George lowered his head, his gaze falling to the ground. Then he muttered in a low voice, "I need to move quickly."
Ayrton tried to intervene, quickly pointing toward Hugo. "Hugo possesses immense power. He can help you."
But George stubbornly refused. His aura suddenly erupted from his body, far more violently than he had intended. At a critical moment, George felt his power betray him. He cursed under his breath before vanishing from the spot—but the instability dragged someone else along with him.
In an instant, the void swallowed them both.
Isabelle stood frozen in the middle of the room, staring at the empty space where her reckless son had been. He had always been like dust—vanishing whenever she tried to grasp him. Now, all that remained was the echo of absent footsteps and the heavy premonition that everything happening was merely the beginning of the collapse.
Then she looked toward the place where Ayrton had been standing, only to find that he had disappeared as well.
Isildar looked at William, who remained silent as though the words were too heavy to leave his mouth. Then he asked in a calm voice that barely concealed his surprise, "Didn't you want to get to know him?"
William's lips moved awkwardly before he quickly muttered, "I forgot… how to speak."
It seemed he was trying to escape his own helplessness through action. He walked hesitantly toward Isabelle, gently guided her into a seat, then bent slightly and patted her back with great care.
His voice was quiet, yet filled with hope.
"Madam… I'm sorry for your loss, but… Kayden will return. He's strong."
"Everyone… could you leave me alone with Colton for a moment?" Isabelle asked calmly.
Isildar, William, and Hugo exchanged glances before leaving one after another. Henry, however, remained seated where he was, refusing to leave.
Colton sat on a chair opposite her, his back straight as though preparing for a long confrontation.
Isabelle offered him a faint smile before speaking.
"I know a great deal… I've lived long enough to distinguish illusion from truth. My eyes do not deceive me. When I saw Arthur, I knew he was the man I had been looking for. I devised a plan to obtain him, and I got what I wanted. I do not know the taste of defeat or failure."
Colton nodded in understanding. "You're an exceptionally intelligent woman, Madam."
She tilted her head slightly and looked at Colton.
"But I also know that you're powerful… extremely powerful. You're different from the others. You're special. And that is why… tell me, where do you think my son is?"
Colton hesitated for a moment before answering.
"He's underground… inside a church. Not the one where Father Chase is staying, but another one. It's about half an hour away at mounted speed."
Colton had no intention of truly helping Kayden. He simply wanted Kayden to survive on his own.
Isabelle's chest slowly rose as though she had regained some of her reassurance. She asked again, her eyes burning with anticipation.
"And how is he?"
"Stable," Colton answered without hesitation. "He hasn't suffered any real harm… yet."
Isabelle smiled, and this time her smile was filled with satisfaction.
"You're very clever."
Then she suddenly raised her voice.
"Arthur, you may come in."
The door opened, and Arthur entered with steady steps. He sat beside Henry and spoke without preamble.
"I've put up a spiritual barrier."
Colton rose from his chair and was about to leave, but Arthur's firm voice stopped him.
"And where do you think you're going?"
Colton did not answer. Arthur merely gestured for him to sit.
When Colton returned to his seat, Arthur added coldly, "You're one of us now. You won't be able to leave."
Silence settled over the room for a moment before Arthur continued in a calm voice.
"I've already sent a message… ordering them to release Kayden. And if they refuse, I'll get him out myself."
Arthur let out a short sigh, as though it reflected a confidence bordering on arrogance. Then he looked toward Isabelle.
"In fact… she's already there."
Elsewhere…
George settled into a sealed room. He took a deep breath, then exhaled as though trying to force something heavy from his chest.
Only moments later, the sound of something falling echoed through the room from the shadows.
George turned.
Ayrton opened his eyes in surprise.
"How unstable can your powers possibly be?"
Ayrton looked around, realizing that he was inside a dark room.
"Where are we?"
George approached a wooden chair, pushed it toward him with confidence, and spoke in a dry voice.
"Sit there and don't interfere. If you do, it'll be the end of you, and I'll personally send your head to Adam."
Ayrton calmly sat down, as though the threat had done nothing to frighten him.
"I won't interfere. My powers really are unstable. But… why do you hate me? And wait—do you know where Adam is?"
George stared at him for a long moment before sighing.
"Yes. I met him. And you're wasting your time."
He paused before continuing.
"You're not alone. You and Adam… wait a second!"
George's expression darkened.
"You're the one who dragged him into all of this. He's just a little kid following you around. You need to step forward and start acting like a man."
Ayrton replied, his voice carrying a mixture of defiance and pain.
"I'm not hiding or lost. What do you want me to do? Go to the council and sit around with old men like you?"
George shook his head in disdain.
"They're a bunch of idiots."
A faint light flashed in Ayrton's eyes.
"We're alone now, George. Are you still upset because I broke your leg because I was better than you and beat you?"
George did not answer.
Ayrton continued in an even more provocative tone.
"Or is it because I almost broke your hand back then? It was a fight. You seriously have no sportsmanship."
George slowly shook his head.
"Of course I haven't forgotten that. But that's not the only reason."
He looked at Ayrton.
"You're strong, and so am I. That fight left both of us injured. I hurt you too, so don't pretend you didn't scream like a rat being burned alive."
The room fell silent for several seconds.
Then George leaned forward and pressed a finger against a deeper wound.
"Everyone expected a lot from you… but you chose to disappear. Some thought you were dead, and I believed that I had finally made a friend… only to be told that my friend had died."
A bitter smile tugged at his lips.
"How perfect was that? Roger kept laughing about it for months!"
George stared at him.
"Then you suddenly appear in front of me, and what were you doing? Building your own company? What a fraud you are, with that oversized head of yours!"
His expression hardened.
"You even promised me a fight… but it seems that's never going to happen."
