2023-06-01 11:15:56The classy tuxedo, neatly combed hair to the left side, and bright face made Andrew look different. His steps appeared calm as the elevator door opened. The brown-haired man immediately captivated Erica and William, who had been waiting for him.
"Oh my goodness, Andrew! You look so perfect!" Erica ran towards her brother, a radiant smile on her face.
"Not only are you surprised, but I am also quite amazed by my appearance. You look beautiful too, Erica, your red dress is perfect. We should thank Mr. William for making us look classy."
William lowered his head with his cane, accepting the praise given by Andrew.
"You both deserve a luxurious appearance. By the way, we should leave now. And Erica, I would like to speak briefly with your brother on our way to the car.
"Sure, Mr. William." Erica hastened with one of William's guards, leaving her brother with the middle-aged man wearing sunglasses.
"So, Andrew, how is it? Are you satisfied with the service I provided? You can tell me if there's anything else you find lacking."
"Nothing is lacking; I feel all this is too excessive. But considering that you will be using 'my services,' it feels well worth it."
Andrew replied firmly, trying to find an opportunity to discuss the book he found earlier.
"I like your way of thinking. This world is too cruel if we only rely on kindness. It would be best if you were someone who weighs the pros and cons. But, from what you said, you have found a way to heal me. Is that true?"
William lowered his glasses and looked at Andrew with a smile that hinted at something.
Andrew gave a crooked smile and said, "One step closer. But, by the way, I think something belonging to you or someone in this house was left in my room."
"Really? What is it?" William changed his expression to curiosity.
"A book, a black book that looks like a diary...."
Andrew's heart pounded, questioning whether his question was right or wrong. Honestly, he feared that the book was intentionally left behind and William would take it back. But on the other hand, Andrew also wanted to know if William deliberately gave the book.
"A book? It doesn't seem like anyone in this house has a diary. That room used to be where I trained my body. So, it's certain that no one has ever written there. I only recently converted that room into a guest room a month ago. Or it's my trainer's book that was left behind. Yes, that seems reasonable, doesn't it?"
William's answer made Andrew slightly confident that the book was unintentionally in that room. However, a lingering suspicion remained, albeit faintly.
"Ah, I see. Well, in that case, the book is safe for me to have. I'm used to writing something to drive away my loneliness. So, having a medium to pour out my thoughts while finding the best way to heal you is best. May I?"
William patted Andrew's shoulder while chuckling and said, "Of course, Andrew! I would even give you thousands of dollars if it could help you in getting rid of this damn illness of mine. You see, using a cane like this is not my style. It feels pathetic and repulsive!"
"You just need to be patient, Mr. William; soon enough, you will regain your healthy body."
William grinned again and nodded his head. Their steps had arrived in front of the house.
Two black luxury cars were seen parked in front of the house with their doors already open. Andrew and William were going to use different cars. Andrew's smile widened as the car door closed tightly. He held Erica's hand and said, "It seems like our lives are truly going to change."
**
Camera flashes welcomed Andrew's arrival. So many paparazzi were taking pictures of everyone getting out of the car that Andrew and Erica felt frightened.
"This is insane. Are we at the Met Gala? Or a movie premiere? What are they doing?" Erica looked nervous.
"Please, Mr. Andrew."
Amidst the confusion that engulfed the two siblings, the car door was opened by one of William's guards.
William stood up, extending his hand to Andrew and Erica. He waved his hand towards the busy paparazzi who were photographing him. Andrew was amazed by this strangeness, feeling like he was trapped in an event he used to see on the internet.
"Don't be surprised; just smile. This is an important event for the wealthy people in this city, so it's normal for many paparazzi to want coverage," William murmured.
Andrew looked at Erica; his sister still looked confused. The flashes were indeed blinding, but following William's guidance, Andrew tried to walk confidently as if he was used to being exposed to paparazzi cameras.
With so many lights attacking, when Andrew was already inside the banquet hall, his vision turned green and purple. It took him a few seconds to close his eyes and return his vision to normal.
"You'll get used to it. I will introduce you to the business world; you will often attend dinners held by billionaires, and I will help you build relationships, Andrew. At least, this is one of the proofs, something you will gain when you successfully heal me," William whispered to Andrew.
"Andrew! Look!"
Erica then redirected Andrew's gaze to a girl who Erica was pointing out.
The girl in a pink dress with neatly tied hair also appeared to be looking at them; her eyes widened. Next to her stood a man wearing sunglasses, supported by a crutch. The man's expression seemed fierce. They were none other than Nadine and Orlando.
"I beg you, don't do anything bad, Andrew. Take it easy, please!" Erica pleaded, panic evident in her voice.
Andrew smirked. "I can't promise that. We need to see what they will do. If it's good, then I'll stay quiet. If it's bad, I'll make sure he ends up in a wheelchair."
