The invisible pressure around my throat tightened. My vision blurred as I struggled for air, Conrad Thornton''s cold eyes watching me with clinical detachment. The room''s excited murmurs faded beneath the thundering of blood in my ears.


    "St-stop," I managed to choke out. "Liam... Knight..."


    Conrad''s eyes shed dangerously. His hand snapped forward, releasing the pressure on my throat only to connect with my face in a brutal p that sent me crashing to my knees.


    "You dare speak his name to me?" Conrad snarled, looming over me. "As if invoking him would save you?"


    I tasted blood, my cheek burning from the impact. The assembled elites of Havenwood had gone deathly quiet, their earlier eagerness to witness my punishment reced by genuine terror at Conrad''s explosive reaction.


    "Liam Knight is nothing," Conrad continued, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "A temporary anomaly that will soon be corrected. And you—his loyal dog—will serve as the first example of what happens to those who stand with him."


    "Then make me your example," I said, finding courage in what might be my final moments. "But know that Liam won''t let this stand."


    Conradughed—a dry, humorless sound that sent chills down my spine. "Let it stand? He won''t even know until it''s toote. By the time news reaches him, you''ll be—"


    A blur of movement cut him off. ric had lunged forward, years of security training propelling him toward Conrad with deadly intent. It was suicide, I knew instantly. But ric''s loyalty wouldn''t let him stand by and watch.


    Conrad didn''t even turn fully. His hand shot out, catching ric in mid-air by the throat.


    "Ah," Conrad said, sounding almost pleased. "Another volunteer."


    The sickening crack of ric''s knees shattering filled the room as Conrad mmed him to the ground. ric''s strangled scream cut through me like a knife.


    "Two examples are better than one," Conrad dered to the horrified audience. "Remember this moment. This is what loyalty to Liam Knight buys you in my city."


    I crawled toward ric, whose face had gone chalk-white with pain. Conrad stepped between us, raising his hand again. Golden energy began swirling around his fist, forming the unmistakable shape of a dragon''s head.


    "The Divine Dragon Fist," Uncle Armando announced solemnly. "A fitting end for traitors." <dfn ss="in-imprint-a">My Virtual Library Empire (*) hosts the original.</dfn>


    I closed my eyes, thinking of my daughter. At least she would live, thanks to Liam. At least—


    An electronic ringtone cut through the tension.


    Conrad paused, the deadly energy still coiled around his fist. With his free hand, he removed a phone from his pocket, ncing at the screen with mild annoyance.


    "Unknown number," he muttered, then answered with a curt, "Thornton."


    What happened next was subtle but unmistakable. Conrad''s expression shifted—first confusion, then shock, and finally, something I hadn''t expected to see on his face: concern.


    "How did you get this number?" Conrad demanded into the phone.


    The room was so silent I could hear the faint, tinny voice on the other end of the line.


    "If you touch either of them, Conrad Thornton, I swear by everything holy I will end you."


    Liam Knight''s voice, even distorted through the speaker, carried such raw fury that several people in the audience stepped back involuntarily.


    Conrad''s eyes narrowed. "Knight. Bold of you to call me directly."


    "Listen carefully," Liam continued, his voice dripping with cold rage. "I know exactly who you are. I know exactly what you''re doing in Havenwood. And I''m telling you now—harm one hair on Roman Volkov''s head or anyone under my protection, and I will burn everything you''ve built to ash."


    Conrad''s lips curled into a sneer. "Empty threats from a man hiding on the other side of the country."


    "Twenty hours," Liam replied instantly. "That''s how long it will take me to reach Shince City. Twenty hours until I put you in the ground."


    Conrad actuallyughed. "You''d walk willingly into my territory? Please do. I''ll arrange a suitable wee."


    "Oh, I''m counting on it," Liam said, his voice suddenly dropping to something dangerously calm. "But before you start nning my execution, check on your son."


    The amusement vanished from Conrad''s face. "What did you say?"


    "Tristan Thornton," Liam continued. "Currently at the Shince Medical Academy, third-year student, specializing in emergency medicine. Favors the café on the east corner of campus. Has a particr fondness for their hazelnutttes."


    The golden energy around Conrad''s fist flickered as his concentration wavered. "If you''ve touched my son—"


    "I haven''tid a finger on him," Liam interrupted. "But I am an alchemist, Conrad. One of the very few with Blue Spirit Fire. Do you know what that means?"


    Conrad''s eyes darted to Uncle Armando, who had gone deathly pale.


    "He''s bluffing," Uncle Armando whispered, but uncertaintyced his voice.


