The room was dim and quiet. Soft mana-lamps cast faint shadows along the walls, their glow barely reaching the corners. I sat beside my mother's bed.
She was sleeping, and her breathing was steady. I sat with my elbows resting on my knees, my gaze unfocused. My thoughts were tangled and heavy, dragging me deeper the longer I stayed still.
I didn't realize someone was behind me until—
"You little shit," a deep, rumbling, yet familiar voice whispered. "Do you have any idea how much you worried your mother?"
I didn't need to turn around to know who that voice belonged to. Duke Noah von Celestial, the head of the Celestial family, had appeared. One of the strongest people in the Human Domain and my… father.
"She was so worried about you. She wouldn't leave you alone for even a second," he continued, his voice lowering. "Not for a moment. Not even when the healers told her she needed rest."
There was a pause.
"Especially after what you did a few days ago. Do you think it's easy for us to watch you throw yourself away like that?"
"...."
I stayed silent. What was there to say? He wasn't yelling at me. He wasn't accusing me. That somehow made it worse.
"She blamed herself," he said suddenly.
I flinched.
"She kept saying it was her fault. That she should have noticed earlier. That she should have stayed with you the night you awakened your core."
His hand slowly left my shoulder.
"She thought… if she had been more careful, if she hadn't left your side, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. You wouldn't have changed."
I clenched my jaw. I knew it was Leo's fault—and now it was my fault too. But I couldn't change the mistakes of the past. I couldn't undo the damage already done. I couldn't rewrite the years of disappointment, fear, and pain I inherited along with this body.
But the future—
I looked at my mother's pale, sleeping face. That, at least, I could try to change.
Eventually, Duke Noah let out a long sigh, pulled a chair over, and sat right beside me while staring at Mother.
We both sat there, father and son, lost in our own thoughts without saying a word. For a moment, the silence in the room was awkward, or maybe just heavy with things we hadn't said in years.
For a while, we both stayed like that. Then, he broke the awkward silence first.
"Do you know," he said, "when you were about two years old… you nearly died."
I lifted my head and turned slightly. I didn't remember such things from the games or from Leo's memories.
"You were born sick," he continued. "Your body wasn't strong, unlike your sister's. No mana. Nothing like that. Just… weak. Your body couldn't handle even simple fevers. The doctors said you were born fragile."
He let out a quiet breath.
"One night, your condition suddenly worsened. Your breathing slowed. Your heart almost stopped."
I continued to listen to him, my fingers starting to curl.
"The doctors told us to prepare ourselves. Your body was too weak." He continued speaking while looking at Mother, but his gaze was distant.
"Your mother stayed awake the entire night. She held you and kept calling your name. Even when her voice was gone, she kept whispering. She continued healing you the whole night, until her own mana started to drain. But she continued saving your life."
He paused.
"At some point, she collapsed beside your bed due to Mana drain."
My throat tightened.
"When you finally woke up," Duke Noah said, "the first thing you did was grab her sleeve."
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"She cried so hard the doctors had to pull her away. That was the day she promised herself she would never let you get hurt again. That she would always protect you."
He sighed softly.
"Every time you come home drunk or beaten up, it tears her apart. Not because you're weak. Because she's scared she'll lose you again."
I looked down at my hands. Guilt settled in my chest like a weight.
"So when I see her like this," he said quietly, "breaking down because she thinks she failed you… I don't blame her."
I clenched my fist. This… this didn't make any sense. I didn't remember anything like that. Any memory like that. Hell, I wasn't even their original son. I was just some guy who woke up in his body. These memories weren't mine. This woman wasn't my mother.
So… why?
Why does it hurt so much?
My vision started to blur. I bit the inside of my cheek so hard that it started bleeding. I swallowed and controlled my emotions. I looked at Mother again and drew a slow breath.
"...Father."
He turned to look at me.
"I know I can't change anything. Not especially when things have reached this point," I continued.
"I know I messed up multiple times and hurt many people." I looked at him, my voice low, clear, and almost hesitant. "But I don't want to be the reason she blames herself. I… I want to change."
For a moment, he just looked at me and then he sighed. "Words have power, Leo. I hope you know what you are talking about. Make sure you prove it with your actions."
Then, we both sat there in silence. But this time, the silence wasn't bad. Eventually, I broke the silence. I turned to look at him. "Dad, I have something important to discuss."
