The next morning arrived, and with it, a sense of tension that hung in the air like a storm waiting to break.

Hope had barely slept the night before, his mind consumed by the forbidden knowledge he had uncovered in the library. The book’s words still echoed in his mind, twisting and shaping his thoughts.

He had always known there was something more to the Fallen family’s legacy, but he had never imagined it could be this... dark.

Now, standing at the edge of his future, Hope felt an unsettling calm settle over him. He had made a decision—one that would change everything. No longer would he be a pawn in his family’s ambitions. It was time for him to claim his destiny.

As he walked through the grand corridors of the Fallen estate, he could feel the eyes of the servants on him, the weight of their silent expectations heavy in the air.

They had always looked at him with a mixture of reverence and curiosity, as if waiting for him to live up to the promises made in the family’s name. But today, Hope was different. Today, he was no longer bound by their hopes or his father's ideals.

Hope's father, Castian, had kept him sheltered from the harsh realities of the world outside, believing that Hope’s potential would be best nurtured within the safety of their estate. But that had never sat right with Hope. He had always felt like a caged bird, with no real understanding of the true world outside the walls of the Fallen family home.

Today, all of that was about to change.

As he entered the training hall, Hope was greeted by the sight of his younger brother, Jace, practicing his swordsmanship.

Jace was still in his formative years, his strength only beginning to blossom. His movements were still clumsy, but there was potential in him—potential that could rival even Hope’s own. It made Hope’s stomach churn to think that his brother, too, was expected to carry the weight of their family’s legacy.

Jace’s eyes lifted as Hope entered the room, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Hope! You’re up early. Are you joining me for practice?”

Hope’s gaze flickered over his brother’s form, the familiar pang of responsibility gnawing at him. He could already feel the invisible threads connecting him to Jace, threads that bound them by blood, by family, by duty. But those bonds were growing weaker with every passing day.

“No,” Hope replied, his voice steady. “I’m not here to train today.”

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Jace raised an eyebrow, confusion flashing in his eyes. “What do you mean? You always train.”

“I have other things to do,” Hope said, his tone firm. “I’m leaving.”

Jace’s expression hardened, his sword lowering slightly. “Leaving? But—why? What’s going on, Hope?”

Hope’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t have time to explain, nor did he want to. “It’s my time now. I’ve spent enough time being the family’s heir, trying to live up to expectations that were never mine to begin with. I’m done with that.”

Jace’s face twisted with a mixture of concern and hurt. “Hope, don’t say that. Father will—”

“I don’t care about what Father will say,” Hope interjected, cutting him off.

“This is my choice. And you’ll understand one day, when you stop seeing the family through the lens of what they want from you and start seeing it for what it really is.”

Jace stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to read the depths of his brother’s words. But in the end, he simply nodded, his expression clouded with confusion. “I don’t get it, Hope. But… if you’re sure.”

Hope didn’t respond. Instead, he turned on his heel and walked out of the training hall, his steps purposeful and steady. He didn’t look back.

The air outside was crisp, and the morning sun bathed the estate in a warm glow, but Hope barely noticed. His mind was already focused on the path ahead. He needed to get out, to find the power he had glimpsed in that ancient book. The family’s legacy, the weight of their expectations—it didn’t matter anymore. He wasn’t going to be confined by that history.

He went to his Father’s study and took the ancient relic then he made his way to the edge of the estate, where a small stable housed the horses that had been used for family travel.

Hope walked past the stablehands, who greeted him respectfully but with no real interest in his departure. They were used to his comings and goings. They didn’t know, and they didn’t need to know, that Hope was leaving for good.

He saddled one of the family’s finest horses—a sleek black stallion—and made his way down the road. His destination was unclear, but he knew he couldn’t stay in the empire’s heart for much longer. He needed to find something, someone, that would push him beyond the limits of his bloodline.

The world outside the estate was vast, and Hope could feel the possibilities stretching out before him. There were rumors of ancient cultivation sects in far-off lands, of hidden realms and forbidden techniques, of powerful figures who had transcended the limits of mortal existence.

He would find them.

His heart beat faster with each passing mile, and the horse galloped swiftly, as if sensing the urgency of Hope’s quest. The distant mountains loomed ahead, their peaks shrouded in mist. The road to the unknown awaited him.

As he rode, Hope’s thoughts turned back to his family—his father, Castian, and his younger brother, Jace and his younger sister Ava.

He had no doubt that they would try to stop him. But Hope knew something they didn’t. His destiny wasn’t tied to their vision of the past. It was something far greater, something that could not be defined by their expectations.

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, Hope had left the familiar confines of the empire’s inner territories far behind. The path ahead was uncertain, but Hope’s resolve had never been clearer.

He was no longer just Hope Fallen.

He was Hope, the one who would rise above the shackles of his bloodline and claim a power the world had long since forgotten.

And no one—family, empire, or fate—would stand in his way.