Valerius leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together. "I made a mistake. A severe miscalculation. I believed that by bringing you into the family, by letting you embrace your potential, you would adapt quickly. I believed the Paravous blood in your veins would be enough to protect you."He paused, his eyes locking onto Zachary’s with brutal honesty. "I was wrong……. You are not ready. Your display in the corridor tonight proved that. You have raw power and the knowledge in your bloodline sets you apart in learning, but you have no discipline, no technique, and no understanding of the enemies we face. He sighed."Right now, Zachary, you are not an asset to this family. You are a liability."The words hung in the sterile, antiseptic air of the medical room, heavier than the suffocating pressure in Zachary’s shattered chest.Liability.It echoed in the confines of his skull, bouncing off the walls of his fragile, newly formed reality. Liability.It was a

Seraphina’s expression hardened at his words, hands squeezing around the tablet.She stepped closer, her posture rigid. "Your father did not abandon you. He is preserving his legacy. You were attacked by a highly trained operative utilizing necrotic energy. You survived purely by luck and the residual strength of your Awakening. If you remain here, in the heart of the dominion, you will be targeted again. And next time, you will die. This exile, as you so dramatically call it, is a tactical retreat. It is necessary for your survival.""Don't give me that corporate, tactical bullshit!" Zachary yelled, his voice echoing off the high ceilings of the apartment. He took a step toward her, ignoring the sharp spike of pain in his sternum. "He doesn't care about my survival! He cares about his investment! I'm just a liability to his bottom line. And you... you're just his lapdog. You don't feel anything, do you? You just go through with his orders like some machine."Seraphina’s eyes narrowe

Seraphina nodded slowly, accepting the reprimand. She reached up and unbuttoned her tailored blazer. She slipped it off her shoulders and tossed it backward without looking. A handler, standing silently in the shadows outside the door, already used to it, caught it perfectly. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a simple black hair tie, and quickly pulled her sleek hair back into a tight, no-nonsense ponytail. She turned her back to Zachary, walking toward the stone pillar where his first spear was still embedded. She reached out, wrapping her hand around the thick wooden shaft. With a sharp, powerful tug, she ripped the spear free from the solid stone, a shower of dust and pebbles falling to the floor. In one smooth, incredibly cool motion, she spun the spear in her hand and flipped it up, resting the shaft casually across her shoulders, her arms draped over the ends. She turned back to face him, a faint, dangerous smirk finally breaking through her stoic mask. "I had a

Zachary ran at her at full speed.A straightforward charge meant to overwhelm through sheer power rather than finesse. He didn't want to hurt her, well not badly enough to warrant an operation really.Serpahina, although loyal to his father above all else, had never done anything wrong to him. On the contrary she had been patient with him in his ignorance and had always been ready to assist him in all things, even ensuring that his revenge against Bennett would be completed with minor errors, regardless of when it didn't concern the company.So hurting her now was nearly sickening to him.He only wanted to simply knock her out and be done with it, to remove this obstacle between him and his goal as quickly and efficiently as possible. His right fist came forward, wreathed in crackling red energy, the power condensed into a devastating strike that would definitely bowl her over.But Seraphina didn't even dodge. She didn't sidestep or retreat or show any of the defensive movements Z

Then his vision was overtaken by gold as the corridor was being torn apart, reduced to its constituent atoms by the out-of-control technique.The walls cracked and began to crumble.Support beams twisted and screamed with a metallic SCREEEEEECH.The ceiling sagged dangerously as load-bearing structures failed.Through his agony, through the burning sensation of his soul being consumed by his own power, Zachary was dimly aware of Seraphina running toward him.Her face showed genuine concern and fear—not for herself, but for him.“Idiot!” She cursed, not caring for protocol as she pushed herself forward against the oppressive force. “You reckless, stubborn man—this is exactly what I was trying to prevent!”He had done something monumentally stupid, and she knew it.They both knew it.But Serpahina was ready to show him that she was stupider, because if she didn't stop him, she would fail.“Young lord!"She tackled him, her arms wrapping around him as she brought them both to the ground