Chapter 81. Secrets revealed.
Authors Note:
Just a reminder Chapter 80 is not related to chapter 79.
The events in the two chapters happen on different timelines.
Chapter 80 takes place one month after the fog appears, while Chapter 79 takes place two months after the mist appears.
Chapter 81 is the continuation of chapter 79.
Fin.
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"Bravery and determination can overcome any obstacle, no matter how daunting it may seem. Through hard work and perseverance, we can achieve greatness and bring peace to those around us." - Hubert.
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Florentine City 2 days after the monster siege.
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Today is Hubert's departure towards the enchanted forest, where the fog first appeared to find the culprit behind of this madness.
And once again Lucas finds himself troubled and powerless. Because no matter what he does, it is still not enough to stop the inevitable.
His father and his Knights still need to risk their lives to venture outside of the city, to solve this problem once and for all.
He is left in charge of the entire city, anxiously waiting for their return.
But before they leave his father finally revealed something important to him. Revealing that Michael is a member of the Beaufort family.
Although Lucas already has a hunch about Michael's real identity he was still surprised about this revelation. Because he never thought that his father would even hide his existence from his own son.
Even Michael himself doesn't know that he was part of the Beaufort family, that he was his cousin. All he knew was that his parents abandoned him as a baby in the Stratnan territory.
Michael grew up in the streets without the presence of his parents or his family. It was only when he was 6 years old that his father found him and managed to bring him back to their mansion.
When Lucas asks the reason why his father did this, he explains that it has something to do with the church.
All this time, his father kept his nephew's existence a secret because Michael's identity is special, and the church of Agatha is still looking for his mother.
Due to some circumstances, the church of Agatha has discovered his mother's real identity which is a being known as succubus under the demon race.
Which is associated with the demonic beasts in the northern continent, but his father assured him that the demon race has nothing to do with those creatures because even they are not safe from their claws.
In this world, other races also exist aside from humans but their numbers are already at the bottom. So their presence is hard to notice except for some large empires.
When disaster struck the northern continent many of the remaining kingdoms immediately conducted large-scale extermination of the demon race with the church leading them.
Since the Demon race has a similar name to the demonic creatures that destroyed the Gregorian empire and many people have mistaken it as their doing. So, wide-scale extermination of the Demonic race occurred throughout the continent, decimating their population to the ground.
Killing all the demon race they saw for their precious blood. Since it can be used to control weaker demonic creatures and this technique was discovered by the church of Agatha during their purge.
This discovery has further strengthened their beliefs, and many have joined them for this cause.
This is why the church of Agatha was looking for Michael's mother and why he was abandoned at a very young age.
His mother is a pure-blooded succubus, a very rare species of demon race that can be used to entice other people. Her pure-blooded succubus status is already enough to prove her worth. Also, the church of Agatha wants to use her as a weapon in their crusade to eliminate the demonic beasts.
But his father assured him that Michael's mother is not a monster and that she is just a victim in all of this.
His father explains to him everything he knows about his second older brother named Thomas.
Hubert tells him about their story of how his elder brother Thomas met this woman on his crusade during the great war, and how Michael was conceived during that time.
It turns out that Michael's features save him from persecution as it was very different from the usual look of the Beaufort family.
From the start of our family line, almost all members born with Beaufort blood have had the same features of silver hair and red eyes. since it was a strong feature of our blood except for some individuals who have a stronger bloodline. And this includes Michael.
He was born different because his mother is from the Demon race his blood is much stronger than the Beaufort line which is just a mortal lineage. That's why he didn't inherit their features. And this saves him from the chase of many people during the war.
Because the Beaufort name had become popular during that time, and their distinct features caused them to be ambushed by the enemy many times.
His father told him that before his elder brother died he finally confessed his relationship ship with a woman from the demon race.
Although their father is not fond of this pair he also knows that he can't do anything about it. But for some reason, this secret has leaked to the outside and the church of Agatha has relentlessly pursued them killing his brother in the process and the woman banished from this land since then.
Hubert only managed to trace Michael's location thanks to the help of the blood-seeking artifact. He only knows that his brother had a child with that woman but he didn't know where they go.
It took him years before his father was able to pinpoint Michael's location and bring him back to their home.
So technically Michael is not a pure human being he was a mixture of both human and demon races, and this is also the reason why he has a strong charm, unlike others that can attract anyone. Causing them to have a good impression of him.
Lucas was both surprised and happy at the same time because he now has someone he can call family other than his father.
But he was still shocked by this revelation. He never would have expected that his only cousin was part of the demon race, especially since he had always looked up to him and seen him as a role model. He couldn't also believe that his father had kept this secret from him for so long, and he couldn't help but feel betrayed.
Despite this, he knew that his father had only done it to protect Michael and keep him safe. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Michael growing up in the streets, not knowing his true identity or where he came from.
