*****A few hours ago, within the opulent halls of the Blackwood estate…In the same grand dining room where tension had once filled the air during Xavier’s previous visit, the family sat together once more.This time, however, there were no guests, no servants, and no distractions—just five individuals sharing a meal beneath the silent scrutiny of golden chandeliers.The clinking of cutlery against fine porcelain echoed through the expansive chamber like whispers in a tomb.Seated around the long, dark oak table was the old patriarch of the Blackwood family, his three sons—Roland, Darius, and Aldric, and the ever-prideful granddaughter—Cassandra Blackwood. The mood was suffocatingly quiet at this moment. Not even Cassandra, who was usually the first to break the silence with idle gossip or a dry remark to her grandfather, had uttered a word.Then, finally…“Have you heard from him recently?”The voice sliced through the silence like a blade. It belonged to the old patriarch

***** “Could there still be something about that boy we never knew apart from his insane knowledge and medical ability?” Aldric asked, trying to fit the fragments together. “Was Xavier… hiding something from the beginning?”Each question only deepened the pit in their stomachs. The impossible was becoming undeniable.Darius offered no comfort. Instead, he looked up and said simply, “They didn’t make this decision on impulse. Whatever they learned about Xavier… or his wife must have been enough to outweigh the risk of offending the rest of us.”The weight of those words settled like lead across the table.The old patriarch gritted his teeth. “Enough of this uncertainty. First thing tomorrow morning, I’m going to the Harrison estate myself. I want answers.”“Yes,” Aldric said quickly. “We need to get ahead of this.”“I’ll accompany you,” Roland added.Just as they prepared to move on from the topic, a suffocating force descended upon the estate.It came without warning.A cru