“Father!”

The sight before him sent a jolt of terror through Loewen’s heart.

The thick stench of blood invaded his nose. His legs gave out beneath him, and he dropped to his knees beside the canoe with Gian.

Chad Flenqi stared at him, dazed, as if he had just awoken from a dream. He struggled to raise one hand, but it fell limp before it could drop, and Loewen caught it firmly.

His father’s fingers were ice-cold, the thin calluses between his joints pressed against Loewen’s palm.

“Father was bitten while hunting a demon beast,” Gian explained curtly. His voice was heavy, grave with restrained grief.

“Bitten?” Loewen echoed. “Then we need to purify him with Sacred Spring Water—”

“We already did,” Gian cut him off. The muscles in his face were taut with tension. “All of this is it.”

Loewen looked down, stunned, at the blood-red liquid that was nearly spilling over the edge of the canoe. “It’s all blood?” he murmured.

“The wound was too deep… and the dark mist too strong…” Gian’s throat tightened. His eyes burned. He couldn’t go on. 

It was clear their father might not survive the night.

Loewen’s brow furrowed deeply. He leaned in over the canoe, peering into the bloodied water. There, he caught a glimpse of white bone jutting from Chad’s abdomen, along with a sliver of exposed viscera. Wisps of dark mist leaked from the wound, melting into the Sacred Spring Water now dyed a deep crimson.

His mind went blank.

“Chad, say something to your family. Quickly.” Standing nearby, Elliot Flynn—the President of the Light Mage Alliance—spoke in a low voice. His robe was in tatters, soaked with mud and blood.

On the brink of eternal sleep, Chad’s eyes suddenly regained focus, locking onto Loewen’s face.

“Loewen… my child…” he rasped, his voice broken and hoarse.

“I’m here, Father,” Loewen said, gripping his hand tighter, leaning closer.

“Your potion… it worked,” Chad murmured. “It can save many lives along the border… You’ve made me proud.”

Loewen’s heart pounded wildly. His hands trembled.

“Gian, my eldest son.” Chad turned his gaze toward another face.

Gian looked stricken with worry.

“If I don’t make it through the night, you’ll be the head of the family from now on. I need you to inherit my title, and the duty to protect this house.”

Gian’s voice was rough and sluggish. “Father…”

Chad drew in a ragged breath.

The Sacred Spring Water was mixed with painkillers and blood-staunching potions. They kept his body from suffering, but clouded his thoughts.

He paused, then continued, slowly but clearly, “Swear to the gods. If I die tonight… take care of your mother. And your brother. Protect him. No more hurting him.”

At those words, a subtle change came over Gian. Panic washed over him.

In that instant, memories flashed through his mind—how he had treated Loewen in the past, the hidden thoughts of rivalry he had never voiced.

Could it be… Father had known all along?

He dropped his gaze, unable to meet the fading light in his father’s eyes. Then, with trembling lips, he spoke the vow, “I swear to the gods—I’ll take care of Mother and Loewen. I’ll protect them, and never let them come to harm.”

At last, Chad closed his eyes, satisfied. When he opened them again, they were dim and weary. He looked to the other side, where Lady Flenqi had been weeping silently, her face streaked with tears.

“Emily…” he whispered.

Lady Flenqi wiped her eyes and forced a smile—one that looked more painful than crying. She leaned in close to the weathered yet still-handsome face she had loved for decades, listening carefully.

“I’m sorry… for how I look right now. I must’ve frightened you,” Chad said softly. His voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable, but tender.

“If I don’t make it through the night…”

“No!” Lady Flenqi cut him off, her lips trembling. She held back tears as she pressed a kiss to his lips. “You’ll make it! You have to!”

Chad smiled. Bitterness filled his eyes as he gazed at her face, memorizing every feature. He tried to burn it into his mind, but his vision was already fading, and with it, his grasp on consciousness slipped further away.

“Father! Don’t fall asleep!” Loewen suddenly gripped his hand tightly. “You’ll make it through! You just need to stop the bleeding first. I have a stronger potion—I also have a substitute for Sacred Spring Water! These waters have already been tainted by blood. We need to stop the bleeding, then flush out the remaining dark mist!”

Chad’s eyelids, heavy as lead, struggled open. He looked at Loewen and whispered faintly, “Is that so…”

“I will save you.” Loewen’s eyes reddened, his voice firm and unwavering.