As Lucas thought about all of this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness and guilt wash over him. He had always taken his privileged life for granted, and now he realizes just how lucky he was to have a father that supports him and a home to go back to.
As Lucas watched his father and the knights prepare to leave for the enchanted forest, he knew that he had to be strong and do everything in his power to protect the city and its people. He vowed to do whatever it takes to help bring an end to this madness and bring peace back to their land.
Before they leave Lucas finally masters the courage to talk to his father.
"Father, please be careful out there. I know you have to do this to keep us safe, but I can't help but worry about you."
"I'm aware of that Lucas. But we have to do what needs to be done to protect our people and our city. It's my duty as the leader of the knights and as your father."
"I understand that, but please, don't take unnecessary risks. You have me here waiting for your return. You all have a family waiting for you to go back."
"I will be careful, my son. And I have every confidence in you. You have grown into a strong and capable leader, and I know you will do everything in your power to protect our city and its people while I'm gone." His father solemnly said to him.
"I will, father. I promise. Just please, come back to us safely." Lucas said in return.
"I will do my best. And I just wanted you to know that I'm proud of the man you have become." His father said to him as he pats his shoulder.
With that, his father turned and mounted his horn horse, ready to lead the knight on their journey to the enchanted forest.
Lucas watched as they rode off into the distance, his heart heavy with worry and fear for their safety. But he knew that he had to be strong, and he vowed to do everything in his power to not repeat this same mistake in the future.
Mistake of being weak in front of absolute power. Lucas never wanted to feel this powerless again and he decided that he will pursue to become stronger in the future.
Because he remembers that he has spent most of his time familiarizing himself with this world that he forgot to pay attention to his own strength since he was protected by his father's umbrella.
But now it was clear to him that only by being strong in this world can he do everything he wants without any worry. He wants to uncover the secret of this world and reveal everything that it hides.
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When his father and his Knights finally entered the fog Lucas quickly proceeds to approach Michael with a heavy heart.
He couldn't believe that he had been kept in the dark about his cousin's true identity for so long, and he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that weighed on him for treating him a servant for years.
"Michael I don't know what to say. I had no idea that you were a part of our family. I can't believe that father kept this secret from you for so long." Lucas said in shame for his past behavior.
Michael looked at him with a sad smile. "It's okay, Lucas. I understand why your father, or rather why uncle did this. He was just trying to protect me."
"But still, I feel like I should have known. I should have been there for you, as your cousin and as a friend."
"You have always been there for me and that's all that matters. I never felt like I was alone since I've come to this place. Even though I didn't know my true identity. I had you and your father, and that was more than enough for me." Michael said as his blonde hair fluttered in the wind.
Lucas nodded, feeling a sense of warmth and gratitude toward Michael. "So, what now? Do you want to stay with us, now that you know the truth?"
Michael looked at him thoughtfully. "I don't know. Part of me wants to stay and be a part of this family, but I also feel like I need to find out more about my past and my mother. I have so many questions, and I feel like I need to find some answers."
"I understand," Lucas said, feeling a pang of sadness at the thought of Michael leaving his side. "But no matter what your decision is, know that you will always have a place with us. You are family, and we will always be here for you."
Michael smiled at him, his eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you. That means more to me than you could ever know."
Lucas looked at Michael with concern. "But there is still one thing we have to worry about. what are we going to do about your charm as a half-demon? I don't want you to hide who you are, but I also don't want you to be in danger because of it."
Michael sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I wish I had an answer for you. But the truth is, I don't know much about my powers or how to control them. All I know is that I have always been able to sense other people's emotions, and sometimes I can influence them to a certain extent."
"But that's it? You don't know anything else about your ability?"
"Not really, no. I'm not even aware of it, and I never had the opportunity to learn more. I guess, I just assumed that it was something normal, like being able to read people's emotions or being able to persuade them to see things my way." Michael uttered sadly, profoundly staring at the forest covered in the thick fog.
Lucas nodded, thinking about this. " Well, while waiting for their return maybe we can figure out a way to help you learn more about your powers. Let's go to the library and search for anything related to the demon race maybe we could find something useful."
Michael looked at him with hope in his eyes. "Do you think that's possible? Demon race has almost been forgotten by everyone. I don't even know if there's still a record of us in books."
"I don't see why not," Lucas said with a smile. "We have to start somewhere, and I want to help you in any way I can. We'll eventually figure this out."
Michael smiled back at him, looking grateful and relieved. "Thank you, This means a lot to me, but I rather wait here for their return and think about this matter once everything has settled down." Michael sighed as they walked toward the soldiers guarding the city.
"I'm sure they would return safely. Father has brought that thing with him, something that can protect them all." Lucas confidently says to him while looking at their soldiers standing on the city wall.
