System: Daily login!!, jackpot on the first day!!!-Chapter 381 - - Go To Inferno Continent

"Are you sure this is okay, Fik?" Akh'sha asked, his eyes following the backs of Rakhsahsa ll as he exited the chamber.

Taufik didn't respond immediately. He watched in silence as the doors closed behind Rakhsahsa II, the echo of the young dragon king's steps fading into the distance like a departing storm.

Only then did he speak, quietly, but with a weight that carried through the chamber.

"...No," Taufik said, at last, his tone calm but cold. "But I'm not looking for what's okay. I'm looking for what's necessary"

Akh'sha frowned slightly, eyes narrowing in thought. "...You don't trust him?"

Taufik finally turned, meeting Akh'sha's gaze. His shadow curled just a bit tighter beneath his feet.

"I trust that he believes what he said," Taufik replied. "But belief doesn't equal readiness. Loyalty isn't proven with words, it's forged in fire. When that time comes, we'll see if he still stands tall... Or burns like his father did"

Aksara, who had been silent until now, shifted slightly beside them. His arms were folded, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed his thoughts. "And if he turns?"

Taufik gave a thin smile, one that never reached his eyes. It was the kind of smile worn by someone who had already decided the outcome long ago.

"Then I'll finish what I started last time," He said, his voice like a final judgment. As he rose from his seat, the very air seemed to dim around him, and his presence cast long, creeping shadows that slithered unnaturally across the floor.

"One way or another," He continued, the weight of command in every syllable, "The Red Dragons will serve a purpose. For now... This is good for all of us"

He paused, gaze distant again. "So yeah... It's okay, at least, for now"

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After the brief but tense meeting with Rakhsahsa II, Taufik quietly departed the chamber. His next task awaited, completing the portal.

By the time dusk bled into night, the main structure of the portal stood fully assembled, humming faintly with dormant power. Now, all that remained was its activation, a step that would change everything when dawn arrived.

Taufik stood before it, his cloak rippling as the magic in the air thickened. The base was complete, built from both stones and thought, bound by runes he had imagined into existence.

The heart of it, the core, rested in the center of the arch like a suspended star, a pulsing crystal born entirely from his Imagination Magic.

It was complex, delicate, and incredibly volatile. No ordinary magic could wake it.

Only he could.

Taufik stepped forward, raising one hand. Darkness pooled in his palm, swirling like ink in water.

Within it was the breath of Time, the pull of Space, the weight of the Void. It bent reality where it touched, a reminder of his growing command over the impossible.

He pressed that power into the core.

The reaction was immediate.

The core flared with a deep violet light, tendrils of shadow and starlight spiraling out like veins across the portal's frame.

The ground trembled beneath his feet. Runes ignited one by one, pulsing with rhythm like a heartbeat synced to something far beyond this world.

The air grew colder... Heavier.

Time itself seemed to hesitate, stretching thin as if the portal's very presence warped the natural order. Space folded inward, an unseen depth forming within the archway.

Taufik narrowed his eyes, focusing. The magic fought back, unstable and raw, testing his control.

"... I imagined you into being," He whispered to the core, voice low and steady. "You are mine to command"

His will surged through the power, and with a final pulse of darkness, the portal came alive.

A swirling vortex of shadows and stars opened within the archway, like a tear in the night sky. It was silent, but it felt loud, like the moment before a storm, filled with pressure and unseen intent.

Taufik lowered his hand, breathing slow and steady. Behind him, the winds began to pick up again, rustling the world back into motion.

The portal was open.

"...You're done, dear?"

The voice was soft and warm, with a teasing edge that only one person ever used with him.

Taufik didn't need to turn. He already knew who it was. Among all his wives, only one called him that.

A quiet thought slipped through his mind, amused and unhurried.

'Now that I think about it... Each of them has their own way of calling me, huh?

Maybe not all. Anugerah and Kaela still go with just 'Fik'. Old habits, I guess'

He smiled faintly, a rare softness breaking through the weight of magic still humming around the portal.

"What is it, Jenn?" He asked, still facing the swirling vortex. "Why are you here? What about the kids? Are they asleep already?"

Behind him, the gentle sound of footsteps approached, light and unhurried.

Jenn's presence was like the first breeze after a long storm: comforting, grounding.

"They're fine. The others are with them... And when I saw a chance, I slipped out," Jenn said with a quiet, mischievous laugh.

Taufik chuckled, his gaze still fixed on the swirling portal. The tension in his shoulders eased, just slightly.

