Samuel's panel faded, but his voice carried on, low and deliberate.
"There's something else you need to know, Leo."
His eyes hardened, and for a moment, the steady warmth of a father was replaced with the sharp edge of a man burdened with secrets.
"Not every family was caught off guard by what happened last night. Some… already knew."
Leo stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"There are bloodlines," Samuel said, his words heavy, "families who have passed down fragments of knowledge about the System for generations. They claim this isn't the first time the world has changed. That Earth—" he paused, correcting himself, "—that Tera, was once like this, long ago."
The idea sent a shiver down Leo's spine. If that was true… then none of this was an accident.
"These families are stronger than ordinary men and women. Even before the Descent, they were different—faster, sharper, more resilient. Now?" Samuel shook his head. "Now they are miles ahead of us."
Leo's fingers curled into fists. He couldn't decide if the thought thrilled or terrified him.
"But among them," Samuel continued, his gaze narrowing, "six stand above the rest. Six families who claim to carry the purest fragments of that ancient legacy."
He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a near growl.
"They call themselves the Six Legacy Families. And whether the world accepts it or not, they intend to rule it."
Leo's chest tightened. The room suddenly felt smaller, as though the world outside had just grown impossibly vast. Six families… ruling the world? His mind struggled to grasp it.
And in that moment, one truth pressed in on him: whatever future awaited, it was already in motion.
—To be continued.