Senior Meeting Room-The Academy
at a long table of polished black wood, several important people sat. Familiar and rarely seen faces, all gathered because a young man who had miraculously escaped death had asked them to.
Dan Noctein sat at one end of the table. He was wearing simple clothes and had a pale face, but he looked steadily at the crowd.
Elena sat to his left, looking very serious. To his right sat the vice director . Director Ilaris stood behind him, his arms crossed, staring at Dan.
The other seats were filled by the two elders of the Noctein family: Mirsa, a woman with black hair and golden eyes that never age, and Garem, a large man whose features resemble a rock carved through time.
The Director Ilaris start
"Everyone is here. Speak up, Dan. What did you want to say to this crowd?
Dan began to speak in a quiet but clear voice
"I know it was unexpected for you to have this meeting, and it may not seem important. But what I'm about to say now will change everything."
Ilaris leaned forward slightly, crossing his arms:
"Go ahead."
Dan took a deep breath, then said:
"I possess a previously undeclared element... the element of space."
They paused for a moment, then Mirsa looked surprised and Garim frowned. Ilaris raised an eyebrow and said:
"Space Elemental? That's extremely rare, but it doesn't mean we need to have a meeting like this."
Dan looked directly at him, then reached for the Talent Detector in front of him.
"Right. So... I want you to see something."
He calmly placed his hand on the Talent Detector he had borrowed from the director .
At first, nothing happened, but then light began to gather inside the crystal. This light had a strange silvery glow, and the energy pulses within the crystal rose. Eventually, a bright magical writing appeared on the crystal's surface.
"Space Elemental: 100%"
Garim was shocked, and Mirsa's face showed her surprise for a moment. Elena opened her eyes wide, and the director slowly stood up, staring at the crystal as if it were a piece of the impossible.
He said quietly:
"100%?"
Then he said in a louder voice, amazed:
"I've never seen anything like this. Not even at old records.
He took big steps closer to Dan, looked at the crystal again, then at his face:
"Dan Noctine, do you know what this means?"
Dan answered quietly:
"I'm beginning to understand lately."
Garem said in a serious tone:
"This ratio... has never been recorded. Are you sure it's not the result of manipulation?"
Ilaris replied in a firm tone.
"That's impossible. The Talent Detector is documented, I gave it to him, and it can't be tampered with."
Mirsa said, staring at the crystal:
"This level of compatibility with space means that he could control the laws of motion and teleport, at least in theory.
Ilaris sat silently again, then said:
"I have a question. Why did you hide this, and why are you revealing it now?
Dan let out a sigh. He decided to tell the lie that mixed with the truth he had already thought of. He said:
I knew about the Void Assassin... because of my space elemental talent. I can't accurately describe it, but... I was able to sense his presence."
Garem thought for a moment, then said:
"Is that possible?"
"I don't know... but with his talent, nothing is impossible.
There was a moment of silence, and then Elena said in a quiet but confused voice:
"You had all this and didn't tell me?"
She looked at Dan with anger, concern, and disappointment in her eyes.
Dan looked at Elena, at her disappointed eyes, and then decided to keep lying.
He said in a quiet voice:
"It's not like that..."
He paused for a moment, as if collecting himself, then continued:
"My big brother told me... to keep it a secret. I'm not telling anyone, no matter what."
Everyone was quiet. No one said a word, but their faces showed what they were thinking.
Elena's face looked different. She wasn't angry anymore, but she looked tense and confused. It was as if she was trying to understand something she wasn't ready for.
Mirsa's lips pouted tightly, as if she was holding back a comment she didn't want to say in front of everyone.
Garem looked sad. He looked like someone who had lost something or someone important in the past and suddenly remembered it.
The director let out a deep sigh, as if the words were very difficult for him to say, and then said in his deep voice:
"Licht was a smart kid. I wouldn't say what he told you was wrong. Maybe he saw something we didn't."
He continued, his tone more forceful:
"But still... you should have told someone, at least after he died. Or put your trust in someone."
He said this and looked at Elena, who was still shocked. She was staring at Dan as if trying to completely change what she thought he looked like.
Dan looked down and didn't say anything for a moment. Then, he looked a little nervous.
This big brother's betrayal is not known outside the family. Everyone just thinks he's dead.
Garem took a deep breath, as if trying to get rid of the lump in his chest, and then said in a soft but sharp voice:
"Licht... he was a good boy. It wasn't easy for us to lose him."
He looked at Dan with a long, sad, and doubtful expression, and then he said:
"If he told you to hide your talent, I don't think he was wrong."
Garem spoke more firmly, his usual confident tone returning:
"What you did against the Void Assassin... now that we know how skilled you are with space at this level, it's no small achievement."
He paused for a moment, then looked at Mirsa and Elena, before looking back at Dan and saying plainly:
"Kid, from now on, I will support you as the next head of the family."
Dan's eyebrows moved up a little, but before he could say anything, Elena's face changed, She was staring at Garem, amazed. Then she looked happy and relieved, like a big weight had been lifted off her. She smiled without thinking, a small but honest smile.
Mirsa didn't say anything for a moment. Her eyes looked at Garim, then at Dan, and finally settled on Elena's face. She saw that she looked relieved, and she had a quiet smile on her lips. You could barely see it, but it was real.
Dan looked at Garim with a surprised expression, as if he couldn't believe what he heard, then said in a soft but firm voice:
"By the way, the real reason I wanted you to come is because I don't want to be the next head of the family."
There was a moment of silence, as if someone had cut off the air in the room.
"What?!"
Elena suddenly stood up, her voice rising in an uncontrollable fit of rage.
"Why? After elder Garim decided to support you, being the head of the family is guaranteed!"
She looked at Dan, shocked, as if she thought he was joking, but he wasn't.
Dan lifted his head and looked at her with a calm, tender, and sincere gaze.
"Because, dear sister... the thing that everyone sees, that only you don't see... is that you are far better than me for this position."
When Elena heard that, her eyes widened and she took a step back. Words seemed to have blocked her ability to respond, her lips moved several times without sound, and she didn't know what to say.
Dan didn't give her time to snap out of her stupor, but continued in a more sincere and calm tone:
"Also... I'm really not fit to be the boss of anything. So, please take that burden off my shoulders."
There was a heavy moment of silence, as if the room itself had stopped breathing.
Elena looked at Dan, and something inside her stirred. It wasn't just surprise... it was a mixture of pain, pride, and confusion. She stepped toward him slowly, then said in a voice that was soft but full of emotion:
"You're... really idiot."
Dan blinked in surprise, before continuing.
"I've always wanted to rely on you, to see you standing by my side... but now you're dumping everything on me?"
She leaned closer, then whispered:
"But... I can't hate you, not after you said you thought I was worthy of this position."
She put her hand on his shoulder and said:
"If you insist... I will carry this burden, not only for you, but also for the family."
Garem nodded slowly, and said in a quiet, respectful voice:
"Seeing and admitting weakness... it takes as much courage as it does to fight. It seems I have judged you wrong, boy. Now... I want you to be the head of the family more than ever."
Dan looked at Elder Garim and said with a faint smile:
"Spare
"Spare me, Elder... Elena is much better than me."
Mirsa watched us silently, a small smile playing on her lips, before finally saying:
"You may not be president... but you've earned our respect, Dan."
Dan smiled lightly and closed his eyes for a moment, as if he was finally unburdening his chest