They continued walking, Sophie gave a soft, almost self-deprecating laugh as she continued. "Honestly… if I hadn't trained with a sword since I was a child, I can't imagine I would have survived that trial, let alone earned even one Exceptional Title."
Her words carried no arrogance, only sincerity. She wasn't boasting, she was grateful, humble, and honest.
Bruce regarded her quietly, impressed despite himself. To him, her experience sounded exactly like the kind of trial he had half expected to receive.
By the time Sophie finished her story, their steps had already brought them to the front of his house.
But then… both their expressions darkened.
Bruce didn't know why, but his chest grew heavy. His pulse quickened. It was an overwhelming sense of dread, a suffocating premonition that clawed at his insides.
Sophie's grip on his hand tightened. "Do you sense it too?" she asked, her voice tense.
Bruce nodded. For him, it was worse. Through his Death's Glance, the aura of death was like a screaming alarm in his skull. Two life forces inside the house… flickering, faint, seconds from being snuffed out.
His heart slammed against his ribs. That was supposed to be his home. Which meant...
'Mother. Sister.'
His body reacted before his mind did. Power surged through his limbs, and in the next instant he blurred forward, breaking through the door like a storm. Sophie followed right on his heels, her face pale but resolute.
There was no time to waste.
Inside, Bruce's eyes locked onto them instantly. Two figures lay side by side on a bed, one a grown woman, the other a young girl. Both deathly pale, their bodies enshrouded by that same purple poison that had almost killed him earlier. Only this time, the poison was thicker, more corrosive, eating away at them viciously.
Bruce didn't hesitate. His voice was cold and sharp.
"Heal!"
Light burst from his palm, washing over the two frail bodies. The poisonous aura shattered, dispersing like smoke under the sun. The corruption vanished, and their shallow breathing steadied. Their hearts, once faltering, began to beat stronger and steadier.
The woman stirred first. Her eyelids fluttered open, hazy with weakness. Slowly, her gaze shifted to the side, and landed on him.
"B-Bruce…" she whispered. Tears welled instantly, spilling down her cheeks.
She looked at him as though he was both a stranger and the most familiar person in the world.
Though Bruce's heart was calm on the surface, inside he was shaken. He didn't remember her… but he could feel her pain. Her relief. The weight of a mother who had almost lost her child, and who now saw him standing before her again.
He reached down, taking her trembling hand into his, rubbing it gently with his thumb. "It's okay," he murmured softly. "Everything is alright now."
Her tears kept falling, but her lips curled faintly, as if clinging to the warmth of his words.
Beside her, the little girl stirred as well. She blinked once, twice, then recognition sparked in her eyes.
"Big brother!" she cried, throwing herself at him.
She wrapped her small arms around his waist, hugging him with all her strength. And then, the dam broke.
"Big brother… heuk! Big brother, I was so scared. I thought… I thought I was going to die!"
Her sobs tore through the room.
Bruce's arms stiffened at first, but then he slowly wrapped them around her, patting her back gently. "It's okay now. It's okay. Your big brother is here. It's okay ..."
But then, his heart skipped. 'Shit. What's her name? I don't know her name'
His stoic face twitched for just a second. A wave of nervousness suddenly hit him out of nowhere...
And then, like a lifeline, a soft whisper brushed against his ear.
"Lily…" Sophie whispered, her lips curving into a small, reassuring smile.
Bruce glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She stood there with a gentle expression, calm and steady, giving him the answer without hesitation, as if reading his thoughts.
'Damn… thank you, Sophie.'
He turned back to the girl clinging to him, tightening his embrace. "It's okay, Lily. Your big brother is here now."
The words slipped out smooth and natural, and Lily cried even harder, burying her face into his chest.
Behind him, Sophie's gaze softened. Watching Bruce hold the fragile girl and comfort his mother, something in her heart bloomed.
On the bed, his mother reached for his palm, clutching it weakly but with a surprising firmness. Her eyes glistened with tears as she spoke in a strained, resolute voice.
"This… I didn't think they would go to such lengths."
Bruce's gaze hardened. "Do you know who did this?"
Her lips trembled, and more tears spilled down her cheeks. "I suspect… our own relatives. The poison… it must have come from the gift they sent us."
Bruce's chest tightened. He wanted to ask what gift?, but the words stuck in his throat. He couldn't reveal that his memory was gone, not now, not when she already looked so broken.
His mother's voice cracked as she shook her head, more tears flowing. "How could they…? After everything your father has done for them, after all the sacrifices he made… how could they repay us like this?"
Her grip on his hand trembled. "Was our kindness meaningless? Was his blood, his sweat… all worthless to them? Why… why would family turn into enemies?"
Her voice grew weaker, breaking down into sobs. "Are we nothing more than pawns to them? Did they look at us all these years and only see tools? They must have thought this is their chance since your father has been yet to return all these years"
She pressed her free hand to her mouth, muffling the sound of her cries as her shoulders shook. The pain of betrayal was heavier than the poison that had nearly killed her.