As it could be guessed, Caelrisu, unlike Lunaris, was never the true heir of Clan Aurelis.
She had been brought back by the former Clan Head during one of his final journeys, when she was not even a year old.
From her uncle, the current Clan Head, she learned how her arrival had thrown the clan into uproar.
Not merely because she was branded an illegitimate child… but because of her face.
She was a mirror of Viviana Aurelis, the Clan Head's sister who had once disgraced their lineage in the worst way a human could. The woman who had abandoned her duty and vanished into shame.
The resemblance was undeniable. And so suspicion rose like fire: was Caelrisu Viviana's child?
No one could prove it. They could only tell the girl bore Aurelis's blood but not which Aurelis. And when Vitalis Aurelis, the former Clan Head, declared her his daughter, the Elder Council could do nothing against his might.
Even so, at that time, she was not welcomed. Whispers and cold gazes followed her everywhere. The clan tolerated her only because of her father, and under his shadow, no hand dared reach for her.
In those days, Caelrisu clung to a fragile belief: that even if the world itself were to collapse, she would remain safe as long as her father was at her side.
But that fragile protection did not last.
One day… something happened. Something that tore the illusion apart.
As her thoughts began to sink into grief and self-loathing, a familiar voice cut through the dark.
"Cael! Cael! What are you thinking about?" Lunaris leaned forward with the old book in his hands, puffing out his cheeks like he was about to scold her.
Cael quickly wiped her moist eyes and forced a bright, innocent smile.
"Just wondering about Awakening."
"Ohhh, same here! Should I pinch you?" Lunaris grinned smugly.
Her eyes widened, voice sharp. "Try it. You'll see hell. And no way you're actually thinking about something serious and important."
"I'm not lying!" He crossed his arms with exaggerated importance. "My thoughts simply can't be measured by your small and empty brain."
Cael blinked at him, then nodded slowly. "Hmm… if you say so."
He pouted, jabbing a finger at her. "Hmph! Just wait until I awaken! I'll be super strong, and then you'll have to listen to me!"
Cael tilted her head, eyes glinting. "Oh? And what if your power is to grow longer ears? Will I still have to listen to you then?"
"What!? That's impossible!"
"Or what if your ability is to scream so loud it makes chickens faint? Will you call that 'super strong'?"
"Cael! Stop making things up!"
She leaned closer, whispering mischievously. "Or worse… what if your ability is to cry rivers? Then every time you pout, the whole clan will need a boat."
Lunaris' face went red. "That won't happen! My power will be amazing! You'll see!"
"Mm-hm. Sure you will," Cael said, sticking out her tongue.
"Cael!" Lunaris whined, running after her as she skipped away laughing.
'Awakening Ceremony… I wonder what ability I'll receive.'
While the two children bickered and ran about the courtyard, their laughter echoing like the most serene chime in the snow, another scene unfolded deeper within the clan grounds.
Inside the Elder Hall, the air was heavy and cold.
At the head of a long, lacquered table sat the Clan Head of Aurelis. Though he appeared as a man in his early twenties, his hair as black as a starless sky, his face finely sculpted like polished marble, there was nothing youthful about the authority in his gaze. He was dressed in a simple long mustard coat and a white shirt to accompany it.
Arrayed around him were ten figures, men and women alike. Each of them had an aura they exuded that made them anything but uniform. Terrifying pressure radiated from them, thick enough to weigh upon the hall itself, and though they were seated, their presence loomed far greater than even that of the Clan Head.
They were the elders of the Aurelis Clan, its backbone, its blades, and its guardians.
Every one of them carried authority over certain aspects of the clan; every one of them had the power to bend the will of the clan… and tonight, they had gathered to discuss the future of the children.
In the solemn Elder Hall, the murmurs of discussion slowly began to rise.
"Time truly flies. In the blink of an eye, another year has passed," one elder sighed, his voice deep and resonant. "I wonder what kind of children we will see this year."
"The previous ceremony feels as though it happened only yesterday," another elder mused, his expression softening with nostalgia. "I can still recall every detail vividly."
A woman in her middle years folded her hands together. "Next week marks the opening of the grand ceremony. What new blood will appear among our clan this year, I wonder? Perhaps… a spark like that child." She shook her head, her voice carrying regret. "Such a pity."
"Indeed," another elder muttered, nodding gravely. "The Aurelis Clan has not produced someone that could be called a genius in seven long years. If fate is kind, let us see one emerge at the ceremony."
A sharp voice cut in. "Agreed. Had it not been for that incident, we would be free of worry for at least two or three decades."
The words dropped into the hall like a stone cast into still water.
Silence fell.
The atmosphere shifted instantly; faces hardened, expressions darkened. Not one dared meet another's gaze. The memory was still raw, festering like a wound beneath their pride.
That girl… her qualifications had been nothing short of brilliant. With only four short years of training, she had already reached the level of Silent Judge. An Unrooted one but still a Silent Judge.
Among the younger generation, she had been unmatched, so talented that even the older generation had felt a rare pressure when standing before her.
She had been destined to become the Aurelis Clan's greatest pillar. A shining star, guiding their path into a golden age.
But fate had been cruel.
That incident, the one so terrible, so shrouded, that only thirteen within the entire clan had the right to know its details, had cut her brilliance short.
What remained was only silence, regret… and the feeling of revenge.
"But for this year's youths who will participate in the ceremony, not all hope is lost."
The Clan Head finally spoke, his calm voice cutting through the heavy air. The moment that incident was mentioned, he could not remain silent.
"You're right," one elder nodded quickly. "The previous Clan Head, Vitalis's boy… he is truly a monstrous genius. At only thirteen years old, he has already stepped onto the path of mastery of strength. Though it may be the easiest of the three to glimpse, it is still not something just anyone can touch. Even many Silent Judges spend their entire lives unable to grasp it. In fact, there is a high chance that when he becomes a Silent Judge, he will be a Rooted one."
"Indeed," another agreed, stroking his beard. "For one so young to already perceive the path is unprecedented. In two, perhaps three years at most, he should be able to cross the wall."
A third elder leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. "The only thing stopping him is his age; if he were eighteen or nineteen years old, he would have reached it by now."
Another elder chimed in. "And his temperament is just as rare. Wisdom far beyond his years, ambitions vast."
The murmurs swelled again, voices filled with approval and cautious hope.
All the while, the Clan Head sat unmoving at the head of the table. His youthful face betrayed nothing, neither agreement nor disapproval. He simply listened, his expression as unreadable as stone.
No one in the hall could guess what thoughts truly stirred behind those night-black eyes.