Jacob scooped Anna into his arms and ran toward the exit as the Forno compound began tearing itself apart around them. Explosions chased them through corridors, each detonation closer than the last as incendiary charges ignited in sequence."Hold on to me," Jacob commanded, channeling mystical energy into a protective shield around both of them. Debris bounced off the golden barrier as they navigated the collapsing structure.Behind them, Jacob heard Michael Forno screaming for his son, trying to drag James's broken body toward an exit that no longer existed. Part of Jacob wanted to go back, to save them despite everything they had done. But Anna was his priority, and every second they remained in the compound decreased their chances of survival.A massive explosion tore through the bunker level, the shockwave throwing Jacob forward despite his shields. He twisted his body to take the impact, protecting Anna from the worst of it as they tumbled through a doorway and into a stairwell t

Anna sat on the bed, the memory of that terrible day washing over her with crystal clarity. The pain, the fear, the desperate determination to save a trapped boy despite the danger. She had carried those scars for fifteen years, never knowing the name of the child she had rescued or what became of him after that day."It was you," Anna repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. "All this time, the boy I saved was you."Jacob nodded, his expression showing vulnerability she had never seen before. "I was thirteen years old, watching my entire family being systematically murdered. My enemies trapped me in that bus and set it on fire, expecting me to die with the other passengers. Then you appeared like an angel and pulled me from the flames.""I never knew your name," Anna said, fragments of memory clicking into place. "The hospital was chaos that night. By the time they treated my burns, you had already disappeared. I asked about you for weeks afterward, but nobody could tell me anythi

Jacob studied Anna's face in the dawn light, searching for any sign that her request was born from trauma rather than genuine conviction. What he saw was determination that reminded him of himself at thirteen—a person who had faced something terrible and chosen to become stronger rather than break."If I agree to this, there are rules," Jacob said carefully. "Real combat training is not like the self-defense lessons I gave you before. It will be brutal, exhausting, and dangerous. You will get hurt. You will want to quit. And I will not let you.""Good," Anna replied without hesitation. "I do not want you to go easy on me because I am your wife. I want you to train me the way you were trained.""The way I was trained broke most of the students who attempted it," Jacob warned. "The Himulan Sect does not produce soldiers through gentle methods. They forge warriors through pain and repetition until skills become instinct.""Then that is what I need," Anna said. "Because the next time some

Anna pulled her hands back from Jacob's arm as if the contact had burned her. Golden energy still flickered around her fingers like residual lightning, fading slowly as she stared at them in disbelief."What just happened?" Anna whispered. "I did not mean to do that. I did not even know I could do that."Jacob examined his forearm where the cut had been moments before. Not even a scar remained—just perfectly healed skin as if the injury had never occurred. He had witnessed mystical healing before, but never with such speed and completeness from someone with no formal training."You healed me," Jacob said, his tactical mind already analyzing the implications. "Not just closed the wound—you completely regenerated the damaged tissue in seconds. That level of healing requires both power and control that most guardians train years to achieve.""But I have only been training for three weeks," Anna protested. "And only in combat, not mystical abilities. How could I possibly—""Your guardian

Jacob stood frozen, staring at the sketch of the medallion on the orphanage record. The implications cascaded through his mind like falling dominoes—each revelation more staggering than the last."Leo, search historical archives for Chen family records," Jacob commanded, his voice urgent. "Everything you can find about their lineage, their role in Seron's history, and what happened to them."While Leo worked, Jacob pulled up documents he had studied years ago during his research into the Krigg family artifacts. Ancient texts written in old Seronian, passed down through generations of his family, describing the guardian traditions and the families who maintained them."Here," Jacob said, displaying one document on the main screen. "This is from approximately four hundred years ago. It describes the founding alliance between the Krigg and Chen families."Anna moved closer to read the archaic text. Even translated to modern language, the words carried weight that transcended simple histo