Marcus looked at Alaric with genuine gratitude. "Thanks." "No problem," Alaric replied. His gaze shifted to Emma. "Helping you is my honor." His hand still held hers as he continued, "Even though you're okay for now, I still need to run a full checkup. We have to figure out what caused this so we know how to treat it." She nodded. "Thanks for doing that." Marcus lingered nearby and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?" Alaric shook his head and pulled several intricate instruments from his storage band. The moment they appeared, they hovered in the air, glowing with a soft blue light. "These are the latest medical tools I just developed. They'll let me examine your body without you feeling a thing," Alaric explained, fingers moving deftly over the lightcore on his wrist. His fingers darted across the virtual display, sending a cascade of complex data streaming like waterfalls. The floating instruments responded to his commands, shooting beams finer than a hair. The light covered Emma from head to toe, scanning every detail with delicate precision. Marcus, Stella, and her mate all held their breath, careful not to disturb the process. Watching the instruments they had never seen before and Alaric's focused, professional profile, their trust in him deepened. The scan lasted about a minute. All the data streamed into Alaric's lightcore, forming an incredibly complex three-dimensional energy model. Alaric's brows drew together as he studied the results. He repeatedly compared the data, running calculations and double-checking. His expression was dead serious. The tension in the room grew. Marcus felt his stomach knot. He watched Alaric like a hawk, fearing any hint of bad news. Finally, Alaric looked up. He shut down the lightcore, and the instruments vanished, absorbed back into his storage band. His gaze landed on Emma, eyes carrying a mix of emotions. "Alaric, what's wrong with Ms. Tibarn?" Marcus couldn't hold back any longer and asked first.Alaric looked at him, then back at Emma. "Emma isn't sick." "Not sick?" Stella frowned. "Then, why was she feeling so bad earlier?" "Her reaction was because she's pregnant." Alaric pressed his lips together. His eyes dropped to Emma's stomach. "It's still early, but we can confirm it's Phoenix blood." She's pregnant? Phoenix blood? Marcus almost froze, hit square in the chest by the two pieces of news. He stared at Alaric, his voice shaky as he asked again, "Wait… you're saying she's pregnant? And it's Lucien's cub?" Alaric nodded. "Yeah. That's exactly it." D*mn. Marcus ground his teeth. D*mn Lucien. Not only did he steal Ms. Tibarn away, but he's also got her pregnant with his cub. "Emma, congrats! You're gonna have cubs soon." Stella didn't notice the storm of emotions crossing Marcus' complexion. She beamed as she stepped up to Emma, grabbed her hand, and looked at her with pure envy. Emma was just lying there, completely blown away by the news. I actually have cubs again? Remy hasn't even fully grown up yet, and now there's another little phoenix? … At that moment, out in the outer, another massive, desolate planet groaned under the collision of two terrifying powers. Web-like cracks instantly spread across its surface, and the next second, it shattered into countless burning fragments. A violent energy storm ripped through the area, pulverizing every asteroid in its path. At the eye of the storm, two figures recoiled from each other, landing on two enormous, distant pieces of shattered starstone. Lucien, half-kneeling on the starstone, one hand bracing against the jagged surface, gasped for air. Sweat soaked his hair and dripped down his handsome face. He stared at his hands, disbelief written all over his complexion. Across from him, Calum wasn't faring much better. He was standing, but his breathing was ragged. His expensive combat suit was slashed in several places, revealing the hard muscle underneath. He looked at Lucien, equally battered, and felt a storm of emotions churn in his chest. After pushing almost all his strength, he hadn't even managed to land a hit. This guy, he's probably already hit Rank 13, isn't he? "You've really done it. You're past level twelve," Calum said, his eyes fixed on Lucien. Lucien froze, a jolt running through him. He shook his head, still dazed, and glanced down at the golden flames swirling in his palm. They burned hotter, stronger than anything he'd ever felt before. The power inside him surged, relentless and wild, and his mind flickered with images he couldn't quite grasp. "I…" Lucien pressed his hands to his face, a sharp ache in his head. Something was coming back to him.