After Damian calmed down, he looked at his status screen again, taking note of how his Talent had increased from B to S and his Will stat had jumped from 3 to 120.
The Will increase made sense. A lifetime of surviving the criminal underworld, of making decisions that ended lives, of building an empire from nothing – all of that hardened the mind in ways that no amount of training could replicate.
But Talent?
He stared at the S rank, trying to understand what had changed.
His previous Talent of B rank confirmed his hunch – he wasn't one of the main characters of the novel. Main characters in stories like these always had absurd starting advantages.
'But why had it jumped? What even determined Talent in the first place?'
Before he could delve further, a wave of fatigue crashed over him – sudden and heavy, like his body had been holding itself together through sheer adrenaline and was now finally giving out.
"Today has been a long day… Getting used to these memories will take time."
He reached for his pillow, then paused.
The bed felt wrong. It was too soft and too exposed.
Without thinking, he pulled the pillow off the mattress, laid down on the hard surface of the floor, shut his eyes, and fell asleep within seconds.
What Damian didn't realize was that this was how Alessio used to sleep – back against a wall, body on hard ground and never fully vulnerable. The memories hadn't just given him knowledge.
They were rewriting his instincts.
****
The next morning, Damian woke with a clarity he hadn't felt before – sharp and immediate with no grogginess.
He took a quick shower and opened his closet to find something decent to wear.
But he realized that nothing suited his taste.
The clothes he'd found perfectly fine yesterday now seemed juvenile. Loose fits, bright colors and graphic prints – the wardrobe of a fifteen-year-old boy who'd never had to look anyone in the eye and command respect.
He pushed through hanger after hanger with growing irritation until his hands stopped on something buried at the back.
A sleek black suit with matching shoes. Probably bought for some formal occasion and never worn.
After dressing and styling his hair – instinctively slicking it back the way Alessio had for decades – he gave himself one last look in the mirror.
The reflection startled him for a moment. Not because it looked wrong, but because it looked right.
The suit, the posture, the way his crimson eyes carried weight above a sharp jawline – it was Alessio's presence poured into Damian's younger, sharper features.
He adjusted his collar once and left his room.
****
As he walked downstairs toward the dining table in the Valcor estate, Damian couldn't help but reflect on how fortunate he was in this life.
From the moment he could remember, his parents had showered him with immense love.
Love.
Such a simple word. Alessio had never understood it… not truly.
He'd understood loyalty, fear, dependency and usefulness. But the unconditional warmth that Lyandra and Alaric had given their son from the first day they brought him home… That was something Alessio's world didn't have a word for.
And now Damian carried both perspectives. The boy who'd always taken that love for granted, and the man who understood exactly how rare and precious it was.
It made his chest tight in ways he couldn't fully articulate.
He had always known he was adopted. His crimson eyes and red hair stood out too much from his parents' features for it to be otherwise.
But he never cared. The love they gave him was real and equal to the love they gave their daughter – his younger sister.
Yes, in this life, he had a sister as well.
It almost felt as though fate, or perhaps something beyond fate, was compensating him for the misery of his previous existence.
According to his parents, Damian was their lucky charm.
For years, Alaric and Lyandra had tried and failed to conceive a child. The moment they adopted Damian, Lyandra became pregnant with Luna.
To their shock, soon after, both Alaric and Lyandra advanced to Rank A one after the other.
"Now that I think about it… I really am their lucky charm," Damian chuckled as he stepped into the dining room.
But the moment he entered, he paused.
All three members of his family were already seated, their faces tense. When they noticed him approaching, their expressions shifted to open shock.
"…What?" Damian raised an eyebrow at their stares as he sat at his usual place.
It was as if a spell broke. Their eyes lit up as they looked him over from head to toe.
"Damy… you look so handsome!" Lyandra exclaimed, her face beaming with pride.
But Damian caught it, the fraction of a second before her smile, where her eyes had searched his face for something. For her son behind the stranger's composure.
She found him. And the relief that flooded her expression was so brief that only someone watching for it would have noticed.
"This hairstyle suits you, kiddo," Alaric added with a thumbs-up and a rare grin.
His tone was casual... Deliberately so. The kind of careful normalcy that two parents had agreed upon in a dark hallway the night before.
"Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad." Damian smiled lightly, relieved they hadn't brought up his talk of past life memories from last night. His gaze shifted to his sister.
