Hosan had just left, vanishing into the distance together with several of the shadow troops that obeyed his command.

David's gaze lingered on the window for a moment before he slowly bent forward. Morning light slipped gently through the gap in the curtains, spilling into the room in faint rays. The golden shafts of light caught on the thin layer of dust floating in the air, making the particles swirl as if they were performing a slow and silent dance.

For a brief instant, David's hand clenched tightly against the fabric of his trousers, as though trying to suppress the weight of thoughts pressing against his chest. Only after a long pause did he finally turn around.

Without uttering a word, David bent lower and carefully lifted Kareeza, who was still lying motionless on the floor. He carried her in his arms, not unlike the way a father would cradle his infant child. The gentleness of his movements amplified the heavy silence that hung in the room, a silence that felt almost deafening after the chaotic storm that had torn through it only moments earlier. His shoulders sagged slightly as he held the small figure, betraying a kind of reluctance even though his grip remained steady and cautious.

He stared at her for quite a while in his arms, his eyes narrowed with a trace of disdain.

I never thought I would have to do something like this for a child of the djinn, he muttered inwardly.

His fingers drummed softly against Kareeza's arm, a small, almost childish gesture that revealed the irritation he tried so hard to keep buried.

Kareeza, however, looked utterly unbothered. She had fallen into a deep sleep, her small face resting peacefully against him. She looked almost adorable in her slumber, an expression of pure tranquility that sharply contrasted with the shards of broken glass, the overturned furniture, and the general wreckage scattered all around them.

"Ru... ri..." Kareeza mumbled faintly, her lips barely moving. Her quiet breathing, steady and soft, filled David's ears and made the moment feel strangely suffocating. She was dreaming—dreaming of something, or perhaps of someone.

David drew in a long breath, filling his lungs until it almost ached, then slowly exhaled, as if releasing a heavy burden he could not name.

Shifting his attention to the far side of the room, he carried Kareeza toward a small wooden cabinet that stood beside his bed. His steps were deliberate, steady, every movement revealing a cold determination.

He slid open one of the drawers and withdrew a peculiar object from within—a stone, marbled black and white, faintly glowing. It shimmered with a muted light, not like something that radiated brilliance, but rather like something that devoured the surrounding illumination, only to return it as a cold and lifeless gleam.

David's brows furrowed slightly as the stone trembled within the palm of his hand.

"From now on, you're a soldier. Forget every trace of the past you once clung to. Stop acting like a spoiled child." His voice was low, almost a whisper, as he pushed magical energy into the stone.

Black-and-white energy rippled from his hand, seeping into the stone. The air around him vibrated faintly, producing a sound like fragile glass on the verge of breaking.

His arm tensed, veins rising visibly along his wrist as the current of energy continued to surge.

And then—

CKRACKK!

The air split apart. A dimensional fissure, roughly the size of a door, ripped open in the middle of the room. The dark oval stretched outward, a blackened tear that revealed nothing but void within. The light from the room was immediately drawn toward it, making the shadows of furniture elongate grotesquely, twisting across the floor and walls in shapes that seemed almost alive.

David's eyes fixed on the dimensional crack. He lowered his head slightly, closing his eyes as he began to recite a particular chant. His lips moved in quiet rhythm, murmuring words spoken in a voice so low it was not meant for human ears. It was a sound only he, and the beings that should never have existed in the human world, could understand.

From within the rift came a low rumble, like distant thunder muffled beneath the earth. And then—

SKWUSHHH!

A massive blue tentacle emerged slowly, pushing through the tear in reality. Its slimy surface gleamed wetly under the dim light, viscous fluids dripping from it. Every drop that splattered onto the marble floor hissed and smoked faintly, releasing a pungent, fishy stench that immediately saturated the air.

David opened his eyes. He stared with a muted gaze, his expression calm but with the faint shadow of disgust flickering across his features. He turned his face briefly aside, pushing away the repulsion, before looking forward again without flinching.

"Discipline her," he commanded flatly, his tone as cold as iron. His chin lifted slightly, a gesture of absolute authority.

GRAB!

The tentacle lunged forward, wrapping around Kareeza's body with swift precision. It tore her gently but firmly from David's hold and began pulling her into the dimensional rift. Slowly, inexorably, the void consumed her small figure.

Bit by bit, the rift closed upon itself. Within seconds, it was gone, vanishing as if it had never been there. A sickening suction sound echoed briefly in the room, followed by silence. The quiet that returned was even heavier than before, as though the space itself had grown colder.

David stood unmoving, his face a mask of indifference.

"You are a soldier now, Kareeza. You will learn restraint. You will learn obedience. Only then will I be able to command you whenever I want." His words were calm, measured, and merciless. His gaze swept across the room, now a battlefield of wreckage, remnants of Kareeza's earlier rampage.

He lifted a hand to his temple and rubbed it slowly, shaking his head faintly.

The overturned chair, the cracked table, the shattered vase on the floor—each fragment stood as silent witness to the storm that had just ended.

A sigh escaped him. He still had school to attend this morning, yet his day had already been marred by two unpleasant encounters: first Yura's slap, and now Kareeza's outburst.

His eyes carried a weary light, the kind of exhaustion that suggested the world demanded too much from someone his age—someone who should not have been forced to carry such burdens. His shoulders drooped, his body slumped slightly forward as he stared blankly up at the ceiling.