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4-40
The ruined street stretched before them like a battlefield carved from molten glass, illuminated by the distant glow of burning buildings and shards of fractured streetlamps buzzing weakly with dying electricity. The city still trembled under the aftershock of Noir’s meteor storm, and every echo of collapsing metal rang like a warning bell that refused to be silenced. But the greatest tension did not come from the destruction around them. It came from the two figures standing in the very center of the street, facing each other with expressions caught somewhere between dread and inevitability.Andrew stood with both feet planted firmly despite his trembling knees, his breathing rapid yet determined as faint traces of Sapphire Reborn shimmered unwillingly beneath his skin. Noir stood nearly ten meters away, his posture hunched but dangerous, shadowfire slithering around his arms like restless serpents seeking anything to burn. They were close enough to see each other’s pain, yet far eno
4-39
Smoke still curled upward from the shattered skyline, rising in thin spirals that looked almost delicate against the ruined concrete. The city below was a bleeding mosaic of collapsed structures and smoldering rooftops, the aftermath of Noir’s near-eruption painted across every ruined silhouette. Even the air felt exhausted, hanging heavy and metallic as if unsure whether the world had just survived disaster or narrowly postponed it.Andrew stood on the fractured rooftop with his knees barely holding steady, every breath burning like frost slicing through his lungs. The remnants of Sapphire Reborn dimmed along his skin in faint blue-white patches, flickering unevenly like a dying constellation. Yuki kept one hand braced against his back to steady him, while Jiro hovered nearby with a strained expression, torn between protecting Andrew and scanning the shadows for lingering threats.Behind them, Noir lay unconscious on a slab of broken cement. Mika and Rayan had dragged him away from t
4-38
The world reassembled violently after the forbidden merging, hurling Andrew and Noir out of the Gate like two mismatched pieces attempting to fuse before the ritual was complete. They crashed into solid ground—real ground this time—hard enough to crack stone and send dust exploding upward. The smell of fire and iron hit Andrew instantly, along with the distant sound of panic echoing through streets he didn’t yet recognize.Mika landed nearby, coughing. “Where the hell did it throw us?”Rayan pushed himself upright. “Somewhere… awful. I can feel the rent price already.”Yuki helped Sahara steady herself as the trembling child whispered, “This realm is not a Gate. This is… a city.”The dust settled.And it was clear.They were on a cliff overlooking a sprawling metropolis below—its buildings sleek and modern, its roads glimmering with neon, its skyline painted with colors that should have signified safety.But the sky above the city was wrong.Very wrong.Black fire bled across the clou
4-37
The chamber dimmed slowly after Noir’s outburst, as though the walls themselves feared provoking him any further. Golden embers receded into cracks along the ceiling, while the shadowed floor pulsed with residual heat from Noir’s flames. Andrew lay unconscious against Noir’s chest, his breaths shallow but steady, though each inhale seemed painfully reluctant, as if his mortal lungs resisted the divine pressure suffocating the air.Miriam—helm removed, braid disheveled, eyes glowing faintly with the peculiar shimmer of her arcane lineage—ran to Andrew’s side immediately. She wasn’t supposed to be here yet. She wasn’t part of this Gate. But Sahara had opened a path, pulling Miriam in from another section of the ritual labyrinth when the instability threatened to kill Andrew outright.Jiro helped steady her. “You made it in one piece. Good. Because we need you.”Miriam knelt beside Noir, trying not to tense as his flames flared instinctively to protect Andrew. “Noir,” she whispered softl
4-36
For a moment, after the constructs crumbled into dust, the chamber stilled.The dual energies—gold and shadow—receded into the walls like retreating tides, leaving the air eerily quiet. Too quiet. A silence so absolute it felt sharpened, like the edge of a blade pressed lightly against the back of every heir’s neck.Andrew leaned against Noir, breath trembling, body still weakened from the prior trials. Noir held him cautiously, not out of fragility but fear—the fear that one wrong grip, one wrong heartbeat, one wrong resonance might harm Andrew through their new bond.“Are you okay?” Noir murmured, his voice low and rough.Andrew nodded slowly. “Yeah… just tired. But I can move.”Noir didn’t let go.Jiro wiped sweat from his brow. “We need to keep moving before Solus tries anything again.”Yuki’s head snapped toward him. “Don’t say that name so casually. The Gate reacts to him.”Rayan pointed nervously at the air. “Uh… speaking of reactions… does anyone else hear that rattling noise?
4-35
The next realm opened like a lung inhaling light, drawing the team into a vast chamber suspended between two conflicting realities—one half drenched in searing gold fire, the other drowned in suffocating shadow. The line dividing the halves ran straight through the floor like a scar across creation, pulsing rhythmically with dissonant energies that collided like two hearts beating out of sync.Andrew stepped in first, Noir at his side, the others forming a protective circle around them as they walked cautiously across the unstable surface. Each footstep sent ripples of distorted gravity across the two-toned ground, bending the air like heated glass. The dual energies vibrated heavily, forcing even the strongest among them to grit their teeth against the unnatural pressure.Yuki held Sahara’s hand as the child trembled, her blind eyes glowing in frantic pulses. “The Gate is trying to merge energies,” Sahara whispered shakily. “It’s aligning something… something important… something dan
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