The eting room was spacious, the kind of place designed for serious discussions—high ceilings, polished stone walls, and a long wooden table that could probably double as a battlefield strategy board if things ever got tense.
Given my current company, that wasn't entirely out of the question.
Seated around the table were Agnos, Fenrir, Baku, Naga, Jiuge, and . A fun little gathering of Mythica's most dangerous (and debatably sane) individuals.
And , the glorified zoologist who sohow kept ending up in situations far beyond his pay grade.
At the center of the table sat Baku's dream orb, pulsating faintly with an eerie glow. It looked harmless—almost decorative, like sothing you'd put on a wizard's coffee table for aesthetic purposes. But I knew better.
This thing wasn't just a fancy light show. It was a projector for mories.
Baku finally lifted his hand, activating the orb. Imdiately, a holographic projection flickered to life, casting a shifting glow across the room. The recorded fragnts of my father's subconscious began to play, like an old film reel of his deepest, darkest secrets.
"So, Dream orbs can do more than just peek into nightmares," I muttered, watching as the hazy images took shape. "They can record a person's most buried mories—even the ones they don't rember themselves."
Agnos shot a look. "Yes, Carl. That is exactly what Baku explained earlier. But thank you for your insightful talk."
I ignored him.
"The condition," Baku said smoothly, his voice calm but carrying a weight of finality, "is that the subject must be in a deep sleep. Complete unconsciousness."
Which, in my dad's case, had been forcefully arranged. Not that I felt particularly guilty about it. He had tried to kill , after all.
"I've filtered the mories and only kept the ones relevant to Mythica's threats and Theos," Baku continued. His sharp eyes flicked to Naga.
Naga gave a small nod, his expression grim. Not just him—everyone in the room had that sa stiff, serious look, like we were about to watch sothing we couldn't unsee.
The tension thickened, settling in my chest like a weight.
I just wanted to get this over with. To finally uncover the truth.
Whatever it was, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be good.
The first mory flickered to life.
A dimly lit chamber filled the projection, its walls lined with eerie, flickering torches. A sea of figures stood in disciplined rows, clad in deep purple robes trimd with gold. Theos. A cult in na, but as the scene unfolded, it beca clear they were sothing much worse.
It was a ceremony. Simple, almost unassuming—until each mber was handed an object. A Soulless Orb. Their initiation.
And then ca the truth.
The scene shifted, revealing a gathering of high-ranking mbers, seated around a long table. A projector illuminated the room, mapping out their goals, their objectives—every twisted ambition laid bare.
Then, one of the cult mbers spoke. A man positioned at the head of the table, exuding authority—one of their leaders.
"Our objective is to disrupt Mythica at all costs," he declared. "We act as devoted worshippers of their Unknown Gods for cover. That way, when it happens, we have a scapegoat. Let the Unknown Gods believe they've betrayed each other. Instill doubt. Fracture them from within." Follow current novels on NoveI★Fire
My breath hitched.
What I saw made my stomach plumt.
Even Naga, usually unreadable, shifted in his seat, his jaw tight.
Agnos—who never reacted to anything—stiffened, his expression flickering between irritation and sothing rarer. Was that anger?
Jiuge's nine tails lashed behind her, bristling with agitation, her usual elegance replaced by a dangerous, seething fury.
Fenrir's fists clenched against the table, his knuckles white. His eyes burned with a cold, predatory light.
The whole room had tensed, like a bowstring drawn to its limit.
The scene continued.
One of the mbers scoffed. "Why are we even bothering with Mythica? Are we doing this for free now? Our organization pretending to be a cult is already a joke. We're terrorists, not so fanatic worshippers."
The high-ranking mber—let's call him Theo No. 1—grinned. "This ti, we're being paid. A big sum." He leaned forward, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "And not just that—they're willing to give us power, too."
A murmur rippled through the room.
"Who's the benefactor?" another mber asked, skeptical. "Why do they want Mythica disrupted? We've never touched other realms before. Our base is in the Origin World. We only need to destabilize the Origin."
Theo No. 1's grin widened. He turned to face us.
"Suis," he said. "You have the Fragnt Bearer with you, right?"
Silence.
My father.
He hesitated before answering, "Yes. He's still a child right now. The benefactor told to raise him well first. When the ti cos, we'll get further instructions."
A slow nod of approval. "Good," Theo No. 1 said. "You must treat him like your own son. That way, he'll trust you. He'll listen when we need him to."
My heart plumted.
What?
Treat like his own son?
Wait.
Am I… not his son?
A crushing silence filled the eting room.
Everyone turned to look at .
Except for Naga and Fenrir, still transfixed on the projection.
Jiuge's expression was tangled—like she was debating between offering comfort or keeping her distance. In the end, she said nothing.
Agnos, usually the first to deliver a quip, simply watched with an unreadable look before turning back to the scene.
And ?
I—
How was I supposed to process this?
Confused? Shocked?
Neither word ca close.
A sick weight twisted in my chest, pressing down like a stone.
No. That couldn't be right.
My father—no, the man I called my father—he raised . Taught . Yelled at . This had to be a mistake. So kind of sick joke.
But the weight in my gut told otherwise.
Every mory I had, every mont I thought was real—it all felt like paper dissolving in water.
Fragile. Fake.
A life I thought was mine, now rewritten into sothing I couldn't recognize.
I wanted to scoff, to call it ridiculous, to laugh and shake my head. But the words wouldn't co. Because deep down, in so quiet, hidden part of , I already knew.
And that terrified more than anything else.
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