The room was quiet.

The kind of quiet that wasn’t peaceful—but heavy, expectant.

My father stood there, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. His friend lingered near the door, watching with something close to caution.

Then my father exhaled and stepped forward.

“Akul,” he said, voice steady, serious. “I know you just awakened. I know everything is happening fast—one thing after another, with barely any time to breathe.”

His gaze softened.

“And I know… it’s a lot to take in.”

I swallowed.

“But son.” He took another step forward, resting a firm hand on my shoulder. “I have to tell you the truth.”

Something in his tone made my heart tighten.

This wasn’t just about my eyes.

This was about something bigger.

I held my breath. Listening.

“I wasn’t always a simple summoner,” my father continued. “I came from a very powerful family. A family that stood above most.”

My fingers curled slightly. A powerful family…?

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Before I settled here, before I chose this life, I was someone else. I was trained, raised, and prepared to inherit power beyond your imagination. I was part of a world you’ve never seen. A world of elites, sects, and towering forces.”

His grip tightened on my shoulder.

“But I lost it all.”

I tensed.

“Why?” I asked, my voice lower than I expected.

His lips pressed into a thin line. Then—

"‘Because I chose love." He exhaled, slow and steady.

He let out a slow breath.

“I was given a choice,” he said. “Stay in the family, keep my power, live a life of wealth and prestige… or leave.”

He paused.

“I left.”

I barely breathed.

“I chose your mother, Akul.” His voice was steady, unwavering. “I gave up my inheritance, my position, and my future because I loved her more than anything. And for that…”

His jaw tightened.

“I was exiled. My powers—sealed and taken from me.”

A strange chill ran down my spine.

I had never thought of my father as someone who had lost everything.

To me, he had always been strong.

But now, I was seeing him in a different light.

“I came from a place called the Heavenly Tower.”

The name carried weight.

“It’s not just a city, Akul. It’s a land of opportunities, of boundless resources, of power. A place governed by ancient families, sects, and organizations that control the highest levels of summoning and combat.”

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His eyes darkened slightly.

“Our family… we were one of them. One of the strongest.”

I barely registered my own breath.

This wasn’t just about our past.

It was about our future.

His voice lowered.

“When I saw your eyes,” he said slowly, “I recognized them.”

I stiffened.

He turned to his friend. “And so did you.”

The man nodded, still looking slightly shaken.

“Why?” I asked, my own voice not quite steady.

My father hesitated.

Then, finally—

“Because they look exactly like the eyes of our founding father.”

My mind blanked.

“What…?”

“The man who created our bloodline, our legacy—the very first patriarch of our family.” My father’s voice was firm. “He was said to have eyes just like yours.”

I swallowed.

“But he’s been gone for thousands of years,” my father continued. “No one living today has seen him. But his image remains. The illustrations. The records. The descriptions.”

His eyes locked onto mine.

“And Akul,” he said slowly, “you match them exactly.”

My hands clenched against my knees.

A founding father’s eyes? A legend’s inheritance?

This wasn’t just about where I came from.

This was about what I could become.

My father inhaled deeply.

“I won’t lie to you,” he said. “If you stay here, you’ll have a comfortable life. You’ll grow, learn, and become strong in your own way.”

“But if you go back… if you step into that world…”

He studied me carefully.

“Your prospects will be limitless.”

The weight of his words settled over me.

But then, he added something else.

“It won’t be easy,” he said. “Politics, battles, danger—you’ll be thrown into a world where people will either want to use you… or destroy you.”

I swallowed.

“But, son…” He took a deep breath. “You deserve the chance to see that world for yourself.”

A pause.

Then he glanced at his friend.

“If we go, we go together,” he continued. “But… we need to talk to your mother and your sister. If they don’t want to leave, then…”

His voice softened.

“I won’t abandon them. I love you, Akul, but I love your mother even more. If she chooses to stay, I’ll stay with her.”

I stiffened.

“But,” he added firmly, “we won’t hold you back.”

He gestured to his friend.

“I’ve already arranged something. If your mother refuses to leave, my friend here will guide you. He’ll take you to the Heavenly Tower, introduce you to the right people.”

My chest tightened.

This was real.

This was happening.

I had a choice to make.

“Son,” my father said, voice quiet but firm.

“There’s a bigger world out there.”

His eyes met mine.

“A world that is yours for the taking.”

The silence stretched between us.

