Chapter 549 — On That Night

[A Distance away from Military Police Headquarters]

Felix Onyx stood on a mountain’s edge, his body perfectly still despite the wind that tore at his black Military Police uniform.

The distant field stretched below, white with falling snow, small figures moving like insects across blood-stained ground.

His hands remained at his sides, fingers spread slightly, his breathing controlled and measured.

The moment Kinsley’s hand had risen toward Damian’s head, Felix’s body had moved without conscious thought.

But then the Sage’s voice had resonated directly into his mind, cutting through his intention like a blade: "There’s no need for you to do anything now. She won’t let him die."

His jaw had clenched, his legs coiling to launch anyway.

’I don’t trust your words, Sage.’

His Aura flared, reality beginning to bend, then something had stopped him completely.

A strange power had wrapped around his body, holding him frozen mid-step like someone had pressed pause on his existence.

He couldn’t move and couldn’t do anything except watch as events unfolded.

The dimensional tear opening, golden light blazing, Azareth emerging with eight wings spread wide.

The decree that made Damian untouchable, the protection granted by powers beyond human comprehension.

And through it all, that strange force kept Felix locked in place, unable to intervene even if he’d wanted to.

Only when everything finished, did the power finally release.

Felix took a breath, the first one since being frozen.

’It looks like... he really was safe after all...’

The thought settled with weight that pressed against his chest.

’The Sage was telling the truth. But what if that damn–’

Before his mind could process further, a voice cut through the mountain wind.

"Despite never acknowledging him as your grandson, you still appeared here to save him."

The words landed like stones in still water.

WHOOSH

Ignis materialized directly beside him, her crimson mask catching light, her Director’s uniform pristine despite the falling snow.

Felix remained perfectly still for three heartbeats, his eyes tracking the distant field.

Then his voice emerged, quiet but carrying clearly.

"My daughter loves him."

A pause, weighted with meaning.

"My granddaughter loves him."

His hands clenched fractionally at his sides.

"And now even my wife loves him."

He turned his head slightly, finding Ignis’s masked face.

"What else can I even do?"

Silence fell between them, broken only by wind howling across stone.

Ignis’s masked face remained pointed toward the distant field, her posture rigid.

"And you?"

Her voice emerged softer than before, carrying something underneath.

"You don’t care about him?"

Felix remained perfectly still, his expression showing nothing.

The question hung in the cold air, unanswered and heavy.

After a long moment, Ignis’s posture shifted slightly, her attention pulling away from that particular thread.

"Did you understand what the Young Lord said today?"

Her tone became more focused, professional despite the personal conversation moments before.

Felix’s eyebrows drew together fractionally, his mind replaying Damian’s words.

"According to him, everything that happened today was orchestrated by the Oracle."

His voice carried confusion mixed with something sharper.

"But I don’t understand the goal. Did she want to reveal his identity? Why would she do that when it was Lord Desiderius who saved their World of Humility when Envy invaded?"

His hands spread slightly, the gesture almost helpless.

"The Light Bearers of that world owe everything to the Bloodworth family. Their survival, their world’s continued existence, all of it traces back to what he did for them years ago."

He paused, breathing becoming audible.

"And even if her goal was exactly that, even if she wanted his identity exposed for some reason I can’t comprehend..."

His voice gained edges despite remaining quiet.

"Then why did she declare him the Child of Light? Why grant him divine protection that makes him untouchable by the Demigods?"

His hands clenched into fists.

"Why try to get him killed, only to save him immediately afterward?"

Ignis remained silent for several long moments, her masked face tracking across the distant sky.

Then her voice emerged, carrying certainty that made each word land with weight.

"The Young Lord already gave us the answer, didn’t he?"

She turned slightly, her crimson mask facing Felix directly.

"The goal of every player is to create the version of the future they want."

Felix’s confusion deepened, his eyebrows drawing together further.

"I don’t see how that explains this situation."

Ignis’s posture shifted, her hands clasping behind her back.

"Everyone who followed My Master knows something without a shadow of doubt."

Her voice became harder, carrying conviction born from decades of observation.

"No Bloodworth has ever controlled their instincts when their people are threatened... Not even Lord Desiderius himself."

She paused, letting that settle.

"You cannot separate a Bloodworth from their protective instinct any more than you can separate water from wetness."

Felix opened his mouth, then closed it, understanding beginning to form at the edges of his thoughts.

"By all logic, considering that truth..."

Ignis continued, her voice never wavering.

"The Young Lord’s identity should’ve been revealed today. There was no possible outcome where he watched his people die one by one without the Blood Sovereign activating."

Her masked face turned back toward the distant field.

"I knew that. Kinsley knew that. Everyone who understands what the Bloodworths are... knew that."

Felix’s mind raced backward through the scene, replaying what he’d observed.

"But the outcome was the complete opposite."

His whisper emerged rough, disbelieving.

"He somehow managed to kill his own friend with his bare hands. Made everyone believe he couldn’t possibly be a Bloodworth."

He turned to face Ignis directly, his eyes blazing.

"How?"

Silence fell between them, heavy and suffocating.

Then Ignis spoke, her voice emerging as barely above a whisper.

"Seventeen years ago, why do you think I was the first one to arrive at the Bloodworth estate?"

The question seemed to come from nowhere, completely unrelated to what they’d been discussing.

Felix’s expression shifted, confusion replacing his earlier intensity.

"I... I don’t know..."

His mind tried to remember that night, tried to piece together who’d arrived when.

"I always assumed it was because your portal was closest... wait, shouldn’t you be at–"

"Because on that very night..."

Ignis’s interruption came soft but carrying edges that made Felix go still.

"Lysander Eckhart came running into the portal I was stationed at."

The name landed like a physical blow.

Felix’s breathing stopped completely, his entire body going rigid.

"He was... crying."

Ignis’s voice dropped even lower, becoming almost inaudible.

"Begging me to save everyone. Screaming about how they were all dying..."

Her hands clenched at her sides, fabric rustling.

"But he arrived too late. I moved as fast as I could, tore through the void to reach the estate..."

A pause, weighted with old pain.

"And by the time I materialized in the courtyard, everything was already over."

Silence crashed down between them like the world had stopped breathing.