Leo clenched his fists beneath the covers, his jaw tightening as Fan’s words echoed inside his skull.
He hated it.
Hated being forced into decisions he never wanted to make, pushed into corners he never walked into willingly.
Every part of him wanted to scream, to reject the twisted logic she was feeding him, but deep down… he knew there was no way out.
The cult had his family, and Leo wasn’t strong enough to save them on his own yet.
They had him by the balls, and he had no choice but to cooperate.
"You may not know anything about the prophecy. You may not understand the title of the Dragon," Fan said, her voice calm but firm, "but fate has already begun weaving itself around you."
Leo looked away, his heart thudding with silent rage, but Fan continued before he could speak.
"This cult you currently dislike… is fighting for its survival. We’re not the villains you think we are. A great evil is rising, and if we don’t act, it will consume everything. Your bloodline wasn’t born to live quietly. It was born to stand at the heart of this storm."
She stepped closer, her eyes locking onto his with unwavering intensity.
"You can try to look away. You can pretend that if you run far enough, live small enough, hide deep enough… the war that’s coming won’t reach you. But it will."
Leo’s breath caught in his throat as her next words cut deeper than any blade.
"You and your family carry the blood of the Timeless Assassin, and for that reason alone, the so-called Righteous faction will never let you live in peace.
They’ll hunt you. Relentlessly. Across planets, across systems, across lifetimes if they have to." Fan warned, as Leo sat in silence, trying to process it all, but it felt like drowning.
Like he was being forced to breathe underwater while the weight of destiny pressed down on his chest.
"You don’t have to fight for the cult. You don’t have to fight for me. But you do have to fight. Because if you don’t, you’ll lose everything, if not now then later." Fan said, as she folded her arms and took a step back, her voice softening just a little.
As her words settled in, Leo felt his rage begin to waver.
He didn’t like any of this— not the situation, not the pressure, and certainly not the idea that fate or some destiny could dictate the course of his life. But from the weight behind Fan’s voice, from the way her gaze never faltered, he could sense that this was bigger than him… perhaps far bigger than anything he had ever known.
And so, swallowing his pride and setting aside his base instinct to rebel, he made the wiser choice for once.
*Sigh*
Exhaling slowly, he looked her in the eye.
"Fine," he said. "Tell me everything. What is the cult really? What is this Dragon title you keep talking about? And what did you mean when you said a great war is coming?"
As nodding, Mu Fan did her best to explain to Leo the exact situation he found himself in.
"The supreme beings of this universe are called Gods," Fan began, her voice calm but resonant, as if every word carried the weight of history.
"They are immortal, untouchable, and eternal— beyond the reach of time, death, or decay.
No mortal blade can pierce them, no mortal spell can harm them, and no mortal can outlive them."
She paused, letting the silence sit heavy before continuing.
"But this invincibility… It breeds arrogance. It turns divinity into tyranny."
Her gaze drifted toward the window, as though seeing beyond it.
"Three thousand years ago, the universe was a different place. A darker one. Mortals on countless planets lived in fear, praying to gods they could neither understand nor disobey. A single mistake, a delayed offering, or even a defiant thought could result in entire civilizations being wiped out overnight."
She turned to face Leo again, eyes steady.
"Any warrior who dared rise past the Transcendent realm was viewed as a threat… and eliminated. Dreams were silenced before they could bloom, as back then, the idea of justice was just a pretty word with no teeth."
"But that’s when our cult was born. The Cult of Ascension. Not as heretics, not as rebels, but as resistance. As the last hope of mortals."
She leaned in slightly, her voice quieting.
"Our founder was no ordinary man. He was the first to unlock a method where mere mortals could unite and slay a god. And not just that—he ascended. He became divine himself. Not by birthright. But by blood, sweat, and the will to protect."
Leo felt his heart race.
"They called him the Timeless Assassin. And for a thousand years, he brought terror to the divine. One by one, he hunted the tyrant gods and struck them down, restoring balance and kindness to a universe that had forgotten both."
Fan’s voice trembled, just slightly, as she said the next part.
"Under him, the Cult of Ascension rose to rule the stars. We became the governing body of the known universe, and under our rule, mortals thrived for a couple centuries, but unfortunately it didn’t last."
Her expression darkened.
"Two thousand years ago… came the Great Betrayal. The surviving gods joined forces in secret and ambushed our creator.
They killed him first. And then they turned on the cult, driving us back to obscurity, as we fell from the stars into the shadows."
"And yet, in our darkest hour… we found hope."
Leo blinked. "Hope?"
Fan nodded. "A prophecy. Left behind by the founder himself. It spoke of a descendant, someone born from his bloodline who would rise and finish what he started. Someone who would become the next Timeless Assassin and avenge his death."
"And that descendant… within the cult is called Dragon."
Her voice softened again, yet remained firm.
"Over the last two thousand years, over five hundred candidates have been chosen. All of them hunted. All of them killed. Because the so-called Righteous Alliance— the same forces of gods who banded together to betray us— fear what that prophecy means."
Leo’s hands clenched beneath the sheets.
"And that’s why," Fan continued, "whether you want to or not, they will come for you. If not now, then later. If not you, then your son. Or your grandson, for this war is not something you can outrun… not with the blood of the Timeless Assassin flowing through your veins."
She let that sink in before delivering the final truth.
"At any given time, the cult only recognizes one Dragon candidate. One legitimate heir to the Timeless Assassin’s legacy, so if you become that heir… the cult will then stop grooming your father and brother for the throne, and release them from the path."
Her voice dipped, turning almost gentle now.
"Becoming the Dragon is cruel. It’s a path of isolation, war, and pain. But tell me, Leo, if someone must bear it, who would you rather it be? You… or your family?" Fan asked, her voice fading into silence, as Leo closed his eyes, because the weight of her words had already settled inside him, like a burden he could neither refuse nor escape.