Lizbeth bit her lip, clearly wrestling with something.

Finally, desperation won out over skepticism.

"If you really are that powerful, if you really can take down awakeners that easily, then maybe... maybe you can help me too."

"Help you with what?" Jorghan asked, his tone neutral.

"My daughter," Lizbeth said, and her voice cracked slightly.

"She's ten years old. She manifested an ability six months ago. Something rare, something valuable. She can sense things other people can't—dangers, opportunities, hidden objects. It's like she sees the world differently than everyone else."

She moved to a small box on her shelf and pulled out a photograph. A young girl with dark hair and her mother's features, smiling at the camera in happier times.

"My husband found out about her ability," Lizbeth continued, bitterness filling her voice.

"I thought he'd protect her, help keep her safe. Instead, he saw an opportunity. He contacted the Raed Circle gang, one of the major mafia organizations that control the city. They pay good money for awakeners with useful abilities, especially young ones they can train and control."

Jorghan's expression hardened.

"He sold his own daughter."

"For fifty thousand credits and protection for himself," Lizbeth confirmed, anger and grief mixing in her tone.

"The Raed Circle, they use awakeners like her for expeditions—sending them into dangerous areas to scout, to find valuable resources, to detect threats. Most of the children they take don't survive more than a few months. The expeditions are too dangerous, and they don't care about casualties."

She looked at Jorghan with desperate hope.

"If you're really as strong as you seem, if you can take down multiple awakeners without effort, then maybe you could get her back. The Raed Circle operates from a compound in the western district. It's heavily guarded, but with your abilities..."

"You want me to do what now?" Jorghan questioned, giving her a sharp look.

"I know it's a lot to ask," Lizbeth said quickly. Even as a normal human, she could tell that he looked different, and the way he handled those men told her something was completely way off about Jorghan. He was certainly strong, and he helped her, unlike most.

"I know we just met, and that you have your own path. But please. She's all I have left. I'll help you with whatever you need—whatever I can provide. Just please help me get my daughter back."

Jorghan considered her request.

On one hand, it was a distraction from finding Grace.

On the other hand, he needed local help, and Lizbeth clearly had knowledge of the city's power structures. Plus, the idea of a father selling his own child to criminals stirred anger that made him want to hurt someone.

"I'll consider it," he said finally.

"But first, I need to understand what's happening in this world. You mentioned awakeners, expeditions, and mafia gangs controlling territory. Explain all of it. I'm unfamiliar with what's happening outside this immediate area."

Lizbeth's expression showed relief that he hadn't rejected her request outright.

"Of course. Let me explain everything. But not here—if we're going to discuss the major power players, I should take you somewhere safer, where I have better information."

*

Lizbeth led Jorghan through darkened streets, moving carefully to avoid main roads where patrols might question their presence after curfew.

The city felt different at night—more dangerous, more predatory, like a living thing that waited for vulnerable prey.

They traveled for about twenty minutes before Lizbeth stopped in front of a modest two-story house in a residential area that had seen better days. The neighborhood was quiet, most windows dark, giving the impression of people hiding rather than sleeping.

"My parents live here," Lizbeth explained quietly.

"They've been keeping Lily hidden since my husband sold her to the Raed Circle. The gang thinks she's being held in a safehouse, waiting for processing. They don't know my parents took her before the Raed Circle could complete the transfer."

She knocked on the door in a specific pattern.

After a moment, it opened a crack, revealing an older woman's suspicious face. When she saw Lizbeth, relief flooded her expression.

"Thank god you're safe," the woman said, opening the door wider.

"I was worried when you didn't come back earlier. Those men were patrolling the area again, asking questions about awakened children."

"This is Jorghan," Lizbeth said, gesturing to him.

"He's going to help us. He's... very capable."

The older woman, Lizbeth's mother, looked Jorghan up and down with the assessing gaze of someone who'd learned not to trust strangers easily. Whatever she saw must have satisfied her because she stepped aside to let them enter.

