2025-08-21 18:24:35The Daniels residence was quiet the following morning, but silence in that house never meant peace. It was the kind of silence that hummed with suppressed tensions, like a storm lingering just beyond the horizon.
Michael awoke early, as he always did. The city was only beginning to stir, but he had already finished his morning exercise and was standing at the small window of his study, watching the street outside. To anyone else, his morning routine was unremarkable, but to Michael, each day was carefully measured, every action deliberate. On the desk before him lay yesterday’s folded newspaper. The headline blared about EastGate Corporation’s rapid expansion. Investors were hailing them as the rising giant of the city, but Michael knew better. Behind the flashy headlines, cracks had already begun to form. Numbers he had tracked quietly through his hidden networks painted a grim picture—debts piled high, shadowy partnerships, and executives who were gambling too much on appearances. Still, it wasn’t his place to interfere. Not yet. A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Clara entered, already dressed for work, her suit perfectly tailored, her hair tied back in a neat bun. She looked radiant, professional, every inch the strong woman her family admired. Her expression, however, was weary. “You’re up early again,” she said, almost mechanically, setting her handbag on the chair. “I usually am,” Michael replied with a small smile. Clara hesitated, then walked closer, her voice dropping. “About last night…” Michael turned his gaze to her. “What about it?” “You embarrassed yourself,” she said, her tone sharper than she intended. “Bringing up EastGate like that, in front of my father and the others. They already look down on you, Michael. Why give them more reasons?” His smile didn’t waver. “Would you rather I stay completely silent?” “Yes,” she snapped, then quickly softened. “I mean… sometimes it’s better that way. They won’t change their minds about you. Not now. Not ever.” Michael studied her for a moment. There was no malice in her words, only resignation. Clara had been fighting battles of her own within this family for years, trying to prove her worth against her brothers and cousins. Having a husband labeled as “useless” only made her struggle harder. “Clara,” he said gently, “do you think I’m useless?” The question caught her off guard. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Finally, she sighed. “I don’t know what to think anymore. You don’t fight back when they insult you. You don’t show ambition. You don’t… seem to care.” Michael’s eyes softened. “What if caring looks different than you expect?” She frowned, confused by his words. But before she could press further, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and her expression hardened. “It’s Father. I need to go.” And just like that, she grabbed her bag and hurried out, leaving Michael alone once again. Meanwhile, in the lavish boardroom of Daniels Enterprises, Harold Daniels sat at the head of the table, surrounded by his children and senior executives. The morning meeting was already underway. David, the eldest son, stood proudly at the projector, outlining the final stages of the EastGate partnership. Graphs and charts flashed on the screen, all pointing to rapid profits and expansion. “This deal will push us ahead of our competitors,” David declared confidently. “EastGate is the future, and Daniels Enterprises will ride that wave.” Applause filled the room. Harold nodded approvingly. “Well done, David. This is the kind of leadership our family needs.” But not everyone was convinced. Clara, seated further down the table, spoke up. “Father, I think we should be cautious. EastGate is expanding too quickly. I’ve noticed irregularities in their numbers. Perhaps we should delay the contract until we’re certain.” The room fell silent. David’s smirk was sharp. “And where did you hear this, Clara? From your husband?” A ripple of laughter spread through the executives. Clara flushed, but she raised her chin. “No. It’s my own observation. Their assets don’t match their claims.” Harold’s expression darkened. “Clara, you’re letting doubt cloud your judgment. David has already proven himself capable. Let him lead.” “But Father—” “Enough,” Harold snapped. His voice carried finality, and Clara bit back her retort. As the meeting adjourned, David leaned close to her with a mocking grin. “Next time, keep your husband’s nonsense out of business matters. It’s embarrassing.” Clara left the boardroom with clenched fists. Deep inside, doubt gnawed at her. She didn’t know why, but Michael’s calm warning from the night before echoed in her mind. That evening, Michael was in the garden trimming the roses when Clara returned home. Her steps were heavy, her expression stormy. “How was your day?” he asked gently, setting down the shears. Clara hesitated, then sat down on the bench. “You were right about one thing. They don’t listen to me either.” Michael sat beside her, waiting patiently. “I tried to warn them about EastGate, but Father dismissed me. David humiliated me in front of everyone. I don’t know why I even bothered.” Michael reached out, brushing a leaf from her sleeve. “Because you care. That’s what makes you stronger than them.” She looked at him then, truly looked. For a moment, she saw not the “useless” son-in-law everyone mocked, but a man of quiet strength, someone who noticed details others ignored, someone who spoke only when necessary. “Michael,” she said softly, “what do you know about EastGate?” He smiled faintly. “Enough to know they’re not what they pretend to be. But the truth has a way of revealing itself. You’ll see soon.” Clara’s heart stirred with unease. There was something in his tone—something she couldn’t place. As the night deepened, Michael returned to his study. He picked up his phone, dialing a number only a handful of people in the world possessed. “Monitor EastGate’s accounts,” he instructed the voice on the other end. “If they make any large moves, I want to know immediately.” “Yes, sir,” the voice replied respectfully. Michael hung up, leaning back in his chair. His eyes glinted with a hidden fire. The Daniels family thought of him as a shadow, a nobody. But shadows had power. And soon, they would learn just how useful he truly was.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 215: The Spiral Beneath
