I opened my eyes.
Back at the dining table.
Exactly where I had been.
...
The chair beneath me was still warm.
The plates before me remained half-empty, carrying the fading scent of our meal.
Nothing had changed.
And yet—
Everything felt different.
My parents sat across from me, speaking in low voices.
Careful.
Measured.
Almost as though they were afraid their words might disturb something fragile.
Something unseen.
Then—
Cough. Cough.
My father's voice cut through the quiet.
Their conversation stopped immediately.
Both of them turned toward me.
Their eyes met mine.
He spoke first.
"We're going to see the Patriarch."
I blinked.
"...Now?"
He nodded.
No hesitation.
No explanation.
Something in his tone made it clear.
This wasn't a casual visit.
It wasn't a family gathering.
It was a summons.
I exhaled slowly, pushing aside the lingering echoes clawing at the back of my mind.
You are not becoming...
You are remembering...
"...Alright."
I pushed back my chair and stood.
Then followed him.
---
As we stepped outside, the morning air brushed against my skin.
Cool.
Quiet.
Almost refreshing.
The world seemed perfectly normal.
Too normal, considering everything that had happened.
I glanced at my father.
"Do you know why we're being summoned?"
He continued walking.
For a moment, he didn't answer.
Then—
"...It's about your awakening."
I looked at him.
"My awakening?"
He paused briefly.
Then—
BOOM!
His body shot into the air.
I followed immediately.
WHOOSH!
The wind tore past us as we soared across the sky.
Below, the clan stretched across the land like a living organism.
Buildings.
Training grounds.
Patrolling figures.
Familiar energy signatures moving through their daily routines.
Everything continued as usual.
But my thoughts were elsewhere.
Awakening...
It wasn't just about power.
Not anymore.
The Nameless Sovereign.
The Sea of Consciousness.
The strange presence that had appeared within me.
And that warning—
A breach is coming.
I clenched my jaw.
Focus.
Whatever awaited us, I would deal with it when the time came.
For now, I needed to understand why my grandfather had summoned us.
---
Soon—
We arrived.
The Patriarch's residence stood before us, tall and imposing.
Its architecture carried the elegance of the clan's ancient traditions, while its atmosphere radiated a quiet authority that seemed to separate it from the rest of the estate.
We landed.
Our feet touched the ground with controlled ease.
I followed my father toward the entrance.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
There was little delay.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
...
This place.
It was familiar.
Not merely because it was the Patriarch's residence.
It was my grandfather's home.
I had visited countless times as a child.
With my brother.
With laughter.
With warmth.
Back then, it had simply been another place where family gathered.
But now—
Something felt different.
The walls were the same.
The halls were just as grand.
The decorations remained untouched.
Yet the atmosphere carried a weight I hadn't noticed before.
As though the entire residence was quietly watching us.
We continued toward the dining hall.
The massive doors opened.
A spacious chamber stretched before us.
At its center stood a long table, large enough to accommodate an entire gathering of elders.
At its head—
He sat.
The Patriarch.
My grandfather.
Beside him was Ancient Elder Solryn.
Both turned as we entered.
My father stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Good morning, Father."
"Elder Solryn."
"Morning," my grandfather replied calmly.
Solryn gave a small nod.
I stepped forward.
Then bowed.
"Good morning, Grandfather. Elder."
...
Silence.
I felt it immediately.
Their gazes.
Both of them were fixed on me.
Not merely looking.
Searching.
Their expressions shifted subtly.
Shock.
Confusion.
Perhaps even disbelief.
Yesterday—
I had stood before them as something almost unrecognizable.
Cold.
Unyielding.
Dominant.
A presence that had made even experienced elders hesitate.
But today—
I stood before them calmly.
Respectfully.
Without the slightest trace of that overwhelming pressure.
Just Velzahar.
Their grandson.
A member of the clan.
Human enough to greet his elders without making the entire room tremble.
I could practically feel their confusion.
The contrast was too sharp.
Too sudden.
