Chapter 32: Choice

"Anyways, why did you hide everything? You are right that we had to run but why keep it a secret?" Anna asked.

"That's what I was coming to kids." Elizabeth readied herself. "From here on, you have to make a choice for your future."

"Choice? What do you mean?" 

Elizabeth persisted, "Zen, you got two options. One, stay here on Earth, climb the ladder with our backup and your own strength. Two, pack your bags and leave for the Prominda galaxy, right away."

Mark chimed in, "Zen, Anna, this is why we kept it under wraps until you grew some. Being a ruler ain't a walk in the park."

"So, you kept us in the dark till we could wrap our heads around this stuff?" Anna questioned.

"Not exactly. We'll back whatever call you make. We just didn't want to drop the whole world on your shoulders. It's your call, and we're fine with any decision."

Zen shut his eyes. Despite not showing it, he was drowning in it all. In a blink, he went from a regular student to the heir of a great civilization.

"I need some time. Let us think this over." Zen tugged Anna to his room. No one stopped them; this was a decision that shouldn't be rushed.

"He didn't let me down." Bennett smiled, pleased Zen wasn't jumping at the chance for power but weighing his options. Though he had updates on Zen and Anna, he never really got to know them personally. Not being able to see over his grandkids while they were little was Bennett's biggest regret.

"I kinda like this kid. Not like those fools," Bennett sneered.

"Guess who raised him?" Elizabeth smirked. She then pointed towards herself, "ME!"

"Dear daughter, if he took after you, I'd be mourning fate."

"Do you want to die, old man?"

"Respect your father, girl."

"Hmph!" Elizabeth scoffed and turned away.

"Um... I'll check on Zen." Evelyn worried about Zen's thoughts, having a sense of what was bothering him.

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In Zen's room, he paced anxiously while Anna lounged on the bed.

"Brother, don't overthink it. Seriously, why didn't you just say yes? We can finally ditch this dumb place."

"Urghh, there's stuff I need to figure out here. First, there's that deal with Zero. Something's off, and I need to dig into it," Zen replied, frustration evident as he tousled his hair.

"So, you don't want to go to a galaxy like Prominda because of an AI?" Anna rolled her eyes.

The door swung open, and Evelyn entered.

"How are you feeling, Zen?"

Sighing, he confessed, "Everything's a mess, Evelyn. I'm lost on what to do."

Evelyn came to his side, holding both of Zen's hands.

"Calm down. Tell me, what's bothering you? This sounds like a great opportunity."

"I know, but what about you? I can't just leave you here. I don't want to."

Evelyn squinted, "You're misunderstanding, Zen."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going with you, wherever you're going," Evelyn declared without hesitation.

"What? But your family?" Evelyn, the daughter of the Walker family head, had her entire family on Earth. How could she just leave?

"What family, Zen? For me, my father is nothing more than a sperm donor."

"Pffttt," Anna burst into laughter at Evelyn's blunt statement. The prestigious Walker family head was reduced to a mere sperm donor.

"The only family I have is my mom... and you, Zen. Take my mother with us," she said, lowering her head onto Zen's chest.

"Thank you, Evelyn," Zen whispered. He gently lifted Evelyn's face and looked into her eyes. At that moment, the room seemed to fade away. With a tender touch, Zen's lips met Evelyn's. She shuddered a bit as it was her first kiss. She held Zen's shoulder and was about to push him away but then stopped.

'What's wrong with me? He's the person I love.' she thought, resting her arms on Zen's chest and kissing him back, savoring the moment.

After a minute or so, they reluctantly broke the kiss, a thin strand of saliva connecting their lips momentarily.

"I love you," Zen confessed, his voice a soft murmur.

"Mm," Evelyn responded

"Bleghhhh!" A strange sound interrupted them, and they separated hastily.

"You guys! Please remember there are people around. Save these... sugary displays... for your own private rom-com moments," Anna exclaimed. Her face was now red. She never expected that Zen and Evelyn would completely ignore her and do something this shameless.

"Ahem. Let's go. I know what to do now. I am sorry Anna, there will be a slight altercation in the plan." He took Evelyn's hand and brought her to the living room, with Anna following them.

"So have you decided?" Bennett asked, munching on cupcakes.

"Yes. Although I want to go, unfortunately, I will stay on Earth. At least for now."

"And why did you decide against going to the Prominda galaxy?"

"There is no specific reason. From what I understand, the Prominda galaxy is unimaginably more advanced, and the conditions there are also harsh. If I, who has only been outside of the home for a few months, directly go there, I will be nothing but a frog in the well."

"Hmm."

"Also, I will take a few years to develop and improve my strength. After that, I will come with you, grandfather. Anyway, I will be visiting Prominda because of the training. I assume that was for me and Anna."

He still held onto Evelyn's hand. Elizabeth noticed it and smiled.

"Good decision. Stay here and train as much as you can. You do understand that taking the throne won't be a walk in the park, right?"

"Mom, do you want me to go to Prominda and take over the throne?" Zen asked with a straight face.

"Huh." Elizabeth sneered, "Of course! I raised you both to stand on the top and rule."

"Then why bother talking about insects? That is my throne, and I will sit on it. Let me see who dares to even put their sight on the throne."

"Woah! Stupid disciple, that's some arrogance." Shreya liked this confident and arrogant side of Zen. How can her disciple let people walk over him?

"Hmm… by the way, mom, dad, grandpa! What is your cultivation level?"

"Hehe." Elizabeth smugly laughed. "You will be surprised. Your father here is in the 7th inner ring. He is primarily a biotech engineer and is not focused on cultivation."

No one was surprised. Knowing they were not from Earth, it was expected.

Elizabeth continued, "Your great mother is in the 6th core ring." She grinned with an expression saying, "Praise me!"

'Wow, our mother is the strongest human on the planet!' Zen and Anna thought simultaneously.

"Cough," Bennett coughed to attract everyone's attention.

"I am in the 6th direct ring," he said in a gentleman's manner.

"When did you advance, old man?"

"Last year, I guess. And Lizzy, call me old man one more time, and I will take away all the dignity of a mother by spanking you here in front of everyone."

"WHAT?" Shreya stood up with a terrified expression.

"Hey master, can you please sit down? You have been standing repeatedly." Zen rolled his eyes at Shreya's dramatic interjection.

Hearing Zen, she came to her senses, "I'm sorry for an unsightly conduct. But isn't Regar the strongest human?"

"Haha. Little girl, your Earth knows nothing. Regar is not even one of the top 5 strongest humans. Even I am only the second strongest human with Ms. Nrichik from the Lacnecia galaxy being the strongest in the 7th core ring."

"Woahh!" Shreya exclaimed, realizing how wrong their information was. She was only in the 8th inner ring and was already considered one of the strongest humans on Earth.

"Alright! Let's stop the discussion here now." Elizabeth stood up, "Zen, let's go and train!" She was oddly excited.

"Mom, can we train a little later? I mean, I should spend time with grandpa, shouldn't I?" No, no, no. He finally ran away from home and was living without going to bed in tatters every day from training.

"Hehe… it was not a request."

Zen could now only pray for his bones now.