After a moment of silence, the first man in black rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stared at the box. He said, "What you're saying might actually be true. "According to the notes our ancestor left behind, if this box is opened, whatever is inside will fly out on its own. Something that magical really could be what they're after.""No kidding!" the second man retorted, his voice laced with impatience. "Why else would we go through the trouble of using the old portrait instead of opening the box for a fresh picture? If the notes are right and it flies away, we'd be left with nothing but regrets."He licked his lips and added, "If this actually works out, it'll all be worth killing those six idiots in the family. That took some effort, didn't it?"Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang, and a gust of wind swept through the room. Before the two men could even react, they collapsed unconscious on the floor. When the dust settled, the only thing missing was the box on the tabl
"Felix?" Asher scoffed at the name, his expression filled with disdain. "You've got to be kidding me. Those two were Aetherial Realm experts! "To steal from them, someone must be at least Oceanus Realm, if not higher. Are you seriously saying Felix is already at that level?"The old man's smile did not falter as he shifted his gaze to Aiden, completely ignoring Asher as though he did not exist."If you could watch everything unfold, why didn't you step in to grab the box yourself? Or better yet, kill Felix?" Aiden asked, remaining calm and composed as if the entire conversation was a casual chat. He continued, "Are you perhaps some kind of friend of his?"The old man clapped his hands twice, the sound breaking the tension in the room. "Impressive," he said with genuine admiration. "The infamous prodigy of the Greene family. Unshaken even in the face of chaos. I respect that."He paused before adding, "Due to certain... circumstances, I couldn't attack Felix myself. My role was
Felix had been so excited last night that he completely forgot to text Melissa and let her know he would not make it to work. After all, once the refining process started, he could not stop, even if he wanted to. It was supposed to take a full day and night, but to his surprise, it went much faster than expected." Looks like you've just decided to throw in the towel," Melissa huffed as Felix walked into the clinic.Before he could respond, five men with menacing expressions barged into the clinic."Who's the doctor here?" one of them demanded.Felix glanced up calmly. "That would be me. Are you here for treatment?"The group leader, a young man, stormed over and grabbed Felix by the collar. "So you're the doctor? You've got some nerve, being this young and running a clinic! I'm shutting this place down today."Felix stayed calm, but Melissa was not having it. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Explain yourself!" she snapped.The young man sneered, motioning for someone to st
Without warning, the middle-aged man struck a palm through the air toward Felix.Caught off guard, Felix barely had time to raise his arms to block. The impact sent him, chair and all, staggering several feet back with a loud thud.Blood spurted from Felix's mouth, and his face turned ashen."Felix!" Melissa cried out in panic, rushing toward him. The middle-aged man, however, didn't even flinch. He simply turned around and left, making no further moves."I'm fine. I don't think he was trying to kill me," Felix said, shooting Melissa a meaningful glance as he spoke.Was he telling her to keep quiet? Feeling confused, Melissa said, "Despite the situation, you're still worried about me saying too much?""Are we just going to let this slide? Call the police!" she suggested, trying to play along, even if she didn't fully understand his intent."There's no need for that. Just help me sit down," Felix replied.A street away, Asher and Aiden sat in the back seat of a car. The middle-a
It was clear that Queenie was well-liked. She and Willow chatted like old friends, their conversation free of any awkwardness."Oh, is that so? That must've slipped my mind. Everyone, please sit," Clement said warmly, raising his glass."Our previous neighbors were all elderly folks. My wife and I are pretty sociable, so it's great to finally have a group like this together. Let me start things off with a toast!"The others joined in, raising their glasses. Felix smiled and added, "From now on, just call me Felix. Calling me 'Dr. Zeller' feels too formal. We're all neighbors here."As the drinks kept flowing, Clement reached for the wine decanter again."Honey, you need to slow down!" Willow said hurriedly. "You've got that business trip to Yartford tomorrow.""Relax! Don't you know my tolerance by now? Don't kill the mood!" he replied.Without pushing further, Willow got up and left the room to settle the bill. She knew how things would play out—Clement would drink too much,
Willow and Queenie gasped in fear as Clement charged forward. He raised his fist, only to have a knife pressed against his neck."Playing the hero? Look around. Do you think you're a match for all of us?" Zechariah taunted.Meanwhile, Felix had quietly emerged from the restroom. No one noticed his return.He assessed the situation calmly. With his skills, he could have easily intervened and neutralized the threat in moments, but he chose not to. Clement needed this moment—to stand his ground as a man and protect his pride. Felix also had his own priorities. He was the one seeking help from Clement and had to tread carefully.He was considering intervening when he spotted a familiar figure loitering near the doorway."Huxley," Felix called out with a faint smile.Huxley, who had been enjoying the spectacle, froze. When he turned and saw Felix, his legs nearly gave way."F-Felix?" he stammered.Huxley was usually the type to rush into a fight, but ever since his traumatic encou