My father glanced between us.
He seemed to notice the change in atmosphere, but chose not to interrupt.
Then—
My grandfather laughed.
"Hahaha!"
Solryn followed with a quiet chuckle.
The tension finally cracked.
"So," my grandfather said, a faint smile forming on his face.
"The storm has settled."
I remained silent.
Because even I wasn't entirely certain that was true.
---
We took our seats.
And just like that—
The atmosphere changed.
The warmth disappeared.
Seriousness took its place.
My grandfather leaned forward slightly.
His expression became focused.
"I summoned you here for something important."
His gaze briefly shifted toward me.
Then returned to my father.
"...Your son's awakening."
A pause.
"...And something else."
The room seemed to grow colder.
My grandfather's expression hardened.
"His manifestation of Demon God energy."
...
Silence.
Heavy.
Crushing.
My father froze.
"...Demon God energy?"
The words left his mouth slowly.
Carefully.
As though simply speaking them might make the situation more dangerous.
My grandfather didn't answer immediately.
He didn't need to.
The seriousness in his expression already spoke volumes.
I leaned back slightly.
Demon God energy?
My thoughts moved.
Fragments of memory surfaced.
The strange notifications.
The incomplete information.
The things that had never made sense.
[System Notice]
Naming Protocol: Suspended
Fate Anchor: Unassigned
Existential Status: Anomalous
...
My name.
A protocol that had never been completed.
My fate.
Something that remained unanchored.
And my very existence—
Classified as anomalous.
From the beginning, something about me had been different.
Or perhaps...
Something had never been properly understood.
"...This isn't new," my grandfather finally said.
His voice was quieter now.
There was something different in it.
Not fear.
Not doubt.
Memory.
"There was once... a calamity."
The word landed heavily.
"A scar in reality itself."
Beside him, Solryn's expression changed.
His earlier smile had disappeared.
My grandfather continued.
"A being that carried both divine purity..."
He paused.
"...and forbidden corruption."
My father's expression hardened.
"...That's impossible."
He seemed certain of it.
But Solryn finally spoke.
"Is it?"
His voice was calm.
Almost knowing.
His eyes shifted toward me.
"Yesterday, what we felt from you..."
He paused.
"...was not simply divine energy."
A faint ripple passed through the atmosphere.
"It was layered."
My expression remained unchanged.
Solryn continued.
"Two fundamentally different qualities."
He looked directly into my eyes.
"Yet neither seemed to reject the other."
A pause.
"...Almost as though something ancient was watching through you."
Silence.
The words lingered.
I didn't respond.
Because deep down—
I knew they weren't entirely wrong.
The Sea of Consciousness.
The Nameless Sovereign.
The voice that had spoken to me.
You are not becoming...
You are remembering...
My father's gaze slowly shifted toward me.
This time, he wasn't simply looking at his son.
He was trying to understand something he could no longer explain.
"...Explain."
One word.
Heavy.
Direct.
Demanding the truth.
I met his gaze.
Calm.
Steady.
But beneath that composure—
My thoughts were moving.
Because for the first time, I understood something clearly.
This wasn't simply about my power.
It wasn't just another awakening.
And it certainly wasn't an ordinary change in my bloodline.
Something had already begun.
Something ancient.
Something connected to an existence that claimed to have created the world itself.
And now—
Its echoes were reaching beyond the depths of my consciousness.
Into the clan.
Into my family.
Into the very history of this world.
I slowly lowered my gaze.
The calamity they spoke of...
A being carrying divine purity and forbidden corruption.
A scar in reality itself.
...
Could it be connected to me?
Or was I merely repeating something that had happened before?
I looked up again.
For a brief moment, the room seemed quieter than before.
My grandfather.
My father.
Solryn.
All of them were waiting.
Waiting for an explanation I wasn't sure I possessed.
I drew a slow breath.
Then—
I finally understood the weight of this meeting.
The calamity they feared might not be coming.
It might already be here.
And the most terrifying possibility—
Was that it might be me.