There was a moment of silence between them as they waited for Stan's answer. He was the Keybreaker, the one who should have been leading them. In a way, he was the head of the family, but he never took the role seriously, so Peter had stepped in to fill the gap. Everyone watched Stan, waiting for his reaction.
After a few moments, the silence grew thicker, filling the room with tension. Then, slowly, Stan rose from the bed, placing his feet firmly on the ground. The subtle sound of his feet hitting the floor made everyone focus on him even more. No one said a word as Stan walked toward the door, his movements slow but deliberate. It was as if every step carried the weight of the decision he was about to make.
Finally, Peter broke the silence. "What are you saying?" he asked, his voice filled with a mix of concern and curiosity. He knew the others didn't dare to ask Stan anything, so it fell to him to get some answers.
Stan stopped just as he reached the door. He turned around, his eyes meeting Peter's. "I don't know how you guys keep bypassing my command," Stan said, his voice steady. "Anyway, I've learned that using those commands isn't the best option. It could backfire. But that doesn't mean I'm going to follow your plans of changing Alex for our sake."
The room grew tense again, everyone listening intently to Stan's words. Elder Rooney took this opportunity to speak up, his voice calm but thoughtful. "What if I told you there's another way for Alex to help us, without changing his path?"
Stan didn't respond right away, but his eyes narrowed, looking at Elder Rooney with suspicion. The silence hung in the air like a thick fog, and everyone seemed to hold their breath.
Elder Rooney continued, unfazed by Stan's suspicion. "I've been studying Pendragon's knowledge book, and I found something interesting. This peace energy—it's not something one has to be born with to use. There have been moments in history when this energy could be shared, just like we share our qi to heal. In some cases, people develop the energy themselves due to their circumstances. Maybe Alex could share his energy with you, and you could cultivate it for your own benefit," Elder Rooney explained, his voice measured.
Stan stood there, contemplating Elder Rooney's words. The room was silent, the tension so thick it felt like it could snap at any moment. After what seemed like an eternity, Stan finally spoke. "I'll think about it," he said, his tone firm. "But this time, no going behind my back and spilling things to him."
With that, Stan opened the door. He paused for a moment, standing in the doorway, but didn't step through right away. Instead, he gave one final command. "Get the failed ones ready," he said, his voice cold and determined.
Caspian, who had been quiet until now, looked shocked. "Wendigos? What are you planning to do?" he asked, his voice trembling with disbelief.
Stan turned his head slightly, his gaze cutting through Caspian. "What do you think? It's time to put Alex through his training. Maybe today he'll break through," Stan said before finally walking out of the room.
The door closed behind him with a soft click, and the others exchanged glances. A slight smile tugged at the corners of their lips. They knew Stan's decision could change everything.
---
Meanwhile, in a different part of the compound, Alex and the others were in a large training room filled with gym equipment. The room was spacious, with enough room for several people to train without feeling cramped. The sound of weights clanking and footsteps echoed through the space.
Alex was training with Gwen, though they weren't fighting. Instead, Gwen was showing him some techniques, pointing out small details about stances and how to properly execute certain moves. Alex watched her closely, absorbing everything she said, nodding occasionally as he followed her instructions.
Not far from them, Tamsin and Merrick were sparring, their movements fast and sharp. The sound of their fists meeting in controlled strikes filled the air, but neither of them seemed to be holding back. They were both focused, their eyes locked on each other as they tested their limits.
The problem with Alex was that everything being shown to him required supernatural strength or speed, something he was struggling to achieve. Despite a few moments where he seemed to get closer, frustration started building inside him. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore and voiced his complaint.
"Honestly, is this all you do here? No time for a break or something?" Alex grumbled, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Gwen, who had been observing him, didn't miss a beat.
"A break? You don't get breaks when your life is constantly on the line," she said sharply, before kicking Alex's feet from under him when he failed to perform one of the moves she had demonstrated.
Alex hit the ground with a thud, groaning as the impact knocked the wind out of him. He was about to protest when Tamsin's voice rang out.
"Enough, Gwen!" Tamsin shouted, his tone firm. "Remember, he's not like us. He's already doing well for a new B."
Gwen scoffed and turned her back on them, striding towards the weightlifting equipment. Without missing a beat, she began lifting the weights, her movements quick and controlled, as if to release her frustration.
Tamsin walked over to Alex and offered him a hand, pulling him up from the ground. "Thanks, man," Alex muttered as he dusted himself off, still wincing from the fall. Then, with a hint of humor, he added, "Sometimes, I wonder if she's even woman."
