Later that same day, Alexei burst into the Rozanov grand castle, his presence like a storm tearing through the tranquil halls. With a powerful surge of his elementalis prowess, he sent several guards flying, crashing against the wall with a resounding impact. Ignoring their fallen figures, Alexei swiftly ascended the grand staircase, his determination unwavering.

As he made his way through the opulent corridors, encounters with guards and obstacles seemed almost insignificant against his elementalis.

The Rozanov Raj family's loyal protectors stood in his path, their weapons raised and determination etched on their faces. Yet, their efforts were futile against the unleashed power of Alexei. With fluid and precise movements, he swiftly dispatched each opponent, his strikes landing with violence and efficiency.

The clash of steel and the echoes of struggle reverberated through the castle halls, but the details of the intense battles were fleeting as Alexei pressed forward. He leapt over unconscious bodies, deftly dodged incoming attacks, and unleashed devastating bursts of elemental force when needed.

Room after room, corridor after corridor, Alexei carved his path towards the one he was after.

The once sacred and guarded spaces of the Rozanov Raj family's castle became a battleground. Though the details of the battle may blur in the memories of those present, the resounding truth remained—that night an unstoppable force brute forced its way through the castle, obliterating with his aero-elementalis every guards coming his way, and striking with his electro-elementalis every mage daring to stand on his way his wake.

After ascending several flights of stairs, Alexei stood before a large closed door. Without hesitation, he summoned a streak of his electro-elementalis, causing the door to burst open, revealing what lay beyond.

Alexei's eyes narrowed as he locked his gaze upon the man standing in the center of the room, his presence commanding attention despite the surprise etched on his face. The man's gray hair and the unmistakable blue eyes of revealed his Rajs lineage

A moment of tense silence passed between them before the man spoke, his voice laced with a mixture of surprise, disdain and apprehension. "So it was really you who was responsible for all this chaos in my city… Ethereal Breeze.”

"Hmph." Alexei grunted, stepping into the room.

The man continued, his voice tinged with accusation. "Barely one day in this city, and so much destruction in your wake.

“You... You’re the one, aren’t you? The one who had all these came after her, separating her from her parents.”

"I did not," he trailed off, attempting to use his pranakinesis against Alexei. However, with lightning-fast reflexes, Alexei unleashed a surge of lightning, ripping through the air and severing half of the man's right hand. In the blink of an eye, using his aero elementalis, Alexei flung the man against a nearby wall, the impact reverberating through the room.

Alexei's voice dripped with a menacing tone as he warned, "Do not lie to me. Do not even try."

The man's screams echoed in the room, a mix of pain and desperation. "I'm not lying!" he cried out, his voice filled with anguish. “I did no such thing. All I wanted was to have the Odoe girl come to me. I don’t know what happened back then I wasn’t there! But my men told me that it was she who began reacting badly. You may ask her that personally.” Perhaps noting the hardening expression Alexei bore, the man immediately went up to clarify. “I… I didn’t care about her family, they could’ve come with us, had it been what she wanted. I wouldn’t have minded, I just wanted her to be at our side.”

“Why?”

“Why? As a Dae Odoe, I had an offer for her,” At these words, in spite of the pain he was in, the man started laughing in a mix of laughter and cry. “One that would’ve made us all filthy rich. But that couldn’t become reality because we got double crossed.”

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“Double crossed you? Who?”

“Those bastards of the Kazanov family, if there is someone you should blame for the misery of your friends it’s them. It was them who informed the citadel on her whereabouts, making it that she was separated from her parents.”

What the man confessed to have done matched with what he himself learned from her in person. While she and her parents were initially halted by a group of mages, it was in the citadel’s cells that she ultimately ended up in, a place where she would ultimately meet and free Alexei from his crystal prison.

The man was telling the truth, and yet there was something over which

"Sure, perhaps the Kazanov family is to be blamed for everything that happened to her as a consequence. However, you are the one to blame for everything. Not only that, but by refusing to learn from your initial mistake, you also chose to come after her a second time. This time, your intention was to separate her from me, even going as far as working hand in hand with the citadel and your old friends, the 'travelers.' In fact, you were the first person they approached when your plan failed to succeed with me dead and her captured."

At these accusatory words, the man’s eyes widened in fear, his body trembling involuntarily, immediately jumping onto bargaining his way out. “Listen, I know you’re most likely angry at me right, that would be a complete reaction, but you try seeing it from my perspective, I actually never wanted anything bad to happen to her or her parents. See—let me talk to her, I’m sure I can explain and apolog—”

“Talk to her? You want to talk to her.”

Though taken aback by the sudden interruption, the man immediately nodded at Alexei oblivious self-rhetorical question.

“Yes, I’m sure she can understand me. She’s with you today… isn’t she?”

A dead expression washed over Alexei's face as he looked at the man, it didn’t take the man long to finally piece together the clues. The realization struck him like a gust of wind, and his anger intensified.

"No, could it be that she—" the man stammered before being forcefully interrupted. A sudden gust slammed him against the wall, holding him there with an invisible force.

"You will say nothing to her. Whatever your intentions were, whatever you think you have to say, it simply doesn't matter," Alexei stated coldly, his grip tightening. "I am the one who is here, and in my eyes, you, Del'hia, Karl, and every other traveler are all the same."

“Please—”

“When I came here, I thought about what I would do to you when I would find you. Now I know. But before I put an end to this, I have to know. The Devi, was she also part of this?” Alexei asked, at the verge of an internal explosion.

Alexei's rage intensified as the man remained silent, refusing to answer his question. With a violent surge of strength, he slammed the man even harder against the wall, the impact echoing through the room.

"I demand an answer! Was she aware that we would be led by the travelers straight to a set up," Alexei's voice reverberated with anger, his eyes blazing with fury. The man's body quivered under the force, his fear palpable.

Finally, unable to withstand the pressure any longer, the man choked out his response, his voice strained and filled with pain. "Yes, yes, she was involved. She... she knew. She’s the one who came up to us with your whereabouts."

Hit by that revelation that felt less like one but more like just a confirmation, his grip on the man loosened, and he released him, allowing him to collapse onto the ground, gasping for breath.

Anger and betrayal churned within Alexei, threatening to consume him—on her behalf. While he had no reason to do so, she trusted the Devi, which is why they came to her. Only for her to use that trust against her.

The room fell into a heavy silence as Alexei stood there, his emotions battling within him. The man on the ground cowered, his face etched with fear and the weight of his imminent fate.

"The Devi, Karl, Roshan, Del'hia," Alexei began, his voice filled with a chilling resolve. His gaze shifted back to the man, piercing through him with cold intensity. "And you."

The man's dread and apprehension were evident as he ventured to ask, "What are you going to do with them... with us?"

Alexei's blue eyes stared into the abyss of the man's gaze, his voice carrying a sinister undertone. "I am going to find every last one of them. Wherever they hide, wherever they try to run, I will find them. And then..."

The man's voice trembled as he interjected, his mind resigned to his impending doom. "And... what? Are you going to grant me the same fate as those mages and Rajs who vanished at your hands, Ethereal Breeze?"

A short moment of self-reflection washed over Alexei, his gaze flickering with a mix of emotions. His expression remained unchanging, but his voice carried a subtle shift, a hint of something unexpected. "No."