Pride

Elius barely got any sleep.

He had spent the entire night mastering the art of flying on his sword, pushing his limits until his body felt like it was running on fumes.

He had experimented with sharp turns, hovering in place, and even sudden descents, trying to get the perfect balance between speed and control.

Now, as the first rays of morning sunlight seeped through his window, he groggily opened his eyes, his body sore from the intense practice.

But before he could even sit up—

"ELIUS!!!"

A voice like an explosion shattered the morning silence.

BAM!

The bedroom door burst open as Shannon stormed in. Her face was red with anger, her hands clenched into fists.

Elius immediately sat up straight.

"Ah. Here we go."

"What in the name of everything holy did you do last night?! Do you have any idea how much money you spent?! DO YOU?!"

Elius gulped.

Before he could say anything, Shannon marched to the middle of the room and pulled out her phone. She frantically scrolled through it and then thrust the screen in his face.

"LOOK AT THIS! LOOK AT THIS BILL! YOU ORDERED—"

Her voice cracked from sheer disbelief as she read aloud:

"Every single one of them is worth more than a private jet?! Refined Celestial Water that costs more than my entire annual salary?! A freaking Dragon's Fang? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH A DRAGON'S FANG, HUH?!"

Elius barely had time to blink before she continued.

"AND LET'S NOT FORGET! You didn't tell me you had multiple deliveries of dangerous objects last night! Do you know what the most dangerous items you bought were?! THINK OF OUR SAFETY, ELIUS! THINK!!"

Her hands flailed in the air dramatically.

"And don't get me started on how dangerous the are, the least dangerous one was called the 'Phoenix Ember Essence'—DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS?! What if it exploded in the car?! WHAT THEN?!"

Elius scratched the back of his head.

It wasn't him; it was the game system. Even so, he couldn't really refute her.

"Mom, I needed those materials."

"Oh! Oh, you NEEDED them?! Oh well, excuse me! I didn't know you were running a freaking alchemy lab in your bedroom! WHY DID YOU EVEN ORDER A CELESTIAL RUNE ENGRAVING SET?!"

Elius hesitated.

"…Because it looked cool?"

"I'M GOING TO LOSE MY MIND!"

Shannon stomped her foot so hard that Elius swore the floor shook a little.

But before she could launch into another tirade, her eyes finally took in the rest of the room.

And then—

Silence.

An ominous, suffocating silence.

Elius felt the temperature in the room drop several degrees.

His mother's eye twitched.

Her mouth slowly opened and closed, as if trying to process what she was seeing.

Because his room—

His once neat, organized bedroom—

Was now an absolute warzone.

The walls had faint slash marks.

The ceiling fan was dangling by a single wire, spinning crookedly.

His desk? Gone. Completely reduced to splinters.

His bed? Half-missing. A large gouge had been carved out of the mattress, making it look like some monster took a bite out of it.

Even the carpet was singed, burned by mystical energies.

And in the middle of the devastation stood his newly forged sword, calmly floating like it had no idea it was responsible for the destruction.

Shannon's head turned so slowly toward him that Elius actually felt a shiver down his spine.

"…Elius."

Elius tensed.

"Yes, Mom?"

"What. Did. You. Do?"

Her voice was eerily calm.

Too calm.

The dangerous kind of calm.

Elius swallowed.

"Uh… I trained?"

Shannon breathed in deeply, rubbing her temples like she was praying for patience.

"You trained?"

"Yes?"

"…Inside the house?"

"…Yes."

A long silence.

Then—

"ELIUS!!!"

She lunged at him, grabbing his face and shaking him violently.

"WHY DID YOU DO IT INSIDE THE HOUSE?! WHY?! DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?! IS THIS IT?! AM I RAISING A MANIAC?!"

"M-MOM WAIT, I CAN EXPLAIN—"

"NO! NO EXPLANATIONS! YOU DESTROYED YOUR ROOM! YOUR ROOM, ELIUS! LOOK AT IT! LOOK AT IT!"

She grabbed his head and forcefully turned it toward the mess.

"SEE?! DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU DID?!"

Elius sighed internally.

This was normal.

His mother had always been like this—dramatic, loud, and over-the-top when she was mad.

But despite all that, she never hurt him.

Not even once.

No matter how much she screamed and ranted, there was no real anger behind it.

Just exasperation and concern.

And for some reason, Elius actually found comfort in that.

He smiled a little.

"Mother, I had to train. I needed to prepare for the Academy High."

Shannon froze.

She looked at him, then sighed deeply.

Her shoulders slumped.

"Elius… you could have trained outside."

And just like that—

Guilt stabbed through him.

Because she was right.

He should have.

"I… I..."

Shannon crossed her arms.

"You're fixing this mess yourself."

Before Elius could respond—

"I'll pay for everything he bought. Let him be."

The voice was deep, calm, and commanding.

Both Elius and Shannon turned toward the door.

And there he was.

Radiant Man.

Standing tall and imposing, arms crossed, his golden eyes glowing faintly.

