DAMIAN MINERVA POV

When my eyes opened up, I rapidly drew breath. It felt like my heart was stopped for a second.

‘Where am I?’

I looked at the white room I was in and out the window next to my bed. The white curtains were blown softly because of the wind. I could pick up the scent of medicines.

‘A medical room, perhaps?’

What I saw outside wasn’t the dark forest of that mountain; rather, all I saw was a green horizon stretching as far as the eye could see. Beyond it was the kingdom’s royal palace. I could see our mountain range next to it as well.

‘Am I….outside the kingdom? If so, where?’

“Morning, sleepyhead.”

When I turned to my side, I looked into someone’s honey brown eyes. The light of the sun reflected her perfect figure on the bed. The person’s skin was so pale and beautiful that it shined like a ruby.

“Laurielle…?” She was holding onto me and was naked for some reason.

It had been awhile since we last saw each other but she had grown up nicely over these years. She had the perfect hour glass figure any man dreamt of. Her long, smooth leg was thrown over my body. She was hugging me from the side.

“Hey.”

With a smile on her face, she kissed my forehead.

“How did you…”

“Shhh…” Laurielle put her finger on my lip and shushed me. “We have all this time to ourselves after all these years and a cute girl is in your bed, yet the first thing you ask is how I’m here? Does it really matter?”

“But I thought they kept you on house arrest…” It was the idea of her bastard husband.

We were forced to stop seeing each other three years ago. Our constant sneaking was seemingly found out by someone.

“That is so…but I made a bet with Duncan that if you win then he lets me go.”

“…? Then what if I lost?”

She smirked. “Then I’ll poison his food after inviting him to dinner and escape myself.”

“That’s a dangerous thought to have, you know….”

“I was raised to be dangerous.”

She’d also be on the run forever. Duncan’s father wouldn’t stop sending assassins until he found her. I was sure that my grandma wouldn’t be able to handle them as well so that meant that it would’ve been my job to protect her.

“How are you feeling?” Laurielle asked and looked into my eyes. There was concern on her face.

“Well, I’ve been better. How do I say it? My entire body is on fire.”

“Not good then. Geez, why did you go so far for revenge against big brother Aubrey?”

“….”

His name made me frown a bit. The way she respectfully called him as well. However, I smiled again and chuckled.

“Not just for revenge. It was for you too.” I kissed her forehead.

“…..”

Her entire face reddened. She covered up her body as if she just realized she was naked.

There was a sudden knock on the door.

“Ahem. Someone’s here to see you.” She got up awkwardly with the sheet around her body.

“…?” I turned towards the door. It opened with a creak and a familiar face appeared.

Grandma Barbara.

“What a display you showed to Damian, child.” She chuckled as she looked at Laurielle. “Were you that excited to see him and spread your pheromones?”

“T-That’s not…!!” Laurielle tried to retort but she only lowered her head. She turned towards me and tried to say something.

“….”

In the end she ran out of the door. Her footsteps continued in the hall until it disappeared.

“Err….”

“Kukuku. She’s acting like a pure maiden. It’s like the two of you never snuck out when you were younger to do the deed.” Granny Barbara sat down on a chair.

“H-Hey, please stop teasing her.”

She shrugged with a sigh.

“It’s obvious in what state you’re in, so I’ll ask something else on my mind….” Granny Barbara’s smile vanished. “Why did you do what you did back then?”

“….Are you talking about the technique I used?”

“Yes. Why are you able to control it that well?” My grandmother suddenly summoned her sword and pointed it at my throat. “Are you really Damian?”

“H-Huh?”

“Answer me! Or I swear I’ll cut your arms and legs off!”

“….!?” I was dumfounded when I saw my grandmother point her blade at me. I had never been punished by her before so it was weird how she acted towards me now.

“If you’re really Damian then tell me when is his birthday.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Talk!”

“O-Okay! It’s on the 7th of the Blood Moon!”

“….”

She nodded and sighed in relief.

“Why did you suddenly draw your sword?” I was taken aback by the fact that my own grandmother, who had never admonished me even a little in the past, show such killing intent to me.

Her sword vanished into thin air and she exhaled deeply.

“I thought someone related to that Thing took control of my baby’s body.”

“That thing?”

“I’m talking about the one that left that book in this world.”

“Wait…That book belonged to someone else? Not our household?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Do you remember the article the White Order released to the public?”

“The one from last year?”

It was rare for the HQ in the Sky Fortress to release something. It only happened when they wanted to warn of a calamity or a threat they couldn’t defeat.

As I said, such occurrences were rare. There had only been three released so far in the last decade.

There was a dark shadow over Granny Barbara’s face.

“I’m talking about the enemy they faced. This book belonged to someone in Zero’s race.” She lifted a pitch black book in her hand. It was the one I learned the Black Lightning God Fist from.

“Huh? Then…how do you know that?”

“It seems you never read the notes left behind by the previous heads. We have come into contact with them once before. They were the ones who taught us the way of aura control. Do you not find it odd that only our entire clan is made of aura users? Aura users aren’t rare but the way we use our aura is unique to us alone.”

“Is it the way you can cut space apart with your aura alone?”

