Immortal Paladin-047Problematic Parents-Part 1- Carl’s POV

047 Problematic Parents - Part 1 - Carl’s POV

I never knew the first damn thing about being a father.

That was why I always kept my distance—from my family, from my children. It was easier that way. Easier to stay focused. Easier to avoid looking at their faces and wondering if I had already failed them.

My daughter had worshipped me once. My little boy? Just as bad.

When did it all go wrong?

Was it when I lost my title as the strongest? When I lost my wife?

I didn’t have the answer. Maybe I never would.

But right now, that didn’t matter, because my son was coming at me again, flames roaring around his fist, eyes wild with anger.

Sloppy. Predictable.

I sighed, stepping back just enough for the punch to miss before sweeping his legs out from under him for the nth damn time.

He crashed to the ground with a grunt, rolling to recover, but before I could comment on how slow that was—

A kick came for the back of my ankle.

The girl.

Mirai.

She was quick. A good match for Karl. But not good enough.

I pivoted, dodging her attack and sidestepping Karl’s wild cross in the same breath. Then, before they could regain their rhythm, I kicked the girl’s shin—not hard enough to break anything, just enough to make her stumble—and danced around them both like it was just another Tuesday.

Karl cursed, flames sputtering around his arms as he struggled to keep up. I could see it—the sluggishness setting in, his movements getting heavier. He was overheating.

Good.

He always thought more clearly when he was desperate.

"You're slowing down," I remarked, dodging another punch without looking.

Karl growled and threw a flurry of wild swings, each one burning hot, each one missing.

I sighed. We relied on our flames too much. It was a habit that had been hard to curb... something Karl was yet to learn. Of course, I’m different now.

“Karly, you are beoming more and more reliant on your flames.”

Sure, I was known for my fire, but I was just as deadly in close quarters. Heat-sensing ESP made sure of that. Even without looking, I could feel every movement, every shift in the air, every flicker of heat rising from their bodies.

Karl staggered, panting. The girl, Mirai I believed, clicked her tongue, adjusting her stance.

They still had some fight left in them.

I let them catch their breath just long enough before speaking.

"You want to talk about murder?" I asked, dodging Karl’s next punch with ease.

His jaw clenched. He swung again, and again I dodged.

"You want to talk about revenge?" I caught his wrist mid-strike, twisting it just enough to make him flinch. "You can barely even throw a punch."

Karl was breathing hard now, sweat mixing with the soot on his face. His flames flickered weakly around his fists, no longer roaring like they had at the start of our little match.

I could feel it—the exhaustion setting in, the doubt creeping at the edges of his mind. Good. Let him struggle.

"You have unfair expectations if you think I can beat you," Karl spat, his voice hoarse from exertion. "You were once the strongest ESPer in the world. And you're still one of the strongest pyrokinetics alive."

I tilted my head, giving him a bored look. "So what?"

Karl gritted his teeth.

I smirked. "Are you gonna give up, then? Lose this bet? Withdraw from ESPer Academy and get a nice, safe career in—" I pretended to think, dragging out the pause for effect.

Then I grinned.

"Accounting?"

Karl’s eye twitched. His flames sputtered dangerously.

“Fuck accounting,” he snarled.

“Gotcha!”

The girl’s voice rang out as her leg swept against the back of my foot.

Oh, shit.

Before I could shift my balance, I felt my leg buckle. In a flash, she had clipped my leg, locking it in place.

Smart girl.

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I hit the ground harder than I liked, and Karl wasted no time. He summoned an orb of flame, crushing it in his grip. His fist ignited in an intense blaze, hotter than anything I had ever seen from him before.

I blinked. That’s… new.

Karl leapt, his fist aimed straight for my face. His flames crackled with a brilliance that was almost blinding. At the edges of the fire, I spotted it—a faint hue of blue licking at the core of his flames.

That wasn’t just some cheap parlor trick. That was real heat.

Blue flames meant Karl had reached a temperature that could burn through anything. If he kept this up, he could devastate even veteran ESPers.

I almost felt proud.

Almost.

But in the end, he still wasn’t fast enough.

His fist passed through nothing, slamming into the ground instead. The sheer heat of the impact left a deep, charred crater in the reinforced floor. The air shimmered, the ground hissed, but Karl’s target was gone.

Because my flesh had dissipated into fire.

I warped a few distances away, my body reforming as flames before solidifying again.

“You can do that?!” the girl complained, throwing her hands up.

I felt like boasting. “Yeah,” I said with a smirk. “My ESP is called Flame King.”

I stretched my arms, popping my neck as I added, “I named it myself—thought it sounded cool at the time.”

"It's childish," Karl huffed, his breath ragged. His flames flickered unsteadily, his body drenched in sweat.

Mirai stood beside him, looking just as haggard. The girl was tough—I’d give her that. Not many could keep up with an ESPer duel like this, let alone against me.

Karl’s glare was sharp, his frustration boiling over. “Why are you doing this?” he demanded. “Debasing yourself? Giving up your title as the strongest? Leaving the people who hurt her alone?”

Her.

I knew exactly who he meant.

This kid was really in over his head.

But… if I were his age, I probably would’ve said the same things to the current me.

I imagined myself as a younger man—hot-headed, prideful, convinced that strength was absolute. That power meant control. That the strongest stayed the strongest.

But the thing was…

I’d grown up.

I’d become old.

