Kayden turned and saw that Colton had returned to his human form. His brown hair, tinted faintly with gold, fell over a face that seemed more alive than ever before—as if the contract had not bound him, but released his essence.
Kayden dressed slowly.
But Kayden suddenly stopped. He could not endure the silence any longer.
"Is that your real name?" Kayden asked with clear surprise. Then he repeated it, as if the sound itself revealed the truth.
"Colton Demian?"
Colton glanced at him briefly, one eyebrow lifting in mild reproach.
"Why are you asking?" he said, as though the question itself crossed some unseen boundary. Then he added with quiet sarcasm,
"Don't tell me you actually believe those myths."
Colton muttered under his breath, as if whispering to something the world was not meant to hear.
"The name that must not be spoken…"
Kayden remained silent for a moment, as though searching for the right answer. Then he spoke in a low, reassuring tone, closing the door on any hint of hostility.
"I don't know… you're my companion. I wouldn't harm you. But you're also my teacher. You should teach me."
Colton gave a faint smile before turning away, his eyes gleaming with an uncalculated coldness.
"That skill… every demon knows it. Everyone is trained to resist it. No one can try to control me. I am a high-ranking demon, a being of elevated rank. I allowed you to become my master—but no one will influence me."
Kayden replied with quiet satisfaction,
"That's good… but it seems Sir Ayrton is extremely confident. Well, that's good. It's reassuring that you won't be affected so easily."
Colton sighed, his voice softening into something more distant and realistic.
"He doesn't know what happens in our separate world. We evolve in order to protect ourselves."
"Colton Demian… you're high-ranking. How did you reach that?" Kayden asked with genuine curiosity, his eyes fixed on his companion as if searching for something beyond the words.
Colton answered simply, as if it were the only truth he had ever known.
"By winning."
Kayden's expression stiffened slightly.
"So… you fight and kill to earn a higher rank?"
Colton nodded without the slightest trace of regret, as though what he said were perfectly natural.
"That's correct."
Silence settled between them for a moment.
Then Kayden smiled faintly, a hint of acceptance in the expression.
"Well… you fought and you won. If I were in your place, perhaps I would have done the same."
He rose with measured steps and opened the door slowly, as though leaving the weight of the conversation behind him.
"My lord Kayden… tell me, why did you delay agreeing to Ayrton?" Colton suddenly asked.
"You said my soul might not be stable, and that someone might notice something wrong because of the conflict between me and Envy. That's why I refused to go out often."
"I'll be leaving now," he added calmly.
He walked down the stairs, leaving Colton standing alone in the room.
By the time Kayden reached the lower floor, he could feel a dull pain spreading through his body.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Henry asked, examining his brother, who looked as though life itself had drained from his body.
"I was told by Mafelda that I should see a doctor. I'll ask Fiona."
When they arrived at the office, they stopped in front of a sign that read: "Renovations Room."
"Are we in the wrong place?" Kayden asked hoarsely, staring at the sign with tired eyes.
"Let's step back a little…" Henry murmured, studying the strange words.
Kayden fell silent for a moment, then muttered as if speaking to himself,
"I want to buy some books for Colton…"
"I'll handle that," Henry said firmly.
Kayden agreed without arguing.
They entered the room, where a strongly built man greeted them. He had greenish-brown eyes and messy chestnut hair.
He looked at them and spoke in a mechanical tone, as if repeating a memorized line:
"Welcome to Mr. Ayrton's Renovations Room. This is a private section. Please leave your request."
The brothers looked extremely exhausted, which prompted the man to gesture for them to sit.
Henry sat beside Kayden and muttered quietly,
"I feel like an old man…"
The man tried to tell them apart but failed. Embarrassed, he simply said,
"I'm Mike,"
before quickly disappearing inside.
A few moments later, several people entered the room.
Among them was a tall girl with black hair and sharp green eyes, standing beside a pale young man with blue eyes.
She looks like a fashion model, Kayden thought as he watched her.
Soon after, Fiona and Ayrton arrived.
"The Price brothers? Why didn't you come inside?" Ayrton asked in surprise.