Ayrton's face turned bewildered, as though the words had trapped something heavy inside his chest.
He slowly exhaled and decided to reveal something.
"I didn't mean for any of that to happen. Really… After that fight, the Church took me. They said I had great potential, so I worked with them for years."
His voice grew quieter.
"But… when I saw Adam, I saw a child being tortured right before my eyes, completely helpless to resist… So I ran."
George let out a mocking laugh, his eyes glinting with derision. "Did a child scare you?"
Ayrton blinked several times, as though he had no idea how to respond. Then he said awkwardly,
"Well… he really is a terrifying kid, but I was more afraid of the Church men!"
George suddenly stopped.
He stared at him for a long moment before raising his eyebrows in exaggerated surprise.
"Wait a second… you lived in the Church? Don't tell me… you're a eunuch?! I'm telling everyone. I'll leave it to Henry—you know how good he is at spreading rumors. He won't spare you. The news will even reach your mother in her comfortable home!"
Ayrton panicked, placing a hand on his thigh nervously.
"I'm not a eunuch! That's one of the reasons I ran away in the first place! George… please don't tell Henry. You know how fast he spreads things."
George smiled slyly as he leaned back.
"I wasn't planning to tell him…"
Ayrton relaxed slightly.
"I was going to tell Kayden."
Ayrton froze, his eyes widening in horror.
"And Kayden will tell Henry… and Henry will spread it everywhere… then it'll reach Roger… and that'll be the end of me."
He shuddered.
"Roger might actually be the person I fear most in your family… he's mentally unstable."
He covered his face with his palm, his voice filled with despair and bitterness.
"You really hate me."
George pulled over a chair and sat down without a word, his gaze cold and unreadable.
Ayrton was forced to continue defending himself.
"I even went to your father… He helped me deal with my father so they could make the Church let me go. After that, I started my business… And every time I tried to see you, you were busy. This isn't my fault!"
George stood and calmly removed his coat, tossing it onto the chair. He then sank into deep concentration, focusing his spiritual power as though resetting the very pulse of the world around him.
Before he could complete the ritual, Ayrton interrupted him.
"Hello. My name is Ayrton. I'm twenty-seven years old. I live in a big house, I have plenty of friends and acquaintances, and I have extensive experience in combat…"
He paused, then smiled.
"But I want to be your friend."
George looked at him with cold disdain before letting out a harsh laugh.
"Are you mentally challenged?"
With a swift movement, George traced an imaginary circle through the air.
Reality shattered along its edge, opening a dark rift.
A man fell violently from within it.
He staggered to his feet, gasping for breath as he looked around in instinctive confusion.
George put on a diplomatic smile and bowed with exaggerated respect.
"My esteemed sir!"
Silas turned toward George, his eyes narrowing with obvious irritation.
"What are you doing in my bedroom? Did you come here for revenge? What I said during the session was the truth!"
George shook his head indifferently, a cold smile spreading across his face.
"That's not why I'm here. But there's one thing I know for certain—you hate me."
He shrugged.
"Well… that doesn't matter. Your opinion is worthless. You can throw it in the trash, put it on your head, or shove it inside your brain…"
George stepped closer.
"But before that, let me correct one little misunderstanding."
His voice sharpened.
"Your brain doesn't work properly anymore… because you replaced it."
Silas froze, his eyes widening.
"What are you talking about?"
George pointed a finger at Silas's head.
"You put your ass inside your head and dropped your brain down below. Of course it doesn't work anymore—you've done nothing but sit around all this time."
Silas's face turned red, his voice trembling as he shouted,
"You… you're insolent!"
On the side, Ayrton watched in silence.
His instincts told him that George's words were more than mere mockery. They were arrows driven straight into the flesh of truth.
At that moment, George seemed like a razor-sharp blade—not merely cutting into his opponent, but tearing through everyone who had the misfortune of listening.
Then George's tone became calm, though every word carried a threat.
"Were you the one spreading those nasty rumors about my brother?"
Silas stiffened, his face flushing red.
"You're in my territory now. And you dare threaten me?"
George replied with dramatic restraint.
"Don't make me get violent. Violence isn't the only solution."
Then his next words descended like a blade.
"I know you're cheating on your wife, and that you have… quite a few illegitimate children. One of your mistresses even tried to kill herself."
Silas's expression changed.
"I was going to use that information to ruin your reputation, but instead, I'll take it to the Church!"
George smiled faintly.
"You're always talking about faith, right? Fine. I'm talking about faith too."
Silas stammered, then suddenly broke under the pressure of fear.
"I was the one who reported you!"
He blurted it out frantically before adding,
"You only want to destroy those neighborhoods and build new factories there, turning the people into slaves! There's nothing beneficial to society about that!"
George stared at him.
"Sir, you make them work for you for miserable wages. How are you any better than me?"
His smile turned mocking.
"Don't pretend you're compassionate. At least I'll rebuild the entire place and make it smell better."
George picked up a piece of paper and a pen.
"Write the letter. Withdraw the report."
Silas immediately began writing, fully alert as though his very survival depended on it. He signed the letter with a trembling hand.
When he finished, George sat there without moving, his eyes fixed on him, as though watching a debt that would be collected later.
George spoke in a low voice, mockery dripping from every word.
"You know… you look like a monkey's ass."
He paused.
"That's exactly what Roger would say right now."
George stood, then drew another circle beneath Silas's feet, followed by a second one on the ceiling.
In the blink of an eye, Silas fell from above and slammed into the floor.
Then he was pulled back up—
Only to fall again.
And again.
George remained standing there indifferently, watching the scene as though it were the most boring show imaginable.
Finally, Ayrton let out an exasperated sigh.
"That's enough."
He picked up his coat.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished together, leaving Silas sprawled across the floor, caught somewhere between pain and humiliation.