EX 17. Revelation I

The rankings had been uploaded to the Federation's public database only an hour ago, so Leon wasn't surprised his family had already seen them.

There wasn't much he could hide from them anyway—not when his father had eyes in places Leon would never expect.

As he stepped into the grand Kael estate's living room, Leon saw them all waiting. His father, Darian Kael, sat upright in the head chair, a man forged from discipline and rigid control.

Beside him stood his mother, Selene, poised and elegant as ever, her expression unreadable. Leaning lazily against the doorway that led into the inner mansion was Valeria, his senior sister, arms crossed, watching with detached amusement.

Leon opened his mouth to speak, hoping to get ahead of the scolding.

"There's a bit of—"

"Sit," his father interrupted sharply.

Leon's words died in his throat. With a sigh, he moved to the chair directly opposite his father and sat. Darian had always been like this—firm and unyielding, commanding respect even in silence.

Leon had never particularly minded. He was used to it. After all, he wasn't exactly a rebellious child... well, not until now, maybe.

"We saw the rankings," Selene said softly, her voice calm yet firm.

Leon's brow furrowed slightly. 'Is that really what this is about? Just the damn ranking? I mean, sure, it looks bad, but they should at least let me explain…'

He parted his lips to speak again, but his father raised a hand. "Let your mother finish."

Leon followed his instructions as silence spread over the room like a thick fog.

The tension was heavy—too heavy for something as simple as a public ranking.

Then, from the doorway, Valeria spoke in her usual blunt tone. "Can we stop stalling and just tell him already?"

Selene shot her a warning look, but Valeria merely shrugged, clearly unbothered.

Darian sighed, his usually firm voice carrying a tinge of heaviness this time. "She's right. We can't delay this any longer."

Leon, still quiet because of his father's command, was starting to feel genuinely uneasy. 'Tell me what?'

Then Selene after resolving herself turned to him fully, her expression softening as she called him by the name only she used. "Leo..." Her voice trembled slightly, as she struggled to look Leon in the eye.

"You are not our son."

The words didn't hit him immediately. His brain processed them slowly, one by one, like a broken program trying to reboot.

'Not their son?'

His eyes widened. He shot up from the chair, all sense of protocol forgotten. "What?" he blurted, his voice louder than intended.

He searched their faces for a sign of a joke, a test or even a trick.

But they weren't joking.

And the weight behind their eyes said one thing clearly—

This was real.

****

When Leon reincarnated into this world, he had gained full awareness of his surroundings at just nine months old. But even with that early awakening, he had no memories of how he came into this world—no memory of birth and no memory of origin.

Now, still standing in the Kael family's lavish sitting room, those memories, those quiet suspicions began to line up.

"So my hair and eyes… they're not the result of some rare disease?" Leon asked, his voice low.

Selene's expression crumbled with guilt. "Yes… it wasn't a disease. I found you like that."

Leon blinked slowly. 'It makes sense now.'

He had always felt like the odd piece in a perfect painting.

His father, Darian Kael, was a towering figure, broad-shouldered and built like a statue of war itself. His eyes were a sharp, commanding azure cool, piercing and unreadable.

His hair flowed like liquid gold, long and immaculate, carrying the unmistakable glow of Kael blood.

His mother Selene was graceful and unyielding in her poise, she had raven-black hair that shimmered like night silk. Her eyes were a striking ruby red—bright, intelligent, and full of quiet fire.

His sister Valeria was their perfect blend—her hair inherited from their mother, dark and glossy, but her eyes were their father's: clear, cutting, and deeply proud.

Leon, by contrast, had Silver-white hair and Sapphire-blue eyes that glinted like mirrors in the light.

He didn't look like them. Not even close.

"You said you found me?" Leon said, his voice firmer now.

Selene nodded solemnly, taking a slow breath before answering. "Nineteen years ago, the Federation's border faced one of its worst assaults. The Dreisphane Domain was under siege—multiple S and SS-rank demons had launched a full invasion."

Her tone turned distant, the words laced with memory and weariness.

"I was among those deployed to assist at the border. And after a gruesome battle we were able to push them back eventually, but much of the domain had already been reduced to ash at that point."

She paused, as if reliving it.

"When we were combing through the wreckage searching for those who were lucky enough to survive the calamity. I found you among those survivors. A baby. Alone, barely breathing, covered in dust and blood… yet still alive."

Leon stared at her, he was stunned silent.

"I didn't understand how something so small could survive that destruction," she continued. "But then, when I used my talent on you… you smiled at me. Just like that. A smile right after surviving a demon siege."

Selene's eyes softened as her voice trembled. "I told myself, any child who could smile after facing death… had the strength to be a noble. I didn't care whose blood ran through your veins. From that day, you were mine."

Leon listened in silence, every word etching itself into his mind. He could picture it—an infant buried in rubble, smiling through pain. That sounded like him. That sounded like something only he would do.

"So why didn't you tell me?" he asked finally.

Selene looked away, her voice cracking. "Because I was afraid. I feared that if you ever found out the truth… you'd stop seeing us as your family."

A tear slipped down her cheek. "But now I know I was wrong. I should've trusted the bond we built."

Leon's chest tightened at the sight. No child wanted to see their mother cry—even one not bound by blood.

He took a step forward, hand reaching out to console her.

But then Darian's voice cut through the moment.

"If we had told you earlier… you wouldn't have been so surprised to find out you didn't awaken a talent."

Leon froze. "…Eh?"

The atmosphere shifted as his mind stalled again.

He turned toward his father slowly. "What do you mean… didn't awaken?"

****

In the Federation, talents were everything. They were the dividing line between the ordinary and the exceptional Trial takers. They were the key to survival, status and power.

From the moment the first Trial taker awakened a talent during the early demon wars, humanity had dedicated generations to understanding and replicating the phenomenon.

Over time, one truth became clear:

Talents were bound by blood.

If two individuals of the same talent rank had a child, there was a 100% chance the child would inherit a talent of equal rank. However, if the union was unequal—one parent with a talent and the other without, two parents with different talent ranks and two parents with no talent—then the odds dropped drastically.

The chances of birthing a child with any talent at all became a gamble: just a 50-50 chance.

This discovery had created the modern noble class, families that selectively bred within high-ranking lineages to ensure strong successors.

So when Leon had gotten a low ranking, his parents, knowing he wasn't their biological son had quietly accepted the possibility that he hadn't awakened a talent at all.

That is, until now.

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A/N: Please send power stones and leave reviews.

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