Five Years Later

Aria Vance was five years old, and the multiverse had learned to fear her in an entirely different way than it feared her father.

Where Elias inspired terror through his absolute power and willingness to erase threats from existence, Aria inspired a kind of existential dread through sheer unpredictability. She had all the reality-warping power of a Universe God—now actually touching the threshold of Multiversal Realm—combined with the impulse control of a curious child who had been told "no" far too many times.

"Father, I want to go outside," Aria announced one morning, her violet-silver eyes gleaming with mischief.

Elias looked up from the complex array of equations he'd been working on—his continued pursuit of Quantum Law mastery and the designs of a new dantian.

His daughter stood before him in a dress made of crystallized starlight (her own creation, naturally), her arms crossed in a pose that was a perfect miniature copy of Kaelen's "I'm being patient but barely" stance.

"Outside where?" he asked carefully.

"Outside outside. Not the garden dimension. Not the star-viewing platform. Not any of the hundreds of recreational spaces you've built." She counted on her fingers dramatically. "I want to go to real places. Meet real people. Have real adventures."

"You're five years old."

"I'm also a Universe God with 97% Reality Law comprehension who can also speak to the universe and solve multiversal mathematics in my head," Aria countered. "Age is just a number, Father. You taught me that."

"I taught you that in the context of cultivation advancement, not as justification for unsupervised exploration of potentially dangerous environments."

Aria's expression shifted to one Elias had learned to recognize with growing dread: the look that meant she was about to do something clever and frustrating.

"Define 'unsupervised,'" she said sweetly.

The conversation that followed required Kaelen's intervention, and ultimately led to Elias making a decision he had been avoiding for years.

"She has a point," Kaelen said gently as they discussed the matter later that evening. "We can't keep her locked in a pocket dimension forever. She needs to experience reality, meet other beings, learn how to navigate the multiverse."

"She could accidentally destroy a solar system if she has a tantrum," Elias pointed out.

"She hasn't had a tantrum since she was two, and even then, the only thing she destroyed was her breakfast plate." Kaelen took his hand. "She has better control than you're giving her credit for. She's been ready for this. You're just not ready to let her go."

Elias couldn't argue with that assessment. The thought of his daughter out in the multiverse, where he couldn't monitor every variable(he could), where threats might emerge from any direction, where she might be in danger even for a microsecond—it was illogical, he knew, given her power level. But logic had little to do with how he felt about Aria's safety.

"I have a compromise," he said finally. "Do you remember the academy I established on your home planet? Before we left?"

Kaelen's eyes widened with understanding. "Your disciples."

"Yes. I had set specific requirements—anyone who achieved Planetary Realm before age thirty, demonstrated perfect Law comprehension ratios, and passed my personal trials would be teleported to me for advanced training." He pulled up a holographic display showing five cultivation signatures. "These five succeeded. I've been training them for the past 300 years."

The display showed five individuals, each with impressive cultivation bases and unique specializations:

Zhen Wei - A human male who had achieved Planetary Realm at age twenty-seven through sheer determination and perfect understanding of the Law of Perseverance. His Dantian was a marvel of efficient design that Elias had personally helped optimize.

Lysa Thornheart - An elf-like being whose mastery of Spatial Law was so refined she could fold space into geometric impossibilities. She had caught Elias's attention by solving a dimensional puzzle he'd created as a test in under three hours.

Krix the Unyielding - A crystalline entity whose defense techniques were so absolute that even Elias had needed to try twice to break them during testing(not really but take it like that). His Law of Resistance was perfected to 94%.

Mira Starweaver - A young woman who had developed an entirely unique cultivation method based on the Law of Connection, allowing her to link disparate energies and create hybrid techniques. Elias had found her approach fascinatingly inefficient yet effective.

Thorn Blackveil - A shadow-affinity cultivator whose stealth capabilities were so advanced he had once managed to hide from Elias's perception for a full 0.00000000001 seconds—a record that still stood.

"They've each reached the peak of Universe Realm under my instruction," Elias continued. "With additional training, they've all touched the threshold of Multiversal ascension. By normal standards, they're incredibly powerful. By my standards..." he paused, "they're acceptably competent."

