That confrontation changed everything.
Kai remained standing where Lya had left him, his gaze fixed on the space she had occupied only moments before. The noise of students passing by, laughing, shouting, living their ordinary lives. It all felt distant now, like he was hearing it from underwater.
Kai was just standing there in the sidewalk, and a few passersbys cast him a few curious glances, but nobody interfered. Kai's mind struggled to process the words she had spoken, each one echoing louder than the last.
Arwin.
Half elf.
Family.
He let out a slow breath, dragging a hand through his already messy black hair, his fingers tightening slightly as frustration built in his chest.
"What the hell was that" he muttered to himself quietly.
It didn't make sense. None of it did.
And yet, the more he tried to dismiss it, the more it refused to be ignored. Kai had felt it.
That aura that lingered behind.
It wasn't human, he knew that much with absolute certainty. In a world where everyone possessed some form of power, Kai had grown used to sensing differences in strength, intent, and presence. His brothers were overwhelming in their own ways, their auras suffocating and sharp, impossible to ignore. But Lya's… her's was something else entirely. It had felt ancient, as if it was passed down in generations of the same species.
It felt quiet and Alive.
"I'm actually losing it," Kai said out loud, though the words lacked conviction.
Kai exhaled sharply and forced himself to move, turning back toward the school building. Standing there any longer would only make him more suspicious, and right now, the last thing he needed was attention.
And besides, if he stood there any longer Edgar would notice and Edgar noticed, then eventually, Leon would too.
Kai's expression darkened slightly at the thought. "Yeah. That would be bad." He said, and walked inside the school building.
The moment Kai stepped back inside the school, he immediately felt it.
That sharp, familiar presence. It was unmistakable Edgar.
Kai barely made it halfway down the corridor before a calm, controlled voice cut through the noise.
"Kai."
Kai stopped walking.
He closed his eyes for a brief second, as if bracing himself, before turning around.
Edgar stood at the end of the hallway, his posture straight and composed as always. But his eyes—those cold blue eyes—were locked onto Kai with an intensity that made it clear that Edgar had been looking for him.
"You're late," Edgar said, his voice even, though there was an unmistakable edge beneath it.
Kai shrugged casually, forcing his expression into something neutral. "Got held up."
Edgar didn't respond right away. Instead, he began walking toward him, his steps measured and deliberate, as if each one was calculated.
"You disappeared," he said after a moment.
Kai scoffed lightly, leaning his weight onto one leg despite the dull ache in his ribs. "Relax. I was outside, not gone forever."
"That's not the point," Edgar replied sharply.
Kai tilted his head slightly, irritation creeping into his expression. "Then what is?"
Edgar stopped a few steps in front of him, his gaze scanning Kai in a way that felt less like concern and more like analysis. He took in the subtle tension in Kai's shoulders, the slight stiffness in his movements, the way his breathing wasn't quite steady.
"You don't 'just disappear' after what happened yesterday," Edgar said quietly.
Kai's jaw tightened, but he held his ground. "I needed air. That's it."
Edgar's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're lying."
Kai met his gaze without flinching. "About what?"
Edgar didn't answer immediately, but the silence between them grew heavier, more deliberate.
"Something," he said finally.
For a split second, Kai felt his chest tighten—not from pain this time, but from the weight of what he was keeping to himself. Lya's words echoed in his mind, her voice calm and unwavering as she spoke of things that should not exist.
You're not fully human either.
Kai forced the thought away.
"You're overthinking it," he said, his tone sharper now. "I said I got held up."
Edgar held his gaze, searching for something—anything—that might confirm his suspicions. But Kai didn't give him that satisfaction. He had spent years learning how to hide what he was thinking, how to mask his emotions in a family where weakness was something to be exploited.
After a long moment, Edgar exhaled quietly.
"Fine."
Kai blinked, slightly surprised.
"I won't push it," Edgar continued, though his voice made it clear that didn't mean he believed him. "For now."
Kai frowned slightly. "You're saying that like it's a threat."
"It's a promise," Edgar replied calmly.
Before Kai could respond, a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention.
Kai glanced to the side—and his eyes landed on Tyler.
Tyler stood near one of the classroom doors, leaning casually against the wall, his orange hair catching the light in a way that made it almost glow. His glasses sat slightly crooked on his nose, but his gaze—sharp and unreadable—was fixed directly on Kai. Tyler was watching him, not casually or anything, but intentionally.
Kai felt a slight chill run down his spine.
