Viser hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I was thinking about whether to tell you or not," he admitted, his voice quieter. "But I guess you''re both old enough now."


    Viser nodded, his expression turning serious. "It’s time you understand why I told you both to keep your runes a secret—especially you." His voice grew heavier. "Three runes… and two of them are High Runes. That’s far rarer than you realize."


    Delilah’s expression shifted—something rarely seen from her. Curiosity.


    After all, it was true. On the day Viser took a look at her and Nero''s enys, the shock on his face was undeniable. He stood in stunned silence for several minutes before finally speaking. His voice was firm, carrying an urgency they had never heard from him before.


    "Never, under any circumstances, tell anyone that you have three runes," he warned them. His tone left no room for argument. He even went so far as to forbid them from using one of their runes altogether.


    Delilah had been forced to make a choice—one that weighed heavily on her. Among her high runes, she had to sacrifice one. In the end, she chose to keep her Life runes and abandon her Darkness rune, despite the power it offered. The decision was not made lightly. She had only done so because she wanted to ensure she could heal her brother if he were ever injured. That protection meant more to her than any darkness-fueled strength ever could.


    Nero, on the other hand, made a different choice. He decided to conceal his Ice rune, keeping it hidden from the world.


    Yes, Viser had allowed them to train those runes in secret. He had even gone so far as to teach them a few spells—but he never told them why to hide them.


    Viser sighed and continued, "Most people are born with only one or two runes, and in most cases, both are Low Runes. They usually are born with the same runes as their parents, though there are exceptions. But they are rare"


    He glanced .


    Take nemsus for example. I was born with Earth and Light runes,my wife had lightening and fire then my son, Nemsus, has Light and Lightning. See?


    "As you know, Light is a high rune. Most people don’t have it—but I do. That’s because I was born a noble. Every one of my ancestors had a Light rune before me.


    It’s common among noble families. Certain runes tend to repeat throughout their bloodlines, passed down from generation to generation. In my family, that rune has always been Light."


    His voice lowered slightly, as if weighing his words. "You don’t see many High Runes in common folk. Having even one means you’re exceptionally talented.


    As for the numbers of runes in total One or two runes? That’s normal. Three? That’s very rare actually that''s the highest possible number we''ve never seen a human with more then three and he only had one high rune.


    But three… with two of them being High Runes?" He chuckled dryly, shaking his head. That’s never happened, as far as I know.


    Maybe in royal families, but even then, I can’t say for sure."


    He met Delilah’s gaze. "And yet, here you are. Darkness and Life—both High Runes. And then Ice on top of that."


    Her brows furrowed, confusion flickering in her eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked.


    Viser exhaled slowly. "I don’t know, Little Dee. But the chances are… you two have noble blood in your veins, or maybe something else entirely.


    he hesitated, then shook his head, some things were better left unspoken


    "Noble blood?" Delilah let out a sharp, bitter laugh, but it was laced with something darker—contempt, revulsion. "You can''t be serious. Don''t you remember where you found us? How you found us? Did we look like nobles to you?"


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    She expected Viser to argue, to insist, but he only nodded, his expression unreadable. That only made her anger burn hotter.


    The first time Viser had told them he was a noble, she and Nero had felt nothing but hate. Not jealousy. Not bitterness. Hate. A deep, seething loathing that curdled in their stomachs like poison. He hadn’t seen their faces that night. They never told him why—but he remembered. The way their bodies tensed, the way Nero’s fingers twitched toward the knife he always kept hidden before choosing to reach for a sword instead. If Viser had told them a few years earlier, before he had earned their trust, before they owed him anything... Delilah wasn’t sure what they would have done.


    Because they knew nobles.


    They knew what kind of people wore silk-lined coats and spoke with false politeness while their boots ground others into the dirt. They had seen what those people were capable of, what they did when no one was watching.


    And Nero… Nero had killed his first man with trembling hands and a knife too dull to be quick. A noble. His first kill had been a noble that came after Delilah.


    Delilah clenched her fists, a bitter taste rising in her throat. We don’t belong to them. We never did. We never will.


    And yet, here was Viser, telling her otherwise.


