Leonel sat completely frozen, not understanding what it was that he was listening to. He was supposed to be a Dark Prisoner? He was the same as Lionel and the others? What the hell was going on?
“… I know that it might be surprising to you, but this is the truth. Back then, you were still a part of the Royal Family. Though it seems like the Fawkes Royal Family is untouchable as the only family that doesn’t have to rely on democracy, in order to keep this level of mystique, they have no choice but to be perfect.
“The idea of a Prince suddenly becoming a Dark Prisoner wouldn’t have been a big deal initially, but with the coming turmoil, the Fawkes Family couldn’t afford to have any chinks in their armor.
“In the end, as a commoner, #D1109 had his identity erased and became your replacement.”
Leonel frowned, there were too many things about this that didn’t make any sense. If he was already so high profile, how could he be successfully replaced? In addition, what was the point in replacing him if the main issue was the blemishing of the Fawkes Family? Wouldn’t the blemish occur regardless?
However, listening to his Coach’s ramblings, he finally pieced it all together.
The Gene Assessment is technically confidential, this is especially so for high profile individuals. After all, one had to remember that Aina’s Five Star Profession was hidden from most so that she wouldn’t be harassed at school.
However, the Royal Family was different. In order to breed a sense of superiority, the details of a Royal Family members Gene Assessment was always publicized after the fact. But, that didn’t change the initial procedure.
Effectively, the test process itself was secret while the results could be publicized at any time depending on what that might entail.
After their Gene Assessments, both Lionel and Leonel were found to be Dark Prisoners and slated to be imprisoned. Considering the status of Dark Prisoners, even compared to Aina’s Five Star Health Professional title, they were even more secretive than normal. After all, wasn’t the existence of Dark Prisoners a major secret to the public?
Taking advantage of this, Lionel’s family was ‘erased’. By now, Leonel had no doubt that The Empire had taken advantage of the fall of the Paradise Islands to completely wipe them from existence.
However, ‘erasing’ Leonel was much more difficult. The Gene Assessment facilities he had gone to that day were top of the line and filled with influential families. Getting rid of his existence would have been impossible.
So, that was where Lionel came into play. As children, they looked similar enough to pass for one another and thus a new Leonel Morales was born while Leonel himself was sent off to Royal Blue Province to live in peace with his father, his results effectively cutting off whatever chance he had had of living in the spotlight as a Prince.
Understanding all of this now, Leonel couldn’t help but feel sick to his stomach.
He was a Dark Prisoner? He was the same as those madmen and women?
Leonel’s jaw clenched, his body subconsciously leaning back from the body of his Coach. He felt a coldness he could hardly control welling up inside.
Thinking back to Lionel’s last words… ‘I… Just wanted to see my mother…’ … Leonel felt as though a knife was being plunged in and out of his chest.
Lionel didn’t have a name, he didn’t have a family, and his only purpose was to find the woman that Leonel’s own family effectively erased from existence.
Leonel should have been able to accept it. After all, Lionel was going to be a Dark Prisoner regardless of his existence. In all likelihood, his family would have had to be dealt with regardless. This shouldn’t be a burden that Leonel had to bear.
But, was it really like this? Wasn’t Leonel also supposed to be a Dark Prisoner? Why wasn’t his family erased? Why was it that he was the one who could sit here and pass judgement on a man he was technically no different from? What right did he have?
Was he really worth more than another person because his background was greater? Did he deserve more chances because he was more talented? Was this really the kind of world he lived in?
A dark fog hung over Leonel.
“Yip! Yip!”
The little mink tried to wake him up from the top of his head, yet Leonel couldn’t seem to hear the little guy. In fact, even Coach Owen’s ‘last words’ practically fell on deaf ears.
Leonel seemed to run into this time and time again. It was a kind of survivor’s guilt that followed him since the very start of the Metamorphosis.
Leonel couldn’t help but think back to a conversation he had with Roaring Black Lion all those months ago…
~
“It’s funny to watch them, don’t you think?”
Leonel chuckled slightly. “What do you mean by that?”
“They’re separated into two groups. One group is too cowardly to go and wouldn’t dare risk themselves. The other is also too cowardly even though they’re pushing for us to go. They have no intention of putting themselves in the line of danger at all. They’re only so adamant because they think we’ll take on the brunt of the troubles for them.
“Which one do you think is worse?”
Roaring Black Lion did find this clown show to be quite funny. All of those powerful enough to actually make a difference weren’t even speaking. Those like Leonel, him, Thunderous Clap and even King of Seas’ group, were all in their own little corners of the cave. It was like they were allowing the weak to make the decision for them.
The truth was that since they were the most powerful, they suffered the most to get them here. How could they have the energy to mind this argument? Most of them already made their own decision.
“Which is the worst?” Leonel thoughtfully smiled for a moment. “Probably the seven of us who aren’t speaking at all.”
~
Leonel felt like that right at this moment. He felt like he was one of those useless seven once again, not speaking, not doing, just basking in his own talent and allowing the commoners to squabble about as they pleased, knowing that whatever decision they came to wouldn’t matter to him in the slightest because he could just do want he wanted regardless since he had the larger fist…
And it left him feeling sick.