Evan slipped the glowing Divine Life-Core into his inner coat pocket, feeling its radiant warmth seep directly into his chest.That radiant warmth immediately stabilized the distant, fragile heartbeat of his mother, anchoring her soul to the living world across the miles.[ALERT: T-MINUS 54 SECONDS UNTIL MANSION RECONSTRUCTION BLAST. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.]The red warning text flashed violently in his peripheral vision, but Evan’s focus didn’t waver from the immediate threat.The remaining two stone gargoyles let out a unified, guttural shriek that rattled the loose gravel around the shattered pedestal.They realized their companion had been turned to dust, and their ancient blood-magic arrays flared with an desperate, unstable crimson light.Simultaneously, the beasts opening their stone jaws, spitting a dense cloud of jagged black poison spikes straight toward his face.The toxic needles whistled through the air, carrying a lethal, corrosive vapor that threatened to dissolve human f

Seraphina stepped away from the window, her silver hair bristling with sudden defensive mana as she turned around to face the center of the room. The calm silver starlight aura that usually enveloped her shoulders began to crackle and spark with an intense, frantic energy. Her winter-sky eyes narrowed to tiny slits as she scanned the false ceiling, her breath catching in her throat from a sudden wave of nausea. "They’re here, Evan. The air outside is thick with the scent of rotting blood," she whispered, her voice shaking with a deep, instinctive terror. "This isn't the clean, highborn light magic of the High Council enforcers. This is the absolute filth of the underground slums," she added. "I know," Evan replied softly, his voice remaining perfectly flat and calm as he kept his back turned to the cold center of the room. He didn't lift his fingers from his mother’s pale, unmoving hand, his touch remaining remarkably gentle despite the seething rage in his chest. "Let them craw

Evan and Seraphina leave a small group of trusted Valerius shadow-guards to watch Olivia's pod. The loyal mages moved like dark reflections through the dim light of the intensive care unit, their hands wreathed in protective concealment arrays. "If anyone breathes in the direction of this door, erase them from the city records," Evan ordered, his voice carrying that heavy, dual-toned resonance. The head guard bowed deeply, his eyes fixed on the floorboards as he felt the suffocating vertical pressure radiating from Evan's black silk sleeves. "We will spill our very core blood before a single enemy mage crosses this threshold, My Lord," the shadow-guard promised with absolute, unshakeable loyalty. Seraphina adjusted her silver cloak, her face still pale from the lingering effects of the remote blood curse, but her gaze was sharp. "The hospital grid is secure for now, Evan, but the moment we step onto the academy grounds, the stakes change," she whispered. They drive through the p

Principal Vance tries to retreat, but Evan’s gravity aura pins his feet to the stone steps. The old man tried to lift his big shoes, but they felt like heavy iron blocks on the floor. "Why can I not move my legs?" Vance cried out, his old face turning very white with fear. "The trials haven't even begun, Principal," Evan says, his voice dripping with icy sarcasm. Evan walked up the stairs slowly, his black shoes making no sound at all in the cold rain. "You wanted to show everyone your big magic, right?" Evan asked, looking down at the old man. "Do not leave so fast when the fun is just starting," Evan added with a very dark smile. "Get away from me, you monster!" Vance screamed, his voice shaking like a leaf in the wind. "Someone help me! Call the big guards right now!" the old principal yelled to the crowd. Seraphina steps forward, presenting a forged high-tier recommendation letter from a neutral clan. She pulled a bright silver paper from her long coat and held it right i

Evan looks up at the high glass VIP box where Vanessa and Damon were standing with wide eyes. The wet grass beneath his leather boots was silent, and he casually walked over to the three dead bodies. Evan collects the storage rings from the dead assassins, finding maps of the Wensley secret labs. He pulled the cold silver rings from their lifeless fingers and tapped his finger against each shiny band. "Look at this, Linnea," Evan said, pulling out a glowing paper that showed all the hidden buildings. "They have five secret rooms under the river where they keep all their stolen family treasures," he noted. "This is where they are hiding the main things they took from my mother's family," he added softly. Linnea steps closer, her face pale but her eyes filled with absolute reverence for his power. She looked at the blood on the ground and then looked up at his face with deep, warm wonder. "You... you aren't a normal mage, are you?" she asks softly, her heart beating fast. "Norm