CHAPTER 295: THE FRACTURED BLOODLINE [ 3 ]

The conference room was steeped in an eerie silence, a quiet that felt almost tangible.

Only the gentle hum of the holographic projectors whispered through the air, echoing the internal storms brewing within each family member present.

The walls shimmered softly with a constellation of crests,twelve once, now eleven plus one,intertwined in glowing lines of light.

Those symbols reflected in their eyes, creating a tapestry of uncertainty and tension.

At the head of the table stood Arthur, his hands clasped behind his back, framed against the luminous web of history that flickered around them.

He let the silence stretch on as if testing their patience; yet every gaze remained fixed upon him, heavy with anticipation and unease.

When he finally broke the stillness, his voice sliced through it like a knife. "You’ve heard the names. You’ve seen our history but do you truly understand why?"

Every head leaned forward slightly, breaths caught in their throats.

"Why did the Osborn family break away from the others? Why are we now scattered fragments while they stand united? Why has our place among the twelve been erased from memory,buried so deeply that even you, our own bloodline, grew up unaware?"

His gaze swept across the table, lingering on each face; some flinched under its weight while others held it fiercely, desperate for answers.

Arthur turned toward the screens behind him and dimmed all but one crest,the Osborn sigil,now glowing defiantly at their center.

Lines extended outward again into moving diagrams: maps, ancient charters, fragments of shattered alliances.

"The answer," he said slowly and deliberately, "is betrayal."

Gasps rippled through the room. Ashley gripped her chair’s edge; Julian’s jaw clenched tightly.

Nathaniel leaned forward sharply as if trying to grasp what was unfolding before him.

"The eleven other families,the Whitmores, Valerians, Draemonts, Ravencrofts,they all turned against us,"

Arthur continued with a steady cadence. "Not just one or two... all of them joined forces to push us out. And when they succeeded? They rewrote history itself until it seemed like we never existed at all."

"Why?" Oscar’s incredulous voice pierced through their shock. "Why would they risk destroying something so absolute? The Twelve ruled together! What could possibly drive them to this?"

Arthur nodded slightly,a recognition of Oscar’s insight,but then he delivered a startling truth: "I don’t know."

The admission hung heavily in the air; for Arthur to confess ignorance unsettled them more than any certainty could have done.

"But here’s what I believe," he pressed on with conviction: "Something lies within Noctis,a treasure or secret that tempted those eleven families enough to shatter their unity and betray us."

His words lingered like smoke in still air.

Margaret frowned, her voice soft yet cutting through the tension like a knife. "So you’re telling me... this wasn’t just politics? Not rivalry or ego? It was about... a resource?"

Arthur turned slightly, his gaze steady on her. "Perhaps. A resource, a secret, a weapon, call it what you will. Whatever it was, it belonged to Noctis and since Noctis was ours, the other families saw us as an obstacle."

Billy finally found his voice, though it came out hoarse and bewildered. "But what could be so valuable that eleven families would risk everything for it? Something hidden right here in Noctis? What is it?"

Arthur’s eyes dropped momentarily to the table before lifting again. For the first time, a shadow crossed his expression,an acknowledgment of limits.

"I don’t know," he admitted quietly. "Even after months of searching, with Evolon’s reach and agents combing through archives across Panterra... the trail ends in silence. Records wiped clean,accounts burned to ashes. Whatever it is remains buried."

He let those words linger in the air.

Uneasy glances exchanged among family members; some frowned at the mystery while others bristled at its implications. Ashley shook her head as if trying to clear away a fog of confusion.

Edward muttered under his breath, and Emily clasped her hands tightly in her lap, her knuckles turning pale.

Julian spoke next, his tone steady but laced with tension. "So they united against us? They took our seat at the table, erased our name from history, scattered our branches like leaves in the wind? But why are you telling us this now, Arthur? What’s your endgame?"

Arthur studied him for a long moment before stepping closer to the table and placing his hands on its cool obsidian surface.

"Because," he said firmly, "whether we grasp the reason or not, we must confront the truth: We weren’t cast aside because of weakness; we were struck down because we stood in their way,something they desperately desired. Our betrayal wasn’t an accident; it was by design."

His voice deepened with conviction. "And if something on this continent warranted unity among eleven families to claim it back then... it’s still worth something today."

The weight of his words pulled everyone’s thoughts toward one inevitable conclusion.

Nathaniel broke the silence with a low voice that seemed almost hesitant as he asked, "You’re saying... you intend to find it?"

Arthur didn’t smile or blink; he simply nodded once with determination. "Yes."

A murmur rippled through the room as whispers buzzed between cousins like bees around honeycomb.

Margaret’s expression sharpened as she began racing ahead with possibilities while Edward shook his head slowly, lips pressed into a thin line of concern.

Evolon’s hologram flickered to life behind Arthur, its sleek silver form towering with an angular elegance.

Its voice, calm yet resonant, echoed through the chamber like a distant thunderclap.

"The data confirms patterns of suppression, redacted archives, and converging trails around Noctis. The probability of a hidden asset or secret resource is statistically significant but specifics remain unknown."

As the words settled in the air, they sent a chill racing down everyone’s spine.

Ashley finally exhaled, her voice barely above a whisper. "So everything we are... everything we thought we knew... is just an illusion?"

Arthur straightened his posture and replied firmly, "No,everything we are is truth. The lie is what they’ve built to obscure us and now you see through it."

He swept his gaze over them once more, his voice dropping to an intimate murmur. "This knowledge is dangerous but it’s also power. That’s why I’ve held onto it until now. Because now... now we’re ready to act."

The silence that followed was thick but transformed; it was no longer shock but something more potent,resolve, fragile yet forming under the weight of Arthur’s conviction.

Margaret broke the stillness with a quiet but steady voice. "So the question isn’t why they betrayed us anymore; it’s what we will do now?."

Arthur inclined his head slightly, a hint of approval flickering in his eyes.