"What exactly do you mean?" Morgan asked.
"Exactly what I have said. " Damien said seriously.
At that moment, there was a light rapping at the door.
"I hope I’m not intruding," A tall white white-haired young man with emerald eyes said as he let himself in.
"Scott, join us, you will want to hear this as well."
As Scott settled on one of the plush sofas, Damien began.
The Thane family goes way back. You wouldn’t know this, but your grandfather adopted me. He raised and treated me like his own son. Your father was truly my brother, blood-related or not." Damian sighed.
"He never wanted you to get involved in certain affairs of the family. He wanted you to have a normal life, but it seems fate will not allow it. Frankly, I don’t know where to begin."
"If you’ll allow me, Master Damien, I think I might be able to elaborate on the unique situation Morgan finds himself in," Luke interjected.
"Brace yourself, young master, this may all sound a bit unbelievable at first, but it’s all true. For now, I’ll give you the short version of the story."
"Alright, I’m all ears," Morgan said, nodding.
"Well, the Thane family is quite an ancient one; it goes way back.
The Thanes are descended from a line of assassins, some of the very best to ever exist.
You could say they are responsible for some of the most infamous assassinations on the planet, dating back even to the dawn of humanity." Luke said calmly.
"That said, they were not the only ones who were uniquely gifted in this regard.
There were several assassin families in the past, clans actually, that stood shoulder to shoulder with the Thanes."
"For the right price, they would take on the most dangerous jobs and eliminate high-profile targets all over the world. Your great-grandfather, Alistair Thane, was one of the very best in his generation, a prodigy at his craft.
He was quite highly sought after both by people who sought his expertise and, at the same time, by those who sought to eliminate him.
You see, he had made quite a few enemies over the course of his successful career. This drove him to live mostly in seclusion.
"This is where things get a bit vague. At some point in his life, he came into contact with another world, or you can call it another dimension that exists on the other side of this one, and that contact changed him, fundamentally." Luke paused to allow his words to sink in.
He gained abilities unlike any that humanity had seen before; in essence, he became even deadlier.
That change affected his descendants. We believe it’s why you were targeted by that being.
Alistair also shared what he’d discovered with a few of his closest friends. A few of them developed superhuman skills, while others remained ordinary.
They remained oblivious to that dimension.
Morgan lightly massaged his temples.
"Well, that is certainly a lot to take in."
"The being that attacked you may have been from that world, Tenebris. That is what Alistair called it when he first discovered it." Luke continued.
"Depending on the amount of time and affinity that one spends in this world, they can grow stronger and even live longer. Taking myself as an example, I’ve lived for close to half a millennium."
"You’re joking, right?" Morgan said as he chuckled nervously. He turned and noticed the solemn looks on their faces. Get full chapters from NovєlFіre.net
"Not quite, Master Morgan. " Luke said with a chuckle.
"I’ve been the butler for this family for close to 500 years. I served your grandfather, your father, and your uncle as well. I’m sure you have noticed the unusual color of my eyes, my irises to be precise. It is a side effect of the changes my body has undergone, quite a harmless one at that. Tenebris is responsible for the rapid advancement in the technology of the world."
" It harbors lost civilizations, but at the same time, perilous beings like the one that you encountered."
"So if what you’re saying is true, then what truly happened to my father?"
"Your father did disappear. It was an expedition into the far reaches of Tenebris. He believed he had picked up on a trail that could lead him to discover his father, your grandfather, who had also disappeared a few years back. Everyone who went with him seemingly vanished into thin air.
"Did my mother know about all this?" Morgan asked in a quiet voice.
" She knew to some degree, and she agreed with your father to keep you safe. He thought perhaps you could live a normal life with him out of the picture. He continued to support your mother from the shadows."
"But now, I suppose it can’t be helped. What is done, is done." Luke said grimly.
"Scott and I are not truly Thanes, and if the family is to remain, then you have to take your rightful place as a scion of the house of Thane. Your father wanted to keep you away from this kind of life, but as fate is a fickle mistress. If you choose to walk away, we will respect your decision and ensure that you live a normal life.
" And what other option do I have?" Morgan asked.
" You can stay. We will train you to become a scion of the house of Thane. It’d be a completely new life from what you’re accustomed to.’
Morgan fell silent for a while.
" I accept, I’ll do it."
" No hesitation at all, huh. Alright then. Remember, once you go down this path, there is no turning back. You may be young, but the world you have stepped into is a cruel and unforgiving world. In the mundane world, you can make mistakes and still try again, but in the world you’re deciding to step into, every mistake can be fatal."
" You will not be treated as a child. You’ll be held responsible for every action you take." Damien said seriously.
"I will make arrangements to enroll you in the Pyreptar Academy. It was a place that was made to nurture the scions of the assassin households. As you are now, you wouldn’t last a day in that place; they would eat you alive. We are going to have to train you so that you’re able to look out for yourself for the time you’re there and after."
"Of course, you will not be alone, Scott is already enrolled there, so you’ll watch each other’s backs. That is what family is about. I know it may sound hypocritical of me to say this, but I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most. Perhaps if I’d been there, or Luke, your mother would still be alive."
Lisa’s funeral was held that evening, a closed-casket funeral.
It took place in the family cemetery.
It was a quiet affair. The sun was setting painting the sky with an eerie crimson hue. A cold breeze swept through the cemetery, rustling the trees of the forest that surrounded the resting place and scattering the leaves that lay on the ground.
"We’ve lost quite a few of our loved ones over the years. It comes with the kind of life we lead." Damien said.
He stood next to Morgan as the casket was lowered into the ground. Rebecca, Luke, and Scott, as well as a few of the servants were in attendance as well.
"Her body had been so badly burned in the fire that by the time the firefighters managed to put it out, there was nothing they could recover."
Morgan grabbed a fistful of dirt which he poured on the casket in farewell.
"I’m sorry I wasn’t able to protect you mum." He thought, as he fought back tears.
His eyes hardened as the remainder of the casket disappeared from view.
"I’m going to get stronger,and I’ll find the person who orchestrated all this and I’ll make them pay.