Levi Young’s injuries were not light.
A Fire Ability had burned almost his entire back, even singeing off a large patch of hair from the back of his head. It was a good thing Marcus Monroe had sent a Water Ability User along, or they wouldn’t have been able to put out the fire in ti.
But the pain was truly unbearable, and he had to lie face down on the bed... He only managed to drift off into a hazy sleep after taking painkillers and waiting for so ti.
He had just fallen asleep when Paige Sumrs arrived.
Afraid of waking him, she only watched from the doorway for a mont before returning to the living room.
Nadia followed her, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She didn’t make a sound, but tears continued to stream down her face in silence.
Paige knew this wasn’t Nadia’s fault, but seeing Levi’s uncomfortable posture, his brow deeply furrowed even in sleep, and then seeing Nadia’s ceaseless crying, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of irritation.
Marcus Monroe sat beside her and took her hand, comforting her. "Don’t worry, it’s just a superficial wound. He’s young; he’ll recover quickly after so rest. This ti it’s my fault. I didn’t send enough n. The other side had six Superpower Users, which is how they found an opening to hurt Andy."
Paige gave a stiff nod. "Was it the people you ntioned on the phone?"
"It should be." Marcus paused for a mont, then stood up. "Co with ."
Paige was confused but followed him anyway.
Marcus led her down the hallway and into the room on the far right.
As soon as they entered, two of Marcus’s n inside imdiately stepped to either side, clearing a path. "Boss, he still won’t talk!" one reported.
Marcus nodded.
Paige peered through the opening. A man was tied to a chair, bound very tightly.
His head was lolling, his eyes half-closed, and he looked completely drained. A large patch of crimson stained his thigh, indicating an injury. His body was covered in wounds of varying degrees, with the blood splattered around his mouth and chin being especially conspicuous.
"This is..."
Marcus pulled her forward. "The only one we took alive. He nearly succeeded in killing himself, but we managed to stop him. He’s a tough nut to crack, though. We haven’t gotten anything out of him yet."
Seeing the man’s wretched state, Paige was certain Marcus’s n had used all sorts of thods to force a confession.
But it seed none of them had worked.
She pondered for a mont, then gestured for Marcus to step outside to talk.
The two of them moved a short distance from the door. Paige said softly, "I might have a way, but I need to go get soone. Don’t ask any questions yet. Just have soone clean up his wounds. If he’s too weak, it’ll be hard to get anything out of him."
Marcus was taken aback for a second, then replied, "Okay, I’ll have soone take you!"
Paige didn’t refuse.
Marcus arranged for a driver—it was Liam again.
As she was leaving, he urged, "Be safe!"
Liam replied emphatically, "Don’t worry, Boss! I’ll be sure to protect the missus!"
Paige shot him a glance. ’Missus... How awkward does that sound! But... whatever. I’m in no mood to argue about it right now.’
The two quickly got into the car. Following Paige’s directions, they headed toward the Second District.
Their destination was the Taoist Association, where Erin Quinn was.
When dealing with a hard-headed captive like him, harsher thods would likely only strengthen his will to resist.
In a situation like this, Erin’s superpower should be the most effective!
Leaving Liam to wait outside, she knocked and entered by herself.
She hadn’t wanted to disturb Erin’s master, Master Serenus. And to save ti, she had hoped to find Sean Raines and have him take her directly to Erin. Unexpectedly, after the person who answered the door relayed her ssage, they returned to say that Sean had left the city long ago with no set return date, and that Master Serenus was waiting for her.
With no other choice, she had to enter the main hall.
"Greetings, Master!" It had been several months, but Master Serenus hadn’t changed. He was the sa as ever, sitting calmly in the seat of honor.
Serenus acknowledged her greeting with a nod. "Have a seat." He studied her for a mont before asking, "You’ve co today because..."
"I apologize for the intrusion. I’m here to see Evie, and I was hoping she could co out with to see a friend."
Serenus stroked his beard. "Hmm, that’s fine. She’s been working very hard lately. It won’t hurt for her to go out and relax."
Paige felt relieved and leaned forward slightly. "Then I’ll just..."
"Wait a mont," Serenus interrupted, but then he fell into a thoughtful silence.
Paige couldn’t show her impatience, so she had no choice but to wait.
After a long while, Serenus finally spoke slowly. "This isn’t really my place to say, but Evie is my final disciple. You’ve helped her a great deal, and you two are as close as sisters, so I suppose that makes your elder. Allow to be so bold as to say a few words..."
Hearing such a preamble, Paige had a general idea of what was coming. She sighed inwardly but said aloud, "Please, go on."
"It’s not easy for a young woman like you to live here. It’s always good to have soone to rely on. Setting the Lowell Family aside, Wendy truly loves you with all her heart. If you can, perhaps you could let go of the past and try to get along with her. You might find that having a mother isn’t such a difficult thing to accept."
Paige was silent for a mont. "Thank you for your kind words. I’ll try."
That’s what she said, but Serenus sensed the stubbornness hidden beneath her words. He opened his mouth, but in the end, decided against trying to persuade her further.
"...Go on, then. Don’t let Evie stay out too late."
