Chapter 4

The Vance family was an ancient coven of powerful mystic spellcasters.

For generations, many dark covens had eyed our secret spellbooks.

Our parents had died in a brutal magical war when we were young.

Evelyn had fled with me and our family’s ancient grimoires, running for our lives.

She practiced magic day and night while raising me.

Eventually, we both mastered the mystic arts. Evelyn avenged our parents, and we rebuilt the Vance family name to its former glory.

That year, Evelyn was eighteen and I was sixteen. We were hailed as the twin prodigies of the magic world.

But everything changed when I suffered a severe magical backlash while practicing a high-level forbidden spell. My magical core was shattered, and all my power was completely drained.

At first, Evelyn wept, holding my hand and whispering, "As long as you're alive, Cole. I will carry the Vance family name for both of us."

But as time went on and my attempts to rebuild my magical core failed repeatedly, Evelyn grew cold.

The warmth and affection in her eyes when she looked at me slowly vanished.

I tried desperately to please her, doing whatever chores and favors I could, but she remained completely indifferent.

Then, one day, she brought Jonah home, announcing that he was now our brother.

To make Evelyn happy, I treated Jonah like a real brother.

But Jonah saw me as an obstacle. He constantly provoked me in secret, then ran to Evelyn crying, making himself look like the victim.

Evelyn grew more and more disappointed in me, distancing herself further each day.

Jonah replaced me. He became Evelyn’s new brother.

The memory sent another wave of phantom pain through my soul.

Humans are such strange creatures. Even without a heart, the soul can still ache.

My spiritual form grew slightly fainter as my tears fell.

"Evelyn, it's been half an hour. Why isn't Cole here yet?" Jonah asked, his tone dripping with fake concern.

Evelyn’s brows furrowed in deep annoyance.

"He really thinks he's important enough for me to go beg him. He won't learn until he faces real consequences."

"Clearly, a month in the dark wasn't enough. I'll lock him up for another three months until he truly repents."

With a dark expression, Evelyn stood up and marched toward the backyard.

She walked so fast that Jonah could barely keep up.

When they reached the door of the basement, they found it wide open. Thomas, the butler, was lying unconscious on the ground.

A wave of an incredibly foul, putrid odor rushed out of the room. Evelyn winced, covering her nose.

She conjured a splash of cold water, throwing it onto Thomas's face to wake him up.

"What happened here? Did Cole knock you out? Where is he?"

Thomas’s face was deathly pale. He pointed a shaking finger toward the dark room, but his jaw trembled so hard he couldn't form words.

Watching this, I smiled bitterly.

I knew exactly why Thomas had fainted.

After the Heart Transfer Ritual, my body had suffered from severe organ rejection. I had bled from my eyes, nose, and ears, dying in a horrific state.

Moreover, my body had been locked in a warm, sealed room for a month.

The insects and rats had long turned my corpse into their breeding ground.

Evelyn let go of the butler, pinching her nose as she shouted angrily into the room:

"Cole! I'm here! Stop playing these disgusting games! You're just a magicless loser now. How dare you bully Jonah? Get out here and get on your knees right now, or I will make you pay!"

Evelyn stepped forward, but the overwhelming stench of decay brought tears to her eyes.

Infuriated, she screamed, "Cole! You think this disgusting smell will stop me from dragging you out?!"

She quickly chanted a spell, summoning a violent gust of wind.

The wind tore through the basement, ripping the door off its hinges and blowing open the roof.

Along with the wind, a swarm of black flies, scurrying rats, and my decaying corpse were thrown into the open yard.

As my skeletal remains—half-eaten bones with chunks of rotting flesh still clinging to them—slammed onto the grass, a dark, shriveled organ lay exposed in the center of my shattered ribcage.

Evelyn's eyes widened in horror.