CHAPTER 61The wooden door creaked softly as it opened.A faint medicinal scent drifted out—bitter herbs, old wood, and something deeper, heavier. Adrian stepped inside slowly, his footsteps unusually quiet. The room was dim, lit only by a few oil lamps and a pale glow emanating from a jade vessel placed near the bed.And there he was.Adrian stopped.For a moment, he couldn’t move.The man lying on the bed was thinner than memory allowed. His once-straight back was bent, his face gaunt, skin pale with a faint gray undertone. Tubes of spiritual essence were arranged carefully around him, feeding a slow, steady stream of healing energy into his body.His master.The man who had once stood atop mountains, who had broken stones with his palms, who could silence entire halls with a single glance.Now reduced to this.Adrian’s chest tightened.“He’s surviving on healing essence,” Kai said quietly from behind him. “Some friends… other healers. They bring it whenever they can. It slows the d

The woman stood beneath the towering stone pillars like a figure torn from legend.Her gown flowed in layers of pale silver and deep blue, embroidered with ancient sigils that shimmered faintly under the hall’s torchlight. A delicate crown rested upon her dark hair, not heavy with jewels, but refined—meant to symbolize authority rather than excess. Every step she took carried quiet dignity.Adrian stared.For a brief, disorienting moment, his mind refused to reconcile what his eyes were seeing.Miss Reyes…?“Reyes,” he called instinctively.She didn’t answer.Her expression didn’t flicker. No recognition. No surprise. Only calm curiosity, as though she were looking at a stranger.The silence stretched.The king turned slightly, frowning. “Who did you just call?”Adrian hesitated.Before he could respond, the king looked toward the woman and spoke with unmistakable authority.“Princess Elowen Venthra, come closer.”The title echoed through the hall.Princess.Adrian’s breath caught.Th

The smell of disinfectant clung heavily to the hospital corridor.Elena’s heels echoed softly against the polished floor as she walked toward the private ward at the far end, her expression unreadable. The closer she got, the heavier her chest felt—not with worry, but with exhaustion. The kind that came from realizing the people closest to you were the ones who had lied the longest.She pushed the door open.Inside, Margaret lay propped up on the hospital bed, her arm wrapped in thick bandages, her face pale but eyes sharp. On the adjacent bed, Sophia lay dramatically reclined, an oxygen mask resting uselessly near her chin, eyes half-lidded as though she were on the brink of death. A bouquet of flowers sat untouched on the table between them.The moment Elena stepped in, Sophia’s eyes snapped fully open.“So you finally decided to show up?” Sophia snapped, her weak act vanishing instantly. “Do you know how close we were to dying?”Margaret scoffed bitterly. “I really thought you’d do

The road grew narrower the farther they traveled.Adrian’s car stopped at the edge of a forest road where asphalt gave way to ancient stone, cracked and overgrown with moss. Tall trees loomed overhead, their canopies interlocking like the ribs of a sleeping beast. The air itself felt different here—thicker, quieter, carrying the faint scent of incense and old rain.“This is it,” Kai said softly.Adrian stepped out of the car and looked ahead.At the end of the path stood a temple..Not grand in the modern sense, but ancient—its stone pillars weathered by centuries, its tiled roof darkened by time. Faded carvings lined the walls: symbols of medicine, martial forms, celestial patterns, and unfamiliar sigils that seemed to shift when stared at for too long.“This place still stands,” Adrian murmured.Kai nodded. “Master protected it before he fell ill. Not many people know it exists.”They climbed the stone steps.Before they could knock or announce themselves, the heavy wooden doors cre

The grand hall was quiet, but Freya’s mind burned with calculation. She paced along the polished floor, heels clicking with a cold rhythm. Her voice, low and sharp, carried authority as she instructed a small cluster of trusted allies.“Listen carefully,” she said, her gaze cutting across the room like steel. “Adrian Cole cannot survive this duel. He must die. No compromises. No second chances. Not as long as I’m in control. Even if we have to manipulate the entire event, even if it takes using every trick we’ve honed for years, he must not walk away as a living man.”The people she addressed nodded silently, the weight of her words sinking in. They had been with her long enough to know she didn’t bluff, and she didn’t take orders lightly. This was more than a duel—it was a test of survival, of strategy, and of power.As her instructions echoed in the chamber, one figure lingered, hesitant. Dr. Arvan’s former disciple, a man whose loyalty to the late Arvan had always been steadfast, s