Before the Ascension Ritual, the new generation of the Valentine Clan was still defined by established names, old expectations, and titles carefully cultivated by families who believed they controlled the future.
There were promising heirs, young monsters raised with blood, discipline, and ambition. There were lesser lineages trying to climb positions, secondary families seeking recognition, and nobles discreetly betting on who would become the face of the next era. There were also the so-called Five Great Disciples, figures who, until then, represented the peak of that generation. They were the names repeated in halls, corridors, political dinners, and Central's internal reports. They were treated as young pillars of the clan, possible future weapons, and symbols of continuity.
Then the Ritual began.
And Victor Valentine destroyed the entire logic.
