Chapter 24: I Will Find Them!

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: I Will Find Them!

Cedar Heights Estate

Nathaniel had just switched off the bedside lamp and was preparing to force himself to sleep when a sudden knock came from his bedroom door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Nathaniel opened his eyes.

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing the elderly housekeeper, Uncle George. His expression was unusually grave.

"Young Master, Captain Adrian Cross is here."

Nathaniel frowned slightly.

"Captain Cross?"

Why had he come at this hour?

The uneasiness Nathaniel had managed to suppress earlier resurfaced in his chest.

He immediately got out of bed, threw on his coat, and hurried downstairs.

Captain Adrian Cross was standing in the living room, still wearing his Westmere City Guard uniform. Judging by his appearance, he had rushed over without taking time to rest.

But something was different from earlier that day.

His face was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as though he had aged ten years in a single evening.

Nathaniel’s heart sank.

"Captain Cross, what happened?"

Adrian opened his mouth, but the words seemed to get stuck in his throat.

He looked at the young man standing before him.

Only hours ago, he had praised Nathaniel for surpassing even his parents’ achievements. He had even imagined how Nathaniel’s parents would react when they heard about their son’s accomplishments.

But now, he had to deliver the cruelest news imaginable.

Adrian’s throat tightened. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse.

"Nathaniel... You need to stay strong."

Nathaniel froze.

Something about Adrian’s expression made his heart pound harder.

He immediately asked the question he feared most.

"What happened to my parents?"

Adrian closed his eyes.

"We’ve received news from the front lines."

"The Three Pillars..."

His voice trembled.

"They’ve been killed in action."

Boom!

For an instant, Nathaniel felt as though something had exploded inside his head.

Every sound around him disappeared.

The lights, the sofa, the coffee table, Adrian’s pale face, and Uncle George’s suddenly stricken expression...

Everything seemed to lie on the other side of a thick curtain, distant and unreal.

Nathaniel stood motionless.

Several seconds passed before he finally spoke.

"What did you say?"

Adrian’s eyes grew even redder.

"Nathaniel..."

"Tell me the details."

Nathaniel’s voice was quiet.

Far too quiet.

There was something in that quietness that made Uncle George’s heart ache.

Adrian took a deep breath, forcing himself to explain despite the grief weighing on him.

"According to the battle report, the Three Pillars were carrying out a suppression mission near the Abyss Rift when they encountered a powerful extraterrestrial being."

"The three of them joined forces to fight it. But during the battle, the spatial node in their location suddenly became unstable."

"The node collapsed and triggered a spatial storm."

"The Three Pillars and the powerful being were all swept into it."

Nathaniel abruptly raised his head.

"Swept into it?"

His eyes fixed on Adrian’s face.

"That doesn’t mean they’re dead."

Adrian fell silent.

Nathaniel stared at him, searching for even the smallest sign of hope.

"Right?"

The living room became terrifyingly quiet.

Uncle George stood to one side, gripping his sleeves so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His eyes were already red.

Adrian struggled to speak.

"Nathaniel, I know this is difficult to accept."

"A spatial storm is a catastrophic phenomenon that occurs when spatial laws collapse into complete disorder. There are no stable coordinates inside it, no reliable direction, and no way to measure the passage of time. Even physical matter can be torn apart by the spatial turbulence."

"Once someone is swallowed by a spatial storm, all communication is cut off. Their location signals disappear completely."

He paused.

Every word seemed to cost him an enormous effort.

"In the recorded history of the Alliance, no one who has been swallowed by a spatial storm has ever returned alive."

"According to the rules followed by the front-line command, anyone confirmed to have been consumed by one is presumed dead."

Presumed dead.

Those four words finally shattered the stillness in Nathaniel’s expression.

He staggered half a step backward.

His chest tightened as though an invisible hand had closed around his heart. Breathing suddenly became difficult.

Earlier that day, he had cleared the Novice Secret Realm.

He had earned an SSS-Rank evaluation.

He had killed three Level 100+ Lion Syndicate leaders.

His achievements had even been reported to the Aurelian Alliance.

And all the while, he had been imagining what would happen when his parents returned.

He wanted to tell his father about the battle and watch the old man struggle to find words.

He wanted to see his mother smile and praise him for finally growing up.

