Ray was deep in thought, contemplating his options. Currently, both he and Orion were brainstorming ways to kill the general. Orion assured him that he had the plan to follow, but Ray was trying to come up with a backup plan in case it failed. He couldn't think of anything useful. If what Orion had said was true, this ranked dark rift walker could kill him with one hand and he would be helpless no matter what he did.

He turned to Orion and asked, "What about my sister, Lilly?"

His brows furrowed as he paused, then continued, "How much time does she have left? I need to know now."

“Not too much.” Orion's replied with a sad tone.

“Lilly is a strong-willed individual. She's still holding on after three years, and on top of that, she was born with it as a toddler. I can't say with certainty, but at the most, this might be her final year."

As Ray listened, he felt his heart sink. Ray's eyes twitched uncontrollably as he processed Orion's revelation. The weight of the situation bore down on him.

“It should have been far in the future when she became nine years old, but that was just an uncertain future I wrote in the book. The course of events has changed drastically. We need to act fast. In a few months, when winter starts, we should make our move. I think it's time to involve everyone. We cannot do this alone,” Orion said, his voice grave and concerned.

Ray's mind raced as he considered the gravity of the situation. The prospect of involving others made him uneasy. It was a daunting task. He took a deep breath and tried to focus.

“I know, but first, can you tell me where this thing is? Location? If it's guarded? Etc.? We need more information,” Ray said.

Orion responded in a confident tone.

“I can get that. That was my plan all along. I need you to hand me to your sister as a gift. In close proximity, I will give her my power in very minuscule proportions. As that thing feeds off her, I will come to know where it's hiding, but it will take time. Two months at least or three months at most.”

Orion further added

“I need to be extremely careful hence the wait. If I alert it, let’s just say it’s not anything we need to discuss. It hunt us out. I will also try to help her in some way for her health to not deteriorate too much, but you need to think of something to supply me with energy. Any kind. Heat, magical, etc. Anything acceptable.”

Ray nodded, his mind whirring with the implications of what Orion had said. He had mixed feelings about seeing Orion being so helpful. On one hand, he was grateful for the assistance, but on the other, he couldn't help but feel suspicious of it.

“You are suspiciously too helpful. What are your plans for my family in the future?” he asked in an indignant tone.

Ray's mind raced as he considered the implications of Orion's plan. It seemed risky, but it was their best shot at uncovering the creature's location.

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“She is the lifeline of this world. Of course, I need to help her. I will convince you with my actions. No need for hostility, Ray.”

“I am watching you, Orion” he said firmly.

“Alright. By all means, sure. Also, can you carry me with you? I find sitting in your drawer boring. Also, good job on getting the branch of Seaforth,” Orion said.

Ray retrieved the white glowing branch from his drawer, holding it up to examine it in the dim light. He put it back in place

“Okay. We'll talk about the glowing branch later,” Ray said, concluding his talks with Orion. For now, he wanted to try and convince his father, but it was easier said than done. It was still evening, and he had nothing much to do, so he thought to visit his father, Ivan. He had not seen him at the dinner table for a few days.

“First a visit to Lilly” he concluded

“It’s now or never. Let’s try to get along with father from now on and try to feed information slowly.” he thought

Avan left the training barracks, his clothes drenched in sweat and burned in some places. He had swelling wounds that looked as though he had been in a fight. As he headed back to wash up, a soldier commented on the spar that had just taken place.

"Did you see that? He's ferocious like a monster. It's getting out of hand," the soldier said, eyeing one of the people sitting on a chair as he made his point.

"I know," the other soldier replied in a deep voice.

"But he did nothing wrong. You guys are too weak. How could a 9-year-old rough up opponents twice his age? He's a high human like you guys," he said to the small group of people who were sitting around with burn marks and bruised faces.

Everyone looked at him with surprise.

"You allowed anything goes as long as it's not fatal or doesn't damage eyes or nuts. He has fucking magic, you know. It's annoying to deal with," the soldier continued.

"So what? You lot laughed at the kid when he started. Now you're getting dusted by him like he's bullying you," the trainer said

The trainer interjected,

"You guys complain about anything that has magic. Every single monster has it, you dolts. The use of force is a mild application of magic. This is a good opportunity to face someone with magic. Now," he said as he stood up to his full height of 8 feet, his menacing look looming over everyone. He was in charge of training them all.

"Since you guys lost to a 9-year-old, I need to train you by some manly means," he said, cracking his knuckles.

The look of terror was evident on everyone's faces. They knew they fucked up.

After washing up, Avan dressed himself and took the time to tidy up his appearance. It was part of his daily routine to present himself in the best possible manner. He then left his room and made his way to the second floor to visit his sister, who was bedridden with a high fever.

As he approached her room, he could see his mother Ullie and the head maid by Lilly's side, caring for her. He opened the door quietly, not wanting to disturb his sister's sleep. Lilly lay there, breathing heavily, her small body fighting the fever. Avan sat down next to her bed and gently took her tiny hands in his.

As he sat there, memories of the past flooded his mind. He remembered the times they had played together, laughing and having fun. Seeing her like this made him feel helpless and resentful towards Rayhein.

"I hate it," Avan thought to himself, clenching his fists.

"I hate this feeling of helplessness."

Avan sat silently by Lilly's bedside, waiting for her to wake up. Hours passed before Ullie, Lilly's mother, placed her hand on Avan's shoulders. He immediately shrugged her hand away and said,

"I am not someone who deserves empathy. I never will be, not until I kill that thing."

Ullie looked at Avan with sadness. She never wanted Avan to blame himself for what had happened. She sensed that Avan was pushing himself too hard, always getting hurt during training, and his animosity towards the world and others only grew. He believed he could never trust anyone, only punish himself. Ullie thought to herself.

"I'm sorry I could not be a good mother to Avan."

After spending a few hours by Lilly's side and realizing that she was too sick to wake up, Avan decided to leave. He did not want to bother her and planned to visit her again soon. As he opened the door, rayhein was in front of him. He glared at him

"What are you doing here?" Avan asked in a low tone filled with enmity, careful not to disturb anyone in the room.

Rayhein tried to remain apathetic, as he had his own reasons for being there. He didn't want to pick a squabble with his little brother or cause any trouble.

"I'm here to visit Lilly," Ray said with concern in his eyes and voice.

"I wanted to give her this shiny rock. She liked it when she visited me, so I thought why not give it to her."

Avan held the door as he listened to Rayhein's words, but he didn't believe him one bit. He gave him cold stares and walked out of the room, not wanting to make a scene. His sister's health was far more precious to Avan than his grudge.

Rayhein sat down near Lilly on the bed, gently caressing her head while barely touching her. Ullie looked at him with gentle eyes, glad that Rayhein was here to visit Lilly.

"Mom, I'm here to visit Lilly, but I need to talk to you for a few moments about her," Ray said, carefully planning out how to have the conversation. He had to lie, but it was for his sister's sake, at least for now.