Chapter 439: Chapter 439

Various scenarios rushed through Murray’s head because he knew that there was no way any Fae knew about Ian.

Ian was supposed to be a well-kept secret on the Fae side. Even though recent circumstances and issues in the human world proved otherwise, Murray instinctively knew that this much knowledge was still impossible. It only led to one possibility in Murray’s mind: If this Fae knew, it only meant that he may have been part of the attacks on his mistress in their world!

’Did that also mean that his imprisonment was part of the ploy?’ Murray wondered as his mood further dipped. Murray tightened his grip, squeezing the life out of this person.

Brian’s struggles weakened, and his vision darkened at the edges.

He tapped frantically on the cold stone floor, his body writhing like a fish out of water, gasping for the breath that he so needed in order to stay alive. Brian’s legs kicked uselessly in search of leverage. His bony fingers clawed at the Murray’s arm, but the grip around his throat remained unyielding.

Wheezing, he rasped out a strained chuckle between choking gasps.

"Young men... nowadays... have such... explosive tempers..." His voice barely made it past his crushed windpipe, each word costing him precious air.

However, Murray didn’t give way, his expression carved from stone.

Brian’s vision blurred. Dark spots danced at the edges. His limbs grew weaker, their strength draining like water slipping through cracked hands. He had only moments left.

Desperation forced another gurgling attempt at speech.

His mouth moved, but the rest of the sentence never came. His eyes rolled back slightly, and his arms went slack at his sides. Murray immediately let go with a grim expression.

As soon as he did this, Brian’s thin frame collapsed onto his side, coughing violently as he scrambled away with what little strength he had left. His bony fingers clawed at the damp stone floor, dragging himself into a slumped heap against the wall.

He sucked in great, wheezing gulps of air, his chest rising and falling erratically. For a moment, it seemed like he was simply trying to stay conscious. Then, with a breathless, raspy chuckle, he croaked out,

"Well... that was the closest I’ve ever been to seeing the other side. Guess it’s not my time yet ... unless you’d like to reconsider?"

He peeked up at Murray, a half-grin tugging at his lips despite the way his hands still trembled.

It would have been surprising for anyone to see that Brian actually looked at Murray with fondness and marvel. This was contrary to what would have been expected out of such a situation. It was as if he was not the one who had been in a near-death situation.

Was he mad? Murray wondered.

"Hey, hey..." Brian raised his hands in surrender but kept his distance. One thing that struck Murray — despite Brain’s frail, lanky figure, he was far stronger than he appeared. Visually, the older Fae looked like a gust of wind could send him tumbling like a dried leaf, his limbs gaunt, his robes hanging off his bony frame as if he were more shadow than flesh.

But Murray knew better. He had felt it—the iron-like resistance when he’d gripped Brian’s throat. There was strength hidden beneath that brittle exterior, a deceptive power lurking in his wiry muscles. The realization sent a shiver of wariness down his spine. This man was no helpless elder. He was something else entirely. It reinforced his notion that this person was part of the attacks.

"H-o ... hold that thought!"

Brian managed to speak out.

"Who harmed you to make you doubt everyone and even the person who tried to help you?"

Murray maintained some distance, his vigilance still up,

"I told you that I knew your parents.... Why are you so distrusting?"

"You never answered my question!"

"It was an educative guess, but I think that I nailed the issue right on the head with your reaction."

This did not let Murray relax in any way. It concerned his mistress’ safety, and he had to do anything to nip the problem in the bud, no matter what he did.

Brain exhaled sharply, rubbing his sore neck as his gaze drifted into the distance. It was also surprising that despite the attempt on his life, he did not look like he held a grudge against Murray.

A faraway look settled in his eyes as if he had stepped out of the present and into the echoes of another time. His voice, when he finally spoke, carried the weight of something deeper—something almost wistful. Even Brian’s face held a hint of nostalgia.

"You really should have taken my words at it’s face value. I knew your parents before they even had you and your brother," he murmured, his fingers idly tracing the rim of a long-forgotten invisible scar on his palm.

"I remember them well. Your father, sharp as a blade, steady as the earth and one of the best warriors I have ever met. Your mother... she had a way about her. A lightness. She could silence a room with just a glance, not out of fear, but because she carried herself like a whisper of something greater.... She was also another splendid warrior. Stealth and deadly... those two were.

They were bound by duty, but it never dimmed the way they looked at each other. It was... rare."

Brain let out a quiet chuckle, though it was tinged with sadness.

"I only met your older brother once, so I doubt he would remember me. But he was something else. I still recall how he devoured every book in my library like a starving man at a feast.

He was only a toddler then, but even at that time, his maturity was very far beyond him, and his potential was infinite. He had a mind that never rested, always searching, always hungry for more. He was their son through and through as do you. You take after them." His gaze darkened slightly.

"Your parents were more than just warriors, more than just guardians. They were shadow guardians—sworn to protect him. The one no one dares to speak of."

His jaw tightened, the sorrow deepening in his features. Even though he had made no mention of a name, Murray had a hunch that this was about Roman.

"And then one day... they were gone. No warning, no trace. Their deaths remain a mystery to this day."

Brian blinked as if pulling himself back from the past, but the sorrow in his eyes lingered.

"Even though I don’t know what truly happened to that person... the fact that you are here, with that woman,"—Brian’s voice dropped slightly— "is enough for me to know that the past is no longer resting. It’s stirring, just as I predicted it would."

Brian’s lips pressed into a thin line as though he could still hear the laughter of ghosts that time had tried to erase.

"Your appearance clicked the last piece of the puzzle into place...."

Murray suddenly asked because he knew of some part of this story well enough. They were his parents, so why wouldn’t he?

Brain leaned closer to Murray and whispered.

"Prince Roman was thought to have fled and left his people. Some thought he was dead, and the few people who knew of his shadow warriors knew that there was more to the story than met the eye.

However, Roman never appeared when it was time to take the throne, and no one could sense him... indicating that he was dead. However, a few months ago, I got a sniff of a power and essence that was Roman’s... or so I thought, so I alerted the princes to it. It was later that I found out that it was eerie, similar to Roman but not his.

That led me to one conclusion... the possibility of a child, but then, Roman never got married and such a union would have been reported. It wasn’t until I saw this woman that everything clicked into place: The son of Roman’s shadow warriors is a shadow warrior to a human who has been bonded. That only tells me one thing: Roman had a child who had been bonded to this woman.

That is the only way such a shadow warrior from your family who has sworn to protect Roman’s line would be here. Also, even though the bond is farfetched in the minds of these people, I believe someone from a strong line like Roman’s may be one of the few people to manage such... even though I still have my doubts on that...."

It took a moment for Murray to grasp the whole thing.

’As expected of the guardian of the knowledge space!’ This did not mean that he let his guard down....

Brian sighed, reading Murray’s body language, "If I meant you harm, that tablet I gave you would have been the main avenue...."

"Try your mind link again if you distrust what I am saying."

Murray narrowed his eyes. He had nothing to lose by trying it. He adjusted himself and whispered in his mind, actively trying that link that had always been second nature to him, ’Is what you are saying really true?’

’Of course it is!’ came the response.

This time, he heard Brian’s reply, and Brain never moved his lips!

Without wasting time, Murray adjusted himself and tried to reach the others,

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