    She exhaled sharply, shaking her head as if that could rid her of the feeling creeping up her spine.


    "Explain," she demanded, her voice sharper than she intended.


    He nodded, but his expression darkened. "I can’t say for certain. Even if you have noble blood, I don’t know which family—or even which empire."


    "From what I know, the emperor’s bloodline carries the Gravity rune, and the low rune Fire appears often in them too. The other Nobels don''t have Darkness, not in this empire any way


    Yet, both of you awakened Darkness and Ice.


    "Not to mention—black hair and golden eyes. Not the rarest traits, but together.. still notable."


    I’ve never heard of a family with both Darkness and Ice. But maybe—just maybe—you could be from a fallen family. Or one of the families in the south. They’re too far away for me to know much about them."


    Delilah looked at him to maybe add something but hé didn''t


    A heavy silence settled between them. Delilah’s mind raced, while Viser simply watched, his face unreadable.


    "You sure your mother was just an ordinary woman?" Viser asked, his gaze steady.


    Delilah frowned, confusion flickering in her eyes. "She was just... a normal woman, wasn’t she? She died of sickness when we were young. I was barely five—I don’t remember her at all ." She hesitated, her voice dropping to a whisper. "As far as I know, my brother was my only mother."


    Viser sighed. "It''s okay," he said, his voice softer. "Just be careful with what you show."


    "Go now and think about it "


    She stood up, a pensive look crossing her face. "I''ll take a shower first."


    He nodded, watching her go, lost in thought.


    As Nero and Nemsus made their way back from the village, their conversation had turned into a heated debate over whether the new dish they’d tried was actually any good.


    "Come on, Nero, that squid thing wasn''t that bad ! Just admit it!" Nemsus argued, exasperated.


    "Good?! It was so raw I could still hear it telling SpongeBob to fuck off," Nero shot back.


    "Forget it, you wouldent understand."nemsus said while Moving his head around


    "what about your refiner close to finish renewing?"


    I can''t tell him it''s too close , hé will ask why i am not triying to ascend


    Nero opened his mouth to respond but stopped mid-sentence. A small figure was running toward them from the distance.


    "Hah! Look at that," Nero chuckled changing the conversation. "I told you she has a crush on you."


    Nemsus shot him a sarcastic look. "She’s twelve."


    "I''m not saying right now, you idiot. Give it a few years, and she''ll be a stunning woman. Besides, you''re only fourteen yourself—what, you expecting a wife already, Lord Nemsus?"


    As the girl got closer, her brown hair bounced with every step, and her bright green eyes shone with excitement. A wide, cheerful smile stretched across her face.


    "I was looking for you, big brother Nemsus!"


    Nero barely held back his laughter as Nemsus sighed.


    "Hey, lunia," Nero said. "Shouldn’t you be at school with the other kids?"


    Before Lunia could answer, a faint tremor rippled through the ground beneath them. At first, it was barely noticeable—a subtle shift, like a distant drumbeat. But within moments, the earth lurched violently. A deep, rumbling quake tore through the road beneath their feet, shaking the ground with unsettling force. Dust billowed in thin clouds, pebbles clattered against each other, and the distant trees swayed as if caught in the grip of something unseen.


    The tremor’s source was clear—it came from the west, in the direction of the orphanage.


    Nemsus didn’t hesitate. He scooped Lunia up onto his shoulder. “Let’s move!” he barked.


    With grim expressions, he and Nero sprinted toward the orphanage.


    “This isn’t a normal earthquake,” Nemsus muttered, his face dark.


    “We need to find the others,” Nero said, urgency creeping into his voice.


    As they sprinted toward the orphanage, the tremors suddenly ceased. When the white walls finally came into view, they saw three figures already there—Delilah, Viser, and another kid Roan. But it wasn’t just their presence that stopped them in their tracks. It was Viser’s expression.


    They had never seen him look like that before—his face was pale, his jaw tight, and his sharp gaze flickered between the west and the east.


    Nemsus barely had time to catch his breath before he asked, “What’s happening?”


    Viser stood rigid, eyes scanning the horizon. A tense silence followe.


    Then, finally, he spoke.


    “Something is coming… from both sides.”