Chapter 89: State Of Emergency

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: State Of Emergency

Damon called out.

"You."

The man looked around.

"Me?"

Damon reached into his storage bag, straight to the point as he pulled out the strange crystal.

Then he took out another one.

This second crystal was still covered with traces of fresh Aether.

He held both up.

"I found this one earlier."

Then he raised the second.

"And Sylphie saw you planting this."

The man’s face immediately changed.

He didn’t deny it. There was no point.

Instead he ran.

"Stop!"

He didn’t even look back.

Damon almost laughed.

"Good decision."

There was no chance he could win.

Not against Damon. Not against Caelia.

And definitely not with Sylphie already following him.

The man barely took three steps before Sylphie appeared in front of him.

A sharp gust struck.

BOOM!

The infiltrator flew backward and crashed into the ice.

He didn’t move again.

Caelia stared.

"One attack."

Damon walked over.

"He wasn’t here to fight."

He picked up the unconscious man.

"And neither was I."

They hurried toward the exit.

Damon knew catching one person didn’t mean the problem was solved.

The man might have been working alone.

He might have been part of a larger group.

There could still be more crystals inside.

And whoever sent him clearly wouldn’t waste one of their strongest fighters on a job like this.

They needed answers.

But more importantly, they needed to secure the Birthground.

When they reached the exit, Cornelius was already waiting.

He had noticed the changes inside.

The Aether was becoming too unstable to ignore.

He had also waited.

He didn’t want to seal the Birthground while Damon and Caelia were still inside.

The moment Damon stepped out carrying the unconscious man, Cornelius’ expression changed.

"So you found someone."

Damon nodded.

"He was planting strange crystals."

He threw the man onto the ground.

The infiltrator groaned.

He had regained consciousness somewhere along the way, but he didn’t try anything.

Cornelius stepped closer.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then the man suddenly moved.

A faint Aether gathered around him.

Damon’s eyes narrowed.

He reacted instantly.

"Don’t."

The man’s movement stopped.

Damon had already understood what he was trying to do.

"Trying to kill yourself?"

The man remained silent.

Damon crouched beside him.

"You’re going to answer a few questions first."

The man clenched his teeth.

Cornelius raised his hand.

"Enough."

The guards immediately surrounded the infiltrator.

Then Cornelius turned toward the Birthground.

"Seal it first."

The guards moved at once.

The entrance began closing.

Rumble...

The people who had been inside were already coming out, and Cornelius made sure every single one was accounted for before allowing anyone to leave.

"Check their belongings."

The elders looked at him.

Cornelius continued calmly.

"Check everyone. Including our own people."

That statement caused several uncomfortable expressions.

One elder stepped forward.

"Family Head, surely you don’t suspect us?"

Cornelius looked at him.

"This isn’t about suspicion."

His voice remained calm.

"It’s about making sure we don’t miss anything."

The elder fell silent.

The checks began.

Every person was searched.

Their storage items were inspected, and anyone who showed unusual reactions when the strange crystals were mentioned was separated for questioning.

Nobody was treated as automatically innocent.

Nobody was publicly accused either.

Cornelius knew exactly what he was doing.

If there were more infiltrators, panic would only make them harder to find.

A calm investigation gave them fewer chances to hide.

Damon watched quietly.

He liked the man’s approach.

Cornelius didn’t waste time shouting.

He secured the Birthground first.

Then he secured everyone who had entered it.

Only after that did he deal with the person they had caught.

Damon handed him the two crystals.

"These were the ones I found."

Cornelius took them carefully.

"Have them examined immediately."

"Yes, Family Head."

"Also check the entire perimeter. If these things were planted elsewhere, I want them found before tonight."

The guards moved.

The captured infiltrator was dragged away.

He didn’t say a word.

Damon watched him disappear.

They had caught someone.

That was good.

But it was only the beginning.

Cornelius looked toward the remaining people.

"No one leaves until the checks are complete."

Nobody argued.

The situation was too serious.

Damon finally relaxed.

At least the immediate problem was under control.

He turned toward Cornelius.

"You handled that well."

Cornelius gave him a tired smile.

"I’ve had enough practice."

Damon nodded.

"Then I’ll leave the rest to you."

He turned around.

"Thank you."

Cornelius looked at him.

"For what?"

"For trusting me enough to let me handle this."

Cornelius didn’t answer immediately.

Then he nodded.

"You gave me a reason to."

Damon smiled before walking away.

Caelia approached him as he left.

"I have to help with the investigation."

"I figured."

She looked toward the sealed Birthground.

"And we need to prepare for what comes next."

Damon nodded.

"It’s probably not over."

"No."

They both knew sealing the Birthground wouldn’t solve the Frostveil Expanse problem.

If anything, it might only delay the next attack.

Caelia gave him a small smile.

"See you later, Damon."

"Good luck." Damon responded as she turned and left.

Damon stretched his arms. He was tired.

He had fought enough for one day, and there was still a lot he needed to think about.

Sylphie followed beside him as he headed back toward his room.

Meanwhile, the state of emergency continued.

The Winterbourne family was already moving around the mansion, securing the area and preparing for whatever came next.

But Damon wasn’t going to sit around and wait.

He had things to do too.

To him, becoming stronger was the most important thing right now.

He trusted Cornelius and Caelia to handle the investigation. There was nothing useful he could add by standing around and watching them work.

If another wave of beasts came, he wanted to be ready.

And the best way to prepare was simple.

Grow stronger.

Damon sat down on the edge of his bed and brought out the Frost Seed.

The small crystal-like seed rested in his palm.

His fingers slowly ran across its cold surface.

Pulse.