## Liam''s Perspective


    "The prison is filled with magical artifacts. If you dare to enter, you will undoubtedly die!" Holmes spat, his eyes gleaming with malice despite his broken state.


    I tightened my grip on his cor. "Open it anyway."


    Emerson Holmesughed—a cold, hollow sound that echoed through the corridor. He pressed his palm against another panel, muttering words under his breath.


    The runes on the door shed crimson. A wave of energy rippled outward, but I stood firm against it.


    "Interesting technique," I said. "But I''m not impressed."


    The massive door ground open. A rush of stale air hit my face, carrying the stench of despair.


    "Wee to our special collection," Holmes announced, gesturing ahead with his good arm. "Few outsiders have ever seen this ce... and none have left alive."


    I shoved him forward, forcing him to limp into the shadowy chamber.


    The room was vast—easily the size of three training arenas. Cells lined both sides, separated by thick walls and glowing barriers. But these weren''t ordinary prison cells. Each was a custom-built containment unit, designed for specific prisoners.


    My divine sense swept the area, and what I detected made my blood run cold.


    "These prisoners... they''re Martial Marquises."


    Holmes nodded, seemingly proud. "And higher. The Guild collects exceptional specimens. Some have been here for decades."


    I spotted a withered old man in one cell, hovering cross-legged above the floor. Despite his age, power radiated from him like heat from a furnace.


    "That''s Lester Wade," I whispered, recognizing the legendary alchemist who''d vanished twenty years ago. "People thought he died in the Northern Wastes."


    "Officially, he did," Holmes replied. "His theoretical work has been quite valuable to us."


    My stomach turned. "You''re keeping them as research subjects."


    "Resources," Holmes corrected. "Just like your precious Isabelle."


    Rage red within me, hot and urgent. I mmed him against the nearest wall.


    "Where is she?"


    "Patience," he wheezed. "We''re not there yet."


    A loud bang echoed through the chamber. One of the prisoners had mmed against their barrier, eyes wild with desperation.


    "Help us!" the man shouted. "They drain our essence daily!"


    Others began to stir, pressing against their containment fields. Their voices rose in a cacophony of pleas and threats.


    "SILENCE!" Holmes bellowed, pulling a token from his pocket.


    The medallion glowed with sickly green light. Every prisoner immediately recoiled, some crawling to the furthest corners of their cells.


    "Impressive control," I noted coldly. "Is that how you keep Isabelle in line too?"


    Holmes pocketed the token with a smug smile. "Oh, we have special methods for her. She''s uniquely valuable, after all."


    We continued deeper into theplex, passing dozens more cells. Some contained figures I recognized—missing masters, renowned cultivators thought long dead. The Guild had been collecting powerful individuals for generations.


    "Just how many people have you imprisoned here?" I asked, disgust evident in my voice.


    "Only the special ones," Holmes replied. "The ones with unique talents or bloodlines worth studying."


    "You mean stealing."


    He shrugged. "Call it what you will. Without our research, cultivation progress would stagnate. We push boundaries."


    "By torturing innocent people."


    "For the greater good," Holmes insisted. "Though I doubt someone like you could understand theplexities."


    We reached another doorway at the far end of the chamber. This one was smaller but radiated even stronger defensive energies.


    "Through here," Holmes said, "is our most prized specimen. A cultivator so powerful we had to build a special containment system just to hold him."


    "I don''t care about your trophy collection," I growled. "Take me to Isabelle."


    "All in good time," Holmes replied. "I thought you might appreciate seeing what true power looks like first. This prisoner could break you with a nce—if he weren''t properly restrained."


    I was losing patience. "Last chance, Holmes. Take me to Isabelle now, or I''ll extract the information from your corpse."


    Holmes sighed dramatically. "Very well. The Ashworth girl is nearby. Though I warn you—you may not like what you see." <q ss="in-imprint-b">Love this story? Show your support on *.</q>


    He led me down a side corridor, this one narrower and dimly lit with fluctuating blue light. At the end stood a simple ck door with the Ashworth family crest emzoned in gold.


    "The Ashworths insisted on some... personalization," Holmes exined. "Since they''re partial benefactors of this particr research."


    My heart hammered against my ribs. "Her own family authorized this?"


    "Authorized? Theymissioned it," Holmes corrected. "Corbin Ashworth has grand ambitions for the bloodline experiments."


    I should have been shocked, but somehow, I wasn''t. The Ashworth patriarch''s cruelty knew no bounds—not even toward his own blood.


    "Open it," Imanded.


