Charles''s hands trembled slightly as he held the letter. Instinctively, he gripped the edges of the paper tightly.


    "I had already anticipated this oue, but facing it for real is still somewhat hard to ept," Charles said slowly.


    For a brief moment, he felt as if the entire world before him had suddenly gone quiet, as if someone had pressed the pause button.


    The surroundings seemed to stretch infinitely, expanding to a size that made him ufortable.


    Since that day.


    Everything had changed. His once-proud talents were now restricted and cursed.


    Those close to him had either left this world or drifted further away from him.


    Charles had essentially lost everything.


    Celestine had also returned to Lsengard a few months ago.


    Before she left, she had asked Charles if he wanted to return with her to that small city.


    Charles declined, saying he still had a promise to fulfill with Grace, needed to search for his parents, and wanted to wait to head to the Cyber Academy headquarters to see Catherine one more time.


    He carefully ced the letter into the pocket of his chest.


    Charles patted his chest and turned to walk towards the library.


    The constant stream of bad news seemed to have no effect on him. Charlespletely shut himself off, frantically studying a vast amount of material while trying to find information about Lucas.


    As autumn faded and spring returned,


    in the second year since arriving in Calivia, Charles had entirely removed himself from the public eye.


    A new batch of students arrived at the Cyber Academy.


    Some curiously stared at therge screen outside the trial tower, pointing at the names on the leaderboard and asking:


    "Who is this Charles? He''s amazing! He aplished so much in such a short time!"


    The older students were momentarily taken aback, struggling to recall anything about Charles.


    After a while, they slowly replied, "He was once a genius, but now he''s a waste."


    "A waste? Someone like that has now be a waste?" the new students said in disbelief.


    The older students continued to exin, "Yes, it''s been nearly two years, and he''s still a Level 4 Beast Master. What else could he be but a waste?"


    Almost two years was enough to change most things.


    Those who once looked up to Charles had now be Level 5 Beast Masters themselves.


    The topic of Charles was no longer mentioned, it was as if everything that had happened before had never urred.


    Time passed quickly,


    and there were only two or three months left until the duel he promised Grace.


    Charles was still a Level 4 Beast Master, and his strength simply could not improve. The effects of the curse exceeded everyone''s imagination.


    ording to reliable sources,


    Grace had be a Level 6 Beast Master, rising as a new star in Genosha!


    Few people remembered the promise between Charles and Grace, as hardly anyone paid attention to Charles. Even if some individuals knew, they didn''t care, to them, Charles seemedpletely hopeless.


    The once-admired genius was now left far behind by others, standing still and motionless.


    The disparity between then and now was enough to drive anyone to despair.


    Charles remained just as he had been before, showing no signs of despair.


    Until that day, when Grace, now a Level 6 Beast Master, sought him out.


    "Give up, the gap between us is too vast. You''re still a Level 4 Beast Master, you can''tpete with me at all," Grace said, lifting her chin high.


    Her gaze was condescending, and she appeared utterly rxed, dismissing Charles entirely as she arrogantly dered, "You will be my servant, that''s a done deal. From now on, you''ll focus on creating the miracle drug."


    Charles did not respond, he simply raised his arm to look at the mark of the [human contract].


    "Oh, are you still not giving up? Let me tell you some new information: Lucas is dead."Grace was visibly annoyed by the calm expression on Charles''s face.


    She revealed a shocking piece of news: Lucas, a Level 9 Beast Master, was dead!


    Charles''s pupils constricted sharply, showing a hint of surprise as he slowly asked, "What about the staff? Lucas''s golden-quality staff?"


    "It shattered. Charles, the curse on you can no longer be lifted. You should just focus on being a high-level alchemist from now on."Grace watched Charles''s anxious reaction with evident pleasure.


    She stretched her graceful body, wearing a broad smile as she observed Charles fall into silence.


    "I''ve told you before, you''re just amoner. So what if you once had an Level 8 Beast Master as a teacher? You will only be my servant from now on, forever obeying mymands."


    Grace looked closely at Charles''s expression and noticed little change. Confused, she continued:


    "What''s wrong? Feeling defeated? You''re not about topletely fall apart, are you? Charles, you really are fragile."


    Charles still chose to remain silent, turning to leave decisively.


    His indifferent demeanor and actions infuriated Grace, who hade to unt her superiority. She stomped her feet in anger and shouted:


    "Charles, do you really think you''re that genius from two years ago? You''re just amoner, and now you''re nothing but a waste! It''s been two years, and you''re still a Level 4 Beast Master!"


