I watched from the shadows as Emerson Holmes emerged from the Guild headquarters, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Even from this distance, I could read the despair in his posture. The Guild had responded exactly as I''d predicted—with cold indifference to his daughter''s plight.


    A twinge of pain shot through my side as I shifted position. My wounds from yesterday''s battle were healing, but not fast enough. I''d need to be at full strength for what wasing.


    I slipped away before Emerson could spot me. He''de to me tonight—of that I was certain. The father in him would ovee any remaining loyalty to the Guild. Men like Bancroft never understood that threatening a man''s child didn''t weaken him—it transformed him into something dangerous.


    Making my way through back alleys, I returned to the small safe house I''d established weeks ago. It wasn''t much—just a single room above an abandoned shop—but it served my purposes. I carefully removed my disguise and eased myself onto the narrow cot.


    "Isabelle," I whispered her name into the empty room. "Hold on just a little longer."


    The memory of her face gave me strength, even as it filled me with anguish. I closed my eyes, allowing myself a few moments of rest while my mind continued plotting. Emerson Holmes would be my unwitting weapon against the Guild, a dagger slipped between their ribs when they least expected it.


    I just needed to wait.


    ---


    Inside the Guild headquarters, Darian Bancroft watched Emerson Holmes leave with narrowed eyes. The man was broken—that much was obvious. Whether that made him more useful or more dangerous remained to be seen.


    "Send someone to watch him," Bancroft ordered his assistant. "Discreetly."


    "Yes, sir."


    Bancroft returned to his desk, massaging his temples. The pressure from above was intensifying. Three days to capture this mysterious ck-robed cultivator, or his position would be in jeopardy. The Elders rarely issued such direct ultimatums.


    "President Bancroft," hismunication stone vibrated. "Your meeting with the Hunting Legionmanders is ready."


    "Tell them I''ll be dyed. I have an urgent matter to attend to first." He made his decision quickly. "And prepare my carriage. I''m going to visit the Ashworth Group."


    If this ck-robed man was so interested in Isabelle Ashworth, perhaps it was time to use her more directly as bait. After all, she was already being drained of her precious bloodline—why not extract additional value from the investment? <em ss="phantom-imprint">My Vir@t+u*a*l L$ib&ra#ry E#mpire$ (*) a@pprec@i$at$e+s yo.u-r- r%ea$dersh+ip+ at the so@u&rc.e#.</em>


    ---


    Corbin Ashworth was reviewing financial reports when his secretary announced Bancroft''s unexpected visit. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. The Guild president rarely made personal calls, preferring to summon others to his office.


    "Show him in," Corbin ordered, quickly organizing his desk to conceal any sensitive information.


    Darian Bancroft entered with the confident stride of a man ustomed tomanding respect. "Chairman Ashworth, thank you for seeing me without notice."


    "The Guild always has priority," Corbin replied carefully. "What brings you here today?"


    Bancroft didn''t waste time with pleasantries. "We''ve identified a significant threat targeting your niece."


    "Isabelle?" Corbin''s interest sharpened. "She''s safely in Guild custody for the extraction process."


    "Yes, but we''ve encountered a powerful cultivator attempting to interfere. We believe he intends to rescue her."


    "Who would dare challenge the Guild?" Corbin asked, though he already suspected the answer.


    "We don''t know his identity yet. He appears as a ck-robed figure, extremely skilled inbat and stealth." Bancroft paused. "But we have reason to believe he may be connected to Liam Knight."


    "Knight?" Corbin spat the name like a curse. "That worthless upstart who humiliated my family?"


    "The same." Bancroft leaned forward. "We need to draw him out. And for that, I need your cooperation."


    "What do you propose?"


    "A public execution of Isabelle Ashworth."


    The words hung in the air like a thunderp. Corbin''s face darkened with fury.


    "Are you insane?" he hissed, rising from his chair. "Execute my niece? The heir to the Ashworth bloodline? Do you have any idea of her value?"


    "It would only be announced as an execution," Bancroft exined calmly. "In reality, we would use a body double. But the threat would force this ck-robed man to reveal himself."


    "Absolutely not," Corbin mmed his palm on the desk. "The Ashworth name would be tarnished forever. Not to mention the psychological impact on our business partners who believe in the power of our bloodline."


