Vexer raised his right hand.
Morgan reacted instantly.
Before Vexer's fingers had fully extended, Morgan threw himself backward toward the entrance of the chamber.
The fifteen Sovereign Manifest protectors reacted even faster.
Five flashed to the edge of the platform while the other ten formed a protective ring around Vexer, placing themselves between him and the rest of the manor.
An eerie silence descended over the chamber.
It felt as though the entire place had been torn away from the mountain itself, severed from the world beyond.
Boulder's eyes widened as he looked toward the open ceiling before turning back to the silver-haired figure standing beside Shawn.
No one had seen a hand seal.
No one had sensed the slightest change in World Energy.
It was as though reality itself had begun rewriting its own laws.
Vexer slowly turned his raised palm outward.
The sturdy granite pillars bent inward, and the stone floor twisted unnaturally. The space between them creased as though invisible hands were folding a sheet of parchment.
The collapse spread silently toward Morgan.
Only then did the Sovereign Manifest move.
Chains burst from the shadows and anchored themselves deep within the mountain's bedrock. Layer upon layer of defensive barriers appeared throughout the chamber, each one attempting to hold the collapsing space together.
The guards poured everything they had into a desperate last stand, knowing that survival depended on stopping the advancing distortion.
The first guardian never had a chance.
The instant the folding space touched his domain, it shattered completely.
His body vanished without a trace.
No blood.
No bones.
Not even a scream.
The second guardian barely twisted away in time, sacrificing his right arm to escape.
The third burned away part of his cultivation to gain a burst of speed, narrowly slipping beyond the collapsing space.
The fourth crushed a jade artifact in desperation.
It dissolved into dust before it could activate.
Then the collapse stopped.
Morgan struck the far wall hard, landing heavily on the stone floor. Blood streamed from his ears, and his breath came in uneven gasps. He stared at the collapsing space, his face completely blank with shock.
Silence returned to the chamber.
Vexer paid no attention to the wounded guardians or the destruction surrounding him.
He simply walked toward Shawn.
The surviving protectors remained frozen in place, their defensive formations still glowing beneath their hands.
Not one of them dared to take a single step.
The slow, measured rhythm of Vexer's footsteps felt heavier than the chaos that had come before.
Shawn's eyelids fluttered.
The disturbance pulled him halfway back to consciousness.
Although he still could not see, he felt a familiar presence standing over him.
A single word surfaced quietly within his mind.
Grandfather.
He did not know whether to embrace it or reject it.
Vexer stopped beside the platform and looked down at the battered boy.
Without speaking, he rested one hand upon Shawn's chest.
Space rippled beneath his palm.
A gentle distortion spread across the platform, blurring their outlines.
The surrounding air folded inward.
Then they were gone.
For what felt like an eternity, no one moved.
The wind had vanished.
The white currents of World Energy were gone.
Only the ruined manor remained beneath the open mountain sky.
Morgan struggled to push himself upright, blood staining his hands.
Half the manor lay in ruins.
The surviving Sovereign Manifest were scattered throughout the chamber. Their defensive formations had collapsed. One guardian was dead, and several others were gravely wounded.
Morgan's eyes slowly settled on the empty platform.
Shawn was gone.
The manor still acknowledged Morgan as its master.
The servants waited for his next command.
The surviving guards stood ready to obey.
Yet the platform held nothing.
The one thing he had devoted the last ten years of his life to pursuing had slipped completely through his fingers.