Lucius had been watching the whole time.
Hidden behind one of the giant flower-pillars, he'd followed every hit, every stupid escalation, and he'd finally seen enough.
He stepped out from cover, pushed off the pillar, and dropped straight down between Alex and Jimmy.
The moment his feet hit the ground, qi burst out in a tight ring—clean, controlled, brutal.
Jimmy took the hit full-on.
He flew back like someone kicked a door open.
Alex wasn't spared either.
The wave lifted him off his feet and dumped him straight into the pond, water splashing high around him. It hurt, but Lucius held back just enough to avoid knocking him unconscious. Barely.
Lucius stood there, jaw clenched, eyes hard.
He looked like someone who came back from a three-minute break only to find his house on fire.
"Just a few minutes," Lucius said, voice low but shaking with anger. "I leave for just a few minutes and you turn this place into a war ground."
Alex pushed himself up from the water, coughing, soaked head to toe.
"They were the ones that came after me—"
"Shut up!" Lucius snapped.
The sound cracked across the pond.
He turned his glare toward Jimmy—and then the rest of the Wyndhams.
None of them moved.
None of them even breathed loud.
Lucius's gaze held them all in place like they were pinned to the ground.
Lucius let out one long breath. The anger in his shoulders eased, but only a little.
"You all are dismissed," he said.
Jimmy didn't wait.
None of them did.
They scattered out of the pond area like the place suddenly turned into a lion's den.
But Zephyr paused at the edge, glanced back at Alex once—calm, unreadable—then followed the rest.
Alex pushed himself toward the edge of the pond, ready to climb out.
"Not you," Lucius said without even turning fully around.
Alex froze.
"You're wounded. Stay in the water and let it help your body recover. Use it properly," Lucius added, voice steady now, almost teacher-like.
Lucius started walking toward the exit, steps slow, controlled.
"It's good to stand up for yourself," he said, stopping halfway and looking over his shoulder. "But you need to learn when to hold your tongue. Respect warriors above you if you want to survive long as a paragon warrior."
Alex scoffed.
"Even when they're being total assholes."
Lucius didn't react to the tone.
"I'll make sure what happened today doesn't repeat itself," he said quietly, then left the garden.
Alex stayed where he was, water rippling around him.
He watched the entrance long after Lucius disappeared.
'He was watching the whole time… what would've happened if I'd used what I wanted to use?' Alex wondered, a tight knot forming in his chest.
Meanwhile, the Wyndham siblings left the garden and drifted toward another part of the clan mansion.
They ended up in one of the newer areas—an open park-like section the clan had built recently. The place looked calm and fresh. Bench seats were scattered around in no real pattern. Tall trees rose over everything, throwing wide patches of shade across the ground. Umbrella canopies stood here and there, giving the whole area a soft, relaxed feel.
Under one of those canopies sat the six young adults.
"Jimmy, you really did a great job back there," Henry said, settling into his seat.
"What job?" Isla shot back immediately.
He didn't wait for anyone to answer.
"He couldn't even land a clean hit without using his qi."
Jimmy wasn't sitting with them. He'd taken a seat a little outside the shade, like he didn't want to be touched by their chatter at all. His fists were clenched on his knees. He kept staring at the ground, jaw tight, saying nothing.
"Isla, you don't have to put it like that," Zephyr said, giving her a small frown.
"Alex learned some martial arts while he was away. Sure, he's still weak compared to us, but Jimmy still taught him a lesson. That's enough."
"Yeah… that martial arts," Clifford said. He dropped into his bench seat and leaned back like he owned the place.
"He did have a cool move, though. And he wasn't scared. If he had qi like us? Maybe he'd actually pull off half the things he claims."
"You mean beat us one-on-one?" Zephyr asked, raising a brow.
"No way. That must be you alone," Lennox said, scoffing.
"In a thousand years, I still can't imagine that weakling beating me," he added, sounding proud for no reason.
