Chapter 197: Skybound Bonds

It was a peaceful Saturday morning.

The soft golden sunlight filtered through the windows of the Hayashi home, casting warm patterns across the hardwood floors. The aroma of breakfast still lingered in the air, and the entire neighborhood buzzed with quiet calm.

In the backyard, Yumi crouched behind a tree, eyes narrowed, suppressing a grin.

"Ready or not, here comes Mommy!"

Giggles echoed behind a bush.

Kazumi darted out first, her long black hair tied in two playful buns bouncing with each step. Kazuki followed her with a mischievous smirk, already darting past the flower bed.

Yumi lunged playfully.

Kazuki yelped. "Retreat!"

Kazumi shrieked in delight. "She's gaining!"

Then—without warning—both twins began to rise off the ground.

Yumi blinked.

Their tiny feet floated inches above the grass, then a foot, then higher. Kazuki burst out laughing mid-air, spinning slowly, while Kazumi looked down in wonder, her arms out like wings.

Yumi gasped and instinctively held her hands up. "Kazu—KAZU! You two! What in the—?!"

They continued to ascend, now nearly ten feet off the ground.

"Riku!" she shouted, her voice a mix of awe, panic, and excitement. "RIKU!!!"

Upstairs…

Riku had just stepped out of the shower, towel around his shoulders, rubbing his hair dry when his wife's voice echoed through the house. He immediately froze.

The tone said everything.

With a single blink, his irises glowed faintly.

[Essence Trace: Family → Activated.]

A flash. His body vanished.

Backyard – 1.04 seconds later

He reappeared in a crackle of energy, bare-footed and shirtless, the cold breeze brushing against his skin. He saw it instantly—his children, airborne and grinning.

Yumi stood frozen, her hands halfway up, unsure if she should panic or cheer.

Riku's eyes widened, then narrowed.

A low chuckle escaped him. "No way…"

Yumi turned toward him. "Riku. They're flying."

He walked forward slowly, eyes never leaving the twins.

Kazuki waved from midair. "Dad, look what we can do!"

Kazumi twirled in the sky like a falling leaf. "Isn't it cool?"

Riku burst into laughter. A full, genuine, belly-deep laugh.

"They're only five!" Yumi said, half in shock, half smiling. "What the hell kind of genes did you give them?"

Riku shook his head, still chuckling. "They've got fragments of Celestial Nexus energy in their cells. I knew it would happen eventually... but flying at five?"

He raised one hand and focused. A faint pulse of silver light rippled outward—calm and warm.

Gently, the twins' ascent slowed, and they drifted back down like feathers.

Riku knelt as they landed. "How did it feel?"

Kazuki scratched his head. "Like walking, but with no floor."

Kazumi nodded. "I didn't think about it. I just… wanted to fly."

Riku looked at both of them, smiling proudly. "You didn't just inherit strength. You inherited will. Control. You two are evolving faster than anyone I've ever seen."

Yumi walked up beside him, still stunned but beaming. "So what now?"

Riku stood and looked toward the sky, hands on his hips.

"Now," he said, grinning, "we get a higher ceiling."

Later that evening…

Inside the house, Riku sat in his office, reviewing a scan of the twins' essence signatures.

Their patterns were complex—no longer purely human. Each pulse carried a trace of AI logic structure and divine imprinting.

"They're not just kids," he muttered under his breath. "They're going to rewrite what it means to be a Wielder."

From the next room, he heard laughter again—Yumi and the twins watching a movie, all curled up in blankets.

Riku smiled, closing his laptop.

Whatever came next…His family would be ready.