Lucius responded to Seraphina's question with the most earth-shattering revetion yet.

  "I'm Subject 23," he stated simply.

  Then, without pause or emphasis, he immediately turned to Nova, his expression softening. "Is the food good?" he asked casually, as if he hadn't just delivered the most significant revetion in vampire history.

  The deliberate contrast between this world-changing statement and such a mundane question left the room in complete shock. The casual delivery of vampire society's most foundational truth—dropped between bites of a meal as if mentioning the weather—created cognitive dissonance that visibly stunned everyone present.

  Subject 23—the legendary first vampire whose transformation had triggered the Evolution. The patient zero from whom all vampirism had originated. The being whose saliva had transformed the first humans who then spread vampirism across the world.

  This revetion rewrote vampire history completely. Their king was not merely an enhanced vampire from Keller's experiments, as all had believed, but the progenitor of their entire species. The being whose biology had defined what a vampire was, whose transformation had created the tempte for all who followed.

  Even Dante and Seraphina appeared physically staggered by this information. Dante gripped the doorframe for support, his scientific mind overwhelmed by implications too vast to process immediately. Seraphina's composed demeanor finally cracked, her eyes widening with genuine shock as the full significance registered.

  Court officials looked like they might faint, some grabbing furniture for support, others frozen in expressions of disbelief. Two millennia of vampire mythology had centered around Subject 23—the mysterious original vampire whose identity had been lost to history, the being whose transformation had forever altered human existence.

  And all along, that being had been their king.

  Nova, not understanding the significance, simply responded to Lucius's question about the food. "It's delicious," he replied, his natural reaction creating an isnd of normalcy in an ocean of shock. "Especially the roasted meat with herbs."

  The sweet incongruity of Nova's unknowing response highlighted the magnitude of what others were processing. While vampire society's most fundamental belief shattered around them, Nova continued enjoying his meal, completely unaware that the being sitting beside him had just revealed himself as the origin point of not just vampires but wereanimals as well—the progenitor of two entire supernatural species.

  Lucius nodded with evident pleasure at Nova's enjoyment, maintaining their conversation about the meal while the room remained frozen in collective shock. His strategic pivot to Nova demonstrated his deliberate prioritization of their connection over the societal earthquake he had just triggered.

  This simple exchange—Lucius asking about food preferences while everyone else struggled with the revetion of his true identity—created a striking tableau. The most significant revetion in vampire history had been delivered, and the being responsible for it appeared more interested in Nova's dining experience than the impact of his words.

  "We should try different spices tomorrow," Lucius continued conversationally to Nova. "There are many fvors you haven't experienced yet."

  The mundane discussion of future meals implied continuation and normalcy while simultaneously confirming that this revetion was merely the beginning rather than a singur event. With four simple words—"I'm Subject 23"—Lucius had permanently transformed vampire society's understanding of its own history, casually acknowledging his role as the origin point of their entire species before returning his attention to Nova's meal.