Dilan spent the rest of the day watching Kaius train with the magic granted by the ring. He didn’t want Kaius to go—but if he couldn’t stop him, maybe the spirits of the Ark could help.

He spoke to them, and they explained that Kaius was telling the truth: their souls were being drained. His brother Kaius had told him never to use Ark magic again—but Dilan didn’t want to lose this new brother because of his old family.

He asked the spirits for help. Some refused—mostly because they were relatively new to the Ark and already burdened by their own pain. But the couple who had known Dilan before agreed to help.

—Brother, brother! I have someone who can help you—but they need your magic to manifest.

Kaius didn’t understand what he meant, but the ring lit up again.

[THE CHILD IS REFERRING TO THE SPIRITS OF THE ARK. THEY COULD BE VERY USEFUL, SINCE THESE WORLDS ARE CREATED FROM THE MAGIC THAT’S KILLING THEM. BECAUSE OF THAT CONNECTION, YOU COULD USE THEM TO ANALYZE THE WORLD AND FIND THE HEART FASTER. BUT YOU’LL HAVE TO ASK FOR PERMISSION—AND BEG FOR THEIR HELP.]

Divenael didn’t sound convinced it would work—mostly because of the resentment the spirits carried.

—Don’t worry, Mr. Angel. They said they’ll help you… for me.

Kaius hugged Dilan, grateful he had spoken kindly of him to the spirits. Dilan explained that they too wanted the world destroyed—so helping Kaius was in their best interest.

Kaius knew that. But he was still uneasy. He didn’t want to sacrifice the souls of the Ark more than they’d already been forced to.

With the angel’s guidance—who saw the doubt on Kaius’s face—he showed him how to see the spirits. Kaius cast the spell, and when he saw them, he was surprised: they looked like a couple from the Victorian era. It was impossible to tell what kind of creatures they were, but they were clearly in love.

The woman had a gentle gaze full of affection for Dilan. Her partner had a strong face—but the same loving look toward the boy.

Thanks to the spell, Kaius could speak with them. They didn’t know who they were—only that they were a couple. Divenael explained that spending too much time in the Ark stripped everything away. First your memories… then pain and rage in a ghostly existence.

The couple said they didn’t care what happened anymore. They were already suffering—and just wanted to reunite with their families.

Kaius thought about it and accepted their help. For them, it was better to use their last remnants of being to destroy that place—and hurt the woman who had caused so much pain.

Dilan didn’t want to say goodbye to them. But he knew it was the best thing for them.

Kaius left with everyone—except Dilan. He kissed the boy’s forehead and promised he’d return. He told him not to leave the house. Then he cast the protection and sealing spells.

It was 11 p.m. Not many people would be around. His ring allowed the spirits to appear more tangibly—almost human—but he didn’t want anyone to notice anything strange.

A few minutes later, they reached the entrance to the created world. Kaius stretched out his hand to see if it was still there—and it was.

—All right, everyone. It’s time. Once we’re inside, I’ll need you to search the world—especially the house—and find its heart. I’ll handle the rest. The world will definitely fight back.

Everyone knew what to do. They entered.

Kaius stepped into the same place where he had seen Dilan outside the house. He ventured deeper when the same man appeared—not to hit him like he had Dilan, but to rupture his blood vessels again.

Kaius was faster. He summoned his magic—fire—and launched it at the man. He dodged, but tried to use low-level fire magic, just enough to ignite twigs beneath Kaius.

Kaius used his speed and caught him by surprise—grabbing him by the neck.

—You know, even if you’re just an illusion, I’ll say this: you weren’t a good father. You deserved everything that happened to you. It was your fault your own son killed you. But don’t worry—he’ll be fine. Far away from your wife. Now… DISAPPEAR!

He shouted, squeezing the man’s neck with supernatural strength. In less than a second, a crack echoed through the air. The world began to fracture.

Kaius entered the house. The illusory children were still watching TV. Jenna—the oldest, the only one who survived—screamed for her father. Kaius didn’t care. He knew none of it was real.

He searched the house but couldn’t find the spirits. Then the ring activated:

[THEY’RE IN THE HOT SPRINGS. THAT’S WHERE THE HEART IS.]

Kaius ran. He reached the springs and found the spirits—along with the illusion of the woman who had started it all. She was blonde, about thirty, bathing while her son was supposedly being tortured by his father.

Kaius approached. She tried to defend herself—but her magic didn’t work on him. She tried to flee, but the spirits stopped her.

Kaius used the Union Magic—to connect this illusion to the real woman through the Ark. The spirits joined in, allowing the magic to reach the true body. They shared vision with Kaius. For him, it felt like a thread passing through dimensions—until it reached the original body, glowing.

