I stood in the grand parlor of the Nightfall estate, the ornate surroundings doing little to cushion the impending blow. My mother, Lady Evelyn Nightfall, faced me with a sorrow that mirrored my own burgeoning despair. The air crackled with the unspoken, heavy news that was about to be revealed.
"Caleb, my dear son," her voice trembled, an unspoken apology lingering beneath her words. "It's a difficult truth to bear..."
"I've been demoted, haven't I?" My voice was barely a whisper, betraying the storm raging within me.
Tears shimmered in my mother's eyes as she nodded, her pain evident. "Your potential awakened, but... it's F rank, Caleb," she admitted softly, as if the words pained her to say. "The House of Nightfall cannot sustain your presence with such limited potential."
My heart clenched painfully. The proud lineage of the Nightfalls, masters of shadows and power, had no place for me now. "What happens now?" I asked, trying to mask my inner turmoil.
"You'll not receive support form the main family, but you can't stay here," she explained, her voice faltering. "Your father and I, our C rank potential barely keeps us afloat. Your sister... she's B rank. We need to concentrate our resources to elevate her."
Alone, abandoned within my own family for a lack of power. My aspirations of wielding the shadows, shattered in an instant.
"I'll send you money," she continued, her eyes brimming with regret. "But residing in the main house is no longer an option."
The reality settled in—cast out from the very legacy I was born into, adrift in a world that once seemed so promising. Duty bound me to my family's ambitions, yet I stood alone, my dreams cloaked in shadows that now seemed so distant.
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"Father... I don't want to leave," I confessed, my voice quivering with unspoken sorrow as I faced my father in our family's modest chamber within the Nightfall estate.
"Caleb, my son," my father, Sir Richard Nightfall, spoke with a heaviness in his tone, his weathered face reflecting the weight of his decisions. "Your potential, your destiny... it's something beyond our control. I'm sorry."
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My sister, Elara, stood by his side, her B rank potential a stark contrast to my own fate. "Caleb, I'll miss you," she murmured, her eyes revealing the conflict between familial loyalty and personal sadness.
"I'll visit, Elara. Promise," I reassured her, trying to mask the ache in my heart. "You're going to be amazing, sis. I just know it."
My father's gaze softened, a mix of worry and regret. "Caleb, you're so young, and the path ahead... it's uncertain. I wish I could alter this course for you."
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I fought to keep them at bay. "It's okay, Father. I'll manage. I promise."
"I'll be here whenever you need, son. Always," my father vowed, his voice thick with emotion as he embraced me. "And I'll come to visit whenever I can."
"Thank you, Father," I choked out, a lump forming in my throat.
As I turned to leave, a mixture of emotions swirled within me—sadness, determination, and a lingering hope for a future yet unseen. With each step away from my family, I carried their support and their silent prayers, a fragile anchor in the turbulent sea of uncertainty that lay ahead.
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Stuffing my belongings into the oversized suitcase, I couldn't shake off the apprehension gnawing at my insides. I'd spent all my thirteen years within the opulent walls of our family estate, surrounded by comfort and luxury. Now, here I was, packing my life into a suitcase, venturing into a world I barely knew.
"Isn't that the Nightfall kid? The one who got kicked out?"
"He looks so lost, poor thing. A spoiled rich brat, I heard."
Whispers trailed behind me as I navigated the crowded streets, their words pricking at my insecurities. I'd heard it before—the rumors, the judgment. But now, in the midst of this new reality, those words felt sharper, more cutting.
I felt the weight of their stares, their assumptions about me—privileged, sheltered, and soft. They weren't entirely wrong. I'd lived a life of comfort, cocooned in luxury, shielded from the harshness of the world beyond our estate's gates.
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Amid the bustling street, a formidable presence swept through. It was my grandpa, a living legend, and a powerhouse in our nation. He's a direct descendant of one of the twelve heroes who saved our world from monsters 300 years ago and the disaster that follow. Everyone knows him for his heroics during disasters, earning him the title of a three-generation hero.
His aura was overwhelming, but he suppressed it to avoid scaring people. Even so, facing him was tough. He walked by me without a glance, as if I didn't exist. A tear fell from my eye, unnoticed by anyone but a silent testament to my mixed feelings. In that moment, standing in the shadow of his greatness, I felt a huge gap between us, a reminder of my distance from the heroic lineage.