Chapter 35 Secrets revealed part 2 – Cassis

Cassis stared at Helen, his mind struggling to process what he had just heard. His aunt. By blood. His eyes flickered to the Ring of Veritas on her finger. It confirmed her words—she was telling the truth, or at least, what she believed to be the truth.

"Are you sure?" His voice came out more strained than he intended. "Did you do a DNA test?"

Helen’s expression twisted into something close to offense. "Did I do a test? Of course, I did. Danielle Walker is without a doubt my sister. And according to the records, she’s my twin." She let out a small scoff. "We don’t look identical and have the DNA match of siblings, so we are fraternal twins."

Cassis opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words. Helen, however, had more to say.

"I was always a bit of a problem child." A smirk played at her lips, like she was reliving something amusing from the past. "I was a great operative with Hand, but I wasn’t exactly obedient. Got plenty of warnings and demerits for my attitude concerning orders."

She spat out warnings and demerits like the words were a joke, but when she said orders, there was nothing but cold contempt in her voice.

"I never fully bought into their brainwashing. Unlike most of the others, I was always... unhappy with the organization. And when I turned twenty, I got it into my head to find out where I came from. I wanted to know my real family."

Helen’s eyes gleamed as she spoke, her voice laced with something between nostalgia and bitterness.

"As a Hand operative, I had top-tier infiltration skills. And thanks to a few connections in Ear, I managed to track down my real origins. That’s how I found Danielle. At first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to actually meet her, but..." Helen’s expression softened. "She was my twin. And the more I watched her, the more I wanted to meet her. We got along so well that I never wanted to leave her side."

Cassis listened in stunned silence as Helen continued, her voice dipping into something more personal, more intimate.

"I was with her when she met your father, Marcus. I watched them fall in love. I watched them marry. All the while, I was still doing my job as an operative. But for the first time, following orders didn’t feel like a chore. It felt like a means to protect something important."

Helen leaned back, a humourless chuckle escaping her lips.

"The higher-ups thought I had finally ‘matured.’ That I had found a purpose—as if I hadn’t always had one. My new dedication got me promoted, and eventually, I earned one of the coveted Numbers."

Cassis frowned. "Numbers?"

Helen nodded. "The best operatives in the entire organization. Only 500 at any given time. The only way in is if someone dies." She gave him a wry smile. "I was Number 371."

Cassis inhaled sharply. That number placed her among the most elite in a secret organization he had never even heard of.

"But the higher I climbed, the more I hated what I saw." Helen’s expression darkened, her fingers curling into fists. "They were still stealing babies. Ripping families apart, just like they did to mine."

Her eyes flickered to Cassis, and the weight of her words settled heavily on his chest.

"Then you were born."

Cassis felt his breath hitch.

"I was paranoid," Helen admitted. "I told Marcus and Danielle never to let you out of their sight. I even paid nurses to keep an extra eye on you. But I couldn’t be there—not openly. If anyone found out I had tracked down my birth family, I would have been labelled compromised. They would have taken me, and that would’ve been the end of it." Her voice sharpened. "That’s why they forbid us from finding our families in the first place. It was never about keeping us ‘impartial.’ It was because people with nothing and nobody to depend on are easier to control."

She flexed her hands, clenching and unclenching them as if fighting an old rage.

"The same thing happened when Liam was born. I was terrified they’d take him, too. I was relieved when they didn’t—but the fear never stopped. And that’s when I knew." Her voice turned lethal. "I had to get out."

Helen exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "I never liked the organization. But when I realized how they could have taken you or Liam for no reason other than to produce nice little soldiers, I started hating them. Hating them for taking me, for taking others like me, for ruining families all over the world. But I couldn’t fight them. They were too strong. I could only escape."

A bitter smile crossed her face. "It took me nearly a decade to fake my death and disappear."

Cassis was speechless.

A secret government organization. Stolen children. A hidden network that operated from the shadows, ensuring peace at the cost of untold lives. Even in the other timeline, he had never heard of any of this.

His mind spun, trying to make sense of it all. Helen had been protecting them all along, working in the shadows to keep him safe. She had been part of something massive, something terrifying. And now... she had finally told him the truth.

Arianna interjected with a question, her curiosity piqued. “Then why were you working at City Hall when I met you? Wouldn’t that be incredibly dangerous?”