Kaius was ready to kill the illusion. He grabbed her by the hair, pulling back to make it as painful as possible—because what she felt, the real woman would feel too.

He picked up a rock and struck her. Again and again. She begged like a normal person—but he knew she was just an illusion. He wanted her to feel everything she had made Dilan suffer.

He dragged her into the springs and submerged her. With fire magic, he made the water hotter—more painful. He heard her scream from the heat, but didn’t let go.

Dilan had told him about the springs—and what his parents had done there. Kaius wanted both the illusion and the real woman to feel what that little boy had felt.

After 45 seconds, he pulled her out. He wanted to kill her—but if he did, he couldn’t finish the revenge. So he carried her to the world’s entrance, never letting her touch him.

Then he activated an ancient magic—one the angels had created and given him: Disconnection Magic. It wouldn’t just sever the illusion from the woman—it would sever her from the Ark’s magic itself.

He grabbed her neck and placed his magic-charged hand on her chest. A black vortex formed, and from it, he pulled a golden thread.

The world shattered—like broken glass. It vanished completely.

Kaius saw the real world again. He returned to cabin 9 to console Dilan. It was 3 a.m. He removed the protections and entered. Dilan was asleep on the couch.

Kaius picked him up and carried him to the master bedroom. He didn’t want to be apart from him—not now. He’d have to leave him in a year… so he’d cherish every moment.

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

A woman woke up screaming in pain. She writhed on the floor, covered in second-degree burns. She felt like she was drowning—like she was underwater.

Everything stopped. She tried to run from her room—but her chest burned. Worst of all, she felt her magic being ripped from her body. Until she felt… nothing.

She tried to light a candle. Nothing happened.

Her flesh burned. Her magic vanished. And to make it worse—the prison world stone had shattered. Her useless son had escaped.

Now, fear froze on her face.

She couldn’t sleep again.

Back with Kaius…

He relaxed, holding his little brother. He fell asleep—exhausted. But he had decided: the next morning, they’d go to the house they had bought. He’d start creating the protective stones and the heart of the house.

He didn’t want to feel vulnerable in a place so close to that destroyed world.

He fell asleep, wondering what color Dilan would want for his room.

The next morning, he woke up to sunlight through the window. He got up—thankfully not too tired to feed. He still had strength.

But Dilan wasn’t in bed.

He checked the bathroom. Nothing. His room. Nothing.

He panicked—until his nose caught a delicious scent.

He went to the kitchen and saw Dilan making French toast. He had chocolate and milk ready for milkshakes. He handled that while Dilan finished cooking.

Everything was ready. Dilan sat beside him and began to feed him.

Kaius didn’t understand—but he saw fear and pain in Dilan’s eyes… and also relief.

So he said nothing. If this made Dilan feel better, he’d eat gladly.

Dilan ate too. So there was nothing to worry about.

They finished breakfast.

—Dilan, today we’re going home. Sound good?

Dilan was washing the dishes.

—Yes, brother. That’s best.

It was already 11 a.m. After finishing the dishes, Kaius told Dilan to go shower first—and to take his time. No one would come in. Dilan agreed and went to bathe. He took 20 minutes, which was good, but his face still looked tense—like he hadn’t been able to relax.

Kaius hoped that once they arrived at their new home, they’d finally be able to.

Then it was his turn. He took the same amount of time. But he realized he couldn’t relax either. What had happened the night before had left him too paranoid.

That’s why they had to leave that day.

He got dressed in what he had, stepped out, and saw that all his books were packed and ready. Dilan helped him load the bags. With everything set, they went to return the house key—and with that, they left.

As they walked out of the place, Kaius thought: if they traveled like humans, it would take a full day—even if they bought a car. Then he considered using his super speed. They could arrive in just a few hours—maybe three or four.

—Dilan, if we want to get there quickly, we’ll need to use super speed. We can rest along the way.

Dilan agreed. Kaius lifted him onto his back and told him to hold on tight. He grabbed the bags—and began to run toward the town of South Heaven.

During the journey, they only had to stop once. They were halfway there, and Dilan hadn’t thrown up. He was doing well.

They walked a few minutes, stopping in the nearest city to eat and drink something. Dilan preferred to wait until they got home—he didn’t want any accidents.

Kaius went to raid the blood bank. He took as much as he could without being noticed. Then they continued.

One more hour of travel—and they arrived in the city of South Heaven.

They headed into the Justem Forest, known magically by that name. And right in the middle of it, after walking a few minutes… there it was.

The beautiful house that was now theirs.

Kaius took Dilan’s hand.

—Welcome home, little brother.