Celestial Emperor of Shadow

The World She Hid From Him

The room felt too still, like the air itself was holding its breath. Anna leaned closer, her hand still in Victor's, her voice trembling even though she tried so hard to steady it.

"Victor," she whispered again, her eyes locked on his, "listen carefully… because every word I speak now could mean the difference between life and death. Everything you know about us, about this world, about your family… it's about to change. You must understand… before you act."

Victor drew a slow breath through his nose. His shoulders eased, not relaxed, but controlled—he carved out just enough calm inside himself to stay sharp. His pulse beat fast, but his expression held that quiet, unflinching stillness he'd learned to cultivate. "Mother… I am listening. Please. Tell me."

The faint curve of Anna's lips wasn't joy—it was sorrow trying to hold itself together, a mother grateful her son was strong enough to hear what she'd avoided for years. Her fingers, cold at first, warmed under Victor's grip as if his presence alone anchored her fears.

She inhaled, deep and quiet, and the first thread of truth slipped out.

"The other world… the one I told you not to approach… it's called Origin."

Ben stiffened behind Victor. Even he hadn't known. His eyes widened sharply, jaw tightening as he stared at his wife, stunned by the name she'd never uttered before.

Anna continued, her tone soft but coated in gravity. "Origin isn't like this world. It looks similar, it feels similar… but it is richer. Thick with mana. Blessed with ancient energies. Families, clans, entire kingdoms thrive there, wielding power that this world can't even imagine."

Victor felt the weight of her words sink into him. Origin. The name alone felt like a door—one he had never known existed—suddenly swinging open in his mind.

Anna squeezed his hand tighter. "Every major clan in Origin holds a bloodline. Real bloodlines. Not stories. Not legends. These bloodlines decide power, talent, destiny. They shape everything."

Ben whispered under his breath, "Bloodlines… real ones…" He sounded shaken. Victor could hear the astonishment scraping through each syllable.

Victor leaned forward slightly, his brow furrowing. "Mother… you're telling me Origin has… different cultivation? Or something beyond it?"

Anna flinched, looking away for a heartbeat. "Victor… that part… not now. You're not ready for those details. Not yet."

He opened his mouth to push, but she shut her eyes tightly, shaking her head. "Please, son. Not that question yet."

Victor let the conflict pass through him—urge to know, urge to demand—but he swallowed it. He didn't loosen his grip on her hand, but he didn't push further either. "Fine. Then continue. If I shouldn't know that yet… then tell me what I should."

Anna took another breath, deeper this time, as though she needed strength to walk forward with her own truth.

"My family," she said slowly, "comes from Origin. From one of the powerful bloodline clans. A clan called Purpuris."

Victor blinked. The name hit him harder than he expected.

Ben's jaw dropped. "Purpuris? Anna… you said— you never…" His voice trailed off in disbelief.

Victor's thoughts moved quickly. Purpuris. The name sounded ancient, old enough to echo through stone. He looked at Anna's purple hair, her purple eyes—gifts she'd passed to him.

He whispered, half stunned, "Purpuris… You mean… your entire clan has—"

"Yes," Anna whispered softly, meeting his gaze without flinching. "All of us. The hair. The eyes. The lineage. The power. Everything. And you inherited your eyes from me."

Victor's heart thudded once, heavy. He'd always known he looked different, but he never connected it to something as deep as bloodline heritage. "Mother… you're telling me you were someone… high-ranking?"

Anna nodded slowly, her eyes reflecting a tired pride she hadn't shown in years. "In Origin… the Purpuris clan is one of the strongest. Not the strongest, but far from ordinary. And I… was the young miss of the clan."

Victor felt the shock run through him cleanly this time, a quiet jolt shooting through his spine. "You… were a young miss? Mother, that's… that means…"

Ben whispered, "You were royalty there…"

Anna didn't deny it. She just looked down, a shadow crossing her face.

Victor leaned a little closer, voice lower. "If everything was that good… if your clan was powerful… if you held that position… then why… why did things turn out like this? Why are you here? Why stay hidden? Why never tell me anything?"

Anna's expression shifted instantly—something dark, something heavy. A cloud passed over her features, tightening her jaw, sinking her gaze with the weight of memories she'd buried deep.

Victor saw it immediately: the way her fingers curled slightly, the faint tremble at the corner of her lip, the look people get when touching a wound that never truly healed.

He softened his voice. "Mother… what happened?"

Anna swallowed, her throat bobbing visibly. Her eyes lowered to their joined hands. She didn't answer—her breath hitched, barely audible, her gaze darkening inch by inch.

Ben stepped closer, a shadow of worry across his face. "Anna…"

She didn't move.

Victor tilted her chin up gently with his free hand, guiding her eyes back to his own. "Mother. Please. Say it. I need to understand."

Her lips parted slightly.

Because… Because…

But the words didn't come. Only a faint tremor slipped through her breath, her eyes tightening with a pain so raw it looked as if the truth itself had carved its way deep into her chest and refused to be touched.

The air tensed around them, holding its breath.

Victor's heartbeat paused, hanging on her silence.

Anna finally managed to whisper—soft, fragile, terrified.

"Because…"

But nothing followed. The rest of the confession caught in her throat, strangled by whatever memory had risen to the surface.

Her expression dimmed, her gaze drifting somewhere far away, pulled back into a moment she clearly wasn't ready—or able—to face yet.

And the chapter ended there, suspended on the edge of revelation, with a truth powerful enough to twist Victor's entire fate hanging unspoken between them.