Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Chapter 176

"Wait!"

They all turned as Amy hurried toward the bank of security screens, her eyes fixed on one of the feeds. She leaned closer, watching something that had caught her attention.

"I just saw something. Rewind that one."

The security officer immediately obeyed. The footage reversed before playing forward again, this time focusing on a storage enclosure. Several workers appeared on the screen, looking around cautiously as they handled large cuts of meat meant for the divine beasts. One of them glanced toward the entrance while another discreetly inserted something into the meat before passing it along.

Amy’s eyes widened. "There! Stop it!"

The footage froze.

Enzo’s jaw tightened, and his grey eyes turned cold. "So that’s why our beasts reacted the way they did. Someone intentionally tampered with the meat."

Caleb stepped closer to the screen, his expression hardening as he examined the frozen image.

"Find those workers. Immediately," he ordered, turning toward the security team. "No one enters or leaves this building—or anywhere else on the grounds—until further notice. I want every exit secured, and I want those responsible brought to me."

The security officers moved at once, relaying his orders as they hurried out of the room.

Reid dragged a hand down his face, his fingers catching briefly in his hair. Frustration showed in the tight set of his mouth as he looked back at the screen.

"I regret not following through on spying on Amelia. None of this would have happened if we’d gone after her instead of coming here."

"How did you even know our beasts were reacting before you reached them?" she asked, her brows drawn together. "You said you sensed something was wrong. How?"

"We felt it," Enzo answered simply.

Caleb eyes narrowed as he pieced things together.

"Wait a minute." He looked from the brothers to the footage of the workers tampering with the meat. "From the look of things, someone distracted you by using your beasts so you wouldn’t follow Amelia."

Dean’s jaw clenched."Those bastards."

Enzo was already turning toward the door.

"We’re leaving. We’ll find her ourselves if we have to."

The other two brothers immediately followed, their expressions leaving no doubt that they had no intention of wasting another moment.

Caleb hurried after them.

"You can’t just march out like this," he said, catching up with them. "You need a plan. We don’t know where they’re holding her, and there will definitely be a trap waiting for you. Whoever took her knows you’ll come after her."

The brothers stopped. Reid turned toward him, his frustration plain on his face.

"So what are you suggesting? That we stay here while they do whatever they want to her?"

"That’s not what I said," Caleb replied. "I’m telling you to think before you charge into something you know nothing about. If Zelda is behind this, she may have been planning for your arrival from the beginning."

Enzo’s hands tightened at his sides. He understood Caleb’s reasoning, but the thought of Amelia being trapped somewhere with Zelda made it difficult to think about anything else. Every second they spent standing there felt like another second they were abandoning her.

Amy stepped forward, her expression serious.

"Let’s start with what we know. There could still be some of those people inside this place. If we can capture and interrogate them, we might get a real clue about where Amelia has been taken."

Caleb nodded. "True. We start there."

Reid’s gaze shifted toward him, suspicion settling over his features.

"Someone already took your face. What makes you think the people we’re looking for haven’t changed theirs into something else?"

"There’s only one way to find out."

Enzo placed a hand on Reid’s shoulder.

"We’ll search carefully," Enzo said. "If anyone looks suspicious, we question them. We don’t let anyone leave until we’re certain they have nothing to do with this."

Dean nodded, his expression still grim.

"And if we find someone who knows where she is, we’d better get answers before I lose what’s left of my patience."

The group split up. The three brothers headed in one direction to search the grounds, while Caleb and Amy moved the opposite way, determined to find anyone who might be involved.

Neither group knew whether the search would lead them to Amelia.

But they had no intention of giving up.

**

Elsewhere, Amelia hung suspended in the center of a dim chamber.

Her arms and legs were stretched outward, secured by thick restraints that dug painfully into her skin. A constant current of electricity coursed through her body in relentless waves, making her muscles seize each time it struck. Her fingers curled helplessly against the restraints, and she struggled to draw a steady breath through clenched teeth.

She had tried reaching for her powers more times than she could count, but every attempt ended the same way. There was nothing.

Whatever machinery they were using, it was keeping her abilities completely sealed.

Zelda stood a short distance away, watching her with quiet satisfaction. Beside her stood the higher member of the Underworld who had worn Caleb’s face, while several other Underworld subjects moved between the control panels. They adjusted the dials and monitored the machinery responsible for the current running through Amelia’s body, paying close attention to every change in the readings.

Zelda tilted her head, studying Amelia as though she were a guest whose comfort she had gone to considerable trouble to arrange.

"We have to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible."

Amelia lifted her head with some effort. Sweat clung to her forehead, and her breathing remained uneven, but she managed to look Zelda in the eye.

"This is new."

Zelda’s lips curved into a wider smile. "Just one of the surprises I prepared for you."

Amelia’s gaze flicked toward the machinery before returning to Zelda.

Zelda seemed to notice her scrutiny. She stepped closer, her hands resting loosely in front of her as she regarded Amelia with an almost playful expression.

"Would you like to know how I discovered your time is nearly up?" she asked. "That you won’t be able to reincarnate anymore?"

she managed a dry, mocking sound.

"Enlighten me."

Zelda’s smile widened at the response. She clearly enjoyed having Amelia restrained and unable to do anything but listen.

"I have a similar ability," she explained, moving closer. "Though mine works differently."

She paused, letting the words settle before continuing.

"I can never grow old."