"It’s not that difficult," he admitted. "If a superior being doesn’t want to rely on cultivation... they can take another path."
He paused briefly before finishing.
"They just need to kill humans... and cultivate through that. An evil thod... but far more efficient."
"Once they do that," Robert continued, "they can use that corrupted cultivation... to force the portal open."
Eric remained still for a brief mont.
"I see," he said calmly. "It’s... satisfying to finally hear everything laid out so clearly."
He rose to his feet.
Before Robert could react, Eric stepped forward without hesitation, his hand steady as he grabbed Robert’s arm.
"Wait...!" Robert’s voice broke into panic, his eyes widening in horror.
But it was too late. Eric pushed the needle in.
The liquid slipped into Robert’s bloodstream in one smooth motion.
A sharp, burning sensation spread instantly, crawling through his veins like fire, making his entire body convulse.
"Agh...!" he scread, his voice tearing through the room as he thrashed violently against the restraints.
"Eric! What are you doing?!"
His breathing beca erratic.
Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision.
"I trusted you!" he shouted. "I considered you my ntor... and this is how you repay ?!"
Eric didn’t respond.
He simply watched.
"How can you be this heartless?!"
Robert continued, his voice trembling as tears stread down his face.
"You’re no different from them! Once I get out of here... I swear... I’ll make all of you pay for this!"
Eric only let out a quiet laugh.
Once the syringe was fully emptied, he pulled it out cleanly and stepped back, his expression already beginning to shift into a distant expression.
Once outside, Eric’s face had lost all traces of that earlier faint smile.
’This is just the beginning,’ he thought, exhaling slowly before heading straight toward Ivy.
When he relayed everything...every detail Robert had revealed...the atmosphere in the room turned cold.
Ivy’s expression darkened.
The idea that the superior beings could accelerate their plans, that Ariana might already be steps ahead of them... it was more than troubling.
It was suffocating.
’So even now... they’re adapting,’ Ivy thought.
Ariana’s cunning had already proven to be dangerous, and now it was clear...she wasn’t just another opponent. She was a strategist.
Taking a slow breath to steady herself, Ivy lifted her gaze and looked at the people gathered before her.
Ember, Kael, Felix, Annie, Martha, Jay, Helena, Victor, Alice, Dante, Talia, Asher, Eric, Nora... and even Aunt June herself.
Every single one of them had the sa look in their eyes.
Grim realization.
After hearing everything, only one thought lingered in the room.
Humanity was on the brink.
Unless they could capture Ariana before the portal was opened... they had no real chance of stopping what was coming.
Silence stretched until Ivy finally spoke again, her voice calm but firm.
"If we want to draw her out..." she began slowly, her eyes narrowing slightly, "then we need to offer her sothing she cannot resist."
The mont those words were spoken, understanding flashed across the room.
They knew exactly what she ant.
...
anwhile, in another place entirely...
Jade stood still, his brows furrowed deeply as confusion clouded his mind.
In front of him... stood himself.
A mature version.
Beside that mature self stood a woman with pink hair.
"What... is this?" Jade muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer.
’Another vision? A future projection?’ The thought crossed his mind, but sothing about this felt... different.
Then he heard it. "I regret it..."
The voice...it was his own.
Jade froze.
The mature version of him spoke those words, his tone heavy, filled with sothing that twisted painfully in Jade’s chest.
The pink-haired woman let out a soft chuckle, tilting her head slightly.
"And what will your regret change?" she asked, her voice light.
Jade’s younger self...silent...watched.
Then, in a sudden blur of motion, the woman leapt away.
Jade’s eyes widened in shock.
’What...?!’ She moved like a bouncing force of nature, covering an impossible distance in the blink of an eye.
He turned his gaze back to his mature self, who stood there, staring after her with bitterness etched into his expression.
A sharp pang struck Jade’s heart. ’...Will I really beco like that?’
Just as he thought his older self would collapse under that weight... the older version turned. Directly toward him.
Jade stiffened. "What is happening?" he demanded, his voice tense.
The older Jade chuckled softly, though there was exhaustion hidden beneath it.
"I’m about to show you sothing important," he said. "And I need you to do sothing for ."
Jade frowned imdiately. "Is this... the future?" he asked cautiously.
"I’ll explain everything," the older Jade replied. "But first... you need to promise sothing."
His gaze hardened slightly. "At the end of this... you’ll do what I ask."
Jade narrowed his eyes. "And what do I get in return?" he countered. "Why should I follow your words blindly?"
The older Jade smiled faintly. "There are benefits," he said. "Whether you see them as benefits... that’s up to you."
Then he began to speak.
As his words unfolded, the younger Jade’s expression changed slowly... confusion turning into shock... then into sothing far heavier.
Tears began to slip down his face.
He remained silent for a long ti before finally whispering, "Isn’t there... another way?"
The older Jade shook his head, a bitter smile forming on his lips.
"I’ve tried," he admitted quietly.
"Over and over again. No matter what I do... I always end up disappointing Ivy."
His voice lowered. "If anything is going to change... it has to be this."
The younger Jade broke down further, his voice trembling. "I never knew... I was the reason she suffered so much..."
The older Jade stepped closer, his expression softening.
"I know this sounds like too much," he said gently.
"Asking this from you... it might seem unreasonable." He paused. "But please... just this once."
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