I’d gained something Karl lacked—perspective.

The world just didn’t work the way I thought it did when I was his age.

The strong don’t stay the strongest.

Not forever.

No matter how much I pushed myself, there would always be younger blood. Stronger talent. Someone with more fire, more spark, more potential.

And I’d made peace with that.

Karl hadn’t.

It was good for him in a way, because that would help him grow stronger.

However, it would be his death if he were not to learn when to give up.

So, I decided to teach him.

I exhaled, raising the temperature around us.

The air shimmered with heat distortion. The oxygen grew thin. The girl was the first to feel it—she stumbled, her knees hitting the ground as she gasped for air.

"Mirai!?" Karl shouted, snapping his head toward her.

He still had some resistance because of his ESP. But she didn’t.

Big mistake, kid.

I warped forward, my body dissolving into fire before solidifying in front of him.

And then—

I drove my knee into his gut.

A harsh, choked sound escaped Karl as the impact knocked the breath out of his lungs. His body crumpled inward, his flames flickering wildly.

I grabbed his collar before he could fall and leaned in, voice low.

"Welcome to reality, son."

Karl’s head snapped forward.

A headbutt.

I let him.

I could have elementalized, turned to fire, and let his forehead pass through empty space. But I didn’t. Rapid elementalization was a bit still tough for me.

So, I let it land.

Pain rang through my skull, but I barely flinched.

I exhaled, watching as Karl staggered back, dazed from his own attack. Then I loosened my grip and let him go.

He barely had time to react before I elementalized, my body turning into flames and warping behind him.

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I reappeared at his flank and drove my fist into his cheek.

Karl grunted, his body twisting from the force, but I didn’t let up. I followed with a kick, sending him skidding across the charred ground.

And as I knocked him around, I spoke.

"There are powers beyond what ESP can offer, Karl." My voice was even, controlled, but firm.

Karl coughed, pushing himself up to his elbows, his glare filled with rage.

I sighed, stepping closer. "You think I don’t want to punish the people responsible for your sister’s suffering?"

I watched his expression closely.

"Of course I do. But clearly… I couldn’t.

His fingers curled into fists.

I kicked him in the ribs, sending him sprawling onto his back again.

Blood splattered onto the floor.

Karl coughed, a deep, guttural sound, but his flames didn’t go out. He was still trying to push forward, still trying to fight, even when his body was already losing.

I looked at him—really looked at him.

Then I stopped.

I took a deep breath, realizing what I’d done.

This was my son.

And yet, I had beaten him down until he was kneeling on the floor, bloodied, burnt, and angry.

But even now, he refused to fall.

With trembling breaths, he stood back up.

His legs wobbled. His flames flickered unsteadily. His fists were still raised.

"Is it worth it?" Karl rasped. His voice was hoarse, but the anger in his eyes was still burning.

I frowned. "What?"

Karl swallowed hard, then forced himself to breathe.

"Is it worth it?" he repeated. "Doing nothing? Letting yourself be cowed by people who think they’re stronger?"

His chest heaved. He swayed slightly, but his feet stayed firm.

"I'm not stupid," he muttered, wiping the blood from his mouth. "I know power isn’t just ESP. It’s money, it’s status, it’s connections."

His fingers tightened into fists.

"But what I don’t get is—why did you just give up?"

I met his stare.

Then, I exhaled, looking up at the ceiling.

"...I didn’t give up," I said finally.

Karl scoffed, but I continued.

"I tried. I pushed for it in the court of law, used my influence, pulled every damn string I could. But there are some people in this world that just can’t be touched."

The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.

Karl’s flames flickered. His eyes widened—just slightly—as if he was only now realizing the weight of what I meant.

And for a brief moment…

He didn’t have anything to say.

Karl was crying.

I felt my heart ache.

Damn it.

The fire in his eyes hadn’t gone out, but now, it was mixed with something else.

Pain. Frustration.

I clenched my jaw, trying to steady my breathing.

And then—

“Then you should be angry about it!”

A voice.

A sharp, pissed-off voice.

Before I could even process what was happening, a leg swept under my crotch.

My soul nearly left my body.

I barely managed to elementalize, flames consuming my form as I warped a few feet away.

I reformed, eyes snapping to my attacker.

Mirai.

She stood with her fists up, scowling.

I exhaled, still shaken from the near-death experience.

"Nice stealth," I muttered.

Mirai grinned. "Learned from the best."

And then a foot slammed into my crotch.

Again.

But this time, it connected.

I choked. My entire body locked up in raw, paralyzing agony.

I turned my head, catching a glimpse of white hair.

Evelyn.

EVELYN?!

No… it wasn’t her… It was a boy…

I elementalized too late.

By the time I returned to my fleshy form, I was already on my knees, legs squeezed together, teeth clenched, and seeing white.

Wanted. To. Die.My vision blurred.

These kids were a menace.

Or so I would like to say, but—

"OI! No time to breathe, old man!"

A shadow rushed me from my flank.

I barely caught a glimpse of Mirai before she threw a wide haymaker.

She was yelling, furious—

"If your son is mad at you, you shouldn’t be so casual about it!"

She was too fast.

For some reason—maybe because I was still reeling from my crushed dignity—I misread her timing.

And her haymaker connected.

CRACK.

Pain exploded across my jaw.

My head snapped to the side.

And for the first time in years…

I actually stumbled.