Elius stiffened.

Shannon's anger vanished in an instant. Her expression softened, her gaze turning gentle as she looked at the superhero standing before her.

"…Colt."

Radiant Man smiled at her.

Elius, however, felt his stomach twist. But he got an idea.

He swallowed hard.

"I… I only created a sword from what you gave me," he said carefully.

"This will help me hide my identity as your son. It will keep my mother safe."

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

Radiant Man's expression darkened.

The air in the room grew heavy.

"…Why?"

His voice was low.

"Do you think I can't protect your mother?"

Elius felt cold sweat on his back.

His throat went dry. He was caught.

But Elius forced himself to calm down, inhaling deeply as he met Radiant Man's golden gaze.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears, but he couldn't afford to show weakness.

Radiant Man was a lot of things—a hero, a symbol, a father who didn't even know he had another son in a different life—but above all else, he was a man who respected strength—not just strength but the strength of the character.

If Elius wanted to control his own fate, he had to play his cards right.

So, he swallowed his fear, straightened his back, and said:

"I just don't want to disturb you."

Radiant Man raised an eyebrow.

"Disturb me?"

"Yeah," Elius nodded, forcing himself to maintain eye contact. "You're busy. The dimensional rifts are becoming more frequent, and from what I know, most of the other S-Class heroes have disappeared. Basically, you're handling everything on your own."

For a moment, Radiant Man simply stared at him.

Then—

"I don't mind."

His voice was firm.

Elius clenched his fists.

Damn it.

This guy was too unshakable.

No hesitation. No doubts.

It was almost unnerving how easily he dismissed the burden of an entire planet's survival.

No wonder he was considered the strongest hero.

But that just meant Elius had to try harder.

His mind raced. How could he push this guy away? If Radiant Man decided to train him, then it was only a matter of time before he figured out Elius didn't have the Solarion bloodline.

And that would mean everything would fall apart.

He had to act now.

So, he steeled himself, met his father's unwavering gaze, and spoke from the heart.

"Father."

For the first time, he addressed him properly.

Radiant Man's expression didn't change, but there was a slight shift in his posture—a subtle sign that he was listening carefully.

Elius took a deep breath.

"You know-" he paused, "'I'm really surprised to find out that you're my father. When I was young, I always looked up to heroes... Especially, you—I used to dream of being like you—standing above the world, protecting people, fighting against evil. I wanted to be someone people could rely on."

A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at Radiant Man's lips.

But before he could say anything—

"But."

Elius clenched his fists.

"I don't want to be you."

The room fell silent.

Shannon's breath hitched.

Even Radiant Man's slight smile vanished.

Elius pressed on.

"I don't want to be a second version of you. I don't want to be 'Radiant 2.' I don't want people to see me and think, 'Oh, that's just the next Radiant Man.' I want to be my own person."

His father's expression was unreadable.

But Elius wasn't done.

"I don't know why, but something in me tells me I wouldn't even fit your path. My blood wouldn't accept it. I wouldn't accept it."

Inside Elius's head, he was praying… Please… Make this work! Make this work!

For a long moment, there was no response.

The tension in the air was thick, almost suffocating.

Radiant Man simply stood there, his golden gaze piercing through Elius like he was trying to see straight into his soul.

And then—

Slowly, he spoke.

"Alright."

It was a simple word.

But it carried an unknown weight.

Elius could hardly believe it.

"…What?"

Radiant Man nodded, his voice calm, steady, absolute.

"I respect that."

Elius exhaled sharply, feeling a weight lift off his chest.

It worked.

He won.

Radiant Man wasn't going to force him to be his successor.

He wasn't going to push him into a life of heroism under his shadow.

He was free.

Elius nodded respectfully.

"Thank you."

Then, without wasting any more time, he turned toward the door.

"I have to get going. The bus is already here."

Radiant Man blinked.

Shannon looked confused.

"…A bus?"

Elius nodded, stepping past them.

"Yeah. The bus to Academy High—the Academy of Superheroes."

Without waiting for their reaction, he left the house.

As the door closed behind Elius, Radiant Man remained still, his golden eyes lingering on the spot where his son had just stood.

Shannon hesitated, glancing at him.

She opened her mouth—as if she wanted to say something—but then closed it again.

For a long moment, there was only silence.

Then—

"He has the pride of a true Solarion Warrior."

Shannon turned to look at him fully.

Radiant Man's expression was unreadable.

"I will let him do whatever he wants." His voice was calm, absolute. "But."

His gaze hardened, turning sharp as a blade.

"I didn't expect that he would enroll on his own. If I deem his performance at that little Academy lacking, I will take over his training personally."

His golden eyes flashed.

"And I will make him the strongest Solarion Warrior."

Shannon sighed, shaking her head.

But before she could say anything—

The Radiant Man turned toward her, he asked lightly.

"What's for breakfast?"

Shannon beamed her eyes.

"Pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit."

Radiant Man smiled.

"Good."

And with that, he walked toward the kitchen, as if the conversation had never happened.