ShadowBound: The Need For Power-Chapter 630: Valuable Intel

After observing Liam a moment longer, Mabel slowly closed her eyes.

The faint glow lingering in her gaze faded as she released Myst Sense, allowing the deeper layer of perception to dissolve. When her eyes opened again, the room returned to its ordinary state—the quiet dorm, the lantern light, and Liam sitting at the edge of his bed looking far more human than the complex mystical structure she had just witnessed moments ago.

"Surprisingly," Mabel said evenly as her eyes settled on him again, "you are doing better than you should be."

Liam remained seated, his posture relaxed though the fatigue still lingered in his movements.

"There are no complications within your Myst system," she continued. "Your channels appear stable, and the flow of Myst through them has already begun to normalize."

She paused briefly before finishing her observation.

"And your core…" she added.

For a moment, she seemed to consider her wording.

"Your core seems to have already adapted to your growth."

Liam's brows furrowed slightly at that.

"But," Mabel continued calmly, "your Myst reserves are still significantly depleted. You should not even consider casting any form of spell or technique until they recover."

"I see," Liam said evenly.

He leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on his knees while absorbing her words. His gaze lowered to the wooden floor for a moment before he spoke again.

"How abnormal is it?"

Mabel tilted her head faintly at the question.

"What do you mean?"

"My core already adapting to being in the six-star domain," Liam clarified as he looked back up at her. "How abnormal is it?"

Mabel studied him silently for a few seconds.

Then she exhaled lightly through her nose.

"It is quite abnormal," she admitted, "but not entirely unheard of."

She shifted her weight slightly as she continued.

"I have encountered a few individuals who experienced an Ascension that propelled them directly into a higher star domain. In some cases, their cores adapted within a short period afterward. One day for some. Three or four for others."

Her gaze remained steady on him.

"However, in your case," she added, "your core adapted in less than a single day after your Ascension."

She paused.

"That is something I personally have not encountered before."

Liam listened without interrupting.

"But," Mabel continued calmly, "I cannot claim it has never happened. There are individuals with extraordinary natural adaptability. In rare cases, their bodies adjust to sudden increases in Myst capacity faster than what is considered normal."

Her eyes narrowed slightly in thought.

"Though in your case, I do not believe it is solely due to adaptability."

Liam's attention sharpened slightly.

"You are a dark mage," she said plainly. "And from what I have been able to study about your kind, dark mages possess a peculiar trait."

She paused briefly before finishing the thought.

"You are naturally capable of operating a few levels above your actual mystic rank."

Liam absorbed her words quietly.

She wasn't wrong.

Dark mages had always been known to function above their recorded level. Their affinity for manipulating Myst—especially destructive or unstable forms of it—allowed them to push beyond limits that constrained ordinary mages.

Which meant if his core had already adapted to the six-star domain…

Then it implied something important.

It meant his core had likely already been operating near that level even before the Ascension fully pushed him into it.

Meaning this breakthrough did not simply place him at the low-tier six-star level.

It likely meant he was already functioning closer to the middle of that domain.

Possibly even higher. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

And that realization carried another implication.

If there was ever going to be an Ascension that truly left him bedridden for an extended period, it would likely happen when he attempted to break into the seven-star domain. Because at that point, he would be crossing the boundary while already operating as a high-tier six-star.

After considering the thought for a moment, Liam dismissed it. It wasn't exactly new information. It was simply the first time he had stopped long enough to analyze it in detail.

"Well," he said at last, straightening slightly, "I guess you're right."

"It's probably tied to that factor."

He shrugged faintly.

"And if that's the case, there's nothing to worry about."

"All I need to do now is recover my Myst."

He stretched his neck slightly, easing the stiffness still lingering in his muscles.

"Well," Mabel said evenly, "that brings me to something you might want to know."

Liam's attention shifted back to her.

"Hm?"

He tilted his head slightly.

"What is it?"

"It concerns your plan involving Sheila as leverage against the Crescent Kingdom," Mabel said calmly.

Liam's expression didn't visibly change, but the faintest flicker of interest appeared in his eyes.

"I happened to come across the Granger siblings earlier," Mabel continued, "while patrolling the academy grounds several hours ago."

That caught his attention immediately.

"Percy already reconciled with Sheila?" Liam asked.

"Not exactly," Mabel replied.

She noticed the slight tilt of confusion in his head.

"I would not call it reconciliation just yet."

Liam watched her expectantly.

"Allow me to explain everything that transpired," she said calmly.

Mabel proceeded to recount everything she had witnessed.

She described how she had come across Percy and Sheila walking through the academy grounds, how the two had eventually stopped in the garden beneath the moonlight, and how she had remained hidden within the shadows long enough to hear nearly everything that had passed between them. She spoke carefully, recounting Percy's explanation, Sheila's reactions, and the tension that had lingered between the two siblings as years of distance were finally laid bare.

She left nothing important out.

Every detail she believed might prove useful to Liam later was delivered clearly and without embellishment. Names, motives, emotions, even the pauses between their words—she relayed it all with the quiet efficiency of someone trained to observe without interfering.

Throughout the entire explanation, Liam remained silent.

He absorbed every word with a level of calm that Mabel found… unsettling.

She was already accustomed to Liam's composure. It had always been one of the most defining traits about him. Even in situations that would cause others to panic or rage, Liam rarely reacted in ways that were easy to read.

But this was different.

Very different.

