this instead of that lousy sound isolation spell. The walls aren't thin, but Mom's room is too close, and I need to study. Thank you."

Finishing his statement, he went to sit between Hannah and Brunhild, who, alongside Astrid and Margiory, burst out laughing.

Hilda and Miralyn sat there looking lost and completely flustered.

From that point on, their relationship ceased to be a secret.

After his eleventh birthday, Sokram noticed expected changes in his body; he had entered his first growth spurt, and he went from 1.4 to 1.55 meters tall in one year.

His voice began to deepen, and when he looked in the mirror, he started seeing the face he recognized as his own, though it would still take a few more years for him to fully grow into it.

But the real milestone of that year was Sokram's 'discovery' of other types of energy, which, although lesser than Chaos Energy, would have caused an uproar if the big clans around the world discovered that an eleven-year-old boy had cracked their secrets.

War would be the least of his worries.

Still, he didn't do this without reason.

It all started when he declared he wanted to share the knowledge of Chaos Energy with Leona.

Not only Hannah but Margiory and Brunhild shut that down quickly, almost forcing Sokram to make an oath.

But his desire to help his master grow stronger remained.

He couldn't bear the thought of Leona falling behind, especially when he knew the dangers that lay ahead.

Since he didn't want to go behind his family's back, afraid of the chain of events it could provoke, he used his knowledge to recreate the three primary energy fusions:

Titan Force, the mix of Vitha and Aura; Spirit Magic, the mix of Magi and Aura; and finally, Vital Magic, the mix of Magi and Vitha.

These three energy fusions had already been discovered by the bigger clans around the galaxy and even in his small world.

Titan Force and Vital Magic were the foundation of the Elven Empire and Dracony. And Spirit Magic was a secret kept hidden by the Southern Feral Clans.

Ferals had great difficulty when cultivating Magi, mainly due to biological barriers. But Spirit Magic allowed them to surpass that biological limitation.

Still, he wanted his master to have options.

When he presented this to her, Leona, always loyal, rushed to tell Hilda about it.

But it was all according to his plan.

Once Hannah and Brunhild saw Leona's display of loyalty, they felt utterly embarrassed.

Hannah even helped Sokram refine the cultivation techniques he recreated, only to find them working perfectly.

Margiory, however, wanting to protect her grandson, demanded Leona swear an Oath of Secrecy, not just for that but for all secrets she might discover about Sokram in the future.

Leona accepted, and as soon as she finished the oath that Margiory had written herself to avoid any loopholes, Sokram said, "Now that she's under an Oath of Secrecy, there is no issue, right? Master, watch this..."

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Sokram circulated his energy, revealing his Chaos Energy to her, shocking everyone around.

Leona's reaction was very similar to Hilda's back when Sokram first formed his Chaos Energy Core.

The entire room tensed as Sokram and his family explained everything that happened on the day of the galactic message.

Leona was flabbergasted.

Looking at Sokram, she muttered over and over, "It was you... My disciple did that..."

When Leona finally calmed herself.

Looking at Sokram with a complicated gaze, she asked him, "Why would you risk exposing yourself, revealing something like that to me?"

Sokram flashed her a bright smile, meeting her eyes firmly. "Master, to me, you're family. And I trust you with my life fully. How can I think of myself as a filial disciple if I don't do at least this much?"

It was then that Hannah realized it; he had played them masterfully. "You did this on purpose. Since that day when we forbade you to tell her..."

Sokram nodded solemnly, meeting his grandmother's eyes firmly. "Yes, and she proved her loyalty already, has she not? Besides, I never broke my promise." He grinned. "I offered her Spirit Magic and Vital Magic. But it was her loyalty that brought us here. And since she's now under oath, your fears became unjustified."

His family, his master, and even Alain were stunned.

They admired how far he would go to benefit those he loved. Yet they were also wary of his genius, especially if he ever decided to turn to evil.

They didn't even know how to deal with the situation; in the end, his punishment was an increase in physical training and an increased load of house chores.

But they agreed to allow Sokram to teach Leona the Chaos Energy Cultivation Method.

As for her family, Sokram managed to convince them to allow Leona's family to pick from the other three lesser energies as long as they swore an oath of secrecy as well.

From then on, his family stopped underestimating his drive; if he wanted something, they knew he would find a way to get it.

They could only hope he wouldn't lose himself to greed and wickedness.

Two years passed without any other significant events on the surface, but subtle transformations had taken place.

Sokram's growth was perhaps the most striking.

By thirteen, Sokram had grown to a striking 1.7 meters tall, his boyish features replaced by a much more manly visage. His braided hairstyle, shaved on the sides and inspired by his draconic roots, complemented his imposing presence.

He had also grown accustomed to wearing medium-weight armor. A scaled leather black set crafted from a basilisk Miralyn had slain.

This gift from her became like a second skin to him, but it was more of a training tool as Hannah enchanted it, per Leona's request, so the armor would increase its weight as Leona saw fit.

During this period, Sokram's cultivation finally advanced after two and a half years of stagnation.

However, what he had initially perceived as stagnation turned out to be a greater transformation.

His Chaos Energy Core had fused completely with his Vital and Aura Golden Core and fused with his purple Draconic Mana Heart, forming something entirely new.