The house interior was simple but well-maintained. Family photos lined the walls showing happier times—weddings, birthdays, graduations, and all the normal milestones of a life lived before the world changed. An older man sat in the living room, a shotgun resting across his lap, his weathered face showing the strain of constant vigilance.

"David, Lizbeth's brought someone," the mother called out.

To Jorghan, she said, "I'm Margaret. That's my husband, David. You'll have to forgive our caution. We've learned the hard way that most strangers these days mean trouble."

"Mom, where's Lily?" Lizbeth asked urgently.

"Upstairs in her room, reading. She's been quiet today, worried about you." Margaret's expression softened with grandmotherly concern.

"She asks about you constantly and wants to know when you'll take her somewhere safe."

Lizbeth moved toward the stairs, gesturing for Jorghan to follow. They climbed to the second floor, stopping at a door decorated with faded stickers and a handmade nameplate that read "Lily's Room" in childish handwriting.

Lizbeth knocked gently.

"Lily? It's Mom. I'm coming in."

She opened the door to reveal a small bedroom with pastel walls and shelves full of books and toys. Sitting on the bed with a picture book in her lap was a young girl—maybe ten years old, with dark hair like her mother's and large brown eyes that looked too old for her age.

"Mom!"

Lily dropped the book and rushed forward, throwing her arms around Lizbeth's waist.

"I was so scared. Grandma said you went out during the day when the bad people are active. I thought they might have caught you."

"I'm fine, sweetheart," Lizbeth said, holding her daughter close.

"I'm safe. And I brought someone who's going to help us."

Lily pulled back slightly and noticed Jorghan standing in the doorway. Her eyes widened, not with fear but with something else. Recognition, maybe, or awareness of something unusual.

Jorghan studied her in return and immediately noticed what made her valuable to people like the Raed Circle.

She had an aura.

Not just the normal essence signature that all living things possessed.

This was different, a shimmer of energy that surrounded her like invisible light, pulsing gently with each breath she took. It reminded him of how blood essence manifested around powerful elven warriors, except her energy was different. Not blood-based but something more general, more versatile.

Mana, he realized.

And this child had more of it than she should. Her aura was stronger than the awakeners he'd encountered on the street, brighter, and more concentrated.

No wonder the Raed Circle wanted her. Someone this young with this much natural mana would be incredibly valuable once trained.

"You can see it, can't you?" Lily said quietly, still staring at Jorghan.

"The energy around me. Most people can't see it unless they're awakened too."

He stepped into the room, crouching down to be at eye level with the child.

"Your mother told me about your situation. About your father being bad towards you. I'm going to make sure nothing happens to you."

Lily's expression became guarded.

"How? The Raed Circle has lots of awakened soldiers. They're really strong. And my dad knows important people. He said they'd always find me no matter where I hide."

"Your father was wrong," Jorghan said simply.

"No one is going to take you anywhere you don't want to go. I promise."

Something in his voice, in his absolute certainty, made the tension in Lily's shoulders ease slightly. She looked at her mother.

"Is he telling the truth?"

"Yes," Lizbeth said firmly.

"Jorghan helped me today when I was in trouble. He's very strong. Stronger than the awakeners I've seen. If he says you're safe, then you're safe."

Lily nodded slowly, wanting to believe, but still carrying the wariness of a child who'd learned that adults couldn't always protect her from danger.

Liz made her bed, and they came down to the living room.

Jorghan sat in the living room.

She moved to the kitchen, returning with two bottles of water.

"So," she began, settling into a chair across from him.

"What do you know about the Convergence?"

"Only what you told me earlier," Jorghan replied.

"Reality changed, portals opened, and people gained abilities."

Lizbeth nodded.

"Right. But what I didn't explain is the scope. The Convergence affected the entire planet simultaneously. Every continent, every country, all at once."

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