Chapter 13: Ravenspire Vine

Evan’s lips parted as he tried to understand the meaning behind his father’s words.

"What do you mean?" He frowned. "All these past two years, since my power became imbalanced, you knew... The Guide Committee sent five Guides to stabilize me every time I went into Rampage..."

"Five?" Luke scoffed. "Even fifty Guides couldn’t enter your Rampage state!"

Evan’s expression changed, "What?"

Luke’s gaze remained cold as he stared at his son. "Do you really think the Guides they sent could get anywhere near you?"

Evan fell silent. He had always assumed that was how it worked.

Whenever his Sentinel energy became too unstable, the Committee would send several high-ranked Guides to assist with his recovery. He had never questioned it because every time he woke up, he was already in the hospital, his Sentinel energy stabilized and his Rampage had ended.

But if what Luke was saying was true...

"Then how did I come back?"

Luke didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his gaze slowly shifted toward Sloane.

Evan followed his gaze. His mother’s face had already gone pale.

"Mother?"

Sloane lowered her eyes, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her clothes.

Luke finally spoke, his gaze shifting toward Alexandra, who had remained quiet all this time. "Your mother pulled you back..."

Evan followed his father’s gaze and immediately locked his eyes on Alexandra.

"What mother?" His voice turned cold. "I have only one."

His gaze hardened as he looked at Luke, "And stop this bullshit. If fifty Guides couldn’t stop me, then how could she? She’s merely reached an A-rank Guide."

Alexandra lowered her head, her expression pale and fragile as if Evan’s words had hurt her deeply, but she didn’t say a single word.

Luke frowned, "You think you know what happened every time you went into Rampage?"

Evan’s eyes narrowed. "Then tell me."

Luke glanced toward Alexandra again, "Whenever your Sentinel energy became unstable, she was the one who helped pull you back before the other Guides could stabilize you."

Evan stared at him before scoffing with laughter, "That’s impossible."

"Believe it or not, those are the facts."

"No." Evan shook his head. "There is no way an A-rank Guide could enter my Rampage when even the others couldn’t."

Alexandra’s fingers curled slightly against her lap. She remained silent because Evan was right.

She had never entered his Rampage the way everyone believed. And she certainly had no intention of telling them what she had actually done. She needed them to believe that she was the one keeping Evan alive, because as long as they remained indebted to her, she could secure her place in this household and protect Leon’s position.

Luke continued, completely unaware of the secret Alexandra had kept for years.

"Whatever method she used, it worked. You always became still long enough for the other Sentinels to restrain you and bring you to the hospital."

Evan’s expression darkened. "And you believed that was enough?"

Luke frowned. "You survived every time, didn’t you?"

Evan fell silent.

He couldn’t remember what happened during his Rampages. None of them. Once his Sentinel power completely overwhelmed his consciousness, everything became a blank space until he woke up again in the hospital.

But there had always been something strange about those moments.

He couldn’t remember a voice, a face, or even a single word clearly. It was simply a faint feeling that remained after he woke, as though someone had been there with him in the darkness.

He had never thought much about it before.

Until last night. Last night, there was someone there. He was almost sure about it.

After thinking for a moment, his eyes turned sharp as they shifted toward Alexandra.

"Well, how much do you need for... saving me?" His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Because I’m sure you wouldn’t do it just for my sake..." His lips curled into a faint smirk. "And don’t worry, you wouldn’t need to care anymore, because I will bring my Fated Guide next time."

"What do you mean?" Luke’s voice became firm the moment he heard Evan’s words.

"Well, respectfully as my father, I will invite you to my Fated Bonding Ceremony with my Fated Guide next week—"

"I said, what do you mean?!" Luke’s voice thundered across the dining room.

Luke’s expression darkened as he stared at Evan.

"That girl is nothing but a mere citizen with zero Guiding energy! She has no rank, no power, and no ability to protect herself. How could someone like her possibly Guide you?"

Evan’s eyes narrowed, but Luke did not stop.

"You are an SSS-rank Sentinel, Evan. The strongest Sentinel in the Empire. Do you really think a useless girl who cannot even survive an Anomaly outbreak belongs beside you?"

Sloane’s fingers tightened around the fabric of her clothes. She knew exactly who Luke was talking about, and every word struck somewhere deeper than she wanted to admit.

