Life was never the same after he awoke his memories and powers, Nitrian was fully committed to leaving a mark and making himself the only one at the top.
That was not a goal he could accomplish, so he worked every day, doing what he could to improve.
First, he tested his lures and found out that just like his defenses and talents it was all passive, though he could focus on pushing them to go all in or hold them back, they were always in effect.
Contrary to what he thought the changes were minimal if any at all, and nobody started treating him differently or anything causing him to question if the effects were too weak right due to his lack of power or if they were always in effect from the moment he was born.
There was no telling for sure, but he would not let that bother him.
Moving on, he would focus on training his dragon aura when he could and making the most out of all his perks to grow, training his body and learning to begin controlling it as well as using online videos to learn martial arts and combat, as well as many other things.
Unlike the average person who would listen to the information and maybe retain a portion of it for real, and forget most of the rest, his mind was being pushed way beyond that by his Dragon Heritage, science talent, and even his mind defense was helping him, it all allowed him to be much more than he normally would be.
Able to fully retain all the knowledge given to him and process it, even if a lot of what he knew was incorrect, his growing pool of knowledge would allow him to filter the bad stuff.
It got to the point where he was even studying techniques and moved from fictional stories as well, nothing was off the table.
"I'll create the perfect technique, I'll call it Totality Arts for physical stuff… I'll have to eventually develop Totality Magic for magical stuff, and Totality Skill for everything else." He decided with a rather simplistic naming sense.
There was no mana in the world quite yet so he held onto the Totality magic and skill ideas, but fully committed to studying everything he could get his hands on or find online for his Totality Arts, his Dragon aura, and eventually a fun trick.
After months of training, he made his first big advancement.
"I did it! I can finally control my elements." He smiled as he made a small sphere of water float on his left hand, and a small pebble on his right.
It took time but he was getting there, and not only that, as his training continued, the advancements started to pile up as he got used to his abilities.
By the time he was 6 years old, things were completely different from when he started 2 years ago, while his physique didn't change too much as it was already the best it could be from the beginning but it didn't show too much since he's still a growing child, but in time it will be easy to notice.
His Totality arts went from being a silly focus to a real threat, not only could he perform most techniques known to humanity already, but he was mixing and matching them to suit his needs, and this mixed with his athletic talent, martial arts talent, trace defense, and covert talent made his movements and body into a deadly weapon, that could hide in plain sight.
Karate, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu / Jujutsu, Aikido, Kendo, Sumo, Kenjutsu, Kung Fu / Wushu, Tai Chi / Taiji, Wing Chun, Shaolin Kung Fu, Baguazhang, Xing Yi Quan, Drunken Fist (Zui Quan), Taekwondo, Hapkido, Tang Soo Do, Kuk Sool Won, Muay Thai, Krabi-Krabong, Silat, Eskrima / Arnis / Kali, Lethwei, Kalaripayattu, Gatka, Thang-Ta, Varma Kalai, Silambam, Mardani Khel, Boxing, Wrestling / Greco-Roman Wrestling, Fencing, Savate, Bartitsu, Pankration, Glima, Schwingen, Catch Wrestling, Systema, Sambo(Sport Sambo, Combat Sambo), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Capoeira, Vale Tudo, Tahtib, Nuba Wrestling, Dambe, Zourkhaneh / Varzesh-e-Bastani, Krav Maga, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Jeet Kune Do (Bruce Lee's system), Kickboxing, Shootfighting, Combat Hapkido, Defendu / Close Quarters Combat (CQC), and Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP).
From all around the world, he got as many as he could, and while he was nowhere near master at all in any of them, he was learning and slowly weaving it all into one style with various forms, his Totality Arts.
Aside from that progress, he also managed to control his dragon aura to a decent degree, now able to command it to his will and use it with basic precision.
Not to mention his psychic abilities awakened once he got good enough with his dragon aura, so he's been using them in tandem to make it easier for himself in the long run even if right now, it was like starting on a high difficulty.
In his pocket dimension, inside the mansion's living room, Nitrian could be found sitting on the couch looking at the ceiling from a distance it seemed like he was lazying around, but a closer look would show that not only was he applying pressure from his dragon around on himself, he was using his psychic abilities to move glass cups at high speed in paths that could collide in the air.
"Hmmm… It's hard to move… when I use my own…. Power to stop myself…" He was doing his best to stay focused and none of the 6 cups hit passing by each other just close enough to almost.
This training continued until he let out a sigh as his internal clock told him it was time.
Knowing this by now, he stopped and put the cups down on the coffee table, and went into a different room.
On his way there, that same corridor was full of broken ruined rooms he used before, and he entered a new one.
Inside it was mostly empty except for the stacks of books that just went on, and on, and on.
