Anastasia and Freya stood before Ember and Caldor, their hearts heavy with the burden they were about to bear. Anastasia cleared her throat, her voice trembling as she braced herself for the heart breaking task ahead.

“Darlings,” she began, her voice soft yet unsteady. “I have something very difficult to tell you.”

Ember and Caldor fixed their eyes on her, sensing the gravity of the moment. Their gazes shifted from Anastasia to each other, a silent exchange of apprehension.

“Your father, Ariel,” Anastasia’s voice faltered, a tear escaping her eye. “He’s… he died.”

The room seemed to hold its breath as the weight of those words settled in. Devastation etched across their faces, they exchanged a disbelieving glance before their composure crumbled, and they began to cry.

Caldor who was always all smiles and laughs broke down. Even Ember, the usually reserved and stoic one, couldn’t contain her grief and cried.

They had become orphans.

Anastasia and Freya rushed forward, enveloping them in a tight embrace. Their sobs echoing in the room, grief shared and burdens shouldered together. 𝑖𝘳.𝒸ℴ𝑚

“I promise” Anastasia whispered, her voice trembling but resolute. “I will be here for you, always.”

Ember, her tears staining Freya’s shoulder, looked up with reddened eyes. Her voice was barely above a whisper, filled with a mix of sorrow and anger. “Who did this?”

Freya met Ember’s gaze, saddened. She didn’t want her to live her life for the sake of revenge. “We’re still investigating, but I promise you, we will find out. And whoever is responsible will pay for what they’ve done. Let the grown ups handle this, honey”. Freya held Ember tighter.

Even though Ember was always cold and indifferent, she loves her family dearly. She would do anything to protect them, but the world just took away a man she cared about most in the world. ‘I’m too weak’. She thought, soaking Freya’s clothes in tears. ‘I need strength. I’ll make those who killed him pay!’ she thought, her determination palpable.

***

Atticus was absorbing mana inside his room, when Arya materialized from the shadows.

“Fuck!” his surprise evident. He quickly realizes that he made a mistake and corrects himself. “What brings you here?”

Arya paid no heed to his antics. Her gaze held a somber weight, and she met his eyes with a solemn expression. “Young master, young miss Ember and young master Caldor’s father was killed yesterday night”

Aria’s words were like a dagger to his heart, each syllable cutting deeper than the last.

“How?” he asked, baffled that Ariel was killed just like that. If there was anything he had learned, it was that the Ravenstein family was one of the strongest in the human domain. It was surprising that anyone dared to kill Ariel.

“They’re still investigating, young master. You should go meet young master Caldor and young miss Ember. My lady is breaking the news to them now”

Without wasting another moment, Atticus set off towards Ember and Caldor, his heart heavy with grief for his cousins. He never met Ariel and he’d be lying if he said he felt anything about his death. Although they might be related by blood, it was hard to care about a person he never met. The only thing he was worried about was how Ember and Caldor would feel.

He found Ember and Caldor, their faces etched with sorrow, crying their eyes out, and his eyes fell upon Anastasia and Freya as they embraced them.

As he stood behind them, his thoughts were a whirlwind of introspection. ‘Ariel was strong, and yet he died. Without absolute strength in this world, you can’t survive. It’s even worse for me, as I am practically an heir of the Ravenstein family. I need strength!’ Atticus had died without being able to do anything in his past life; he refused to let that happen again.

A fierce resolve settled within him, a fire ignited by loss and determination. Atticus’s jaw clenched, his hands balling into fists. He watched as Anastasia and Freya comforted them, his heart aching for their pain.

“I need strength” he repeated to himself, the words a silent vow. He would train harder, push himself further, and become a force to be reckoned with.

Meanwhile deep within the Ravenstein estate, nestled within the embrace of a towering mountain, lay a secluded training facility crafted with unparalleled precision and fortified to withstand the might of even the most formidable of entities, a Paragon.

As Avalon stood before the entrance of this formidable facility, his emotions churned like a tempest within him. Deep breaths steadied his resolve, his hands trembling ever so slightly.

He gazed up at the entrance and with resolute determination, Avalon stepped forward, his heart pounding in his chest.

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