I turned to Leo.
The eyes of the attendees were still on me, but I ignored them.
"Leo," I said calmly, without raising my voice.
The young man stepped forward, hesitant but steady.
He wasn't afraid... it was as if he carried something heavier than fear. He stood before the gate of the field.
For a moment, he didn't move. The priest said quietly: "Are you ready?" Leo didn't answer.
He simply nodded, then entered. Silence fell over the place. One minute passed. Then two. Some of the guests began whispering: "Strange... nothing happened." "Did he fail?" "It was expected, he's from a side branch—" But before the last sentence was completed, the ground shook beneath our feet.
Yes... it shook. The black crystal that had been still... began to glow. No, it wasn't just glowing.
It was blazing. The priest ran toward the entrance of the field, his eyes wide and his hand trembling. "This is not normal..." he murmured.
Finally, Leo appeared. He stepped out of the gate slowly, his body covered in sweat, but he stood firmly. His eyes... were glowing with a golden gleam. He walked up to me and knelt without hesitation. "I have awakened, my lord." He said it not as a report, but as a vow. As if he had already chosen his master before fate granted him power. The nobles around me... were shocked. Their faces were a mix of surprise and suspicion. Not because Leo awakened, but because he knelt before me, in front of everyone, in that way. I looked at my grandfather. He said nothing, but... he was interested. For the first time in a while, I saw something alive in his eyes. He gestured to the priest in a calm voice, without raising it: "Measure his capabilities."
The priest brought out the same two crystals. He asked Leo to charge the first. Even though he had never trained before, the crystal suddenly lit up with a bright golden light... then turned to dark red. A color that only appears with those who have tasted violence... or broken the laws of mana. The priest raised his head slowly and said in a quiet voice: "This... is not normal." Then turned to Ragnar: "He awakened potential of rank S, my lord." My grandfather nodded, then looked at me, his voice cold as usual: "You won the bet today. You awakened him. Therefore... you will get your reward." Then he turned and said: "Follow me." I walked behind him without question.
We walked silently through the back garden of the mansion. The moon was high in the sky, and the stillness of the night accompanied us. Even the air felt different here. We stopped in front of a stone structure covered in creeping plants, as if it had been forgotten for years. It looked ancient... abandoned. But my grandfather didn't hesitate. He placed his hand on one of its walls... and suddenly, a soft sound was heard, and the ground shook slightly. A staircase appeared from beneath the earth, descending downward. Without looking at me, he started down. I followed.
At the bottom of the stairs, I found myself in front of a massive iron door, adorned with the family crest carved with precision... a winged mana dragon circling a black star. My grandfather placed his palm on a hidden panel in the wall. A locking mechanism clicked, then the door opened slowly, as if it hadn't moved in years. We entered.
The room was cold and silent, covered in dust... yet the air carried something different. Grandeur. "This," my grandfather said in his calm voice as he walked forward, "is the old family vault." I followed him, my eyes scanning the empty stone shelves. "Most of the important items were moved to the new vault, which is more secure," he continued without turning to me. "But... one item remained." He stopped before a metal stand in the center of the room, covered with black velvet. "One item... refused to be moved." He lifted the cloth.
Beneath the dim light, the sword was revealed. A black sword, gleaming like a piece of the night sky. Its hilt was adorned with eleven glowing stars, each shining with a different color... as if they held the remnants of fallen stars. "The family sword," my grandfather said. "A sword given to every true heir, at the beginning of their journey into the world of power." Then he looked at me... his gaze more than that of a grandfather. It was the gaze of a past handing itself over to the future. "Today... it's your turn." He raised the sword from its place. Then handed it to me.
I felt its heat the moment I touched the hilt... not the heat of fire, but a pulse. As if the sword itself was alive... as if it knew me. "Its name is... Starblade," my grandfather said in a low voice, almost a whisper. I looked at the stars on the hilt. Each one... pulsed with its own rhythm. As if waiting for me to awaken them. "From now on," he said as he turned away, "you will be the one to light the twelfth star."
I felt an invisible bond connecting me to this sword. It wasn't just a weapon, but an extension of my hand... of my soul. I looked at him and said quietly: "Thank you... I will take good care of it." I took the sword from his hand, then we left the old building and walked through the back garden. We moved calmly between the tall trees and the flowers growing along the paths, and the world was still... as if it awaited my next words.
I hesitated a bit, then said: "I don't want to go to the academy next year." My grandfather stopped walking and looked at me quietly, his eyes reflecting the starlight. "You must go," he said sincerely, not harshly. "Let the other families know who House De Verge really is. I believe you will do well... you will go with your cousin and with Aiden."
I wanted to argue, but before I could speak, he added: "Do you know, Luca... I'm proud of you." I froze. The words I had waited my whole life to hear... finally came. Something inside me broke, and something else healed. I looked at him and smiled genuinely... maybe for the first time in a long while. "Thank you," I whispered. Then I raised my head and looked at the sky.
"But... before the academy, I want to go on a journey. Train myself, test the real world. I have to be ready." There are things I must get... before the hero does.
My grandfather smiled as he raised his gaze to the stars too, as if they were speaking a language I couldn't understand. "You will," he said. "But only after you train with me... and I say you are ready."
My eyes widened, and I said with the excitement of a child who got his favorite toy: "Will you really train me, Grandpa?" He smiled that rare smile of his, the one only those who know him truly get to see. "Starting tomorrow... we begin."
I said goodbye to my grandfather and headed to my room. I entered, collapsed onto my bed, and whispered: "It was a long day." Then I said, "Status."
Name: Luca De Verge
Status: Awakened – Full activation of bloodline field
Primary Bloodline: House De Verge – Activated, Purity Level SS
Secondary Bloodline: [Unknown Lineage] – Inactive (Dormant)
Rank: SS (Exceptional Potential)
One of the oldest and rarest noble bloodlines, dating back to the First Age when mana was treated as a living being.
Unique Bloodline Abilities:
Precise and flexible mana control
Innate ability to see the "flow of mana" in objects and beings
Accelerated mana technique assimilation: +300% efficiency
Ultra sensitivity to environmental magical changes
Mysterious Bloodline [Hidden]
Detected unknown genetic signals during awakening process. No complete data.
Status: Dormant – Inactive
Current Effects (Passive):
Natural, automatic affinity with all elements
Partial incompatibility with the "Light" element
[Rank: F]
Stats:
Strength: F+
Mana: F+
Endurance: F
Agility: F+
Intelligence: 18
Mana Control: A+
Willpower: 13
Charisma: 9
My god. Having two bloodlines is extremely rare. Even the hero had two, and they caused him side effects. Me? I have the De Verge blood... and something else. Mysterious. Encrypted... unknown even to the system. Mana Control A+? And I'm still at Rank F? The De Verge bloodline is strong... no doubt. Affinity with all elements? Even the hero didn't have that. This... is insane.
Today was a great day, in every sense.
Leo officially became the first person to join me.
The guild is beginning to form, even if indirectly.
The family sword... Starblade. A rare piece, beautiful, as if it was made for me.
And finally, this unknown bloodline. The mysterious one.
But the real question... where did it come from? Is it from Lucas? Maybe... but no. Bloodlines are tied to the body, not the soul. Lucas was dead, yes. And our soul fusion is real, absolutely. But the bloodline?... It's physical. That means... it was inside me all along. So why did it only activate now? And why can't the system read it?
Something... bigger than me is going on. But that's fine. I can handle mystery... as long as power is on my side.