Nearby, Gideon of the Havoc Division wore the same storm-cloud look. Varek was dead. Easton, gone. The others hadn't returned. Watching Axel walk away unharmed made bile rise in his throat, but Gideon knew. He no longer had the courage—or the will—to confront him.

Far away, Isaac closed his eyes, his chest tight with defeat. The good news: Axel had slipped suspicion. The bad news: the only Heavenly Spirit Fruit they'd managed to bring out was gone. The mission had failed. Completely.

"I didn't think even Sethan would be under their thumb…" Isaac muttered, a parade of faces flashing through his mind before he shook them away. Lord Aurelion would convene another roundtable soon. The plan to seize the Fruit had collapsed, the cure still out of reach. His form slowly dissolved into shadow on the slope.

.....

Half an hour later, Isaac stepped once again into the blackened chamber. To his surprise, all eight seats were filled—each cloaked figure in place, with Lord Aurelion looming above from the massive throne. Shadows pooled thick across the room, the air taut as a bowstring. Even the usually smug Zhurnak didn't bother to sneer at Isaac's lateness.

"Everyone is gathered," Aurelion said, his voice like stone grinding against stone. "Thronebearer, Zhurnak, Starveil, and Drelvaas all dispatched their Awakened to secure the Heavenly Spirit Fruit."

A pause. Then, slowly:

"With the exception of Thronebearer's, every one of them encountered rival Awakened during the harvest attempt. And every one of them perished."

The silence deepened, thick and suffocating.

"The Heavenly Spirit Fruit tree has been destroyed."

Isaac's pupils shrank. Destroyed? That meant their only path to developing a cure had been severed.

Aurelion continued, "The inspections after the Abyss, and Sethan's own testimony, confirm it—the mastermind we seek is here. Among the Senate itself."

The weight of those words pressed down on the chamber like a mountain.

"Thronebearer, how's the situation on your end?"

When Aurelion's voice fell silent, every hooded figure in the shadows turned their eyes toward Isaac.

Isaac drew in a long breath. "My man made it out alive—but he didn't have the Heavenly Spirit Fruit."

The room grew taut with silence until Starveil finally spoke. "Could he have gotten it and hidden it in the Abyss?"

"I don't know. I haven't met him yet."

"Then find him," Aurelion said evenly.

Isaac nodded. At that moment, Zhurnak, who hadn't said a word until now, let out a heavy sigh.

"Zhurnak," Aurelion's gaze sharpened. "You have something to add?"

Zhurnak gave a bitter smile. "My man is fast—faster than most. If even he couldn't reach the fruit, then by the time Thronebearer's people arrived… the tree was probably destroyed."

Isaac's chest sank like a stone. He'd been clinging to a sliver of hope, but Zhurnak's words crushed it.

Sensing the heaviness settling over the gathering, Aurelion's deep voice broke the silence. "We'll confirm soon enough. That's enough for today."

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The black space dissolved. Isaac found himself staring at the ceiling of his room, wordless for a long while. The Heavenly Spirit Fruit had been the keystone of the Holy Light Organization's plan—three years of groundwork, gone in an instant.

And now the tree was destroyed.

Their hopes were shattered.

Isaac let out a dry laugh. "Time to contact Axel."

.....

Back at the hotel, Miller was groaning and rubbing his temples. "Damn it, I can't remember… it's just gone."

With a frustrated sigh, he opened a video call.

"Miller, you're so damn lucky," Kaia said the moment she picked up. On-screen, she was sprawled out in a maid outfit, pale legs swinging as she sucked on a lollipop and mashed buttons in an online game. "Half the people who went into the Abyss are dead, and you waltz back out fine?"

Miller ground his teeth. "It almost sounds like you wanted me to die in there."

"You misunderstood."

"I—" Miller started, but Kaia cut him off sharply.

"It's not a misunderstanding. It's a fact."

