## Liam''s Perspective


    Jackson Harding''s words echoed in my mind long after our meeting ended. "You need to reach the Military Marquis realm at minimum," he had said. "Only then will you stand a chance against the Guild''s outer defenses."


    I paced restlessly in my quarters, each step sending jolts of pain through my recovering body. The Military Marquis realm. It might as well have been the moon. Most cultivators spent decades—if not their entire lives—trying to reach such heights. And I needed to do it quickly.


    Isabelle''s face shed before my eyes. Was she scared? Hurt? The Guild had taken her for a reason, and that reason terrified me more than anything.


    A knock interrupted my spiraling thoughts.


    "Enter," I called, hoping for news—any news.


    Mariana stepped inside, her expression grim. "I''ve made initial inquiries about Isabelle''s whereabouts."


    I stopped pacing. "And?"


    "The Guild has denied any involvement."


    "That''s bullshit!" I mmed my fist against the wall, ignoring the pain that shot up my arm. "We know they took her!"


    Mariana''s eyes hardened. "Control yourself, Liam. Rage without direction is useless."


    I took a deep breath, forcing my emotions back under control. "What''s our next step?"


    "I''ll be traveling to Veridia City personally tomorrow," she said. "As Pavilion Master, I have certain... privileges that might grant me more information."


    Hope flickered in my chest. "Let mee with you."


    Mariana shook her head. "Impossible. Your presence would onlyplicate matters. Besides, you need to focus on your recovery and training."


    "While Isabelle suffers?" My voice cracked. "I can''t just sit here doing nothing."


    "Would you rather storm the Guild now and die at their gates?" Mariana''s tone was sharp. "What good would that do Isabelle?"


    I turned away, unable to argue with her logic yet unwilling to ept it. "Every moment we dy—"


    "Is a moment you grow stronger," she finished. "Trust me, Liam. The Guild won''t harm her needlessly. Whatever their purpose in taking her, it requires her alive and well."


    I wasn''t reassured. "How long will you be gone?"


    "A week at most. During that time, I expect you to work with Jackson on your cultivation."


    She left without another word, leaving me alone with my thoughts and fears.


    The next few days passed in a blur of training and meditation. Jackson Harding was a harsh taskmaster, pushing me beyond what I thought possible. But even as my strength slowly returned, my mind remained fixed on Isabelle.


    On the seventh day, Mariana returned. I knew immediately from her expression that she had no good news.


    "What happened?" I demanded as soon as we were alone.


    She sighed heavily. "The Guild''s defenses were imprable—both physically and politically. They''ve erected additional barriers since myst visit years ago."


    "Did you learn anything at all?" I couldn''t keep the desperation from my voice.


    "Only rumors," she admitted. "The Guild has apparently established a new research facility in their inner sanctum. ess is restricted to the highest levels of their hierarchy."


    "Research?" The word sent chills down my spine. "What kind of research?"


    "Blood cultivation, ording to my sources." Mariana''s expression darkened. "It''s said they''re studying... unique bloodlines."


    Isabelle''s bloodline. It had to be. The realization crashed over me like an icy wave.


    "I need to go there," I said, already moving toward the door. "Now."


    Mariana caught my arm. "And do what exactly? Die gloriously at their doorstep?"


    "I can''t wait anymore!" I shouted, pulling away from her. "Every day that passes is another day she suffers!"


    "And rushing in half-prepared ensures she''ll never be rescued at all," Mariana countered, her voice rising to match mine. "Think, Liam! The Guild has existed for millennia. Their security is beyond anything you''ve encountered."


    I slumped against the wall, the fight draining out of me. "Then what do we do?"


    "We continue with the n," she said, her voice gentler now. "You train. I gather intelligence. When the time is right—"


    Amotion outside interrupted her. Voices raised in rm, footsteps rushing toward us.


    The door burst open, and a guild member bowed hastily. "Pavilion Master, forgive the interruption. Michael Ashworth has arrived and demands to see Liam Knight immediately."


    Isabelle''s grandfather? Here? My heart jumped to my throat.


    "Show him in," Mariana ordered, shooting me a warning nce that clearly said: *Be careful.*


    Michael Ashworth entered the room with the quiet authority of a man ustomed to power. Despite his age, he stood straight-backed and proud, his piercing eyes finding mine immediately.


    "Leave us," hemanded the guild members. After a moment''s hesitation, even Mariana inclined her head respectfully and departed.


    We stood in silence for several heartbeats, measuring each other.


    "You''ve caused quite the upheaval, young man," Michael finally said.


    "Your granddaughter was being forced into marriage," I replied, refusing to show weakness. "I did what was necessary." <code ss="ref-4f3f15">Content presented by *.</code>


    "And now she''s in the hands of the Guild," he stated inly. "Do you know why?"


    "If I did, I''d already be there getting her out," I shot back.


    Michael''s lips twitched in what might have been the ghost of a smile. "Headstrong. Just like your father."


    The casual mention of my father froze me in ce. "You... knew my father?"


    Michael walked to the window, gazing out at the guild grounds. "I thought you might have figured it out by now. Why do you think I sent Isabelle to deliver that token to you three years ago? It wasn''t random chance."


    My mind raced. "What are you saying?"


    "Your father arranged everything," Michael said simply. "Your marriage into the Sterling family. Your eventual meeting with Isabelle. All of it."


    The revtion hit me like a physical blow. "That''s impossible. I never even knew my father."


    "No, you didn''t," Michael agreed. "But he knew you. Watched over you from afar. He believed you and Isabelle were a perfect match—two pieces of a greater whole."


    I struggled to process this information. My entire life—even my chance encounter with Isabelle—had been orchestrated? "Why? For what purpose?"


    "That, I don''t know entirely," Michael admitted. "Your father was... enigmatic in his exnations. But I do know this: the Guild''s interest in Isabelle likely stems from their knowledge of his ns."


    "So her abduction is because of me?" The thought was unbearable.


    Michael turned to face me. "Not because of you—because of what you represent together. The Guild fears the union your father envisioned."


    "Is she safe?" I asked, the question that had haunted me day and night.


    "For now," Michael nodded. "The Ashworth name still carries weight, even with the Guild. They won''t harm her unnecessarily. But they will keep her isted and study her bloodline extensively."


    A small measure of relief washed over me, quickly reced by determination. "I need to know everything about my father. Who he was. What he wanted. Why he never came for me."


    Michael studied me for a long moment. "Are you sure you''re ready for those answers? Some truths can be more devastating than ignorance."


    "I need to know," I insisted. "Everything I thought I understood about my life has been a lie. If I''m going to save Isabelle, I need theplete picture."


    Michael nodded slowly. "Very well. Ask your questions, and I''ll tell you what I know."


    I took a deep breath, facing a moment I''d dreamed of since childhood. "Then... where is he? What kind of person is he? And why have I never met him?"