Helen chuckled, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “Oh, absolutely. But I took precautions. I underwent plastic surgery to make my face unrecognizable. And beyond that, I chose to keep my hair this vivid shade of red—a colour that demands attention. It might seem counterintuitive, but it’s the perfect disguise. We were always trained to blend in, to disappear into the crowd. But Helen Segredo? She stands out. She’s loud, confident, a social butterfly. No one would ever suspect that a woman like her would be hiding in plain sight, much less within the walls of City Hall.”

Arianna’s eyes widened. “Wow.” It’s all she managed to say.

Helen smirked, clearly pleased with the reaction, but then her expression shifted, growing serious. “But now, with the apocalypse—the ‘first wave,’ as it said—everything has changed. This system, this awakening… I was so sure that once you and Liam weren’t taken as babies, you would be safe. But now, you’ve shown me my worst nightmare come to life.”

Her gaze sharpened as she looked at Cassis. “You fight like a man who has spent years—decades—in life-or-death battles. The way you move, the precision of your strikes, your control under pressure… It’s not normal. Not for someone who grew up safe. Did they get to you later? That would be highly unusual. Or is there someone else? Some hidden faction, a secret military project?” Her frown deepened. “I don’t know. But you need to tell me.”

She crossed her arms. “Arianna wasn’t in the registry. I wasn’t, either. Are you a shadow? There’s something unnatural about all of this. And if you are, you cannot be affiliated with the government right now—not when you two might be the strongest people in the world. You need to be independent. Otherwise, they’ll just use you up as ‘heros’.”

Cassis cut off her spiralling thoughts. “We’ll tell you. Don’t worry. It’s not the government.”

Helen’s eyes darkened.

“And not criminals, either,” he added quickly.

Arianna nodded, offering a small smile. “Honestly, our story might be even crazier than yours.”

Helen raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Well then… it’s your turn.”

Cassis was still reeling from everything, his thoughts a storm he couldn’t quite calm. He wasn’t sure he was in any state to continue this conversation. Maybe a break would be good?

But Arianna was already reaching for the Ring of Veritas, sliding it off Helen’s finger and onto her own. “Alright,” she said. “I’ll start.”

She took a steadying breath before continuing. “My story and Cassis’s are almost the same. It’s a bit unbelievable, but please—don’t interrupt me.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Helen nodded, waiting.

“I’m not from this world,” Arianna said, her voice even. “I was born on a world almost identical to this one. When I was seventeen, I found this necklace, and from that moment on, I started dreaming of a young man with golden eyes, fighting monsters in an apocalypse ruled by a system. I became a patron in my dreams.”

She glanced at Cassis before continuing. “At first, it was difficult. But eventually, Cassis accepted me as his patron, and together, we ensured his survival for over ten years in that apocalypse.”

Helen listened, her expression unreadable.

“Then we had a fight,” Arianna admitted, voice softer now. “A bad one. It was about his refusal to trust others, to build a real team. After that fight, I got into a car accident. And just before the impact—before the car hit me—I suddenly woke up in this world, on the very first day of the apocalypse. And Cassis was there, too.”

She met Helen’s gaze. “The rest happened as we’ve already told you. We awakened by fighting monsters. We sought out his family—who had died in the other timeline—and saved them. We rescued the Morrisons and baby Jessica, and that alone changed everything we thought we knew about this apocalypse. We are strong, yes—but not just because we have future knowledge. Cassis is strong because he fought, every day, for years. I became strong because as a patron I have a few extra abilities like the Patron Shop. This ring, the contract, the privacy sphere, our armour and weapons – they all came from the Patron Shop and gave us an advantage.”

She hesitated before adding, “The world we knew before this was bleak. Cassis had lost everything—his family, his friends. It was desolate, no children, no laughter. But starting from the first day again, we changed the course of events.”

Arianna finished recounting their journey up to this point, leaving Helen in stunned silence.

The older woman stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. Then, she glared at the Ring of Veritas on Arianna’s hand.

“If I hadn’t felt it myself,” Helen finally muttered, “if I hadn’t experienced firsthand that this ring compels absolute truth, I wouldn’t believe you.” She exhaled sharply. “Even now, it’s… hard to accept.”

