The study was silent.

  Lucien sat alone, surrounded by five identical golems. Each one metallic, humanoid and featureless. They stood like statues before five tables, each with a chessboard locked in place.

  In the center of the room sat a small sand timer. Polished black glass, silver sand inside. Beside it, two tall towers of cards rested on their own platforms. One tower red. One tower black. Each already five layers high.

  A sixth golem stood in the far corner. Taller, bulkier. Silent. Its job was simple: if Lucien failed to make all five moves and add a layer to both towers within the one-minute timer, it would crush one of them.

  Lucien didn’t look at the golems. He looked at the timer.

  He flipped it.

  The sand began to fall.

  Move one. He stepped to the first board. Moved a piece.

  Second board. Another move. Simple. Direct.

  Third. A bit slower. A block, not a counter.

  Then the cards.

  Two in each hand. He placed one card on the red tower, then one on the black. Both held.

  Fourth board. Another piece moved.

  Fifth board. Slight delay. Ten seconds left.

  He placed two more cards.

  Time.

  The sixth golem remained still.

  Lucien flipped the timer again.

  The next cycle began.

  The golems moved first this time. Slow, but unpredictable. Each game shifted.

  He studied all five boards in one scan.

  Then the towers again.

  The red tower stood steady. The black wobbled.

  He placed a card on each. Hands still calm. Eyes never blinking.

  Back to the boards. Move. Move. Adjust. Defend. Sacrifice.

  Thirty seconds.

  Another layer. Red now seven. Black at six.

  Ten seconds.

  Final move.

  Time.

  The golem stayed in place.

  Lucien’s mind didn’t slow. The next round came fast.

  Mistake on the second board. A piece shifted too far. He fixed it. Wasted five seconds.

  Cards next. One slipped in his hand.

  He placed the red card. The black one trembled in his grip.

  Twenty seconds.

  He placed it. The black tower tilted slightly but did not fall.

  Two moves left.

  Ten seconds.

  Only one move made.

  Time ran out.

  The sixth golem stepped forward.

  Lucien stood still.

  The golem raised its arm. It moved past him to the black tower. Its hand came down fast.

  The cards scattered in all directions. Quiet, clean, absolute.

  Lucien watched them fall.

  He turned back to the fifth board. Made the final move he had missed.

  Then reset the timer.

  He did not rebuild the black tower.

  Only the red one remained.

  He kept playing.

  The third board ended on the next turn.

  Checkmate.

  The golem returned to its still pose.

  Lucien didn’t react.

  The red tower rose to eight layers.

  The ash-colored metal of the fourth golem clicked as it made its move.

  Lucien blocked it. Countered. Simplified the board.

  He placed another red card. Nine layers.

  Another golem lost. The fourth now frozen.

  Only the last remained.

  Lucien stared at it. Its moves were sharper. Calculated.

  This one had adapted.

  He made his move with five seconds to spare. Placed the final card.

  Ten layers.

  The red tower stood perfect.

  The final golem paused, then made its last move.

  Lucien countered.

  Checkmate.

  He turned from the boards. The timer stopped. The sixth golem stepped back into its place.

  The study fell quiet again.

  Lucien looked once at the red tower. Not with pride. Just calculation.

  "It was a good game. I definitely lost my touch, considering I didn’t touch it for a whole year, but nevertheless, it was fun. If I increase the number of golems, it should become even more challenging. I will do that next time."

  With this, he left his study.

  Lucien walked through the east corridor, his steps light but deliberate. The hall was quiet.

  The silence served him better than words. It was the kind that let thoughts settle—or break apart.

  Then a voice echoed from around the bend.

  “Brother.”

  Lucien didn’t turn his head; he already knew who it was.

  Ultimare stepped out from an intersecting passage, hands behind his back, dressed in his usual slate-gray coat. His boots made no sound as he walked.

  Lucien didn’t stop. Ultimare caught up to him and walked beside him without asking.

  Ultimare: “So, where might you be heading today” Ultimare asked.

  Lucien: “My mind was rather bothered today. So I was planning on training myself. One way or another.”

  Ultimare: “Something troubling you know that is a rare occasion, what would be the cause of it”

  Lucien just continued walking.