Miller: "…"

"Don't distract me, I'm in the middle of a match. If you're gonna talk, make it quick."

"Kaia, come over here. My head's killing me. I need your psychic touch," he said, unusually serious.

Kaia wasn't just a gamer brat—she was a support-type psychic Awakener, capable of psychic networking, holographic projection, and even mending mental trauma.

"Go get a massage."

She rolled her eyes. Seeing Miller alive and bitching meant he was fine. Without another word, she hung up.

"Shit—my character just died again! This is your fault! Now I have to re-queue with my squad."

Miller dropped his phone, completely drained.

A sharp knock broke the silence. He opened the door and found Vince and Rosaline standing there. Behind them was a young woman with a permanent scowl.

Miller's stomach dropped the instant he saw her face, but he quickly covered it with suspicion. "Who's this?"

Rosaline spoke up. "Zaria, from the Silverwyn family. Her sister Zoey entered the Abyss and never came out. She's looking for answers."

"Axel's not around, so we brought her to you," Vince added. "Tell her what you know."

Zaria stepped forward, looking down her nose at him. "Did you see my sister? Did she have conflicts with anyone?" Her words were questions, but her tone was all interrogation.

Before Miller could answer, Rosaline frowned. She looked ready to snap, but Vince quietly tugged her sleeve. She bit back her retort—for the moment.

"I don't know. I didn't see her," Miller said.

Zaria's frown only deepened. "No one saw anything? Are you sure you're not forgetting some detail? Think harder."

Miller forced a smile. "If your sister was half as stunning as you, there's no way I'd have forgotten."

The line that usually worked like a charm landed flat. Zaria's gaze turned icy. "You're not qualified to flirt with me. Just inform me when Axel comes back."

"Ms. Zaria, we're cooperating because we're being polite. Watch your damn mouth."

Zaria blinked, taken aback by the bluntness. "What? You dare give me attitude? What the hell's wrong with you?"

Rosaline's lip curled in disgust. "That's my attitude. Go sniff around wherever you want—but don't posture in front of my team."

"You—!" A vein pulsed in Zaria's forehead as her hand twitched, ready to strike.

But the moment Rosaline released a ripple of Force, Zaria froze.

Her face drained. A Level 5 Awakener. She didn't stand a chance.

"…Fine." She glared daggers, then spun on her heel and stormed out.

Rosaline turned her glare on Miller. "You useless coward. The second you see a pretty face, you fold like paper."

Miller gave a weak, bitter chuckle. "Uh… that's not—"

"Enough," Vince cut him off gently. "Let's talk inside."

Rosaline shot him a suspicious look, but Vince's subtle gesture silenced her.

.....

After making sure Zaria had finally left the hotel, Vince shut the curtains and sat down heavily. "Millers," he said, his voice low. "What the hell's going on?"

"What do you mean, Vince? What's wrong?"

Vince replied in a whisper. "Millers have a way of lying,"

Millers' expression froze. "You… saw through that?"

"Did you actually see her or not?"

Millers exhaled and muttered, "Axel, I'm not throwing you under the bus, but damn—the captain's got hawk eyes." He rubbed his face, then sighed. "Yeah. I saw her. And I know who killed her."

The pupils of both Vince and Rosaline shrank. Rosaline leaned forward. "Then why the hell didn't you say so earlier? Do you realize how big a favor that would've been to Silverwyn?"

Even if she hated Zaria's arrogant attitude, Rosaline knew the Silverwyns were a family whose goodwill you didn't just toss away.

Millers' lips twisted. "Because I didn't see it with my own eyes. But I'm pretty damn sure Axel killed her."

The room went dead silent.

After a long pause, Vince finally spoke. "Axel took her down by himself?"

He wasn't asking why Axel might've done it. He was asking if it was even possible. Zoey Silverwyn wasn't just some mid-tier Level 4 Awakener. She had pedigree, training, and even a C-rank Original Instrument.

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