He turned to look at me. "Let me guess, you want to enter the Path Awakening trial?"
My eyes widened suddenly. He caught me off guard. He chuckled slightly. "What? Kid, I am your dad; I hope you didn't forget that. It's written all over your face. You want to enter the trial."
Huh? Was my face that easy to read? I sighed, pushed those thoughts aside, and turned to look at him.
"Yes. I want to enter the Path Awakening trial."
The temperature of the room changed slightly. His voice turned low but serious. "And do you know the risk?"
My voice became serious too. I added frimly "Yes, I do. I will die in the real world if I die during the Path Awakening."
"...."
He didn't say anything. He put a little bit of his aura on me. My body started to feel heavy under his pressure. Damnit!
Still, I looked straight into his eyes and said, "I know. I can die. But I still want to enter the Path Awakening trial. I want to change and become strong."
Also, I will die if I don't enter the trial, I thought.
He let out a long sigh and removed his aura from my body.
"..huff… huff.."
I started breathing heavily. Damnit, he just put a little bit of his aura on me and my body almost gave out.
Father leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "So when you talk about entering the Path Awakening trial… I need to know you're not doing it out of spite. Or pride. Or because you think you have something to prove to me. I don't need a hero for a son, Leo. I need you to come home alive."
Ah… those words hit me hard.
I clenched my fist and said in a low voice, "If you are worried about me being a hero, then you don't have to worry. I don't plan to become a hero. I don't have any plans for dying. I want to live and survive." A small smile appeared on my face. "So trust me… Dad."
A smile appeared on his face as well.
Then, I remembered something. "Ah, Dad, I need something for my trial."
He looked at me and nodded. "Go on."
I continued, "I want a mana breathing technique. Since my core rank is low and I can't use our family mana breathing technique, I need a new one. And maybe a skill too."
A pause.
"So, I want you to open our family treasury. I want a mana breathing technique and a skill."
He rubbed his chin and nodded to himself. "Well, you are right. You haven't learned our family mana breathing technique. The skill also doesn't matter; I will open the treasury for you. But…"
I frowned. "But?"
He looked at me and sighed. "It's nothing, but The elder council might complain. Especially since they… don't exactly like you."
A wry smile tugged at my mouth. He wasn't wrong. I'd given them plenty of reasons to despise me.
"Can you handle them?"
He suddenly laughed. "Kid, it's not like that. Those old fogies, even though they are from the elder council, I am still the head of the house. I have more power than them. I will open the treasury for you."
A smile appeared on my face. Finally, I can train this damn body now.
He stood up, stretched like he'd just finished a casual conversation, and ruffled my hair—a gesture so unexpected I froze.
"Then we'll prepare you properly. No half-measures. If you're going into that trial, you're coming out stronger." He glanced at Mom, still asleep. "And you'll tell her yourself when she wakes up. She deserves to hear it from you."
I nodded at him. Then, he turned toward the door and was about to leave when he looked at me and said, "Ah… Leo. I forgot to tell you something."
Hm? I tilted my head a little.
He continued, "Sylvia heard about what you did to Amelia and Arthur."
I froze. My eyes widened. What did he say? Who knows?
A smirk appeared on his face. "She said to tell Leo that when she comes back, she is going to kill him."
W-what? Damnit, I am doomed. How did she even find out about this?
I looked at him and asked, "Who told her about this? About my engagement breaking?"
He simply shrugged, but I could see his smug smile. "Who knows."
T-this good-for-nothing old man, fuck!
I sighed and asked, "So when is she coming back?"
"I don't know. She is busy with her duties at the Academy, but she said she's visiting soon." With that said, he left the room.
Damn you, old man.
I clicked my tongue and sighed. Well, there is one good thing: she is busy right now, so I have some time.
"Haaa…."
And if you are wondering why I am scared of this Sylvia? You see, she is my older sister. Sylvia von Celestial. The prodigy of the Celestial family and loved by everyone. She is the only person both the original Leo and I feared.
It's not like she's a bad sister. She just has her own way of loving.
Every time I do something wrong, she beats the crap out of me. Last time, she gave me a warning that she would kill me if I did anything wrong again.
...And if she knows I tried to slap Amelia and broke my engagement with her, she will kill me for real this time.
I sighed hard and leaned back in the chair.
I'll leave that problem for my future self.