The **dining hall** was silent, except for the quiet sound of Klaus eating his breakfast.
He was **starving.**
After all, he had been unconscious for at least a **month.**
While he ate, **no one else touched their food.**
They just stared at him.
Aesla had a **gentle smile** on her lips, as did the others, but beneath that smile, **questions burned in their eyes.**
When Klaus **finally finished**, he wiped his mouth with deliberate slowness, then looked up at them.
And with a **small, almost bitter smile**, he spoke.
**"Actually… I was dead."**
The room **froze.**
Everyone's smile **vanished** instantly.
A cold chill spread through the air, the weight of his words **hanging like a curse.**
Klaus leaned back slightly, his golden eyes dull as if he were staring into **nothingness.** His entire aura shifted—**a haunting, heavy presence** filled the room.
And then, he took a long, deep breath.
**"I was dead. Truly, completely dead."**
His voice was **low, distant**, as if recalling a nightmare that had **burned itself into his very soul.**
**"My soul was almost destroyed."**
Aesla **inhaled sharply**, and Arthur's fists clenched.
**"I was trapped… in a place of pure darkness."****"**
His voice **trembled slightly**—but that was **all an act.**
Klaus was **good** at this.
**"I could hear all of you…"** he continued, his voice quieter now. "Your voices, your cries… but I couldn't respond. I was stuck there, watching, unable to do anything… I was so close to breaking.**
His golden eyes flickered with something **dark.**
**"They planned it well."**
Everyone in the room **stiffened.**
They knew exactly who he meant.
The **Kingdom. The other noble families.**
**His enemies.**
A cold rage settled in the air.
But Klaus wasn't finished.
**"But then… something changed."**
He let his words linger, watching their expressions carefully.
**"I wasn't alone in that darkness."**
Everyone's breath hitched.
Klaus exhaled, his fingers curling slightly.
**"There was… someone else there."**
His words sent a **chill** through the room.
Even before he continued, they all knew—**whoever it was, it wasn't ordinary.**
And then he spoke the words that sent a **shockwave** through them all.
**"An Ancient God."**
A sharp **intake of breath.**
Even Arthur, a powerhouse, **visibly tensed.**
Anything related to a **God** was **never simple.**
Klaus let the tension build before continuing, his voice almost **casual.**
**"We made a deal."**
He recounted his **conversation with Kek, the God of Darkness and Chaos.**
Of course, he left out some details—the **system,** the full extent of his **powers**—but he gave them enough to **understand.**
And then, with a **painful smile**, he looked at them.
**"If you think what I did was wrong… if you believe I have brought shame upon the family, then you may do whatever you wish to me."**
His voice was **calm**.
But his next words **burned.**
**"I did what I had to… for my survival.**
**For our survival.**
His golden eyes **darkened.**
**"Because they're going to come for us.**
**The Kingdom. The Chosen Ones.**
**They won't stop until we're erased."**
Silence.
Then—
A **deep chuckle.**
Klaus's grandfather.
The old man **smirked**, his eyes shining with **pride.**
**"It doesn't matter what you did."****"**
He stood up, his gaze fierce.
**"All that matters is that you're back. That's the only thing we care about."**
He placed a heavy hand on Klaus's shoulder.
**"Because for us, you are the most important thing."**
His **smile** widened into something **chilling.**
**"And if we have to destroy this world for you—"**
**"We would gladly do it."**
Aesla nodded, her crimson eyes burning with **unwavering devotion.**
Arthur, the strongest celestial powerhouse in the family, **smiled** as well—**but it wasn't warm.**
It was **cold. Merciless.**
Klaus felt the system's notification flicker in his mind.
**[System Notification: Host, you are truly something else. You fooled them all completely.]**
Klaus mentally scoffed.
**"Maybe… not being able to feel emotions isn't such a bad thing after all."**
He looked at his family—**the most powerful beings in the Kingdom—**and **smiled.**
**A soulless, merciless smile.**
**"They're going to pay for what they did."**
His voice was a whisper.
**"And I will teach them… and the entire world… why they should fear offending a Blake."**
A dark **chill** filled the room.
His family **smiled back**—the same cold, merciless **smile.**
And in that moment, **a storm was set in motion.**