As Lake entered the dining hall he was struck by the view of the city’s skyline through the huge window that stretched all the way across the far wall of the room. As his gaze wandered across the room he was dumbfounded by the sheer richness of the deep mahogany paneling that lined the walls of the Blackheart’s dining room.
In the center of the room stood a sprawling dining table, made from the same rich, dark wood as the walls. At the far end were two people who immediately drew Lake’s attention. His gaze lingered on each of them for a moment.
The man was tall, debonair, , with a few streaks of silver running through his jet-black hair. His facial features were sharp and rugged, giving him a rough yet handsome appearance. He wore a black suit that fit perfectly, accentuating his broad shoulders and his powerful build.
The woman beside him was equally striking with her high cheekbones and sharp amber eyes. She appeared no older than thirty and wore a long black dress decorated with subtle lace patterns.
Lake didn’t need to guess to know who they were.
The man was Arthur Blackheart, the leader of the Blackheart Guild and Kate’s father. Lake had met him once before, during the Prestige attack on Moonbright City.
The woman, though slightly unfamiliar, was easy to identify by her resemblance to Kate and the aura of familiarity she exuded.
Melissa Blackheart, Arthur’s wife and Kate’s mother. She looked at Lake with a gentle smile, her eyes filled with a mix of familiarity and sadness. Meeting her eyes, Lake felt as if she wasn’t looking at him, but seeing someone else in his place.
Kate entered behind him and greeted her parents. Her usual confidence seemed muted, replaced by a rare nervousness.
"Mother, Father, this is Lake." she introduced, causing Arthur to nod firmly.
Melissa, after staring at Lake for a few moments longer, started to step closer to him. Her movements were slow and deliberate, as if each step required great effort.
Lake watched her approach with a puzzled expression. Despite her smile, he could see moisture welling up at the corner of her eyes.
Eventually, she stopped just a few steps away from him. The moisture gathered threatened to break as Melissa tried her hardest to restrain herself from crying.
Unfortunately, her efforts were wasted as a single tear streaked down her face. With that single tear, it was as if a dam had burst as tears continued to flow freely.
"Mom..." Kate watched her mother, shock evident on her face. She had lived for more than eighteen years, yet this was the first time she had ever seen her cry.
The strong, unyielding figure she had known all her life was crumbling before her eyes, and she didn’t know how to react.
Lake saw Kate move toward her mother’s side, her hands outstretched but pausing just before touching her. It was clear she wanted to help but was unsure how.
At that moment, Arthur walked up beside Melissa, gently embracing her and allowing her to cry into his chest as he sighed.
"Both of you, wait outside. Kate, I’ll call you in once your mother has calmed down," Arthur said, softly caressing his wife’s head. His voice was calm but firm, a tone that brokered no argument.
Lake only nodded and was about to leave, but saw that Kate remained still even after Arthur had spoken.
She continued to stare blankly at her mother, rooted to the spot as if moving would shatter the fragile reality around her.
Arthur called out again, his voice strained with force, snapping her out of her daze. Seeing her father’s firm gaze, her body shook as panic filled her eyes. Her mouth remained agape, wanting to speak but simply unable to. Swallowing nervously, she forcefully pressed her lips together before nodding softly and walking out the door.
The door closed with a soft thud, leaving Kate and Lake standing outside in a quiet hallway, the only sound being their breathing.
Kate looked worse for wear, shaken by what had just happened.
Lake sighed but didn’t try to offer any comfort. He knew better than to rashly comfort someone else, especially Kate.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help her; he just didn’t know if he could.
A few days ago, Lake wouldn’t have even thought of having to comfort her. Kate was a mentally strong woman and a brilliant martial artist. She rarely faltered and always picked herself up after failure.
What happened in that room seemed to be a rare exception, but Lake believed she would get over it soon. All she needed was a little time to calm down and process her thoughts.
The most he could do for her was give her the silence and time she needed to recover, and that was exactly what he did.
Lake cast a small silencing spell around them and a purification spell on her.
The purification spell removed all poisons and anomalies, helping the body return to its normal resting state.
Although it did nothing to clear the confusion in her mind, it allowed her frigid and stiff body to relax, giving her a moment of calm to clear the confusion herself.
Kate felt her body relax, allowing her labored breathing to become smooth and her pounding heart to calm down.
The sudden shift in her body’s state caught her off guard, interrupting her thoughts. She hadn’t done anything to cause it, so naturally, the only person responsible had to be the one standing right beside her.
Kate glanced at Lake, staring at his side profile as he looked forward with his eyes closed.
She said nothing and continued to stare for a few seconds longer before looking away, a small feeling of warmth slowly taking root in her heart.
A few minutes had passed since they were asked to wait outside. Lake didn’t do much during this period, only standing calmly beside her. His thoughts lingered on Melissa’s tear-streaked face.
The look Melissa gave him before she started crying—filled with familiarity, love, pain, grief, and longing. Thinking of that look, Lake felt he could roughly guess the relationship between his and Kate’s parents.
"You can come in now." Arthur stood by the open door, looking at them. His face was calm, but there was a slight tiredness in his gaze, a weariness that hadn’t been there before.
Kate took a deep breath before nodding.
Lake followed them into the room and immediately spotted Melissa.
She was sitting on a chair beside the dining table. She was no longer crying, but her eyes were still rimmed with red.
"Mom," Kate said softly as she walked up beside Melissa, holding her shoulders.
"I’m fine, Kate," Melissa replied gently, resting her palm on Kate’s hand.
"Come, sit down on the other side," Melissa continued, turning to Lake. "You too, Lake."
Following Melissa’s instructions, Lake sat on the opposite side of the table with Kate, while Arthur and Melissa sat across from them.
"The food will be here soon. In the meantime, I’m sure the two of you have a lot of questions for us," Arthur spoke with a hint of exhaustion in his voice.
"Mhm," Lake nodded. He indeed had many unanswered questions.
Who were his parents?
How does Kate’s family know them, and why did they seem to know so much about him?
Usually, Lake would have found the answers to these questions himself through the Web of Fate, but both Arthur and Melissa’s fates seemed to be of a higher class than he could observe.
Thinking for a moment, Lake asked, "If you don’t mind me asking, why did you invite me here today?"
It was a simple question, but one that aimed to answer something that had confused Lake since he learned of the relationship between his and Kate’s parents.
Why did they choose to reach out to him now, instead of earlier?
"Hmm, that’s a bit complicated to explain." Arthur pondered for a while. He understood what Lake was really asking, but due to the truth of the matter, he struggled to come up with a clear answer. "How much did Kate tell you about our current situation?"
"She only mentioned that you seemed to know my biological parents. She didn’t give me much detail beyond that," Lake answered truthfully.
"Dear, I think it would be better for me to answer this question," Melissa, who had been quiet for a while, finally spoke up.
Arthur glanced at his wife before slowly nodding.
Melissa took a moment to organize her thoughts as she looked at Lake, a gentle smile still on her face.
"Truth be told, we’ve always wanted to see you for a long time, but due to certain circumstances, it just wasn’t the right time," Melissa said, a tranquil look crossing her face.
"Time?" Lake repeated, picking up on the hidden meaning in Melissa’s words. "Was there something preventing you from reaching out to me?"
"Yes," Melissa replied, a pained look on her face. "Your mother."