The Young Master in the Shadows

He has locked himself in the royal library’s secret room. he was going to perform a forbidden ritual.

The angry shouts of the guards who were pounding on the door with their heavy axes did not faze him. These doors were meant to keep people out. This ritual was his last hope.

He didn’t have enough data and was unsure if this would work. But he didn't have much time left. It’s now or never! His lifespan was already over, and he would not live to see the morning's sun anyway. He could barely use his shaking hands to hold the black book and activate it with a drop of his blood when the iron doors were blasted open and the world turned white.

…

The headache made him wake up.

"Where am I?" Victor thought.

Looking around him, he saw that he was laying on a big bed in the center of a lavish room with a high, decorated ceiling and ornamented wallpapers.

He had succeeded.

It was a huge gamble, but he pulled it off. He had just returned 200 years to the modern age, to the time when he was still a teenager.

He is now in his old room. He lived in here when he was a kid. This is the mansion of his father, who is one of the elders of the Von Weise family, one of the five hidden families who control the old continent. His name is Victor Von Weise, one of the family heirs.

His childhood here was not a happy one. Although he was one of the family's legitimate heirs, he had a weak body. He failed to master the family's secret art, which all the decedents were required to practice. His failure led to him having lower status than his peers.

After that, he was barely qualified in the coming of age ceremony, a ritual that every true Von Weise has to go through. So he was assigned a minor role in the family where he was able to enjoy life for a few years.

But his life changed when he was led to a trap by his enemies. And he had to break a family rule to save a friend. But in this kind of family, Rules can't be broken, so he was kicked out and had to live the next 20 years in suffering and poverty.

Then the Reckoning night came, that's what they called it. That day when the rules of the world evolved.

Numerous things changed that night, and one of them was his destiny. He was able to awaken his noble bloodline.

When he returned to the family to prove himself and take what's rightfully his, it was too late. His family seemed to have angered some rising hero and were wiped out in one night, leaving the land where its mansions once stood tall a desolate ruin.

No one survived, And all of his loved ones were dead. And he could do nothing, that guy was very powerful, another league type of powerful.

He wandered around the new world as a loner for a few years, then settled down, fell in love, and had a family. But the past always hunted him. The one who annihilated his family back then found him. And from his mouth, Victor learned about what happened back then.

That man, after wiping out the Von Weise family, discovered the truth about their immortal bloodline.

He wanted it for himself. But he had already ordered the death of everyone in the family. So he had been hunting for Victor ever since, and he had just found his prey.

He captured Victor with his children and killed his wife who was deemed useless. Then he brutally extracted their essence blood using an artifact leaving them to die.

Victor survived thanks to a lucky chance. But he was hurt badly, and he knew that he would eventually die as he could feel the immortality granted by his bloodline was fading.

He returned to his ancestral home and began to dig in the burnt ruins. He uncovered many secrets there and was able to extend his life by a few decades. But alas no way to restore his bloodline.

His family was only beginning to discover its marvelous uses when they were annihilated.

He spent the next decade in research and study, and then, by a pure coincidence, he heard about the black book. People knew it was precious since it had a SSS rank artifact, but it was pretty much useless. Its power is Time Travel. But despite its enormous activation cost, you can only go back in time for one second if you use it. And you can only return in mind, not in body.

For others, it could only serve as a collection and research item. An extravagant one at that. But, for him, who had seen a similar treasure in his travels and knew about a little bug, it was an amazing treasure. He had some hope at last.

To go near the book, he had to take the job of a librarian in the Royal Library where it was kept, and after many years of hard work, he was able to get close enough to it to study it then activate it.

Now he is back. He is going to live a fulfilled life. He will use his knowledge to create a power that no other can rival. And those who hurt him before would pay a heavy price, even if the world itself shelters them, like that guy.

"First things first," he thought. First, he has to set the things in the family right and prepare his cards for the reckoning at the same time. It's never too early to prepare. The reckoning signs are already there, but only those with good eyes and ears have noticed.

The world today is like a child, who will hit puberty at that night. In the current world, the rules are yet to be solidified. The world is like a child who is still naive. Many people got their chances around this time. And now he is going to be the bad uncle who cheats this child.

He searched under the pillow for his phone, and there it was, with its shiny gold plated back. He remembers he used this during his first year in high school. It was a gift from his mother for finishing middle school.

Looking at the time. It was now 5:16 am, the 21st of June. It was in the summer break, and He will have to start high school in September. But that was not the vital thing. What really matters is the coming of age ceremony, which will happen tonight.

All pure blood male members in the family would live under the care of their parents until they reach adulthood. Where they would be taught family literature and martial arts.

But after the ceremony, they would be granted resources depending on their test results and were expected to do family assignments in the outside world.

Luckily he returned at the right time. If he was late by just one day, things would have been a little troublesome.

He jumped out of bed, took off his shirt, and inspected his sickly body. Just as he remembered, he had a small stature, his skin as white as snow, and had a beautiful face, he inherited it from his mother. His silky hair is a dark shade of purple-gray inherited from his father. This purple hair is a unique feature in his family. There were many speculations and rumors about the reason for this color, but he knew it. He learned about it when it was too late, the unique otherworldly bloodline of his family. He has to awaken it as early as possible. Perhaps in the ceremony tonight, there will be a chance.

Looking beyond the curtains, out of the huge window near his bed, he could see the expansive forest surrounding the mansion and vaguely glimpse at the roofs of his uncles' and relatives' mansions on the horizon. He could faintly make out the sound of sea waves in the distance. He was on an Island. And this entire island was part of his family's base, which only the pure blood descendants and their servants can live in.

At precisely 6:00 am, there was a light knock on the door.

A beautiful woman stepped in. Her name was Olivia, one of the maids in the mansion. He remembers her well. She was one of his father's trusted servants and maybe a little more than that.

"Young master, I am here to wake you up. The master has instructed that you should be ready for breakfast at 6:30 in the first dining room."

Victor nodded his head. "I understand. I will be there on time."

The maid bowed, then stepped back and closed the door on her way out.

He took a quick shower and then changed his clothes while recalling all the information about his family.

His father had three official wives in addition to countless concubines and lovers.

His mother was the second official wife of his father, and that is because of him, his brother, and two sisters. All of them have purple-gray hair and a pure bloodline.

"Only women who give birth to bloodline heirs are eligible to be wives." the 317th family rule dictates.

When his father met his mother, she was just a little model who wanted to score with his super-rich father. But after she gave birth to his eldest sister, she was quickly canonized as an official wife.

As for the children who have no bloodline, they are considered illegitimate. If they are talented, they would be given a chance to serve the family. If not, they would just be given some money and education, then left to live their lives. Many successful entrepreneurs and business owners are just illegitimate children from such families.

Looking out of the window at the rising sun on the horizon over the forest. "It's time." he thought.

A knock on the door, a petite young maid stepped in, she looked at him nervously. "Young master, do you need any help? the mistress asked me to lead you downstairs".

"No, I am ready. Let's go." Following the maid, he stepped out of the room and closed the door.