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  • Chapter 12 : Guardian

    Chapter by LEOWOLF · 08 Jun 2026
  • While Grace slept, Cassandra had a deep conversation with Elias. Elias revealed why he was so determined to fight against Brood God. In recounting past cases, Elias uncovered a shocking truth that left Cassandra reeling.
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  • Chapter 12 Guardian

    The darkness before dawn was the deepest.

    In the isolation room of the underground fortress, there were no windows — only a dim emergency bulb on the ceiling emitted a faint glow. Grace had finally fallen into a deep sleep from extreme exhaustion. She curled up on the narrow single bed, with tear stains still on her cheeks, clutching the silver cross tightly to her chest like a final fragile shield.

    Cassandra sat on the edge of the bed, quietly gazing at Grace’s sleeping face. Grace’s eyelashes were still damp, her brows slightly furrowed, unable to fully let go of her worries even in her dreams. Cassandra reached out and gently brushed away the tears on her face with her fingertips, the gesture tender almost to the point of reverence.

    She leaned down and placed a light kiss on Grace’s forehead, then slowly stood up and quietly left the isolation room.

    The central hall of the basement was dimly lit, with only a few work lights still on. Elias Crowe sat alone at the long table, his back looking exceptionally weary. He had taken off his lab coat and wore only an old, faded dark gray sweater. His shoulders were slightly hunched, his graying hair disheveled, glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose. Dark circles and bloodshot eyes marked his face. His right hand unconsciously pressed against his temple, while his left held a cup of long-cold coffee. His knuckles were white from tension. He looked like a steel wire stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

    Cassandra walked over quietly.

    Elias jerked his head up. His alert eyes softened into weary gentleness once he recognized her.

    “Still not sleeping?” His voice was hoarse, rough as if scraped by sandpaper.

    “I can’t sleep,” Cassandra said as she sat down across from him. “I want to know… how you started all this research. The real reason.”

    Elias remained silent for a long time. A look of hesitation crossed his face repeatedly before finally turning into a heavy, painful sigh. He pushed the cold coffee aside and clasped his hands on the table, his knuckles turning white from the force.

    “…Because of my wife, Elena.”

    His voice nearly broke when he spoke her name.

    “We had only been married for four months. She was twenty-eight then, about to pursue her postdoctoral studies. She was so …
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