Luke’s voice became even colder, "She is not a Guide. She is not a Sentinel. She is nothing special at all. If she hadn’t been born into that Guide family, she would have nothing to her name."

Sloane’s face slowly paled.

"Luke..." she whispered.

But Luke ignored her.

"Do you know what happens when people find out that the strongest Sentinel in the Empire has a Fated Guide who is nothing more than a powerless citizen?" His eyes hardened. "They will laugh at you. They will question your judgment. They will say the Caesar family’s strongest Sentinel was bound to someone who cannot even contribute anything to his survival."

Evan remained silent, his expression becoming colder with every word.

Luke stepped closer, "And you still want to bring her into this household?" His gaze swept over Evan with disappointment, "She will only become a weakness you have to protect."

Sloane’s eyes trembled. That sentence hurt more than she expected.

Not because Luke was insulting Lumi alone, but because she suddenly heard the same words that had followed her for years.

A citizen... powerless and a weakness. Someone who needed to be protected rather than someone worth standing beside.

For a moment, she could almost see herself in the girl Luke was condemning. She lowered her eyes, trying to hide the pain on her face.

Evan noticed. His gaze shifted toward his mother, and something inside his chest tightened.

Then he slowly turned back toward Luke. "You’re talking about her as if she’s meant to be dead the moment she becomes my fated guide."

Luke frowned. "What?"

Evan’s voice remained frighteningly calm.

"You keep saying she can’t survive beside me." His eyes sharpened. "But you haven’t even seen what she can do."

"She has zero Guiding energy!" Luke snapped. "What else is there to see?"

Evan’s lips curled into a faint smile.

"There is..." he said quietly, "she guided me last night."

Luke’s expression immediately changed. "That’s impossible."

"I know." Evan’s voice remained calm as he looked at his father. "I know she has zero Guiding energy. I know she is only a mere citizen according to every record you have."

His smile slowly faded. "But I also know what happened to me last night."

Luke stared at him, his expression darkening. "And you still intend to make her your Fated Guide?"

"Yes." Evan didn’t hesitate. "I don’t care what you think she is." He stepped toward Sloane and gently took hold of her arm. "I know what I experienced."

Sloane looked at him with worry in her eyes. "Evan..."

"Let’s go, Mother." He pulled her gently toward his side before turning toward the stairs. "You’ve stayed here long enough for today."

Sloane hesitated for a moment, but eventually followed him.

Evan didn’t bother looking back at Luke.

"And just so we’re clear..." He paused at the bottom of the stairs. "My Fated Bonding Ceremony is happening next week."

With that, he walked upstairs with Sloane, leaving the dining room in complete silence.

Alexandra remained seated at the table, her fingers trembling slightly against her lap. Her eyes were lowered, and her expression looked almost pitiful. "I... I didn’t know this would become like this."

Luke turned toward her.

Alexandra quickly shook her head, tears already gathering in her eyes. "I only wanted to help Evan. I never wanted to cause a problem between father and son..."

Her voice trembled as she lowered her head. "Perhaps... perhaps we shouldn’t have mentioned about me helping him before."

Luke’s expression remained dark.

Alexandra bit her lip before hesitating. "But... there might be another way."

Luke looked at her. "Another way?"

Alexandra nodded slowly, "If Evan truly believes that girl pulled him out of his Rampage, then perhaps we should find out whether she really can."

Her expression remained timid, almost reluctant, as though she were afraid of suggesting something dangerous. "There is an Anomaly plant stored in the research facility. The researchers call it the Ravenspire Vine."

Luke frowned.

Alexandra continued softly, "Its spores interfere with a Sentinel’s energy regulation. Normally, the effect is harmless because a stable Sentinel can suppress it easily. But for someone whose Sentinel energy is already unstable..."

She stopped, letting the implication hang in the air, "It could trigger another imbalance."

Luke’s eyes narrowed.

Alexandra immediately looked worried. "I’m not saying we should hurt Evan. Of course not." Her fingers tightened around her sleeve. "But if the girl really can Guide him despite having no Guiding energy, then this would give us proof."

She lowered her gaze, "And if she can’t..."

Alexandra’s voice became even softer. "Then perhaps Evan will finally understand why everyone has been trying to protect him from this Fated Bond."