Huxley was standing beside Zechariah after he hung up the call, trembling with fear."I'm serious. Clement really does have a friend who knows Mr. Gray," he said nervously, following Felix's instructions word for word.But Zechariah wasn't having it. To his surprise, Zechariah swung a hard slap across Huxley's face."Bullshit! If Clement had a friend like that, would he still be groveling at the bank and begging for a measly loan?"Kurt was no minor figure. In a city like Gray City, there was probably not more than ten people who could afford to disrespect him. For someone like him, getting a loan approved was child's play."I know you're friends with Clement, but if you keep talking nonsense, don't blame me for what happens next!" Zechariah snapped.At that moment, Felix walked in, his expression calm as ever."Huxley was giving you some good advice. However, it doesn't seem like you're accepting it," Felix said casually."Huh?" Zechariah glanced at him sideways, sizing him up
"The Jacobs family? You must really know Yartford inside out. So much so that you can tell who lives at every address you see." Felix joked.Suddenly, Felix froze. "Wait a minute, which Jacobs family are you talking about?"George shot him a wry smile. "The Jacobs family at the top of the Eight Great Martial Families. Apart from them, there's no other Jacobs family worth remembering."Felix was stunned. After all, with the Scarlet Thread still in him, he was walking straight into a trap."Isn't the top of the Eight Great Martial Families in Yartford the Crayden family?" Felix asked. "Each city only has one family from the Eight Great Martial Families, so how could the Jacobs family and Crayden family both be in Yartford?"George explained, "You're right, Felix. The Jacobs family in Yartford isn't the main branch. It's just where some of the older members of the family go to retire. It shouldn't really be the case, but the Jacobs family is so powerful that the Crayden family doesn'
Tammy's grandmother, Gloria Locke, asked nervously, "Is… is Tammy not doing well in school?" Felix smiled. "Not at all! Tammy is doing great. I'm just here for a visit. Please don't worry."After chatting for a while, Felix excused himself and went downstairs. According to Tammy, the people threatening them had told them to leave today, or they would take drastic measures."Go back upstairs, Tammy. I'll handle the rest. I promise they won't disturb you and your grandma again," Felix promised.Tammy was moved by his actions and thanked him."I meant what I said earlier. If you get into college, I'll sponsor you with a hundred thousand dollars a year until you graduate." Felix smiled.Felix admired Tammy's resilience. He was cautious not to give her too much money all at once, fearing it might spoil her. He planned to continue supporting her once she entered the workforce."Thank you, Felix. I'll work hard!" Tammy planned to skip college, telling Gloria she failed the entrance e
When Felix arrived at the clinic, he saw a teenage girl sitting nervously while Melissa tried talking with her.The girl was simply dressed and seemed incredibly shy."I'm Felix Zeller. Are you looking for me?" he asked curiously. He had never seen this girl before and was even more confused about who her sister might be.When she heard his name, the girl shot to her feet, flustered. "Hello, Felix."Felix tried to appear as kind and approachable as possible. "Don't be nervous. What's your sister's name? How does she know me?"The girl seemed to struggle with her words and finally pulled out her phone to play a video. "Hello, future brother-in-law. Tammy is an acquaintance. If she's ever in trouble, please lend her a hand. I'm not around anymore."Cynthia? Felix was speechless. He had never expected that the sister Tammy referred to would be Cynthia."I do know Cynthia. Tell me what's wrong, and I'll help you." It didn't matter to Felix where Cynthia was from. She had helped him
"There is a way. That woman told me that if I could find a husband to defeat her brother, she'd give me the antidote. The only condition is that my husband cannot be from our place," Nala explained.Felix understood everything. "Is that why you targeted me? Did you think I could win the antidote for you?"Nala nodded. "Yes. I didn't think much of anyone from this part of town before. But then you appeared and won my heart."Felix studied her carefully. "Here's the deal. I'll ask for your help if I ever need it. In return, I'll defeat her brother as your husband and get you the antidote. After that, we'll be even."Though Nala was excited, she felt her heart clench. "Is that it? Can't we go further in our relationship?"Judging by his gaze, she knew it wasn't because of her appearance."At least for now, it's not possible. I'm going to bed." Felix waved her off.The next day, Nala went to the clinic early. Felix, who slept in until past 9:00 am, was startled to find Averill besid
