Chapter 25

Adam's POV

Finally, I got one over on Ezra. I hate that I had to do what I did, but I'm not going back to the poor way of living I suffered through growing up in this town. As for the miners whose lives I took—it was a necessary action. They were going to cause a scene, and I don't know the full extent of how the corruption would have affected them and others nearby. "Thank you, Ezra, for that information. Rest easy in there," I thought to myself.

My next course of action, now that I've destroyed the astral gate, is to inform all the townspeople about the vile things Ezra Solaris has committed. But before that, I have to find that kid. Even though he eased up on me, I could still tell he was wary. He knows his father best, and I doubt he'd believe Ezra would kill those people in cold blood. "But I wonder if he knows everything his father did during the wars in the past. He couldn't possibly. I can still make him doubt everything... or I could kill him," I thought as I walked toward my office.

Cyrus is a child of great promise, born into the Solaris clan and quite strong for his age and celestial core stage. It shouldn't matter, though—I'm still a full stage higher, with over a decade of fighting experience. A teenager shouldn't pose much trouble for me.

When I walked into my office, my secretary gave me a glance laced with concern.

"Where's Ezra? Has he calmed down? He seemed fairly upset earlier," she asked.

"He'll need quite a bit of time to calm down now," I responded, but her expression betrayed her confusion.

"I'm sorry, sir. What do you mean by that?"

"Karen, please round up all the townspeople. I'll explain everything at the town hall meeting we're holding later today."

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you. Can you give me some privacy? I have to make a call."

"Of course."

I waited until the door closed and pressed a button beneath my desk to activate the soundproof barrier. I couldn't be too careful about who might overhear this call. Opening one of the drawers, I grabbed my second phone, reserved for contacting the Twilight Obsidian Guild. They insisted on secure lines to keep our trade services secret from potential threats or hackers searching for information about celestium.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I made the call to the guild leader. Several dial tones passed before someone picked up.

"Adam, I assume you've found the culprit," Kael said.

"Yes, Kael. The person who scorched one of your members is in captivity."

"Perfect. I'll come to finish the job in a few days."

"You won't be able to reach him, though."

"And why is that, Adam?"

"The assailant is locked in a barrier inside the astral realm. But the gate to the astral realm is destroyed."

"Who destroyed it, and why?"

"I couldn't risk the townspeople discovering the massacre or the barrier failing. I needed extra precautions."

"Who is this prisoner you're so cautious about?"

"It's Ezra Solaris. He found out about the cosmic batteries and realized they were killing the miners. He confronted me in front of them. I had no choice but to trap him and kill the miners to keep the truth from spreading."

"Leave him there. He's an Astral Knight—his cosmic energy reserves should last about a week or two. I'll come to deliver the finishing blow when he's weak enough."

"Understood. No one can enter the astral realm anyway; we still haven't cleared that rift in the forest."

"Good. Oh, Adam... what of his child? Do you have him captive, or is he dead already?"

"The child wasn't present during the incident, so I presume he's somewhere in the town or resting at his quarters."

"Hmm. No matter. He's likely only at the embryonic stage—he shouldn't cause any trouble. I'll inform you when I'm on my way. Keep your town in check until then."

Kael didn't wait for my response before hanging up. People like him annoy me. They think they can call all the shots just because of their celestial core stage. He treats me like a subordinate, even though we're technically business partners. It's something I have to tolerate for now—until my wealth pushes me past the restrictions of my core.

I found it odd that Kael knew about Ezra's son traveling with him. "How much does he know about my town? How much does he know about Ezra?" I muttered.

After putting my secret phone away, I deactivated the soundproof barrier and left my office. I instructed Karen to gather everyone for the town hall meeting and headed to tend to one last thing.

I made my way to the quarters where Ezra and his son were staying. Knocking several times, I received no response. Curious, I imbued cosmic energy into my hand and broke the lock while ensuring no one was watching.

Stepping inside, I was surprised to find the quarters completely empty. Everything I remembered being there before was gone. "Where is this boy? How could he just disappear?"

I left and questioned nearby townspeople. Most said they hadn't seen him since he and Ezra returned from the forest earlier today.

I knew I shouldn't worry too much, but something about the situation nagged at me. I couldn't tell if it was guilt over what I'd done or the mystery of the child's disappearance. "He's weaker than me, yet I can't shake this unease." I thought to myself as I left the living quarters and headed to the town square. I pushed this feeling away, because I had to deal with something much more troubling. The fall back of revealing the deaths of their loved ones will be hard to manage. I will be lucky just to keep mass hysteria to a minimum.