The morning sun bathed the sky in soft hues of gold and pink, like the universe itself was preparing a canvas for something greater.
I opened my eyes slowly, the warmth of sunlight brushing against my skin.
For a few moments, I lay still, letting the silence settle around me. Then I rose, made my way to the bathroom, and refreshed myself. The cold water did little to soothe the storm in my mind.
I sat back down on the edge of my bed, towel draped around my neck, staring out the window.
The Imperial Family rules everything.
That thought lingered like an echo.
Three noble clans stood beneath us. Powerful. Ancient. But still beneath. Below them were countless sects, territories, and families, forming the vast backbone of our civilization.
But above them all stood the Cardinal Royal Family.
My family.
And yet, there's always a second power. A rival born from the cracks of any empire.
The Freedom Alliance.
Formed by loose cultivators, united under one of their own who became an Apex Existence—a being so powerful that death itself could barely comprehend them. Apex Existences are immortal. Timeless. Untouchable unless faced by another of their kind… and even then, killing one is almost impossible.
Currently, there are only nine known Apex Existences in humanity.
One belongs to the Freedom Alliance.
Three to the noble clans.
And the remaining four?
Our family.
My sisters—those obsessive, godlike women—and our grandfather, the Emperor himself.
All of them Apex. All of them monsters cloaked in divine light.
The sister staying with me now? Just an incarnation. A fragment of her true self. And even that was enough to shake most sects into submission.
But our strength goes deeper than anyone knows.
There are... others.
Ancestors, buried or sleeping deep within the Ancestral Temple. Their names lost. Their existence faded from records. What realm they've reached, I can't say. Maybe beyond Apex. Maybe something that the universe itself refuses to acknowledge.
They don't involve themselves in worldly matters. They've transcended desire, ambition—everything except silence and sleep.
Still...
When my sister's real body appears at the ceremony… I need answers.
About the past. About the depth of our bloodline.
And especially about this artifact—the Void Record. It's been silent, but its very presence feels ancient. Untrustworthy. Dangerous. I won't be a pawn. I won't let some ancient soul hijack my fate.
Besides, I'm not even worried about being exposed.
This isn't someone else's body. This is mine. Just... from another timeline. No soul stealing. No memory erasing. Just me—reincarnated into an alternate flow of time.
There's nothing to reveal. No sin to uncover.
Just a new chance.
The door creaked open.
Elizabeth walked in, dressed in a Victorian black gothic dress—elegant, regal, and unmistakably seductive. She held a tray of breakfast in her gloved hands, every step measured and graceful.
"Good morning, little brother," she said softly. Her voice was gentle, but I knew that beneath that calm exterior lay enough power to burn galaxies.
She placed the tray beside me: toast, a folded omelet, warm soup, and a steaming cup of tea. A perfect English breakfast.
I gave her a nod. "Thanks."
I began eating. Halfway through the meal, she asked:
"How is it?"
I glanced at her and gave a soft smile. "Delicious. Thank you, sis."
Her eyes softened. Her expression warmed like springtime melting snow.
After I finished, she snapped her fingers, and the tray vanished into light.
Then, with that faintly knowing smile she always wore, she said:
"Today is your awakening ceremony, but you don't need to worry. The blood of the royal family flows through your veins. There's no possibility of awakening something low-ranked. The real question is—just how high will your talent be?"
I leaned back slightly. "Yeah… I was thinking the same. Let's see what kind of talent I get."
Adopted or not, all of us were chosen by the Emperor. We were each given a drop of his blood—a piece of his divine lineage. That alone changed everything.
It's been years since Grandfather disappeared. At first, I thought something had gone wrong. I feared the worst. But my sisters reassured me.
They knew where he was.
They told me he'd already surpassed the realm of Apex Existence. That he'd stepped into a realm beyond comprehension. Something even higher.
They promised to explain everything… once I reached Tier 10.
Or became an Apex Existence myself.
I exhaled slowly.
Still a long way to go.
Elizabeth stepped forward and gently touched my shoulder.
"You should get dressed," she whispered. "The ceremony is about to begin."
I nodded.
I changed into a white Victorian-style shirt with a crisp black tie, a black formal coat, matching trousers, and polished leather shoes. Elegant. Formal. Royal.
She took my hand as I finished tightening the cuffs.
Her fingers curled tightly around mine.
A moment passed between us—unspoken, heavy with obsession.
And then—
Snap.
In an instant, the room vanished.
We were gone.