Chad’s blurry eyes could only make out Loewen’s silhouette. He smiled weakly. 

“My child…” Before he could finish, his eyelids slammed shut again.

Silence spread through the hall like a suffocating fog. Chad’s colleagues in the Light Mage Alliance had already accepted the inevitable. They began comforting Chad’s family while whispering anxious, restrained discussions.

“The demon beasts outside the safe zone have been raging repeatedly this year. We’ve lost many hands already. The upcoming hunts will only get harder.”

“We have to shrink the safe zone. The barrier must be pulled inward.”

“You mean abandon the border villages? Leave them to fend for themselves?”

“Do you have a better plan?”

Restlessness and anxiety spread like a virus through the crowd.

Faced with this grim situation, President Elliot was nearly powerless. Because deep down, he knew all too well—the number and ferocity of demon beasts beyond the barrier had been growing daily, on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Lady Flenqi sat on the floor, wailing loudly.

Loewen rushed back to his room and grabbed a pile of potions. He ordered the household servants to help treat Chad, who was fading fast.

A top-tier healer stood nearby, shaking his head gently. He cautioned Loewen that further treatment was pointless.

Loewen ignored him outright. He lifted Chad from the canoe, applied his potions thoroughly to the wounds, then soaked Chad in clear water mixed with powdered Sacred Spring Water substitute, carefully measured to form a solution.

“If the dark mist in him isn’t gone by dawn, we’ll have to cremate him,” the healer sighed.

Loewen tensed, instructing the servants to change the water and powder regularly. The water had to be warmer than body temperature.

One by one, the people in the hall dispersed. Only the Flenqi family remained, gathered around Chad.

“Loewen, can you really save your father?” Lady Flenqi cried like a frightened kitten, clutching Chad’s hand and refusing to let go.

“I’ll do my best,” Loewen replied steadily, though his hands trembled at his sides.

“You must save him.” Gian sat anxiously on the sofa, his elbows resting on his knees, hands clutching his head. It was as if he was trying to block out some terrible thought.

The morning sun rose, casting its light over the land.

The dark mist around Chad had finally dissipated. His breathing was faint but steady. Although he remained in a deep sleep and might not awaken for some time, his life was at least spared.

The continent’s top healer was astonished. After examining Chad’s condition, he announced, “The duke’s life is no longer in danger, but he may remain unconscious for up to six months. Even if he wakes, he will need to stay bedridden for at least a year.”

Lady Flenqi wept tears of joy, holding Chad’s hand and kissing it repeatedly.

Gian finally breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression remained heavy. Until his father woke, the burdens of managing the household would likely continue to fall on him.

After checking on Chad, Loewen stood up, swaying slightly as exhaustion weighed on him. He dragged his tired steps back to his room. He locked himself inside.

The events of the night filled him with overwhelming guilt. His mind raced with endless thoughts.

Chad had undoubtedly been a good father, always kind to him. Yet just moments ago, he had nearly died right before his eyes.

Loewen knew Felix had lost control, but out of fear, he had chosen to run away.

In this world, only he knew Felix’s secret and the truth behind the demon beasts’ rampage. Was Chad’s suffering a consequence of his own inaction?

If, upon receiving that letter early yesterday morning, he had followed Cheesecake to find Felix, would Chad have avoided such grievous injury?

What about the villagers attacked by demon beasts? Could he really ignore their lives slipping away, selfishly fleeing to safety?

Loewen began organizing his equipment. As he carefully stored each item back into his folding space, memories of his days since crossing over flooded his mind.

At first, he only wanted to escape this empire filled with “foreigners,” to break free from the family that constrained him, and live freely.

But now, without realizing it, he had formed bonds with those around him. He could no longer stand aside, cold and indifferent, while suffering unfolded here.

He worked hard to develop potions—not only to protect himself but also to save more lives.

He couldn’t just watch everything collapse, nor allow Felix to face uncontrollable, terrifying power alone. Even though he had long suspected Felix might be a terrifying existence beyond his understanding.

But he could no longer run away!

Loewen’s eye twitched nervously.

In fact, before falling asleep last night, he had secretly taken a map from the study and a travelogue of the Eastern Journey. He had carefully slipped them into his bag, hesitating whether to leave this continent for good.

But now, that thought seemed about to be erased.