LOGINClara had slept at the hospital, fully dressed, on a bench beside the bed. When she woke, she felt unexpectedly clear-headed, rested in a way she had not thought possible.They had something in reserve now. Even with Amara still unconscious, this was only a temporary problem.Everything was temporary. It would pass.The night before, at the guesthouse, had been different. She had been surrounded by the people closest to her, lying in a real bed, yet she had found no peace. None of them had known what tomorrow would bring.The family had fallen, and they had not yet learned how to navigate a world that no longer had a place for them.Today, she still did not have all the answers. But she knew they possessed nearly two hundred thousand dollars' worth of items that could be converted into cash at any time, and that was enough.She stretched, savoring the release through her muscles, then stood to find something for Amara to eat.Her phone rang."Morning, Diana."She even managed
A long, exhausting day had taken its toll, and Clara drifted off to sleep almost immediately.…Back at the rented apartment, uninvited guests had arrived."This is the place. The jewelry and clothes those women have are worth a fortune.""My sister took one of their diamond rings and sold it for millions."There were four of them, black stockings pulled over their faces. Judging by the way they spoke, the leader was the landlord's younger brother."That's right. These are the Chamberlain sisters, the ones who crossed the Draconox Archon. We clean them out completely, and nobody's going to speak up for them."The group chuckled among themselves.They had not come through the front door. Instead, they slipped in through a window the landlord's brother knew about, one that could be opened without making a sound.The sisters had spent the entire day moving in and cleaning. Exhausted, they slept soundly and never stirred.One of the men had found the cabinet where the sisters kep
Clara brought a lunchbox to the hospital to check on Amara.Evening had arrived, and she still had not woken up. At least the others had found a place to stay.The desperation of the previous night was behind them. Clara could finally think more carefully about what kind of work might actually suit her."Amara, please wake up. We took stock of everything we're carrying. It adds up to nearly 200,000 dollars."Give it to me, and I'll spend it on quality brushes and paint. Give it to Diana, and she'll stock the medicine cabinet. Give it to Giana, and she'll stare at it for inspiration. Give it to Hilda, and she'll buy a camera she's convinced is the best on the market. We need you to tell us where to focus our efforts."She kept talking in a quiet voice, speaking at length.Amara's eyes remained closed, but every so often, her pupils shifted beneath her eyelids.The doctor had explained it. She was fighting something within her own mind. Once it was resolved, she would wake up. If
Further to one side lay a face Oscar had seen once before.Ruby's body was gone. Only her face remained, bloodless and pale, placed at a point on a red circle drawn into the floor. The rest of what had once been her had been arranged around Jason with precise ritual symmetry."Zoom out."The camera pulled back slowly, and Oscar saw it then. The walls of the room were covered in pinpoints of faint light. Connected together, they formed the shape of a dragon.He immediately understood how serious this was. "Seal the scene. I'm on my way."Every force in the world had its opposite. Draconox imprisoned true dragons and drew power from them. But there had always been those who chose the opposite path entirely.The organization most directly opposed to Draconox was known as the Dragon Ascendancy Union. Where Draconox confined true dragons and extracted what they offered, the Dragon Ascendancy Union willingly submitted to them.Its members worshipped true dragons as spiritual sovereign
"I heard the carving was found in your adoptive father's room. Aren't you worried he might be the one who slipped through?" Boreas watched Oscar with a faint smile. "If that's the case, the problem is far more serious."Oscar met his gaze, his eyes devoid of warmth. "If it is, then my entire life may have been directed by someone else. Even becoming the Draconox Archon could have been arranged. If someone is operating on that level, what preparations has Draconox made?"Boreas lowered his gaze. "I've issued a warrant. Arthur is being hunted throughout the northern regions, and his daughters are under close surveillance."Oscar nodded once. "I have no affection for them. But until the truth is confirmed, I'd prefer they remain unharmed.""Of course. On another note, how does one initiate vitalis reversal? Walk me through it."…Oscar left Boreas's residence late that night.After teaching him the vitalis reversal method, something he had only been vaguely aware of before returned
Boreas rolled up his sleeve to the elbow, revealing a black line that ran along his forearm and continued upward. "This is a reading technique unique to the Murdock family. When the black line appears, death is near. It only surfaces during the final years of a person's life."It has appeared on me, which means that in a few more years, I will follow the same path you're on now."But before I inherited the title, there was nothing. Even now, every medical examination comes back clean. So I need to understand what this curse actually is. You've already mastered Dr. Hoffman's method. If I start now, is there still any point?"Boreas delivered every word without a change in expression.Oscar fell silent. Caleb's method hadn't been created for him alone. It had been created for every future Draconox Archon.In theory, if vitalis reversal reached full saturation, the cancer cells in his body could be displaced and suppressed by vitalis itself.But that was only theory. Whether it actu
The sisters urged Stanley warmly, and even Irene, still nestled against Amara's side, looked up at him with a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes.Stanley gave them a helpless smile before finally relenting. "Fine. But forget the restaurant. We'll eat at your residence instead. This situation started
The Chamberlain sisters walked out of the school with Joshua and a long line of security guards following behind them.None of the guards tried to stop anyone. They carried Leon between them, his limbs twisted out of place.Joshua didn't need a doctor to understand what he was seeing. Leon was fin
Joshua had never seen Stanley before. He had no idea who he was. But a man who stepped forward at a moment like this was either a fool or someone backed by enough power to make him untouchable.Joshua couldn't afford to make the wrong guess. "And you are? We're handling a matter between students an
The moment Leon saw backup arrive, he tore free from Stanley's grip and scrambled toward the door."Mr. Horion, help me!" He positioned the teacher between himself and the room, his expression hardening into something dangerous again now that he had protection. "Mr. Horion, these people broke into