He wanted to make them proud.

He had imagined countless ways the reunion might unfold.

But he had never imagined this.

He had been waiting for their return.

Instead, someone had come to tell him they were dead.

"Impossible."

Nathaniel shook his head.

"That’s impossible."

His voice grew firmer, carrying an anger he could barely contain.

"My parents couldn’t have died like this!"

"They were swept into a spatial storm. That’s all! You haven’t even found their bodies!"

He took a step forward, his eyes fixed on Adrian.

"Without their bodies, without any personal belongings, without seeing what happened with your own eyes, how can you declare them dead?"

Adrian’s lips parted, but no answer came.

Rationally, Nathaniel was right.

There was no physical confirmation of their deaths.

But the cruel reality remained that no one had ever survived a spatial storm in recorded history.

That was what made the news so devastating.

Nathaniel’s eyes reddened. His chest rose and fell as he struggled to control his breathing.

"They’re still alive."

His voice trembled.

"They have to be."

He clenched his fists.

"I believe they’re still alive!"

The words seemed directed at Adrian.

But perhaps they were meant for Nathaniel himself.

He needed to believe them.

Because if he stopped believing that his parents could return, he didn’t know what would remain.

Adrian watched him, feeling as though a knife were twisting in his chest.

He stepped forward and placed a hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder.

"Nathaniel, don’t force yourself to think about everything tonight."

"The front-line command is still investigating the remaining spatial fluctuations. If they discover anything, I’ll inform you immediately."

He paused before continuing.

"For now, the most important thing is to keep yourself together."

"Your parents would be proud of what you accomplished today. I’m certain of that."

The moment those words fell, Nathaniel’s eyes became completely bloodshot.

Yet he didn’t cry out.

He stood there with his teeth clenched, his body trembling slightly as he fought to keep himself under control.

Adrian stayed for a long time, trying to comfort him.

But in the face of such terrible news, every word seemed painfully inadequate.

In the end, Adrian could only release a heavy sigh.

"Nathaniel, I still have to visit the Rowan family."

"Caleb needs to hear the news about his father, too."

Nathaniel didn’t respond.

Adrian looked at him one last time before turning toward the door.

His footsteps sounded unusually heavy as he left the estate.

The door closed.

Silence returned to the living room.

Nathaniel remained standing in the same place for a long time.

Finally, he spoke.

"Uncle George."

The old housekeeper’s voice trembled.

"Yes, Young Master?"

Nathaniel slowly raised his head.

"I’m going to find them."

Uncle George’s heart clenched painfully.

"Young Master, the place where your parents disappeared is near the Abyss Rift front line."

"That is the most dangerous battlefield in the world, where humanity fights against extraterrestrial forces. Only the strongest professionals can operate there safely."

He hesitated before continuing.

"At the very least... you would need to reach Level 200 before you could even consider going there."

Nathaniel looked directly at him.

His eyes were red, but there was no surrender in them.

Only an almost unbreakable determination.

"Then I’ll reach Level 200."

His voice was quiet, but every word was firm.

"I’ll get stronger. I’ll keep leveling up until I’m strong enough to reach that battlefield."

He clenched his fists.

"And I’ll find them."

"Very soon, I’ll be strong enough. I know I will."

Uncle George stared at Nathaniel, his heart aching so badly that he could barely speak.

He had watched this young man grow up.

To him, Nathaniel wasn’t merely the heir of the Beaumont family. He was practically his own child.

Deep down, the old housekeeper understood how unlikely it was that Nathaniel’s parents would return.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

And he had no right to crush the last hope keeping the young man standing.

So he nodded, his voice hoarse.

"All right."

"Young Master will certainly become strong enough."

Nathaniel nodded once.

"I’m going upstairs."

He turned and walked toward the staircase.

His steps were steady, but his hands remained clenched at his sides.

Tonight, the world had taken away the people he loved most.

Nathaniel didn’t know whether his parents were alive or dead.

He didn’t know what awaited him at the Abyss Rift, or how much strength he would need to reach it.

But one thing was certain.

He would not accept their deaths without finding the truth himself.

If the world had placed an impossible distance between him and his parents, then he would grow strong enough to cross it.

Even if he had to fight his way through the most dangerous battlefield in existence, he would find them.

Nathaniel Beaumont would not give up.