2026-09-29 19:07:28
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
The Vault
"...why bother coming down here yourself?"Thorne's smile deepened, slow and warm, the smile of a man who had been waiting a very long time to be asked exactly that question."Because I wanted to be standing here when it opened," he said.He tilted his head toward the steel door at the far end of the cellar."That vault was never built to keep people out, Mr. Brown. Locks like that are easy. Any competent thief with a few hours and the right tools could defeat one." His eyes came back to Ethan, bright and unblinking. "That vault was built to wait. It answers to one kind of signature, and in the eight years I have owned this estate, it has answered to none. Not mine. Not Gorman's. Not the signature of any Awakener I have ever hired, bribed, or broken."Lira drew a sharp breath beside Ethan. "The biometric check," she whispered. "It was never asking for permission.""No," said Thorne. "It was asking for a Sovereign."The word fell into the cellar like a stone into a well.Renata's face
The Master Planner
Ethan closed his eyes for a brief moment, forcing himself to breathe.He could not afford to panic.His mother had trusted him. Even when he had been struggling to pay for her treatment, even when he had barely been able to keep his own life together, she had continued to believe he would find a way through whatever stood in front of him.He had promised himself he would bring her the antidote.He would not abandon that promise now."Can you bypass the biometric check?" he asked Renata, opening his eyes and looking directly at her. "You work for the Vigil. Surely your organization has people who know how to deal with security systems like this."Renata's expression changed slightly."We do," she admitted. "But I'm an operative, not a specialist in electronic security. If we had our technical team here, they might be able to help us. However, even they would need time to understand how this system is connected to the estate's security network.""How much time?""I don't know," she answ
Too Late To Retreat
Ethan stared at the biometric panel, searching for an answer that refused to appear.The steel door stood before him, silent and unyielding. Its smooth surface reflected the dim cellar lights, while the warning displayed on the panel seemed to grow more threatening with every passing second.Three failed attempts.One facility-wide lockdown.A silent alarm that would alert every Sable Court affiliate within ten kilometers.They had already fought their way through a cellar full of armed guards, and Ansel, the man Thorne had hired to stop them, lay unconscious among the shattered remains of a wine barrel. The last thing Ethan wanted was to trigger an alarm that would bring the entire Sable Court down on their heads.He rubbed his thumb against his injured forearm, feeling the faint line where Ansel's knife had cut him. The wound had almost completely healed, but his body was beginning to feel the strain of the fight. His muscles remained tense, his breathing had yet to return to normal
The End Of The Road
Ethan remained in place for a moment, breathing hard as he stared at the fallen man.His heart hammered against his ribs. He could feel the strain of the sudden movement in his legs, but there was no immediate pain or dizziness. Whatever Phantom Exchange had done, it had moved him across the cellar in a way that ordinary speed could never have achieved.Then the System notification caught his attention.Five energy points remained.Five.He had been close to exhausting the very resource that allowed him to use his abilities, and he had spent almost everythi
PHANTOM EXCHANGE (A DEADLY SKILL)
Ansel's eyes shifted past Ethan, briefly studying Renata before settling on Lira. Something calculating flickered behind his gaze as he took in their positions and the weapons they carried. His fingers tightened around the knife, but the rest of his body remained deceptively relaxed.“Thorne warned me that you might try something stupid,” Ansel remarked, his voice carrying a trace of amusement as he looked back at Ethan. “He said you were stubborn, reckless, and far too fond of getting yourself into trouble. But even he didn't think you'd be foolish enough to bring a strike team into his estate.”Renata's expression hardened as she reached for her pistols. “That's funny. I was just thinking how disappointing it would be if I came all this way and didn't get another chance to put a bullet in you,” she replied, her voice cold with open hostility.Ansel moved before she finished speaking.His body shot forward, and the knife flashed toward Ethan's throat with terrifying speed. His first
A Shocking Encounter
Ansel slowly lowered his knife, although he never took his eyes off Ethan. The faint light inside the vault glinted along the blade, revealing a thin line of blood near its tip.For a moment, the masked man seemed genuinely surprised. He had expected his attack to end with Ethan on the floor, struggling to understand what had happened. Instead, Ethan had managed to evade the strike, and the speed with which he had moved was far beyond anything Ansel remembered.“You've gotten faster,” Ansel observed, turning the knife between his fingers as he studied Ethan with reluctant interest. “Much faster than the last time we met. I was certain that strike would catch you before you even realized I was there. Yet somehow, you managed to move out of its path.” His eyes narrowed slightly above his mask. “Tell me, Ethan, what exactly has changed about you?”Ethan ignored the question as he slowly rose to his feet. His boots scraped against the stone floor, and he immediately shifted between Ansel
You may also like
Paths of Extinction
TheCrow36.5K viewsSaintess’s Worthless Husband Turned Dragon Commander
Universeleap101.0K viewsThe Royal Highness
Flower Spirit47.4K viewsIce Monarch
RidiculousRobinn72.4K viewsThe World Pays for Every Miracle
Licorice143 viewsRewriting My Billions: Boss of the Hidden realm
FLEGRA81 viewsI Tamed The Twin Demons
Ola174 viewsAgents of the divine war
Zubbyblaq45 views