"We are here; master is waiting inside," the butler said as they reached the door of James's office. He stepped aside, making it clear that Rio would be the only one entering.
Rio didn't care much and walked in without hesitation. Inside, a burly man was sitting on a sofa in a leisurely manner. The man seemed to be sleeping, but the moment Rio entered, his eyes snapped open and locked onto him.
Rio felt as if he were being watched by a beast,a hungry beast eyeing its prey. After a few seconds, the deadly aura disappeared. He realized that the man had restrained himself, but the question remained: why release it in the first place, was it just to intimidate him?
"So, you are Rio," the man said.
"Yeah," Rio replied.
James gestured toward the sofa in front of him. "You can sit."
Rio nodded and quietly took a seat. Though his face remained expressionless, his mind was already racing with calculations. If James attacked suddenly, the chance of escaping alive was minimal. He needed to figure out the man's motive first.
While Rio was planning, James studied him. This kid was clearly vigilant, capable of dodging attacks if James wasn't serious. Indeed, he was talented.
"Do you know about your parents, kid?" James asked.
"What do you mean by that? Please be specific," Rio responded. He wondered why James suddenly brought up his parents,was it a warning like, "How dare you deceive my daughter?"
"You see, Rio Flash, your father was an old comrade of mine. Do you remember his name?"
"Kevin Flash. But how could he have been a comrade of an S-ranker like you? I remember he was ordinary,not even an awakener. Both my parents were non-awakened," Rio said.
"In the public's eye, yes. He was a non-awakened human," James replied.
"In the public's eye?"
James walked toward the window and looked into the distance. "Your mother was a non-awakened human, but Kevin was a peak S-ranker."
Rio frowned. Even an S-ranker couldn't hide their aura completely from others. There was only one way to hide it this thoroughly… could it be?
"He was an assassin,the most lethal assassin ever recorded in human history," James said.
"He liked to work hidden from everyone, even his own family. His proficiency was nearly perfect," James continued.
"He could infiltrate the most guarded areas and collected vast amounts of critical information about several races, which was then passed on to the alliance. He was a high-ranked member and an extremely capable man."
Rio thought: the alliance of all S-rankers and above? His father was part of that alliance? Now it made sense how he could hide his identity,but why was Rio reborn in this body? Was it really just coincidence?
James added, "He was known by the nickname 'Soul Splitter.' No one knew exactly why, but he could sneak behind any S-ranker without being detected. That's why he was well known. I completed several missions with him, so I was an old comrade."
"But when he died, it was during the Drift City Massacre. A huge swarm of demons attacked, and we were sent as reinforcements, but we arrived too late. The city was destroyed, and every human was killed. Twenty-five thousand people, including awakens, died; the blood was used to summon a new SS-rank demon."
"Twenty-five thousand? The records said only five thousand died," Rio said.
James laughed bitterly, sadness showing on his face. "The information was manipulated to prevent panic. Even five thousand would have caused chaos. Those of us at the top could not answer those whose families were missing. Relatives were silenced either by force or compensation. Dead doesn't come back."
"And my father?" Rio asked.
"He fought until his last moment, creating an opening for your mother and you. You may not remember that," James said.
"I have no memories of that time. When I opened my eyes, I was already in an orphanage. I don't know how I survived," Rio said.
James shook his head. "I don't know either. When I arrived, your father was long dead. Your mother was beside him. Both died holding hands. Your mother must have returned later to find Kevin. We assumed Kevin's son was dead, so no further investigation was done. But it seems you survived that day. A remarkable feat."
Rio realized that if he hadn't come to this world, he would never have known about his father and likely would have died without answers. Only the strong were valued in this world.
The room grew quiet for a moment before James spoke again. "That's all I know, but there's one more thing I wanted to talk to you about."
James walked to the cabinet in the corner, opened it, and retrieved a small box. He handed it to Rio. Rio examined it and tried to open it, but it didn't budge.
"When I found Kevin's body, this box had a letter: 'Anyone who finds this box, please give it to my son.' I am giving it to you now. I don't know its contents either, but I believe you can unlock it with your mana."
Rio slowly infused mana into the box. A mechanism was triggered, and it opened by itself, revealing a bright golden card. The card suddenly lit up, and within seconds, its light began to envelop Rio.
"This seems to be a key to some kind of space. It's transporting you somewhere, so be careful," James warned.
Before Rio could respond, the light engulfed him, and he vanished. James was left alone, staring at the empty spot where Rio had stood.
"Kevin must have prepared something for him. I hope he doesn't go overboard; he always did things thoroughly. It's possible he'll end up surpassing that kid too," James murmured.
He shook his head, knowing nothing could be done now. Only Rio could decide his next move. "I have fulfilled my promise; the rest is up to you, boy."