60. Disappeared
The mansion shook violently one moment—
lights bursting—
shadows tearing open—
something unseen growling at Max's throat.
And then—
everything stopped.
Just like that.
The darkness vanished.
The walls stopped trembling.
The freezing air warmed again.
The pressure lifted.
The entity was gone.
As if it was never there.
Aiden collapsed to his knees.
Chloe sobbed into her torn sleeves.
The mansion fell into a ringing, deathly silence.
And in the center of the destruction—
Maximilian Brooks stood swaying, covered in his own blood.
His shirt was soaked.
His forehead split open.
His back bruised from impacts.
His knuckles cut from gripping the iron artifact too tightly.
But his eyes…
His eyes were still sharp.
Still blazing.
Still ready to fight.
Even bleeding, even dizzy, even broken—
Max stood like a man who refused to fall.
---
KYRON SEES EVERYTHING — AND PANICS --
Kyron finally burst through the front doors, breathless.
"SI—"
He stopped.
His face drained of all color.
"Sir… oh god—"
Max's legs buckled.
Kyron sprinted, catching him by the shoulders before he hit the ground.
"Maximilian!!"
Kyron's voice cracked—something that had never happened before.
"You're bleeding—sir, you're bleeding everywhere—"
Max blinked, sluggishly.
His voice was rough, barely audible:
"Aiden… Chloe… check them…"
Kyron stared at him, horrified.
"Sir—YOU are about to pass out—!!"
But Max grabbed Kyron's wrist with surprising strength, his grip trembling but forceful.
"THEY come first."
Kyron swallowed hard.
This man…
A man who never let a single emotion show…
who never let anyone close…
who carried the entire Brooks legacy alone…
Even now, half-conscious, covered in blood—
he wasn't thinking about himself.
He was only thinking about them.
---
AIDEN AND CHLOE — TRAUMATIZED --
Aiden crawled toward him, tears streaking his face.
"M-Max… your head… it's bleeding—stop moving—!!"
Chloe was shaking uncontrollably, eyes unfocused.
"I—I felt it pulling me—Max—it pulled my legs—I couldn't—Max—!!"
She broke down again, clutching Max's sleeve.
"Don't leave us. Don't leave… please…"
Max forced himself to kneel beside them, ignoring the dizziness.
His voice was soft.
Calm.
Steady.
"I'm here."
Aiden sobbed harder.
Chloe clung to him like a terrified child.
Kyron, shaking, called the emergency medical unit with trembling fingers.
His voice wasn't the usual cool, sarcastic tone.
For the first time—
Kyron sounded scared.
"Emergency team—NOW.
The Brooks heir is injured.
Two minors are injured.
Possible traumatic shock—MOVE!"
---
MAXIMILIAN — RAGE OVER PAIN --
Max sat with his cousins until the paramedics arrived, blood dripping steadily onto the floor.
He didn't wipe it.
He didn't flinch.
He didn't even look at his wounds.
His eyes were focused on the dark corners of the mansion.
Waiting.
Watching.
His voice was low, barely controlled:
"It touched my family…"
Kyron looked at him.
"Sir… please sit. Please—let them handle—"
Max shook his head.
"The thing… that came here…"
His jaw clenched, veins standing out.
"…it will come back."
Kyron swallowed hard.
"Sir, we don't even KNOW what it was—"
Max's eyes turned darker than Kyron had ever seen them.
"It made my cousins scream."
His voice shook with controlled fury.
"It dragged Chloe.
It injured Aiden.
It tried to break this home."
He stood up again, even as the medics tried to push him down.
His body trembled.
He could barely stand.
But he stood.
"I don't care what it is…"
he whispered.
"…I will destroy it."
Kyron stared at him.
For the first time, he wasn't looking at Maximilian Brooks the CEO…
He was looking at a man who would fight hell itself for his family.
A man filled with so much rage
that even pain meant nothing.
A man who would break reality to protect the only people he loved.
As the medics worked, as Aiden and Chloe were treated, as Kyron tried to keep himself from shaking—
Max stood near the broken foyer, blood still trailing from his forehead.
His phone vibrated again in his pocket.
He finally checked the screen.
Unknown Number — 42 missed calls.
His eyes narrowed.
"Who the hell was calling me during that…"
He never finished the sentence.
---