**Chapter 15: A Burden Shared**

A heavy silence settled in the room as all eyes turned to Aiden. Den and Elisa stood stiffly by the doorway, Emilia was frozen mid-struggle, and Elena—The Shadow Queen—watched him with a calm but curious gaze.

Aiden let out a long breath and looked at Emilia first. His voice was quiet but firm.

"Aunt Elena is the Shadow Queen. The second Level 9 of our country."

The words hit like thunder. Emilia's eyes widened, and the last of her resistance drained from her body. The bindings of shadow unraveled, and she stared at Elena with disbelief.

"...What?" she whispered.

Aiden didn't stop there. He turned to Den and Elisa, the people who had raised him like their own.

"And both my parents," Aiden continued, "were former Level 9s. They destroyed their own meridians to escape the Sovereign's control."

Shock registered on Den and Elisa's faces. For a moment, they couldn't even speak. That was information only a handful of people in the world knew. They had spent Aiden's whole life hiding that truth—so for him to know it now…

Elisa looked heartbroken, while Den's fists clenched at his sides.

"I didn't want to say it," Aiden admitted, voice cracking slightly, "because I knew it would hurt. But I need you to understand—there are bigger things coming."

He turned back to Emilia, whose hands trembled slightly.

"What the public doesn't know," Aiden said, "is that inside the Category 6 Gate, there weren't just Sovereign's monsters—there were ten Level 9 dark elf generals. Unlike the Sovereign, they can leave the Antarctic continent. In the last raid, six of them were allegedly killed… but only four truly died."

His words sank into everyone like ice.

"My parents and other level 9s killed those four before they sacrificed themselves," Aiden continued. "But the remaining six are still out there… and they're at war with the world. Secretly. Constantly."

Even Elena's expression tightened at that. he knew too much even she didn't expect him to know this much .

Aiden looked at Emilia, and softer now, said, "Your mom left because she had to. She wasn't abandoning you—she was out there helping keep the world from collapsing. That's why she couldn't come back."

Emilia turned to her mother, eyes wide and wet with tears. Her voice trembled.

"You… you left me. I hated you…"

"I know," Elena said softly, stepping forward. "And I deserve that.you can even punch like you did our poor little aiden here"

Emilia stared at her for a moment longer—then laughed bitterly through the tears. "Still making jokes in serious moments. That's how I know you're really my mom."

With that, she threw her arms around Elena, who stood stunned for a second before hugging her daughter back tightly. A smile touched Elena's lips, and something in her eyes softened.

Aiden's chest ached as he watched them. Then suddenly, he was pulled into a hug of his own. Den and Elisa embraced him from both sides, tears running down Elisa's cheeks.

"We're sorry," Den said hoarsely. "We just wanted you to have a normal life."

"I know," Aiden whispered. "And I'm grateful. You two always thought of me carrying your previous scars."

Elena and Emilia joined them a moment later, forming a full family circle. It was warm… healing. Aiden had never thought this moment possible in his previous life.

But he knew it couldn't last forever.

As the mood settled and the warmth began to fade, Elena turned to him with a knowing look. "Now," she said, "how do you know all of this? My identity. Your parents' mission. The dark elf generals. Even top-level intelligence that only a few in the world are aware of."

The room went quiet again.

Aiden took a deep breath.

"I have a Gift," he said. "When my Chaos Core awakened, it unlocked something in me. A prophetic ability. I can see glimpses… of the past and the future."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "Prophecy?"

Aiden nodded.

In this world some people have gifts There were others who have Gifts too. Emilia has one. Arthur. Even Luna, though she hasn't awakened hers yet. Even your shadow control isn't traditional darkness manipulation—it's a Gift, too.

That gave everyone pause.

I'm not ready to reveal everything, Aiden thought to himself, but this… they need to know.

He looked straight at Elena.

"I had a vision. A Category 6 Gate will open in India—in twelve years."

The air in the room turned cold.

"Are you certain?" Elena asked sharply, all humor gone from her voice.

"I wish I wasn't," Aiden said. "But it's true. And I'm telling you now because… I can't stop it alone. But you can prepare. You can evacuate the cities. Ready the world. I know it's a burden, but if we act now, we can save millions of lives."

For a moment, no one said anything.

Then Elisa hugged him again, tighter this time.

"I'm sorry you had to carry this burden alone," she said softly.

Den joined in again, his eyes still serious but proud.

"I always knew there was something special about you,let's face coming calamity togetger"muttered.

At that moment, a little voice called out from down the hall.

"Let me join too!"

Ava, rubbing sleep from her eyes, toddled into the room and threw her tiny arms around Aiden's legs. The tension broke, and everyone's eyes softened in the room because of ava,s cute face

Elena stood awkwardly at the edge of the circle, not quite sure where she belonged. But Elisa turned to her and said gently, "Come on. Join the family hug."

Emilia smiled and nodded in agreement.

Elena blinked. Then, slowly, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around all of them.

For the first time in either of his lives, Aiden felt like maybe—just maybe—things could be different this time.

He looked at each of them.

Den. Elisa. Emilia. Ava. And now, Elena.

His family.

"I'll protect this," he thought. "I'll protect *them.* No matter what it takes."