Like a light bulb, the realization flashed in both Brok and Ryder's minds. The pieces of the puzzle were finally clicking into place. Yes, Leo had been acting strange and staring at the sky with a distant gaze, like he could see something far away they couldn't. His enhanced perception had been picking up disturbances that were invisible to their normal senses. Eventually, he had explained he could see gamma energy from a far distance away, assuring them something big was happening, but they were too occupied with a different trouble to head towards the origin of the gamma energy. Who would have thought that commotion was happening here, at what should have been their abode? Ryder also wasn't clueless because he remembered feeling a particular sharp pain, which he could now translate to Luxy being in danger. It had been a sudden, piercing sensation that had cut through, beyond physical pain—a clear sign that something was seriously wrong with Luxy who was at this apartment. The s

Dr. Hamm's expression nearly didn't shift at all—was he not surprised, or was he just too tired to show surprise? In truth, he'd been expecting this conversation from the moment he'd heard Ryder's name mentioned in connection with the recent events. His daughter had never been good at hiding her interests, and he'd noticed her paying more attention in class whenever that particular student was present, despite the boy's apparent dedication to using the classroom as his daydreaming room. He gestured toward a heap of rubble close to him, inviting her to sit. "This sounds serious." Mara remained standing, clearly not accepting his invitation to sit. Her refusal was another sign of the change in her—the old Mara would have obediently followed his instruction, ready to abide by whatever pleased him. This new version looked ready to speak out for herself. "It is." She took a deep breath, gathering courage to spell it out. "I'm leaving the village to pursue a dream of my own. Tomorrow."

"This belonged to your mother," Dr. Hamm explained as he handed the pendant to Mara with care. "She left it with me before her last journey, the one from which she never returned. She made me promise to give it to you when you were old enough to understand its significance." "It's beautiful," Mara breathed, staring at the pendant with awe. The emerald seemed to emit constant emerald light, as she felt a strange warmth emanating from it even from a distance. "It's more than just beautiful," Dr. Hamm told her, with sincerity in his tone. "It's a focus stone. A rare and incredibly valuable artifact from the ancient times, during the early age of summoners when magic was wilder and more powerful than it is today." It existed in the era of the last black mark summoner, many centuries ago. He paused, looking at the pendant with a mixture of reverence and sadness. "The legends say that such stones were created by a celestial being." "What does it do?" Mara asked, though she was almos

"Now that you are all awake, can we get moving?" Leo spoke, rolling his shoulders to work out the stiffness from his meditation session. "Sure," Ryder replied, stretching one more time before getting fully to his feet. "What else should we be doing?" "So how do we get there?" Brok stretched lazily as he inquired, still bearing sleepy eyes that made him look like a confused owl. "Do you have another alternative apart from trekking all the way?" Leo, the man who had probably owned more vehicles than most people owned pairs of shoes, was now reduced to suggesting they walk several dozen kilometers to reach their destination... How sad. Luxy was too small for them to ride on and hard to summon, so he was out of the question. Aside from that, Ryder doubted if Luxy would have ever agreed to serve as transportation. Leo didn't have any familiar to begin with, so he wasn't an option either. "I don't think we need to walk," Brok spoke as orange mist began to flow out from his arm, the fam

"Just in case you want to know," Ming Fan continued, his eyes meeting Ryder's through the side mirror of the Lamborghini after they had all entered through the open doors, "whoever joins the Red Eastern guild automatically begins at the lowest rank, being Fan, no matter the strength of the person's familiar." Leo shifted uncomfortably in the back seat, the leather making soft creaking sounds due to his movement. "Why are you telling us this? It sounds like you're trying to lower our expectations... or tell us about something." Ming Fan's grip on the steering wheel tightened almost unnoticeably, a subtle sign of tension that only Leo noticed thanks to his keen silver gaze. "Master Sung ordered me and all the necessary board members that if you ever change your mind about joining the Red Eastern guild as a recruit and official member instead of just a partner or ally, you must automatically begin at the Tian rank." "I already made up my mind. I am joining the guild as an ally jus