"You met her?" Morrigan asked.
"Yeah," Neo answered.
The duo returned to the Hargraves mansion.
The media was lining outside the gates of the academy and the Hargraves Mansion.
Cameras flashed incessantly, and reporters clamored for information.
It was not a problem for Neo and Morrigan.
They used a cab, and the media didn't realize it was them in the cab.
It didn't take them long to reach their destination.
Times made Neo think it was a good choice that the academy and Hargraves Mansion were in adjacent cities.
As the cab approached the mansion, the towering gates, wrought iron and gilded with the Hargraves family crest, slowly opened.
Neo and Morrigan stepped out of the cab.
The cool evening breeze carried the faint scent of freshly trimmed hedges from the landscaped gardens.
Felix, Mars, Sean, Clara, Arthur, and the butler were waiting outside the door of the main building.
A faint smile appeared on Neo's face.
Memories of their last meeting surged in his mind.
'I think something similar happened long ago too?'
He thought but kept it to himself as he walked toward the group.
"Neo! You're back! And Morrigan too? I thought she said she was busy," Felix said.
"We met in the cafeteria."
"Oh, cafeteria. Of course, you met her there," she said in a flat tone.
Morrigan ignored Felix's jab.
Her expression remained stone-cold.
Her piercing gaze briefly scanned the surroundings before resting on the group.
"Where is Jack though? I don't see him," Arthur asked with furrowed brows.
"He is busy. He will see you guys later," Neo replied. His tone carried a note of finality. "Let's talk inside. I'm exhausted."
"Ah, right," Felix said quickly, stepping aside to make way.
The group moved into the main building.
Only Mars remained motionless.
His gaze was fixed on Neo, and a frown was etched on his face.
"Mars?" Felix called out to him. "Something's wrong?"
Mars didn't look at Felix.
He addressed Neo directly.
"Neo…. What's your current rank?"
The group's smiling faces froze.
They had been trying to give Neo space and planned to ask about the Shadow Trial slowly, but Mars had done the opposite.
A palpable unease settled over them.
Felix opened her mouth.
"Mars, not right now—"
"Peak Empyrean Demigod, technically," Neo said.
Mars had asked for his rank, not his combat strength, and that was what he revealed.
Mars seemed unconvinced.
His instincts had never been wrong.
And right now, Neo seemed unfathomably powerful.
Still, he did not pursue the topic further.
The group's tension lingered, but they collectively decided to let it go—for now.
They sat inside the main hall.
Neo had lunch dinner with them.
When he asked the butler why Henry was not with them, the butler said Henry was busy with something.
The aroma of roasted meats and freshly baked bread lingered in the air, mingling with the faint scent of aged wood and wax polish.
The dinner was cheerful.
Laughter echoed off the high ceilings as they exchanged stories.
Clearly, everyone wanted to know about the Shadow Trial.
Neo, however, had no intention of revealing anything about the Shadow Trial.
Sensing he didn't want to talk, no one tried to question him about it.
"Where are you going?" Arthur asked as Neo stood up after dinner.
"To meet brother," Neo said. "And you guys, go get your gears. I'm going to test you."
"Test… us?" Sean spoke up. "For what?"
"The Exoskeleton bone surgery. I told you I'll help you guys get one if you defeat me, remember? We'll have the fight now."
"What!?" Felix sprang up. "But we barely got any time to prepare! Besides, you are already Peak Empyrean—"
"My talk with brother shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes," Neo said, cutting off Felix.
Everyone was surprised by Neo's attitude.
He seemed to have changed.
The lighthearted atmosphere from earlier dissipated as a quiet tension filled the room.
Neo ignored their confusion and went upwards to meet Henry.
The staircase spiraled toward the upper floors.
He knocked on the door at the end of the corridor.
"Come inside," Henry's voice came from the other side.
Neo entered the room.
The air was thick with the smell of smoke, and the powerful Intent of Henry hit him like a tsunami.
A faint orange glow from a desk lamp barely illuminated Henry.
He was seated in a leather chair with a cigarette between his fingers.
His senses were bombarded with too much information from the Intent.
He felt like he was being stared at by a monstrously powerful, malevolent entity.
The oppressive force pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe.
Henry noticed Neo's condition.
He put down the cigarette and called back his Intent into his body.
Neo could finally breathe again.
He staggered back slightly, as his hand clutched his chest.
If Henry had been a second late in suppressing his Intent, Neo would have died.
'I need to learn how to seal my Intent senses.'
'Or I am going to be flashbanged every time I meet a powerful person,' Neo thought.
"Come, have a seat," Henry said.
"Thanks," Neo sat before Henry. "You weren't there during the dinner."
"The Templar you messed with after returning from the Shadow Trial complained to her master."
"Yes," Henry nodded. He took a puff and continued, "I was busy handling that matter."
"Wow, look at this fucker. Not even a 'sorry' for giving me extra work."
"Thanks for taking care of it for me."
He looked at Neo, not expecting him to say 'thank you' when he asked for a 'sorry'.
He burst into a chuckle.
"Seems like the Shadow Trial taught you a lot."
"More than I had bargained for."
Henry nodded and rubbed the cigarette into the ashtray.
Wisps of smoke curled upwards, dispersing into the air.
"So why did you come to see me?"
"I can't come to meet my own brother without having a reason?" Neo asked. "I missed you."
"We met like eight or nine days ago."
"It was longer for me."
Henry sighed, leaning back in his chair.
The sound of the leather creaking under his weight filled the brief silence.
"That's why I didn't want you to go to the Shadow Trial. That thing is a hell."
"I haven't, but I know some people who did."
This time, Neo raised his brows.
Coming back from a Shadow Trial was a monumental feat.
Only a handful had achieved it in the earth's history.
'He knows someone like that?' Neo wondered. 'Or is he talking about someone from the outside?'
Neo didn't voice out his thoughts.
Henry shifted his gaze to the laptop screen.
An incoming notification blinked.
He began to type on the keyboard while talking to Neo.
"So what's the real reason you came to meet me?"
"Bitch, get out if you are going to waste my time."
It seemed like Henry had more or less an accurate grasp of his personality.
"I wanted to ask about mom and dad."