WHOOSH
Suddenly, a sharp sound caused her pupils to turn towards a figure materializing in the distance. Even before it fully arrived, a voice emanated from it, reverberating throughout the area.
“Diana, if you lay a finger on that golden-eyed girl, you will be dead.”
Diana narrowed her gaze upon recognizing the voice, frustrated yet controlling herself as she clenched her fist. She inquired, “What do you mean by that, Sister Luna?”
SWISH
The figure, with straight ponytailed blue hair and a coat draped over one shoulder, instantly appeared beside Diana, holding white gloves in hand and glancing with blue eyes at Diana.
“Her name is Esme Valhale.” Luna moved past Diana and entered the room through the broken door, causing the maid to turn and leave, already aware of the gesture.
“Esme Valhale? Which family? Tell me—I will kill—” Diana let out her frustration, though she kept it under control enough to hear her sister’s words for a few more minutes, and that was it.
Nothing was more important to her than her man, who was being manipulated into loving someone else.
“The Tenebri Family,” Luna stated directly, her tone cold as she took a seat on the bed, folding her legs elegantly with hands placed on her knees.
‘?!’
“But shouldn’t it be Tenebri in her name instead of Valhale?” Diana’s eyes widened, aware of the curse attached to the Tenebri Bloodline, her mind bombarded with thoughts.
“Her father was of unknown origin, possibly the last of a lost civilization with the ability to summon runic energy from a completely different plane,” Luna informed with amusement, sharing information she had gathered, which was far more intriguing and needed to be known by her naive sister.
“….So, what does that have to do with my interest?” Diana wasn’t in the mood for useless information, but understanding that Luna’s arrival here was not insignificant, she patiently took a seat on the sofa with folded hands.
“Diana, you should know that I’ve been keeping my eye on that kid since he awakened from his coma,” Luna revealed with a cold tone, her voice hinting at her constant surveillance of Ryuk Devereaux. She continued, “…though he always disappeared from my sight. It’s not important now.”
‘…..’ Diana kept her narrowed eyes fixed on Luna, folding her hands, believing her words, as she also couldn’t sense his presence a moment ago.
“So, let me tell you one thing, Diana. Ryuk Devereaux has reached the Early Ascendancy Rank,” Luna’s face formed a smile, expecting the visible widening of Diana’s pupils.
Diana’s life’s goal had been to surpass Ryuk Devereaux due to her well-known obsession with him.
But now, she was just an Early Imperfect Zenith Ranker, while Ryuk Devereaux…
His rank was Ascendancy itself.
‘?!’
“No… No… NO!” Diana’s eyes trembled rapidly with shock rather than rage this time, her folded hands loosening.
Her plans had always been to overpower Ryuk, who had been asleep for five years. It was inconceivable that he would wake up and surpass someone like her, who had all the advantages.
She was supposed to be his savior and support, helping him achieve whatever he wanted in this unknown world. With his crippled body, he needed her support, but…
“H-how?” Diana’s voice broke as she inquired, her hand resting on the sofa with visible bewilderment.
“Well, if you’re asking how I know, he revealed it himself during the test for the Flagbearer Insignia. Naturally, not only I but many others are aware of it,” Luna leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm with her elbow supported by her thighs, studying Diana’s facial expression. She continued, “And if you’re asking how he achieved it, then I don’t know.”
‘…..’ Diana’s gaze turned downward, her eyes narrowing before lifting to inquire, “But you didn’t tell me the complete details about that woman.”
There was nothing she could do now; he was already far stronger than anyone here, including Luna herself, who was at Perfect Peak Zenith.
Diana prioritized knowing about the factors influencing her plans like that unknown woman.
“Diana, do you remember when I told you that no matter how much you think you have everything under control, in reality, you are moving in the direction where destiny wants you to go?” Luna’s eyes observed the slight wounds on Diana’s hands and lips, feeling the need to put an end to her obsession.
“…Yes, you told me that when I asked for your help to bring Ryuk back to me five years ago, which was just a flimsy excuse you made,” Diana remembered the day she had requested Luna’s help to bring the injured Ryuk to her, only to be bluntly rejected. Despite feeling her anger simmering, Diana controlled herself and asked, “But why bring that up now?”
Luna’s eyes were fixed on Diana, understanding her dissatisfaction, yet she continued, “How about I prove this fact to you by telling you a story?”
“…I’m listening,” Diana replied, allowing Luna to continue.
“Once upon a time, there was a woman called ‘A’ who desired to become the strongest of her generation.” Luna stood from her place, slowly moving towards Diana,”To prove herself, she embarked on a journey to enhance her skills in the outside world.”
Her intent was clear—to dissuade her naive sister from pursuing the young man who was nothing but a puppet to destiny.
No matter how much he resists, fate or destiny will always remain ahead of him.