"What's his problem?" he muttered under his breath.
Edgar followed his line of sight, his eyes landing on Tyler for only a brief moment before he looked away again.
"Just another student," Edgar said dismissively.
Kai didn't respond because that didn't feel right.
Tyler didn't look away when their eyes met. If anything, his gaze seemed to sharpen, as if he was trying to figure something out—just like Lya had.
The thought made Kai's stomach twist slightly.
"Weird." he muttered again.
But this time, it wasn't just about Lya.
Kai and Edgar left the school together later than usual that day all because Kai lost track of time when he was speaking with Lya. The tension between them quieter now but no less present. Kai didn't try to slip away this time, nor did he rush ahead. He stayed close, not out of obedience, but because his mind was too preoccupied to care about defiance.
The encounter with Lya lingered heavily in his thoughts, replaying over and over again in fragments he couldn't piece together properly.
Your mother wasn't fully human.
You belong there.
Arwin.
Kai leaned back slightly in his seat once they were inside the car, his gaze drifting toward the window as the city blurred past. The familiar sights felt distant now, almost insignificant compared to the possibility of something beyond them.
"Another world," he murmured.
"What?" Edgar's voice cut in immediately.
Kai stiffened slightly before shaking his head. "Nothing. Just thinking out loud."
Edgar didn't press, but the glance he gave Kai was far from convinced.
Kai turned his attention back to the window, his thoughts spiraling again.
If what Lya said was true…
Then everything he thought he knew about himself—about his family—was wrong.
"…It would explain a lot," he admitted quietly.
Leon's overwhelming power.
Cale's precision.
Edgar's sharp instincts.
And himself always falling short. Kai shook his head slightly. His own uselessness has nothing to do with his lineage. What a stupid thought.
Kai's hand tightened slightly against his lap.
"Five days," he muttered.
Five days until she came back.
Five days until he got answers.
Or,
Five days until everything got worse. Kai didn't know whether he should dread the upcoming days or be curious about what he'll learn.
When they returned to the mansion, the familiar oppressive atmosphere settled over him almost immediately. The air felt heavier here, controlled, shaped entirely by one person.
Leon.
Kai stepped inside without hesitation this time, his expression carefully neutral, his thoughts locked away behind the walls he had built over years.
Leon was waiting, as always.
Cale stood nearby, his posture relaxed but his eyes observant, quietly taking in everything without saying a word.
The moment Kai entered, Leon's gaze shifted to him. It was sharp, which sent shivers down kais spine.
"You were late leaving school," Leon said calmly.
Kai felt the tension in his chest tighten, but he didn't show it.
"I got held up."
Leon didn't respond right away.
He simply looked at him.
And that silence—
It was worse than anything he could have said.
"By what?" Leon asked after a moment.
Kai held his gaze. "Nothing important."
Another pause. It was longer and more deliberate.
Kai could feel Cale watching, and could feel Edgar's presence just behind him, both of them waiting to see how this would play out.
Leon took a slow step forward.
"Everything that delays you," he said quietly, "is important. You're an Asterian, not some common child wandering around L.A"
Kai's jaw tightened.
"I said it was nothing."
For a moment, it felt like the air itself had stilled.
Then—
"…Very well."
Kai blinked and shifted on his feet, just slightly.
That was unexpected.
But he didn't relax because Leon's eyes hadn't softened.
If anything, they had sharpened.
"Go to your room," Leon said.
Kai didn't argue.
He turned and walked out, his pace steady despite the storm of thoughts in his mind.
Once inside his room, Kai closed the door behind him and leaned against it, exhaling slowly.
"They know something's off," he muttered.
Maybe not everything.
But enough.
He felt dread in his stomach.
Kai pushed himself away from the door and walked further into the room, his movements slower now as the weight of everything settled over him.
Lya.
Arwin.
His mother.
Tyler.
Kai sat down on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor.
"This isn't over," he said quietly. "It has just started." A thought then hit him. Who's to say Leon, Cale and Edgar don't know anything? What if they do know about this and just haven't told Kai yet? Kai scowled at the thought. He knew better than to just confront Leon on a topic like this. He would just see how it plays out. Kai knew he was smart for his age. He may lack in magic power, but from his perspective, if you have a brain and know how to use it, you can do anything.
Kai sat on his bed, steeplimg his fingers together. For the first time in a while, he wasn't just reacting anymore.
He was thinking.
Planning.
Because in five days, everything was going to change.
And this time, Kai was determined not to be the one caught off guard.