Valen met Rocco two nights later.
The experience was surreal enough that Vittoria spent
the entire evening wondering if she was dreaming.
One moment she was standing in the nursery. The next
golden light filled the room. And a silver-haired man appeared beside the crib
looking mildly annoyed about existing.
"So, this is him." Vittoria nearly attacked him with a
fireplace poker. Alessandro managed to stop her.
Valen, meanwhile, seemed completely unbothered. He
approached the crib. And immediately fell silent.
The room grew still. Even the baby stopped fuzzing.
For nearly a minute Valen simply observed him. Then he gently placed two
fingers against Rocco's chest.
Golden light pulsed. Once. Twice. Three times. Valen
closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked troubled.
"Well."
Alessandro's stomach tightened.
"What?" Valen glanced toward the window. Then back
toward the child.
"The good news is that I can fix it." Hope exploded
through the room. Then Valen continued.
"The bad news is that I really wish I couldn't." the
hope faltered.
For the next hour he explained. Not everything but
enough.
His power could repair the defect. Completely. Rocco
would survive. Grow. Live.
However...
Valen's power wasn't meant to interact with human
souls so directly. Especially not a child.
The consequences were unpredictable. Dangerous and
permanent.
Alessandro listened. Then agreed anyway. Vittoria
cried. Valen looked disappointed. And yet…
He still did it. Because despite everything he said,
he couldn't bring himself to walk away.
The ritual lasted only minutes. Golden light filled
the nursery. The bracelet blazed. Symbols appeared across the walls. Ancient
power surged through the moon. And suddenly it was over.
Rocco inhaled. A strong breath. The strongest breath
either parent had ever heard from him. Then he opened his eyes and smiled.
Vittoria broke down immediately. Alessandro wasn't far
behind. Valen quietly left before either of them could thank him.
Years passed. The boy grew. Healthy. Happy. Strong.
But inside, something else grew as well.
A scent. A trace. A drop of blood hidden deep within a
soul.
And eventually, someone noticed.
Aldo Morezzo.
The seals around the estate were created immediately.
Layer upon layer. Protection upon protection. Ancient wards designed to hide
what now existed within Rocco.
For years they worked. Until they didn't.
Ten years later, the attack came. Fire consumed the
estate. Demons poured through tears. Hunters died. Servants died. The night
became chaos.
Alessandro fought like a man possessed. Vittoria did
everything to protect her children. And still it wasn't enough.
Because Aldo had finally found what he'd been
searching for.
Not just the bracelet anymore. But the boy.
The one carrying a fragment of his blood. The one
hidden from him for years.
The rest
happened exactly as Marcus/Rocco remembered.
The basement. The blood. The fire. His father standing
between him and Aldo. Tossing him the bracelet and telling him to run.
The last time he saw his father alive.
And this time, the chronicle didn't stop there.
At the bottom of the page, written in shaky
handwriting, was one final sentence.
A sentence clearly written moments before death.
If you are reading this, my son, then I was right.
You lived.
And with that, the chronicle ended.