At the same time, inside the Astralis Empire. Yereah sat in his office, carefully comparing the two files in his hands. Two names were printed on the covers. Darius. Draven. He rubbed his temples, his expression filled with helpless frustration. When is that man finally coming back? Over this stretch of time, every traceable signal connected to Darius had gone dark. Neither Carl nor Phantom had been able to uncover a single lead. Based on the conclusions drawn by Evelyn and Preston, however, there was a strong chance he had gone looking for Thora. And according to reports, Thora had already gone to take part in the Blue Star Military Academy selection. If that was true, then he was likely there as well.Yereah was still deep in thought when the office door suddenly swung open. He shot to his feet the instant he saw the person entering. Behind his rimless glasses, his eyes widened in disbelief. "You… who are you exactly?" The newcomer smiled with a trace of roguish ease. "Who do you think?" The familiar tone immediately eased Yereah's nerves. Thank goodness. It was still the man he knew. Darius took a long stride inside. Without a word, the two moved in perfect sync as Yereah followed him into the inner laboratory. Darius sat down with practiced familiarity in front of one of the instruments. Yereah stepped forward and connected several transparent tubes to his head. Darius frowned briefly, then lay back, going completely still, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. Yereah spared him a glance before focusing fully on the machine, pen moving swiftly as he recorded the data. Two hours later, Darius slowly opened his eyes. The harsh white light made him narrow them slightly. The familiar scent of antiseptic steadied his thoughts. Still lying in the chair, he asked in a calm voice, "Well?" Yereah looked from the analysis report to Darius. "His conscious activity is stronger than it has ever been. In all these years, this is the first time I've seen fluctuations at this level. Before this, his consciousness was dormant under the seal placed by the elders of the Nightclaw Pack. Now he's awake, and he's urgently trying to break free." "And he's growing. When he first appeared, his mental age was about seven. Last time, it was 13. Now he's already 15. If this continues, his conscious activity will only grow more intense." Yereah found it almost unbelievable. That another consciousness could actually grow on its own defied everything he knew. The Blackwoods of the Nightclaw Pack were truly extraordinary. Even the mate they chose was exceptional. To this day, he still could not explain how Thora possessed such a near-bug-level, flawless physical constitution. A cold curve touched Darius' lips. "I can feel it." Yereah frowned. "Darius, you know that in essence, he is you." Darius' eyes darkened. He said nothing, but the sharpness in his gaze grew more severe. Yereah spoke carefully. "Maybe you should try to accept it. He's another version of you." The moment the words left his mouth, an overwhelming Alpha pressure flooded the room. Yereah shuddered despite himself. As expected. On a subconscious level, Darius refused to acknowledge that existence. "Give me the report," Darius ordered, his tone absolute. Yereah immediately handed it over with both hands.Darius scanned the analysis at a glance. His expression darkened. "No matter how much he grows, I will not allow him to surface on his own. Yereah, you know what needs to be done." He would never allow Draven to appear before Thora, to approach her, to take her away. And even more so, he would never allow him to harm her. Yereah knew that once Darius made a decision, there was no changing it. He could only nod. "But you need to understand this. If your will weakens, or if you yourself allow it, he will emerge." He let out a quiet sigh. "The two of you coexisted peacefully for a long time before this. This time… it's probably Thora who truly stirred his jealousy." Like a child fighting over a toy. Except this "child" wielded a level of power that made him genuinely terrifying.