“No. Taylor, I'm telling you, it's not happening. Figure something else out.” Daryl says with determination as he stared hard into Taylor's eyes. Taylor stared back, his stare just as stern, causing Daryl's expression to falter, revealing bitterness and pain. “Don't make me beg, Taylor.” Daryl says with some desperation.

Taylor continues to stare as he releases a hot breath. “What the fuck do you want me to do, Daryl? Do you understand what the seventh stage means? It means that there isn't shit we can do about it!” Taylor responds with frustration. Taylor looks to Jesse for some help, but when he sees her, he also saw some expectation in her eyes. God dammit. Taylor thinks.

“Ugh, if I may?” A voice calls out.

Taylor looks over and he sees the steward of this place. He was a witch on the 5th stage.

“Yes?” Taylor says, a little exasperated and not expecting much.

“We could teleport them out.” He suggests before closing his mouth and crossing his arms at Taylor's glare.

“Yes! Teleport us out!” Daryl exclaims as if he found something to grasp onto.

Taylor sighs. “Daryl, that's not going to solve anything. These werewolves are intent on hunting you down. I doubt there's much you could do about it.” Taylor explains before looking to Daryl's unfortunate girlfriend, Annie. “Why don't you clearly explain to him whether this is worth it?” Taylor suggests, hoping to end this sooner rather than later.

Bitterness is also revealed on Annie's face. “Maybe he's right, Daryl. We should stop now… before it gets worse…” She tries to say.

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Daryl turns his head away and closes his eyes. He exhales a breath and Taylor thought he saw a suppressed tear escape his eye.

“God fucking dammit…” Taylor says softly. This asshole loves her. Taylor thinks with a shake of his head. Unfortunately it's imposs-

***RUMBLE***

***BOOM***

Before Taylor could finish that thought Taylor heard thunder. Taylor moves to a window and takes a peak outside. Fuck, it's dark. Where did those clouds come from? Taylor wonders as he watches lightning snaking through the clouds before recalling a few things. A smile appears on Taylor's face. This could get dangerous but I'd rather not care too much right now. Sorry, Johan, you might have to take the hit for this one. I’ll try to time it right, but hopefully things don't have to go too far… Taylor thinks as a few things crosses mind.

“Hey Jesse, how long would breaking through to the seventh stage take?” Taylor asks.

Jesse shakes her head as she realizes what Taylor was thinking. She really should stop him, but the dao she cultivated says that the world would validate whether it was correct; it wasn’t for her to stop the natural progression of fate. “One day.” She forces herself to say before beginning to worry about Johan's safety. Getting to the seventh stage wasn't like the previous stages where energy was gathered during the breakthrough; for the seventh stage, the energy and enlightenment were gathered beforehand, and the breakthrough was just to seek approval from the world, for whether their power was valid and if it was allowed to exist.

Taylor raises an eyebrow in surprise. “One day? I can work with one day.” Taylor says with an evil grin. Now that he thought about it, Johan definitely had time to make this trip with Jesse, but he used his breakthrough as an excuse to stay out of it. Consider this as payment for keeping Jesse safe... Taylor thinks shamelessly.

Jesse raises an eyebrow at Taylor's suspicious smile. "Taylor, before you pull the trigger, maybe you should confirm again with the girl; is their love worth it?" Jesse suggests with a gesture to the lady.

Taylor raises his eyebrow and looks to Annie. "Well?" Taylor asks the girl. Taylor didn't like to do pointless things; if he went through with this, she had to go through with it too.

Annie blushes. "It's worth it. Of course it's worth it. It... feels worth it. It's just that... How is anyone supposed to know? Will I look back and regret it? Is this the best outcome for my life? As for whether you're asking me whether I'm willing to pull the trigger; in this moment, I am." She says honestly.

Taylor stares blankly for a moment before laughing out loud. "Oh, dear Annie unfortunately I'm not the world; I won't attempt to filter your feelings until you're sure. All I need is the go ahead; as for the consequences, that's up to you." Taylor says with an inconsiderate smile.