We stepped into our house, the familiar creak of the wooden floorboards grounding me for just a second. Thorne followed behind us, pausing at the door to remove his shoes like he belonged here. The gesture was... strangely polite. It made him seem human—for a moment.
We moved to the small living room. Everything looked just the same as it had this morning. But somehow, it all felt different now. The silence that followed us inside settled like a heavy curtain.
I brought over some water, partly to calm myself, partly just to keep my hands busy. We sat on the old sofa—Letisha beside me, Thorne across from us—until finally, he broke the silence.
"So, this is the house Ed left for you?" he said, looking around with a faint smirk. "Tch. Cheap, isn't it?"
He let out a dry chuckle that didn't do much to lighten the mood.
Then his eyes landed on me.
"Well, Noa," he said, voice calm but loaded, "after everything you just saw... are you still not going to hear me out?"
My mind was racing, tangled with shock and suspicion. Could this really be true? Or was it some trap carefully set to fool us? Thorne's calm confidence didn't make it any easier to believe him. But standing here, frozen in place, wasn't helping either.
I clenched my fists, trying to steady myself. I needed answers, even if I wasn't ready to trust him yet.
I met Thorne's gaze, voice steady but wary.
"Fine. Tell me everything. Who were those people? What do they want from us? And what exactly did my uncle ask of you? How does any of this involve us?"
"Look," he said, tone easy, "you both have powers. Your sister—teleportation, right? She was just about to use it."
That was all it took. Something in me snapped. I lunged without thinking, pure instinct driving me forward.
Letisha followed right after me. We had no powers left, just muscle and rage. It was stupid—but in that moment, it felt right.
We didn't even make it halfway.
With a flick of Thorne's fingers, an invisible force slammed into my chest.
"Kah—!"
The sound tore from me as my back hit the wall, pain blooming through my ribs. My hand gripped my stomach where it hurt the most.
Letisha was pulled mid-step, arms locked gently behind her, lifted a few inches off the ground. She hung there, suspended in silence, eyes wide.
Thorne didn't even look at us.
"Calm down," he muttered, like he was tired of putting up with reckless children.
Then the force faded. I dropped with a heavy grunt, one knee hitting the floor first. Letisha landed softly a second later, her feet touching down like nothing happened.
Letisha's voice came out shaky, but firm.
"How do you know?" she asked, staring straight at him. "No one knows. We've kept this secret for five years. Only me, my brother, and… our uncle."
Thorne finally looked at her. The faintest smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Edward told me," he said simply. "He told me everything."
I frowned, still catching my breath. "Why would he do that?"
"Because he trusted me." Thorne leaned forward now, elbows on his knees, voice calm but steady. "He didn't just leave you two behind. He left a responsibility. And I was the only one stubborn enough to take it."
He looked at me, then at Letisha again.
"You think I enjoy babysitting the last two pieces of Edward's bloodline? No. I owe him. That's the only reason I'm here."
...
I wiped the corner of my mouth and leaned back slightly, eyeing him.
"So... what exactly did my dear uncle Edward owe a gentleman like you?"
Thorne smirked. But his eyes didn't match.
There was no amusement there—just something colder, unreadable.
He didn't answer right away. His fingers tapped lightly against the wooden box sitting on the table.
"If you really want to know," he said, "how about you have these boxes first... and find out for yourself?"
I let out a quiet breath.
"I also have the option to refuse, you know."
His reply came sharp.
"You're going to refuse?"
He nodded slightly toward the front door.
"After getting beat up in broad daylight—right on your doorstep?"
Letisha sat between us, quiet. Her gaze flicked between the two of us, uncertain.
She wasn't smiling.
She looked trapped between something tense, something she didn't fully understand—watching two people pretending not to be angry, it was scary
...
Absolutely — this is a powerful and emotional part with major revelations, and I'll now shape it into a smooth, immersive webnovel-style scene while keeping every intention, tone, and emotion you gave me.
"Come. Sit," Thorne said, his voice quieter now. "I'll explain what I can. But some things… still need to stay hidden. Not because I want to keep secrets, but because we still don't know who the heir is—or what their intentions are."
He gave us a look—serious, grounded.
"What I'm about to tell you… it's not for now. It's for the people you'll become later."
