Sid entered quietly, his usual confident stride replaced with a more subdued, careful step.

"You're awake," Sid said, his voice soft but tinged with relief. He pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down, his expression serious.

Thorne tried to push himself up, but his muscles protested with sharp jolts of pain. He settled for a slight nod. "What happened?" he croaked, his throat raw from days of screaming.

Sid sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "The trial... it wasn't supposed to go that way. It was meant to be a light interrogation, just a test of your loyalty to the Family. Not even full recruits go through something like that." He paused, his gaze hardening. "The fact that you survived is nothing short of miraculous."

Thorne grunted in response, knowing deep down that his survival had more to do with his skills and his insanely high health points. His formed core had likely saved him from the brink of death. If he were an ordinary recruit, he would have been long dead.

"Why did they do it?" Thorne demanded, his voice laced with anger. "Why did those recruits go so far?"

Sid hesitated, a shadow passing over his face. "They wanted to teach a lesson to the arrogant, favorite nephew of Uncle. They were jealous, Thorne. Apparently, your skills have drawn attention from more than just the recruits in your group."

At Sid's words, images of his torture flashed briefly in Thorne's mind. The searing pain, the cold metal biting into his flesh... But just as quickly as the memories surfaced, they faded away, leaving only a dull ache in their wake. Thorne frowned, confused by the sudden dissipation of the trauma. A few minutes ago, he had been on the verge of collapse, the pain and terror overwhelming. But now, it felt like a distant memory, like it had all happened to someone else.

His mind drifted to his Resilience skill, and he understood what was happening. The skill was protecting him, not just physically but mentally, from the aftereffects of the torture. For a moment, he wondered what the skill would evolve into once it reached level 50.

"What happened to the recruits?" Thorne asked, his voice cold and detached.

Sid looked away, clearly uncomfortable. "They're dead."

Thorne nodded, feeling a twisted sense of satisfaction. He waited for the guilt to come, for some remorse to surface for having been the cause of their deaths. But there was nothing—only a deep, burning satisfaction and a regret that he hadn't been the one to kill them. He would have savored the act, would have enjoyed making them suffer as they had made him suffer. He could almost feel their blood on his hands, hear their screams echoing in his ears...

Sid coughed, snapping him out of his dark thoughts. "Uncle came to visit you."

Thorne jolted in surprise, his thoughts scattering. "He came here?"

Sid nodded. "He was furious when he saw you in this condition. He... lost it. He was the one who killed the recruits."

Thorne didn't know what to feel. Uncle's behavior was becoming more perplexing by the day. Was he furious because they had harmed him, or because they had damaged his investment? The line between Uncle's affection and his cold calculations was blurring, and Thorne wasn't sure where he stood.

"Uncle wanted to take you out of the guild," Sid continued, his tone more cautious now. "But I convinced him otherwise."

Thorne frowned, his eyes narrowing. "You did?" he asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

Sid met his gaze with a piercing look. "Do you want to leave, Thorne? To quit?"

Thorne opened his mouth, ready to berate Sid for keeping him in this nightmarish place, but no sound came out. He closed his mouth, confused. He wanted to leave, didn't he? To return to his friends, to the carefree days of hunting, hanging out in the tavern, training with Sid. He wanted it... didn't he?

Sid nodded as if answering an unasked question. "Thorne, ever since I met you, you've been wasting away. You were wandering aimlessly. Our training helped you, gave some structure to your life, but you lacked a goal. Here, you have it. As awful as this place is, it will shape you and give you purpose. Maybe I'm wrong, and it will leave you broken. Not everyone has the strength to come out the other end. But I believe you will."

Thorne opened his mouth to speak, but Sid shook his head and put a finger to his lips. Thorne frowned as Sid pulled a small purple crystal from his pocket, the object buzzing with aether. As Sid infused it with his own aether, Thorne inhaled sharply, watching in awe as the aether motes around them froze, solidifying and forming a multicolored dome that enclosed them. Sid appeared oblivious to the change, his focus entirely on the crystal. When it blinked and then shone a bright light, Sid sighed in relief.

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"We don't have long before the ward fails," Sid said, his voice low and urgent.

Thorne's eyes were wide with amazement. "What is this?" he asked.

"We don't have time for that," Sid replied, dismissing the question with a wave. "I'm sure multiple ears are eavesdropping on our conversation. Now listen to me, we both know you're no ordinary kid."

Thorne opened his mouth to argue, ready to use Echoes of Truth to convince Sid otherwise, but Sid raised a hand to stop him.

"Don't try to deny it," Sid said, his voice firm. "You think I don't know you have skills? That you've had them ever since I've known you?" He arched an eyebrow, waiting for Thorne's response, but Thorne was frozen, feeling ice slithering through his veins.

He had been so careful, so sure that he had hidden his abilities. But Sid's knowing look shattered that illusion.

"You've been very careful not to use them in my presence, but you always slipped," Sid continued, a fond chuckle escaping his lips. "And you always had this wide-eyed look after that, as if praying I hadn't noticed. I did, Thorne, every time. But I quickly understood that you didn't want anyone to know, so I kept my mouth shut."