“At the age of 20, Woman A encountered a comrade—a man who was the last of his race, with a strong will to prove himself and grow stronger. Recognizing his potential, that woman A allowed him to join her,” Luna recounted a lesser-known tale, fueled by her interest in the woman who had once been her role model and idol.
“During their journey, she encountered another woman, Let’s call her, woman D, who had fallen in love with that man. Witnessing the woman’s determination, Woman A allowed her to marry him. In return, man promised to continue creating runic weapons for woman A,” Luna wouldn’t have delved into such details if she hadn’t noticed the blood stains on her sister’s palms and her bitten lip, signs of frustration and agony.
Right now, Luna wanted to make it clear to Diana that she needed to change her priorities.
“They all grew close to some extent, and after two years, that man died at the hands of someone with the same bloodline as the Woman A, who once aspired to be the strongest, now witnessing the tears of her comrades,” Luna’s eyes remained fixed on Diana, who was completely confused by the story but continued to listen.
“During that time, the woman D who had recently married that man was pregnant, and…” Luna’s hand traced through the sofa as she moved towards the edge, adding, “COINCIDENTALLY, that woman was of the Tenebri bloodline.”
‘?!’
Diana’s eyes turned towards Luna, who took a seat on a separate sofa placed nearby, further explaining, “Due to the curse of the Tenebri bloodline, that woman was able to halt her pregnancy for 80 years.”
Yes, there were many aspects of the curse associated with the Tenebri Bloodline, and one of those effects was the ability to delay the pregnancy.
“That woman somehow escaped to a secluded continent far away from the woman A, whose rival, sharing the same bloodline, had killed her husband, and after 80 years, She gave birth to two daughters, who COINCIDENTALLY were not twins,” Luna emphasized the word “coincidentally,” eager to clarify the situation for Diana and make her realise, there was nothing like coincidence in here.
The entire setup from the beginning was a plot orchestrated for someone who needed to play a predetermined role and live like a puppet under the play controlled by destiny itself.
“Sister Luna, you’re making things confusing for me. Can you please explain clearly?” Diana’s mind was calmer due to her bloodline, but she was not prepared to solve the puzzles Luna was presenting to her.
“I will reveal names in the end, but for now, let me continue,” Luna knew that stating names and everything straightforwardly would not have much effect on Diana, who was obsessed and somewhat mad about that young man. So, she continued, “After three or four years of birth, the woman noticed her elder daughter’s health deteriorating due to some artifact placed within that continent, prompting her to leave her other daughter with her sister.”
‘…..Why does this feel familiar?’ Diana couldn’t remember properly, but she indeed knew a similar story, which piqued her interest in listening to the information.
“You know, surprisingly, the elder daughter proved her worth and attracted the attention of her grandmother, who is naturally none other than ‘Her’,” Luna intentionally didn’t call out that name, aware that it would draw unwanted attention from that being reigning supreme above everyone else.
Yes, the more strength one possessed, the more unique entities they were, and calling names of one of the strongest beings in existence would only invite unnecessary surveillance from them.
“…And then?” Diana inquired, her curiosity evident in her eyes, sparked by a tingling sensation of intuition suggesting that this story belonged to someone she knew.
“Hmm, now you’re listening,” Luna felt satisfied seeing Diana’s interest as she further explained, “That daughter COINCIDENTALLY had a dormant Tenebri Bloodline and a primary paternal bloodline, which boosted her dormant Bloodline’s ability. This made the girl swiftly become the favorite of her Grandmother, who was in search of someone carrying a pure Tenebri Bloodline.”
Technically, due to the curse of the Tenebri Bloodline, women carrying such a Bloodline always married men from outside Ardoros, slowly diluting their own bloodline.
However, somehow, that girl’s paternal side carried an enhancing-type bloodline which not only increased the purity of the weak Tenebri bloodline but also awakened a rare and strong ability.
Luna rhythmically spoke while tilting her head right and left with a visible smile, she said, “So, She trained her, she taught her, she gave her artifacts, and even went as far as to isolate her on a continent where that girl’s father’s dead body was once buried, providing no means to leave from that place by cutting off any transport facility.”
“Now, Diana, do you know what happens next in the story?” Luna blinked at her sister, who seemed most confused here. But seeing that expression, it all felt satisfactory to Luna, whose information was finally bearing fruit.
“Let me tell you. So, the son of Woman A, who was responsible for that girl’s father’s death, entered the same continent,” Luna slowly stood, her eyes gleaming with amusement as she realized the complexity of the situation. Glancing at Diana, she said, “And COINCIDENTALLY, that girl fell in love with her Father’s Murderer’s Son.”
I don’t doubt any Reader’s IQ, I know most of u guys understood and for some who are still confused, please wait for next chapter which will be in six hours to understand exactly what Destiny is planning for our MC
