A blade ford from pure essence appeared in his hand.
Jorghan smiled, cold and slow. He dragged the dagger down Jamie’s chest, slicing through shirt and skin in one clean line. Blood welled up, dark and hot.
Jamie hissed in pain.
"She poisoned to escape ," Jorghan whispered, leaning close.
"Not because she loved you. Because she was afraid. And you... you took advantage. Put your worthless seed in her. Thought you’d won."
He twisted the blade into Jamie’s shoulder, slowly grinding it against bone.
Jamie scread, body arching off the floor.
"Luke? That boy is proof of your weakness. A mistake I let live too long."
He pulled the dagger free and moved to Jamie’s hand, pinning it to the stone.
One by one, he broke the fingers, snap, snap, snap, like dry twigs. Jamie’s cries echoed off the walls.
"You should never have ssed with ," Jorghan said, voice steady as he carved a slow circle into Jamie’s chest, deep enough to expose muscle.
"You thought you could take what was mine?"
He drove the dagger into Jamie’s thigh, twisting it deep, severing nerves. Jamie’s screams turned raw, broken.
Jorghan leaned down, lips near Jamie’s ear.
"I’m going to make your son my slave, and her—she will be one too."
He pulled the blade out and stabbed again, lower this ti, deliberate, cruel.
Then he moved back and stood near Grace, who was trying so hard to not shake from fear, and Luke, who was trembling in fear, staring at his father.
"Ah, this takes back to the old days."
"But it’s not fun anymore."
He looked at them and said, "Shall we get this over with?"
Then he snapped his fingers.
The sound echoed through the Great Hall like a grenade blast.
Jamie Moorne exploded.
Not dramatically. Not with fire or visible force. His body simply ca apart as every blood vessel ruptured simultaneously, as Jorghan’s will invaded his circulatory system and destroyed it from inside.
Blood sprayed outward in a perfect sphere, coating the marble floor, splashing across Luke’s face, and speckling Grace’s clothes. Jamie’s body collapsed backward, already dead, his final expression frozen in shock as his brain registered what was happening a split second before consciousness ended.
Luke scread, a sound of pure horror and grief that echoed off the high ceiling.
"FATHER! NO! YOU KILLED—"
Grace didn’t flinch.
She stood perfectly still, blood on her face and clothes, her hand still holding Jorghan’s, her eyes never leaving his. She looked at him the way soone might look at the sun, directly, without fear, accepting the brightness even though it hurt.
Jorghan turned to address Luke, who was sobbing now, his hands covered in his father’s blood, his mind clearly breaking from the speed at which his world had collapsed.
"You get to live," Jorghan said without emotion.
"Not because you deserve it, but because you’re coming with . You’ll live, only to serve for the rest of your days. You should never have killed Scar, and you’ll carry that weight every single day, rembering what you took from ."
Luke nodded frantically through his tears, too broken to speak.
He manifested blood essence around Luke’s body, seizing control of his muscles, forcing him to stand even though he clearly wanted to collapse beside his father’s corpse.
"We’re leaving. Both of you, co with ."
*
Grace walked beside Jorghan willingly as they exited the Great Hall, her steps steady despite everything she’d just witnessed.
She’d made her choice.
She didn’t speak, but she didn’t need to.
Luke stumbled along behind them, controlled by Jorghan’s blood essence manipulation, his body moving without his conscious input. He was still crying, still breaking, but his legs carried him forward regardless of his will.
They walked through the estate’s grounds, past buildings still lit by ergency lighting, past the bodies of soldiers who’d tried to stop Jorghan’s advance.
Grace saw the carnage but didn’t react. She’d moved past shock into sothing else—acceptance, maybe, or simple exhaustion.
The warehouse district occupied the estate’s eastern edge, away from residential areas, where the Moorne Corporation stored equipnt and vehicles. It was a massive structure, easily large enough to house aircraft or military hardware.
Two n stood outside the main entrance, both wearing technician uniforms and both looking nervous but determined. They’d clearly been waiting, following orders Jorghan had given them earlier.
"Sir," one of them said as Jorghan approached.
"The ship is prepared as requested. Fueling complete, systems operational, bioch pilot fully integrated."
"Good," Jorghan replied. "Show ."
They entered the warehouse through a side door. The interior was cavernous, filled with rows of vehicles and equipnt, but dominating the central space was sothing that made Grace stop and stare.
*
The ship was enormous, easily two hundred feet from nose to tail, standing fifty feet tall on retractable landing gear. Its shape was triangular when viewed from above, but the edges were curved rather than sharp, giving it an organic quality that made it look almost alive.
The hull was matte black, absorbing light rather than reflecting it, and covered in what appeared to be overlapping plates that could adjust position independently. Small lights pulsed along its surface in patterns that suggested systems.
"D-Triggon," one technician explained, his voice carrying professional pride despite his obvious fear of Jorghan.
"A semi autonomous, jump-capable experintal vessel, now in its eighth iteration. She is a hybrid of legacy Earth systems and advanced nanotechnology."
The other technician picked up the explanation. "The ship has a biocha integrated into its core systems. She’s not just a pilot; she’s part of the ship itself. Her consciousness interfaces directly with all systems. She feels what the ship feels and controls it through thought rather than manual input. It’s one of the most advanced vessels on Earth."
"And she can repair the ship if any damage occurs."
He gestured toward the ship’s curved hull.
"Inside there’s space for up to twenty passengers comfortably, though it’s designed for long-duration voyages with smaller crews. Multiple compartnts, life support capable of sustaining occupants for months, defensive systems, and most importantly, jump capability."
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