Theo stood silently beside Ethan, watching with an unreadable expression as Ethan began to channel his newly awakened abilities until the ring blazed with golden light.As his guardian, he could feel the power coursing through Ethan's veins.Ethan pressed his glowing palms against Magnus’s chest, and immediately felt the darkness within—the poison. It writhed and fought against his healing energy like a living thing.“Come on,” he whispered through gritted teeth, pouring more power into his hands. "Fight it.”Sweat beaded on his forehead as he battled the toxic force that had taken hold of Magnus’s body. The room filled with golden light as Ethan’s power surged, the ring now blazing like a miniature sun.Theo watched closely, every now and then checking the door to see if anyone might be watching.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​After what felt like an eternity, Magnus’ eyelids fluttered. Then, like a man emerging from the depths of a nightmare, his eyes snapped open.He was drenched in sweat, hi

Lara’s eyes were wide with panic and exhaustion. Her perfect hair was disheveled and tangled, with dirt streaking through the blonde strands. Her dress from earlier was torn at the shoulder and stained with dark splotches of blood—both hers and others’. Marcel stood beside her, equally battered, his shirt ripped and a fresh cut across his cheek still bleeding.“Ethan, we tried to get here sooner, but—” “Don’t.” His voice dropped to a whisper more terrifying than his shout, cutting her off. "Just… don’t give me excuses right now.” “Ethan, it wasn’t our fault,” Lara said breathlessly, clutching a bag of ingredients against her chest. “We were ambushed on the way back. Three black SUVs came out of nowhere and—”“Ambushed?” Ethan’s voice was deadly quiet. “By whom?”“We don’t know,” Lara said quickly. "They wore masks, but their techniques were… they moved like The Shadow operatives."She swallowed hard. "Most of our security team…” Her voice broke slightly. “Most of them didn’t

Standing in the doorway was Theo, holding a gun.Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Theo?” he said, confusion and dread mixing in his voice."What the hell are you doing here? And why are you holding a gun?”He desperately hoped his suspicion was wrong, but the look in Theo's eyes told him everything he needed to know.Theo’s face was tense, his chest rising and falling fast as he scanned the corridor behind him. “We're here to rescue you, my lord!"The moment the words escaped his lips, Ethan sprang up from his chair abruptly.In the blink of an eye, he closed the space between them, his hand gripping Theo’s collar and slamming him against the wall."Don’t tell me you’re responsible for the shootings outside," Ethan snarled, his eyes burning holes into Theo’s, his voice trembling with barely controlled rage.Theo struggled under his grip, his voice rough. “We had to, my lord. If we hadn’t come to extract you, you would have been dead before morning.”Ethan scoffed, amused by what seemed like

Over the next hour, the chaos in the police station gradually subsided. Ambulances screamed up to the building, their red and blue lights painting the walls in alternating colors through the small window of the interrogation room Ethan was in. Additional units from neighboring precincts flooded the scene, processing a crime scene that would make national headlines.Medical personnel wheeled gurneys past his door—some carrying the wounded, others carrying the black bags that held the dead. Ethan stayed calm the whole time, thinking about how to deal with this mess. He knew everything had changed now, and he had to be really careful about what he said and did next.After what seemed like forever, the door opened and Carlos walked in. A few minutes earlier, when the gunshots finally stopped, he had run into the room expecting to find it empty or even worse. However, he was completely shocked to see Ethan just sitting there calmly in his chair. The surprise was written all over his

On the screen was grainy CCTV footage from inside Magnus’s hospital room—the very room where Ethan's father had taken his final breath. But it wasn’t just any recording. It showed the exact moments when Ethan had been desperately trying to save Magnus’ life. The footage captured when the golden light emanated from Ethan’s hands. The hospital equipment could also be seen flickering and sparking in response to the otherworldly power, with cardiac monitors reacting to the energy surges, their displays glitching and distorting. Ethan’s blood ran cold as he realized the full scope of what he was looking at. He had no idea that there was a CCTV camera in there. He stared at the phone screen long after the video had stopped, his mind racing through the implications. Carlos snatched the phone back with satisfaction. “Not quite the family man you pretended to be, are you, Mr. Cross? Or should I say… Your Majesty?” Ethan leaned forward, his facade finally beginning to crack. “So this wa