Then he gestured toward Henry.
"Kayden, come inside."
But Henry calmly shook his head, a hint of challenge in his expression.
"I'm not Kayden… I'm Henry."
Ayrton didn't seem to care enough to notice. He simply grabbed Henry by the arm and sat down in front of him.
"We were watching Arbella last night," he said. "We heard she met you. What happened between you?"
Henry raised his eyes to the ceiling and let out a long breath, as though his chest was heavy with words he didn't want to say. Then he began recounting the story in a low voice—his sentences broken, but sincere.
When he finished, he added coldly,
"Anyway… I'm not Kayden."
A look of irritation crossed Ayrton's face.
"You two are twins," he said sharply. "You need to stop wearing identical clothes. It's becoming confusing—even for me."
"Price family?" the young man asked in a deep voice. He later introduced himself as Alexander.
Kayden, who was standing beside Henry, answered calmly, almost without emotion.
"Yes."
The girl spoke next without hesitation.
"And which branch are you from?"
"The main branch," Henry replied quickly, as if putting an end to any doubt.
The four exchanged greetings then—short words, yet heavy with unspoken meaning.
Finally, the girl smiled and introduced herself as Charlotte, adding with light sarcasm:
"We just came back from a long, exhausting mission. I'm not asking for much—just that I get paid enough, and that I don't have to see anything that makes my exhaustion worse."
She slowly opened her bag and took out two identical bracelets. Their silver shine glimmered under the light.
Extending them toward the twins, she said in a ceremonial tone,
"Since you're twins… these suit you. May the gods bless you. Welcome among us."
At that moment, Fiona watched quietly, her gaze lingering on Henry and Kayden.
She noticed what neither of them had managed to hide: the deep exhaustion resting in their bones, as if they had just returned from a battle that had not truly ended.
Henry looked as though he hadn't closed his eyes all night.
And Kayden… looked like someone who had just stepped out of a shock he still hadn't fully understood.
Fiona approached carrying some medicine, then handed each of them what they needed.
"Henry, you didn't sleep, did you? Drink this."
Then she turned to the other one and said firmly,
"Kayden, do you have a fever? Take this quietly."
She sat beside them, watching their anxious expressions until they gradually began to calm.
Kayden spoke softly, as if the words were heavy on him.
"Fiona… could you do a full examination?"
His tense expression revealed a deep worry he didn't want to show.
After finishing the examination, Fiona said calmly,
"There's nothing to worry about. It's all in your head."
But Kayden muttered with strange seriousness,
"I feel like there's someone else eating my food…"
Fiona looked at him in confusion. Despite her wide experience, she didn't understand what he meant. She tried to reassure him.
"It's just excess pressure from your spiritual core… nothing more."
"So it's not worms?" Kayden asked again. "At least give me some medicine."
Fiona handed him some medicine and sat down again, while the others returned to their daily tasks.
Kayden continued speaking with her in a low voice, while Henry stretched out beside them like a pile of cotton, surrendering to exhaustion.
"Fiona, great lady, I've come up with some ideas to develop your abilities."
Fiona smiled lightly.
"Go on."
Kayden continued seriously,
"You've been here for a long time… your core has grown heavy, and your abilities are advanced. Have you completely purified your core?"
Fiona thought for a moment before replying casually,
"These kinds of details aren't shared with others—like sharing the color of your underwear—but no, I haven't finished yet. I'm very close. I can see emotions and auras, and I constantly observe the impurities in my core… I'm trying to reach complete purity."
Kayden spoke with admiration. "That's amazing. But have you thought about developing your ability? Seeing people's words isn't enough—you could influence them. Try getting closer to children during training; their thoughts are pure. Develop your skill so you can also control the scenes formed by their words."
Henry suddenly woke up and said, "Seeing the aura isn't enough. Why not suppress it? You don't like close combat, right? Control your opponent's aura—make it shrink and wither. Then you might be able to affect their core… maybe even break it."
Kayden clapped in excitement. "That's a brilliant idea!"
He thought for a moment and added,
"And since you're good at controlling emotions, expand your influence. Control other people as well."
