The door slid open, and Alex stepped into a world of books. Towering shelves reached the ceiling, arranged in long rows like soldiers. Every shelf was stuffed—with manuals, dusty relics, old cultivation texts, weapon notes, everything.
They found Elder Rooney seated at a wide table buried under open books. Pages everywhere. The man looked like he'd been there since sunrise.
But he wasn't alone.
Caspian sat beside him, legs stretched out, tapping on a small device while pretending he was reading. He glanced up, grinned, and raised a brow like he'd been waiting for drama to walk through the door.
Stan sighed.
Of course Caspian was here.
"Nice. Having the both of you in one place saves me a headache," Stan said as he walked up to them.
"We've got a situation, and your help is needed," he added, tone shifting from casual to business-fast.
They explained everything—Eddie, the clan, the risk of Alex being exposed as a stage two. Rooney listened with that calm, old-man focus, while Caspian pretended to pay attention but was clearly waiting for his part.
When Stan finished, Elder Rooney closed one of the thick books in front of him.
"I can give you stage-suppressing techniques," he said. "But many of them fail when a higher-stage cultivator gets serious. They'll see through the trick."
He tapped his fingers slowly on the table, studying Alex.
"But you," Rooney continued, "have a natural energy-control gift. One of the best I've seen. I'll send you a technique that hides your stage completely, as long as you practice it properly."
Alex nodded. His stomach felt tight.
'Something else to learn… great.'
On the other side of the table, Caspian finally leaned forward with a grin.
"Alright, Alex, I've got something for you," Caspian said. "But… you give me my thing first."
Alex blinked. "Your thing?"
Caspian arched a brow. "The device. Come on. Don't play slow."
It took a second before it clicked.
'Oh. The tablet from Varkov's office.'
Alex pulled it out of his system storage and handed it over. Caspian snatched it with both hands like a kid getting his toy back.
In return, he passed Alex a small device—flat, round, and smooth like a tiny metal plate.
"Plant this in your toilet," Caspian said, dead serious. "Least suspicious place in the entire room. Nobody walks in there to snoop. And make sure you're the only one who knows the password."
Alex held the device carefully. "What does it do?"
"It's your entry pass to the clan base," Caspian said. "No more stopping at the café like some lost tourist. This gets you in anytime you want."
Practical and sneaky. Very Caspian.
With that handled, Alex left the base.
Time shifted around him as he crossed back toward Earth. Space-time around the base ran faster—hours there, only minutes here. A strange gift, and a stranger danger, depending on how he used it.
He stepped back into the SUV, sitting in the driver's seat for a moment. The air felt heavier, like the world already knew he was about to walk into something big.
He was heading to join the Wyndham clan.
What they planned for him… whether they'd accept him, test him, or crush him… Alex had no clue.
But he moved anyway. One step at a time.
---
Meanwhile, Elder Rooney was left alone in the library. The place felt huge when quiet—rows of tall shelves, books stacked to the ceiling, dust dancing in the warm light. For a moment, he actually enjoyed the silence.
It didn't last.
A few minutes later, footsteps entered the room. Slow. Heavy. Intentional.
"You don't usually come here," Elder Rooney said without even looking up.
"I can't stop thinking," Peter replied.
It was Peter, of course. The library wasn't his kind of place unless he was hunting Elder Rooney specifically. The man lived in missions and discipline, not paper and ink.
Peter pulled out a chair and sat, posture straight, expression sharp as always.
"I think something is going on with the blood bond," he said quietly.
Rooney paused mid-page. He closed the thick book in his hands and set it down on the table, turning his full attention toward him.
"What do you mean?" Elder Rooney asked.
"Yesterday, I told Tamsin, Merrick, and Gwen to give me a full report on their mission," Peter said. "And I believe they lied."
For a moment, Rooney actually let out a soft sigh—relief more than worry.
Peter's eyes widened. "What? You don't think this is serious? They should never lie. The bloodline command shouldn't allow that."
"And why exactly wouldn't it allow that?" Elder Rooney asked calmly.
"I'm their elder. They shouldn't lie to me," Peter said, voice stiff.
Rooney shook his head slowly, then straightened his face, expression firming into something more serious.
"Let me ask you something," Elder Rooney said. His tone carried a quiet weight. "I am your elder. Do I still have the same command over you that I used to?"
Peter froze for a moment. His mouth opened, closed, then opened again.
"What are you implying?" he asked.
Rooney leaned back slightly, the motion slow and deliberate. "You're dealing with a new generation now. Kids who aren't really kids anymore. They're growing into young adults."
Peter's brow tightened.
Rooney continued, "And you're dealing with people who could one day become the next keybreaker of the Bloodline. At some point, the elders always lose their grip on the young ones. Just like I eventually lost mine over you and your siblings."
Peter leaned forward. "Are you saying there is a keybreaker among them already?"
His eyes brightened, hopeful, hungry for that possibility.
"I didn't say that," Rooney replied. "What I am saying is this—when a keybreaker finally appears, don't expect him to obey you. That's not how it works."
"Him?" Peter asked, catching the wording instantly.
Rooney waved a hand. "Ah… there are two boys and one girl. Probability favors the boys, that's all."
And just like that, Peter's reason for coming seemed to dissolve. His shoulders eased, but his mind clearly kept turning.
Almost on cue, a system notification blinked in front of him.
A faint glow. A soft chime only he could hear.
Peter pushed his chair back. "I have work to attend to."
He stood, nodded once to Rooney, and walked out of the library without another word.
Elder Rooney shook his head and let out a tired breath. He turned back to his open book, eyes scanning the lines, trying to settle himself into the silence again.
But the silence barely lasted a few seconds.
Soft footsteps approached—quick, uneven, like someone who wasn't sure if they should even be here.
"Tamsin," Elder Rooney said without looking up. "Shouldn't you be training right now?"
"Sorry, Elder Rooney… but I can't focus," Tamsin said. He walked over and dropped into the chair across from him. His posture was stiff, his hands locked together.
Rooney finally lifted his gaze.
"What's bothering you?" he asked.
Tamsin swallowed. "Something happened during the mission."
Rooney closed the book slowly. "What is it?"
Tamsin hesitated, then said, "It's about Alex."
A flicker of irritation crossed Rooney's face before he hid it.
'What in the dragon's blood is going on today,' he thought.