Transcendent Gene
Chapter 147: Atmos Clan [5]

Chapter 147: Atmos Clan [5]

The death of Gio’s mother.

It was indeed the start of everything, but it was also a massive lie fabricated by his father.

"Fifteen years ago, our clan reached the peak of its power. We were truly great, but perhaps we became too big."

Fifteen years ago, two weeks after Gio’s birth, the Atmos Clan faced a large-scale attack from a mysterious force.

They charged into the clan and killed its masters. They were far stronger than most of the clan’s forces, leading to a one-sided slaughter that barely ended without the extermination of the clan.

Back then, Kyrian did everything he could to save the clan. It was due to his sacrifice that all of those alive today were still able to breathe.

And as the story went, when everything was over, he found his wife dead, cradling the baby in her arms.

"Our clan lost almost all of its power that day. Your mother died, and I had no choice but to hide you. In our time of need, people did not line up to help us. They tried to swallow us. I wanted you to stay in Asphodel or Pangea, but the ship transporting you to the Warp Gate was attacked on the way. They had no choice but to travel to the last destination set in the machine."

Rather than the 3rd or 4th Stratum, he ended up in the 6th that way.

And when he was there, to prevent anyone from making a connection between Gio and the Atmos Clan, the soldiers left him alone.

They watched him from a distance and made sure he was fed, hiding from sight so he would never remember the clan’s insignia. When he was eventually taken in by another group, they left.

They should have known better than to trust Scavengers.

Kyrian tried his best to ignore what he’d learned about Gio’s upbringing. It hurt him greatly to even think about what his son had to go through.

The best he could do was make things better now.

The reason he brought it up in the first place was never to focus on bad memories.

"It took many years after you were sent away for the clan to regain some sort of stability. I wanted to bring you back instantly, but I couldn’t. Despite our status, we were still being watched. You...there’s no better way to say it, but you were evidence that the events of the past did happen. Bringing you back would have opened up a can of worms that we wouldn’t have been able to handle."

It was another excuse, really. Kyrian was still skirting around the main point.

"What does that have to do with the mansion being empty?"

Gio pushed him back on track, forcing him to smile wryly.

"Haa, then I won’t avoid it any longer. Though it was impossible for me to bring you back, I was remarried at a point. You have a younger brother and sister waiting for you in this mansion."

That particular fact sent Gio over the edge. When he first found out that his father had new children while he was still suffering in the Wasteland, he found it unforgivable.

Those grudges...

Really, they were only resolved in death. He started to understand that none of those past grievances mattered in the face of the relationship they could have had.

He never gained closure, but in his heart, he’d forgiven his father’s sins. His half-brother and half-sister, on the other hand, had no sin to begin with. It was never a sin to be born.

Besides, they had a pain similar to his own to bear.

"Their mother was a kind woman, but our marriage was nothing more than a political move. I was willing to learn to love her, however, it never came to be. She passed away two years ago. I have been taking care of those two alone since then."

That part of the story was true. The fact that he’d been widowed twice wouldn’t change regardless of the facts. Even if Gio’s mother was alive, that didn’t change.

"I came here with an open mind," he said.

"I won’t judge you for what happened in the past because there’s nothing we can do about it anyway. I would rather focus on building relationships for the future."

He set down his cup and faced his father.

"You don’t need to feel concerned about approaching topics like these. I don’t feel the resentment you think I have."

His real resentment was elsewhere.

Because his father’s sins and his own struggles were all caused by the betrayal of a single woman.

’Elizabeth Ashen.’

The woman who was his birth mother.

’I believed that she was dead for a long time. I believed it until she appeared in front of me as an enemy aiming for my life.’

His mother did not die on that fateful night 15 years ago.

No, she was the reason why such a one-sided slaughter occurred. She was the one who gave the enemy information about the mansion and its defenses.

She, Elizabeth Ashen, was not the person she said she was.

Gio’s own mother, his own flesh and blood, was an unspeakable name and a traitor.

She didn’t coddle him and try to save him in her last moments. She tried to kidnap him and escape with the enemy.

When Kyrian stopped her, she attacked him and wounded him. Forced to fight his own wife, what could he do? He was barely strong enough to defeat her, but the heart to kill her didn’t exist in his body.

He was only able to take back his child while telling her to leave and never appear again.

It was unknown how long she’d been serving the enemy. It was unknown who even the enemy was until that moment when she appeared again.

’She stood with them; with VNGRD.’

She stood with them as they returned to finish the job and exterminate the Atmos Clan.

The tangled fate between Gio and his family, between Kyrian and the world; all of it was the fault of that woman.

So he would never resent anyone in this household for her misdeeds.

His father was naturally unaware of what he knew. Nobody outside the highest authorities of the world should have known.

He was merely glad to hear that his son was willing to accept his new world with open arms.

"Come with me," he said, standing up.

"I can answer any more of your questions while we walk. I’ll introduce you to your siblings. You should also get to know the Head Butler and the Head Maid. If you want to get anything done, you just have to let them know."

Gio quickly swept away his useless emotions. His mother was a ghost. The only way to find her was to wait for her to find him.

Until then, there was no need to think about her.

There was no place for killing intent in this house. Gio would much rather keep this place free of such emotions for eternity.

And ironically enough, the first thing he needed to ensure that such a thing became an impossibility was within the grounds of this estate.

’The second half of my Bloodline Sequence...’

Once the introductions were out of the way, it was his top priority to secure it.

’And with the number Raymond gave me, accessing the facilities I need will be easier than I expected.’

He was in Arcadia now. He had no intention of taking things slowly.

Today and only today, he would take the world in one step at a time.

From tomorrow onward, he would only advance by leaps and bounds.