By right of birth, Zack should have been next in line to become Patriarch of the Son family. But in the eyes of the elders, something was wrong with him. He had no noticeable cultivation base, and his golden eyes, pale skin, and white hair stood out against the family's dark features. The Son family took pride in their strength, their deep skin tones, and their long, black hair that symbolized their power and heritage. To them, Zack was an outsider—an oddity they couldn't accept as the face of their proud lineage. Even though he shared their blood, he was treated like a stranger.
Five years later, his younger brother was born. Unlike Zack, he perfectly matched the family's proud appearance and even possessed the lightning attribute of their third Patriarch—a legendary figure from two thousand years ago. Zack was overjoyed to have a sibling and stayed by his side at every moment. Following the family's tradition of "Z" names for the main bloodline, the newborn was named Zon. Wanting to be the best big brother he could, Zack threw himself into sword training, studied the ways of officialdom, and learned everything he could about cultivation, history, and the techniques of their clan. He made that decision the very day he first saw his little brother.
By the age of thirteen, even some of the elders couldn't match Zack's intelligence. They tried to suppress him, but the natural essence within the family's domain made it impossible to block his access to the clan's treasures and records. The elders might not acknowledge him, but the ancestral powers clearly did. Whenever his requests were denied, he would return to his room and find what he had asked for waiting there. His mother—pure of Son blood and the true head of the family—granted him the title of Young Scholar and appointed him to oversee the family library. Always by his side was his younger brother, Zon, who listened to every word Zack spoke as if it were law.
Under Zack's guidance, Zon surpassed many of the clan's seniors in lightning control, even though he was only eight years old. His lessons were so effective that their parents allowed no one else to teach Zon—and they never pressured him in his training. When Zon was with Zack, he was a focused student; but at home, he was simply a carefree child. That balance was exactly what Zack wanted. He aimed to make his little brother the best he could be, while still letting him enjoy his youth.
However, Zack was not without bias. He refused to personally train anyone outside his brother. If other members of the family wanted his guidance, they had to first acknowledge him as their master and themselves as his disciples. Naturally, no one agreed to such terms.
When his parents asked why he set such strict terms, Zack replied, "This family has too much pride. Some pride is good, but I've suffered from its extremes—and I am of this blood. I don't need to be heir, but I do demand respect. I am still your son—the firstborn of the family head."
His parents didn't argue, because deep down, they knew he wasn't wrong. They also couldn't force him; if they did, Zon would be furious. Instead, they chose another path. This time, his father personally issued him the Son Gentry Token.
In the Apollo Empire, families of a certain rank were granted Gentry Tokens to award their most promising members. The Son family possessed only two of these tokens—and now, one belonged to Zack.
To be a Gentry of one's family was to be a Gentry of the Empire itself. With that title, Zack now held a degree of Imperial authority. While still ranked below the family elders and young masters, his new status meant they could no longer discipline him or force him to act against his will.
The decision drew harsh criticism, but under Imperial Law, only the family head could grant such a title—so no one could oppose it. Yet, it achieved something many in the family quietly desired. By law, any Gentry of the Son Clan was required to live in the Imperial City and serve the court.
In short, Zack had to leave home.
The Son Clan was a powerful force—one of the twenty-one founding families of the Apollo Empire and among the seven strongest bloodlines in existence. When the Imperial Court was established under the Mile family, certain assurances were made. Any member of the twenty-one families who received an Imperial title was required to move to the capital, either to serve in the court or to remain under its watch.
Though the twenty-one families belonged to the empire, their private territories were considered independent domains—beyond the court's direct authority. Keeping titled members of these clans within the capital acted as both a show of loyalty and a deterrent against rebellion.
The Son family rarely accepted Imperial titles, and their presence in the capital was even rarer. So when the court received the news, the Imperial Transport was dispatched immediately—they would not miss the chance to have a member of one of the Seven Great Bloodlines under their hand.
Zack's mother understood this all too well and made sure he was prepared within three days. Even with the Emperor's personal transport, it would take three days to reach the Son Region and another six hours to arrive at the clan's estate.
That left one important matter—Zon's training. After careful discussion, it was decided that Zon would spend six months each year in the capital with Zack and the remaining six months at home. In this way, his progress wouldn't suffer. And to balance things further, Zack would be granted one month of leave each year to return home.
However, Zack knew all too well how the elders and clan leaders felt about him, so he never used his month of leave to return home. The Son Estate wouldn't see him again for quite some time.
Years passed, and by the time Zack was twenty-one, Zon arrived in the capital with an unexpected companion—a new sibling. A year after Zack had left, their mother gave birth to a daughter. Now seven years old, she had been brought by Zon to meet her eldest brother and, hopefully, receive his guidance on how she should begin cultivating.
By this time, Zack had joined the Imperial Oversight Office, having passed the Imperial Exam three years earlier. The position further sharpened his intellect and granted him access to vast resources that few his age could dream of.
Zack had also earned the respect of Master Fineas, the State Teacher who often visited the mansion. With Zon's arrival coinciding with one of Fineas's visits, Zack took the opportunity to introduce the siblings. Their little sister was shy, but polite and respectful.
Zon, now sixteen, had the cultivation level of someone twice his age—at the peak of the Comet Stage. This qualified him for a coveted title in the cultivation world: Divine Child. Anyone who reached the Comet Stage by eighteen earned the honor, and Zon had already mastered it—thanks entirely to Zack's guidance.
Because the Son family had been reclusive since the last Emperor's death, it was difficult for the court to gauge the younger generation's power. Master Fineas recorded Zon's achievement on the Divine Child list and then left, leaving the siblings to their own activities.
"Brother, Mother wants you to analyze Zara and give her some guidance," Zon said.
Zack agreed and led them to the south courtyard. There, Zon and Zara exchanged controlled blows while Zack studied the scroll sent by their parents. After about an hour, he was able to determine the best path for her cultivation.
Zon making the Divine Child list turned heads and marked a shift in the younger generation's power dynamics. For Zara, an intriguing path lay ahead. Zack advised her to study both talismans and earth-style techniques.
Over the next ten years, Zack deliberately remained in his clerk's position at the Imperial Investigation Office while personally guiding his siblings—including a younger brother, Zidan, born shortly after Zara turned ten. Zara would eventually earn a spot on the Divine Child list, and Zidan was well on his way to joining her.
However, a new event would soon ignite Zon's anger—despite his official crowning as Young Master of the Son Family.