Dinner was excellent. The bed was warm, and Kain was no longer a celibate man. Last time, he had the time of his life. Wherever Amelia learned those tricks, he wouldn’t mind if she learned some more.

He decided to make breakfast. He found some food in the space, placed it on the table, clapped his hands, and went to tell everyone breakfast was ready.

He was walking on sunshine.

For breakfast, he made a point of giving the children the Snowcow milk while he and Amelia had some honey water.

The Flarebee honey can help them strengthen their bodies and assist in circulating Source Energy.

As for the bone marrow, it’s the only part of a mutant beast that can be eaten. He would let this wait until everyone on the team became an Awakened.

After eating, he allowed the children to go back to the space. He had sent the dead dog to Ashton’s lab. Whatever he planned to do with it, Kain had no intention of asking.

Avery was practicing combat skills. Surprisingly, her room had an interactive teacher. She was learning to fight from said teacher, and she enjoyed it immensely.

Kain made a point to clean up the rabbit before giving it to her. It was no longer swollen with water, and to Kain it still looked ugly, but the little girl loved it.

What he didn’t expect was what Avery said when she gave it to him.

"Dad, big brother said the little brother was alive." She gave a sweet smile as she kissed the rabbit.

His jaw slackened when he heard. He knew the little brother she was referring to. When he retrieved the rabbit, there was a little boy wedged between pieces of concrete.

He was clutching the rabbit. Kain thought the boy had died holding it. But now Avery was telling him that both she and Dominic, and possibly Avery, knew the little boy was alive when he pulled it from his hands.

Neither of them said anything and watched him take it without saving the child.

His eyes were complicated. Sometimes they seemed so normal that he forgot what he had seen when he first met them. To him, they were precocious children. Sometimes he forgets just how intelligent they are.

He kept this in the back of his mind. He could treat them like children, because they were. They are his children. But he also needs to understand that they weren’t normal children.

Whether it was what they had been through or their thought process, it wouldn’t be the same as that of an ordinary five-year-old.

Yet, he also had himself to blame. He saw the child when he plucked the rabbit from his fingers. Had he cared, he might have noticed a flicker of life.

He didn’t dwell on it. His task was to get the rabbit for his daughter. Anything that happened otherwise was a blip he had no reason to deal with.

As for Dominic, Kain had asked him if he wanted him to fix the snow globe. Yes, the item was a broken snow globe. The glass was cracked, and pieces of glass were missing.

Dominic shook his head. He didn’t want a new one, and he didn’t want it to be fixed. He liked the snow globe because it was broken.

When he sent him to the space, a complex emotion bloomed in his heart. As he thought about the three children. He wasn’t sure if he was proud or afraid. The flutter in his heart wasn’t one he had experienced before.

Just before everyone arrived, Kain popped into the nurturing station. He called the children together.

"I need to borrow you, kids, for a while. We need everyone to see that you’re safe. Plus, Dad is going to teach everyone some magic. And no, you can’t miss it."

He had already seen Ashton open his mouth, ready to refuse.

"You can’t stay here all the time."

He rubbed his chin, wondering if he needed to find them some friends. After some back and forth, he convinced them to leave.

No sooner had they left than he saw Amelia walking in with everyone.

Seeing the children behind him, Kain could see a visible look of relief wash over their faces. His eyes narrowed with displeasure. Did they actually believe he threw the kids away?

He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it. They hadn’t been together long. It’s normal for them to have doubts about his character. Even if their loyalty has been rising, it wasn’t a dramatic increase.

The living room had already been set up. They found a comfortable place to sit, occasionally glancing at the children who were contentedly sipping from juice boxes.

"Let’s begin," Kain began, sitting in his single seat. "There are some things that need to be said. Yesterday, I made the claim that I could help you all become powerful. You don’t believe it."

It wasn’t an accusation; he was stating a fact. "Today, I want to share with you why I have the confidence to say such words. Firstly, I intend to establish a faction, using the name Nightfall. Not because it’s my surname, but because of what it represents.

It embodies the shadow of the unknown. It hides what cannot be seen. The silence before the storm. That’s what I need us to be, the silence, the shadow. We don’t look for trouble, but if it finds us, we won’t back down.

I don’t want weak people. I want people who are determined to build something that will last. An empire. One that will protect my children. People who are ruthless and cunning, but loyal to their own."

He paused momentarily, taking in their expressions. They were listening. Good, he smiled.

"I can lead you into an era of power beyond imagination, but it requires transformation. You need to reconstruct yourselves. Get rid of your old beliefs. The world is no longer what you think it is. Changes are happening in every corner of the world.

The government had disappeared. I’m sure you’ve noticed. There is no law, there is only the power you hold.

I can help each of you bring out your potential. But...if you walk this path with me. I need your absolute trust. No more of this half-assed, one foot in, one foot out nonsense."

Except for the children, Amelia, Jake, Veronica, and Claire, who seemed to have no emotions most of the time, everyone else’s faces turned red.

Kain calling them out like that was never within their expectations.

"If you cannot give me your trust. If you have any doubts or hesitation, this is your chance to leave. Because once we move forward, your only exit in the future will be death.

I hope you will choose wisely."

Ending his speech, he crossed an ankle over his knee, placed his clasped hands on his calf, and waited.