Clifford heard all of it. He exhaled and shook his head slowly.
"You guys really didn't notice anything, did you?" Clifford said, leaning forward.
"A stage one warrior took a direct qi blast from a stage four warrior. Direct. And the boy didn't even pass out at the worst-case scenario."
Clifford tapped his fingers on his knee, like he was replaying the moment in his head.
"The boy doesn't only have some fighting skills. He's got the spirit for it. The stubborn kind."
"You're overthinking it," Lennox said immediately.
"There's nothing special about the boy."
He gave a small shrug, like he knew more than everyone else in the world.
"He's even here because the clan needs more members. Big plans, more bodies. That's why you guys are here too," Lennox said.
"As for him taking Jimmy's attack? I'm sure Jimmy held back."
"Or maybe his attack is too weak to harm a stage one warrior," Isla added with a cold little smile.
Jimmy sat a bit away from them, just outside the canopy's shade. His fists were already tight, but now they clenched even harder. His knuckles went white. His jaw ticked.
"Enough of it…" Jimmy snapped.
He stood up so fast the bench under him creaked. He turned straight toward Isla.
"Maybe you should have fought him instead!" Jimmy fired back, his tone sharp and raw.
"All you do is hide behind that wealth," Jimmy said, voice sharp and boiling.
"But you and I both know you haven't even tasted a real fight."
"How dare you talk to me like that?" Isla stepped forward. His shoulders rose. His chin lifted. He tried to look intimidating, but Jimmy didn't even blink.
"What are you going to do?" Jimmy said.
"Fight me? Please do. I'd love it. I'll knock your teeth out."
His stance dropped a little, ready to spring. You could tell he meant it.
The others exchanged worried looks. They could already see the spark catching fire, but they didn't move fast enough.
Isla lunged first—anger all over his face.
Jimmy pushed off his foot the same moment, going straight at him.
But before the two bodies could even meet, something snapped through the air.
A thin force—like a flicking line—struck them both.
Both Isla and Jimmy froze. Then their legs buckled.
Their strength vanished and they hit the ground almost at the same time.
Thin threads of qi stretched from Clifford's fingers, glowing faintly as they dug into Isla's arm and Jimmy's shoulder.
"You two need to stop acting stupid," Clifford warned. His voice carried no humor this time.
"Get your threads off me!" Isla shouted, but it came out strained and weak, like someone had stolen the air from his lungs.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Zephyr barked. He looked ready to jump in, his own fists tight at his sides.
Clifford didn't look bothered. He pulled his hands back. The thin threads snapped free and dissolved into the air.
The moment they vanished, Jimmy and Isla sucked in a breath, and their strength rushed back like someone had flicked a switch.
"You dare not use that on me ever again," Isla said, glaring hard at Clifford. His voice had that edge—low, sharp, ready to bite.
Clifford didn't even blink.
"Enough already…!" Zephyr snapped, voice cutting through their tension like a blade.
Everyone went quiet.
Zephyr stepped forward, looking from one face to the other. He dragged in a slow breath, shoulders rising and falling.
"How did we even get to this?" he said. "Fighting each other… seriously?"
His tone wasn't loud, but it carried weight. Even Isla lowered his chin a bit.
"Right now, we don't have time for all this nonsense," Zephyr continued. "Whether Jimmy used his qi or not… whether he almost killed Alex or not… it doesn't matter."
Jimmy's head dropped even lower.
"But," Zephyr went on, "it is a disappointment. And an embarrassment. What happened out there shouldn't have happened. Alex shouldn't even be able to touch you, not with the gap in power between you two."
Jimmy's fist tightened against his leg.
Zephyr leaned slightly closer, eyes narrowing.
"However… you still have time to make him pay for what he did."
Jimmy looked up, confused but listening.
"And he must pay," Zephyr said, staring dead into Jimmy's eyes, his tone slow and cold—like a promise carved in stone.