Cassis spoke up. “I know. That’s why we haven’t told anyone else.”

He hesitated, then added, “Arianna is still my patron, but something strange happened when she arrived here. She’s both a deity and an awakener at the same time. That’s why we call her deity persona Sapphire.”

Helen lifted a hand, stopping him mid-sentence. “That’s all well and good,” she said coolly. “But before I listen to another word, you will wear that ring.”

Cassis stiffened.

“I trust her,” Helen said simply, tilting her head toward Arianna. “She’s just too good a person to deceive me. But you, young man? I don’t quite trust you yet.”

Cassis bristled at the words. The way she said young man sent him straight back to his childhood, to moments when he was scolded for mischief. But this time, it wasn’t his fault—well, actually… it was.

But Helen couldn’t know that. And now, there was a problem. She expected him to wear the ring. To tell her everything. But he couldn’t. Not with Arianna here.

She would hear it, too. And she couldn’t know. Not yet. He needed more time. His pulse quickens as he looks at Helen, but Arianna is already removing the ring, holding it out to him.

This terrible little thing…

For a brief, absurd moment, he wondered if he could destroy it and claim it was an accident. But before he could act, Helen spoke again.

“Arianna, sweetheart,” she said, her voice gentle but firm. “I need to speak with Cassis alone for a moment. There are personal matters I must ask him about, and I don’t know if you’re aware of them or not. You said it yourself—there are things you don’t know about each other. It’s better you learn them over time, not through an interrogation.”

Cassis saw the protest forming in Arianna’s eyes.

But then—reluctantly—she relented. “Alright,” she said, sighing. “I’ll step outside the bubble. I won’t be able to hear you, even if I sit at the kitchen table.”

She gave Cassis a long, searching look, then nodded before turning and walking away.

The moment she crossed the boundary, silence fell.

Cassis exhaled, relief flooding through him.

But that relief was short-lived.

Helen fixed him with a piercing gaze, her expression unreadable but expectant. She was waiting. She wanted answers.

He exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. “Before I tell you… you have to promise me something.”

Helen crossed her arms but nodded. “Go on.”

“Arianna can’t know.” His voice was firm, almost desperate. “No matter what I tell you, you cannot let her find out.”

Helen studied him for a long moment, then sighed. “Alright. I promise.”

Only then did Cassis allow himself to put on the ring and speak.

“After Arianna’s car accident, time didn’t just reverse by itself.” He swallowed hard. “I was still waiting for her. Waiting for her to come back after our fight. But she never did.” His fists clenched. “I grew angry. So angry. I felt betrayed. I started to hate her.” His voice dropped, hoarse with bitterness. “I wanted revenge.”

Helen stayed silent, letting him talk.

“I survived like that for four more years,” he continued. “Four years of fighting, of barely making it, while the world crumbled around me. By then, the apocalypse had nearly reached its final stage. The seventh wave was coming, and we weren’t strong enough to stop it.”

He exhaled a mirthless laugh. “So, I decided to end it on my terms. I went into an S-rank dungeon. Suicide by dungeon, you know?” He shook his head. “Little did I know I’d actually survive. That I’d defeat the dragon inside. And that’s when I found it.”

Helen’s eyes sharpened. “An artifact?”

Cassis nodded, his expression twisted with self-loathing. “Yeah. A real wishing lamp. A single wish. I could have wished for salvation, for my loved ones back, for the strength to stop the apocalypse.” His jaw tightened. “But what did I do?” He let out a bitter chuckle. “I wished for revenge. On the one person who had been by my side the longest.”

A heavy silence fell between them. Helen didn’t move.

Cassis closed his eyes, remembering the moment with painful clarity. “The lamp activated—but before granting my wish, it gave me an error message.” He let out a breath. “Then, it found a way. That way… was to turn back time.”

He opened his eyes again, staring straight at Helen. “Before I knew it, I was back on the first day of the apocalypse. Everything was exactly as I remembered it. Until—” his voice caught, “—a person fell from the sky.”

His breath hitched.

“I caught her.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “It was Arianna.”

He forced himself to hold Helen’s gaze. “She was confused. She asked me about the car accident.” He swallowed hard. “Because she died in the other timeline.”

Helen’s expression shifted—understanding dawning, yet tempered by something unreadable.