Just as he was about to summon his shadow troops once more—

DUGH. DUGH!!

"Daviiid! Are you there?!"

A series of sharp knocks rattled the door, accompanied by Vianna's anxious shout. The sound pierced through the grim atmosphere, yanking him abruptly back into the present reality.

David let out a small huff, the corner of his lips twitching faintly into something that resembled a smirk before he turned toward the door.

He buried his face in both hands, as if trying to erase the remnants of everything that had just transpired. By the time he lowered them, the expression that had been tense and grim only moments earlier had softened into something bright, almost cheerful—an expression he had perfected, the face he chose to show his family.

---

Meanwhile, outside the room—

Vianna had just arrived in front of David's bedroom door, a place she suddenly realized she had not visited for quite some time. Or perhaps, if she thought more carefully, had she ever truly set foot here since David started staying in this particular part of the house?

That thought troubled her for a moment, stirring a faint unease, but she quickly dismissed it. There was no way she had never been here before, and yet the sense of unfamiliarity pressed on her all the same.

Still, such musings mattered little compared to the worry gnawing at her heart right now. What mattered was David. Though on one hand she felt a small measure of relief—the faint trace of dark, ominous energy she had sensed earlier was no longer present—her anxiety still lingered stubbornly.

Unable to bear it any longer, she raised her fist and knocked firmly on the door.

"David! David! Open the door! Are you alright in there?!" she called, her voice tight with urgency as her other hand tried to push the door open with a bit of force.

BEEP!

A soft chime rang from the digital intercom device fixed to the wall.

"What's wrong, sis? I'm just getting ready. Give me a second," came David's calm reply through the speaker.

"Really? Are you… are you truly okay?" Vianna pressed again, her tone betraying her worry.

"What do you mean, sis? I'm fine. Perfectly fine," David answered, his voice light and almost puzzled, as if he genuinely did not understand why she was so worked up. In truth, he was carefully masking everything that had taken place.

Hearing that, Vianna felt her nerves loosen a little. The oppressive energy she had sensed earlier had slightly vanished, and although questions still piled at the back of her mind, she decided to remain silent for the moment and wait.

Not long after, the door clicked open. David appeared before her, and through the small gap she could see a portion of his room. Nothing looked particularly strange—certainly nothing alarming enough to explain the heavy dread she had felt earlier.

"What's the matter, sis? It's been a while since you came here," David asked, deliberately steering the conversation far away from the earlier commotion. He knew that the racket from his room must have been felt by Vianna, as surely as Uncle Acok and Dedy had noticed as well.

His eyes scanned quickly and confirmed that only Vianna had come. There was no sign of anyone else approaching. That could only mean Sappe had succeeded in diverting Uncle Acok, Dedy, and the other bodyguards elsewhere.

"Ah… David, are you really alright?" Vianna stepped closer, her hands reaching out almost instinctively to check him. She brushed her fingers lightly over his face, down to his shoulders and chest, before cupping both of his cheeks firmly in her palms. Her worried inspection left David a little short of breath.

"Ugh—Sis! What are you doing? I'm not a little kid anymore, you can't treat me like this," he protested with forced playfulness, gently prying her hands away.

"I'm fine, really. Why are you asking me that? Did something happen?" he said once her hands finally released him.

Vianna only chuckled softly in response. No matter how much he grew, no matter how much time passed, she would always see David as her younger brother.

"Ahaha…" Her small laugh escaped her lips, carrying with it a wave of relief, as though her frantic dash here that morning had not been in vain. "No, nothing happened. Maybe I was just… dreaming?" she offered, inventing an excuse rather than explaining the strange occurrence that had left the household in panic. "Well, that's good then. I'm glad you're fine."

"Heh? What's that supposed to mean, sis?" David replied, feigning annoyance at her evasive answer. Inwardly, though, he was relieved. This meant the incident remained hidden, and the chance of his shadow troops being exposed had diminished for now.

But just as that relief began to take hold, reality struck him once more.

"What's that?!" Vianna's voice suddenly rose in alarm as her eyes darted toward David's window. From the narrow gap between the curtains that opened onto the balcony, she caught sight of something shifting outside, and her whole body tensed in response.

David spun around instantly.

Through the narrow gap of the curtains by the window, both of them could see faint movements—dark shadows clashing violently just beyond the edge of their sight.

"David, get out of here right now!" Vianna shouted, panic evident in her voice as she shoved him roughly aside.

Without another word, she dashed forward, using David's room as her route of entry.

BRAKKK!!

The door slammed wide open under her forceful push, and before her eyes—

A faint protective barrier shimmered across the space, obscuring her view somewhat, but not enough to hide what lay within. Inside the barrier, countless black shadows writhed and clashed.

From somewhere deep within, the ground shuddered faintly, sending a vibration through the air strong enough to throw Vianna slightly off balance.

David's eyes widened at the sight, his panic rising sharply. He rushed closer, his thoughts boiling.

Are they insane? Why would they reveal themselves here?! he cursed inwardly, furious at his shadow troops.

At the same time, Al—who had just delivered his final line in the previous chapter—shifted his gaze slightly, noticing a figure emerging at the edge of his vision.

Vianna had appeared, striding onto the scene.

And so, it seemed that what awaited them next… was a three-way battle ?

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