Then, like shards of ice, a fierce headache pierced through him. His vision flickered, and he groaned, clutching his head as memories, floods of them, rushed in:
Fragments of memories came flooding in, mostly of her.
Training sessions with her, childhood laughter together, long, drawn-out conversations, and arguments. These aren't my memories, he thought, shock mixing with pain.
More memories came, focused on different things this time. People, information about the world, the continents, the political hierarchy, and much more.
Faces, names, books, lots of books, information, and knowledge. It was a lot to take in.
It all flashed in his mind, the pain becoming more unbearable every second.
"Hukh!"
The little girl panicked, feeling Kyle recoil. She froze, pulling back. "I'm sorry… did I hurt you?" she whispered, voice trembling.
The stream of information stopped, and the pain slowly receded, leaving behind a dull ache.
Kael blinked rapidly, his emotions and memories swirling. He steadied his voice and managed a reassuring tone:
"No… not you." He inhaled sharply and studied her face. Yes. Recognition dawned on him. "You're my sister... Minerva"
Her face brightened, her tears transforming into shy relief.
I know you.
His mind raced, and the earlier haze in his mind cleared, though not completely.
I'm Kael Ravenshade, heir of Marquis Ravenshade!
It came to him more as a realization than a question.
A cruel gasp escaped him as another realization struck his core:
Holy shit, Heavenly Ascension!
The title of the popular novel echoed in his mind. I'm inside the world of Heavenly Ascension!
Kyle squeezed his sister's hand, his heart pounding louder and louder every second.
Did I get transmigrated into Heavenly Ascension after dying?
He looked at Minerva's face as he reaffirmed the conclusion once again. He was sure, very sure, that this was the only explanation.
Minerva only smiled tentatively, an innocent glimmer in her eyes, as she gave Kyle a gentle hug. He returned the gesture, steeling himself.
He did not know if he was just Kyle from Earth, Kyle Ravenshade, or maybe both. But the one thing he knew was that he had definitely died after that accident on Earth.
And Kyle Ravenshade may have actually died, unlike what Father thinks, or our souls have been melded together?
That seemed like the most likely scenario. The affection he felt for Minerva could not be faked; it was real.
And that told him everything he needed to know. While Kyle Ravenshade had most likely died, his memories became his own, and that stirred his emotions.
He could not just ignore these feelings that came with the memories, but he would not let them bind him either.
Kyle sighed. Better not dwell on it. Answers should come eventually.
...
Meanwhile, in Marquis Cassian Ravenshade's Study (Kyle's father)
Tok tok.
"Come in." His composed voice called out to the person knocking outside.
"My Lord..." An old man, who looked like he was in his fifties, walked in. he was in a neat, black butler's uniform.
He bowed in respect to the Marquis, who was seated in the chair behind a desk. Crisp, black gloves adorned his hands, which were folded stiffly behind his back.
Cassian's expression was calm but focused.
The study was neat, well kept and sleek, with a number of papers, scrolls, and books on the shelves and table. A novel appearance for a study.
"Did you find out what I asked for, Sebastian?" He asked first once Sebastian was standing in front of him.
"Yes, my Lord, it was as you thought, Duke Von Gauassian's son, Noah, was responsible for hiring the assassin."
Boom!
A wave of bloodlust filled the air. Sebastian managed to keep himself standing, but his face was beading with sweat from trying to shield himself from the outburst.
The Marquis' aura spilled out in waves, crashing on Sebastian, and he felt like he had run into a wall.
Meanwhile, the cultivators working around the mansion and training outside felt their Lord's wrath in the release of his aura.
"He dares!!!" Cassian shouted.
However, as if realising what he had done, he restrained himself, everyone around the house letting out collective gasps of relief.
The bloodlust vanished as quickly as it came. Cassian managed to calm himself down after a few seconds. He took a deep breath.
"Details?" He asked his butler his tone impatient.
"We do not have clear evidence pointing to Noah; he did not get in contact with the assassins guild himself, but we did manage to capture the person he sent.
Doing so was very difficult. As you know, the guild has a strict policy on guarding their clients' information, but I told them you requested it, and since the duke's son used someone else to hire an assassin, they did not know Noah Gauassian was the one responsible.
I managed to find out who carried out the assassination mission, and who requested it, a former employee of the duke's house, a man called Redmond.
After a bit of 'convincing' the man, I found out that Noah Von Gaussian was responsible for setting up the hit on the Young Master.
But, as you might have guessed, if we confront the duke directly about this, they will most likely say they have nothing to do with this Redmond."
The Marquis nodded.
Sebastian waited patiently, letting the tension fade from the air before speaking again.
"My Lord," he began carefully, "forgive my forwardness, but may I make a suggestion?" Cassian looked at Sebastian closely this time.
He knew his butler well; Sebastian had served The Ravenshade House for centuries, and he was very capable and absolutely loyal to the Ravenshade family.
He had nothing but the House's best interest in mind, no matter what he did. He also followed instructions to the T.
Apart from being at the late stage of the core formation realm, Sebastian also had a unique constitution that he had inherited from his father.
He himself was only at the early stage of the same realm of cultivation. And even though Sebastian was well past his prime, being well over a couple of millennia old, his skills were nothing to scoff at.
The only way for The Marquis to match him in combat strength was by using some of the family's most powerful secret techniques.
All that made him one of House Raventhorne's most capable cultivators.
Sebastian's father had served here before him. So the Marquess Raventhorne could more or less say Sebastian was one of the few people he trusted a lot in this world.
He often took Sebastian's advice on a number of matters. This time would be no different. There were few men in the realm more suited to serve the interests of House Raventhorne.
The Marquess leaned forward slightly, voice low and deliberately slow. "What would you suggest we do next?"
The Marquess gestured for him to continue.