Jack turned to meet them, acknowledging their presence with genuine regard.

"Thank you," Jack said, his voice quiet but carrying a rare sincerity as he looked at her. His back was in ruins. His charred flesh permeated the room. Parts of it were still smoking from the cold fire that had just scarred his soul.

"I know what I just asked you to do was horrific. If your hands had shaken even once, the ink would have torn me apart. Your precision is the only reason I’m still standing, Annabelle. I won’t forget it."

Annabelle’s eyes were bright, almost glowing with excitement. The artist in her had witnessed something transcendent.

She had stood at the threshold of divine transformation, traced the very patterns that scarred a soul and bound an element.

Her hands still tingled with the memory of holding the pen, feeling the dark mana pulse through the ink as it burned itself into Jack’s flesh.

She opened her mouth, her words tumbling out before caution could catch them, enthusiasm overflowing like water from an overfilled vessel.

"Jack, this is incredible. Mother and Father are going to want to know everything. The precision required, the way the dark mana responded! I’ve never seen anything quite like it. When I tell them about the sigil, about what you accomplished, about how you managed to bind dark mana to your soul without being consumed, they won’t believe it. Father especially. He’s been studying dark mana control for decades, and he’s never..."

"You won’t tell them," Jack said quietly, his voice cutting through her enthusiasm with the force of a blade.

Annabelle’s expression shifted, confusion flickering across her features like candlelight dancing across stone. Her mouth closed, and for a moment, she stared at her brother.

The excitement that had animated her face drained away, replaced by dawning comprehension of what his words meant.

"You won’t tell them anything about what happened here," Jack continued, his golden-orange eyes fixed on hers with absolute certainty. "This matter is to remain strictly confidential between us. Is that understood?"

The weight of his words settled over Annabelle like winter frost. She understood immediately what he was asking.

Not just secrecy, but silence. The kind of silence that protected the family in worlds where knowledge was weaponized, and truth was currency.

"If word got out that I gave someone an elemental affinity, never mind King Eric. Every kingdom in this world would be after me."

"I have no idea what you’re talking about," Annabelle said smoothly, her voice carrying perfect innocence as she exchanged a weighted glance with S. The understanding between them was strong.

She was feigning ignorance, protecting her brother by claiming she knew nothing about any of this. It was a skill she’d learned long ago in the Kaiser household, how to deny knowledge of things she’d witnessed with her own eyes.

S watched the exchange with mild amusement, though his expression remained professionally neutral. When Annabelle leaned close to S, she spoke quietly enough that she thought Jack couldn’t hear a single word.

"She keeps calling herself his fiancée," Annabelle said quietly, glancing toward Faye. "She has no idea he’s already engaged. She’s completely delusional about it."

S’s crimson eyes flickered with understanding. His expression remained professionally neutral as he considered her words for a moment, processing the information with the careful precision of someone who dealt in secrets and silent agreements.

Then he responded quietly, his refined tone carrying dismissive certainty.

"The Chosen One is an airhead, Miss Kaiser," S said with the kind of delicate diplomatic language that made the insult sound almost like a compliment.

"Clearly delusional in her thinking. She’s been calling herself a fiancée despite Young Master’s obvious pre-existing engagement. Such delusions are common among those with limited intellectual capacity but elevated divine authority granted by higher powers. Her mind does not process reality in the same manner as more intellectually refined individuals."

Annabelle nodded, accepting his assessment while clearly knowing better.

The three of them, Jack, Annabelle, and S, shared an understanding that transcended words. This was how families protected each other in courts where knowledge was weaponized, and truth was currency. Shared ignorance was sometimes more valuable than shared secrets.

"I need time alone," Jack said, addressing all of them. "I need to meditate and properly integrate what’s occurred to my body. The dark mana is still chaotic and unrefined. I need to establish dominance over it before it can truly be useful as a tool rather than a liability."

"How long?" Annabelle asked, already knowing the answer would be complicated and imprecise.

"I don’t know," Jack replied with complete honesty. His eyes remained steady and unwavering. "However long it takes for the element to stop rebelling against my will. Days, perhaps. Weeks if the integration proves more difficult than anticipated. Time moves differently in the Spire compared to normal reality. What feels like months internally might be only days outside."

Annabelle accepted this without further argument. She understood the gravity of dark mana integration, that Jack was being conservative with his estimate.

She’d watched him scarred by the process, had seen his eyes turn purple with the weight of divine power. She knew better than anyone what integrating an element meant.

S inclined his head with refined courtesy, his demeanor that of a butler who had accepted his master’s instructions. "We shall depart, Young Master. The Kaiser Estate awaits our return. I’ll be sure to let your parents know you are doing well."

"Thank you," Jack replied, his tone carrying genuine appreciation for S’s efficiency and foresight.

Then his gaze settled on Faye, who was still bouncing slightly on her heels despite the obvious gravity of the moment.

There was something almost heartbreaking about her inability to fully comprehend what was occurring, yet she remained in states of bubbly enthusiasm regardless of context or danger.

"Faye," Jack said, his tone shifting to something that wasn’t quite gentle but carried a firmness that made her immediately focus her attention. "You’ll remain here with Loryn while I meditate. He’ll prepare your meals and ensure you’re properly cared for. Don’t leave the immediate vicinity of the castle. Don’t attempt to contact me. Don’t try to come into the throne room. You need to wait."

"How long will you be gone?" Faye asked, her bubbly tone somehow managing to convey genuine concern beneath the superficial brightness.

"As long as it takes," Jack repeated, his words carrying finality.

Faye accepted this with absolute trust. She’d decided Jack was hers, and therefore, his word was law.

There was no hesitation in her expression, no doubt. Only the pure, uncomplicated devotion of someone who had made a choice and would stand by it regardless of consequence.

Annabelle and S departed from the throne room moments later, their footsteps echoing through the castle’s corridors as they made their way back toward the portal that would return them to the Kaiser Estate.

Faye remained behind, settling into a small chamber that Loryn guided her toward with careful attention, the ancient demon following Jack’s explicit instructions about her care with meticulous precision.

The two bowls of God’s Blood remained on the stone pedestal, luminescent liquid pulsing with divine essence that seemed almost alive.

Jack approached them slowly, his enhanced senses detecting the power contained within each drop.

This was the concentrated life force of a god, reconstituted through mystical trees and preserved for millennia, waiting to be consumed by someone willing to transform themselves.