"Ok, time to deepen the Totality arts." He started by reading a lot of books, before taking a deep breath and focusing, once that was accomplished, he opened his eyes and began practicing all the new market moves he learned, each time he did it was more precise until he could perform to a considerable level.
"Ok, now the videos are online, and then I work on combing everything properly." He said to himself more than ready for another day of this same routine.
It went just like that, he continued to study moves from videos online and then integrated them into his arsenal.
Once the part to combine everything into one came, he began using all the moves he learned that day, making them into a coherent style he could eventually use for everything and keep evolving.
This was his day in and day out of training and he loved every second.
Once his time there was over for the day, he went back to his room, still looking fresh due to time savers.
It was morning outside and he stretched now that he was back to his room, before going to the dining room.
"Morning Mom! Morning Dad!" He greeted them both before taking a seat at the morning take.
"Oh! My cute little angel! Always so punctual! You have to tell Mom how you do it sometimes." Norma smiled and walked to him before leaning in and kissing his forehead and then his cheek multiple times.
"Morning champ… Huh… Norma, you need to stop pampering him so much, he's already 6, and in 2 to 3 years he won't be able to cling to you as much." Min-Jae commented with a sigh as he looked at her cling to their son.
"Hmph! Never! Nothing will stop me from loving my baby, even when he's our age, I'll still pamper him. It's us against the world, right?" Norma ignored him and showered her son with even more kisses to prove a point.
"Yup! Always! Mom is number 1!" Nitrian clapped, used to being a child, though most of it was the communication talent, the performance talent, and the covert talent carrying him to this point.
"Number 1! You heard him! I'm number 1! Sweetheart, do you want Mom to stop like how Dad is saying?" Norma raised her head high very proud of this response.
This caused little Nitrian to shake his head. "No, never!"
"Never! You heard it here." She hugged hug tighter yelling together with him.
"Really? He's a kid, he doesn't know any better. You're raising our son mamma's boy and that will backfire at some point. Can't solve this if you keep reinforcing it." Min-Jae commented with a raised eyebrow shaking his head at the antics.
"So what? There's nothing wrong with him loving his mom a lot, all children should be like that, if you have good parents you should treasure them." Norma responded unwilling to back down.
"Fine… But once he's 10 you'll tone it down. Unless you want him unable to be at school 'cause he needs mommy." Min-Jae sighed in resignation.
"Hmmmm… I guess you kind of have a point, ok… Did you hear Dad? Our time is limited, so we have to make the most of it! Come here." Norma lifted him and sat down on the chair herself before putting him down on her lap and feeding him breakfast.
"It seems like I somehow made it worse…" Min-Jae face palmed not knowing what more to say.
"Don't be so dramatic, he's still super small. I have to indulge while I can." Norma narrowed her eyes as she continued to feed him.
"That's not the problem, the problem is-" Min-Jae was about to say but got cut off as his phone went off.
The buzz caught his attention and he immediately focused on it. His eyes widened as he looked at it, then he got up in a hurry.
"I'll be leaving early honey, see you later, and try not to spoil him too much!" He said as he started gathering his lunch she prepared and other work stuff.
While he was doing that, Norma looked at him with somewhat disappointed but expectant eyes.
Once he had everything he needed, Min-Jae just went right past her, and once he was at the door he turned to say. "Oh, yes… See you later dear, and my champ." before leaving for good.
There was an empty silence for a bit as she hugged Nitrian tightly, her expression portrayed a bigger disappointment and a tinge of tiredness as a sigh escaped her.
After that, she mumbled to herself. "So I don't even get goodbye kisses anymore. It's been 3 months, what did I expect?"
As those words left her mouth, her grip on Nitrian only tightened further, until she felt warmth on her face, and she looked down before smiling.
She saw her son's hand caressing her face, and her grip tightened again, this time into a deep hug before she let go.
"Ok, let's finish breakfast the two of us, then we'll spend the day together, then later visit Kyung-Hye, and Jinah, maybe by then Jinwoo will be back from school.
"It's a bit pity you and Jinah were born on October 7th, now you two won't be able to go to elementary until next year," Norma said then she finished feeding him.
From then on, they spent another day together, as Nitrian followed her around and helped her all throughout.
They started by doing dishes, and while Norma would rinse them, he would dry them out.
General cleaning where he would use the broom and she would use the mop afterward. They made a great team and in no time the whole place was shining.
After that, they did some laundry as it was the day for that, Nitrian was the one putting in the machine settings for each wash.
"You kids are just born with a knack for all this technology stuff, I'll never understand how you get it to work so well, I thought I had it figured out, but I guess I was using it wrong all this time.
"I still can't believe, what was I doing before I got my little guardian angel. Don't you dare leave Mom early, the way you are you'll find a wife easily in the future so forget that focus on us for now. You heard me?" She pet him, a wide smile on her face.
