Time passed without notice.
Their long, exhausting journey finally came to an end as they stood before a massive gate.
A black iron gate, carved with intricate patterns, slowly creaked open.
Beyond it—
a vast mansion stood in quiet grandeur, rising at the center of a perfectly kept garden.
White and Alyssa fell silent.
Their eyes traced the structure with a mix of awe and unfamiliarity.
Magnus walked past them, then paused.
"Before we go in," he said casually, "there's something you should know."
He glanced toward the mansion.
"The servants here… are slightly excessive."
White raised an eyebrow.
"Excessive?"
Magnus shrugged.
"They've only been serving one person all this time."
He pointed to himself.
"Me."
Alyssa blinked slowly.
Magnus gave a faint smile.
"With the two of you here… at least this place won't feel like a grave anymore."
White and Alyssa exchanged glances.
Then nodded quietly.
The main gate opened fully.
The grand doors of the mansion were pushed open from within.
A line of servants stood neatly on both sides.
Their black and white uniforms were pristine, almost too perfect.
"Welcome, Young Master. Young Lady."
Their voices echoed in unison.
White and Alyssa stiffened slightly.
Magnus entered first.
"Welcome to the Magnus residence."
He stopped at the center of the hall.
"And remember this…"
his gaze sharpened,
"there is no turning back once a decision has been made."
White said nothing.
But his eyes hardened.
Alyssa gently clasped her own hands.
Not far from them, two servants stepped forward.
"Welcome."
One of them gave a slight bow.
"My name is Aaron. The butler of this residence."
The other smiled softly.
"I am O'drice. The maid who will attend to your needs."
Magnus removed his coat.
A servant immediately received it.
"O'drice, Aaron."
Magnus spoke lightly.
"Show them around."
He glanced at White and Alyssa.
"My children."
They both bowed.
"Understood, Sir."
White and Alyssa followed.
Their footsteps echoed softly along the long corridors of the mansion.
Alyssa looked around with quiet curiosity.
Then she asked,
"How did you know… we would arrive tonight?"
O'drice gave a faint smile.
"Well…"
she glanced slightly aside,
"Master Magnus behaved rather strangely during dinner earlier."
White frowned.
"Strangely?"
Aaron chuckled.
"Like someone who had just returned from the dead."
—
A brief image surfaced in their explanation.
A long dining table.
Magnus sat in silence, then suddenly stood.
"Prepare my coat."
The servants exchanged confused looks.
"What is it, Master?"
Magnus answered shortly.
"My children are coming."
Some thought it was a joke.
But Magnus looked at them seriously.
"Welcome them warmly."
Then—
he vanished in an instant.
—
Back in the corridor.
O'drice let out a quiet breath.
"That is what happened."
White and Alyssa exchanged glances.
"…he's not normal," Alyssa murmured.
White gave a small nod.
Aaron laughed lightly.
"You're only realizing that now?"
He glanced at them.
"Master Magnus has lived far longer than you can imagine."
A faint smile formed.
"Entire generations have forgotten him."
They finally arrived at a large room.
Aaron opened the door.
"The training hall."
White and Alyssa stepped inside.
The room was vast.
Old ceramic tiles, perfectly maintained.
The walls were filled with sword marks and traces of magic.
As if the place had witnessed thousands of battles.
Old.
But not fragile.
Ancient, even.
O'drice spoke softly.
"A mansion this large…"
she looked around,
"…yet it was meant to serve only one person."
White turned.
"Magnus old man?"
O'drice nodded.
"And he rarely returns."
White was slightly surprised.
"…then why so many servants?"
Alyssa added,
"Why would Master Magnus do that?"
Aaron gave a bitter smile.
"The reason… is rather foolish."
O'drice exhaled lightly.
"He wanted this place to feel alive."
She glanced down the quiet corridor.
"But the servants here… are far too quiet for that."
White fell silent.
Alyssa lowered her gaze.
There was something hollow about this place.
They continued the tour.
Another door opened.
The library.
Towering shelves stretched to the ceiling.
Filled with old and rare books.
Some looked like ancient manuscripts.
White stepped closer.
"This…"
Aaron nodded.
"Master Magnus was a comrade of the first Emperor, Lucius Aurellian."
Alyssa's eyes widened.
"Then that means…"
O'drice continued,
"His age is nearly as old as the Aurelthia Empire itself."
White said nothing.
He was beginning to understand… who had truly taken them in.
They moved again.
The hall of honors.
A vast room with a high ceiling.
Filled with swords, magic orb, medals, and certificates.
All arranged with precision.
But at the center—
stood a large statue.
A statue of Magnus.
Beneath it was engraved:
One of the Seven Human Heroes, 'Meither Golde Magnusen'
White stared at it for a long time.
But he did not ask.
Some things…
had to be heard from the man himself.
Time passed.
Without noticing, the night had grown deep.
White and Alyssa had changed into new clothes.
They were led to their respective rooms.
"This is your room, Young Master."
"And this is for the Young Lady."
Separate doors.
White entered his room.
It was spacious.
Yet silent.
He lay down on the bed.
Staring at the ceiling—aged, slightly cracked, yet built of marble and still imposing.
His thoughts spun.
Aaron's words echoed.
The one who adopted you is no ordinary man.
Then Magnus's words at the river.
You will become stronger.
Power to change the world.
White's eyes slowly changed.
The red within them sharpened.
He clenched his fist over his chest.
"…with this…"
he whispered,
"…I begin."
He closed his eyes briefly.
Faces of the past surfaced.
The refugee camp.
Fire.
Blood.
The Griff family.
"…I will repay everything."
His voice was barely audible.
"Starting with that family…"
"…and then…"
his breath paused,
"The Aurelthia Empire."
He opened his eyes.
His gaze was cold.
Yet beneath it—
something deeper stirred.
White looked at the ceiling once more.
"…forgive me…"
he murmured.
"If one day…"
"…I surpass you."
He fell silent.
"And perhaps… walk the wrong path."
The night wind slipped through the slightly open window.
And within that silent room—
a child took his first step toward a fate far darker than he could ever understand.