Adrian didn't go back to the window.
After everything—after the fight, the bond, the revelation about what he was—something else had started bothering him more than the monsters outside.
Something… normal.
Too normal.
He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, staring at nothing for a moment.
"…This doesn't add up," he said quietly.
Lirael glanced at him. "What doesn't?"
Adrian frowned slightly. "My life."
That got everyone's attention.
Even Kael looked over.
Adrian ran a hand through his hair, thinking.
"If I'm part vampire… and this whole thing exists… then how did I not know anything?"
Silence.
Selene spoke first. "Suppression."
Niamh added softly, "Or protection."
Adrian's jaw tightened slightly. "…From who?"
No one answered immediately.
That hesitation told him enough.
"…My family," he said.
The word felt strange now.
Distant.
Like it belonged to a different version of him.
Lirael watched him carefully. "What do you remember?"
Adrian let out a quiet breath.
"Nothing special," he said. "That's the problem."
He looked down slightly, voice calmer now.
"My dad works all the time. My mom stays home. We barely had money growing up. Small apartment. Cheap stuff. Normal life."
A faint pause.
Then—
"My sister never shut up."
Niamh smiled slightly. "You sound fond of her."
Adrian's expression softened for just a second.
"…Hannah," he said.
Then it faded.
"She's annoying. Always teasing me. Always acting like she knows something I don't."
Selene's gaze sharpened slightly. "Because she does."
Adrian looked up.
"…Yeah," he said quietly. "That's what I'm starting to think."
Kael pushed himself off the wall. "Names."
Adrian blinked. "What?"
"Your parents' names," Kael said.
Adrian hesitated for half a second.
"…Elias Cole," he said. "And Rose."
The moment he said it—
The room changed.
Not violently.
But noticeably.
Kael went completely still.
Selene's shadows shifted.
Niamh's expression lost its softness.
Lirael's eyes narrowed slightly.
Adrian noticed immediately.
"…What," he said slowly, "was that?"
Kael exhaled once.
"…You're serious."
Adrian frowned. "I wouldn't joke about that."
Lirael stepped forward slightly.
"Elias Cole," she repeated.
"Yes," Adrian said. "Why?"
Another silence.
Then Selene spoke, quieter than before.
"The Cole family… is not poor."
Adrian stared at her.
"…Excuse me?"
Kael answered this time.
"They are one of the six strongest hidden human families."
Adrian blinked once.
Then twice.
"…No," he said flatly.
"Yes," Kael replied.
Adrian shook his head. "That's not possible. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment with broken heating."
"That was a cover," Lirael said.
Adrian let out a short laugh.
"Yeah, no. That's not a 'cover,' that's just being broke."
Kael didn't smile.
"They operate in the Veil," he said. "Human families aware of the supernatural. They control information, resources, territory."
Adrian's expression slowly changed.
"…You're saying my dad is part of that."
"No," Kael said.
A pause.
Then—
"He leads it."
Silence.
Heavy.
Adrian didn't react immediately.
Didn't speak.
Didn't move.
Then he laughed.
Not amused.
Not happy.
Just disbelief.
"…You're telling me," he said slowly, "that my dad—who complained about electricity bills—is secretly running one of the strongest supernatural human families."
"Yes."
Adrian ran a hand over his face.
"…I'm going to need a minute."
No one interrupted him.
Because this wasn't like the others.
This wasn't monsters or gods.
This was personal.
After a few seconds, Adrian looked up again.
"…And my mom," he said. "Let me guess. Also not normal."
Lirael met his gaze.
"She is half-vampire."
Adrian let out a breath.
"…Of course she is."
It made sense now.
Too much sense.
The way she always avoided mirrors in certain lighting.
The way she never seemed tired.
The way she always looked at him like she knew something.
"…And Hannah?" he asked.
Selene answered.
"She knows."
That one hit differently.
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"…She knew," he repeated.
"Yes."
The room went quiet again.
Adrian looked down at the floor for a moment.
Then—
"…So I was the only one who didn't know," he said.
No one answered.
Because it was true.
He exhaled slowly.
Not angry.
Not yelling.
Just… colder.
"…That's good to know."
Niamh stepped slightly closer. "Adrian—"
He raised a hand.
"Don't," he said.
Not harsh.
But firm.
He needed a second.
Just one.
Then he straightened.
The hesitation was gone.
The confusion too.
Replaced by something simpler.
Clarity.
"…Alright," he said.
Kael watched him carefully. "You're taking this well."
Adrian shook his head slightly.
"No," he said. "I'm just prioritizing."
"Meaning?"
Adrian's gaze shifted toward the broken window.
Toward the city.
Toward everything that was coming.
"Whatever reason they had," he said calmly, "I'll deal with it later."
A pause.
Then his eyes hardened slightly.
"But if they lied to me…"
Silence.
Even Lirael didn't speak.
Adrian's voice dropped just a little.
"…then they better have a good reason."
No anger.
No shouting.
Just certainty.
Because Adrian wasn't the same person who thought he was poor anymore.
And somewhere far away—
In a place hidden from normal eyes—
A man named Elias Cole stood in a quiet room, looking at a screen filled with disturbances.
His expression was calm.
But his hand tightened slightly.
"…He's awakened," he said quietly.
Behind him, a woman with soft eyes and an unnatural stillness closed her eyes briefly.
"…We waited too long," Rose said.
And somewhere else—
A girl leaned against a doorway, smiling faintly.
"…Took him long enough," Hannah whispered.
But her eyes—
Were not playful anymore.
Because the world had started moving.
And now—
So had Adrian.