Sacrifice?

Ravène chuckled as she held his face firmly between her breasts, clearly enjoying teasing him "There, see? You didn't even try to deny it now."

Brandon's muffled voice came from the soft meat buns of her chest "I didn't deny it because I can't breathe. Let me go, Aunt Raze."

Reluctantly, she released him and Brandon straightened up, rubbing his face and trying to catch his breath.

His cheeks were faintly flushed, but whether from embarrassment or lack of oxygen, it was hard to tell.

Ravène moved her ass a little, sitting comfortably on his lap "But seriously, Brandon. You should be careful."

Brandon's expression darkened "I know. The Sovereign Circle isn't exactly known for its kindness to rule-breakers."

Ravène nodded "Exactly. You're an anomaly—one that could disrupt the entire system. There are factions that might see you as a threat to be eliminated and others that might try to turn you into a weapon for their own gain."

He let out a slow breath. "Then what should I do?"

"People are already talking about what happened in the rupture. Your name is going to spread. The best thing you can do is train. Get stronger. Learn to control your ability so well that no one can touch you."

Brandon leaned forward, resting his head on her shoulder "Training, huh? And you're offering to help, I assume?"

"Of course," she said without hesitation.

"I'm not letting my favorite nephew get eaten alive by politics or Aberrants."

Brandon raised an eyebrow "Favorite? I'm your only nephew."

"Still counts," Ravène said with a wink.

"There will be a meeting that will be held in about an hour from now on. And during that meeting, they will decide your fate."

"It's a gathering of the higher officials in the Sovereign Circle, representatives from the Empyreans, and leaders from the most powerful factions, powerful families across the world,"

"Essentially, anyone who holds influence in the awakened world will have a say."

Brandon let out a sigh "So, I have one more hour to live huh..."

Ravène's eyes flashed with frustration "Brandon, don't say it like that... There is Elize and Charlotte, they will surely not let you die."

Brandon's gaze lowered and at this time he remembered something "By the way, Aunt Rave.. does Aunt Elize know about your identity."

With a nod, she replied "Ofcourse, she does. Because she is also an awakener like me."

HUH?

Brandon's eyes shrank in shock "What? Aunt Elize is... an awakener?"

He never knew that, he always thought Elize was a normal woman. A kind-hearted woman who always took care of him with a soft smile on her lips.

Looking at his shocked face, she spoke with a smile "You only know her as Elize, but before that, she is Elizabeth Fleurdys. One of the Empyreans."

WHAT THE FUCK?

Brandon's jaw dropped in utter shock "S-She is an Empyrean?"

Ravene corrected him "Was... She and your mother were best friends at that time. Oh, your mother is not an Empyrean though."

As the revelation settled in, Brandon lowered his gaze.

Ravène's expression softened as she saw the turmoil in his eyes. "After your mother's death… Elize took you in and made a decision that would change her life forever."

"She decided to leave her Empyrean title behind and raise you like a normal child," 

"She wanted to give you a life outside of all this... away from battles, ruptures, and Aberrants."

Brandon frowned "But… why leave the Empyreans? Couldn't she stay and still take care of me?"

Ravène sighed deeply. "The Sovereign Circle had strict rules. If anyone wanted to leave the awakening world and live in the outside world as a civilian, they had to destroy their ether core."

Huh? Brandon looked at her in confusion "Ether.. core?"

With a faint nod, Ravene spoke "Just think that.. the ether core is what holds an awakener's power and skills. Destroying it is the equivalent of severing yourself from everything that makes you an awakener."

"The Sovereign Circle didn't want awakened individuals roaming freely in the outside world. It's too dangerous. So they gave her an ultimatum... either stay and raise you in this world, or destroy her core and leave with you

"If you are an awakener, you should be in any of the great factions in the world under the world government."

"So she destroyed her own core, so she can take care of you in the outside world.. away from all of this, so she could raise you like a normal child."

Brandon's eyes trembled and a heavy guilt wrenched his soul.

Elize's smiling face appeared in his mind.

She not only lost her youthful life for him, she even lost her powers just so she could take care of him.

"I.. didn't know..."

With a sigh, Ravene spoke "She never wanted you to know. That's the kind of person Elize is. She didn't want you to carry the weight of her sacrifices."

"If there's one thing Elize would want, it's for you to live without regrets. She didn't make those sacrifices so you could drown in guilt. She made them so you could live a happy normal life."

Brandon's gaze fell to the floor "Now I understand why Charlotte hates me."

Ravène's eyes softened "Charlotte doesn't hate you, Brandon."

He shook his head. "She resents me. She resents that Elize had to give everything up because of me."

"It's complicated," Ravène muttered faintly.

"Charlotte has always been fiercely protective of Elize and looked up to her. She hated seeing her throw away her life as an Empyrean." 

"But more than that, she hated how much it hurt Elize to let go of everything she had worked for. She blames the world more than she blames you."

"But I was still the reason," Brandon said quietly.

She shook his shoulders "Don't blame yourself. You don't know how happy Elize was after adopting you."

He raised his eyes to meet hers, and the sorrow in his eyes nearly broke her heart "I just feel like… I took everything from her. She could have been someone great."

"She was someone great," Ravène said firmly.

"And you didn't take anything from her. She made a choice."

"But why?" he asked and his voice shook a little. "Why give up so much for me?"

Ravène smiled softly. "Because you were her light, Brandon. You gave her something that power and prestige never could. You gave her family."

"You gave her a reason to live beyond just fighting and surviving. Do you know how many awakened are consumed by their own power?"

"By the politics and expectations of being an Empyrean? Elize saw a chance to step away from all of that and find something real. And that was you."

Brandon's hands clenched into fists "But she could have stayed. She didn't have to destroy her core. There had to be another way."

With a shake of her head, Ravene replied "The Sovereign Circle doesn't allow awakened individuals to just leave."

"Once you're in, you're in for life. And Elize knew that. She also knew that if she stayed, you would be dragged into that world too."

"She didn't want that for you. She wanted you to have a normal childhood. And she made sure you got that."

Brandon's gaze dropped to the floor.

The memories of his childhood with Elize played in his mind like a slow-moving film.

He remembered the way she had always been there for him—whether it was helping him with his schoolwork, cheering him on at his soccer games, or comforting him during the tough times.

"She loved raising you," Ravène continued, her voice softening even further.

"She loved every moment of it. The way she talked about you… You were her everything, Brandon."

"You brought joy and meaning to her life in a way that being an Empyrean never did. And she never... never regretted her choice."

Brandon felt a lump form in his throat "She never said anything."

"She didn't need to," Ravène said with a smile.

"Her actions spoke louder than any words ever could. And if you'd seen the way her eyes lit up whenever she talked about you, you'd understand just how much you meant to her."

A soft sigh escaped his lips "I don't deserve her."

"Don't say that," Ravène said quickly.

"Elize didn't see you as a burden or an obligation. She saw you as her son... the person she loved most in this world. And if she could hear you now, she'd be heartbroken to know you were blaming yourself."

She moved forward, hugging him in her arms "So, never blame yourself..."