"I don't need a wife, I have you." Nitrian hugged her.
"Aw, Sweetie, I'm honored, but it's not the same thing. You'll get it when you're older. Right now, we just have to be a happy family!" She hugged him back.
After that, they took a break and watched TV together, Norma had him operate the cable channels to get to the program they would watch together.
It was a reality TV, and they ended up watching some show about getting married in 90 days.
"This guy without a neck is such a red flag… So manipulative. This girl should leave him, marrying him would be a mistake even if we don't look at the age difference." Norma commented to herself more than to Nitrian not expecting him to understand.
(I'm also manipulative… I'm sorry I'm selfish and won't tell you everything, but I'll make up for these shortcomings of mine.) Nitrian sighed internally feeling back for all the lying and manipulation of his child act, but he was not going to reveal the truth, the lie would stay that way.
That internal thought was pushed away, as he kept indulging in staying by her side until he realized something.
"Mom, it's time for lunch." He reminded her as soon as his thoughts were organized he remembered.
"Oh my! I got distracted! We need to start preparing it now." She turned off the TV and carried Nitrian to the kitchen.
In there they made lunch together.
"Seriously! I'm starting to think about what I will do without my trusted little helper once you start going to elementary…." Norma smiled lightly looking at him.
"You'll be fine, you're number 1, remember? You can do it, super easy." Nitrian responded.
"Hehehehe! Really? Wow, then I must be amazing… Maybe-" She responded with a giggle then she started thinking but got interrupted.
At that time, there was a knock on their door.
"Coming!" Norma said in Korea as she went to answer the door, and it was Kyung-Hye with Jinah.
"Hi! Norma, I was thinking of coming, but I didn't know if you would, so here we are, and Jinwoo will be here in a few hours." Kyung-Hye said as she went in and gave her a tight hug.
This hug was returned as they both leaned into it.
At the same time, Jinah said. "Hi, Aunt Norma." Then she went inside the house and began looking around until she found him. "Nitrian-Oppa!" She immediately ran to him.
"Hi! Jinah… Look at her go. They have so much energy." Norma commented as they broke their hug.
"That's not saying enough, it's like they don't know what being tired is, oh how I miss that, now every other day my back kills me, anyway how are you?" Kyung-Hye replied and held her hands with a smile.
"Honestly, I want to say great, but I'm more or less fine. How about you?" Norma smiled back though her eyes were tired.
"I'm in the same situation, let's sit down and talk," Kyung-Hye suggested.
The response was a nod as the door was closed and they went to the living room couch and sat down together.
"It's Min-Jie, he's getting more distant again, it's been three months since we had any real quality time." Norma expressed with a sigh.
"That's horrible, and I understand you, I'm in a similar boat, Il-Hwan has been getting the habit of staying out late, but he only tells me he's out with friends. If I push he gives me a cheap excuse, I'm honestly afraid to even pry." Kyung-Hye leaned and held her as she spoke.
"Exactly! I know he's not the best, but I didn't think he would go and… You know, but at this point, it's getting extreme, and I don't know what else to think. You're the only one who gets it." Norma also leaned into their cuddle.
"Thank you, it's refreshing that you feel the same way, I thought I was going crazy for feeling this way or having these thoughts, and you have it so much worse with your constant nightmares, is it any better?" Kyung-Hye asked her.
"You said it all, talking to you always makes everything just a bit better. Though I'm still having nightmares and they are getting worse, sometimes now, I see things even when I'm awake." Norma confided.
"… We've come to this so, why don't I get lunch from my house, and I bring it here, and we have a big lunch together, then we do something silly and youthful… I know, a sleepover!" Kyung-Hye suggested full of enthusiasm.
"Really?! I mean… I like the idea, but what about our husbands?" Norma asked.
"What about them? You showed me that I can't be too submissive even if I'm a wife and a mother, I'm still a woman, my own person, so what's wrong with a girl's night?" Kyung-Hye insisted.
"You're right! Let's go get the food from your house, join up with what we have here, and whatever else we need." Norma smiled and nodded.
"Good!… Kids! We are just getting a few quick things, so don't worry, we'll be back real soon." Kyung-Hye warned them, then they quickly left not wanting the kids to be alone any more than necessary.
At the same time just before that, Jinah had gone running to Nitrain and hugged him.
"Let's play! I want to do a tea party, get your toys, and pillows." Jinah asked almost demanding with how much energy she had.
"Fine, I'll get them, now let go." Nitrian lightly hugged her back before letting go.
"No! Carry me!" She shook her head.
"I'll tell Jinwoo." He answered.
"I won't talk to you if you do! Don't be a meanie!" She replied not letting go at all.
"Fine.." Nitrian carried her around and then they got the toys and brought them to the living room.
