novelraw Chapter 11 : Secrets Shared
Chapter 11 : Secrets Shared
The smoke hadn’t even cleared when the door creaked again.
“Mother? Rooga? What happened—?”
Elara’s voice.
Selene froze, clutching me tighter. But it was too late—my sister stepped into the room, eyes widening at the wreckage. The shattered window, the scorched walls, the fire still hissing on broken furniture.
And me.
Soot-streaked, trembling in Mama’s arms, tiny hands still sparking faintly.
Elara gasped. Her wooden practice sword slipped from her shoulder, clattering to the floor.
“Rooga…?”
Selene stood sharply, half-shielding me behind her. “Elara, go back to your training.”
But Elara shook her head, her lips trembling as her eyes locked on me. “That was… magic. Wasn’t it? That wasn’t you, Mother. That was him.”
Selene’s jaw tightened. Silence was an answer on its own.
Elara stepped closer, ignoring the smoke, ignoring her mother’s warning glare. She crouched down, peering at me. Her hands reached out, hesitant, almost reverent.
“You… you’re amazing.”
I blinked at her, still dazed, my HUD quietly pulsing with the reminder:
[Violent Spark – Capable of Evolution.]
[Requirement: Acquire skill – Great Fireball.]
Amazing? I’d nearly burned down the room. But in her eyes, I saw no fear. No disgust. Only awe.
She smiled through the smoke, fierce and proud. “Don’t worry, little brother. I’ll protect you. Even if you’re different. Even if the world doesn’t understand.”
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Selene’s lips parted, but no words came. She only tightened her hold on me, a mix of sorrow and relief in her eyes.
And in that moment, I realized something.
To Mama, I was a secret to protect.
To Elara, I was a miracle to defend.
And to myself? I was becoming something neither of them could yet imagine.
After the incident, Mama stopped pretending my magic was play.
At night, when the house was quiet and Elara finally collapsed into sleep after training, Selene would slip into my room with a candle.
She’d sit on the floor, cross-legged, and pat the cushion beside her.
“Come here, Rooga.”
And there, under the faint glow, she began teaching me in earnest.
How to breathe with mana.
How to let it flow through veins instead of fighting against it.
How to listen to its rhythm, rather than forcing it.
She demonstrated, and I copied. My HUD blinked steadily with every attempt:
[Mana Manipulation – 68% → 71% → 74%]
Each night, progress ticked upward.
Sometimes my sparks fizzled. Sometimes they scorched the blanket. Once, I froze the candle solid instead of lighting it. Mama laughed so hard she nearly fell over, her silver hair glowing in the dim light.
“You really are different, my Rooga,” she whispered, pride and fear mingling in her eyes.
But we weren’t as secret as she thought.
One evening, as I strained to hold a spark steady in my palm, the door creaked open. Darius stood there, shadow tall against the flickering candlelight.
My heart jumped. Selene stiffened.
He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. His eyes—sharp as always—lingered on my glowing hand, then on Selene’s smile.
For a long moment, silence pressed heavier than any training.
Then he exhaled slowly through his nose. “…You’re teaching him magic.”
Selene’s lips parted, ready to defend herself. But before she could speak, Darius looked away. His shoulders sagged, just slightly.
“You always smile like that when you teach,” he murmured. “Like when we first met. Back at the warfront.”
Selene froze, eyes softening.
He stepped back into the hall, voice quiet but firm. “Do what you will. But remember… he is also a Valemont. Our blood is of the sword. Don’t let him forget that.”
Then he left, door closing behind him.
Selene’s hand trembled as she brushed my cheek. A bittersweet smile curved her lips. “Your father… he notices everything. But he loves us too much to take this from me.”
Her eyes glistened. “From us.”
I looked at her—at the woman the world once feared, the woman my father trusted, the mother who held me tighter than any power.
And I thought: If I can’t protect this family with sword or magic, then what’s the point of reincarnating at all?