“And what did I do?” Cassis let out a hollow laugh. “I cursed her. I hated her.” He broke eye contact, shame pressing down on him like a weight he couldn’t shake off. He slumped forward, running his hands over his face. “Just what was I thinking?” His voice cracked, raw and filled with regret. “I knew her for ten years. Ten years. And she was just… too good a person to do something like abandon me. I had to have known that. Deep down, I knew it.” He let out a shaky breath. “But I let my anger take over. And now…” He exhaled, defeated. “Now she is here. In the apocalypse. Because of me.”

Silence.

Then—

“You think she’d hate you?” Helen’s voice was gentle, but there was something firm beneath it.

Cassis looked up, his expression pained. “She would leave.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “And she doesn’t have anyone else here. She’d be alone. That isn’t safe. She needs to stay—at least until she’s strong enough to take care of herself. Until she has friends to rely on.”

Helen stared at him for a moment. Then, without a word, she stood up and pulled him into a hug. Cassis stiffened at first, unprepared for the warmth, for the steadying presence of her arms around him.

“Shh,” she murmured, like she had when he was a child. “It’s okay.”

It wasn’t. But the words broke something in him. He realized, distantly, that he was breathing too hard. That something warm and wet was trailing down his face.

Was he… crying? Him? He had thought his tears had dried up years ago.

He clenched his jaw, trying to get himself under control. But for a few long minutes, he couldn’t. He gripped onto Helen, grounding himself in the quiet strength she offered.

And for the first time in years, he let himself feel.

Eventually, his breathing steadied. The storm inside quieted—if only slightly.

A small, almost self-deprecating chuckle escaped him. “Thanks Aunt Helen,” he muttered, letting her step back. He rubbed at his face, forcing a smile. “I’m okay now.”

Helen gave him a look that said she didn’t quite believe him. But she didn’t press.

Instead, she just nodded. “Good.”

Then she sat down again and sighed, rubbing her temple. "Listen, little pirate."

Cassis smiled, that was her nickname for him from his childhood. He had loved playing pirate and Aunt Helen had always indulged him and play-fought with him.

"I know what it’s like to carry things alone." Her voice softened even more. "I know what it’s like to keep secrets because you think it’ll protect someone. But let me tell you something, Cassis."

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Secrets like that? They have a way of tearing people apart."

He swallowed. "It’s not the right time."

"It’s never the right time."

Helen’s golden eyes – how had he never noticed that they had the same eye colour? – locked onto his, unyielding. "One day, that girl out there, she’s going to find out. And when she does, if she learns that you hid this from her?"

Cassis clenched his fists.

"It’ll hurt her more than the truth ever could."

The words hit him like a gut punch.

For a long moment, the only sound between them was his own breathing.

Finally, Helen sat back. "Alright."

He blinked. "What?"

"I won’t force you to tell her and I won’t say anything." She took the ring from his finger and twirled it. "But I hope you remember this conversation, Cassis."

He exhaled, tension slowly bleeding out of his shoulders. "...Thank you."

Helen smirked. "Don’t thank me yet. I still plan to get you to tell her eventually. She’s good for you and you two would make a great couple. Most of all, this secret burdens you way too much. From what I can see, she would forgive you."

Cassis wasn’t so sure about that. Arianna had a stubborn streak during unexpected times. And now that he knew about her own life back in her world, he thought she wouldn’t forgive him this betrayal. She had been as alone as him, had counted on him and trusted him.

In the end he let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. There was no reason to speculate further. He could hope, but he wouldn’t assume. He’d make sure she could leave if she wanted to. That she wasn’t trapped with him for survival’s sake.

Helen placed the ring back on the table, then stood up. "Come on. Let’s not keep Arianna waiting too long. She might start thinking we are keeping secrets from her."

Cassis let out a breath and rose to his feet. As they stepped out of the privacy sphere, Arianna immediately turned toward them, eyes sharp with curiosity.

"Everything alright?" she asked, gaze flicking between them.

"Yeah," Helen said smoothly. "Just some family matters."

Arianna frowned but didn’t press further. "Alright. But next time, no secret meetings."

Cassis forced a smirk. "We’ll see about that."

But deep down, Helen’s words echoed in his mind.

"It’ll hurt her more than the truth ever could."