    Holmes ced his palm on the door. "Before we enter, you should know—the girl isn''t exactly as you remember her."


    The door swung open.


    The room beyond was circr, with a high domed ceiling. Glowing formations covered every surface—floor, walls, ceiling. At the center hung a cage.


    And inside that cage was Isabelle.


    My heart stopped.


    She hung suspended by glowing chains, her arms spread wide. Tubes ran from her arms and neck, connected to collection vessels filled with crimson liquid. Her once-vibrant skin was pale as moonlight, her eyes sunken.


    "ISABELLE!" I roared, rushing forward.


    Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of my voice. Even diminished, even tormented, she was beautiful beyond words.


    "Liam?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "You... you came..."


    I reached the edge of the central tform, hand outstretched toward her cage—and mmed into an invisible barrier.


    "Did you really think we''d make it that easy?" Holmesughed behind me. "That cage has seventeenyers of protection. Even Martial Saints would struggle to breach it."


    I spun around, murder in my eyes. "Release her. NOW."


    "I''m afraid I can''t do that," Holmes said, backing toward the door. "Her blood is far too valuable. Did you know she produces three times more essence than any subject we''ve ever studied? Fascinating, really."


    "I don''t give a damn about your research!" I charged at him, but he sidestepped with surprising agility despite his injured knee.


    "Such passion!" Holmes mocked. "But ultimately pointless."


    He pressed a hidden panel on the wall. The door behind him opened, and he slipped through.


    "Enjoy your reunion," his voice echoed as the door sealed shut. "Brief as it may be."


    I mmed my fist against the door, but it didn''t budge. The bastard had trapped me here.


    "Liam..." Isabelle''s voice pulled me back. "You shouldn''t... havee. It''s too dangerous."


    I turned to her, my heart breaking at her condition. "I''ll alwayse for you, Isabelle. Always."


    I approached the barrier again, testing it with my divine sense. Theyered formations were unlike anything I''d encountered—a masterwork of defensive arrays, likely developed over centuries.


    "I need to get you out of there," I said, examining the cage for weaknesses.


    "You can''t," she whispered. "Many have tried... The cage adapts... learns from each attempt."


    "Watch me," I replied, summoning my full power.


    Golden light engulfed my body as I activated the Absolute Beginning Sacred Fist. Energy condensed around my right hand, shining with the brilliance of a newborn star.


    I struck the invisible barrier with everything I had.


    The impact sent shockwaves throughout the chamber. The barrier rippled but held fast. My fist felt like I''d punched a mountain.


    "Dammit!"


    "Please," Isabelle pleaded, "save yourself. They''ll being with reinforcements."


    "I''m not leaving without you," I insisted, readying another attack.


    This time, I channeled my Divine Dragon Power—the technique Jackson had taught me for breaking through seemingly imprable defenses. My arm transformed, scales spreading across my skin as draconic energy surged through my meridians.


    Again I struck the barrier.


    Again it held.


    But this time, I felt something give—just slightly. A hairline fracture in the formation''s integrity.


    "It''s working," I muttered, preparing for a third attempt.


    Suddenly, slow pping echoed through the chamber. Holmes'' voice came through hidden speakers.


    "Impressive effort. Truly. But futile."


    His mocking tone cut through me like a de.


    "You bastard!" I shouted at the ceiling. "Show yourself!"


    "Why would I? I''m quitefortable where I am," he replied. "Besides, I wanted you to see her. To understand exactly what you''re fighting against. That cage was designed by nine Martial Saints working in concert. Your pathetic attempts to breach it are merely amusing."


    I ignored his taunts, focusing on Isabelle. "How long have they kept you like this?"


    "Since... the wedding," she whispered. "They drain me... every day."


    Fury like I''d never known coursed through me. The golden light around my body darkened, taking on a crimson tinge.


    "I''ll kill them all," I promised. "Everyst one."


    "Such bold derations," Holmes mocked. "But the truth is, you''re trapped. Just like her. We''ll extract your essence too. The famous Chaotic Body should yield fascinating results."


    His voice faded, leaving us in silence.


    I turned back to Isabelle, to the cage that held her. This time, I would pour everything into my attack—even if it meant burning out my meridians.


    "Liam..." Isabelle''s eyes widened with concern. "Don''t... your body can''t handle that much power..."


    "I don''t care," I replied, gathering every ounce of energy I possessed. My veins glowed through my skin as I channeled both light and dark energies—the full potential of my Chaotic Body.


    With a roar that shook the foundations of the chamber, I unleashed my Divine Dragon Power and struck the barrier once more.