"Father?" My voice echoed in the silent chamber, a desperate plea hanging in the air. "Is it really you?"


    The golden figure remained motionless, its radiant form towering over me like a silent guardian. I struggled to my feet, ignoring the lingering pain that coursed through my body.


    "Why?" The word escaped my lips before I could stop it. "Why did you leave me?"


    The figure made no sound, but its golden light pulsed slightly, as if acknowledging my question. Years of suppressed emotions burst from me like a broken dam.


    "I grew up alone!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "No mother, no father—just an orphan nobody wanted!"


    My hands clenched into fists as I stepped closer to the apparition. "Do you know what that''s like? To be passed around like unwanted baggage? To wonder every single day why your parents didn''t want you?"


    The golden figure''s light dimmed slightly, and I thought I saw its head bow a fraction.


    "I needed you," I whispered, my anger giving way to raw pain. "When they mocked me, when they beat me, when they treated me like dirt—I needed a father to tell me I was worth something."


    Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "Did you even care? Or was I just some... some mistake you left behind?"


    The figure raised its hand, and I braced myself, unsure what would happen. But instead of striking, it extended its palm toward me in a gesture that seemed almost... apologetic.


    A warmth spread through my chest, not healing energy this time, but something deeper—a feeling of connection I''d never experienced before. For just a moment, I felt understood, as if the figure wasmunicating without words.


    "Who are you?" I asked again, softer this time. "What are you trying to tell me?"


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    The golden figure began to fade, its light growing dimmer with each passing second. Panic gripped me as I realized it was leaving.


    "No! Don''t go!" I lunged forward, trying to grasp the disappearing light. "I still have so many questions!"


    My hands passed through empty air as thest of the golden light dissipated. The sudden absence left me hollow, abandoned once more by the father I never knew.


    Exhaustion crashed over me like a tidal wave. My legs buckled beneath me, and darkness imed my vision as I copsed to the stone floor.


    ---


    In the grand hall of the Veridia City Martial Guild, Julian Radford kneeled before Darian Bancroft, his face a mask of somber satisfaction.


    "Master Bancroft, I bring news from the Immortal Bane Sect," Julian said, his voice carrying just the right note of respectful urgency.


    Bancroft''s cold eyes barely flickered from the ancient text he was studying. "Speak."


    "Liam Knight is dead." Julian allowed himself a small smile. "Trapped within the Sect''s killing formation after we retrieved the artifact. The formation was fully activated—no one could have survived."


    Bancroft finally looked up, his gaze piercing. "You''re certain?"


    "Absolutely," Julian nodded firmly. "I sealed him inside myself. The Immortal Bane Sect has imed countless lives over the centuries—even a Martial Duke would perish within its walls."


    Bancroft set aside his scroll, a rare look of satisfaction crossing his features. "And what of hispanions?"


    "Most escaped, though one was severely injured," Julian reported. "Frederick Cohen likely won''t survive his wounds."


    "A pity we couldn''t eliminate them all," Bancroft said, rising from his seat. "But Knight was the true threat. Without him, his pathetic Jade Moon Vi will crumble."


    Julian nodded in agreement. "What are your orders regarding the Vi, Master Bancroft?"


    Bancroft''s thin lips curved into a cruel smile. "Burn it to the ground. Leave no trace of Liam Knight''s legacy. I want his name forgotten within a month."


    "It shall be done," Julian bowed deeply, concealing his triumphant expression.


    When he was dismissed, Julian walked briskly through the Guild''s massive corridors, waiting until he was well away from Bancroft''s quarters before allowing himself a genuine smile. Everything was proceeding exactly as he''d nned.


    ---


    Rain pounded against the windows of the secluded teahouse on the outskirts of Veridia City. Julian sat across from a man whose face was hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat, only a thin scar visible across his cheek.


    "Dudley Lowell," Julian said quietly. "Your reputation precedes you."


    "As does yours, Julian Radford," the assassin replied, his voice like gravel. "Though I must say, I''m surprised a Veridia City Martial Guild Elder would seek my services."