Only after that did she let go of him and start setting up everything, and after she did, the playing started.
Various toys and plushies were organized around the coffee table and she was serving them tea and talking to them one by one.
"Mister Dragon Boy, I heard your father went missing and your mother became crazy, It must be hard, but you have us all here at the tea club," Jinah said to him with a played-up serious expression as she tried to contain her smile.
"Yes, I'm happy to have you all, thank you." Nitrian smiled at her words.
(What kind of dark backstory did she give my character?… Kids… I guess.) He internally thought, though his smile did not falter on the outside.
From then they continued to play.
It wasn't too long after that the moms returned, but not alone, as Jinwoo arrived with them.
Kyung-Hye and Norma got to organizing everything, and they all had lunch together.
The day ended just like that.
After that, the days continued to reflect this routine for Nitrian and he learned to enjoy it, as the moments he spent with them were delightful to him.
By the time he was 10, a lot of progress was made.
Not only could he now properly command his dragon aura, and psychic abilities. At the same time, his Totality Art had greatly evolved into something he could use fluidly.
Since once he was 7 he began doing more conventional physical training on top of everything else, and he found himself rising beyond what he could before.
Not only that, after he started going to Elementary school, his lures, and talents became much more apparent to him as he easily became very popular without trying at all people just chose him for things like their team when playing games, and so on.
That added to the fact that Jinah was in his class as well and could not stop bragging and boasting about her Oppa, and it was an unavoidable trap, and he had to go along with it, not that he actually minded.
Not only that, but other things had happened, as Min-Jae and Il-Hwan began working together much more closely, and the time they stayed at home remained minimal.
One day, Nitrian was playing video games with Jinwoo.
"Urgguh!… You and Jinah spend way too much time playing on this thing, there's no way you're both this good, last time I couldn't win against her either. I guess I'm just no good at games… Then again, I tend to do better in games that let you level up." Jinwoo commented with a sigh.
"Jinwoo, I'm disappointed, I didn't expect you to be a casual." Nitrian shook his head.
"You're lucky I am, you wouldn't stand a chance otherwise." He responded.
"Hmph! As if-" Nitrian was about to say something more.
The door to Jinwoo's house opened and Il-Hwan came in, then looked around before landing on the boys.
"There you are! Boys, come up, we're going on a trip." Without explaining much or giving them time to understand, he gets the boys and takes them with him.
Later in his car, Jinwoo looks at his father a few times saying nothing before giving in to curiosity.
"Where are we going, Dad?" Jinwoo asked.
"It's a secret surprise, I need you both to be ready. Years from now, 8 or so, crazy things are going to start happening, and me, and Min-Jae want you two to be ready for it. So, I'm showing you something important. I'll explain there." He responded with a serious expression.
This got a nod from Jinwoo, who didn't press any further.
(Ok, it's all going according to plan…. If this works the way I hope I'm building a top-tier training ground… Honestly the scariest part will be getting through the architect.) Nitrian concluded.
In time they got a facility inside a guarded complex and got taken into the underground area, where a high-end lab could be found.
Machinery and devices that seemed almost alien were at work there as they were guided to the heart of it.
At the center of it all, Min-Jae, and he turned to them as soon as he so them, his eyes were red, his hair disheveled, and he looked like he was ready to commit arson.
However, that was quickly overshadowed by the smile that came to his face.
"Great! You brought them." He said.
"Yeah, I didn't exactly get permission, but it should be fine, easier to say sorry than to ask for it, right?" Il-Hwan responded with a slight if weak smile.
"This place looks cool and all, but why are we here?" Jinwoo questioned.
"Yeah, Dad, why?" Nitrian added despite having the answer in mind.
"Yes, you were both brought here before the earth changed, it took years of work to prove, but our planet is slowly changing due to the growing increase of a special particle we decided to call mana, and while it's still very minimal right now, if we are correct in 8 years, it will be the most abundant particle in the planet and bring about unknown changes and consequences," Min-Jae explained.
Only to be met with blank looks from Jinwoo and Nitrian.
"He means the world is changing and we think it's global warming bad, if not worse. Still not sure what exactly will happen, but you two need to know this place. In case something happens to us, you boys have to come here to find whatever you can to uncover the truth, understood?" Il-Hwan said.
This had a more proactive response as the boys both nodded.
"Good, don't talk about this, if your mothers ask, it was just a stroll around. Ok?" Min-Jae asks.
The boys agree to it.
While Jinwoos didn't fully understand the scope of it, and Nitrian pretended not to either, they both got to spend more time with their fathers from then on.
After that, they were taken back home, and back in his room, Nitrian made a decision.
"Ok, things are moving fast, and time doesn't wait for me, so I have to fully dedicate myself to becoming stronger." He nodded to his own reaffirmation, and once again entered his pocket dimension as he did every other night.