Chapter 6: The Beginning

The howling wind lashed against the window, filling the dimly lit room with its eerie cries. Dorian Gray's eyes flickered with a complex mix of emotions—regret, sorrow, and a touch of helplessness.

The bloodline of Abraham should have been noble. As one of the angelic families of the Fourth Epoch, the Abrahams once stood at the pinnacle of the Northern and Southern Continents, basking in glory and admiration.

Yet, their downfall began the moment their ancestor, Bethel Abraham, vanished. From that disappearance, a nightmare buried deep within their bloodline was born—a curse that would haunt them for millennia.

During the War of the Four Emperors, following the disappearance of Mr. Door, the high-sequence members of the Abraham family were systematically purged by opposing forces. The once-mighty clan was nearly wiped out, leaving not a single demigod behind.

Hunted by the great churches, pursued by secret organizations, the once-revered Abraham family had been reduced to a group of fugitives, living like rats in the shadows.

For years, Dorian watched his children, his father, and his loved ones perish under this terrible curse. And yet, fate seemed to mock him, allowing him to survive.

But the most unbearable betrayal came years ago, when a group of students, carefully nurtured by the family, led by Boutis, conspired with the Aurora Order and launched a rebellion.

That treachery resulted in the loss of a Grade-0 Sealed Artifact and the deaths of countless family members. Worst of all, one of the masterminds behind it was none other than his own student—the former record keeper, Louis Wayne.

That night, as he beheld the crazed grin of the student he had once mentored, Dorian's heart shattered. Though he managed to break through the encirclement using a powerful Sealed Artifact in his possession, he could do nothing to prevent the slaughter of his kin.

Dorian Gray Abraham, broad-shouldered and thick-armed, paced back and forth in the room, his mind heavy with thoughts of his family's future.

A flash of silver lightning split the stormy sky, momentarily illuminating his darkened expression through the window.

With a sigh, he pushed aside his thoughts for now and turned his attention back to the unfinished documents on his desk.

Just as he was about to return to his seat, he suddenly froze. His not-yet-aged face tensed with a solemn expression.

In his line of sight, right before his desk, a figure had appeared without a sound—a young man, strikingly handsome, clad in a hooded, archaic robe.

"Who are you?"

Dorian's heart pounded in alarm. As an Astrologer, his spiritual intuition should have warned him of any intruder. Yet, he had sensed nothing. This meant that the young man before him was, at the very least, a mid-sequence Beyonder.

The stranger closed the book in his hands—an introduction to coastal fish species—and smiled.

"It has been many years, Uncle Dorian. Have you forgotten me?"

"You are…?"

Dorian scrutinized the young man's face, something about it stirring a long-buried memory. His voice trembled with uncertainty as he asked:

"You… Are you Nord's child, Ael?"

Ael chuckled and nodded. "It seems Uncle Dorian hasn't forgotten me after all. No need to be so tense. I'm here to ask for a favor."

Raising his hand casually, Ael severed the room's connection to reality, turning it into an isolated, sealed space.

"The space… has been cut off? This… This is the ability of a Secret Sorcerer!"

As an Astrologer who had once wielded a Sealed Artifact formed from a Secret Sorcerer's characteristics, Dorian immediately recognized the anomaly around him.

His scalp tingled with unease as he stared at the young man, who continued to smile.

A half-god?!

A high-sequence Abraham… standing right before him?!

Dorian Gray Abraham's body trembled. After centuries, after endless suffering, he was finally witnessing a glimmer of his family's lost glory.

But then—he realized something.

His body went rigid as his trembling ceased. Staring at Ael, his voice twisted with a mix of fury and dread.

"No… You're not him! Who… what are you?!"

Ael didn't seem offended by the accusation. Instead, he simply smiled.

"Interesting. For someone who has only just stepped into the mid-sequence threshold, you shouldn't be able to perceive my true nature."

Hearing this, Dorian felt a deep sorrow well up in his chest. The faint ember of hope that had just ignited was already being snuffed out. His voice was low and heavy as he responded:

"I have lived for decades, tormented by this curse for just as long. My child, my wife, my brothers… all of them died because of it.

Among our family, no one understands the nature of this curse better than I do."

"Oh?"

Ael tilted his head, still smiling. "And what of it?"

Dorian closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"For a thousand years, no member of the Abraham family has reached a high sequence. Not a single one—not even a Planeswalker.

Anyone of our bloodline who walks the Apprentice path can never ascend to the higher sequences. It is the curse of our blood.

Moreover, you seem to have forgotten something. Ael became an Apprentice at his coming-of-age ceremony.

Even if I don't know how much his sequence has advanced over the years, even with the help of acting and secret support from unknown family members, it would be impossible for him to rise to a high sequence so quickly.

So I ask you once more—who are you, truly? Why are you wearing his face?"

Dorian's voice grew firm and unyielding.

"You wield an artifact born from a Secret Sorcerer's characteristics. Are you a Trickmaster? Do you hail from the secret order? Or are you a member of the Antigonus family?"

The ability to alter one's appearance so perfectly, to imitate someone entirely—among the 22 Beyonder pathways, only one possessed such power.

The seer pathway.

And from what Dorian knew, the seer pathway was controlled by two factions—the secret order and the Antigonus family. The Church of Evernight was said to hold some of its formulas as well.

Ael clapped his hands lightly, a look of admiration in his eyes.

"Impressive deduction. But I'm afraid I am neither under Zaratul nor the Antigonus."

He smiled.

"I am Ael. My veins carry the noble blood of the Abraham family. But…"

Dorian's expression grew even graver.

Ael's grin widened as he continued:

"But I am a reborn Ael.

Last night, I was graced by our ancestor's favor. I was reborn, granted divinity… and I have become an Angel!"