  Ultimare: “Is it related to the presents.”

  Lucien glanced at him.

  Ultimare: “Did you not received yours.”

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  Lucien: “I did”

  Ultimare: “Have you opened it, I opened mine just this morning”

  He looked at Lucien, who still refused to answer anything.

  Ultimare smiled faintly, almost to himself. “I expected no less from our parents it was a very thoughtful gift, in fact I am about to use it to make something very interesting in my lab you are welcomed anytime you would really be impressed by it.”

  Lucien: “You’ve regained access to your lab.”

  Ultimare: “Just some 8 month ago”

  Lucien: “Were you asked to make medicine for father”

  Ultimare: “No that was not the case though I did tried few thing but guess I have yet to make drug which can beat death, though I definitely haven’t wasted any time I can show the progress I have made on different project”

  Lucien: “Sure I will visit sometime”

  Ultimare: “On the topic did you got your armor and sword back”

  Lucien: “I havent't I tried to find it but I still don’t know where he would have kept it”

  Ultimare: “Now that’s problematic, finding a substitute for it will not be easy”

  Lucien: “I will not need a substitute it should be somewhere in this household I just need to find it.”

  Ultimare: “Good luck with that”

  Ultimare moved fast. He thrust his hand forward, trying to stab Lucien in the face with three long needles held between his fingers.

  Lucien saw it just in time and ducked.

  Without pause, Ultimare swung his other hand. More needles came flying. Lucien dodged again, quick on his feet, but it wasn’t over.

  Ultimare threw something else. Lucien jumped to the side, landing far from where he started.

  Wherever the needles hit, the ground hissed and melted. The tips were coated with something corrosive.

  Ultimare: “Was this a bit enjoyable for you?”

  Lucien: “No you could have done better”

  Ultimare laughed: “Sorry about it, I will make sure to meet your expectation next time, I will make a golem fix this damage”

  They reached the split in the corridor. Lucien turned left, toward the training hall. Ultimare continued forward.

  [A few hours later, in the Grand Study of the Sinclair estate]

  Pelta sat at the long table beneath the vaulted ceiling of the Grand Study. Her posture was precise. Before her, stacks of reports waited for processing.

  She didn’t stop working.

  Even alone, she operated at full efficiency.

  Then she heard it.

  A sound not heard in this room for years.

  Bing… bing… bing…

  Pelta’s head lifted.

  It was faint. Distant. Metallic.

  Bing… bing…

  It came from the corner. Where the terrestrial orb rested. A rotating sphere of obsidian and silver, untouched for decades. It had not moved in all the time she had served here.

  Pelta stood. Quiet. No panic, just precision.

  She stepped closer.

  “Didn't this only react when we receive a call from outside, should I inform Lucien”

  [ At same time in, Garden of Sinclair estate]

  Max leaned, prodding Ryan’s shoulder, “Oi, Ryan, let’s play! Come on, why are you acting like this?”

  Ryan shot him an unimpressed glare. “I don’t want to. And don’t bother me. Don’t you have a job or something useful to do? How come you’re always so free?”

  Max scoffed, puffing out his chest. “Huh? You’re so boring. No girl will ever like you with a personality like that. Everyone loves an active guy like me.”

  Ryan’s expression darkened. “Don’t make me say something I shouldn’t, Max. I have no interest in being liked or not. And you? You’re just an idiot and a slacker. Only someone with serious issues would find you appealing.”

  Max waved him off, unfazed. “Dude, all I’m asking is for you to play with me. Why are you acting like such a grumpy old man? How about this—let’s play pretend. You can act like your favorite hero, and I’ll follow your script.”

  Ryan’s patience snapped. “You moron… I will crush you. Come to the sparring hall. Right now. If you’re that brave, move fast.”

  Max blinked, taking a second to process before he started to rub his brown hair. “Oh, I see what’s happening here. He wants to act out a dramatic fight scene. This kid sure has an imagination, doesn’t he?”

  Without wasting another moment, both of them sprinted through the corridors, their hurried footsteps echoing like the prelude to a battle.

  Minutes later, they arrived at the colossal training grounds, one of five such masterpieces, each a marvel of architecture designed explicitly for combat, equipped with every necessity for honing one’s skill. The air crackled with the weight of mana, the very walls imbued with runic reinforcements to withstand destruction.

