Chapter 99: The Truth (1)

"I always knew you were odd. That you were strange, but also that you were dangerous. Your way of seeing the world was so unique that you were scolded more than once. However, why are you pretending to be a Prophet, big brother?"

The prophet remained silent. He continued watching the fight without reacting or responding. No one knew what he was thinking.

Nevertheless, Zaid remained silent, patiently waiting for his answer. He didn’t think he was wrong.

"Just as I suspected, your personality developed the right way. Too bad your talent is so lacking," he muttered.

The white hood fell over his shoulders. He took off his headband, too. Zaid could see his older brother’s clear face.

Zayn Zachary, one of the most powerful A-Ranks in the kingdom... or so he thought.

However, Zayn’s energy today felt too strange. Zaid couldn’t identify him by his energy because it wasn’t the same as what he’d seen before.

He had a brutal, yet pure energy.

A-Rank? Impossible. Much higher than that...

"You will answer my questions," Zaid said.

"I promised, and I don’t make empty promises." Zayn laughed. "I don’t pretend to be a prophet. I am The Prophet of the Seventh Night."

"I don’t recall you having any prophetic or clairvoyant powers."

"That’s normal. No one remembers, because no one knows. And I don’t even have prophetic powers—I just know how to get things done." Zayn shrugged.

"Who are you, really?" Zaid frowned.

"Your older brother—didn’t you just figure that out?" Zayn turned to look at him.

"I’m not talking about that. I know you know what I mean. Who are you?"

Finally, Zayn sighed heavily. "Even though I say you’re bad at asking questions, sometimes you ask good ones. It reminds me of when you were little."

Zaid fell silent and waited for his answer.

"I’m no one special. I was simply the one who created you."

"The one who created me?" Zaid frowned. "I don’t remember being your son."

"Heh. Your father gave you life... And he took it away, too, Zaid. He’s no longer your father."

"What a surprise. You were in the same room when that happened."

"Yes. And everything that came after was the work of my own hands. Your father is no longer Roger Zachary—he is now the Prophet of the Seventh Night, Zayn."

Zaid frowned even more. "Honestly, I’m even more convinced that you’re weird. I don’t understand you."

"You’re stubborn in some ways and astonishingly intelligent in others..." Zayn sighed in frustration.

"Have you ever wondered why no one in the family has attacked you during this time, even though the brothers who bullied you the most in the past are studying near you?"

"Well, I think it’s because they don’t care."

"And why don’t they care?"

"Because I’m a piece of trash, obviously."

"Heh. If that were the case, they wouldn’t have killed those servants over such a minor issue. Your servant was among them, if you recall."

Zaid frowned. In fact, he did remember that. It was a time when a few servants had discovered some minor family secrets... Roger Zachary had ordered them eliminated. His most loyal servant had been among them.

Now that he thought about it, something was clearly off. Those servants were killed for no reason, and he’d always assumed they did it because they were servants. He’d assumed they didn’t do it to him because he was of the same blood.

But that doesn’t make sense! Given the way Roger and his younger brothers are, the likelihood that they would spare Zaid simply because he was a Zachary was so low that it was more likely to find a Stat Stone in an F-Rank dungeon.

So, why?

Zaid sensed that something was off or interfering with the case.

"Was it you? Did you stop them from acting?"

"I did a lot for you, Zaid. That’s why I think I paid you back what I owed you."

"..."

Seeing Zaid’s silence, Zayn spoke again.

"Didn’t you leave town, even though you knew the Zacharys might kill you? You probably said to yourself, ’I’ll protect myself with the Academy, and they won’t be able to do anything...’ Well, bingo. You got it right. But it’s not that we can’t do anything—if we killed one student or 100, who would stop us? In this new generation, power is what rules, Zaid."

"I don’t understand what you mean."

"What I mean is that you didn’t stay here of your own free will. You stayed because I made you."

"I made sure you didn’t think about leaving. I created an excuse in your mind so you wouldn’t run away—which would have saved you. I needed to see you up close. That’s why you stayed in Toluria."

"My brothers didn’t attack you of their own accord, but because I wanted them to. My father made up a thousand excuses to our mother, because I wanted him to. Don’t you understand what that means? I made them believe that the academy would protect you... even though they know it’s a lie. I made them think that going after you was pointless, because there was no way you could ever awaken..."

"Hehe, nobody ever stopped to analyze that black blood—do you know why?"

"Yes... because I wanted it that way. It was an illusion that everyone believed."

"If the family isn’t after you, it’s because I wanted it that way."

"Wait... that doesn’t make sense." Zaid raised his hand to stop him because he really wasn’t understanding any of it. "Did all that happen because you wanted it to? What are you? The god of fate?" he exclaimed, almost mockingly.

"Hehe..." Zayn laughed, but said nothing. He wasn’t finished yet. "No one discovered your disguise at the adventurers’ guild because I wanted them not to... and they only found you out when I wanted them to."

"I sent you to that place and reshaped who you were. Zaid, you were destined to die to bury the last of the Zachary family’s cursed secrets... But I didn’t want it to be that way. I gave you a new identity. I gave you a new purpose. And I raised you up."

"You know, Zaid? I was the one who brought about your awakening. But you’ve forgotten it. And do you know why you forgot? Because that’s what I wanted.

I guided you along your path and paved the way for you. I was behind who you are now and who you have... Why don’t you thank me?"

This time, Zayn stood up on the windowsill and looked down at the city below him. Then he watched the battle and turned to face a completely stunned Zaid.

"Just say my name again, Zaid Zachary. I am Zayn, the Orchestrator of Events. Your real father."

Zaid felt his mind rumbling. A severe headache made him shudder, and he staggered several steps backward. Not only did his head hurt, but his whole body began to shake.

"Zayn... The Orchestrator of Events..." he murmured. His mind went blank for a moment.