The steps spiraled downward into a crimson haze, each one formed from a stone that pulsed faintly—as though blood flowed beneath its surface. The deeper Elira walked, the more she felt the air thicken, warmed by an unseen current that brushed along her skin like a living breath.Kael stayed close behind her, silent but alert. Tarin brought up the rear, scanning upward often, as though expecting something to follow them down the spiral.None of them spoke at first.Voices felt dangerous here—like sound itself would awaken something waiting beyond the mist.The only noise was the rhythmic hum pulsing through the stone steps and the distant rumble of machinery buried far below the earth. Once, the hum synchronized with Elira’s heartbeat so perfectly that she stopped walking, clutching her chest.Kael nearly collided with her. “Elira?”She raised a hand, signaling him to wait.The hum wasn’t random. It wasn’t mechanical.It was… responding.She stepped forward again, and the hum deepened—
Chapter 214: The Descent’s First Tremor
The corridor beyond the chamber felt narrower than before—though Elira suspected it wasn’t the walls that had changed, but the presence pushing against them. The air hummed with an electric tension she could feel on her skin, a constant low vibration that thrummed through her bones with every step.Kael moved first, steady and alert, his eyes scanning the dimly lit passageway ahead. The crystalline lights embedded in the walls flickered in sporadic pulses, like something was interfering with the power source… or feeding on it.Tarin kept close behind, hand resting near the hilt of his blade—the same blade that had once cut through shadow as though it were nothing but smoke. Now, even he seemed unsure whether it would be enough.Elira followed them, clutching the projected map she had extracted from the ancient console. Its drifting lines of light hovered above her palm, shifting like a living constellation. The path ahead spiraled downward—deep into the underlayers where no record exi
Chapter 213: Shadows That Speak
The chamber breathed around them—if something made of metal, stone, and ancient circuitry could truly breathe. Faint lines of light pulsed beneath the floor tiles, every ripple in perfect rhythm, as though responding to Elira’s presence… or to her fear.She stood frozen at the console, hands still lightly hovering above the crystalline interface. The symbols lingering in the air before her weren’t static now—they twisted slowly in spirals, expanding and collapsing like lungs. It felt wrong. It felt aware.Tarin finally broke the silence.“Elira,” he said gently, stepping toward her. “What did you see?”She didn’t answer right away. Her mouth opened slightly, but her voice failed. Only when Kael moved closer—calm, steady gaze grounded on her—did she draw in a shaky breath.“It wasn’t just a record,” she whispered. “It wasn’t passive. It was… responsive.”The group exchanged uneasy glances.Elira continued, her voice gaining a haunting, reluctant clarity.“It showed cycles. Dozens of th
Chapter 212: The Echo That Chose Him
The world returned in fragments.Sound before light.Breath before shape.Fear before memory.Clara’s ears rang with a high, piercing hum, like she had been dropped underwater. She blinked hard, trying to force the world back into focus. Slowly, the whiteness faded into dim outlines—shattered stone, flickering embers of golden light, and the sharp scent of burned magic clinging to the air.Her heart thrashed.“Michael?” she rasped.No answer.She pushed herself up on trembling arms, ignoring the stabbing pain in her ribs. Dust drifted from her hair, settling around her like gray snow. Beside her, Alistair lay slumped against a fallen beam, breathing hard, one hand clutched over his chest. His aura flickered weakly—thin gold, frayed at the edges.“Alistair—wake up,” she urged, shaking him.His eyelids fluttered open. His voice came out strained. “Clara… is it over?”Clara scanned the sanctuary.The rift was gone.The shadow figure was gone.Michael—Her breath hitched.Where Michael ha
Chapter 211: The Rift Remembers
The storm outside the sanctuary had not calmed since the night the shadow-double attempted to pull Michael into its mirrored void. Instead, the skies churned with a heavy, unnatural pressure—like the air itself held its breath, waiting for something inevitable and catastrophic.Inside, the sanctuary was still recovering.Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls where the rift had flared open. Scattered glass from the shattered windows glittered on the stone floor like frozen tears. But what weighed the heaviest was not the damage—it was the silence.A thick, oppressive silence that seemed to remember everything.Clara stood near the far wall, brushing dust from her palms and trying, desperately, to keep her thoughts in one place. But her mind kept circling back to the moment Michael had collapsed—body trembling, eyes unfocused, breath stolen by something far deeper than exhaustion.He had been unconscious for nearly an hour now.And Clara felt every passing minute like a tightening rope a
Reflection Note
Michael has finally been pulled back—but not without consequences. The name he uttered, Aurelis, marks the first time a deeper entity from the Echo Realm has revealed itself through him. So here’s the question for you, dear reader: Do you believe the Michael who returned is truly the same one who left… or did something
