Protagonist? Antagonist? I Reject Both

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

Leon stirred from the bed, stretching his arms cautiously. A sharp pain shot through his body like thousands of needles piercing his skin with every movement.

"How long was I out? My body feels so stiff," Leon muttered, his voice sounded rough and dry

"For 15 days," a somber voice replied.

"Huh!" Leon turned his head to see a white-haired woman rocking back and forth in a nearby chair with her eyes closed. On the other side of the bed, two figures stirred awake, their brows furrowed in confusion.

"Leon!" they cried out simultaneously, hurling themselves at him with tearful embraces.

"Leon, please don't scare us like that again. Do you know how afraid I was?" Irina choked out between sobs.

"Brother, why do you have to go through all that? You almost died," Gwen murmured, her voice hoarse with emotion. "Promise me you won't leave us again."

Leon's heart wavered at the sight of their tearful requests. He turned away a bit overwhelmed by their emotions.

"Can you two please give me some space to breathe?" Leon asked, but his request fell on deaf ears as they clung to him desperately.

"Hey, let him go. He's not going anywhere... for now," Lia interjected, massaging her forehead wearily.

As Irina and Gwen reluctantly released their grip, tension lingered between them, a fiery spark clashed in their gazes as the two looked at one another.

"Stop bothering him. He's feeling uncomfortable," Gwen snapped, glaring at Irina.

"I'm just showing him some love. Besides, he's used to it from me since childhood," Irina retorted with a smirk.

Gwen was about to retort angrily, but the truth behind their actions silenced her. With a sigh, she released Leon and sat quietly beside him, shooting Irina a glare.

"Please, stop. I need to stretch," Leon pleaded, his tone firm.

Irina froze, then quickly backed away, giving him space.

Rubbing his forehead, Leon glanced around, taking in his surroundings.

"Where are we? And where are the others?" he asked.

"We are in the Befort estate. Sophia and Feng Ruoxi were watching over you, but they went to rest after we took over. Grandpa is dealing with the aftermath," Gwen explained hastily.

Irina opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, swallowing her words.

Ignoring her, Leon focused on Lia's words. "Aftermath?"

"The Aetheria Prime is in chaos. The remaining families want you dead, but the Courts couldn't decide, so the matter is now in the hands of the Federation," Lia explained.

Leon nodded thoughtfully. "And what did the Federation decide?"

"They summoned you to a meeting where they'll decide your fate," Lia replied.

Leon was about to ask another question when a thought struck him. "Wait! How am I alive? Shouldn't I be dead?"

"We implanted a new heart," Irina answered, her voice trembling as she reached out to touch his chest.

Leon allowed her touch, his heart pounding with confusion "Whose heart did you use?"

"It's made from your own stem cells preserved during the birth," Irina explained, surprising him.

"My own cells?" Leon's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"You were born as a test tube baby. Some of your stem cells were preserved, and we used them to craft the organs," Irina clarified while giving Lia a look.

She didn't even know about this until a few days

Leon was speechless, overwhelmed by the revelation.

"Test tube baby… Genetically engineered," Leon mused, taking a moment to process the information before bursting into laughter.

"Your father was afraid of having a girl and he wanted a perfectly modified human," Lia replied casually.

"Especially a boy."

"So perfect that I was born with a trash body, isn't it?" Leon smirked, his words cutting through the air, leaving Irina and Gwen uncomfortable in their seats.

Lia's lips curled into a playful smile, her eyes flashing with a hint of threat as she spoke. "My dear, of all shouldn't you know the reason for this? You squandered and gambled something in exchange for some other petty things."

Leon's body tensed up,and a chill ran down his spine as Lia's words struck a nerve. Her closed eyes only added to the unease, as if hiding something sinister behind them.

His palms grew sweaty, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he felt Lia's gaze pierce through him. Checking her data, he almost recoiled in fear.

Name: Lia Wood

Age: ??

Realm: ??

'Darn! She's dangerous... She's dangerous,' Leon muttered under his breath, struggling to compose himself.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand over his weakly beating heart, trying to steady himself.

"Your heart is weak," Lia observed, her tone indifferent like stating a fact.

"Your body has evolved, but the transplanted heart is as good as a normal human's, so it won't sustain you during fights or cultivation," she explained.

"Wouldn't that be a huge problem?" Gwen and Irina chimed in simultaneously, their worry evident in their voices.

Irina broke into tears, blaming herself for Leon's suffering. "I should have donated my heart... My poor boy is going to suffer."

"Stop your nonsense," Leon snapped, pushing her away.

'I have leftover genetic serum. It might help a bit,' he thought to himself, trying to find a solution.

"Enough, Irina. Once he breaks through the next stage, his heart and body will be modified again. So stop this nonsense now," Lia interjected sternly, silencing Irina with her sharp gaze.

"Since we're at the Befort estate, can someone call Uncle Rey?" Leon requested, changing the subject.

The three girls exchanged glances before ringing the bell to summon the maid, who was tasked with calling Rey.

A few moments later, Rey entered with a smile, though his heart quivered at the sight of Leon.

"Uncle Rey, it's been a while," Leon greeted him warmly.

Hiding his unease, Rey smiled back. "Nephew Leon, how are you? We've all been worried about you."

"I appreciate your concern, Uncle. I just woke up and wanted to thank you for hosting my family."

"No problem at all. We're all family here," Rey replied with a forced laugh, his unease evident.

They exchanged a few pleasantries but feeling uncomfortable, Rey decided to leave.

"Ahem! Since you've just woken up, you need rest. I won't disturb you anymore," Rey said, stepping back to leave.

But just as he turned to go, Leon's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You can leave, but... leave those two hands of yours behind," Leon's voice rang out, sending a palpable tension through the room.

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