The manor no longer resembled a place meant for celebration.
Shattered crystal littered the marble floor. Torn curtains swayed weakly in the night wind. The scent of blood, dust, and burned stone lingered in the air, heavy and suffocating.
The evening party had ended.
Not with laughter.
But with silence.
Julien stood near the collapsed wall where the vampire had died, his back resting against cold stone. His breathing was uneven, chest rising and falling far too fast for someone who had not been injured.
Joshua was in his arms.
Alive.
Unharmed.
Still trembling.
Across the hall, Helior barked calm, controlled orders to the remaining guards. Alicia moved among the wounded with practiced precision, her rapier already clean, her hands glowing faintly green as she healed servants and guests alike.
Everything was under control.
Everything—
Except Julien.
His fingers still felt numb.
Not from cold.
From the memory.
From the moment when his body had moved faster than thought.
From the moment when fear had vanished.
From the moment when he had smiled.
Joshua finally spoke, his voice small.
"B-big brother…"
Julien looked down.
That was when he noticed.
His face still hurt.
Not from injury.
From strain.
From holding a smile that should never have existed.
The unnatural curve of his lips slowly relaxed, muscles trembling as they returned to normal.
'Why… was I smiling back there?'
'I wasn't calm.'
'I wasn't brave.'
'I was terrified.'
He gently set Joshua on the ground, hands resting on the boy's shoulders.
"You did well," Julien said softly.
Joshua shook his head.
"I was scared… but… I thought… if I didn't go… the baby would…".
Julien closed his eyes.
For a moment, memory overlapped reality.
Another child.
Another life.
Another mistake.
'Because of one stupid choice… my original grandfather died.'
'And now… I almost lost my brother too.'
His grip tightened.
I won't make that mistake again.
Helior approached.
Blood stained his coat. One sleeve was torn. Yet his posture was as firm as ever, presence heavy enough to make the air feel denser.
"Are you injured?" he asked.
Julien shook his head.
"No."
Helior studied him closely.
"You formed a barrier," he said.
"With water."
Julien hesitated, then nodded.
"Yes."
Alicia stepped closer.
"Grandfather," she said calmly, "he saved Joshua. Without that barrier, the child would be dead."
Helior's gaze softened for the briefest moment.
He placed a heavy hand on Julien's head.
"Good."
Then he turned away.
No praise.
No questions.
But the weight of that single word stayed behind.
The wounded were carried away.
The dead were covered.
Guests were escorted out into the night.
Slowly, order returned.
And finally, Julien was alone.
He sat on the broken steps outside the hall, staring at his hands.
They looked the same.
Yet he knew—
They were not.
'That speed…'
'That barrier…'
'That strange light feeling in my body…'
'This wasn't adrenaline alone.'
A dull ache throbbed behind his eyes.
Then—
A sound.
Not from the world.
From inside him.
The air before him shimmered.
Light unfolded.
Letters formed.
A pale blue translucent screen appeared.
Floating.
Silent.
Waiting.
Julien froze.
'…So this is it.'
'My awakening.'
The screen stabilized.
Name: Julien Morvain
Age: 15
Class: Jester
Potential: SS
Unique Trait: Ha??y F*ce
Unique Skill: ???
Affinity: Wind, Water
Skills:
Dash
Barrier
Warning: Trait data unstable.
Warning: Skill data incomplete.
Julien stared.
For a long time.
At the class.
At the corrupted trait.
At the unknown skill.
"A Jester…" he murmured.
A dry laugh escaped him.
'So that smile… wasn't mine.'
'It was a trait activating without permission.'
His eyes lingered on the glitched words.
Ha??y F*ce
Broken.
Incomplete.
Dangerous.
Then memory returned.
The original story.
The original Julien.
'He was forced to awaken by demons.'
'His class was Demi-Human.'
'And that awakening destroyed him.'
His fingers slowly clenched.
'This time… I awakened as myself.'
Not a sacrifice.
Not a tool.
Not a pawn.
A Jester.
A class meant to stand between tragedy and laughter.
Footsteps approached.
Helior stood behind him.
"You see something?" he asked.
Julien hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
Helior did not ask to see it.
He only said:
"Good."
And left.
Julien watched his grandfather's back disappear into the hall.
Strong.
Alive.
Still here.
'This family…'
'They resemble my old one too much.'
'And that's why… I'm afraid.'
The screen slowly faded.
Night swallowed the ruins.
Julien leaned back against the stone, eyes closing.
'I don't want to save the world.'
'I just want to protect what I choose to love.'
Somewhere in the darkness—
Fate smiled.
Not kindly.
But with a grin disturbingly similar to his own.