I wasn''t done with Emerson Holmes, not by a long shot. The look of terror on his face as he realized I held his daughter''s life in my hands had given me a twisted satisfaction. But I needed more than just information—I needed to break his loyalty to the Guildpletely.


    "One more thing before I go," I said, turning back from the window.


    Emerson flinched, clutching his drink with white knuckles. "What more do you want from me?"


    "Your allegiance." I stepped closer, watching him shrink back in his chair. "You still believe in them, don''t you? Still think the Guild is somehow noble beneath its corruption?"


    "The Guild has protected Veridia City for centuries," he mumbled, though his voicecked conviction.


    Iughed, the sound harsh even to my own ears. "Protected it? They''ve strangled it. They''ve bled it dry while iming to be its savior."


    "What would you have me do?" Desperation crept into his voice. "Betray them? They''d kill me—and my daughter."


    I studied him for a moment, seeing the fear and conflict in his eyes. This man who''d helped destroy my life was now trapped in a prison of his own making.


    "Let''s make a bet," I proposed, my tone deceptively casual. "Go to Darian Bancroft tomorrow. Tell him everything—about your daughter''s illness, about my visit. Beg him for help."


    Confusion flickered across his face. "You... want me to report you?"


    "If the Guild is as noble as you believe, they''ll help save your daughter. They''ll protect you both from me." I leaned closer, my voice dropping to a whisper. "But if they abandon you—if they prove to be exactly what I know they are—then you work for me."


    "That''s insane," he protested. "I can''t—"


    "You can and you will." I grabbed his cor, pulling him to his feet. "Your daughter is dying, Emerson. I made sure of that."


    His eyes widened in horror. "What? But you said—"


    "I didn''t harm her physically." I released him with a slight push. "But I did slip something into her tea earlier. A slow-acting poison of my own creation. One that will kill her in exactly forty-eight hours."


    "You monster!" He lunged at me, but I sidestepped easily.


    "Only the antidote can save her now." I watched the fight drain from him as the truth sank in. "So make your choice. Trust in your precious Guild, or watch your daughter die."


    Tears welled in his eyes—real, desperate tears of a father facing the unthinkable. "The antidote... please..."


    "After the bet." I moved toward the window again. "If the Guild fails you,e to the abandoned temple in the Eastern Quarter at midnight tomorrow. Serve me faithfully, and your daughter lives."


    "And if the Guild helps me?" he asked, his voice barely audible.


    I smiled coldly. "Then I lose, and you both go free. After all, I''m a man of my word."


    With that, I disappeared into the night, leaving Emerson Holmes to his impossible choice. It wasn''t just cruelty driving my actions—it was necessity. I needed spies within the Guild''s ranks if I was going to save Isabelle. And nothing creates loyalty like desperation.


    ---


    The next morning, I watched the Guild headquarters from a safe distance, cloaked in shadows and a disguise that made me unrecognizable even to those who knew me well. My wounds from the previous day''s battle still ached, but I pushed the pain aside. Physical difort meant nothingpared to what Isabelle must be enduring.


    Through careful observation, I spotted Emerson Holmes arriving, his posture rigid with fear and determination. So he''d taken the bait. Now to see if my prediction about the Guild would prove correct.


    ---


    Emerson Holmes paced nervously in the antechamber outside President Bancroft''s office, rehearsing his plea in his mind. The receptionist watched him with undisguised irritation.


    "Mr. Holmes, please sit down. The President will see you when he''s ready."


    He ignored her, continuing his anxious circuit. His daughter''s life hung in the bnce, each passing minute bringing her closer to death. When the ornate doors finally opened, he practically lunged forward.


    "President Bancroft! Thank you for seeing me. I have urgent—"


    "Make it quick, Holmes." Darian Bancroft didn''t look up from the documents on his desk. "I have the Hunting Legionmanders arriving in twenty minutes."


    Emerson swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. "Sir, it''s about the ck-robed cultivator. He... he came to my homest night."


    That got Bancroft''s attention. His head snapped up, eyes narrowing. "Exin."


