The cemetery stretched before me, a field of forgotten stones and weathered monuments bathed in moonlight. Perfect istion. The wind whispered through dead trees as I dragged Miles Thornton''s struggling form deeper into this forsaken ce.


    "You''ve lost your mind!" Miles spat, his designer shoes scraping against the dirt path. "Do you have any idea what my family will do to you?"


    I tightened my grip on his cor, barely registering his threats. My mind was focused on the opportunity before me – a chance to test the limits of my power.


    "Shut up." I shoved him against a crumbling mausoleum wall. "Your voice irritates me."


    Fear shed in his eyes as I bound his wrists with rope. His clothes, worth more than what most people earned in months, were now smeared with dirt and sweat. How quickly the mighty fell.


    "Listen to me," he pleaded, his arrogance reced by desperation. "Whatever they''re paying you, my father will double it. Triple it!"


    Iughed. "This isn''t about money."


    "Then what? Power? Influence? I can give you that too!"


    I finished securing him to an iron ring embedded in the stone wall. "What I want is something you can''t give me. Power – real power – doesn''te from families or connections."


    Miles stared at me, uprehending. "What are you talking about?"


    I stepped away, surveying the moonlit cemetery. Death permeated this ce, and with it, the dark energy I needed. ording to the ancient texts, such energy could be cultivated, harnessed by those brave enough to try.


    "You''re just a means to an end," I told him, rolling up my sleeves. "A distraction for your family while I aplish something far more important."


    Fear twisted his features. "What are you going to do to me?"


    "Nothing," I replied, settling cross-legged on the ground several yards away. "If you stay quiet."


    I closed my eyes, steadying my breathing. The cemetery pulsed with dark energy – I could feel it swirling around me, drawn by centuries of grief and loss. ording to the forbidden scrolls I''d studied, this energy could be absorbed, integrated with my own qi to create something more powerful than either energy alone.


    It was dangerous. Reckless, even. But I needed more power to protect what was mine.


    I extended my senses outward, feeling the dark tendrils responding to my call. They circled me cautiously, like curious serpents.


    "What the hell are you doing?" Miles''s voice broke through my concentration.


    I opened my eyes, shooting him a re that silenced him instantly. Returning to my meditative state, I reached out again, this time drawing the dark energy toward me.


    The first touch of it against my skin sent shivers down my spine. Cold, ancient, and hungry. I pushed past my instinctive revulsion and pulled it closer, guiding it toward my dantian where my golden qi circted.


    The moment the dark energy made contact with my internal energy, pain exploded through my body. I gasped, my back arching as conflicting forces waged war inside me. It felt like liquid ice flowing through my veins, battling against the warm current of my qi.


    "Something wrong?" Miles called out, a note of hope in his voice.


    I gritted my teeth, refusing to show weakness. "Nothing I can''t handle."


    But I was wrong. As more dark energy poured into me, the pain intensified beyond anything I''d experienced before. My golden qi rejected the invasion, turning violent as it fought against the darkness.


    I tried to regte the flow, to slow the process, but the dark energy had developed its own momentum. It surged through my meridians like a sh flood, overwhelming my defenses.


    "Stop," I gasped to myself, trying to halt the absorption. "Enough!"


    But it was toote. The energy had found a path and wouldn''t be denied. My skin began to frost over, tiny crystals forming across my arms and chest. My breath came out in visible puffs despite the mild night air.


    I fell forward onto my hands and knees, my entire body convulsing. Through blurred vision, I saw Miles watching with a mixture of terror and fascination.


    "What''s happening to you?" he asked, his voice small.


    I couldn''t answer. My jaw was locked tight against screams that threatened to tear from my throat. The battle inside me reached its crescendo, light and dark energies shing like thunder. <small ss="ref-a73a61">Content first released on *.</small>


    Then darkness imed me, and I copsed face-first onto the cemetery ground.


    ---


    Across town, the Thornton family estate zed with light. Servants scurried through marble hallways, keeping their heads down as raised voices echoed from the main study.


    Chief William Vance stood rigid before the massive oak desk, hands sped behind his back to hide their trembling. Across from him sat Conrad Thornton, Miles''s older brother and the current acting head of the family while their father recovered from surgery.


    "Let me understand this clearly," Conrad said, his voice deceptively soft. "Someone had the audacity to assault my brother in public and then drag him away like amon criminal?"


    William swallowed hard. "Yes, sir. A man named Liam Knight. He''s demanding medicinal material as ransom."


    "Liam Knight." Conrad savored the name,mitting it to memory. "And you, the Chief of Police, did nothing to stop this?"


    "It happened very quickly, Mr. Thornton. Knight is... he''s not an ordinary man. His movements were too fast to follow."


    Conrad raised an eyebrow. At thirty-three, he was seven years older than Miles and infinitely moreposed. Where Miles was brash and entitled, Conrad was calcted and cold. His reputation in business circles was fearsome – a brilliant strategist who crushedpetitors without mercy.


    "A martial artist, then," Conrad mused. "Interesting."


    William nodded. "From what I''ve gathered, he''s rtively new to Eldoria but has connections to the Celestial Apothecary Guild."


    Conrad rose from his chair, moving to the window overlooking the family''s private gardens. Moonlight illuminated his sharp features and the silver threads in his otherwise dark hair.


    "My brother has many ws," he said quietly. "He''s impulsive, arrogant, and often cruel. But he is a Thornton." He turned, fixing William with a stare that made the police chief step back involuntarily. "And no one—absolutely no oneys hands on a Thornton without consequences."


    "Of course, sir. We''ve mobilized our best officers to search for him. I have men canvassing the entire—"


    Conrad raised a hand, cutting him off. "Your officers are unnecessary. We will handle this ourselves."


    "But sir, this is a police matter—"


    "Is it?" Conrad''s smile didn''t reach his eyes. "Tell me, Chief Vance, how many building permits does your department need approved this quarter? How many budget increases rely on city council members who happen to golf regrly with my father?"


    William''s face paled. "I understand your point, Mr. Thornton."


    "Good." Conrad returned to his desk, pressing a button on the inte. "Send in Jackson and the security team."


    Within moments, the door opened to admit a grim-faced man in a tailored suit, followed by four others with the unmistakable bearing of professional fighters.


    "Jackson," Conrad addressed the first man, "my brother has been taken. Find him."


    Jackson nodded once. "Already working on it, sir. We''ve narrowed down potential locations based on traffic camera footage. We should have him within the hour."


    "And the kidnapper?"


    "Liam Knight," Jackson confirmed. "We''repiling aplete dossier. Initial reports suggest he''s been making waves since arriving in Eldoria three months ago. Multiple confrontations with established powers, all of which he''s walked away from untouched."


    Conrad''s eyes narrowed. "Overconfidence, then. He believes himself untouchable." He turned back to William. "You may go, Chief. I expect to be informed immediately if your officers discover anything useful."


    William nodded stiffly and turned to leave.


    "Oh, and William?" Conrad called after him.


    The police chief paused at the door. "Yes, sir?"


    "Anyone who dares to harm a member of my Thornton Family is challenging the status and dignity of our family!" His voice dropped dangerously. "Could it be that the Thornton Family has lost its power in Eldoria?"


    The threat in those words was unmistakable. William shook his head quickly. "No, sir. The Thornton family''s position is beyond question."


    "Then prove it," Conrad said coldly. "Find my brother. And bring me Liam Knight."


    As the door closed behind the police chief, Conrad turned to his security team, his expression hardening into something predatory.


    "Whoever this Liam Knight is," he said quietly, "he''s about to learn the price of his arrogance. No one touches a Thornton and lives to boast about it."