Lucien's eyes darkened the moment he recognized the man before him.
"...Damian."
His mentor. The man who had trained him, shaped him, and guided him through the abyss of Vermilion Oath.
And now, he stood there, revealing that he had been following Lucien all along.
Lucien's fists clenched. "So this was your mission, huh?" His voice was eerily calm, but the disappointment was unmistakable. "To keep an eye on me."
Damian remained unfazed. "You already knew, didn't you?"
Lucien didn't answer.
Because deep down, he had felt it. Someone had been watching. But to hear it confirmed—to know that even his own mentor had been keeping secrets from him—that stung.
"You knew who my father was," Lucien stated, his tone cold. "And yet… you let me figure it out on my own."
Damian met his gaze. "Because some truths are only meant to be uncovered by the one who seeks them."
Lucien's jaw tightened.
He felt betrayed.
---
Damian sighed, then finally spoke.
"Your father, Darius Falkner, was a genius."
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
"He wasn't just another experiment in Vermilion Oath. He was one of the best—no, the best before you. He could analyze anyone, copy their movements, counter them before they even attacked. It was almost unfair."
Evelyn glanced at Lucien. That sounded just like him.
"But unlike you, Lucien…" Damian continued, "Darius had something that set him apart."
Lucien frowned. "What?"
"...He had emotions."
---
"Every day, Darius questioned his existence. He wondered when—if ever—he could just be normal."
Damian's voice was calm, but there was a strange sadness in it.
"For fifteen years, he served Vermilion Oath. He did what he was created to do—until one day, he vanished."
Lucien's fingers twitched.
"He fell in love," Damian revealed. "With a woman named Sarah. And together, they had a son."
Lucien's breath hitched.
His mind spun. His chest felt tight.
A buried memory stirred within him.
---
"You were raised by her, Lucien. Your mother—Sarah—took care of you after your father disappeared."
Lucien's heartbeat pounded in his ears.
His memories had always been fragments, blurred faces, muffled voices.
But now—they were coming back.
He saw her.
A woman with warm eyes, a gentle smile. Holding him, protecting him.
His mother.
Her name was Sarah Falkner.
---
"But that life didn't last," Damian continued. "Twelve years ago, war reached your town. And in that chaos…"
Lucien already knew what was coming.
"Sarah died protecting you."
The room fell silent.
Evelyn felt Lucien's grip tighten on the table. His breathing was controlled—too controlled.
"And then," Damian said, "Vermilion Oath came for you."
Lucien slowly lifted his gaze, his eyes empty.
"The one who ordered it," Damian added, "was Michael Echelon—Viktor's father."
The name sent a chill down Lucien's spine.
Michael Echelon. The former leader of Vermilion Oath. The man who saw Lucien not as a child, but as an asset.
"He knew what you were," Damian said. "He knew what you could become."
"So he took me," Lucien said blankly.
Damian nodded. "He ordered me to collect you. To ensure the Falkner bloodline didn't go to waste."
Lucien's hands trembled. Not with fear.
But with rage.
---
Suddenly—
A sharp pain stabbed through Lucien's skull.
The world spun.
Memories poured in.
The warmth of his mother's embrace. The way she would hum softly while holding him. Her laughter. Her voice, calling his name.
And then—
Flames. Screams. Blood.
Sarah's final words before the explosion consumed her.
"Run, Lucien!"
Lucien's breathing turned ragged.
His entire life had been a lie.
---
Lucien exhaled shakily, his voice barely above a whisper.
"So that's how it was."
Damian watched him carefully.
Lucien slowly stood up, pushing the chair back. His gaze was cold, distant.
"...And you never told me," he muttered.
Damian met his eyes. "Would it have changed anything?"
Lucien clenched his jaw. "...Maybe."
Evelyn, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. Her voice was soft, yet firm.
"You're still you, Lucien."
Lucien's gaze softened as he looked at her.
Even with all the chaos, she was still here.
By his side.
---
A tense silence hung between them.
Then—
BOOM!
The sound of an explosion shattered the moment.
Lucien and Evelyn immediately turned toward the window.
Outside, the night sky lit up in flames.
Damian's expression darkened. "Looks like we have company."
Lucien cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders.
"Took them long enough."
Evelyn took a step closer to him. "Lucien—"
But before she could finish, he had already stepped forward, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
For the first time in years—Lucien Falkner remembered who he was.
And the people responsible for his past?
They were about to pay.
---
[End of Chapter 56]