And in that moment, I realized—

This was the moment that would define my future.

I took a slow, steady breath.

And I finally spoke.

“…I need time to think.”

The silence after my father’s words stretched long and heavy.

I could feel it settling into my bones, an unspoken truth too big to ignore.

Leaving wasn’t something that had to happen now.

But one day—one way or another—it would.

“This doesn’t mean you need to leave tomorrow, Akul.”

My father’s voice was calm, steady—but his eyes held something deeper.

Something certain.

“But it does mean we need to talk about it now.”

I swallowed, the weight of his words pressing against me.

“It’s better to prepare, better to plan ahead. If we wait too long, if we ignore this—one day, it won’t be our choice anymore.”

He let that sit for a moment.

“Power like yours… it won’t stay hidden forever.”

My fists clenched.

“So what, Father?” My voice was quiet, but sharp. “Am I just supposed to accept it? That no matter what I want, I’ll have to leave eventually?”

His gaze didn’t waver.

“I’m saying,” he said evenly, “that you should have the luxury of choice. If we don’t plan ahead, you won’t have that.”

I didn’t respond right away.

Because my mind was already moving somewhere else.

Somewhere darker.

“…What happened to you, Father?”

My father’s expression shifted, just slightly.

I saw it in his eyes first. A flicker of something old. Something buried.

Then, slowly, he sighed.

And unbuttoned his tunic.

The moment he turned around, I froze.

His back was covered in a twisting, spiraling mark—a massive curse seal, burned into his skin like scorching iron. The edges of the sigil still pulsed faintly, darkly, as if it was alive, breathing.

But that wasn’t the worst part.

The worst part was that I could feel it.

Even without touching it, even without my eyes activated—I could feel the restriction in his body.

A binding. A weight. A shackle.

A curse.

My stomach twisted violently.

I had never seen it before.

I had never even known.

My father turned slightly, watching my face.

“They didn’t just exile me, Akul.” His voice was calm—too calm.

“They sealed my cultivation.”

I swallowed. “But why?”

“To protect their integrity.” His lips twitched, but there was no humor in it. “They feared I would rise against them.”

I stared at him, barely breathing.

“But that wasn’t all they did.”

He hesitated, just slightly.

Then—

“They took my beasts.”

I felt something snap inside me.

“They—what?”

He nodded slowly.

“They didn’t kill them. No. That would have been merciful.”

My chest was tight. Too tight.

“They locked them away. Somewhere I can’t reach, somewhere I’ll never find.” He exhaled through his nose. “And because they’re still alive… my contracts remain. Their presence still occupies my summoning slots.”

I gritted my teeth.

His words sank deep into me, a feeling of rage, of disgust, of disbelief.

“They took everything from you,” I whispered.

My father turned, looking me directly in the eye.

“No,” he said. “I chose to leave.”

I didn’t believe him.

I couldn’t.

My vision blurred. My hands curled into fists so tight my nails bit into my palm.

“How… how do you want me to go to a family that did this to you?” My voice shook. “How am I supposed to walk into that place and call them my people?”

My father sighed.

“Akul.”

“No,” I cut him off. “It’s impossible. Impossible for me to go back to a family that did something like this to you.”

I was breathing heavily now. My chest burned.

“I will never serve them.”

A moment of silence.

Then my father spoke, his voice quieter than before.

“If you go to the Heavenly Tower… and you don’t join the family…”

His next words made the air freeze.

“They will try to kill you.”

I stiffened.

“What?”

He sighed.

“You bear the inheritance of the founding father. Do you think they will allow someone with your potential to roam free?”

I didn’t respond.

“They will see you as a threat.”

My father’s gaze was heavy.

“And that will be extremely problematic for your future.”

I swallowed.

“That’s why,” he continued, “I recommend you join them.”

I shook my head immediately.

“Never.”

His lips pressed together.

“Akul—”

“I refuse,” I said, fire burning in my chest. “I will never bow to them. Never.”

No one in the room said a word for a long time...

Then my father sighed, rubbing his temple.

“Of course you wouldn’t,” he muttered.

I glared. “You expected me to say yes?”

“No,” he admitted, “but I hoped you’d at least consider the bigger picture.”

I exhaled sharply.

Nothing in me wanted to accept this.

But I also knew—

This wasn’t just a decision about pride.

It was a decision about survival.

And one way or another…

I would have to face it.