  But the sight before them stopped them in their tracks.

  A lone man stood in the arena’s heart, facing a bunch of towering, Goliath-like creatures each forged from pure mana, each embodying a different element.

  And yet, he was winning.

  The training hall shook as seven elemental giants stepped forward, each one pulsing with raw mana. Fire, earth, and wind combined in coordinated strikes. A storm of flame and hot wind tore across the arena, churning everything into fire and smoke. Spikes of stone shot up from the ground, sharp and fast, trying to skewer Lucien where he stood. The floor cracked open into molten lava. The air itself became a weapon, cutting like invisible blades.

  It was chaos. A perfect trap. No escape.

  Lucien didn’t flinch. He just watched.

  A wave of fire came at him first. He stepped aside, calm and measured. Spikes rose under his feet. He slashed once — stone shattered like glass. Wind struck next. He turned his body, let it pass, then swatted a second gust away with the flat of his blade.

  Three attacks. Three directions. All timed to keep him off balance. The answer was simple: take them all down in one move.

  Lucien moved.

  He kicked off the stone beneath him and launched into the air. Wind roared, but his sword flashed once — clean, fast — and the pressure vanished. The air went still.

  He dropped fast. His blade punched through the earth titan’s chest, slicing through solid rock with no resistance. Before landing, he twisted, slashed sideways, and cut through the core of the fire titan. One smooth motion.

  Five seconds.

  That was all it took.

  The hall went quiet. The fight was over.

  Lucien landed lightly amidst the wreckage, his sword gliding back into its sheath with a soft click. He did not spare the fallen titans a glance.

  “A brainless mass of mana really can't do anything special, the feel of sparing a real individual is different from this, should I increase the numbers or think about asking someone for a spar.”

  Max folded his arms, watching the battle with an unimpressed huff. “What’s with this, brother? Did you suddenly felt like training? I really don’t think you’ll find your match in these mana constructs. You should try something else.”

  Ryan, on the other hand, was mesmerized. His green eyes sparkled with pure admiration as he studied Lucien’s effortless movements. “Amazing, brother! What technique did you use to cut through the mana constructs so easily? And their attacks, it’s like they don’t even touch you.”

  Lucien, catching Ryan’s eager expression. “It’s not a technique.” His voice was composed, calm and straight forward. “It’s about rhythm.”

  Ryan tilted his head, intrigued.

  Lucien continued, stepping away from the fading remnants of his defeated opponents. “All magic, every spell, every formation, every construct—has a rhythm. A pattern. Something that gives it structure.”

  He gestured to the air, as if tracing invisible lines. “Just like a castle made of cards will collapse if its balance is disturbed, magic crumbles if its rhythm is broken. If one can disrupt that rhythm, then the very foundation of the spell will fall apart, leaving nothing but raw mana.”

  Ryan’s breath hitched, his mind racing. “That’s incredible! If I can find the rhythm in magic, then… then I can do the same! I can break spells, just like you!” His fists clenched with newfound determination, the idea igniting something deep within him.

  Max rolled his eyes, scoffing. “You talk as if it suits your fighting style. Forget about it, kid. Master your own craft first before dreaming so big.”

  As Ryan and Max continued bickering and Lucien prepared to move to the next training area.

  A sharp, sudden beep resounded throughout the entire hall.

  Then came the voice, calm yet urgent, echoing through hidden speakers.

  “Intruder alert. A breach has been detected in the area near the 5th outer circle, close to the 3rd gate.

  Distance: approximately 10 km.

  Number of individuals: still being assessed.

  Surveillance is active.

  Security within the inner circle has been heightened. Awaiting further commands.”

  Max blinked, momentarily taken aback, before scoffing. “The 5th outer circle? That’s in the Stellar Mountain region. Is some idiot actually trying to cross Stellar Mountain?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Who the hell would do something that stupid? And why?”

  Ryan, eyes narrowing in thought, murmured, “Could they be coming for us?”

  Max rolled his eyes. “There you go again with your novel logic. Why would anyone ever come for us? ”

  “But—” Ryan started, only for Max to cut him off.

