Ex rank talent Awakening: 100% Dodge rate

"How do you know all these things?" Greg asked, suspicion still lingering in his voice. Though he tried to sound firm, a note of vulnerability slipped through—he wanted answers, but he feared what those answers might mean.

Sabbah, unmoved, looked at him with an expression that blended pity and reverence. "Because I found out about it," he said. "The truth… hidden away by time, buried by vows. But unlike most, I didn't turn away from it. I chose to dig deeper."

He paused, his voice becoming quieter, almost reflective. "My ancestor was loyal to your bloodline. I inherited that loyalty—but I also inherited his silence. For years, I stayed quiet, convinced it was for the greater good. That revealing your identity would place you in more danger than keeping it buried ever would. But not anymore. Your presence, your rise, your actions… they've created ripples too large to hide. The world will soon remember what it once forgot."

He took a step closer. Shadows trailed his movements like loyal servants. "Not that I mind," he added, his tone sharpening. "When a lion hides its claws and forgets to roar, it ceases to be a king. I won't let you be reduced to that."

Greg felt his heart beat faster. The weight of expectations, of legacy—of being someone greater than he ever imagined—threatened to smother him.

"Then what about Kate?" he asked, clinging to something tangible. "Why did you raise her? What was your goal?"

Sabbah's expression softened for the first time. "The moment I confirmed your existence, I knew you would walk a lonely path. So I chose to raise someone who could walk it with you."

He exhaled slowly, folding his arms behind his back as if recalling something bittersweet. "I had many daughters, but Kate… she was different. Her eyes held resolve, her spirit radiated purity, and her love—her love for you was real. I needed to be certain. That her loyalty belonged to you, not me. That when the world turns its blades toward you, she'd be willing to stand between you and the storm."

Sabbah's gaze sharpened. "And she passed that test. Even when she believed I meant to harm you, she never hesitated to defy me. She placed you above all else. That kind of loyalty… it cannot be faked."

Greg's throat tightened. He'd never thought about it before, but Kate… she had always been there. Quiet, devoted, stubbornly loyal. Even when he doubted her, even when he pushed her away, she never left his side.

"You're not using her?" he asked again, his voice quiet but urgent. "This isn't some scheme to get close to me?"

Sabbah raised a hand, and the air seemed to freeze. A pressure descended, not from anger, but from the sheer density of his power.

"If I wanted something from you, I would take it," he said simply. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already. You are strong, Greg. But I am still a family head. Don't mistake patience for weakness."

The pressure lifted.

"Now, enough talk. Grow stronger. I'll handle the hidden families for a while. Let them believe you've allied yourself with me—that should keep them cautious. In the meantime, Kate will remain here. She needs to be refined, tempered. I will make sure she becomes someone worthy of standing beside you."

He extended his arm. Shadows unfurled from his sleeves like tendrils, coiling around the room.

Greg's voice cut through them. "Wait—just one more question."

The shadows paused.

"If you hidden families are so powerful," Greg asked, eyes burning with pain, "why did you let the demons invade? Why did you let my parents die?"

For the first time, Sabbah didn't answer immediately.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low. Almost hollow.

"We made a vow," he said. "To act only in the shadows. To let the world forget us. If the demons wished to rule humanity, it was not our concern—so long as they didn't threaten our own domains."

He turned, not meeting Greg's eyes. "As for your parents… Helping them would have meant exposing myself. The other heads would have seen it. They would have guessed something was special about you. The greed of the hidden families knows no bounds. If they had found out who you were too soon…"

He turned back, this time locking eyes with Greg. "You would not be standing here now."

Greg's fists clenched, but he said nothing. The shadows surged again.

"Rest well," Sabbah said. "And grow. The real trials have not even begun."

Darkness consumed him.

---

"I could've stopped that teleportation," Greg muttered, staring into the void that now replaced Sabbah. "I could've stopped him… if only I was strong enough."

The silence that followed wasn't peaceful. It was heavy. Suffocating.

His mind spun back to his battle with Drakonix—the sheer helplessness, the brutal awareness that his dodges, his invincibility, meant nothing in front of a true monster.

"What if he had an absolute concept?" he whispered. "That would've been it. No escape. No do-overs."

It hit him like a storm—he wasn't untouchable. Not even close. His 100% dodge rate? A gimmick. One that had given him false hope, made him feel like a god… until he faced something real.

"I was arrogant," he admitted, voice bitter. "Overconfident. Blind."

He looked down at his trembling hands. "I want to change. I want to be smarter. Wiser. More careful…"

His voice faded.

"But I know I won't."

He let out a shaky breath, his chest tightening.

"I've taken my revenge. I've destroyed Kyle. The man who ruined my life, stole my parents, took everything. He's gone. And yet…"

He stared into the dark.

"…death wouldn't be so bad now, would it?"

---

* * *

Elsewhere…

"You truly are your ancestor's successor, Sabbah," a calm voice echoed through a grand, lightless chamber. "Your actions mirror his—balanced, calculating, loyal to the core."

"Ancestor Daniel," Sabbah said with a respectful nod, standing in the middle of his vast, shadow-coated estate. He wasn't surprised. He had felt the arrival the moment Daniel entered this plane. He always did.

Daniel, the first to awaken among the absolute concept wielders, materialized in a sleek chair made of shimmering particles. His form radiated the quiet weight of ancient power, but his demeanor was relaxed, even warm.

Unlike his fellow Originals, Daniel chose solitude. No family, no descendants. He remained the judge—the one who resolved disputes between the old giants when peace faltered.

"I see you've met the boy," Daniel said with a mild smile. "What do you think of him?"

Sabbah didn't answer immediately.

"He's decent," he finally replied. "He's awakened two concepts already. His instincts are sharp. His will is firm. But…"

"But?" Daniel prompted.

"But he's still far from ready. The enemies he'll face won't be like anything this world has seen."

Daniel nodded, folding his hands. "Considering how easily his mother empowered fifty warriors to the peak of mortal strength… his enemies must be titans. And yet, I see promise in him. In his pain. In his rage. That spark—it could become a sun."

He leaned back, eyes distant. "I hope he fulfills her wish. For all our sakes."

He stood slowly, his presence dimming.

"But until then, keep this to yourself. The other families must not know. Greed will consume them, and war will follow."

With a flick of his fingers, Daniel vanished into stardust.

Sabbah lingered in silence. The weight of destiny hung over him like a storm.

"If I can't help Greg directly…" he muttered, "then I'll help him through her."

---

In a cold, stone chamber deep within his estate, Kate glared at the man before her.

"I already told you," she spat. "I'll never betray him. I don't care what you do to me. I'll die before I help you hurt him."

Sabbah didn't reply. He looked at her for a long moment—her trembling fists, her fierce gaze, the unwavering steel in her voice.

And he smiled.

"Good," he said softly. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Now… let's begin your training."