"...You know they're going to copy what you just did, right?"

Jenn gave a soft hum, her tone light but knowing. "...It's fine. Let them try"

She stepped up beside him, her eyes drawn to the portal's core, a spiral of stars and shadows folding into infinity. The glow painted her face in shades of violet and silver.

"So... This is it? The final portal?"

Taufik let out a low breath.

"That's what I planned to say..."He hesitated, then added, "But there's been a change. I need to make a detour to the Inferno Continent tomorrow. One more portal has to be placed there"

Jenn was quiet, processing his words, before reaching out to slip her fingers between his. Her touch was gentle, but her grip was firm, anchored in emotion.

"...You realize you rarely spend time with me anymore, right?" She said softly. "So tonight, no detours. No distractions. Just us. Let's go on a date... Just the two of us"

He turned to face her, finally. His eyes, normally hard and unreadable, softened as they met hers.

The shadows around him shifted, curling inward as if even they knew when to step back.

"...Alright," He murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Just for a little while, okay?"

She smiled, content, radiant, and real.

And in that moment, beneath the sky and beside a portal that bent space and time, Taufik chose something rare: peace.

--------

- The Next Morning.

The first light of dawn struggled to pierce through the thick clouds above the mountains. A cool wind stirred as Taufik stood alone, adjusting the clasp of his coat with his Katana hung at his side.

Aksara approached, already dressed and alert. The sharpness in his eyes belied the early hour.

"... Are you sure you want to go alone, Father? Should I join you?" His tone wasn't pushy, just steady, respectful. But there was something in it like he was bracing for the answer he had already expected.

Taufik paused mid-motion, glancing over his shoulder with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I'll be fine," he said, his voice calm, almost amused. "What could possibly happen to me?"

Aksara remained silent, his expression unreadable.

"You just stay here. Look after your brothers and sisters... And maybe keep Erelythe company," Taufik added, half-serious, half-playful. "Don't think I haven't noticed what's been going on between you two these past few days"

Aksara stiffened. "Wha-What? What are you saying, Father? We didn't-"

Taufik's smile widened, mischief gleaming in his eyes.

"So that's how you want to play it? Acting all innocent?"

"W-What? No, I just-!"

"*Sigh* Just remember*," Taufik said, wagging a finger mockingly. "Marriage first, then children. Got it?"

Aksara fell silent, looking off to the side.

"...I know you're right, but somehow when you say it, it sounds... Wrong"

Taufik blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Aksara turned his gaze back to him, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"You and the mothers... You're not officially married either, are you?"

Taufik froze, caught mid-thought.

The silence hung for a beat.

"...*Tch* "

Mana surged at his back as wings of shadowy energy burst forth. Without another word, Taufik turned and launched into the sky, clearly conceding defeat in the argument.

"... I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOUR MOTHER, JENN, I'LL BE BACK IN TWO DAYS!" He shouted from above. "AND ONE MORE THING... DON'T OVERDO IT!"

And just like that, he disappeared beyond the clouds, leaving Aksara standing in the clearing, arms crossed and an amused grin on his face.

Celebrating his first-ever victory over his father (in a verbal exchange), Aksara turned around with the quiet confidence of a man who had just bested a legend.

Only to freeze mid-step.

Erelythe stood not far behind him, arms crossed and expression unreadable. Her eyes shimmered with a cold, ancient curiosity that made Aksara's spine stiffen.

"What were you and My Lord talking about, Aksa?" She asked, her voice calm but carrying the weight of someone who had once silenced Titans with a glance.

Aksara flinched, his composure cracking.

"...H-Huh? N-Nothing!"

Erelythe tilted her head slightly, stepping closer. "Nothing... That warranted shouting about marriage and children?"

His face went crimson in an instant.

"I-It wasn't like that! He was just... He said things!"

"I see," She murmured, now only a few steps away, a teasing edge slipping into her tone. "And do these 'things' involve us?"

"I... ! No...! I mean... Maybe?! H-He assumed things! I didn't say anything!"

Erelythe leaned in just enough for her presence to completely dominate his field of view. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"...So he assumed things... Should I correct him, Aksara?"

He looked into her eyes, completely trapped, her beauty, her aura, her absolute calm unraveling him in a way no battle ever could.

"...I-I need to go check the others!" He blurted, turning and fleeing with all the grace of a flustered soldier.

Behind him, Erelythe chuckled softly, her lips curling into a rare, amused smile.

"My Lord's son... Is quite adorable when he panics"

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