Chapter 16: Fragments of the Past

  The pearl’s warmth still lingered in Cassian’s chest, faint but constant, like an ember waiting to flare into flames. Its presence unsettled him, but it also fueled his determination. Tomorrow, he would step into a life that wasn’t his, a name that carried the weight of power and tragedy.

  But the voice—its cryptic words echoed in his mind like a haunting melody. “You’ll understand in time.”

  Cassian sighed, the faint hum of the kitchen clock his only company in the moonlit silence.

  Just then, the sound of soft, shuffling footsteps broke through his thoughts. He turned to see Sky standing in the doorway, his tiny form silhouetted against the shadows, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

  “What happened? Not sleeping?” Cassian asked, his voice quieter, softer than he intended.

  Sky yawned, covering his mouth with his small hand. “No, no, I’m sleepy… I just came to drink water and….”

  “And?” Cassian prompted, watching the boy curiously.

  Sky hesitated for a moment, glancing at Cassian with drowsy but serious eyes. “Brother, are you not going to sleep? You need energy for tomorrow. Pretending to be my brother… that’s going to be tough, isn’t it?”

  Cassian leaned back against the counter, arms crossed as he studied the boy. “I don’t know, Sky. I’m not sure how your brother behaved or what he was like. It could be… tricky.” He sighed, tilting his head as he thought aloud. “To cover for it, it might be best to tell people I’ve lost some of my memories. If my behavior seems different, they’ll just think it’s because of memory loss.”

  Sky frowned, his sleepy face creasing in concern. “That’s a tough idea, Brother. If you say that, and the other families find out the heir of the Starfall family has memory loss, then….”

  Cassian raised an eyebrow. “You know, I think you’re too smart for your age.”

  Sky’s frown disappeared, replaced by a small, proud smile. “That’s what Mama said too. I already passed the Beginner-Elementary exams in the academy. She called me a genius.”

  Cassian’s eyebrows rose. “Beginner-Elementary level already? Then you’re in Intermediate-Elementary, right?”

  Sky nodded, his smile widening. “Yup, I’m in Class 4. My brother Cassian was in the Advanced Level, Class 12. He’s a genius too! But….” His voice trailed off, and he lowered his gaze. “He was held back a lot by family stuff. When Papa wasn’t home, he’d be the one to handle everything. He never said it, but I think it made him really tired.”

  Cassian’s chest tightened at the boy’s words. The weight of responsibility at such a young age—it resonated with him more deeply than he cared to admit.

  “Oh!” Sky suddenly exclaimed, his face lighting up as if he’d just remembered something important. “I almost forgot! I have my brother’s diary!”

  Cassian straightened, his interest piqued. “His diary?”

  Sky nodded eagerly. “Uh-huh! He used to write in it every day. He said it helped him keep track of important things. I still have it in my room.”

  Cassian stared at the boy, a mix of emotions swirling in his chest. A diary… it could be the key to understanding the life he was about to step into. To pretending to be someone he wasn’t.

  “Go get it,” Cassian said finally, his voice steady but low.

  Sky nodded and scampered off toward his room, his bare feet pattering softly against the floor. Cassian remained where he was, the faint tension in his muscles refusing to ease.

  He didn’t know what he’d find in the diary—if it would even help. But as the moonlight filtered through the window and the pearl’s warmth pulsed faintly in his chest, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

  Minutes later, Sky returned, clutching a worn, leather-bound book in his tiny hands. He held it out to Cassian with a look of quiet reverence. “Here. Brother’s diary.”

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  Cassian took it, the weight of it surprisingly heavy in his hands. The leather was soft and slightly frayed at the edges, the cover bearing faint impressions from years of use. He ran his thumb along the edge, hesitating for a moment before flipping it open.

  The pages were filled with neat handwriting, precise and clean, but the words themselves were what struck him.

  “The Starfall legacy is a burden I never asked for. But if it means keeping Sky safe, I’ll bear it. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  Cassian’s breath caught as he read. The words were simple, but the emotion behind them was raw, unfiltered.

  “Brother always wrote about everything,” Sky said softly, his voice breaking the silence. “Even the things he couldn’t say out loud.”

  Cassian closed the diary gently, his grip tightening around it. “Thank you, Sky.”

  The boy smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Goodnight, Brother.”

  As Sky disappeared down the hallway, Cassian remained in the kitchen, the diary in his hands and a storm brewing in his chest.

  The heir of the Starfall family. A life he’d never wanted, a legacy he didn’t belong to.

  But now, it wasn’t about what he wanted.

  It was about survival.

  And, more importantly, about Sky.

  With a deep breath, Cassian opened the diary again, the first rays of dawn creeping through the window as he prepared himself for the role he would have to play.

  The kitchen felt heavy with silence, broken only by the faint rustle of pages as Cassian flipped through the diary. His eyes scanned line after line of meticulous handwriting, his disbelief growing with each passing entry.

  The contents were more than just daily musings. They were observations, carefully cataloged and analyzed.

  Notes about the staff who worked at the Starfall estate, some marked with red circles and warnings like “Untrustworthy” or “Potential spy”.

  Detailed evaluations of his classmates at Zenith Academy, complete with their strengths and weaknesses.

  And lists—lists of connections, alliances, favors owed, and favors granted.

  “What is this?” Cassian muttered under his breath, his brows knitting together. “Did he conduct… a survey on everyone around him? This isn’t a diary—it’s a manual for navigating the Starfall family’s world.”

  The sheer detail was overwhelming, almost obsessive. Cassian could see the younger Cassian Starfall's mind at work, the endless calculations behind every move he made.

  A knot formed in his stomach as he realized the weight of the role he was about to take on. It wasn’t just pretending to be a brother or an heir. It was stepping into the life of someone who had meticulously built a fragile web of trust and deceit to survive.

  And then, as if the diary itself was mocking him, a loose piece of paper slipped free from between the pages, fluttering silently to the floor.

  Cassian crouched down, picking it up, his fingers brushing over its slightly worn edges. The writing was different—sharper, more rushed, as if it had been scrawled in a moment of raw emotion.

  He read the words aloud, the faint tremor in his voice betraying his unease.

  “I wear their trust like a mask, fragile and fleeting, while beneath it, my truth carves paths they’ll never see coming.”

  Cassian stared at the note, his heart pounding in his chest. The words hit harder than they should have, resonating in a way he didn’t fully understand.

  It wasn’t just a reflection of the boy who’d written it. It was a warning.

  “This isn’t just research,” Cassian murmured, his grip on the paper tightening. “This is survival. He didn’t just live in their world—he thrived in it by staying ten steps ahead of everyone else.”

  The weight of the Starfall legacy pressed heavier on him now, the enormity of what it meant to be Cassian Starfall sinking in.

  This wasn’t just a game of pretending to be someone else. It was stepping into a battlefield where trust was a weapon and betrayal was inevitable.

  He folded the note carefully, tucking it back into the diary before closing it with a soft thud.

  Cassian looked out the window, the first rays of dawn creeping across the horizon, painting the world in shades of gold and orange.

  “This… this is going to be harder than I thought,” he whispered to himself.

  But as much as the thought of stepping into the late Cassian Starfall’s life terrified him, there was no turning back.

  Sky depended on him.

  And whether he liked it or not, this is the only way to his survival, and this was his reality now.

  With a deep breath, he placed the diary on the counter and headed toward the couch, his mind already racing with plans for the day ahead.

  The Starfall villa. The academy. The role of heir.

  He had no choice but to play his part.

  And somehow, some way, he would survive.