Chapter 205
The flame (4)
"Dead...?" IAM repeated. "What do you mean she's dead? How? Why?"
His eyes searched the Flame's face looking for a hint of anything.
But Omari Gold didn't smile this time.
His fingers had returned to that same gold coin, spinning it slowly between his knuckles as his eyes locked onto IAM's with an unreadable expression. There was something distant in his gaze now.
Like he was looking at IAM but also past him.
The room felt still. The silence stretched.
Elliott, standing quietly by the chair, maintained that same professional smile, completely undisturbed by the energy in the air.
IAM pressed on, leaning slightly forward. "What does she have to do with you? Who are you to her?"
Omari stopped twirling the coin. For a moment, it sat still in his palm.
He let out a long, quiet breath.
Then, with a soft flick of his thumb, he sent the coin flipping into the air. It arced cleanly, catching the light, before landing with a soft clink back into his hand.
"She…" he began, his voice quieter than before, "…was my sister."
IAM's breath caught.
Diana Grimm.
Sister…?
The Flame—Omari Gold—was her brother?
IAM made a face. "How is that possible? You don't even share the same last name…" His voice trailed off as a possibility crossed his mind.
He recalled one of the known shortcuts for becoming an ascender: legally, if a person had sufficient wealth, status, or connections—to the government, the academy, or influential circles—they could acquire a path manual directly. This allowed them to bypass the chaos of war, the grueling hardships of academy trials.
With such access, a person could become an ascender privately, and in some cases, even pass that manual down to their children.
Knowledge, after all, was inheritable.
There were families where multiple generations of ascenders existed. Not because of bloodlines or genetics, but because of resources, connections, and careful planning.
Still, despite this unofficial method, the country had no true royalty, no formal noble bloodlines.
The rules were clear: being an ascender had nothing to do with your parents. Two genius parents did not guarantee a genius child. Individual ability and effort determined success.
This reality had led to an inflation of adoption within wealthy and influential families. If a family had the means to adopt, they could bring in a child with potential. If one child turned out to be a talented ascender, it was like hitting the lottery. If not, they simply tried again.
Over time, this practice became normalized. Many influential families routinely adopted children, sometimes from outside their immediate circles, simply to secure the chance of producing an ascender. Some children retained their original last names, while others were given the family's surname, depending on the family's preference.
IAM processed all of this quietly, turning the possibilities over in his mind. Adoption, inherited manuals, connections—these were tools in a system designed for those with power. It was likely that whatever link existed between Diana Grimm and Omari Gold had followed this same logic.
IAM could only assume. "She was adopted… Diana was adopted."
Omari nodded. "Yes. My sister was taken in by the Gold family at a young age. She was a bright girl with an incredible future." A faint smile flickered across his face, nostalgic, before his expression flattened. "But in a family so large, where everyone fought for power and status, it was a brutal environment for her. She came from a wealthy family originally, a product of an affair, before being cast out to the streets. She was strong-minded, kind… a woman who genuinely cared for each of her siblings."
He paused briefly. "Including me. I was closer to her than any of my own blood-related siblings. She was like the older sister I never had, and for hundreds of years it felt that way… until disaster struck. After the death of the head of the family, the internal conflicts became violent, each member vying for power. Diana, however, was uninterested. She didn't pursue advancement with the same intensity as the others. Even though she reached master-level ascension, she stagnated, refusing to push further."
IAM sat quietly, absorbing the information, choosing not to interrupt.
"Because of this, many in the family pressured her to marry someone or at least bear a child. But my sister… she didn't want to marry anyone. There was no man in the world who could catch her attention. After years of relentless pressure, she finally broke and decided to find a child to adopt personally, under her own name. Naturally, this drew the ire of some family members."
He paused, letting the words settle.
"She couldn't find anyone suitable in Hope, so she turned to Hopes End. That's where she met you. From that moment, it was the happiest I ever saw her. She always spoke of you—how much she cared, how much she felt you were truly her child. She had made her decision… she was going to adopt you."
A few seconds of silence stretched across the room.
"She had officially given you her name, and all that remained was to bring you home."
"But she never came—" IAM's voice was low and heavy.
"No…" Omari's tone grew darker. "…That was the day she was brutally murdered. The very day she was meant to be happiest became the day she died, leaving behind a boy who carried her last name… the last remnant of her family."
The flame flipped the coin between his fingers. "It was irrational, cruel, and vile. And it sent shockwaves through the family, waves of chaos and hatred that no one could contain."
"Who… killed her?" IAM asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"It doesn't matter," Omari replied, his tone calm, almost casual.
IAM's expression froze, a painting of confusion and disbelief lingering in his eyes.
"Because I…" Omari's fingers never stopped twirling the coin. "…I killed them all. Every last one. You are looking at the final—and only—head of the Gold family."