Thorne was speechless. He had always thought he was so clever, so sneaky. But now, he felt foolish, realizing how wrong he had been.

"Uncle?" Thorne asked, his voice trembling unable to hide his dread. "Have you told Uncle?"

A dark expression passed over Sid's face as he shook his head. "No, but Thorne... I'm not a very smart man. If I figured it out, don't you think Uncle already knows?"

Thorne slumped back in the bed, feeling untethered. His mind raced, trying to process the implications of Sid's words. He clutched his mother's pendant tightly, his thoughts spiraling. He calmed himself and started thinking rationally, almost clinically.

"If what you say is true, and it probably is... Uncle knows. Of course, he does. I just didn't want to think about that possibility. But if he knows the truth about me and hasn't acted, it means he has other plans for me." Thorne's voice grew cold and calculating as he spoke aloud, trying to unravel Uncle's schemes. "If you put the man upside down and shake him, more schemes than you can count would fall out of his pockets."

Sid looked at him, wide-eyed and bewildered. Thorne didn't know if it was because he was speaking so openly or because of the cold, detached tone he was using to dissect Uncle's plans.

"It means," Thorne continued, "that I have importance to him. I don't buy for a second that that calculating, cold-hearted bastard truly cares for me. I'm safe for the moment. Uncle wants power, and for some reason, he thinks I can get it for him. How I'm supposed to accomplish that is a mystery, but I'm sure I'll find out in time." His unfocused eyes turned sharply to Sid, who was still looking at him in disbelief. "Does anyone in the guild know? My trainers?"

Sid shook his head, still somewhat flabbergasted by Thorne's change. "No, I mean, I don't think so. Talon might suspect, but she'd probably just think you're either older than you say or that our training is what made you so powerful."

Thorne looked back at the wall, muttering, "Which is partly true." Then he asked, "What about Lock?"

Sid's expression darkened. "He's no longer a problem."

Thorne's voice was indifferent. "Did he kill him?"

Sid shook his head. "Somehow, he was spared, but he was banished for his failure. He was supposed to monitor the trial, but he failed to notice the situation for days. He's no longer part of the guild."

Thorne nodded, still thinking about the implications of Uncle knowing his secret. Did Uncle know his true lineage, or just that he had a core? That was information he needed to uncover. "Good," Thorne finally said, his voice flat. "I never liked the guy."

Sid didn't respond for a moment, then announced, "I'll be taking over his position."

Thorne finally looked at him with a small smile, infusing it with warmth using his Acting skill. "Good."

"I think I should fake forming my core," Thorne said, returning to business. "I can't fake my capabilities endlessly. I'll eventually slip up, and my skills are growing too fast to hide my progress. Some I can control, but the passive ones are too obvious to an observant person."

Sid suddenly broke in, "What level are you, Thorne?" His face was a mask of intensity.

Thorne arched an eyebrow and smirked. "What level are you?"

"Fifty-one," Sid replied without hesitation, catching Thorne off guard with his honesty.

Thorne looked Sid in the eyes. "If you're 51, then what levels are the other recruits?"

Sid remained silent for a moment, clearly displeased with Thorne's evasion. "I'm the second highest level here. I don't know Uncle's exact level, but if my guess is correct, he's pushing 70."

Thorne felt a wave of surprise at that information. He hadn't expected Uncle to be this high-level. "Full recruits," Sid continued, "are ranging from 25 to 35. Some of the more experienced ones are close to 40. The adventurers and other warriors employed by Uncle are a little higher."

Thorne was left speechless. No wonder his training with his fellow recruits felt laughably easy—he was more in league with his trainers than the recruits.

"I thought so," Sid muttered, nodding.

"How do you know all that?" Thorne demanded, as the crystal started blinking erratically.

"I have an inspection skill," Sid replied, glancing at the crystal in his hand.

"Then why don't you know my level?"

Sid looked pointedly at Thorne's pendant. "Something is blocking my skill, I have already told you that, and if I'm correct, it's that thing," he said, pointing at the small piece of jewelry Thorne always clutched whenever he was in distress or deep in thought.

Thorne looked down at the pendant, newfound appreciation flooding through him.

"Okay, now listen up," Sid said urgently. "The ward is about to fail. With Uncle coming here, showing a very public display of support to you, you've become the talk of the guild. Which is good and bad. You'll be monitored every second of the day, with everyone observing your every word, your every move."

"Great," Thorne muttered, but Sid cut him off with a stern glare.

"They'll mostly stay away from you, with the constant reminder of what happens to anyone who touches you. But some may choose other ways to harm you, or use you to get in touch with Uncle. Be careful."

As the crystal flickered one last time, the aether motes forming the dome around them scattered, no longer giving them privacy. Sid's voice turned crisp and cold as the ward failed. "I'm your trainer now, Thorne. I'll keep my eyes on you. Uncle's orders."

Sid stood up, giving Thorne one last glance before saying, "See you tomorrow in training," and leaving the room.

Thorne was left alone, the weight of everything he had learned pressing down on him like a heavy blanket. He had a lot to think about, and even more to prepare for.

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