Kael stood under the showerhead and let it pound against his shoulders, washing away the rain, the blood, the slum grime. The Ashford Suites really did have excellent water pressure.

Kael toweled dry, dressed in fresh clothes from his storage ring, and was reaching for a glass of water when the notification flashed.

[QUEST COMPLETED]

Uncover House of Crimson’s base network and the true purpose of the mass abductions — COMPLETE

Rewards delivered:

• 4,000 Shadow Points (stored until evolution)

• Soul Integrity +3% (now 82%)

• Spirit Eyes of the Dark Emperor (stored until system evolution)

Kael paused mid-sip.

Spirit Eyes of the Dark Emperor.

His Darkness seed stirred in his core.

Interesting.

Kael finished his water and went to bed.

Morning arrived with all the subtlety of a hammer to the face.

Kael entered the Guardian base to find Cassian already waiting. Yenna stood apart, arms crossed with her cold icy-blue gaze. Bruno was nearby with his massive silhouette against the wall, scarred arms folded, expression carved from granite.

George emerged from a side door with a coffee cup and a folder.

"Good morning." He smiled. "I trust you all slept well?"

Nobody answered.

"Excellent. Can I have your report since you are back so early."

Kael stepped forward.

"Jabia node has destroyed with the teleportation formation disabled. One Rank 9 operative escaped but was tracked and eliminated." His voice was flat. "Interrogation before death yielded three additional node locations."

George’s eyebrows rose slightly. "Already eliminated?"

"Your mission was to gather intel. It seems your stealth abilties are lack."

"But since you eliminated all the operatives, that will save us the stress of wasting manpower." George sipped his coffee. "Continue."

"Valian City strongest confirmed presence is a Foundation Establishment Rank 8. Standard operation—civilian collection, teleportation formation with low security."

"Rishford City; the mining colony has two confirmed Mana Heart Rank 1 cultivators. It has a higher security and a probable command structure for the region."

George nodded slowly, making notes in his folder.

"And a new location. Thornwell." Kael paused. "Not in the original dossier. A Ghost town, officially abandoned with no registered population. One Mana Heart Rank 9, two Mana Heart Rank 5, plus additional Foundation Establishment cultivators."

Bruno’s head turned. "Why is Thornwell so guarded? That place is a ghost town. No one even lives there." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Unlike the other nodes," Kael said, "Thornwell isn’t focused on civilian abductions. It’s specifically targeting cultivators. Including Mana Heart realm."

Silence.

George set down his coffee.

"Thornwell intelligence alone would have taken our agents weeks to uncover." His voice was measured, but something in his eyes had sharpened. "You’re certain about this?"

"The operative was certain. He had no reason to lie."

"And the Shadow Vatican?"

Kael’s expression didn’t flicker. "You already know about them."

A beat.

George smiled. "Of course we do." He closed the folder. "I’ll spread our lower members to handle Rishford City and Valian City. Your mission was intelligence gathering, and you three went significantly further—destroying Jabia City and providing intelligence on an unknown base."

He straightened.

"I’m impressed. Your rewards will be distributed tomorrow. You can collect your one-star badges from Rosalie after this meeting." He turned to Bruno. "Bruno. Call Grey for me. You and Grey will handle Thornwell."

"Yes sir."

"Good." George’s gaze swept across the trio. "You three can follow if you want. Observing Mana Heart realm combat will be beneficial for your development."

He waved a hand. "Dismissed."

Rosalie gave them their badges without a word.

Small black metal pins—star-and-shield insignia, a single star etched beneath the sword. Kael pinned his to his collar and felt the faint weight of the binding contract shift, settling into a slightly less restrictive configuration.

One-star Guardian.

He wondered what five stars got you.

They waited in the main hall. Cassian had produced a chair from somewhere—literally from somewhere, Kael had blinked and suddenly there was a chair—and was dozing with his sunglasses on. Yenna stood by a window, watching the street outside.

Three hours quickly passed.

The doors opened as a young man walked in.

He was... unremarkable. Average height, brown hair, ordinary features. He wore the same dark Guardian uniform as everyone else, but his three-star badge looked older, more worn, like it had been through actual combat rather than just ceremony.

Kael’s senses reached out automatically.

Mana Heart Rank 8. Similar to George.

But—

Something was off. The cultivation base was there, clearly detectable, undeniably Rank 8. But it felt... thin. Spread out. Like George’s signature, but less controlled. Less refined.

George appeared from nowhere. As in the next moment, he was standing beside Grey with a hand on his shoulder.

"Welcome, Grey." George’s voice was warm. "I’m sure Bruno has briefed you on your next mission."

Grey nodded. "Thornwell City. The ghost town that was destroyed by the world government five years ago. Multiple Mana Heart cultivators including a Rank 9."

"Correct." George smiled. "You’re going to take this trio along. Get them some field experience against enemies above their weight class."

Grey’s ordinary eyes swept across Kael, Yenna, and Cassian.

"Foundation Establishment," he said flatly. "Against Mana Heart cultivators."

"They’re not expected to fight alone." George’s smile didn’t waver. "Just observe. Learn. Stretch a little."

Grey’s expression remained neutral.

"As you say."

Kael watched the exchange with quiet interest. George was stronger than Grey—obviously stronger, the difference in aura density was like comparing a river to a stream—but Grey didn’t seem bothered by taking orders.

"Move out in thirty minutes," George said, and vanished.

Grey looked at the trio.

"Try not to die."

Thornwell was exactly as depressing as its’ history.

Thick fog rolled through the abandoned streets like a lazy predator, swallowing buildings, lamp posts, and any hope of visibility beyond twenty meters. The structures themselves were skeletons—crumbling walls, shattered windows, roofs that had caved in years ago and never been repaired. No lights, no sounds and no signs of life.

"Well," Yenna said from the back seat. "This totally doesn’t look like a trap."

Bruno didn’t respond. His massive hands gripped the steering wheel of the transport vehicle. His eyes scanned the fog with the intensity of a man.

"Looks like we’re going to have to stretch our muscles," Cassian said from beside Kael. He had his feet up on the seat looking like he was about to take a nap rather than enter a hostile combat zone.

Bruno slowed the vehicle as they continued into the city.

The streets were empty. Not just quiet—empty leaving a clear path that felt less like natural weather and more like an invitation.