There was something about the stillness surrounding him now that felt unnatural, almost like the quiet center of a storm.

When she finally finished speaking, Liam didn't respond immediately.

Instead, he remained seated at the edge of the bed with one hand resting lightly over his lips, his gaze lowered as though he were studying some invisible pattern forming in the wooden floor beneath him.

Seeing this, Mabel found herself wondering what exactly was moving through his mind.

'Could he already be plotting how to utilize this information?' she wondered silently.

And honestly, it wouldn't have been surprising.

This was Liam Hunter.

Someone like him could easily begin weaving strategies from even the smallest fragments of information.

'I suppose he is,' Mabel concluded quietly as she continued studying him.

For a few more seconds, the room remained silent.

Then suddenly, a sound escaped Liam. At first it was small, then a faint giggle.

Then it grew.

The giggle turned into a quiet chuckle as he lifted a hand over his face, his shoulders shaking slightly with restrained amusement.

Mabel froze.

For a brief moment she simply stared at him, caught completely off guard.

Seeing Liam laugh—genuinely laugh—was already rare enough.

But this?

This wasn't the dry sarcasm or subtle mockery she had seen from him before.

He looked… genuinely entertained.

'Is… is he okay?' she wondered inwardly.

After a moment longer, Liam's chuckling finally subsided.

He exhaled softly and lowered his hand from his face.

"I apologize for that," he said calmly.

His tone was composed again, as though nothing unusual had happened.

"It's just that I find it rather amusing." He leaned back slightly. "As to how utterly messed up the Crescent Kingdom and the Solara Kingdom both are."

Mabel's brows furrowed slightly behind her mask.

Liam continued speaking as though reflecting on an old observation.

"I've already gained a decent understanding of how the Solara Kingdom operates," he said. "Those six months I spent unconscious weren't entirely wasted. Watching fragments of my mother's memories gave me a fairly clear picture."

He spoke without bitterness.

"Over there, the king was essentially raising his children to become killing machines—tools meant specifically for hunting dark mages."

He shrugged faintly.

"However, the queen apparently had a much different outlook on the world." His gaze drifted slightly. "Which is probably why King Tharion's grand plan didn't fully succeed."

A brief pause followed.

"And that eventually led to my mother meeting my father."

Then his expression flattened slightly.

"But the Crescent Kingdom…" His tone shifted faintly. "Both of those parents are utterly worthless vessels."

Mabel didn't interrupt.

"There isn't even one of them who seems capable of caring for their children properly," Liam continued. "Listening to Percy's explanation makes me wonder about something."

His eyes lowered slightly.

"If Percy and Sheila had been born earlier—during the same period my parents grew up in…" He paused. "They probably would've been raised into perfect dark mage hunters."

Another pause.

Then he corrected himself. "No. That's not the right word." His eyes lifted slightly. "Executioners."

Mabel remained completely still as she listened to him.

She tried to identify what had triggered this strange train of thought.

Was it anger?

Was the way Percy and Sheila had been treated by their parents bothering him?

But the more she studied Liam's expression, the less sense that idea made. There wasn't even the faintest trace of anger in his voice.

Not frustration. Not resentment. Nothing.

'Then what is it?' she wondered silently. 'What exactly triggered this reaction?'

Her thoughts were interrupted when Liam's gaze suddenly shifted toward her.

The moment their eyes met, Mabel flinched slightly without meaning to.

"You know," Liam said calmly, "you don't have to look at me like I've gone senile."

His tone was perfectly even.

"I'm fine."

A faint shrug followed.

"No need to worry about my sudden… yapping."

Mabel stared at him silently for a moment longer.

Then Liam pushed himself to his feet.

His movements were noticeably steadier now than when he had first woken up.

"Anyway," he said calmly, "I'm grateful for what you told me." He stretched his shoulders slightly. "I'll have to approach my conversation with Percy a little differently now."

He glanced briefly toward her.

"Thank you."

For a brief moment, the sincerity in his tone almost sounded genuine.

Mabel froze slightly, still unsure what to make of his earlier reaction.

"Yeah… sure," she replied after a moment. "Glad it helps."

Liam gave a small nod of acknowledgment.

Then he turned and began walking toward the bathroom. Just before stepping inside, he paused, and glanced back at her over his shoulder.

"By the way," he said. "I'm going to need your help with something."

Mabel raised an eyebrow slightly.

"It's about Domain spells," Liam continued. "Could you explain everything about them to me later?"

Mabel shrugged faintly.

"Sure. Why not?" Her voice returned to its usual calm professionalism. "It's my job to help and protect you, after all."

"I appreciate that," Liam said simply.

Then he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Left alone in the room, Mabel remained standing quietly for a moment.

Her mind began turning slowly.

'I want to believe there was something deeper behind everything he just said,' she thought.

Then she sighed quietly.

'But for some reason…' Her gaze shifted toward the closed bathroom door. 'I'm forced to believe there really wasn't.'

The thought puzzled her.

Why did she feel so compelled to accept Liam's explanation at face value?

After a moment of reflection, she could only reach one conclusion.

'It must be his calmness.'

From the moment Liam had woken up, his composure had felt unnaturally stable—almost sharpened.

'Seems the Ascension affected his senses…' A faint chuckle escaped her. 'And possibly his emotional control too.'

She folded her arms lightly.

'At this point,' she thought quietly, 'it's probably best to expect the unexpected.'