This evolution, which he recognized as the creation of a Dragon Heart Core, marked another step toward Soul Force cultivation.

Sokram had thought he would need to undergo dangerous biological enhancement procedures through biomancy to achieve this, but instead, it had unfolded naturally.

The fusion not only solved his dilemma but also accelerated his cultivation speed. He could now feel Tier 1 awakening within his grasp. During their training sessions, Leona noticed it too and, while proud of him, couldn't help but worry.

Though Sokram's appearance belied his age, he was still only thirteen.

His family also shared Leona's concerns.

It was clear to them all that Sokram's path would soon take him beyond the city walls, exposing him to the dangers of the wider world.

The consensus was unanimous: he was too young.

Hilda even considered petitioning the City Lord to delay Sokram's mandatory service. But Hannah intervened, arguing that such a move would hinder his growth.

Meanwhile, remarkable progress was being made by others in the family and his master.

Astrid reached the True Existence level, Leona, Hilda, and Moira entered the Reformed Existence Level, while Brunhild and Margiory, surpassing the Reformation boundary, achieved Flawless Existence.

What truly astonished his family was the transformation that occurred with both grandmothers.

It was expected that once they entered the Reformation stage, they would rejuvenate.

Yet, with both being older than seventy, they believed they would at most rejuvenate to the appearance they had around their forties.

But Sokram knew differently; the speed of advancement enhanced the rejuvenation effects received during that stage.

Sokram delighted himself watching their reactions, losing count of how many times he caught them admiring themselves in front of a mirror while it happened. And with how fast they advanced cultivating Chaos Energy, instead of their forties, their bodies rejuvenated back to their late twenties.

But rejuvenation was far from being the only effect; becoming a Reformed Existence also enhanced their features, making them look even more striking, improved their skin and bodily functions, enhanced their cognitive functions, and toned their muscles beyond what they experienced during their youth.

When they entered the Flawless Existence level, these enhancements became even more pronounced.

It even pushed each of them to awaken a bloodline gift, with Margiory awakening Hyperthymesia and Brunhild awakening Mana Breathing.

Miralyn, who had already reached the Exalted level before meeting Sokram, couldn't start cultivating Chaos Energy.

But even if her cultivation relied on other, less efficient cultivation techniques, Miralyn, however, remained unhurried to progress further.

Beyond personal milestones, the political climate had grown increasingly tense.

Norwinter's rival nations, Frostaxe and Whiteland, had allied and begun mobilizing troops along the border.

Sokram had anticipated war years ago, but the delay had only worsened the situation.

The unexpected cooperation between Frostaxe and Whiteland was not only troubling but deeply unsettling, as it confirmed that the timeline he once knew was beginning to diverge in ways he couldn't predict.

And this time, he knew the exact cause: his own interference.

Hannah's presence in Norwinter had tilted the balance of power, forcing Frostaxe to seek an ally rather than risk direct confrontation.

Frostaxe, like Norwinter, was a multiracial nation, constituted mainly by Tiger-kin, Orcs, Elementals, and humans.

Both nations had maintained a delicate balance, each boasting twenty Exalted Existences but lacking any Semi-Perfect Existence powerhouses.

However, Hannah’s arrival had shattered this equilibrium.

Norwinter now had a Semi-Perfect Existence on its side, a presence that Frostaxe could not ignore.

In contrast, Whiteland, a predominantly human nation, was ruled by a Semi-Perfect powerhouse.

By allying with Whiteland, Frostaxe effectively doubled its Exalted numbers while gaining the crucial advantage of a Semi-Perfect level existence.

What had once been an even standoff between Norwinter and Frostaxe had now become a lopsided equation.

The realization sent an uneasy ripple through him, 'What else have I set in motion?'

Sokram had prided himself on always being several steps ahead. Yet, this time, he could no longer rely on his past knowledge.

The Frostaxe-Whiteland alliance was an anomaly.

Had his actions merely delayed the inevitable, or had he unknowingly nudged history toward an even worse outcome?

To complicate matters further, the Dragon King had declared he would only support Norwinter in any future conflict if Hannah were delivered back to Dracony to face trial for treason.

Thus, unless the Central Continent Elven Empire intervened, Norwinter would face dire odds.

Sokram also noticed that one of the changes he had foreseen in this timeline had begun to unfold.

A noble family from the south, the Steelhearts, had taken control of most of the butchery stores, seized ownership of the Eastern Gates Stables, and started pressuring local farmers to sell their land.

This shift had always struck Sokram as suspicious in his previous life.

Not because a new noble family had joined Eversnow’s ranks during times of war, but because of how they exploited the city's resources during a period of great distress.

And Sokram wasn’t the only one who found their actions questionable; Brunhild and many of the city's elders often voiced their concerns about these outsiders.

Yet, the City Lord was powerless to act against them.

The Steelhearts held a close bond with the royal family, shielding them from any political retaliation.

Despite these looming threats, Sokram remained calm.

He trusted in Norwinter's strength but worried about Eversnow's vulnerability.

In his previous timeline, the first war against Frostaxe had devastated the city he loved and cost his family dearly.

As one of the cities closest to both borders, it would inevitably become a battlefield when the war broke out.