The atmosphere around the dining table was calm on the surface, but underneath it carried a quiet tension that refused to settle.
At the head of the table, the middle-aged man finally spoke, his tone composed, asured.
"I’m Patrick. You’ve already t my family—Yeldez, my wife, and Jane, my daughter."
Shadow, seated comfortably as if he belonged there, lifted his gaze slightly.
"I’m Shadow."
Patrick’s lips curved faintly.
"That’s a... unique na."
Shadow didn’t respond.
He didn’t need to.
Silence, he had learned, was often more effective than words. It stretched conversations, made people uneasy, forced them to fill the gaps themselves.
And just like that—
’He does seem suspicious about us,’ Patrick thought, watching him closely.
"Well, Shadow," Patrick continued after a brief pause, "I’m sorry for what happened to your party in the dungeon. But I’m glad you managed to make it out alive."
Shadow gave a small nod.
Nothing more.
No gratitude. No elaboration.
Just enough acknowledgnt to keep the conversation moving... while offering nothing in return.
The silence returned.
He could feel it—the slight shift in the man across from him. The subtle discomfort. The need to keep talking.
Good.
Seeing no further reaction, Patrick cleared his throat lightly.
"You are probably wondering about the reason we kept you here."
Shadow leaned back just slightly, his expression calm, almost indifferent.
"It’s the least thing I could do," he said dryly, "when a strange family keeps as a prisoner for no reason."
The words landed cleanly.
Jane’s head snapped toward him imdiately.
"What do you an?" she asked, her brows knitting together.
Shadow didn’t even look at her.
"Why don’t you ask your mom?"
The montum shifted instantly.
Yeldez noticed it—of course she did.
He didn’t defend himself. Didn’t accuse directly. He simply redirected the pressure back onto them, forcing them to explain.
Seeing Jane’s questioning gaze turn toward her, Yeldez exhaled quietly.
"The reason I brought you here is..." she paused for a mont, choosing her words carefully, "related to Jane."
Shadow’s eyes didn’t change, but his attention sharpened.
"You see," Yeldez continued, "my daughter was born with a special body. One that allows her to control an enormous amount of mana."
She let the statent settle before continuing, her tone lowering slightly.
"But that ca with a price."
A faint silence followed.
"Based on the healers who studied her condition... she won’t live for more than a year."
The words hung in the air.
Jane didn’t react. Not outwardly. But her grip on the table tightened just slightly.
Shadow watched her for a brief mont, then shifted his gaze back to Yeldez.
"I’m sorry to hear that," he said calmly. "But what does that have to do with ?"
This ti, Patrick answered.
"Our daughter is a fire affinity awakener," he explained. "The amount of fire mana within her body is... excessive. It has reached a point where it’s beginning to burn her from the inside."
Shadow’s expression remained unchanged, but internally—
’I see.’
The pieces were already falling into place.
"The only way to stabilize her condition," Patrick continued, "is for water mana to be introduced into her body regularly. It balances the fire, preventing it from destroying her completely."
Shadow nodded slightly.
Logical.
Predictable.
"You might wonder," Patrick went on, "why we don’t simply ask another water awakener to help."
A brief pause.
"That’s because it would kill her."
Jane’s eyes flickered slightly at that. She already knew all of this but hearing it again made her feel restless.
"If any external mana that isn’t fire enters her body," Patrick said, his voice steady, "her own mana will retaliate violently... causing her body to explode."
The room fell quiet.
Shadow’s gaze darkened just slightly. He knew all of that very well, since he had already tried it on soone before.
’Obviously.’
"That’s why," Patrick continued, "we needed soone... special."
His eyes locked onto Shadow.
"A dual elental awakener. Soone who can use both fire and water. Soone capable of masking water mana with fire... so her body accepts it."
Jane’s head turned sharply.
"Wait... is he—"
"Yes," Yeldez answered before she could finish.
"He is."
Silence.
Jane stared at Shadow, her expression shifting, disbelief mixing with sothing else—hope.
"They finally found soone..." she murmured under her breath.
Shadow exhaled softly through his nose.
’Shit. I see where this is going.’
"I understand what you’re saying," he said slowly. "And I’ll gladly help... if I can."
He paused.
Then added, his tone sharpening just a little—
"But didn’t you just say she needs that regularly?"
The question cut straight to the core.
No decoration. No hesitation.
Just truth.
Patrick and Yeldez exchanged a brief glance.
"That’s why," Patrick said, "we want you to stay by Jane’s side."
A small pause.
"Think of it as... a job."
Shadow tilted his head slightly.
"A job," he repeated.
’Professional businessman explaining why kidnapping is reasonable.’
Then—
"Are you saying I have to stay by her side forever?"
"Don’t put it that way," Yeldez replied calmly. "Staying here will only benefit you. You’re a nobody with no backing, no resources. Here, you’ll have everything."
Her gaze remained steady.
"You’ll live your best life."
Shadow stared at her for a mont.
Then asked—
"Can I say no?"
A single beat.
"No."
The word dropped heavily.
Final.
Absolute.
For a mont, no one spoke.
Then—
’I see...’ Shadow thought.
’So I have to enter dark mode. My favorite mode.’
A faint smile almost ford... but he suppressed it.
Jane, noticing the shift in atmosphere, frowned slightly before speaking.
"Look," she said, her tone softer than before, "I know this sounds bad. But believe , serving under will be good for you. You won’t have to worry about money or food. As long as you’re with , you’ll be taken care of."
There was sincerity in her voice.
A genuine attempt.
And then—
Shadow started laughing.
It wasn’t loud.
Not exaggerated.
Just... sudden.
"Hahaha..."
For a mont, everyone froze.
Then, almost instinctively, the others began to smile as well—assuming his reaction ant acceptance.
Patrick chuckled lightly.
"See?" he said. "It’s only beneficial for you."
But they didn’t understand.
That laughter—
Wasn’t happiness.
It was sothing else entirely.
A strange mix of disbelief, frustration... and amusent.
’Serve under you?’ Shadow thought, his smile widening slightly.
’? Shadow? After all I’ve been through to get here."
His eyes darkened just a fraction.
’Since you like forcing people into servitude...I’ll show you how a polished offer of slavery with benefits look like’
A faint, almost imperceptible smirk ford.
’I’ll let you experience it yourself.’
Across the table, Yeldez’s gaze sharpened.
’That smile...’
Sothing about it felt wrong.
Unsettling.
’I don’t like it.’
Shadow noticed her watching him.
And instead of hiding it—
His smirk widened.
’I won’t be so cruel as to separate a daughter from her mother,’ he thought calmly.
Then his expression shifted instantly.
Back to normal.
Back to harmless.
"When you put it like that," he said smoothly, "it really does sound like a life-changing opportunity."
He stood up.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"Lady Yeldez..."
He bowed slightly.
"Thank...you."
Each word ca out slowly and asured.
Almost too asured.
A chill ran down Yeldez’s spine.
She couldn’t explain it.
But sothing—
Sothing about that "thank you"—
Felt very, very wrong.
Talia standing in the corner of the room murmured sothing.
"His behavior is sus"
"What does sus an?" Shadow with his great senses heard her but didn’t understand the aning of the word.
Talia didn’t respond. She acted like she said nothing.
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