Poison.

In a dimly lit room, shrouded in shadows, only the sound of shallow and uneven breathing filled the air. The atmosphere was heavy. Filled with tension and fear.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, a figure materialized in the center of the room. Their speed so incomprehensibly fast, that none of the individuals present here could even track their movement.

The moment the man came, an overwhelming pressure filled upon the room, like a blanket.

It was suffocating and oppressive. It bore down on everyone present in the room. They felt as if their clothes were made of weights, forcing their knees to buckle under its sheer power.

Nathan and the others, whose bodies were battered in the aftermath of the explosion stood trembling under the pressure, as it took all their spirit to remain standing.

Their heads hung low in the shame of their failure. They breathed unevenly, as the crushing aura emanating from the man felt, as if it was robbing their will to stand upright.

In the face of overwhelming strength their pride, as an elite warrior, didn't matter a bit. They knew, they were nothing but a speck of dust in front of the figure. He could kill them in seconds.

The figure's presence was like absolute being, commanding the space around him with an authority that was both terrifying and undeniable.

His crimson eyes glowed like feint ambers in the darkness. The air around him seemed to hum with restrained power, as if the atmosphere itself feared to disturb his authority.

Nathan's jaw clenched, as sweat dripped down his face, he didn't dared to glance up at the figure.

"My Lord..." he managed to utter, his voice weak, barely audible under this suffocating pressure. He couldn't complete his sentence, as the words were caught in his throat.

The figure tilted his head slightly, as he looked at Nathan with a piercing and cold gaze. The silence stretched on, each second felt like as if Nathan was awaiting the judgment for his failure.

Finally, the figures deep, and resonant voice broke through the tension in the air like a blade.

"Do you understand the consequences of failure?" The cold and sharp voice cut through the silence, sending a shiver down the spines of everyone that was gathered in the room.

The figure stepped forward, his presence so overwhelming, as though the very air was being sucked from the room. Each step forward he took reverberated with a chilling sound, suffocating those who now knelt before him under his command.

"W-We are extremely s-sorry, my lord," Nathan and the others managed to utter these words as they stammered, their voices trembled under the oppressive weight of the man's gaze.

The figure stood still for a moment, looking at them, as his eyes glowed with an unsettling intensity.

"Tell me Nathan, why do you think we took such a massive risk, of coordinating attacks on multiple fronts today?" His voice was calm, but to Nathan it was like a sword was on his neck.

"B-Because the new generation of every race is extremely dangerous," Nathan replied hesitantly, as his voice quivered.

"They're all insanely talented unlike anyone we have seen, and as the prophecy had foretold, that if given time, they will be in the leagues of Gods."

Silence.

The figure's eyes glinted, his lips curling into a barely perceptible smile. "And why do you think I gave you forces more powerful than any other ones?"

His tone was almost casual, as if they were merely chit-chatting, however there was an undeniable edge to it, as if daring Nathan to answer incorrectly.

Nathan swallowed hard, as his throat dried. "B-Because the child of the witch and the frost, was one of the most dangerous and powerful ones."

The man's crimson gaze intensified, like an piercing straight through Nathan. "Correct," he said, his voice a chilling whisper.

"You see Nathan, the child of the Celestial Witch...is an anomaly even between the

most dangerous ones. A kind of power should'nt even be allowed to have, much less in the hands of a child."

For a moment, he stopped, as if reminiscing something that filled him with dread, his whole body shivering slightly. Then, he continued.

"And yet, even with all of that power at your disposal, you failed to kill him."

His cold words hung in the air, heavy with implications of their failure. As the room temperature seemed to rise slightly.

"My lord..." At that Lia spoke, her voice trembling with fear and perhaps slight hope. Though she dared not to meet the figures firece gaze, she still pressed on, knowing the weight of their current situation. "There are ninety-nine percent chances that the boy will die."

The figure's eyes narrowed at her words, his gaze remained cold as ice as he simply hummed in acknowledgment, his finger tapping lightly on the armrest of his throne on which he sat. "Hmm," he murmured, and signaled her to continue.

Lia took a deep breath to stabilize her tone before continuing to speak again, her words were slow and deliberate, as if weighing each one.

"At the last moment, when he was escaping our grasp, I had managed to poison him. It's one of my most powerful poison. Even the most resilient would struggle to survive it, much less a kid."

It was true. She had used one of the most potent poisons she had, on Azhreal, one that would be enough to finish, even the mightiest of warriors, a poison so strong that even grandmasters will strugle against it.

However, there was one thing, that she had failed to anticipate. It was the incredible resilience Azhreal's constitution had. His body, was a rare and exceptional vessel, a vessel powerful enough to handle the celestial and null mana.

Though she knew that the child was special, even she couldn't have anticipated the effect of poison on Azhreal body.

Azhreal was simply different; his power ran so deep, that it could resist the worst of poisons and curses.

However, his constitution could only do so much, being limited in power. After being sealed, the immense power that had once flowing through him had been suppressed to a mere trickle.

The poison, which should have been fatal enough to kill, had been slowed down in his body thus, only taking a toll on his body making him weak.

His body was battered, his reserves of energy had been drained. And perhaps, It would take years for him to recover from that state after being sealed.

In the room a moment of silence followed her words, laced thick with tension. The figure remained still on his throne, his expression was unreadable, but the air around him had seemed to grow even more hotter.

Finally, after a long pause, he spoke again, in a voice that was low and menacing. "You better be right, Lia. Because If that calamity survives..."

His words trailed off, however the threat in his voice was clear.

Lia swallowed, her heart racing. "He will die, my lord. I'm sure of it."

The figure stared at her for a long moment, his presence overwhelming as he weighed her words. Finally, he nodded, though his eyes burned with an intensity that promised about the harsh consequences if she was wrong. "I see."

"Wait for your next task and stay hidden. There will be chaos out there after what we've done," the figure's voice echoed, cold and emotionless.

"Some demons have appeared, so the empire will be on high alert, and busy on both sides, take that time to recover"

With telling that, the figure vanished as swiftly as it had arrived, leaving nothing but a lingering, oppressive silence in the room.