"I'm okay, my love," Sophie insisted with a gentle smile, watching as Jeremy finally exhaled a relieved sigh. She could see the tension still lingering in his body, but her presence seemed to ease him. Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a warm embrace.For a moment, everything felt right again. But then, out of nowhere, a cold, eerie voice whispered into Jeremy's ear: "Darker days are coming."Jeremy stiffened instantly, his heart skipping a beat as he abruptly pulled away from his mother. His eyes darted around the surroundings, searching for the source of the voice, but there was nothing. The unease he had felt earlier returned, gnawing at him like a shadow lurking in the corner of his mind."Son? Are you alright?" Sophie asked, tilting her head in concern. She reached up to cup his face, trying to bring him back to the present."Yeah... I think it's just hallucinations," Jeremy muttered, trying to convince both himself and his mother. But the weight

"Mom? Are you with me?" Jeremy’s voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present. He had been talking for a while now, but she hadn’t heard a word."Yes, love," she lied, turning to face him with a forced smile. "I’m with you. I was just… lost in my planning for tomorrow."She sat beside him, hoping he wouldn’t notice the way her hands still shook. But deep inside, she knew the peace in their home had been shattered. What had started years ago with her husband's secret deal was coming back to haunt them. And now, Jeremy was caught in the middle of something far more dangerous than he realized.*> Saturday had finally arrived, and with it, a bundle of nerves that twisted Jeremy's stomach into knots. He had been up since 4 a.m., pacing restlessly around his room. By the time 8 a.m. rolled around, he was already fidgeting, glancing at his phone every few minutes as he waited for Sarah's arrival.Why am I so anxious? he w

It didn’t take long for a sleek, red car to pull up outside Jeremy’s house. The car gleamed in the morning light, its polished surface reflecting the sun’s rays. Jeremy watched, mildly surprised, as the door opened, and out stepped Sarah, looking as radiant as ever. She wasn’t just beautiful—she was stunning, her presence magnetic. She spotted Jeremy and immediately ran toward him, her face lighting up with joy. Before he could even react, she wrapped her arms around him in a warm, tight embrace.Jeremy stood there, momentarily stunned, as her warmth seeped into him. His arms wrapped around her instinctively. She smelled faintly of vanilla and roses, and for a moment, he forgot everything else. But his attention was quickly drawn to the two men still in the car—the driver and another man, probably a bodyguard. Both were glaring at him with obvious disdain. The driver’s eyes narrowed, and the security man even went as far as dragging his index finger acro

The air inside the dungeon crackled with a strange energy, thick with tension and the promise of danger. It didn’t take long for the first wave of beasts to appear. Massive, C ranked buffaloes emerged from the shadows, their thunderous hooves shaking the ground as they charged forward in a disorganized mass. Jeremy remained unbothered. He sat cross-legged on the dry, cracked ground of the dungeon, watching as Warhuz, Brandon, and Russ engaged the buffaloes with a mix of strategy and brute force. Warhuz, seasoned and efficient, fought with precision, his sword cutting through the beasts with practiced ease. Brandon, strong and steady, used his tonfa to counter the buffaloes’ attacks, while Russ struggled to keep up, parrying the horns of an incoming beast with visible frustration. "Tsk! Do something!" Russ snapped, his voice strained as he barely managed to deflect another attack. "Stop sitting there and acting like you're too good for this fight." Jeremy didn’t bother to rise. H

The man in red took a step forward, his smirk deepening as he crouched slightly, trying to meet the child’s gaze. "You could’ve ejected them in a nicer way, you know.""I don’t care," the child replied curtly, dismissing the suggestion as easily as one might swat away an insect.The red-clad figure sighed dramatically, rising back to his full height. "You could have killed the ascendant," he pressed, his tone almost teasing.The child’s eyes snapped open, a dangerous glint flashing within the eerie white pupils. "I don’t care," he repeated, but there was a sharp edge to his voice now, a warning."You should care." The man in red spoke."This is the second time he's stuck his nose in our business. If you’re not careful, you might get more attention than you bargained for," the child replied. "Besides, he’s not an ascendant yet. When I finish here, I’ll confront the true ascendant myself on why he allowed this nonsense to happen.<