    "Chairman Ashworth, I understand your concerns, but—"


    "No, you clearly don''t," Corbin cut him off. "Find another way to catch your target. The Ashworth family will not be used as bait in your schemes."


    The tension in the room was palpable when the door opened. Dominic Ashworth stepped in, his cold eyes taking in the scene with calcting precision.


    "I couldn''t help overhearing," he said smoothly. "Perhaps I might offer an alternative solution?"


    Corbin frowned at his son. "This is a private meeting, Dominic."


    "A meeting about family matters, Father." Dominic closed the door behind him. "And as your heir, I believe I should be involved."


    Bancroft studied the younger Ashworth with interest. "I''m open to alternatives, Mr. Ashworth."


    Dominic smiled, a gesture that never reached his eyes. "Instead of an execution, which would indeed damage our family''s reputation, why not hold a public extraction ceremony?"


    "Exin," Bancroft said.


    "We invite the young heirs from Veridia''s top families to witness the extraction of Isabelle''s bloodline. Frame it as an exclusive privilege—a chance for them to directly receive small amounts of her blood essence." Dominic''s voice remained clinical, as if discussing a business transaction rather than his cousin''s vition. "The Guild scientists have confirmed her blood can enhance cultivation, correct?"


    "They have," Bancroft nodded slowly.


    "Then market it as an opportunity—a gift from the Ashworth family to our closest allies. Their sons and daughters will strengthen their foundations with the purest bloodline in Veridia City." Dominic''s expression didn''t change as he suggested this atrocity. "The event would be highly publicized, drawing out your target while simultaneously elevating our family''s standing."


    I couldn''t believe what I was hearing. The betrayal cut deep even through the memory crystal''s rey. The man proposing this monstrous n was Isabelle''s own cousin—someone who had grown up alongside her.


    My hands clenched into fists as I continued listening to the recording Emerson had secretly made during his visit to the Guildter that day. The crystal glowed faintly on the table between us in the abandoned temple where he hade to surrender himself to my cause.


    "This is... creative," Bancroft was saying in the recording. "Though unusually cruel, even by Guild standards."


    "Cruelty is irrelevant," Dominic''s voice replied coldly. "Isabelle made her choice when she aligned with Liam Knight against our family. She forfeited her right to protection."


    There was a pause in the recording.


    "Your father doesn''t seem convinced," Bancroft observed.


    "My father still harbors sentimental attachments," Dominic dismissed. "He''ll agree once he considers the advantages. The extraction will happen regardless—this simply maximizes its value to all parties."


    "Except Isabelle," Bancroft noted with dark humor.


    "A necessary sacrifice for the greater good of the Ashworth legacy," Dominic responded without hesitation.


    The crystal flickered as more words were exchanged, culminating in Bancroft''s agreement to present the n to the Guild Elders. I deactivated it before the recording finished, unable to stomach any more.


    "They''re going to do it," Emerson whispered, his face ashen. "The announcement will be made tomorrow. The ''ceremony'' is scheduled for three days from now."


    I stood up slowly, pain forgotten as cold rage filled every fiber of my being. "You''ve made your choice then?"


    Emerson nodded, his eyes hollow. "The Guild refused to help my daughter. You were right about them all along." He looked up at me, desperate. "The antidote..."


    I removed a small vial from my pocket and ced it on the table. "Three drops in water, administered immediately. She''ll recover within hours."


    He snatched it up with trembling hands. "How do I know this will work?"


    "Because unlike the Guild, I keep my word." I turned away from him. "Now you keep yours. Return to your position. Report everything you see and hear. But tell no one of our arrangement."


    "I will." He clutched the vial like a lifeline. "What are you going to do about Isabelle?"


    I stared out the small window at the distant lights of the Guild headquarters where they held her captive.


    "Whatever it takes."


    As Emerson left to save his daughter, I remained in the shadows, my mind racing with possibilities, each more desperate than thest. The Guild had just raised the stakes beyond imagination.


    They weren''t just nning to drain Isabelle of her precious bloodline anymore.


    They were going to turn it into a public spectacle. A celebration of her vition.


    And Dominic Ashworth—her own blood—had designed this nightmare.


    Three days. I had three days to save her from a fate worse than death.


    But first, I needed to survive the night. Because somewhere out there, the Guild''s hunters were closing in, and I was running out of ces to hide.