    "He broke in, somehow bypassing all my security. He threatened me, demanded information about Miss Ashworth." Emerson''s words tumbled out in a rush. "But that''s not why I''m here. Sir, he poisoned my daughter."


    Bancroft''s expression remained impassive. "Go on."


    "A slow-acting poison. She has less than two days before..." He couldn''t finish the sentence. "I need the Guild''s help. Our medical division must have something—an antidote, a purifying technique, anything."


    "Why would he poison your child?" Bancroft asked, his tone analytical rather than sympathetic.


    Emerson hesitated, weighing how much to reveal. "He... he forced me to cooperate. To spy on the Guild. He said if I came to you instead, and you helped save her, he would leave us alone."


    "I see." Bancroft steepled his fingers. "And did you learn anything else about this mysterious attacker?"


    "Nothing I haven''t already reported, sir." The lie came easily, born of growing doubt.


    Bancroft was silent for a long moment, his cold eyes studying Emerson with unsettling intensity. Finally, he sighed.


    "Holmes, do you know why the Veridia City Martial Guild has maintained its position for over three centuries?"


    The question caught Emerson off guard. "Because of its strength, sir. Itsmitment to protecting the city."


    "No." Bancroft''s voice was sharp. "Because we never show weakness. Because we understand sacrifice."


    A chill ran down Emerson''s spine. "Sir?"


    "Your informant position has beenpromised. This cultivator knows who you are, where you live. He''s using your daughter to manipte you." Bancroft rose from his chair, turning to look out the window. "Since your daughter is already poisoned, take this opportunity to get rid of your weakness."


    The words hit Emerson like a physical blow. "What... what are you saying?"


    "I''m saying let her die." Bancroft turned back, his expression devoid ofpassion. "Then you''ll have nothing left to lose, nothing for our enemies to threaten you with. You''ll be a more valuable asset."


    Emerson staggered backward, his world crumbling around him. "But she''s just a child! My only child!"


    "And that''s precisely the problem." Bancroft''s voice hardened. "Your attachment to her makes you vulnerable. Makes the Guild vulnerable." <i ss="story-note-vis">This соpy соmеs frоm соntеnt оn М|V|L0ЕМРYR.</i>


    "Please," Emerson dropped to his knees, pride forgotten. "I''ve served the Guild faithfully for decades. I''m begging you."


    "Your service is precisely why I''m being candid with you rather than simply having you both eliminated." Bancroft returned to his seat. "The medical division has its resources focused on the Ashworth extraction. We have no time for distractions."


    "Distractions?" Emerson echoed, his voice hollow. "My daughter''s life is a distraction?"


    "In the grand scheme of what we''re aplishing? Yes." Bancroft nced at his timepiece. "Now, unless you have actual intelligence to report about this cultivator, I suggest you leave ande to terms with your situation."


    Emerson remained on his knees, shock paralyzing him. All his years of loyalty, all his sacrifices for the Guild—and this was their response? Let his innocent daughter die because saving her was inconvenient?


    "Get up, Holmes. You''re embarrassing yourself." Bancroft''s tone was dismissive. "If you want to continue serving the Guild, return when you''ve regained yourposure. If not..." The threat hung unspoken in the air.


    Slowly, mechanically, Emerson rose to his feet. His mind raced with disbelief, with rage, with the sickening realization that Liam Knight had been right all along. The Guild he had devoted his life to cared nothing for him or his family.


    "Thank you for your time, President Bancroft," he said, his voice eerily calm. "I''ll see myself out."


    As he turned to leave, Bancroft called after him. "Holmes. Whatever you''re thinking right now—don''t. Remember who we are, what we''re capable of."


    Emerson didn''t respond. He walked out of the office, past the curious receptionist, through the grand corridors of the Guild headquarters that had once filled him with pride but now seemed like the halls of a mausoleum.


    Outside, the bright morning sun felt like a mockery of the darkness that had consumed his heart. Liam Knight had won their bet. The Guild had failed him in the most fundamental way possible.


    And now, to save his daughter''s life, he would have to sell his soul to the man he had once helped destroy.