In the large throne room — now a wreckage — half of its ceiling had collapsed inward, filling the space with debris and dust. The once-majestic hall was now buried under ruin.
At the center of the palace lay a lifeless body, motionless, an axe embedded deep in its chest.
Not too far from it was another figure sprawled on the ground. This one's chest rose and fell slowly, the steady rhythm of someone still clinging to life.
These two were none other than Alex and the fallen Eddie. Somehow, Alex had survived the battle, though the victory came at a heavy cost.
With the fight over, he could no longer sustain his Bloodline powers. The moment he deactivated them, every wound and bruise screamed back to life.
Though the Bloodline had already healed about thirty percent of his injuries, the pain was still brutal. Alex lay there on the cold floor, breathing hard, thoughts running wild.
He remained like that for nearly an hour, thinking — and praying that none of the palace guards would walk in. It baffled him that, despite the destruction and the noise, no one had come yet.
'It must be just like Eddie said… He claimed to have shut down all the alarm systems in the palace. That means no one outside has any clue about what went down here,' Alex thought.
'I just hope it stays that way—long enough to buy me a little more time.'
"Now look who's managed to get himself into another mess again," a voice called out.
Alex couldn't see who it was right away; he was still lying flat on the ground, barely conscious. But the voice—he knew that voice all too well.
With some effort, he pushed himself upright, wincing at the sharp pain shooting through his ribs.
Standing at one of the side exits, far from the collapsed section of the roof, was a chubby man with a round belly. In his hand was a sandwich, and he took a massive bite from it before chewing with complete nonchalance, as if the room weren't half destroyed.
It was Saka—a member of the Pendragon Faction, and one of the few people Alex had grown to trust.
Right now, in a moment like this, Saka was the only person Alex could think of who might actually help him.
Using the Pendragon system, Alex had managed to contact him — and now, here Saka was.
"Thank… thanks for coming. I really need your help right now," Alex said, his voice weak, but Saka cut him off mid-sentence.
"Whoa, whoa, hold up. You look like a total wreck," Saka said, eyeing Alex up and down. He reached out his hand, and with a flash of light, a small potion-like bottle appeared in his palm.
"This should help speed up your healing," he said, tossing it toward Alex. "And as for the 'thanks,' forget it. This is how our faction operates — we help our own, especially when someone's knee-deep in trouble."
Alex caught the bottle with one hand — his other arm was still limp from the fight. He gritted his teeth, bit off the cork, and gulped the entire contents down.
The liquid burned as it slid down his throat, but almost immediately, he could feel a faint warmth spreading through his body.
While Alex was recovering, Saka walked over to Eddie's body, crouched, and gave a low whistle.
"Well, would you look at that… the hot-headed one finally met his match," Saka said with a half-grin. "I had a feeling you'd end up next on his list."
"I didn't go after him," Alex said, his voice defensive. "He came for me."
Saka chuckled, still crouching by the corpse. "Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say."
"It doesn't matter," Saka said, crouching beside the body. "He's dead. Question is—what do you plan on doing with this?"
He started rummaging through Eddie's clothes like he was checking pockets for coins. Alex grimaced, watching him. It felt wrong somehow, disrespectful… but then again, Eddie wasn't exactly a saint.
"Are you planning on just leaving the body here?" Saka asked without looking up. "Because if you do, everyone in this house is going to lose their minds when they find it. And let's be real—it's going to trace right back to you."
"I know that," Alex said, his tone heavy. "That's why I called you. I… don't know what to do with it."
"Well, lucky for you, I'm a man of many questionable talents," Saka replied, flashing a grin. "I can handle the disposal."
As he spoke, Saka slipped one of Eddie's rings off his finger and turned it over curiously. A faint glow pulsed from it.
"Ah, bingo. Storage rings," Saka muttered. "This guy had three on him… cocky bastard."
He opened one with a flick of qi, the faint shimmer of a dimensional space appearing above his palm.
"Before I get rid of the body though—want to keep any of his stuff?" Saka asked, already digging through the storage like it was a garage sale. "Looks like he's got a few weapons, a couple of pills… oh, and a skill book. Nice catch, huh?"
Some of the things inside the storage rings were just clothes and personal items — nothing worth keeping. But one thing caught Alex's attention immediately: a small, weathered pamphlet-like book.
On the cover, a single word was etched in bold letters — "Buster."
"Looks like our boy Eddie was more than just muscle," Saka said, squinting at it. "Seems he was working on an advanced version of his power. Probably a custom evolution of his technique."
He handed the book to Alex, who took it carefully. By now, the potion Saka had given him had done wonders — most of his pain had dulled to a faint ache.
Flipping through the pages, Alex saw sketches and notes detailing Eddie's combat methods — his stance, his breathing patterns, the flow of energy through his limbs. Every page was a mix of obsession and genius.
As Alex studied it, memories of his earlier intention returned — the real reason he had come to this place before Eddie ambushed him. He wasn't supposed to fight. He just wanted to uncover the secrets his family had been hiding… their techniques, their skill sets.
He knew it was wrong. But curiosity — and maybe pride — had pushed him here.
"I think you should keep it," Saka said, breaking the silence.
"It seems to suit you. And don't feel bad about it," Saka said, noticing the hesitation in Alex's eyes.
"It's common in the Paragon world for warriors to take things as spoils. Trust me—if Eddie had won, he'd have stripped you clean without a second thought."
Saka was right. If the fight had gone the other way, Eddie wouldn't have hesitated to claim something of Alex's.
Knowing that made Alex feel a bit better. At least his risky decision to come here hadn't been a complete waste.
With that, Saka handled Eddie's body, storing it away into his system space without ceremony.
As the two prepared to leave, Alex called out softly, "Please… don't tell anyone about what happened here."
Saka paused, giving him a side glance. "As long as Stan doesn't ask," he said with a smirk.
Alex exhaled heavily. "Fair enough," he muttered, following behind.
The estate outside was eerily calm—but heavily guarded. Paragon Realm or not, the tension was real. Patrol units moved through both physical and mirrored spaces, scanning for any sign of disturbance.
Thanks to Saka being a trained spy, he had the skill set to slip through the estate's heavy security with ease. With his help, Alex managed to make it back to his room unnoticed.
They split ways there — Saka disappearing like a shadow, and Alex heading straight for a shower. His body was fully healed now, but the exhaustion still weighed on him like armor he couldn't take off.
He wasn't too worried about the throne room. The fight had taken place inside the Paragon Realm, and within twenty-four hours, the entire scene would reset—erasing all traces of what had happened there.
He just hoped no one wandered in before then.
After everything, Alex cleaned himself up. Not long after, his mother, Anna, called him—they were finally leaving the Wyndham family estate, heading back to their home in the city, just as she'd promised.
Soon, their car could be seen driving through the massive golden gates of the estate, sunlight glinting off the hood as they disappeared down the main road.
At the same time, a convoy of sleek black SUVs rolled into the estate—luxurious, intimidating, and humming with quiet power.
Inside one of them sat Lucius Vanderbilt, his expression carved in stone. Beside him was John Wyndham, head of the house, eyes sharp as ever.
"What is it that bothers you?" John asked, noticing the tension in Lucius's face.
Lucius's hand clenched around his phone—so tight the casing cracked.
"It's Eddie," he said darkly. "He hasn't answered any of my calls."