    Themotion quickly drew a crowd. They watched Charles''s departing figure and then turned their attention to the still-fuming Grace, murmuring among themselves.


    "Wow, Charles really deserves his reputation. He can still stay calm even now. If it were me, I would havepletely broken down."


    "Calmness doesn''t change anything, does it? Right now, Charles is just a waste."


    "That''s true. Charles will probably only ever be a Level 6 Beast Master, even until he dies."


    Ignoring the surrounding chatter and various taunts, Charles continued his daily routine of going to the library and practicing in the training room.


    Until one night, after he finished a busy day and was about to return to his dormitory,


    a mysterious voice emerged from the darkness behind him:


    "Charles, I''ve told you before, everything is a matter of destiny."


    Charles suddenly turned around. He recognized the voice, it seemed to belong to an elder from the [Constetion] organization, an Level 8 Beast Master!


    In an instant,


    Charles''s muscles tensed up as he entered a state ofbat readiness.


    But the next second, he rxed hisbat stance,


    because he felt an oddly familiar aura from this mysterious person. He asked:


    "Is it you? Have you already be a Level 9 Beast Master?"


    The person nodded and continued, "I can help you lift the curse on you, and I can also help you be a Level 6 Beast Master in a short time!"


    "Then, those so-called geniuses will once again witness your terror, the true monster!"


    Charles was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, and then his breathing became rapid as he anxiously asked:


    "Everything has a price. What do I need to pay?"


    The Level 9 Beast Master from [Constetion] raised the corners of his mouth excitedly and replied:


    "It''s simple: join us, integrate with us, be one of us!"


    "Is that all? Do I not need to do anything else?" Charles felt that things couldn''t be that simple.


    "No need. Destiny has already arranged everything. All we need to do is follow its guidance."The mysterious man became fervent,


    his whole body trembling, his face twisted under the cloak, filled with excitement and joy.


    "I have heard the holy voice of the divine, Charles. Just drink this, and the curse on you will naturally be lifted!" The mysterious man pulled out a vial of miracle drug from his robe.


    Discover stories at м??


    It was a bottle of ck miracle drug, exuding an incredibly eerie aura. The ck liquid inside the ss vial surged wildly, as if it were alive.


    Charles took just one nce and immediately felt as if someone was whispering incessantly in his ear.


    The voice sounded like the cries of a newborn child, yet also like the dying murmurs of an elderly person, apanied by chaos, fear, and despair.


    It took Charles a while to regain hisposure, and he hesitated.


    At that moment, the mysterious man spoke again: "You can hold onto it for now, the choice is yours, Charles. The duel with Grace is about to begin. Are you really willing to spend your life as a mere high-level alchemist?"


    "The death of Catherine was no simple matter, and I know a bit about your parents'' whereabouts. They are in great danger."


    Upon hearing this, Charles hurriedly pressed, "What do you know? Tell me! Tell me everything!"


    The mysterious man ced the ck miracle drug on the grass without answering Charles. He took a small step back, and in an instant, he vanished into the darkness.


    Only a lingering voice remained: "Charles, you only have this one chance. Think it over carefully."


    Looking at the eerie ck miracle drug on the ground, Charles hesitated for a moment,


    but then slowly walked over and bent down to pick it up.


    ...


    In the Genosha royal pce,


    Miles, Jamie, and the others stared at the screen, still in shock and unable to recover.


    In the illusion, Charles had spent nearly two years, while in reality, only a little over ten minutes had passed.


    The thoughts of a Level 9 Beast Master are indeed beyond the grasp of ordinary people!


    What they originally thought was the entirety of the trial of the heart,


    the events that unfolded on the sky bridge, turned out to be merely a prelude!


    Everything that happened in the sky bridge illusion, as well as the curse transfer after emerging from the illusion, was all designed to immerse Charlespletely in the subsequent illusion.


    Charles believed the trial of the heart was over, but in fact, the real trial of the heart illusion had just begun!


    "Oh my God, even an Level 8 Beast Master wouldn''t be able to sense this!" Miles instinctively eximed, then turned to Jamie beside him.


    Jamie swallowed hard and replied, "From our perspective, there might be some inconsistencies, but for someone trapped in the illusion, it''s very difficult to notice. Even I wouldn''t be able to detect anything unusual."