Liam's eyes blazed—not with anger, but with a silent, overwhelming force. The very air in the room seemed to bend. The entire Wilson fiefdom trembled, even if only for a moment.
In his chambers, Matthew shot to his feet, eyes narrowing as he turned toward the inner castle. Every Ranker at the Third Rank instinctively froze, their hearts gripped by an invisible pressure—as if a single stray thought could erase them.
The weaker ones felt only a faint tremor—barely a shiver beneath their feet—and soon forgot it, as if nothing had happened at all.
Erwin sat beside his mother, the two locked in conversation about estate matters. But the moment that wave passed through, both of them stood at once, sharp instincts flaring.
They moved—heading toward the source: Liam.
But as they crossed a certain threshold, their steps halted. Their bodies refused to move forward—like walking into an invisible wall.
Charlotte exhaled slowly, arms folding as she gazed in the same direction. "Let him be, Erwin. It's probably related to Sophia."
Erwin's eyes remained fixed on the inner castle, jaw clenched.
"I hope that's all it is," he muttered.
Inside, Liam—who had momentarily lost control of even a fraction of his power—stared at Sophia. The calm that usually anchored his expression had vanished. His voice, when it came, was low and heavy—strained with something deeper than anger.
"What is the meaning of this, Sophia? Remember your promise."
Sophia slowly sank to the ground, the weight in her chest too much to bear standing. She didn't meet his gaze at first.
"I remember," she whispered. "I remember what I promised." Her voice cracked.
She looked up at him, eyes glistening.
"But how can you expect me not to cry when I see our son in pain? You're a Fourth-Rank being, Liam. And yet you sit here… reading some useless book while your child is clearly struggling!"
"If you won't help him," she said, voice trembling, "then at least tell me, what's going on. I'll do whatever it takes to see him happy."
Her hand came to rest gently on Liam's lap. She leaned forward, her face pressing against him for support as he remained seated.
Liam looked down at her hand, then back at her face. For a moment, the world blurred in his vision.
Something twisted in his chest—sharp, unfamiliar. A pain he hadn't felt in decades… no, centuries. A wound not of flesh, but of something deeper. Something buried long ago.
He had known loss. He had known war. He had known eternity.
But this kind of pain was something Liam did not know how to handle.
A flicker of memory surfaced—faint, but piercing.
A younger Sophia, her face streaked with tears, hands smeared with dirt as she rubbed her eyes. She had looked so small then, so fragile.
And he, with a sword strapped to his side, eyes bright with youth and a voice far more alive than the calm, measured one he wore now.
"Marry me, girl," he had said with a grin, brushing a leaf from her tangled hair. "And I promise… I'll never let you cry again."
Sophia had run away after hearing that.
Liam chuckled softly, the sound weary and faint. He let out a slow sigh, then gently lifted Sophia from the ground.
With a tenderness that contrasted the power he had just unleashed, he brushed a tear from her cheek.
"I'll tell you," he said quietly. "But you need to understand something."
He met her gaze—steady, unwavering.
"I may not love Aidan the way you do. Your bond with him… it's different. Deeper. But I do love him, Sophia. I would never let harm come to him."
He paused, his voice growing softer.
"But Aidan… he's not normal."
"He has a primordial name," Liam said, watching her face change.
Sophia had suspected something—but not this. Her eyes widened. Her breath caught for a moment as the truth settled in. Her emotions stilled.
Liam calmly added, "He's been having visions of the Dark Forest."
His gaze drifted, lost in thought as another memory surfaced—one he hadn't spoken of in years.
Aidan had only been six. Small, pale, and unusually quiet that morning. The dark circles beneath his eyes hadn't gone unnoticed.
He had come to Liam with slow steps and a quiet voice, his tiny fists clenched at his sides.
"A forest… the trees talk. The air is cold. Everything's dark. It feels like something's waiting for me."
Liam had listened, calm. But the moment Aidan described the whispering trees and cold shadows, he had known—it was the Dark Forest.
But there had been no cause. No trigger. No source. No corrupted mana. No curse. Nothing.
Liam had found no reason for why Aidan was having these visions.
Afterward, Aidan had walked away, shoulders slumped just a little. Liam had spoken to Edward, hoping to see if the other child with a primordial name experienced the same thing—but no. Aidan was alone.
Sophia shivered, recalling Viscount John's warning—his words about the Calling. Was it related to this?
She recounted everything that had happened earlier—her conversation with Viscount John, the mention of the Calling from the Dark Forest.
Liam paused, his gaze turning toward the direction of the forest—as if he could still see it.
He muttered under his breath before speaking clearly.
"Don't worry, Sophia. No matter what those visions mean, I won't let them harm Aidan."
Sophia nodded silently. Even if she wanted to help, she lacked the strength. If Liam—after all his efforts—had found nothing, what hope did she have?
She stepped closer, slow and deliberate. Resting her head against Liam's chest, she listened to the steady rhythm of his heart.
"You should've told me," she whispered, her voice muffled. "After Aidan was born… with that name." She tilted her head up, eyes gleaming with wonder and hesitation.
"What is it?" she asked softly. "The name Mother Maaya gave him?"
Liam shook his head slowly, his expression unreadable. "That's something he should tell you himself," he said, voice low but firm.
A flicker of irritation crossed his eyes. "Don't use my love for you to bend my will, Sophia."
His tone wasn't harsh, but there was an edge—one that only surfaced when she pushed too far.
Sophia let out a soft chuckle, laced with amusement and resignation. She understood she wouldn't get more from him.
She leaned back slightly against him, her gaze distant, fixed on nothing in particular.
"I suppose you're right," she murmured. But the smile on her lips didn't reach her eyes. Beneath it lingered worry, joy, pride… deep and maternal.
A primordial name… it wasn't just rare. It was a burden. A sign. A fate that couldn't be ignored.
"Liam," she whispered.
He glanced down, brows faintly drawn. "Hmm?"
"Promise me," she said, her voice trembling just enough to betray her fear. "Promise me you'll protect Aidan."
Liam exhaled—a quiet sigh carrying the weight of the moment. He met her gaze and nodded.
"I promise, Sophia. I'll protect him—no matter what."