Four elders sat silently around a table, a few seats empty.

"Are we sure they’re dead?" Avan glanced around, still finding things surreal.

He was there when they oppressed and extorted Seth. Even when they went overboard to confine him and rob him dry, he watched it all.

He recalled everything perfectly because barely twenty-four hours had passed since then.

How could that boy grow so strong so soon?

It didn’t make sense. He frowned.

"I can’t sense their auras anymore, so it’s either they’ve disappeared from the mansion or they are dead," an elder spoke in a grim tone.

Everyone here knew leaving the mansion was not a possibility. That meant only the latter could be true.

"So what do we do?" another asked, clearly terrified they’d be next.

The female elder advised, "We do nothing. Leave that boy alone, and I have a feeling he will not bother with us."

An elder frowned in displeasure. "But—"

The female elder flared, rebuking as she pointed a finger. "I swear to the ancestors, if you do anything stupid, I will watch you die without raising a finger.

Even Johan is dead. What do you think you can do?!

Our work is simple: groom the family and prepare them for the war that’s coming. That’s all I plan on doing!"

...

Ding!

The elevator doors opened, revealing Seth.

He was dressed neatly, something he took his time to do after his killing spree.

As he walked off, heading toward the building exits, a guard spotted him and called, "Hey, you! Stop!"

But Seth didn’t reply. As though he hadn’t heard, he continued walking.

The guard frowned and was just reaching for his gun when a hand grabbed his shoulder.

A colleague nearby shook his head with a serious expression. "Haven’t you gotten the orders?"

The guard frowned. "No, not exactly."

His colleague sighed. "Good thing I came on time, or you might be dead. That’s Seth Duskreaver, and the new order from above is clear: no matter what Seth Duskreaver does, turn a blind eye!"

The guard frowned. That didn’t make sense. These were the same people hunting him, and now that he was found, they just let him go?

The colleague seemed to pick up on his confusion. Glancing around to ensure no one was nearby, he leaned close and whispered into his friend’s ear.

"I heard a rumor. It’s said some elders went to... you know." The man used his finger to draw a line across his neck as he continued.

"But none of them returned. We’re not sure what happened, but I think the elders — those who went to attack Seth — were killed."

The guard’s eyes widened as he stared at Seth’s receding back in horror.

How high was the elders’ image in the minds of the family?

How unfathomably powerful were they compared to the rest of the world’s evolvers?

Yet they died?

The guard massaged his itching neck. Just now, he would have died if not for the warning.

...

"Are you sure?" Simon asked with a frown.

The voice on the phone replied with certainty. "I saw it with my own eyes, boss. I saw Seth leaving the main family’s mansion, unscathed."

Of all places Simon had imagined he’d find Seth, he never once imagined Seth would be found there.

Was this a trap of some sort?

’I mean, after all, even if he was still in the mansion all this while, how did he escape their clutches?’ No matter how Simon thought of it, he simply couldn’t fathom his son defeating those old cunts.

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in his child’s strength — though he actually didn’t know much about it anyway — but this was just reality.

It might be sad, but that was the truth. Simon didn’t see any of Earth’s evolvers beating those guys anytime soon, until someone figured out how to break through the Shackled Rank.

As for Seth, he had to see things himself before he could make an accurate judgment.

As his father, he never hoped anything bad would befall his son. And no matter the chance, even if all logic pointed to it being false, he still had to try.

He got off the phone and silently stared at the window for some minutes before a guard knocked.

"Boss, I just got a message. Your son is outside the gate, wanting to meet you!"

Simon was stunned for a few brief seconds. His mouth opened and closed, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say.

So it was true?

Seth had actually walked out of that mansion alive and in one piece. And he had gotten here so fast.

He quickly ordered, "Bring him straight to me."

With that, he rushed to get himself dressed, to hide any and every trace of injury.

As a father, one thing he never wanted to be was a liability.

He never wanted to worry his son. As his father, he should be the one worrying.

A few minutes later, the door opened.

"Father." Seth greeted.

Simon stared at his son in a daze. It hadn’t been long since he last saw the boy, so why did he feel like he had changed so much?

His poise, the air around him — in fact, he could faintly feel a call of submission.

But Simon’s will remained strong. He stared at his child, a myriad of emotions flitting through his gaze.

And for the first time in a long time, Simon felt happy. Happy to see his child again. Happy to be the father of such a boy.

He truly felt glad.

"How have you been, son?" He had a million things to say, but in the end he could only string these words together.

Seth smiled. "I’m good. You’re the one I’m worried about. Last I saw you, you were on your last legs."

Simon grinned. This was why he enjoyed Seth’s company more than any of his other children.

The law of hierarchy had already been brewed into the minds of every young Duskreaver from a young age.

This made their bond stiff, and none of them could talk to him as casually as Seth ever did.

In moments like these, Simon could finally discard his duties as family head, the dutie

s of being a CEO, the duties of being Simon Duskreaver...

And finally be just one thing he loved the most.

Being a father.