While looking into those bright eyes, Felix, who intended to brush things off, finally admitted it. "Yes, it's me."Xena waved her hand dismissively, silently telling him to leave.Felix couldn't figure out what was going on in Xena's mind. He didn't know if Willow's letter affected her.For some reason, Felix felt a sense of relief. He had done what he could—the rest didn't matter.By the time he returned to Gray City, night had fallen. Nala greeted him, "Welcome back. Come eat."The timing was perfect, and Felix didn't question it since he was hungry. "Thank you."After finishing his meal, Felix stopped Nala from doing the dishes. "You gave up everything to be with me. Is it truly out of love?"Nala thought for a moment. "Not entirely. At the very least, I do care about you."Nala was being genuine, that was if she ignored Felix's abilities and his overly protective mother.However, Felix shook his head. "You don't even dare to show me your face. You should leave. There's no
"Have you forgotten what I always taught you? The Greene family never fights a battle without certainty. Send an expert to test Felix's abilities first—just testing, mind you, nothing lethal," Meredith instructed.Aiden nodded in understanding. "Yes, Grandma."…At Xena's residence in Yartford, Felix sat silently on the couch until Xena broke the silence. She said, "About your earlier situation, you don't need to worry for now. "While you're on assignment, headquarters will protect your family members, and since you have no acknowledged relatives, this protection extends to your friends."Felix looked up with interest. "Is that really possible?"Xena nodded. "Yes, I've authorized it personally. No matter how powerful they are, the Greene family wouldn't dare openly defy headquarters. "You can rest assured about that. However, how you resolve your conflict with them after the mission is your own business."How to resolve it? Through elimination, of course! Now that his anger h
Aiden made a subtle hand gesture behind his back. He and Meredith knew that someone like Felix, who would not even acknowledge his own father, would never respect the Greene family's authority.They had not really brought him here to treat Meredith's condition—their true intention was to eliminate Felix. The Greene family had always been ruthless—if someone could not be controlled, what was the point of letting them live? This was especially true since Felix carried Greene blood but refused to serve the family's interests.However, Felix's Dragon Knight status complicated matters. Since it was an official position appointed by headquarters, killing such a person would mean directly opposing the organization—something even the Greene family could not afford."What do you think you're doing, Felix?" Aiden asked with a barely concealed smirk. He had deliberately used Felix's friends to provoke him into attacking first, which would give the Greene family legitimate grounds for retal
No one showed Felix where to go, with only Asher standing beside him as they waited for Aiden to return."Felix, don't be so stubborn. You can't fight the inevitable! You should be grateful that Grandma is willing to let you return to the Greene family," Asher urged, but Felix remained silent."If it weren't for Uncle Victor, do you think I'd be this patient with you? Today is your best chance—if you cure Grandma, you'll prove your worth, and no one will oppose your return to the family."When Felix continued ignoring him, Asher finally became quiet. Ten minutes later, Aiden appeared, pushing a wheelchair, followed by over a dozen impressive-looking individuals.Felix studied the elderly woman in the wheelchair. Despite her silver hair, her skin showed remarkably few wrinkles—a testament to decades of careful maintenance. "Grandma, this is Felix Zeller," Aiden announced.Meredith Armstrong, the Greene family matriarch, did not even bother to flash a smile. She said coldly, "Vict
Felix could not understand why these two had shown up again, especially since his dealings at the Obsidian Auction with the Dragonspine should have left no traces."I won't say it twice," Asher warned, but Aiden ignored him and turned to the woman instead."What seems to be the problem?" Aiden asked, his demeanor commanding respect.Intimidated by Aiden's imposing presence, the woman reluctantly answered, "I have a terrible headache."Aiden snapped his fingers, and his men immediately placed stacks of cash on the table. "Here's 100 thousand dollars. It's all yours—how's your headache now?"The woman excitedly clutched the money to her chest, backing toward the door with a broad smile. "It's gone! The pain is completely gone! Thank you so much!" In the inner room, Melissa felt furious even without seeing what happened. She would have stormed out to confront them if Nala had not held her back."Felix, isn't my way of treating patients faster and more effective than yours?" Aiden
"We still can't confirm if he's really from the Bronze Age over 2000 years ago," Felix mumbled thoughtfully.Everyone studied Benjamin carefully, finding it hard to believe. Yet, considering that his body had been used for ancient alchemical experiments by the greatest mystics of the time, it was not entirely impossible."I'm sure I'll have a way to verify it once we're back in Dragonia," Felix added confidently.At dawn, Felix and Nala were set to return home while Selmer stayed behind. The plan was for Reagan to gather the Steele family that night, eliminate them all, and then return. They were not worried about the Elders' Council for now, as Felix's betrayal would not be discovered anytime soon."Thank you for everything," Felix said on the private jet, still feeling guilty about the night's events. "Don't mention it. I've already decided to pursue you, so helping you is only natural," Nala replied simply.Felix frowned at her words. "A relationship between us is impossible.