CHAPTER 67: EX 67. TRUE HERITAGE

Even though Elizabeth now understood how she was born, the deeper concepts still tangled her thoughts like an unsolvable riddle. Her eyes lowered in confusion as she whispered internally, "Bloodline...? Saint rank...? Aren’t Supreme-ranked talents supposed to be the highest?"

Diana, ever perceptive, noticed the furrow in her daughter’s brow and smiled gently.

"Elizabeth, you should know... among all the races connected to the Trial World, we humans sit somewhere in the middle."

Elizabeth’s gaze lifted slowly. Diana’s tone was calm, but her words carried weight.

"There are races above us—older, stronger, and far more refined. Because of their innate biology and spiritual makeup, they can manifest talents far beyond what we consider the peak. What we call Supreme... is merely ’exceptional’ in human terms. Among higher races, it’s not the ceiling—it’s the floor."

Elizabeth’s breath caught in her throat.

The Federation—the entire structure of society—treated bearers of Supreme talents like living legends. Icons. Now she was being told they weren’t even close to the true apex?

Her world didn’t just tilt—it cracked.

"Then..." she began slowly, voice almost trembling, "how far is Saint rank from Supreme?"

Diana’s lips curved awkwardly. "I... don’t know."

Elizabeth blinked. "You... don’t know?" The disbelief in her voice was sharp.

But the slight, almost embarrassed, expression in Diana’s golden eyes told her everything—she was serious.

"Your father said it once. Just in passing," Diana explained, brushing a strand of Ebony-Black hair behind her ear. "And honestly, I didn’t press him for details. I didn’t want to disturb him."

Elizabeth stared. The great Diana Queen. Defender of the southern regions. Too shy to ask a question?

In what world was that possible?

What kind of spell did her father cast to make a woman like her mother act like this? she wondered, stunned beyond words.

Sensing the awkwardness deepening, Diana coughed softly, trying to reset the tone.

"Ahem... but while I don’t know about the full structure of talent ranks," she continued, "what your father did explain was the synergy between my bloodline and my talent. And that part, Elizabeth, is crystal clear."

Elizabeth leaned in, pushing aside the confusion. Despite the storm of revelations, she knew this next part held the key to understanding who—and what—she truly was.

Diana smiled knowingly, her golden eyes calm as she spoke.

"Across every race, in every individual, the bloodline they possess has a fixed purity," she began, her voice steady like a teacher sharing a long-held truth. "This purity determines how close you are to the original race—what your father called the Primordials."

Elizabeth blinked, stunned. "Primordials?"

Diana nodded. "Yes. According to your father, the Primordials were the first beings to exist in the universe. Every race that walks the stars today—humans, dragons, titans, seraphs, demons—all of them descended from these original race. The higher the purity of your bloodline, the closer your essence is to that origin... and the more flexible your body becomes in adapting or merging with others."

Elizabeth furrowed her brows, still absorbing the scope of the revelation. "So how does that affect my birth?"

Diana smiled faintly. "Because the lower your bloodline purity, the more rigid your biology becomes. Crossbreeding between races with vastly different origins becomes dangerous, even impossible. But with a high enough purity... that resistance fades."

Elizabeth went quiet, processing, this added a new depth to what she already knew. Still, one more question tugged at her mind. "But... what does your talent have to do with all this?"

Diana gave a soft laugh. "You know my talent already. Primal Bloom—it lets me nurture and raise any beast to its full potential, no matter its nature or origin."

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "Right... it’s how you raised all those high-tiered mounts..."

"Yes," Diana said, her voice dipping lower, more serious. "But you see, when I conceived you... your father suspected that my talent wasn’t just about beasts. At its core, Primal Bloom nurtures life itself. It helps living things adapt... evolve... grow beyond their limits. Even ones still in the womb."

Elizabeth’s eyes widened. The realization struck like a silent thunderclap.

"So... you’re saying..." her voice dropped to a whisper, "you used your talent to help me grow?"

Diana looked at her daughter with warmth and pride. "Not used. It happened naturally. My body recognized your blood—recognized him. It responded. It didn’t reject it. It nurtured it. In a way... you were my greatest bond, Elizabeth. Not just my child—but the first creature my talent ever nurtured into perfection."

Elizabeth’s hand moved to her chest, where her heart pounded with quiet awe.

"It’s like... I’m a beast raised under your care," she muttered.

Diana chuckled. "You’re not wrong."

Elizabeth wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at that.

Diana’s voice cut through Elizabeth’s thoughts like silk over steel.

"Since your dragon blood has awakened," she said calmly, "you’ll need to begin training. The abilities that come with it aren’t passive, Elizabeth—they’re ancient, powerful, and volatile. Luckily, your father prepared me for this day."

Elizabeth nodded slowly, her expression composed even though her heart thudded with anticipation. She wouldn’t see Leon for a while... that much was clear. But by the time she did, she’d be stronger—maybe strong enough to protect him for once.

A small smile tugged at her lips as that thought warmed her heart.

Then, as they continued walking through the serene garden, Elizabeth glanced sideways and asked curiously, "By the way, Mum... do you happen to know Father’s name?"

Diana halted mid-step, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then a soft, almost mischievous smile graced her face.

"Make sure you never forget it," she said, her voice carrying weight like a prophecy.

"You may bear the name of a queen by maternal right, Elizabeth... but the blood burning in your veins is more than noble."

She stepped forward, her golden eyes gleaming with quiet reverence.

"It is the essence of Ignatius Sol Tarhim—the Great Dragon of Shadow, Harbinger of Death and Destruction... one of the Seven Emperors of the Void."

Elizabeth’s breath caught in her throat. But Diana wasn’t finished.

"That... is your true lineage."

For a moment, all Elizabeth could hear was the wind in the garden, rustling the petals of the ancient flowers around them. And deep within her chest, something stirred—a power, dark and majestic, waiting to rise.