"Husband!" Ezra slammed her hand down. "Have you lost your mind? Why did you agree to that... that deviant?"

"He's clearly a pervert!" Nina cried. "He wanted to touch you!"

"Nyx broke his bones and he didn't care," Luna pointed out, her face pale. "That man is not human. He is a monster wearing human skin."

"Correct," Nyx said calmly. She swallowed her steak. "His bone density is low, but his regenerative factor is 400% higher than a human. He is a hybrid. Plant and Human."

Judas raised a hand to silence them. He picked up his water glass, his expression darkening.

Summer, who had been silent until now, observing Judas with her sharp crimson eyes, leaned forward. "You heard something, didn't you? Something we didn't."

Judas nodded. He looked at his wives, deciding not to hide this from them. They needed to know the stakes.

"When he spoke," Judas lowered his voice to a whisper, "he projected his voice into my mind."

Judas paused, his thumb tracing the rim of the glass.

"He called me 'Young Master'."

The table went still.

"Young Master?" Ezra frowned. "Like... a noble?"

"Like someone he serves," Judas corrected. "Or someone he used to serve."

He looked down at his own hands. The hands of a body he had inhabited for months, but whose history was a black hole to him.

"You all know I woke up one day with nothing," Judas said. "No memories. No past. Just the name Judas Iscariot. I assumed the original owner of this body was just some poor farmer who died of bad luck."

He clenched his fist.

"But a poor farmer doesn't get recognized by a Captain of the Judiciary in the Dragon Region. A farmer isn't called 'Young Master' by a monster like Valerian."

"So..." Nina tilted her head. "Husband was a Prince?"

"Or a criminal," Luna suggested helpfully. "Or a runaway noble."

"Whoever the 'Old Judas' was," Judas said, "Valerian knows him. And judging by the fact that he had to use telepathy and a fake public persona to talk to me, my identity is dangerous. If people knew who I was... it would cause trouble."

"That explains the act," Summer mused, tapping her chin.

"He played the role of a horny deviant so no one would question why he invited a stranger to his private estate. If anyone asks, it's just Valerian seeking pleasure. A perfect cover."

"Exactly," Judas nodded. "So I have to go. I need to know who I am. I need to know if I have enemies I don't know about yet."

"And if it's a trap?" Ezra asked, her hand resting on his arm.

"Then I have you guys," Judas smiled. "I'll go in alone as requested. If he dares to do something funny…"

"We level the place," Nyx finished, picking up another piece of steak. "Understood."

"Good," Judas stood up. "Now let's finish eating. I have a date with a cross-dressing plant-man at sunset, and I need to figure out if I'm a lost heir or a wanted fugitive."

Sunset. The Jade Pavilion.

The estate sat on the edge of the Upper District, a sprawling compound of white stone and green tiles overlooking the magma falls of the city.

It was beautiful, serene, and reeked of money.

Judas stood before the gates. He had changed into a set of black robes. They fit him better now that he had filled out his frame.

He took a deep breath.

'Showtime.'

The gates swung open silently. No guards. No servants. Just a long, winding path lined with glowing jade statues.

Judas walked in.

He followed the path until he reached the main house. The double doors were open.

Inside, the "Solarium" was bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun.

The room was filled with plants—exotic, moving vines, glowing flowers, and trees that seemed to whisper.

Valerian stood by the window, his back to the door. He had removed the heavy outer robes and the excessive makeup.

He wore a simple, loose green tunic. Without the powder, his face was sharp, angular, and tired.

Valerian turned around. He looked at Judas—really looked at him—with eyes that held a mixture of reverence and sorrow.

Suddenly, the Captain of the Judiciary, the man who terrified the whole city and commanded monsters, dropped to one knee.

He bowed his head, pressing his forehead against the cool floor tiles.

"This servant greets the Young Master," Valerian said, his voice trembling slightly. "I never thought... I never thought I would see the Black Sheep of the Iscariot Family alive again."

Judas stared at the kneeling man. His heart skipped a beat.

'Black Sheep. Iscariot Family. So my surname is the same…'

"Stand up, Valerian," Judas said, his voice cold and commanding, adopting the persona he thought fit the situation.

"Why are you dressed like a courtesan?"

Valerian stood up slowly. A bitter smile played on his lips.

"A disguise, Young Master. After the fall of the family, only a few of us escaped. The rest are…" He shook his head. Judas maintained a blank face. "We thought you died too. But it seems not…"

A smile graced his lips.

"Not only that." He walked over to a table and poured two glasses of wine.

"But you..." Valerian handed him a glass. "You have changed. Your aura... it is different. How could that be? That person had stripped you of the system…"

Judas froze.

"And you bonded with a True Dragon! Although she's just a Grandmaster, she's pure-blooded."

Just a Grandmaster?

"Where were you hiding, Young Master?"

"In the Wastelands.."

"The North? No wonder we couldn't find you. It's a good thing. That's a Wasteland within this Wasteland.."

"Who am I, Valerian?" Judas asked directly. "I have... gaps in my memory."

Valerian's expression softened.

"Amnesia? Perhaps it is a blessing. You are Judas Iscariot. The rightful heir of the Iscariot family. The Administrators of the Systems. We were betrayed by the Systems. No one knew the reason, except that man—the Apocalypse." Valerian shivered.

Apocalypse was a person? Valerian noticed his confusion.

"You don't remember anything?" Valerian knitted his brows. "That's strange."

He continued explaining. When he finished, Judas was in awe.

The Apocalypse was the reason for mana in the world. Its arrival unlocked attributes in humans and made them Awakened. T

he purpose of the Apocalypse wasn't to destroy the worlds, but rather to create an Origin which only activated when the world formed an equilibrium between destruction and defiance.

Origin?

"…He's already so strong. Now if this world reaches that equilibrium, he will reach the Origin. Then it's the end for this world. That man... he wants nothing but destruction."

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