Tamsin gave him a small smile. "You can go rest for a while," he said, ready to get back to his own training with Merrick when Alex called out again.
"Wait a second… I wanted to ask… What happened to Stan?" Alex's voice was uncertain, but the question hung in the air heavily.
The reaction from the others was immediate. Gwen paused mid-lift and let the weights drop with a loud clang, while Merrick stopped what he was doing. All eyes turned to Alex.
"How much did Elder Rooney tell you?" Merrick asked cautiously, his voice measured.
"Not much," Alex replied. "Just that Stan lost his evolution path due to something that happened in the past. And he's some kind of Keybreaker or something."
The trio exchanged glances, surprised that Elder Rooney had shared even that much.
"If that's what he told you, then that's all you should know," Merrick said firmly, his expression closing off as if to end the conversation.
But Tamsin shook his head. "No," he said softly, "he's part of this faction now, and he deserves to know more. But the truth is, even we don't know what really happened. It happened long before we were born."
Alex frowned, disappointment clear on his face. He had been hoping to get some answers, but it seemed like even those closest to Stan were kept in the dark.
Just as the conversation seemed to die down, Gwen stepped forward, her expression serious.
"I might know something," she said quietly, drawing everyone's attention. "I overheard mom and dad talking once. They said what happened to Stan… it was because he fell in love with a normal human."
Even Tamsin and Merrick were intrigued now. They had always been told that Stan's condition was due to a past fight, but the real reason behind that fight had been kept from them. The details were murky, but Gwen's revelation was starting to make things clearer.
"They said that Uncle Stan fell in love with a human," Gwen began, her voice soft but steady. "He fell so deeply that he was willing to abandon his duty and his evolution—just to become a normal human. All because of this woman."
Alex listened carefully, not wanting to miss a word. The weight of her story hung in the air, and even though he had never met the woman in question, he could sense how much she had meant to Stan.
"Unfortunately," Gwen continued, "Uncle Stan wasn't the only one after her. Another figure wanted her too, and he was willing to do anything to get her. In the end, Stan and this other person clashed. A big fight broke out, and the aftermath of that fight is what Uncle Stan is dealing with now."
"Well, that sounds like something out of one of those epic movies," Alex said, trying to lighten the mood a little, though his curiosity was still piqued.
Gwen shook her head. "This isn't a movie, Alex. It actually happened."
Alex, though, had another question burning in his mind. "What happened to the other guy, then? If Stan lost, does that mean the other guy married the lady?"
Tamsin answered before Gwen could speak. "Unless she's willing to marry a dead man." His tone was blunt.
"The entire faction that backed this other guy—everyone who joined that fight—they were annihilated. That's what they get for coming after a member of the Pendragon faction," Tamsin added, his voice filled with a mix of pride and warning.
Alex was stunned by the revelation. An entire faction wiped out? He couldn't quite grasp the scale of such power, but he knew it wasn't something to be taken lightly. For the first time, he felt a surge of pride about the faction he had joined. It was no small thing to be part of the Pendragons.
"What about the woman?" Alex asked after a pause, his mind racing. "If the other guy lost, shouldn't she have ended up with Stan?"
Gwen shook her head. "No one knows where she is. Uncle Stan used his influence as the Keybreaker to keep others away from her, but the problem is... he lost his memory of her. He can't remember her at all."
"That's really sad," Alex said quietly, sensing the heavy emotions in the room. Even though he hadn't known Stan for long, the story touched him deeply. To lose both his evolution and his memory of the woman he loved seemed like a cruel twist of fate.
"But," Alex continued, thinking aloud, "shouldn't there be another way? I mean, he can't use qi, but I saw him use some energy from a crystal when we were in the mountains."
"That was an energy storage crystal," Gwen explained.
"Even though Uncle Stan lost his path—his ability to perform martial arts and use qi in complex ways—he can still use some qi, but only from external sources like that crystal. His body can no longer absorb or store qi naturally, except the small amount that keeps him alive. With the energy from that crystal, he can do certain things, like entering the Paragon's world and transmitting qi. But beyond that, he's limited."
Hearing this sparked an idea in Alex's mind. He felt like there might be a way to help Stan, or at least, something worth trying. But before he could voice his thoughts, the door to the training room creaked open.
Stan walked in, his presence commanding immediate attention.
"I see you're all here," Stan said, his voice steady but firm. "Well, it's time for you to break through, Alex."