“I won’t hurt him,” she whispered. “I just…” Her voice faded. “…want him to stop carrying everything alone.” A few minutes later, she placed the steaming cup in front of him. “I made tea.” Ethan looked at it. Steam curled up in thin spirals, carrying the faint smell of chamomile and something sweet he couldn’t place. He was too tired to question it. “Thanks,” he murmured, and wrapped his hands around the cup. The warmth bled into his palms. He drank it without suspicion. The first sip was warm and calm. The second made his shoulders drop an inch. By the third, the edges of the room softened. The herbal mixture hit him slowly. A light dizziness settled behind his eyes, like the world had tilted half a degree. His eyelids grew heavy. His thoughts, usually sharp and racing, started to drift, warm and loose. Karpeta watched him from across the table, her fingers twisting together in her lap. “Better?” she asked softly. Ethan exhaled a laugh that wasn’t quite a

It still rested quietly on the bedside table.Only a thin layer of dried liquid remained inside.His pupils narrowed.“…The tea…”Karpeta followed his eyes.“The tea?”Without answering immediately, Ethan walked toward the table.He picked up the porcelain cup carefully, turning it beneath the morning light.A faint herbal scent lingered inside.Almost gone.Almost.He closed his eyes.Years of studying herbs, medicines, and alchemical compounds had sharpened his senses beyond those of an ordinary person.He inhaled slowly.Chamomile.Lavender.Honey.Then…Something else.Something hidden beneath the sweeter aromas.His expression gradually changed.His fingers tightened around the cup.“No…”Karpeta watched him anxiously.“What is it?”Ethan didn’t answer immediately.Instead, he reached for the second cup.He examined it just as carefully.The scent was weaker.But it was there.The same unfamiliar trace.His heartbeat accelerated.Not from fear.From realization.“This wasn’t ordi

Less than an hour later, Ethan arrived at the hospital. He had barely stepped through the intensive care doors before one of the nurses intercepted him. “Mr. Storm?” He stopped immediately. “What happened?” “There was… an unusual episode.” His expression sharpened. “What kind of episode?” The nurse explained everything. The sudden spike. The single whispered word. The doctors’ conclusion. Ethan listened without interrupting. When she finished, he asked only one question. “…What word?” The nurse consulted her notes. “It sounded like…” She hesitated. “…Cael.” Ethan went completely still. The color drained from his face. “No…” Without another word, he walked straight toward the nurses’ station. “I want every second of security footage from outside this room.” The receptionist blinked. “Sir?” “Now.” ⸻ Twenty minutes later, Ethan and the hospital’s head of security stood inside the surveillance office. Dozens of monitors displayed recordings from every corrido

“The relic beneath this monastery cannot be allowed to awaken.” “It will be destroyed.” Malikar laughed coldly. “I’ve waited years for this artifact.” “You think I’ll let you burn it?” The Custodian didn’t respond. Instead, every weapon activated simultaneously. Blue energy flooded the ruined monastery. The pressure alone was enough to make the air tremble. Ethan immediately sensed something wrong. “…That energy…” Malikar noticed it too. His expression darkened. “They can kill demons.” The realization hit both men at once. These weren’t ordinary resonance weapons. Their energy attacked the soul itself. The lead Custodian raised his hand. “Execute.” Dozens of blue projectiles erupted toward them. Ethan barely had time to react. He shoved Malikar aside. “Down!” The blast passed between them, slicing clean through three ancient stone pillars before disappearing into the mountain beyond. Malikar stared at the destroyed columns. “…That would’ve killed me.” Ethan a

⸻ An hour later, Linda found Karpeta sitting alone outside the nursery. She was staring at the floor, absentmindedly twisting the sleeve of her sweater. Linda sat beside her. “You’ve been crying.” Karpeta immediately wiped her eyes. “I haven’t.” “You have.” A weak smile appeared on Karpeta’s lips. “…I’m terrible at lying.” Linda smiled gently. “Usually.” She became serious again. “What happened between you and Ethan?” Karpeta’s body stiffened. “…Nothing.” Linda raised an eyebrow. “Nothing?” “We just…” Karpeta swallowed. “…had an argument.” “Ethan doesn’t avoid people because of arguments.” “No.” “He doesn’t.” Linda waited patiently. “If you tell me, maybe I can help.” Karpeta looked away. Her throat tightened. For a brief moment, she wanted to confess everything. The tea. The deception. The night she wished she could erase. Instead… She lowered her head. “I can’t.” Linda looked at her for several seconds before noddin