  “Even if someone were coming for us, they’d never reach this place. Do you seriously forget where we are?”

  Max smirked, crossing his arms. “Even if they somehow crossed Stellar Mountain, which is impossible, they’d still have to survive Devil Forest. That place alone kills thousands before they even realize what’s happening. But let say by some miracle someone did it they will still won't reach here unless they use our method which they can't”

  Lucien, who had remained silent, finally spoke. His tone was as composed as ever. “Max is right. Even if a fool manages to get close, they won’t enter this place.” His gaze darkened slightly. “That said, we shouldn’t ignore it completely.”

  Without missing a beat, he issued his command. “House Alert—raise security level to five. Increase the hallucinogenic mist. Release defensive beasts and protective dolls.”

  Ryan’s breath hitched slightly. The sheer weight of those words made the situation feel more serious.

  Max, however, let out an exaggerated groan. “That’s overkill, brother. They haven’t even started to cross the mountain yet, it's outer circle 5 it should be little above the base of the mountain, and you’re already unleashing all that? What are we, paranoid kings in a fortress?”

  Lucien continued, “House Alert, send a full report to Finn regarding my actions. Also, add that I am personally heading out to investigate.”

  Ryan’s head snapped up. “Going out? What do you mean, you’re going outside?!” His voice was filled with shock and excitement,

  Lucien:“Command: Leave.”

  A bright light suddenly enveloped him, and before anyone could react, Lucien vanished.

  Ryan stared at the empty space where his brother once stood, still processing what had just happened. “…He, is gone?”

  Max sighed, rubbing his temples. “Seems like Brother was just looking for some excitement. If he’s that bored, can’t he just do some actual work?” He huffed. “I swear, I’ll never understand his way of thinking.”

  Ryan turned to him with an incredulous look. “You are the last person I want to hear that from.” Then, exhaling sharply, he muttered, “Anyway… what the hell just happened? Where did Brother go so suddenly?”

  Max stretched lazily and smirked. “Ugh, don’t make me explain. I hate explaining things. Ask someone else.”

  Ryan scowled, crossing his arms. “Oh, come on. Just because you know something doesn’t mean you have to act all high and mighty.”

  Max smirked, stretching his arms behind his head. “I’m not acting high and mighty. I’m just saying—ask someone else. I don’t like explaining stuff, and I’m not good at it.”

  Ryan’s patience snapped. A lethal pressure radiated from him, dark and suffocating, as he glared at Max his green eyes beginning to shift into something else, his snow-white hair standing on end. “Tell me right now, or I’ll rip you apart.”

  For a moment, Max simply stared. Then, with an almost lazy smile, an even greater and far more monstrous pressure flooded the air. The weight of it sent an involuntary shiver down Ryan’s spine. Max’s voice dropped into something inhuman, deep, rumbling, dangerous.

  “Be my guest… and try it.”

  Ryan froze. He had expected Max to be surprised or back down, not respond with an overwhelming force that made his body feel like it was being crushed under an ocean of raw power.

  His instincts screamed at him to retreat. To give up. But instead…

  Instead, Ryan dropped to the ground and started crying.

  “TELL ME! TELL ME! TELL ME! TELL ME!” He pounded his fists on the floor, throwing a full-blown tantrum like a toddler denied his favorite toy.

  Max blinked. Stared. Then burst out laughing. “Seriously?! You wanted to know that badly? Enough to throw away that ‘cool and composed’ act you always put on? Wow. You’re actually crazy.”

  Ryan didn’t care. He kept throwing his tantrum, wailing like a child.

  Max sighed, rubbing his temples. “Fine, fine. I’ll tell you.” He crouched down, watching Ryan with mild amusement. “The command Brother used ‘Command: Leave’ is the only way to exit our estate. It’s kinda like teleportation but more nuanced. More… connected to the user.”

  Ryan sniffled, wiping his face. “What do you mean?”

  Max groaned. “This is why I hate explaining things…” Then, a mischievous glint entered his eyes. “I have an idea. Hold my hand.”

  Ryan, still flustered from his tantrum, instinctively followed the instruction.

  Max just smirked. “Command: Group Leave.”

  The same bright light from before flared to life, engulfing them both.

  And in the next instant.

  They were gone.