Chapter: 0.126: Flashback – The Leonhardt Family 2

The Fall of Nox

It was a bright spring afternoon when it happened.

The golden light of the sun poured through the arched windows of the Leonhardt estate, casting elegant rays across the polished floors of the main training hall. The scent of blooming magnolias drifted through the breeze, and laughter echoed faintly outside the windows.

Inside the hall, however, something far more profound was unfolding.

Eight-year-old Leona Leonhardt stood still at the center of the stone platform, her white hair stirring as though caught in an invisible wind. A radiant force coiled around her, soft yet potent, like the embrace of a mythic beast. Light enveloped her form in a divine shimmer—warm and noble. Her blue eyes had turned a luminous, glowing white.

Then came the roar.

A deep, primal sound—not heard by ears but felt in the heart. A lion's call. The soul of the White Lion, **Akai**, had awakened… and chosen her.

A hush fell over the estate.

Charles Leonhardt stepped forward, his voice filled with astonishment and pride.

**"Incredible… Leona, you've been chosen by Akai—the White Lion. A child of destiny."**

The glowing aura wrapped around Leona like a cloak spun from light , pulsing gently. Her form seemed to radiate warmth, protection… majesty.

Marguerite's eyes sparkled with emotion. She knelt before her daughter, holding her face gently between her hands.

**"My beloved girl,"** she whispered, kissing her brow, **"you're blessed. You're truly special."**

Nox, standing at the edge of the platform, watched everything unfold.

He had clapped. He had smiled. But deep within, something unfamiliar began to shift.

He didn't understand it then. Not fully.

But as the days passed, the warmth in their home began to turn.

---

At first, it was subtle.

Leona's training intensified. She was faster. Stronger. Her aura shone in battle like moonlight on snow. And day by day, Nox—who had always been praised for his potential—found himself dimming in her shadow.

Every glance from his father now lingered on Leona.

Every word of encouragement from his mother was now meant for her.

In one duel, when he was nine, the inevitable happened.

Their wooden swords clashed—Nox moved fast, but Leona's movement was like lightning guided by divine grace. Her sword broke his with a single sweeping arc. The tip of her blade rested lightly against his neck.

Silence.

Then applause.

Charles stood and nodded with pride.

**"Well done, Leona. That's my girl."**

He ruffled her hair.

Marguerite stepped forward and embraced her, beaming. The staff clapped. Even the other noble children cheered.

No one looked at Nox.

No one noticed the splinters of his broken sword at his feet.

No one saw the way his hands trembled.

No one noticed the scream in his silence.

Except him.

Charles glanced his way with cold detachment.

**"Get better,"** he said. Nothing more.

Nox swallowed the lump in his throat. He bowed his head and left the courtyard quietly, his heart pounding—not from exhaustion, but from something darker.

---

In the solitude of his room, Nox sat at the edge of his bed. His face was buried in his hands.

Then came the sobs.

They started slow—silent gasps caught in his throat. Then louder, ragged, broken. The kind of crying that comes from betrayal not by enemies, but by those meant to love you.

"I tried… I tried so hard…" he whispered.

Memories swirled in his mind—days he bled, trained, endured for their approval. For his mother's smile. For his father's praise. But it was all gone.

All of it—taken by her.

**Leona.**

The girl who once cheered for him.

The girl he once swore to protect.

Now she had taken everything.

Her voice haunted him.

Her smile burned in his mind like poison.

The white lion's blessing mocked him.

**"Why her?"**

**"Why not me?"**

**"I trained harder. I was first. I was their son."**

The hatred was quiet at first—like a seed in winter soil.

But it grew.

It grew each time his name was forgotten in a family gathering.

Each time Leona stood proudly beside their father on the balcony while he watched from the garden below.

Each time his mother kissed her goodnight and left his door unopened.

**"I hate you…"**

**"I hate you, Leona."**

**"I hate your stupid lion… I hate this family… I hate that you were even born."**

His whispers turned into curses.

He dug his fingers into the mattress as tears soaked the sleeves of his robe.

His breath trembled. His eyes burned.

He was alone.

He had lost his place.

And in the silent dark of that gilded palace, Nox Leonhardt—the boy who once smiled brightly and promised to protect his sister—was replaced by someone else.

Someone colder.

Someone twisted by envy.

Someone ready to burn the lion's blessing to the ground.

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Heat: Well here it is possible to choose between the Rotschy family and the Lyonhart family, have you noticed that difference or not in any case you will discover more during the next seasons