We didn't speak. Just sat and listened. The room stayed dim, lit only by a lamp in the corner, and before we knew it, night had already fallen.
Then Thorne began.
"There are seven households," he said. "They've existed since ancient times—powerful, hidden, always watching. The people in their circles—family, loyal followers, sworn servants—were the only ones blessed with abilities. Each household had a lord. And above them all stood one man…"
His eyes flicked toward me.
"The most powerful. The one with fame, wealth, influence... and fear. That man was Edward's father."
Letisha and I froze.
I blinked. "Wait… you said these families go back to ancient times. But why would my uncle's family—"
Thorne cut in sharply. "Edward isn't your uncle. Not by blood. Not by any definition."
I stared at him.
He sighed and leaned back.
"You and your sister were orphans. Russian-born. The 'parents' in your memories? They never existed. Those faces you try to recall—they're blurred for a reason. It's a false memory. A planted one."
My breath caught.
Letisha looked stunned. Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.
"You only ever remember Edward," Thorne continued, voice low. "Because he made sure of that. He thought… it'd hurt less that way. Better to give you warmth than leave you with pain. He adopted you. Raised you. Protected you. Right here, in this house. Until the day he left."
I tried to think. But it was true.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember my parents' faces. I never missed them, not really. Not like I missed him.
Letisha's voice cracked as she spoke. "Then... why?" she asked. "Why did he take us in? What did we mean to him?"
Thorne paused, looking straight at me. Then spoke slowly.
"Because... when Noa was two years old, he injured a grown man. Crippled him."
Letisha and I both tensed.
But we didn't speak.
Thorne's voice softened—not with pity, but with something else.
"This is what Edward told me," he said.
[Edward's Perspective – Short Memory Flashback]
He was tiny. White-haired. Barely more than a toddler, but already standing guard like a soldier. A thin, torn jacket hung from his shoulders, barely covering the baby swaddled in his arms—his sister. Green eyes peeking out from beneath the cloth.
Blood stained his face—but none of it was his. His hands were clean. Not a weapon in sight. But the man at his feet was shredded. Somehow still breathing.
I remember crouching beside him, whispering promises. "I'll protect you both. I swear."
He didn't speak. Just stared at me like a machine left running too long.
And then, after what felt like forever… he muttered, robotic: "I will return the favor."
Then he collapsed into my arms.
After that, I brought them to Italy. No matter who tried to care for them, Noa rejected them—hurt them. He only trusted me. Ran to me without hesitation. That little monster... he charmed the hell out of me. I couldn't resist.
I left everything behind. Moved back to my hometown—some quiet, green countryside tucked away where no one would find us. And I raised them like they were mine.
Even with all the danger… they gave me happiness. Real warmth. Noa—my fierce, distant boy with telekinesis. Even back then, he was dangerous. But he always stopped short. Always left people alive.
And Letisha—ah, my little sunshine. My sweetest princess. My adorable, teleporting menace.
They were my light.
[Back to Thorne's POV]
"And he wasted most of his time sweet-talking about you two," Thorne said, rolling his eyes. "You have no idea how many times I had to hear about how 'adorable' and 'deadly' his kids were."
Letisha and I were frozen in place, both fuming with secondhand embarrassment.
We could practically hear his voice cooing in our heads.
Uncle... seriously?!
Letisha groaned and covered her face. "Ugh. He was such a dumb old man," she mumbled, then added softer, "but I miss him."
Her voice broke a little.
"So... he was our everything," she said. "Mother. Father. All of it."
I nodded.
He wasn't just our guardian.
He was my first protector. The first person to ever feed me. He was my father.
I smiled faintly, warmth curling in my chest.
Then looked at Thorne again.
"But... what about the day he left?" I asked. "He told us to hide our powers. That if anyone ever mentioned them—or his—we needed to escape or destroy the evidence."
My gaze hardened.
"So why did he tell you all this? Why trust you?"
Thorne didn't flinch.
"That fox," he muttered. "Of course you'd ask that."
He sighed.
"Because five years ago, war broke out between the families. A real one. It got bad fast. Edward had no choice but to return to Italy."
Letisha's head snapped up. "Wait. Families? As in... the Seven?"
Thorne winced.
"Yeah. That part. Ugh. Get ready for the dramatic nonsense."