Gazing at her departing figure, Serenus sighed softly. He had said all he could. What happened next would depend on the fate between the mother and daughter.
Paige let out a breath of relief as she left the main hall.
’Maybe it’s because I’m not the original owner of this body,’ she thought. ’I’m really not used to discussing Wendy Lowell with people.’
’After all, she’s not my real mother.’
’I can feel respect for her, but as for the attachnt a daughter feels for her mother... I genuinely can’t feel that at all.’
Pushing the matter to the back of her mind, she followed a Daoist disciple to Erin Quinn’s quarters.
Hearing it was her, Erin ca flying out to open the door, her face beaming with joy.
"Why haven’t you co to visit in so long?!"
Pulling her into the room, Erin’s eyes were already red-rimd.
Paige gave a wry smile. "I went on a mission outside the city. Almost didn’t make it back."
"Ah! What on earth happened?"
"Co with first. I’ll tell you the details on the way."
Seeing her urgency, Erin realized the matter was serious. She quickly slung her bag over her shoulder and followed Paige out the door.
On the way back, Paige briefly recounted her experience on the mission. The thrilling ups and downs of the story left Erin’s heart pounding. But seeing that Paige was fine now, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Because Liam was there, Paige was very vague when she brought up the matter she needed help with.
But Erin understood imdiately. She nodded vigorously to show it wasn’t a problem.
Paige let out a breath and patted her on the head. "It’s been a while. You’ve grown up."
Erin pouted. "I was already grown up!"
Paige smiled. "When you have ti, tell about your life here. I heard Sean Raines is out of town. Are the others treating you well?"
Erin said proudly, "Of course! I’m Master’s final disciple, who would dare treat poorly! But speaking of which, my senior brother has been gone for a long ti. He should be back soon..."
"It sounds like you two get along very well. That puts my mind at ease."
Erin froze for a second, then looked a little embarrassed.
A mont later, she secretly whispered in Paige’s ear, "He said staying in Central City was boring, so he used the excuse of helping the old man... uh, my master, find more promising prospects and ran off. But what if he actually brings back soone with better aptitude than ? It would be awful if the old man has a change of heart!"
Paige tried to hold it in, but still let out a couple of stifled laughs.
Erin shot her a sideways glare, as if to say, ’This is serious, and you’re laughing!’
Paige pinched her cheek. ’She’s still a kid, and so insecure.’ "Don’t worry! Master Serenus isn’t that kind of person. He’s already said you’re his final disciple! Besides, good aptitude doesn’t an everything. What truly determines your ultimate strength is hard work! Understand?"
Erin lowered her head and mumbled, "Mhm," but it was clear she couldn’t completely let the matter go.
Paige thought for a mont and decided not to say anything more, just giving her an encouraging pat on the shoulder.
’Actually, this might be a good thing,’ she mused. ’Having a hypothetical rival might serve as better motivation for her.’
’Besides, life is full of setbacks. Just because she’s had a good opportunity doesn’t an everything will be smooth sailing. All she can do is learn to adapt better!’
The two chatted idly as the car pulled up to the courtyard entrance.
Paige got out of the car with Erin. Liam hung back a step, scanned the surroundings vigilantly, and only then followed them inside.
When Marcus Monroe saw that the person she had brought back was Erin Quinn, a thoughtful expression crossed his face. Howard Everett had once told him that Erin might be a Spiritual Ability User. Looking at the situation now, it seed he was most likely right.
He didn’t say anything, though. He just asked, "We’ve given him so dicine, and his energy has recovered quite a bit. Should we start now, or wait a little longer?"
"Let’s do it now. We’ll head over."
"Okay."
As they walked toward the room, Erin finally snapped out of her surprise. She tugged on Paige’s sleeve and whispered, "Why is he here? And it seems like you two are on pretty good terms now?"
Paige blinked. "That... I’ll tell you about it later when I have the chance."
Erin gave her a quizzical look, but they had reached the room, so she didn’t have a chance to ask more.
Paige had the guard outside go in first to blindfold the captive. Then she handed a writing slate to Erin before they entered the room.
It was still unclear which faction the man belonged to; Erin couldn’t be implicated.
The captive inside was baffled by this series of actions—being treated, then blindfolded. He had no idea what these people were planning. He had assud that refusing to talk would only lead to his death, but the current situation was making him uneasy.
At first, Paige just stood there silently, not saying a word. Only when a flicker of expression crossed his face did she finally speak. "Do you really think we can’t find out who’s behind this just because you refuse to talk?"
The man didn’t answer.
A mont later, Erin wrote on the slate: "He’s starting to have doubts, but now he thinks you’re bluffing."
"You probably think I’m bluffing. Heh. How about we play a guessing ga? The person who can dispatch Superpower Users like you must hold a high position, am I right?"
The man remained silent.
Erin wrote: "He thinks it’s not strange you could guess that."
After a pause, she suddenly began writing furiously. "He’s thinking: ’You’ll never find out who I am. I had all my records expunged after I started following Commandant Reid!’"
Paige swallowed the words she had been about to say.
’Commandant Reid?!’
She thought, ’Now I know who sent this man...’
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