    "An alchemical mark requires no physical contact," Liam continued, his voice eerily pleasant now. "Just proximity and the right preparation. Your son received his two days ago. It''s dormant now, but at mymand—or should anything happen to me—it activates. And you get to watch your son die screaming."


    "You''re lying," Conrad hissed, but I could see the doubt in his eyes.


    "Am I?" Liam asked softly. "Call him. Ask him if he''s been feeling unusualtely. Slight fever? Metallic taste in his mouth? Vivid dreams? The early signs are subtle."


    The room watched in stunned silence as Conrad''sposure cracked. He turned to Uncle Armando, covering the phone. "Could he do this?"


    Uncle Armando swallowed hard. "The Blue Spirit Fire... it''s rare, but those who master it can create marks that—" he hesitated, "—that act exactly as he describes."


    "Twenty hours, Conrad," Liam''s voice came through clearly. "I''ll be there. And we''ll settle this. Until then, if you want your son to live, you''ll leave Roman, ric, and everyone else in Havenwood alone."


    The line went dead.


    For several heartbeats, no one moved. Conrad stared at the phone, the deadly energy around his fist slowly dissipating.


    "Sir?" Uncle Armando ventured cautiously.


    Conrad''s face had transformed into a mask of cold calction. "Find out if Knight really has the Blue Spirit Fire," he ordered. "And call Tristan. Immediately."


    As Uncle Armando hurried toply, Conrad turned back to me, his eyes burning with hatred but tempered now with caution.


    "It seems you''ve been granted a temporary reprieve, Mr. Volkov," he said tightly. "Enjoy it while itsts."


    With a sharp gesture to his men, Conrad turned and strode toward the door. "We''re returning to Shince," he announced. "If Knight wants to die so badly, I''m happy to oblige him on my terms."


    The room emptied rapidly, leaving only myself, the badly injured ric, and a handful of shocked onlookers too terrified to leave or help.


    I crawled to ric''s side, gently helping him into a sitting position.


    "Did that just happen?" he gasped through gritted teeth, his face gray with pain.


    "It did," I whispered, already pulling out my phone to call for medical help. "Liam just saved our lives."


    "But at what cost?" ric asked, his eyes clouded with worry. "Conrad will kill him."


    I shook my head slowly. "Don''t underestimate Liam Knight. Not ever."


    ---


    Twenty-four hourster, I stood at Havenwood International Airport, watching a sleek private jet touch down on the runway. My daughter had insisted oning with me despite my protests, clutching a small bouquet of flowers she''d picked herself.


    The jet''s door opened, and Liam Knight descended the steps, looking far moreposed than a man who had just threatened one of the most dangerous Grandmasters in the country had any right to be.


    "Mr. Knight," I called out, moving forward to greet him.


    Liam smiled, though it didn''t quite reach his eyes. "Roman. Good to see you in one piece."


    "Thanks to you," I replied earnestly. "But Liam, Conrad Thornton is—"


    "I know exactly what he is," Liam interrupted gently. "But there are some lines even men like him won''t cross."


    My daughter darted forward, offering her flowers. "These are for saving Daddy again," she said simply.


    Liam''s expression softened as he knelt to ept them. "Thank you, sweetheart."


    As Liam straightened, I noticed William Vance approaching from the private terminal, his usual enigmatic expression firmly in ce.


    "That was an incredibly dangerous gambit," William said without preamble. "Threatening Conrad Thornton''s son? Drawing his attention directly to you? Why risk everything for two people?"


    Liam''s jaw tightened. "Every life matters, William. Roman and ric aren''t just ''two people'' – they''re human beings under my protection."


    "Noble sentiment," William replied dryly. "But impractical. You could have waited, gathered strength, chosen your moment. Instead, you''ve elerated a confrontation you might not be ready for."


    "And let them die in the meantime?" Liam challenged, his voice rising slightly. "What''s the point of having power if you won''t use it to protect those who need it?"


    William shook his head. "The strong decide who lives and dies. That''s how this world works."


    "Then the world needs to change," Liam shot back, a fire igniting in his eyes. "Who are the strong to decide that their lives are worth more than others? What gives them that right? If we don''t question that, if we don''t fight against it, then we''re no better than the monsters we im to oppose."


    William fell silent, staring at Liam with an unreadable expression.


    "You sound exactly like her," he finally said, his voice barely audible.


    "Like who?" Liam asked.


    William''s eyes had taken on a distant quality. "Isabelle Ashworth said almost the exact same words to me once. About protecting every life, questioning the strong." He looked at Liam with newfound intensity. "She believed that too."


    The name hung in the air between them, and I saw something shift in Liam''s expression—a mixture of pain, determination, and something deeper I couldn''t quite name.


    "Then she was right," Liam said quietly. "And I''ll prove it."