Celestial Emperor of Shadow

The Unseen Threat

"And if they do," Anna whispered, her voice barely audible yet carrying the weight of every sleepless night she had endured, "they will find me next… They'll kill you, my son. Then your sister, Ania… me and Ben… our sweet world… it will all be destroyed."

Her body trembled slightly, shivering under an invisible force that no one else could perceive. It wasn't cold. It wasn't wind. It was the gravity of her fear, coiling around her like a living thing. Her hands shook as if the air itself were conspiring against her.

Victor noticed immediately. His own chest tightened, a pulse of helplessness striking him. He reached forward, gently placing his hand over hers. "Mom… Mom, calm down," he murmured, his voice low, steady, almost like a spell meant to push away the shadows clinging to her. "It's okay. I'm here."

Anna's trembling persisted. Her breath was shallow, rapid. Even as Victor murmured reassurances, she panted, shivering under the invisible weight, her fingers curling reflexively around his.

Ben stepped closer, wrapping a firm hand over her other shoulder, grounding her. "Anna, breathe," he said softly. His deep voice cut through the haze of fear, steadying the trembling with its solidity. "We're all here. Nothing will happen to him now."

Anna's lips quivered. She nodded slightly, but the tremor in her body didn't fully subside. Victor gently squeezed her hand again, pressing his thumb into hers. "Mom," he whispered softly, "look at me. I need you to breathe. I need you to trust me."

She swallowed, finally lowering her gaze to meet his. Her eyes were wide, filled with dread but tempered by the faintest spark of hope. She exhaled slowly, almost painfully, letting herself absorb a fragment of his strength.

"Now, son…" Anna's voice, still trembling, carried a weight that made Victor's chest tighten further. "When you know everything, I believe… I believe you'll understand why I cannot let you participate in this competition. If the other side of my family… if they find out who you are… they will kill you. I beg you… please, son. Please."

Victor blinked, his mind flashing, processing. "Mother… what are you talking about? Please… explain everything. I need the full picture. Otherwise… all I can do is rush forward, and I might make a mistake. I might bring danger to you… to Ania… to Father."

Anna's gaze flinched slightly, as though the sound of his words struck too close to truth. She swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling, fingers tightening slightly over his. "Victor… I… I cannot explain fully yet. Not now. You need to understand — I'm not saying this to scare you. I'm saying this because I cannot bear to see you… lost. Taken from me."

Victor's eyes narrowed slightly. A trace of frustration, of resolve, and of careful calculation began threading through them. He knew, in the deepest part of himself, that her warnings were a shield, a barricade to protect him. Yet the flame of his ambition, of his instinct to act, burned hotter than fear.

He tilted his head slightly, forcing a small, half-smile. "Mother… what are you saying? I don't understand. All I hear is that I should stay away, that I cannot know. But you know me. You know I cannot simply step aside. If you truly think they pose a threat, then I need to see it with my own eyes. I need to understand who is behind this… and why."

Anna flinched at his words, pride and panic flickering across her features. "Victor… I… I am not trying to stop you because I don't believe in you. I am trying to stop you because the consequences… they are too severe. Too final. I've seen what they can do. I've felt their power. I've survived… but you…" Her voice cracked, caught in a breath, and she shivered again, the invisible force of dread tightening around her.

Victor leaned closer, resting his forehead lightly against hers. "Mom… I understand your fear. I do. But if I don't confront this, if I don't know the truth… then every move I make will be blind. I need to know, I need to see. And I promise you… I will return safely. I will protect Ania. I will protect you and Father. But I cannot stop because I fear what I cannot see."

Anna closed her eyes, a tear slipping free despite her control. Victor brushed it away gently. "I'm not asking permission because I want rebellion, Mother. I'm asking because I want your blessing… and your truth. Only then will I promise to go forward responsibly."

Ben's hand rested on Victor's shoulder, a firm anchor. "Anna… he's right," he said quietly but firmly. "If he is to understand, if he is to survive and grow, he needs to know. Holding him back from the truth will not protect him. It may even endanger him."

Anna opened her eyes, tears glimmering, met with Victor's unwavering purple gaze and Ben's steadfast blue eyes. For a moment, silence swallowed the room, heavy and suffocating. The weight of years, of secrets, of unspeakable threats pressed down on them all.

Victor took a slow, measured breath. His hand tightened slightly around Anna's. "Mother… can you listen to me? Please. Let me hear the full truth — everything. Why you stop me. How the other side poses a threat. Who they are. If you agree to tell me everything… I promise I will not enter the competition until I fully understand. I will not act recklessly. But I need to know. I need to see. Only then can I promise you safely."

Anna's lips trembled. Her body shivered again, but this time under the weight of resolve rather than fear. Her hands squeezed his back. Ben placed a hand over both of theirs, a quiet show of solidarity.

Victor's voice softened, but the intensity remained. "Mother… I am not asking to defy you. I am asking to protect you. To protect Ania. To protect all of us. But I cannot protect anyone if I am blind."

Anna's breath hitched. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, but she no longer resisted. Her trembling began to subside as she absorbed the firmness of Victor's resolve. The fire of his conviction had broken through the armor of her fear.