Evelyn opened her mouth to speak, but the words never came.Her eyes shifted toward Tristan, and at once she saw the warning in his expression. He was not smiling anymore. His cold stare moved from her to the other nurses as if silently reminding them exactly who he was.Donald frowned at their hesitation. “Well? You were all here. Who caused Elder Reginald's death?”Evelyn swallowed hard. She knew the truth, but Tristan was the patriarch's grandson and one of the Sterling family's strongest younger Emerald Dragon wielders. If she openly accused him of killing an elder, she could lose far more than her job.David watched her face carefully. “Evelyn, you saw everything. Just tell them what happened.”Tristan said nothing. He simply stared at her, and the threat in his eyes became even clearer.Evelyn lowered her gaze. “Doctor Myles was handling Elder Reginald's treatment when his condition became critical.”David's expression changed. “That wasn't what I asked.”Another nurse quickly s

It was four days after the death of Elder Reginald. The morning of Elder Reginald Sterling’s burial was quiet and heavy.The Sterling family’s private cemetery stood behind high emerald walls on the northern side of their estate. Only important members of the bloodline were buried there, and every grave carried a carved Sterling crest.Hundreds of mourners dressed in black filled the wide stone paths.At the center of the cemetery rested Reginald’s coffin, covered with a dark green cloth bearing the symbol of the Emerald Dragon.Four massive Emerald Dragons stood around the burial ground.Their wings remained folded, but green light moved beneath their scales like flowing water. They had been brought for one of the Sterling family’s oldest burial rites.A family elder raised his hand. “Let the Emerald Dragons return his remaining Essence to the bloodline.”The four dragons lowered their heads.Soft streams of Emerald Essence flowed from their mouths and covered the coffin. The energy

Tristan stared at Janet’s mother as if he had heard her wrongly.A few seconds earlier, he had been certain she would expose him before the entire Sterling family. Now she stood before him with a calm expression after saying that Elder Reginald’s death had placed David exactly where she wanted him.“Aunt,” Tristan said slowly, still struggling to understand. “Are you saying you won’t expose me?”Janet’s mother looked at him without emotion. “I said exactly what I meant.”Tristan searched her face. “But you heard everything. You know David didn’t kill Elder Reginald.”“Yes,” she replied. “I know.”That answer disturbed Tristan even more.He stepped closer. “Then why would you keep quiet?”Janet’s mother turned slightly toward the distant cemetery. The sounds of the funeral could still be heard beyond the garden, but they were far enough away that no one could hear their conversation.“Because David Myles has been a problem for this family for far too long,” she said. “More importantly,

The cousin’s words struck David harder than the insults from the Sterling guards. He stared across the table, wondering when his own family had become so frightened that they preferred blaming one another to confronting the people humiliating them.His first uncle leaned forward and pointed at him. “Your cousin is right. For once, stop behaving as if you are the only person affected by your decisions. The Sterling family is already threatening to review its protection agreement with us.”His second uncle shook his head bitterly. “Two companies suspended negotiations with our mining division this morning. Nobody wants to associate with the family of a man accused of murdering a Sterling elder. Do you understand what you have done to us?”“I haven’t done anything to you,” David replied. He kept his voice controlled, although anger was building inside him. “Elder Reginald’s death involved foul play. Someone interfered with his treatment and made sure the evidence pointed toward me.”One

The pain returned as soon as the guards pulled David from the visitation room. It spread from the burns around his stomach and followed every step he took through the cold prison corridor. He could have stopped it by allowing the Primordius Dragon to complete its work, but pain made his injuries believable. For now, he needed the Sterlings to continue seeing him as an ordinary wounded man.“Move faster,” one of the guards ordered as he struck the bars with his baton. “The others will not wait because your body is weak.”David pressed one hand against his bandages and continued walking. He barely noticed the prisoners leaving their cells to join the line behind him. His thoughts remained fixed on Nathaniel’s golden eyes.Had he truly seen them change, or had the pain confused his mind? Why had his Primordius Dragon reacted as though it had recognised Nathaniel’s energy? If his grandfather possessed Raw Dragon Energy, why had he allowed the Myles family to become powerless and disgraced