Luna Valcor was the picture of grace. She had inherited her mother's flowing black hair and her father's striking silver eyes. Sweet and affectionate by nature, she had always been adored by everyone who met her.
But right now, she simply stared at him with wide eyes, a faint blush on her cheeks. When Damian's gaze met hers, she flinched and quickly looked away.
"Br-Brother, you… you look good," Luna mumbled shyly before pretending to focus on her food.
"Thank you, Luna." Damian chuckled at her reaction.
She had grown shyer around him as they got older, though he still remembered the days when she clung to him constantly, even refusing to sleep without him nearby.
'Alessio never had anyone cling to him out of love. Only out of fear.'
The thought surfaced unbidden, and the contrast between those two realities – a girl who held his arm because she wanted to, versus subordinates who stood close because they had to – made the memory of Luna's childhood warmth hit differently now.
Deeper, more precious and more terrifying to lose.
They ate breakfast together, but the conversation quickly turned to the topic they had all been waiting for.
"Brother, have you received any notification yet?" Luna asked, her earlier shyness fading into curiosity.
"Relax," Alaric replied before Damian could answer. "It's still ten minutes before the Federation releases the results." His calm tone radiated quiet confidence.
"Yes, don't worry, darling. Your brother will definitely get into a good Academy," Lyandra chimed in, smiling brightly.
"I'm not worried, Mother. I was just asking." Luna pouted. But her faith in Damian was absolute.
Damian merely smiled at their chatter. The warmth of this scene wrapped around him like a blanket. Yet beneath his calm expression, darker thoughts stirred.
'Forty years of memories crammed into the mind of a fifteen-year-old… Although I feel a little detached from reality, one thing is certain.'
His eyes grew cold for a moment, a ruthless gleam flashing within them.
'Anyone who dares threaten this family… will die a horrible death.'
The air in the dining room chilled. His parents felt it, their instincts tightening.
But just as quickly as it came, the atmosphere softened as Damian closed his eyes.
Alaric and Lyandra exchanged a glance. It was quick, wordless and carried the weight of everything they'd discussed last night.
'He's still adjusting,' Alaric's eyes said.
'I know. I'm watching,' Lyandra's answered.
Neither spoke. Even Luna seemed aware of the subtle changes in her brother since last night, her silver eyes lingering on him a moment longer than usual before returning to her plate.
Ten minutes passed.
Damian's communicator beeped.
[Beep! Beep!]
He calmly opened the notification.
[Congratulations, Mr. Damian Valcor. You ranked 987 in the entrance examinations and are qualified to join any academy you desire.]
Damian raised an eyebrow.
'Not bad, considering my talent was only at B rank during the exams…'
Stormhold Academy only accepted the top 2,000 examinees, and Damian had secured his spot.
In fact, considering how much weight Talent carried in the scoring, nearly 40%, his result was impressive.
Most top scorers had started with A rank or higher Talent. Ranking 987 with B rank Talent meant his theory and practical scores had carried him far beyond what his raw potential suggested.
As Damian considered this, more notifications flooded in.
[Beep! Beep!] [Beep! Beep!]
His communicator vibrated nonstop with invitations from prestigious academies across the Federation.
"How is it?" Lyandra asked, her voice brimming with excitement despite her attempt to appear calm.
Damian smiled faintly and handed the device to her. His parents leaned in eagerly, and their eyes lit up as they read the screen.
"I knew it!" Luna shot up from her chair, a bright smile spreading across her face.
Lyandra clapped her hands together in delight. Even Alaric's reserved face cracked into a proud grin.
Luna's cheeks flushed slightly as she realized everyone was looking at her outburst.
She cleared her throat, mumbled something about finishing homework, and slipped out of the dining room with quiet steps that were just a little too fast to be casual.
Damian chuckled, shaking his head.
He moved his eyes back to his communicator, which was still buzzing with invitations from academies across the Federation.
Then his gaze fell on a message from Stormhold Academy with the title 'Special Invitation'.
[Mr. Damian Valcor is hereby invited to further his studies at Stormhold Academy. Your excellent performance in the theory examinations has been noted by the Academy, distinguishing you from the rest of the eligible students.
If you choose to join, please accept the invitation. Further information will be provided upon confirmation. Congratulations.]
Damian's crimson eyes gleamed as he read the words.