    Julian slid a small wooden box across the table. "Some matters require... discretion."


    Dudley opened the box, his eyes widening slightly at the contents. "Two ck Gold Stone Magical Artifacts. Quite generous."


    "The job requires it," Julian leaned forward. "Frederick Cohen and anyone protecting him. Make it look like a robbery gone wrong. Nothing that would implicate the Guild."


    Dudley closed the box with a soft click. "Consider it done. But I''m curious—why not let the Guild handle this officially?"


    Julian''s face darkened. "Some in the Guild still cling to outdated notions of honor. They might question eliminating a wounded man and his family."


    "And you don''t share these... notions?" Dudley asked, amusement in his tone.


    "I believe in being thorough," Julian replied coldly. "Liam Knight is dead, but his supporters must be eliminated to prevent anyone from continuing his work."


    Dudley pocketed the box and stood. "Three days. You''ll hear the news by then."


    As the assassin disappeared into the rain, Julian allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. Soon, every trace of Liam Knight would be erased from this world.


    ---


    "He can''t be dead," Mariana Valerius whispered, her normallyposed face ashen with shock. "I would have sensed it."


    The gathered members of Jade Moon Vi sat in stunned silence in the main hall. Daphne Grenville had just finished recounting what had happened at the Immortal Bane Sect.


    "I saw it with my own eyes," Daphne said, her voice hollow. "The doors sealed with him inside. The formation activated. No one could have survived."


    Frederick Coheny on a healing bed in the corner, his broken legs encased in medicinal wrappings. "He sacrificed himself for me," he murmured, tears streaming down his face. "I should have been the one trapped inside."


    Jackson Harding mmed his fist against the wall, cracking the stone. "This cannot be how it ends! Not for him!"


    "What do we do now?" someone asked, the question hanging heavy in the air.


    Mariana straightened her shoulders, though her eyes remained haunted. "We continue his work. Liam would want us to protect Jade Moon Vi and all it stands for."


    "But without him..." Frederick began.


    "Without him, we must be stronger," Mariana cut in firmly. "We owe him that much."


    As they discussed ns to secure the Vi, none of them noticed the shadow that passed briefly across the window—a figure moving silently into the night with deadly purpose.


    ---


    A week passed in darkness and silence. When consciousness finally returned to me, it came in painful fragments. First, the sensation of cold stone against my cheek. Then, the throbbing ache in every muscle. Finally, the crushing realization that I was still trapped.


    I forced my eyes open, blinking away the dust that had gathered on myshes. The chamber was dimly lit by faint runes that still glowed along the walls, though their deadly energy seemed dormant now.


    "I''m alive," I croaked, my throat painfully dry.


    Slowly, I pushed myself up to sitting position, taking inventory of my body. My wounds had healed—whether from the golden figure''s energy or my own regenerative abilities, I couldn''t tell. But I was weak from hunger and thirst.


    I staggered to my feet and made my way to the sealed stone doors. They remained as immovable as before, not yielding even an inch when I pushed against them with all my remaining strength.


    "Hello!" I shouted, pounding my fist against the unyielding stone. "Is anyone out there?"


    Only silence answered me. The realization hit like a physical blow—everyone believed I was dead. No one would being to search for me.


    I slumped against the door, sliding down to sit on the cold floor. The Immortal Bane Sect had be my prison, and perhaps my tomb after all.


    "Think, Liam," I muttered to myself. "There has to be a way out."


    I closed my eyes, picturing Isabelle''s face. She was out there somewhere, possibly believing I was dead. The thought of her grief tore at my heart.


    "I will find a way back to you," I promised aloud. "No matter what it takes."


    But as I surveyed the seamless walls of my ancient prison, doubt crept in for the first time. The doors wouldn''t budge. My spiritual energy was still depleted. And the golden figure—my father?—had vanished without a trace.


    I was truly alone, trapped in a ce where no one had ever escaped alive, while outside, my enemies believed me dead and were free to destroy everything I had built.