The cavern was quiet.
Not peaceful.
Just… empty.
The fire had burned out. The echoes of battle were gone. Only fractured stone, bloodstains, and the weight of loss remained.
Heroes moved in silence, tending to the wounded. No one spoke loudly. No one dared to break the atmosphere that had settled over them like ash.
Oliver Mark's body had been covered.
Sebastian stood beside him.
Head lowered.
"I couldn't protect you…"
No one answered.
They all carried the same guilt.
Lina sat against a cracked pillar, her hands burned from overusing her ice abilities. Her eyes were distant. Hollow.
Asher remained beside Vale.
His brother was still unconscious.
Breathing.
But unmoving.
Asher gently placed a hand on Vale's forehead.
"Wake up… please…"
Nothing.
Hours later, a decision was made.
Vale was moved to a secured chamber reinforced with layered energy barriers. Rotational guards were assigned. He would be protected at all costs.
Sebastian spoke quietly, but every word carried weight.
"This isn't a normal coma."
Everyone looked at him.
"Lord touched his consciousness. This sleep… may continue until Lord is dead."
The sentence lingered in the air.
Heavy.
Asher froze.
"What does that mean?" he asked, his voice barely steady.
Sebastian met his eyes.
"It means if we want Vale back… we kill Lord."
Silence.
This was no longer strategy.
This was personal.
Gradually, the heroes dispersed to regroup. A temporary command base was established. Wounds were treated. Equipment repaired.
Sebastian stood alone near the edge of the cavern.
Lance Poll approached him.
His usual stern expression remained, but there was something deeper in his eyes now.
Resolve.
"We need him."
Sebastian didn't turn.
"Who?"
Lance answered without hesitation.
"Wang Wei."
Asher, who had been standing nearby, stepped closer.
"Wang Wei? Who is that?"
Sebastian inhaled slowly.
"He was WHU's most dangerous weapon."
The air shifted.
Sebastian continued.
"His ability is called Celestial Dominion."
Asher listened carefully.
"He manipulates the energy between heaven and earth. He bends gravity. Compresses space. Creates invisible pillars of force in midair. With a single step, the ground can collapse. With a glance, an enemy can be crushed under their own weight."
Lance added quietly:
"On the battlefield… he moved like a god."
Sebastian's expression darkened.
"But he's no longer with WHU."
"Why?" Asher asked.
A long pause followed.
Then Sebastian answered:
"The girl he loved died."
The words struck harder than any weapon.
"It was during an operation. We were late. He blamed himself."
Lance folded his arms.
"The next day, he resigned. Said he would never fight for anyone again."
Asher lowered his gaze.
A man with godlike power.
Who had lost the one person he couldn't protect.
Sebastian finally looked up.
"If we have any real chance against Lord… it's with Wang Wei."
Lance's voice was firm.
"We need him."
Silence stretched between them.
Then, slowly, Sebastian nodded.
"Fine."
"We'll find him."
Asher looked toward the chamber where Vale lay sleeping.
Lord's shadow still lingered in his mind.
But now—
There was a new name.
A new possibility.
Wang Wei.
And the silence before the storm was almost over.