"You want them to guard Aria?" Kaelen asked.

"I want them to accompany her. Not as obvious guards—she would rebel against that immediately. But as 'companions' assigned to help her navigate the multiverse. She'll think they're there to show her around. They'll know their true purpose is to keep her safe and report back to me if anything goes wrong."

"That's... actually quite clever. Also somewhat manipulative."

"It's optimal," Elias corrected. "She gets her freedom. I get my peace of mind. The disciples get real-world experience protecting something infinitely precious. Everyone benefits."

The next day, Aria was summoned to her father's study, where five strangers waited in various states of nervous tension. They had been briefed on their mission, and the weight of it showed in every line of their bodies.

"Aria," Elias said formally, "these are my disciples from Terra Prime. They've completed their training and requested the opportunity to serve our family. I'm assigning them as your companions for when you venture outside our dimension."

Aria's eyes lit up. "Really? I can go outside?"

"With supervision," Elias emphasized. "These five will accompany you, ensure you don't accidentally cause any cosmic incidents, and help you navigate social situations with beings who don't understand your unique circumstances."

Aria studied the five disciples with an intensity that made them all unconsciously straighten. At five years old, she barely reached their waists, but her presence filled the room with palpable weight.

"Zhen Wei," she said, pointing at the human male. "You're nervous but trying to hide it. Your Law of Perseverance is stable at 87%, but you have an unresolved bottleneck in your understanding of duration versus intensity."

Zhen Wei's eyes widened. "How did you—"

"Lysa Thornheart. Your spatial folds are elegant but inefficient. You're using seventeen-dimensional mathematics when eleven would suffice. Also, you're currently folded through three different spaces simultaneously, which is why you look slightly blurry."

Lysa stumbled, her concealment technique falling apart.

"Krix the Unyielding. Your defenses are impressive, but you're overcompensating for a trauma from your early cultivation. You witnessed someone you cared about die because they couldn't defend themselves, so you've built yourself into an impenetrable fortress. It's affecting your mobility."

Krix's crystalline form flickered with something that might have been shock or recognition.

"Mira Starweaver. Your Law of Connection is unique and beautiful, but you're lonely. You connect everything else together but struggle to connect with individuals on a personal level. That's why you chose this Law—hoping it would help you understand bonds you can't naturally form."

Mira's breath caught, tears suddenly threatening.

"And Thorn Blackveil. You're not actually in this room. You're observing from the shadow dimension, testing my perception. You've been there since before I arrived." Aria smiled and waved at a seemingly empty corner. "Hello!"

A figure materialized from the shadows, his expression a mixture of embarrassment and profound respect. "Lady Aria. I apologize for the deception."

"Don't apologize for using your skills. That's smart." Aria turned back to her father. "They're good. I like them. Can we go now?"

Elias felt a strange mixture of pride and concern. His daughter had instantly analyzed five Universe Realm cultivators and identified their core characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. She had his analytical abilities combined with an emotional intelligence that he had to admit didn't come from him.

"Yes," he said. "But remember the rules."

Aria rolled her eyes but recited dutifully: "No erasing people from existence. No rewriting fundamental Laws in populated areas. No creating pocket dimensions inside inhabited planets. No accelerating or decelerating time around living beings without permission. No—"

"The summary version," Elias interrupted.

"Don't do anything that would make you have to come rescue me," Aria finished. "Because then you'd be disappointed, and that's worse than any punishment."

"Correct." He knelt down to her level, his expression serious. "I trust you, Aria. I trust your judgment and your control. But the multiverse is vast and full of beings who don't understand how special you are. Some might try to use you. Others might fear you. A few might even try to harm you. Your companions are there to help navigate those situations."

"I understand, Father." She hugged him tightly, her small arms wrapping around his neck. "I'll be careful. I promise."

As she pulled back, Elias noticed something in her eyes—a spark of adventure, of excitement, of the pure joy of possibility. It reminded him of Kaelen, and the thought made him smile despite his concerns.

"Go," he said softly. "Experience the multiverse. Learn. Grow. Come back with stories to tell."

Aria's face lit up with incandescent joy. She turned to the five disciples, who all straightened to attention.

