[An Hour Earlier]
Knock.
Hearing the knock, Mathew looked up and found his nephew standing at the doorway with a smile.
His expression softened as he said, "Ah, Adam. Come in."
Adam stepped into the old man’s office. Despite most of the company’s work now being handled by Blake, the room remained as neat and organized as ever.
Mathew still liked to wake up early, get dressed, and arrive at his office on time, as though the world would stop functioning if he were late even once.
"I believe you’re thinking something rude about me," Mathew suddenly said, catching Adam off guard.
Adam quickly shook his head. "Not at all, Uncle! I was just admiring how well-kept your office is. Everything is exactly where it should be. Even your desk is spotless and practically empty." He let out a sigh before adding, "Father is right. I should learn a thing or two from you."
Mathew hummed and asked, "Enough with the flattery. Tell me what you want."
He had seen enough of the young man’s antics to know there was a reason behind this visit.
It wasn’t to praise the office or anything of the sort. He had come to ask for a favor.
Adam flashed a sheepish smile and said, "In a little while, Dad and Mom are planning to visit Kyle. Could you help me cancel that plan? I’ve already tried talking to Dad, but he won’t budge. So I was hoping you could help me out a little...?"
Mathew’s expression darkened slightly.
"Why don’t you want them to meet Kyle?" he asked.
Not that Mathew particularly minded. In his opinion, the boy didn’t deserve this much attention to begin with. They were just a few injuries, for heaven’s sake.
Adam let out a sigh and decided to be honest.
"I actually have something important planned with him this evening. If everyone goes over to visit him, we might have to cancel it. And, Uncle, I really don’t want that to happen. So please...?"
Kyle had made his position clear. If any elders came to visit him, he wouldn’t be available to supervise Maya’s training that evening.
Adam had first tried convincing his father, but he had been reluctant to agree. After all, he had already asked Mathew to free up his schedule so they could visit Kyle together.
That was why Adam had come here instead.
Mathew remained silent for several moments.
Then he let out a quiet breath and lowered his gaze.
"It’s not a big deal. I’ll talk to him."
A hint of relief appeared on Adam’s face.
"But, Adam..." Mathew continued, lifting his eyes toward the young man.
His voice turned serious.
"If you’re going to spend time with him, try to guide him a little. Help him understand what he should do to avoid embarrassing the family’s name."
After a brief pause, he added,
"You’re a talented young man yourself. I can trust you with at least that much, can’t I?"
Adam paused for a moment, his smile fading slightly.
Looking down, he said, "I can teach him things he might not know because of his late awakening, but, Uncle..." His gaze rose, and he continued in a calm yet certain tone, "If we’re talking about being a capable Nightwalker, I feel Kyle has already surpassed me."
"Now you’re just being modest, Adam." Mathew shook his head. "You’re called a prodigy for a reason. No one else in our family possesses such a high amount of Genesis. Even Blake acknowledges the level of your magic control."
A faint, bitter smile appeared on Adam’s lips.
"Maybe. But what does that really amount to?" he asked. "When I faced a Ghoul in actual combat, I was completely crushed. My spirit broke. I was trembling and crying for help."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But your son? He’s already killed several Ghouls. And that attacker from before..." He paused. "I heard he was a special-grade, wasn’t he?"
Mathew fell silent.
Partly because of Adam’s reasoning, and partly because he knew exactly what kind of monster that special-grade had been.
Adam shook his head.
"I think I’m the one who should be asking for his guidance," he said. "Because, honestly, I feel Clan Astortia has given birth to a prodigy. Someone who will one day carve his name into the clan’s history in golden letters."
Mathew nearly choked at those words.
That boy?
A place in Astortia’s legacy?
The only thing waiting for him was eternal ruin.
Still, Mathew couldn’t be bothered arguing with a youngster.
He simply nodded and said, "I’ll speak with your father."
....
As they arrived, Amanda looked around before muttering, "Getting a training spot at the Archery Academy is no joke. Is your cousin pulling some strings through his family’s connections?"
The place had genuinely caught her by surprise.
Owned by a private organization, the academy was known for training some of the finest archers in the city. Securing a place here usually required influence rather than money, which explained her reaction.
Kyle hummed. "I don’t think so..."
Something this trivial was unlikely to earn his father’s assistance.
Amanda shrugged. "Well, let’s go in..."
She suddenly stopped when her phone began to buzz.
After parking the car, she pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
The call was from the base.
Amanda briefly looked at Kyle before answering.
"Yes, sir?"
"Amanda, where are you? Return to the base immediately. Ethan and Layena aren’t available, and a Rift has matured very close to the base. You’ll be deployed with Clara and a backup team."
Amanda sighed and leaned her head back against the car seat.
Closing her eyes she muttered,
"...Understood, sir."
After she ended the call, Kyle, who had apparently overheard enough of the conversation, asked, "Should I come with you?"
Amanda shook her head.
"If you don’t show up here, Adam will start whining. Besides, it’s not like they’d allow you to participate in this raid anyway."
Kyle let out a helpless smile.
"It’s tough being a Nightwalker."
Amanda nodded, and a faint smile appeared on her lips as well.
"Fortunately, I don’t have to make up ridiculous excuses every time I leave in a hurry anymore."
Kyle immediately understood what she meant.
There had been plenty of occasions in the past when Amanda had suddenly rushed off like this. Back then, she always came up with excuses to explain her absence. After a while, some of them had become so far-fetched that even she struggled to make them sound believable.
Now, however, there was no need for any of that.
Kyle softly said, "Drive safely, and don’t do anything reckless during the raid. Getting injured means spending the night alone in a hospital room, so let the others take the lead when necessary, okay?"
Amanda laughed helplessly.
"If you put it that way, I might just become the backup and send the actual backup team toward the Rift."
Kyle chuckled and shook his head.
The two shared a brief hug before he stepped out of the car.
Amanda waved at him one last time before driving away.
Kyle remained standing there for a few moments, watching the vehicle disappear into the distance.
Then he let out a quiet sigh and turned toward the academy.
The next instant, his body froze.
His eyes landed on a lone woman standing not far away, her gaze already fixed on him.
Maya.
A faint smile tugged at her lips as she raised a hand and waved.
’Haah...talk about being creepy...’