“Yes. I can bend reality with the strike of a sword. Your father can literally punch through space. And so on. While others can strengthen their bodies with aura, we can do more and change the world around us. Your father, grandfather and I have reached a stage past Master rank using this power. We have been using their methods of fighting for generations.”

“They’ve been around this long…?”

“That’s right. However, the one we always came into contact with is long gone. I have spoken with your grandpa and asked what he thought. He says that you may have the blood of an immortal. Probably stronger blood than we have.”

“…!?”

“This is because the one that gave us these ancient techniques copulated with the first head’s wife. Before you ask questions, listen to me first: they have been in our world far longer than when Zero came to this kingdom. We just didn’t know where they were. Even at this very moment, they might be in this kingdom plotting something that concerns their goals. You must stay away from them if they ever approach you. They are nothing like the one that gave us our powers.”

“What do you mean?”

I truly wanted to know how they were different. That Zero guy singlehandedly destroyed the lives of thousands. Many had died during the Divide.

If an entire race of them existed then what were the chances that we could compare?

“We’re deviating from what’s important. Don’t ask why just stay away from them. You may not believe me but your father specifically ordered a few people to monitor your location. As they aren’t hostile towards you, I have no need to intervene.”

“Huh…?”

My grandma laughed when she saw the expression on my face.

Him? Protect me?

“He had been secretive with his motives all this time as a father, hasn’t he?”

“Hold on a second.” I rubbed my forehead with my bandaged arm. “Why would he care about my life? Wasn’t he the one that wanted to kill me the most?”

She shook her head.

“To not show weakness to the other elders, he must keep the image of being a ferocious head. A naïve, gullible man as the head would bring this clan to ruin. The ones I was stopping from killing you weren’t your father or grandfather, it was the other elders. The lives of his children are important to him. As a human being, he is unable to show that affection. That is why he is so cold towards you. No, to all of his children."

“….”

“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” She chuckled and sliced one of the fruits lying in the basket into two pieces. She gave me one and ate the other half.

“Haven’t you been misunderstanding your family thus far?”

I looked outside again. Specifically at the mountain where the main castle of our family was located.

I remembered Aubrey’s words.

It changed my entire perspective of him.

“Why is it so hard to just come forward about how they really feel…”

“Damian.” Granny Barbara spoke sternly toward me. “To survive in this world as the son of the Minerva assassin clan’s head is not an easy feat. Aubrey and Zelda, no, all of your siblings have stated clearly that they will stay in the family business. However, you were different. You wanted to leave. Only you were different from the monsters that formed from the seed of your father.”

“….Can I ask one thing?”

“Go ahead. I’m here to tell you the truth about everything anyway.”

“Okay. Does my…mother hate me?” I wanted to know the truth about her. I had seen her countless times from afar, however, I had never spoken to her before.

There was no familial love between the two of us.

“Yes.”

She answered without hesitation.

“Why…?”

“She sees you as the culprit that caused her to suffer so much in this family. She was never safe ever since the day your father fell for her and brought her before your grandfather. Her fate was sealed the moment she bore you. She cannot escape anymore. If she ever left then she will be killed. Not by us, no. By the enemies we made along the way.”

“Fuck…Why is this family so messed up.”

My grandma smiled wryly.

“That is the price we must pay. This family has been cursed ever since the day Cain entered that vampire’s lair. Many of the others were expecting her to give birth to another brilliant aura user to add to their ‘army’. However, the one that was born was a black magician.”

Granny Barbara stood up. She walked over to the window and looked over the scenery.

“Your friend was here earlier.”

“Clyde!? Urgh!”

I was about to jump out of bed but forgot about my injuries. I was paralysed from the waist down.

“That dark healing you used messed up your body even more. Anyway, you can’t go anywhere like that.”

“It was his birthday party tonight…” I slumped down on the pillow and groaned. “We’ve been friends for a year now. This would've been my first birthday with him."

“Isn’t that lovely~. But it’s a shame. You’ll have to wait for your injuries to heal. It shouldn’t be long.”

She was right. My body had been modified this way through the training I was forced to do in the past. A cut could heal in a few hours. A snap of a bone could heal in under three days and so on. Since my entire body was riddled with injuries, I reckoned that it would take two weeks.

I asked a question after sorting out my thoughts.

“Back to what you said about my father. If he’s truly not a piece of trash, why did he kill the first friend I ever had?”

“Damian…That never happened.”

“Huh…?”

“Those were memories planted inside your head so you could hate your father and not come back. That boy is probably living far away by now. Last I checked, he was married to some village girl in the south already.”

“…All those memories I had were fake? Even the fact that we attended classes together?”

“No. Only his death. The boy would’ve been in danger had your father not resorted to this method. He made sure to send the boy far away. The elders lost interest after a while, so he’s safe.”

“…Fuck…He really is trash…” Tears fell from my eyes as I tried my best to not let out a hiccup. The hate I felt seemed to melt away.

In the end, my father and Aubrey were the most sane out of those monsters. Everything they did was for a reason.

What did my big brother say to me again?

His words echoed as if he was whispering it into my ears again:

It breaks my heart seeing you sacrifice your own life to beat me. However, I am proud to call you my little brother. We have finally succeeded in making you a man ready for the outside world. You may hate me but I can truly say that I love you, Damian.