Kale sat in stunned silence, staring at the note in his trembling hands. Robert Darven. His father. The man who had vanished seventeen years ago inside an F-Rank Gate. A man the world had declared dead. Yet, here was his name—written in sharp, deliberate strokes.

  His mind raced, struggling to piece together the implications. His father had planned this. The trial, the powers, everything. But why? And why had he never returned?

  Lightning flickered at his fingertips as he clenched his fists. The energy felt foreign yet familiar, like a sleeping beast stirring beneath his skin. The whispers of souls hummed in the back of his mind, distant but present, reminding him of the power he now wielded.

  His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. Before he could react, it swung open.

  “Kale?”

  Elena Darven stood frozen in the doorway, eyes wide with shock. She was as beautiful as ever, with long raven-black hair and piercing blue eyes—features they had both inherited from their father. But in that moment, she wasn’t admiring him. She was terrified.

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  “You were missing for two days! I thought—” Her voice broke, and she stepped closer, eyes scanning him. “Why do you feel… different?”

  Kale opened his mouth, but no words came. How could he explain? That he had been trapped in a Gate that vanished? That he had fought against shadows and inherited lightning itself?

  “Elena…” His voice came out rough, uncertain. “I—”

  The air between them tensed. Her eyes flickered to his hand, where sparks of electricity still danced.

  “Kale… what happened to you?”

  He took a deep breath. “I think I found out who our father really was.”

  Her expression shifted from fear to confusion. “What are you talking about? Dad was—”

  “The strongest Slayer in the U.S.A.” Kale’s words cut through the air. “Before he disappeared in an F-Rank Gate. Before the world forgot about him.”

  Elena’s breath hitched. “That’s not possible.”

  “I have proof.” He lifted the note. “He was inside that Gate, Elena. And somehow, he left this for me.”

  For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Elena exhaled shakily, her gaze softening. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  Kale nodded. “I don’t know what this means, but I have to find out.”

  She studied him, searching for something—doubt, hesitation, fear. But she found none. Instead, she saw the fire in his eyes, the newfound power that hummed beneath his skin.

  Finally, she sighed. “Then I guess I’ll have to help you.”

  Kale blinked. “What?”

  Elena crossed her arms, smirking. “You’re still my brother. And whatever this is, we’ll figure it out together.”

  A slow smile spread across Kale’s lips. He wasn’t alone in this.

  The path forward was uncertain. But for the first time in his life, he wasn’t afraid to walk it.