"Rey… what I'm about to tell you may sound unbelievable," Jasmine said quietly. "But listen carefully. This truth is tied to you and a destiny you never chose."
She met his eyes.
"My child… You are not a member of the Dragonstorm family."
"Huhhh…?"
That single sound slipped out of Rey's mouth, empty and broken.
"W-wait," he stammered. "Did I hear that right? I'm… not your son?"
His vision blurred.
"Is it… Like, I'm not your son anymore? Or was I never—"
"Stop." Jasmine cut him off sharply. "I never said you're not my child."
Rey froze.
"Then… my father?"
"No. And don't say nonsense," she snapped. "How could you even think that?"
"Then what does it mean?" Rey shouted, his chest tightening. "Are we fake nobles? Using the Dragonstorm name as a mask?"
"Not that either."
"Then what are you even saying?!"
Jasmine rubbed her temples.
"I said you're not a member of the Dragonstorm family," she replied slowly. "But Emmy and I are."
Rey stared at her.
"…So I'm not your child?"
"You are my child," she said firmly.
"THEN PLEASE EXPLAIN!" Rey yelled, gasping for breath. "My brain can't take this puzzle anymore!"
She sighed.
"You really are just like your father."
Rey stiffened.
"Listen carefully," she continued. "You are our son. But from the moment he entered your life… You stopped being part of the Dragonstorm bloodline."
"…He?"
"And don't twist that word," she added quickly. "I know where your imagination goes."
Rey shut up.
"What I'm about to tell you," Jasmine said, lowering her voice, "is known only to the Royal family and the five Duke houses."
She paused.
"You know the story, right? The miracle that stopped the Blood Emperor before he wiped out the five kings."
Rey nodded.
"That wasn't a miracle," she said. "It was a curse."
His breath hitched.
"That day tied six bloodlines together. Royal and Dukes. A curse that promised death to every generation."
"…Then how are we alive?"
"Because something changed."
She looked straight at him.
"We found the key."
Rey swallowed.
"A key?"
"A human," Jasmine said. "An heir. Someone who could inherit the legacy of the one who placed the curse."
Silence filled the room.
"…That sounds unlucky," Rey muttered weakly. "Being dragged into something like that without a choice."
She didn't respond.
Rey's face slowly drained of colour.
"…That key is me, isn't it?"
Jasmine nodded.
"Yes."
His heart dropped.
"But nothing bad will happen to you," she added quickly. "In fact… something good might."
"Might?" he echoed.
"This legacy doesn't come from us," she said. "It comes from the one who cursed us."
Rey clenched his fists.
"Who is he?"
Jasmine hesitated.
"We can't even know his name," she said softly. "We aren't allowed to."
"…But someone knows."
"Yes. One man. He's still alive. In seclusion. Waiting to see the successor."
Rey's eyes widened.
"You mean—"
"The Blood Emperor," Jasmine confirmed. "He's over five hundred years old… and still looks like a teenager."
Rey didn't know whether to laugh or scream.
"Then what really happened that day?" he asked quietly. "After the king killed the others?"
Jasmine's expression darkened.
"He realised what he had done. Not the kings… but the innocents."
Her voice softened.
"He stood at the edge of despair. Ready to end everything."
Rey leaned forward.
"And then?"
"Someone appeared."
Her eyes trembled.
"A man who changed everything without saying a word."
She took a breath.
"With a single motion… he achieved something even the Blood Emperor never could."
Rey's pulse thundered.
"What did he do?"
Jasmine opened her mouth.
And the world seemed to hold its breath.