"Okay, companions!" she announced. "First stop: I want to see a Universal Hub. Father's told me about them, but I've never actually visited one. I want to see markets and shops and all the different species and—oh! Can we get food? I want to try food from a hundred different universes!"

"Let's fucking gooooooo" Aria shouted

"Young Lady, LANGUAGE" Elias and Kaelen admonished.

"Sorry, let's carefully gooooooooo" Aria smiled mischievously and said to her five companions.

The disciples exchanged glances, silently communicating their shared thought: This is going to be interesting.

The Polos Bazaar was one of the largest Universal Hubs in this sector—a massive space station that existed partially outside normal space-time, allowing it to accommodate millions of visitors from thousands of different civilizations simultaneously.

When Aria and her companions materialized at one of the public transport nodes, the effect was immediate and profound.

Reality itself seemed to notice her presence. The ambient spiritual energy in the area suddenly became more refined, more pure. Beings sensitive to cosmic fluctuations felt a wave of something they couldn't quite identify—power, certainly, but also potential, promise, the sense that something significant had just entered their reality.

"Is it always like this?" Aria asked, looking around with undisguised wonder at the incredible variety of beings moving through the station.

"The attention?" Zhen Wei replied. "For you, probably yes. You have a very... distinctive presence, Lady Aria."

"Don't call me 'Lady.' Just Aria." She started walking, her head swiveling to take in everything at once. "Look at them all! That one's made of living fire! And that one exists in four dimensions simultaneously! And that one—is that one just a sentient geometric theorem?"

"Yes, that's a Mathborn," Lysa explained, falling into step beside her. "They're beings of pure mathematical concept given physical form. Quite rare."

As they moved deeper into the bazaar, the ripple effects of Aria's presence began to compound. Merchants found their products suddenly working better than they should. Cultivation pills in display cases spontaneously increased in quality. Broken items in repair shops fixed themselves.

"Is she doing that intentionally?" Mira whispered to Krix.

"I don't think so," Krix replied, his senses tracking the subtle reality distortions following in Aria's wake. "She's just... leaking perfection. Her understanding of Laws is so complete that reality near her automatically optimizes itself."

The first real incident occurred at a food stall run by a jovial being who looked like a cross between an octopus and a star.

"Hello, small one!" the merchant boomed. "What can I get for you today?"

"What do you recommend?" Aria asked, her eyes scanning the bewildering array of dishes from across the universe.

"For a young cultivator, I suggest the Starfruit Harmony Bowl—it's nutritious, delicious, and helps with spiritual energy refinement!"

"I'll take one! Actually, I'll take seven different things. I want to try everything!"

As the merchant prepared her order, other customers began to notice the young girl who radiated such overwhelming presence. Whispers started spreading through the bazaar:

"Is that...?"

"Can't be. She's just a child."

"But that aura... that power..."

"Oh ancestors, I can feel Reality Law emanating from her. She's at least Universe Realm!"

"Universe Realm? At that age? Impossible!"

Thorn, monitoring from the shadows, noted at least seventeen different factions dispatching observers to investigate. Some were merely curious. Others had more mercenary intentions. All would need to be carefully managed.

The food arrived, and Aria's reaction to trying alien cuisine for the first time was perhaps the most normal, child-like thing she'd done since arriving. Her face went through a rapid series of expressions—surprise, consideration, delight, then mild disgust at one particularly pungent dish.

"This one tastes like Father's failed alchemy experiments smell," she announced, pushing away a bowl of fermented void-kelp.

The merchant laughed. "Ah, not everything is to everyone's taste! But you're a brave one for trying!"

As Aria paid—casually producing a Universal Credit chip worth more than the merchant probably made in a year—reality hiccupped slightly. The merchant's stall, which had been showing its age with worn surfaces and flickering holo-displays, suddenly looked brand new.

"What... what did you do?" the merchant asked, staring at his restored equipment.

"Fixed it," Aria said simply. "It was bothering me that it was broken while the food was so good. Things that create joy should be beautiful."

And she walked away, leaving behind a merchant who would spend the rest of his life telling the story of the day the Daughter of the Multiverse visited his stall and blessed it with perfection.

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