Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

One month after the intense battle, the group embarked on the journey to the demi-humans island, utilizing the vessel initially designed by Rain for cosmic travel. This vessel, however, appeared peculiar to everyone. Contrary to their expectations, it was circular in shape, which struck them as odd. Nevertheless, the upper surface was spacious enough to accommodate everyone comfortably.

Another unusual aspect of this vessel was its transformative nature. Initially small, it began to expand gradually. Eventually, it stretched to a remarkable five-kilometer radius. Astonishingly, half of this vessel seemed to be composed of water. This bizarre formation puzzled everyone as they questioned how the water managed to remain suspended without cascading down from the vessel's edge.

This unorthodox vessel, both in its round design and its expanding capacity, left the group intrigued and filled with questions about its mysterious properties and the physics behind its seemingly improbable structure. To all of them, Rain only had a single thing to say.

"It is magic, I ain't explaining shit," Rain said.

Unlike people who use that kind of thing because they don't understand the process of some spells, Rain knew how it was possible, it was just too troublesome to explain the endless effects of the vessel. Gravity also played a part in it as well.

In any case, although they couldn't sense that Rain was as strong as those three, the demi-humans knew that Rain could pose a problem… if he were to make the vessel fall on the island… there will be no more islands.

Another weird thing was the power of the dragon slayer path… Rain had gotten stronger thanks to it, everyone could feel that, but they could sense that he wasn't that dangerous, but their senses warned them of him as well… it was truly a weird feeling.

"You created all this to accommodate everyone, but you should know that splitting the work will be more efficient," Seadrei suddenly said as he watched the sea folk getting used to the water on the vessel.

"I didn't make this to explore this world, but I do understand that," Rain said. "We can use it to move around, so it will be fine if we leave the groups in many areas of the world to check for the things that we want."

Although the vessel was fast, it still took five days for them to reach their destination… Rain wasn't exactly in a hurry since he wanted everyone to have some time to relax. Specifically, his kids… they talked now and then with each other, but things were still awkward between them.

"They are older, but they still can't see each other as equals…" Terra said. "Sealyn became the sea empress and she leads thousands of sea warriors, while Danny and Annie focused on improving their strength and working with us alone."

"I don't think that they are weaker than her in a fight, without the spear… but Sealyn can tell that they don't want to act too chummy with her because of her position," Sears explained. "Thanks to it, she is acting like usual toward those who see her as the sea empress instead of just being herself."

"Maybe things will improve if I lock them up in a room and only let them out when they are best buddies or something," Rain said.

"Great idea, treat them like ten-year-old kids," Terra shrugged.

"Maybe we should just wait and give them some space…" Sears said.

Rain didn't like that… his secret path, the Problem Solver was tingling, making him feel like he had to do something about that. Being too pushy wouldn't be good… being too cautious would make things more awkward as well.

"I skipped involuntarily their rebellious phase, but things didn't get easier…" Rain thought and then sighed. "I can only think of a single thing that will truly help them here…"

Rain believed that the most effective way for people to genuinely bond and establish trust was through situations that tested their bonds, where they had to rely on each other in life-threatening circumstances. However, Rain found himself unable to orchestrate such a scenario where his children could support each other in this manner.

Besides, it was insane to create such a situation… He hoped for an opportunity where they would naturally come together, supporting and relying on each other during a critical moment.

Rain understood that genuine camaraderie and solidarity couldn't be forced, and such situations often developed through unforeseen events that demanded mutual trust and reliance.

Feeling somewhat powerless in this regard, Rain realized that all he could do was wait patiently for circumstances to evolve and for his children to gradually improve their relationship. He understood that forcing the issue might only make things worse, so he chose to step back and hope for positive developments to occur naturally, even if it meant a slow and uncertain process of improvement.

When the group reached the demi-humans island, Rain had planned to stay there for one week to let everyone relax a bit more… Still, the only way muscle heads could relax was by training, so soon they began to punch each other on the beaches while they waited for Regis and Isa to explain what had happened. The weather had improved even in that area, so the inhabitants had few reasons to doubt them.

"It seems that the mana on the vessel is increasing, but it isn't growing that much anymore," Esmeralda said when she approached Rain as he watched Danny and Annie sparring. "Why is that?"

"I am tweaking with a few things, but the real issue is that it will consume too much energy if the vessel keeps increasing under the influence of the atmosphere," Rain explained. "Besides, few people are there right now."

The situation with the vessel and its mana capacity was complex and had many layers. The island had limitations regarding its ability to accommodate a sudden influx of people, especially a substantial number like twenty thousand individuals. The vessel struggled to sustain itself with few occupants, so a bunch of people like Rain's grandparents remained there.