Fiona looked at the auras around them, observing their emotions. She felt a genuine sincerity flowing from them. A thought crossed her mind—they weren't bad people.
She wiped away a stray tear and said quietly,
"You're better than I expected… I'll train hard. You'll see the results."
Kayden smiled mischievously. "I saw you in the restaurant with Mr. Ayrton… are you two together?"
Then he pointed at Henry and added, "He knows about it."
Fiona murmured helplessly, "I'm too old. I don't think I can even—"
But Henry interrupted with mock seriousness, "The spiritual core extends your lifespan—no excuses. Win his heart!"
Fiona immediately replied while sitting beside them,"I'm almost forty, and he's younger than me. That's a little unrealistic."
Kayden muttered with playful disdain, "Auntie, you shouldn't say that."
"Shut up," Fiona replied instantly.
Kayden sat in front of her, studying her face.
"Your eyes are distinctive… they look like—"
"—a wolf's," Henry finished before he could.
Kayden smiled and continued lightly,
"Your features are striking… do you think the commander could find someone better than you?"
Henry added with mock wickedness,
"Actually, he's wasting his chance. I might create a few situations… just so you two spend more time together."
Fiona looked at them with a blank expression "Why are you two more dramatic than I am? I've already lost my passion."
The brothers burst into laughter, exchanging quick glances.
There was no other answer—just the simple desire to have a little fun.
Before Fiona left, she turned back with a faint smile and said,
"I'll try again."
A few moments later, Henry and Kayden stepped out of the room and noticed a man sitting quietly in the corner. He wore elegant formal clothes, his hair carefully trimmed with almost excessive precision. His brown eyes shone with seriousness, and his sharp features gave him a stern appearance. He sat silently, watching the wall clock without saying a word.
Ayrton leaned slightly toward Mike and whispered,
"Call Adam."
Mike nodded lightly and headed toward the morgue, where Adam had been resting—or rather hiding from the noise of the day. He did not stay away long; he soon returned, followed by Adam walking slowly behind him.
Kayden glanced at him from the corner of his eye. His usual black clothing caught his attention. A sarcastic thought crossed his mind.
Is he in permanent mourning? Why does he wear nothing but black?
But his attention soon shifted to the man who immediately stood up when he saw Adam. The man approached him with a warm smile and shook his hand enthusiastically.
"Adam!"
Adam froze for a moment, surprise appearing on his face. He hadn't expected to see this person here; the sight stirred memories he had not thought about in a long time.
The man spoke confidently.
"I came here for a business deal… but I ran into some corrupt things instead—strange texts and manuscripts. Anyway, how have you been?"
Adam replied with tired indifference,
"Did you buy them?"
The man nodded simply.
"All of them."
Adam sat beside him, resting his head on his palm as he released a heavy sigh. Mike watched them with an amused smile. "It seems your names are the same."
Charlotte pretended to be annoyed and sighed. "Now we have two of them."
Adam lifted his head and said clearly,"I heard that."
Adimar spread his hands calmly.
"Many people are named Adam. There's nothing special about it. But my real name isn't Adam—it's Adimar. Everyone found it annoying to pronounce, so they shortened it to Adam."
Then he turned to Kayden and asked,
"What's your name?"
"Kayden," he answered simply.
Adimar nodded thoughtfully.
"I've never met anyone with that name before… but names always repeat themselves."
Then he shifted his gaze to Ayrton and said seriously, "When are you returning? William is starting to lose his patience and wants to come himself. I barely managed to stop him."
Ayrton stepped closer and whispered, "We can't return right now. And by the way… yes, William is crazy. So don't come to me later claiming I'm the reason he's gone insane too."
Kayden silently observed the conversation until it ended, then he spoke calmly. "Sir… is there a famous person named Adam? I mean, it seems like a very widespread name."
Adam covered his face with his hand and looked up at the ceiling with a sigh, as if refusing to get involved in the topic.
But Adimar smiled and answered. "Of course. There was once a great man—powerful and deeply influential. The name Adam was merely borrowed from his. He was famous when we were born."
Kayden murmured softly, "That's interesting."