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Sitting around the dining table, Dev eagerly slurped the noodles, enchantingly swiping swiftly.

"Good, Shilla, you've improved your cooking."

"That's leftovers from last night."

Cough, cough... The noodles got stuck in Dev's throat momentarily, causing him to lose his cool.

However, witnessing Thomson and Raser both eating the same noodles, he decided to ignore Shilla's comment and engulfed himself in eating.

He finished the bowl.

"Waiter, another one, please." He ordered Shilla to bring a second bowl.

Shilla, who was already coming from the kitchen with two bowls, like she knew Dev was going to ask for more, responded, "There is no place for freeloaders."

Now, at this point, Alex was just sipping his soup. If he didn't have Raser's memories, he would have been in deep thought about —why the hell is Shilla feeding the person who had killed her father? On top of that, why would she let him sit at the dining table in the first place?

Was it because he is the strongest?

That might be partially true or entirely.

But there is another reason that traces back to 5 years ago when Raser, Thomson, and Shilla's father, Vir, went to the Tristar family to ask for the enlightenment recipe.

But the elders refused.

That was not the problem.

The real issue started when they attempted to imprison him. Initially, Vir's intention was to forget about his wife's death and make a new bond with his family.

However, the elders had another plan to imprison or at least they tried. That time, Vir killed half of the elders, forcing the Tristar family to the brink of cliff.

Sensing that their existence was in danger of extinction, they announced a ceasefire and put a condition in front of Vir Raser's father, and that was to defeat the youngest prodigy in the world and successor of the nath family Dev who was same age as his eldest son.

Both fought, where Dev ultimately won, not easily, but with a lot of difficulty.

After Vir's death, the remaining elders of the Tristar family wanted to confiscate Vir's body and cripple his children.

They even succeeded in crippling Thomson. But when Dev got wind of it, he directly went to the Tristar family's main house alone and gave his ultimatum.

"If anyone dares to put their hand on Vir's children, they have to face me."

The elders were at a loss for words at Dev's verdict, but they didn't attempt to test his patience, already aware of the pride and arrogance of Nath family members.

One thing they understood was that Vir had earned Dev's respect, and Dev had accepted Vir as his equal.

It sounds wrong when a person who is the same age as your son acknowledges you, but that was what happened.

Thomson and his two siblings were forced to accept Dev protection and still are. But the seed of disrespect for their father still burned. Although there was also appreciation in their minds, it was not like they could do anything against Dev.

"I am taking Raser with me," Dev said, informing the siblings to accept their fate.

"Dream on," Thomson answered. He may appreciate Dev's help and have respect for him, but not to the point where he'd let Dev do whatever he wanted with his sibling.

"I am not asking," Dev said, his black sun glasses still on his face, blocking his eyes'not letting his face's indifferent expression dim. Instead, sunglasses made it more obvious.

"Nah, there is no way i Will let him be part of any conflict. He will live his own life however he wants. Moreover, I will not let him be separated from me and Shilla. If anyone tries, they have to pass by me, even if that's the strongest person in existence."

"Hahaha," Dev laughed at Thomson comment

"Oh, come on. No need to delude yourself into believing something ridiculous."

"You didn't know there was an evil spirit in your house, haunting your little brother every day, each second."

"How can you ignore the ticking sound when you don't have a wall clock in your house."

"You know, how can an evil spirit affect the ritual."

"A spirit like that was here in the building, in the bathroom, submerged in the bathtub, continuously tapping its finger on the wall, counting and waiting for the perfect time when she could strike at Raser. And you, a supposed protector of his—or should I say, a failed guardian—didn't know about it."

"Well, no need to thank me. I already exorcised it."

Alex's eyes widened in response. Did that mean the clock-ticking sound he had been hearing since he entered this house was because of that evil spirit?

Not fully trusting Dev's words, he decided to investigate for himself, focusing his attention on the sound.

Indeed, it was not there.

He knew from Raser's memories that there was no clock in this house. Who would need a clock when everyone had a mobile phone to check the time? Nevertheless, the absence of the sound sent a little chill down his spine. More things became clear for him, like why he felt unease seeing the bathtub water.

"By the way, he is coming with me whether you like it or not. Just be prepared for departure, I leave rest to you, I'll be back in 30 minutes. "

With that, Dev's figure disappeared, leaving behind an empty chair with. A breath-stealing silence that gripped the air.

With Dev gone, the room felt strangely still. Thomson and Shilla shared a glance, and Alex couldn't escape the weight of his choice.

Nobody spoke for an entire minute. Then, Alex decided to break the silence.

"I think it's a good opportunity for me to go with him."

Both Shilla and Thomson turned to him.

"Don't be fooled by him, Raser. He can't be trusted. Well, he can, but you should not trust him."

"He is not one of us. He is not even in the same family as us. On top of that, will you really be okay to be with him and learn from him?"

Thud! Alex slammed his hand on the dining table, causing some dishes to fall out. He said,

"Yeah, I don't have any problem with it!!. he is closer to us than our supposed family. He is the only reason nobody is after us. They are only pulling strings from behind—like blocking our incomes, causing mishaps in your raid, generating problems in Shilla's project. The only reason they are not actively trying to hurt us is him He is the strongest person in the world. We are already under his protection until now.That frustrated me, irritated me. How long? How long do I have to be like that? I don't want it. I want to be on my own. I want to do something. I want to help you."

Alex stared at Thomson with longing of independence, his fists clenched tightly, his body trembling in anger. His face attempted to emit an expression of a frustrated teenager, but his real thoughts were a little different.

_Help my ass, not in your wildest dream, why would I be with you, a crippled Invocar who only have enhances physical capabilities? On other side is The strongest person in existence, a teacher at a world-famous institute._

_Even an infant can determine which is the better option._

_Well, maybe an infant is too much, but every sane person will know what is best._