Mara’s mother folded her arms, lips tight with suspicion as she stared at the glowing pill in Nathan’s palm. “So we’re supposed to believe that a strange young man appeared from nowhere with some glowing miracle pill, and we should just give it to my son? This isn’t a fairy tale.”Nathan said nothing.Her husband turned to her, voice pleading. “Please. We’ve come this far. Let him try. If there’s a chance Cliff can live, we can’t throw it away because of doubt.”She huffed but said nothing more. Her silence was enough.Nathan moved toward Cliff, gently lifting his head. He placed the Flameheart Elixir in Cliff’s mouth and helped him swallow with a few drops of water. Everyone watched in tense silence. The air around them thickened.One minute passed. Then another.Nothing.The mother’s face twisted. “Why isn’t he waking up?” Her voice cracked. “What kind of doctor are you? Did your pill fail?”Nathan remained calm, though his eyes narrowed in a calculating manner. He stared at Cliff,

A strange pulse vibrated in Nathan's ears, low and deep like thunder trapped in a tunnel. Then the walls melted into colorless waves. He tried to blink it away but his limbs were suddenly heavy, his strength draining fast.Suddenly disappearing to the other end of the room, Lulu floated inches above the ground. Her long hair swirled around her shoulders like it had a will of its own. Her eyes glowed purple, wild and full of mischief. With a lazy flick of her fingers, she sent a spray of sparkling purple mist toward him. It hit him square in the chest.Nathan convulsed.Electric shocks danced through his nerves. He groaned, arching slightly, clenching his jaw so tightly his teeth nearly cracked. His hands reached for anything he could hold. The quilt beneath him bunched in his fists as his back lifted off the bed. His veins bulged at his neck and arms, blue and angry.And yet, she smiled. “Say you’ll be mine, Nathan,” her voice floated to him, soft and laced with seduction. “Just say it

Nathan moved quickly toward the door, desperation thick in his chest. His breath fogged in the charged air. He reached out to the open door.Thud.He jerked back, his palm burning from the invisible force he had struck. A sharp sting ran down his arm.His eyes narrowed and he recalled she had sealed it.Turning slowly, he looked over his shoulder at Lulu.She lay sprawled on the cold floor, her hand pressed tight against her stomach. Sweat dotted her brow, her breath shaky. The strength in her eyes was fading, but her defiance hadn’t.“Lulu,” he called out, voice low but steady, “break the seal.”She looked up weakly and managed a bitter chuckle. “Why would I?”“I’m giving you a choice. Just undo it.”She tilted her head slightly. “Then what? You’ll walk out and forget all this?”Nathan took a deep breath. “I won’t forget. But I need to go.”She turned her head away, lips trembling. “Then stay trapped.”Silence fell. Nathan clenched his fists and moved to the center of the door again.

Nathan met Sheila’s gaze. Her eyes narrowed at him, a mix of suspicion and desperation dancing in their depth. He understood that look. She didn’t trust him. And frankly, she shouldn’t. But he didn’t have time to earn her trust.“I don’t know what I am,” he muttered, voice low, steady. Then he pressed his hand gently against Lulu’s chest. His power, hidden and strange, began to rise, slow and silent like a river under moonlight.Sheila stepped closer, her breath uneven. “What are you doing?”“I can try to revive her,” Nathan replied calmly. “I’ve got… some knowledge about these things.”Her eyes flicked over her daughter’s face, pale and still. “You can hear her heartbeat?”“Faint. But yes. Life still lingers in her veins,” he said, not looking away.Sheila blinked. “So what can be done?”He tilted his head slightly, watching her. “You probably can’t channel energy into her now, can you?”She sighed, almost ashamed. “No. My power’s aren't that much for that.”He gave a dry scoff, the

The air inside the death cell was stale and heavy, like silence pressed into stone. Despite the gloom, a faint glow pulsed from Nathan’s body where he sat cross-legged. His face was pale, damp with sweat, and blood trailed from the side of his nose, but his body radiated light, faint yet undeniable. His chest barely moved, his breaths shallow, locked in a trance of deep cultivation.Lulu's steps slowed as she stared through the translucent barrier that caged him. Her eyes widened.“Mother… what’s going on?” Her voice trembled with confusion and fear. “He’s glowing and it seems like he's desiccating too.”Sheila stepped beside her, her brows furrowing deeply. “He’s… he’s cultivating. But I don’t understand how he’s still alive. That cell drains everything especially when one tries to repel.”Nathan could hear them faintly, like distant echoes bouncing around the edges of his mind. He wanted to open his eyes, to speak, but he was deep, too deep. His spirit had dived into the core of his