CHAPTER 13: The Last Secret
The rain fell harder.
For several long seconds, no one spoke.
The only sound was the steady drumming of water against ancient stone.
Ethan stared at the document in his trembling hands.
CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION
He read it again.
And again.
The words refused to change.
His name.
His birthday.
His parents' signatures.
The official seal.
Everything was authentic.
His entire life...
...had been built on a truth he had never known.
His voice barely escaped his lips.
"What..."
"...is this?"
Father Gabriel closed his eyes.
"I prayed you would never have to learn it this way."
Ethan looked up sharply.
"You knew?"
The old priest nodded.
"So did your grandfather."
"And your grandmother."
"But your parents..."
"They never did."
Silence.
Ethan's father stood frozen.
"What are you talking about?"
Father Gabriel turned toward the elderly couple.
"When Ethan was only three months old..."
"...your son died."
The words hit like thunder.
His mother staggered backward.
"No..."
The priest continued, tears filling his eyes.
"There was a terrible flood."
"Your baby was swept away."
"You searched for days."
"But his body was never found."
His father whispered,
"Our son..."
Father Gabriel looked at Ethan.
"Three months later..."
"A young woman arrived at the chapel carrying an infant."
"She had been badly injured."
"Before she died..."
"...she begged the church to protect her child."
"That child..."
"...was you."
Ethan couldn't breathe.
His mother covered her mouth.
His father slowly sank to his knees.
"No..."
"We raised him..."
"...from a baby."
The priest nodded.
"Your grandfather feared losing both of you."
"So he made a decision."
"He registered the child as your own."
"He believed love mattered more than blood."
Miguel smiled weakly despite his injuries.
"I wasn't the only one..."
"...living someone else's life."
Ethan looked at his brother.
Sixteen years of anger.
Of betrayal.
Of hatred.
Suddenly...
Neither of them truly belonged to the bloodline they had fought over.
Yet both had belonged to the family.
Adrian, who had remained silent, suddenly began laughing.
A quiet laugh that slowly grew louder.
"So..."
"The old man outplayed everyone."
He looked at Ethan with renewed interest.
"That means..."
"...I've been searching for the wrong bloodline all these years."
Father Gabriel frowned.
"You never understood."
Adrian tilted his head.
"Then explain it to me."
The priest pointed toward Ethan's parents.
"They became his family."
"Not because of blood."
"But because they chose him."
Adrian's smile disappeared.
"I don't believe in choices."
"I believe in inheritance."
He stepped toward Ethan.
"Give me the journal."
"No."
"You don't even know what's inside."
"I don't care."
Adrian sighed.
"I hoped you'd say that."
He raised his hand.
The remaining soldiers aimed their rifles.
Before anyone could react...
Miguel grabbed a fallen pistol.
With the last of his strength, he pointed it at Adrian.
"Take..."
"...one more step..."
"...and I'll shoot."
Adrian didn't even look at the gun.
"You've never been able to shoot me."
Miguel's hand trembled.
His finger rested on the trigger.
Memories flooded his mind.
A twelve-year-old boy.
A wealthy man promising him everything.
Threats.
Manipulation.
Years of obedience.
Then...
A family who had loved him anyway.
Miguel slowly lowered the gun.
"I won't become you."
He dropped the weapon into the mud.
Adrian nodded.
"I knew."
He reached inside his coat.
Ethan expected another pistol.
Instead...
Adrian pulled out a small remote control.
Almost identical to the one Miguel had used beneath the chapel.
Father Gabriel's face turned white.
"No..."
Adrian smiled.
"The first explosion sealed the archive."
"This one..."
He looked toward the mountain.
"...destroys everything."
His thumb moved toward the button.
A gunshot cracked through the rain.
BANG!
The remote flew from Adrian's hand.
Everyone turned.
Ethan's father stood twenty meters away.
Holding an old hunting rifle.
His hands shook violently.
"I missed on purpose."
His voice was calm.
"For the first time in my life..."
"I'm protecting both my sons."
Tears filled Miguel's eyes.
"Dad..."
It was the first time in sixteen years he had used that word.
Adrian slowly looked down at the shattered remote.
Then back at the old man.
"You've become inconvenient."
He reached for the pistol hidden beneath his coat.
Too late.
The stone statues moved again.
The glowing inscription on the platform changed one final time.
THOSE WHO SPILL FAMILY BLOOD SHALL NOT LEAVE THIS MOUNTAIN.
The statues turned.
Not toward Ethan.
Not toward Miguel.
Every ancient crossbow locked onto Adrian and Colonel Reyes.
The mountain itself had chosen its targets.
Adrian's calm mask finally broke.
He whispered only one word.
"Run."
May you like
And then every statue fired at once.
End of Chapter 13
