Tom's frown eased as he suddenly changed his tone. "But that's alright," he said with a sly smile curling across his face. "From today onward, Adam will become our greatest bargaining chip. The Frost-Heart family must submit to us."
His narrowed eyes gleamed with ambition as he spoke again in a grave voice, "Wilson, I expect you not to disappoint me. Our families have been enemies for over a thousand years. I will be the one to force them to kneel—right here, in my generation."
As he finished speaking, a twisted smile unknowingly formed on his lips, laced with anticipation and pride.
Wilson raised his head, his expression cold and unreadable. He gave a single, firm nod. "I understand, Father."
"Good. You may leave now," Tom said with finality.
Standing silently to the side, Arthur had observed the entire exchange. His eyes narrowed in thought.
He had some knowledge about the matter. If memory served him correctly, Luke Frost-Heart was likely plotting something very similar.
As the leaders of the two great wizarding families, Tom and Luke were cunning and calculating—veterans of political games. It was no coincidence that both had devised the same strategy: kidnapping the other's son.
If I recall correctly from the events recorded in the original timeline, Arthur thought, when the two met at that point, it escalated into a fierce battle—one that triggered yet another wizarding war.
More critically, this incident would become the spark that ignited a much larger conflict between the Ember and Frost-Heart families. After that war, both Adam and Wilson would be cast out into the ancient realm—trapped, isolated, and forced to rely on one another for survival. Their mutual hardship would transform into deep friendship, laying the foundation for the future creation of the Eternal Academy.
Though the two families had frequent skirmishes during peacetime, they were mere scuffles compared to the carnage that came with all-out war.
Especially dangerous was when the two factions rallied support from other wizard families, forming fragile alliances that only escalated the bloodshed. Such wars were massive and devastating—difficult to control and nearly impossible to end cleanly.
"Troublesome…" Arthur murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
While technically not his concern whether the two families went to war, it certainly disrupted his ability to train his disciples.
War, while offering fertile ground for rapid growth, was premature for Adam and Wilson. Their current strength wasn't enough to survive, let alone thrive, on a battlefield of elite wizards.
They needed to become Peak Wizards at the very least.
Though Adam and Wilson were progressing quickly, neither had reached that level yet. They still had a long way to go.
After exiting Tom's estate, Wilson didn't slow down. He continued walking in silence, his mind heavy with thought.
Only after reaching a secluded clearing did Wilson finally stop and glance around. Ensuring no one was nearby, he called softly.
"Teacher Arthur, are you here?"
Unlike Adam, Wilson never revealed his deepest secrets in front of others. No matter how mysterious Arthur's existence seemed, Wilson kept his trust private.
Adam, on the other hand, had a harder time hiding things. Max had often noticed Adam muttering to empty air or waving his arms around like he was in the middle of a duel with an invisible foe. It was… unsettling, to say the least.
"Teacher Arthur, I..." Wilson hesitated, frowning. His icy exterior, displayed so confidently in front of Tom, was now melting away.
His true emotions surfaced—his genuine concern for Adam, his only real friend.
Arthur smiled calmly, sensing Wilson's anxiety. "Don't worry. When the time comes, I'll be there to help."
Wilson looked surprised. "Teacher, do you… do you have a way to stop the war? And… do you even have a physical body?"
In the month they had spent together, Wilson had grown familiar with his teacher's existence—an invisible force, unheard, unseen, and intangible. A presence that felt divine yet ghostly.
Wilson knew Arthur was powerful, but without a body, how could he influence real events? He might not be threatened by others, but he couldn't fight back either… could he?
Arthur simply chuckled and reached out, flicking Wilson on the forehead with a sharp tap.
"Ouch! That hurts!" Wilson yelped, rubbing his head as he jumped back in surprise.
Then it hit him.
His eyes widened. "Wait… Teacher, you… you have a body now?"
Arthur smiled. "It's only temporary, but it'll do."
Thanks to the growing power of Adam and Wilson, Arthur could now maintain a physical form—at least for about an hour.
That was more than enough for what needed to be done.
Wilson straightened up and quickly explained, "This time, to maintain secrecy and avoid drawing attention, my father is only bringing Kevin along."
He paused, hesitating for a moment. "Teacher, if you could—"
But when Wilson turned to look, Arthur had vanished again.
"Teacher Arthur?" he called, confused.
He scanned the area in disbelief. No trace. Nothing.
Still, Wilson didn't believe for a moment that Arthur had left him without a word. His teacher was always calm, always composed.
Arthur hadn't left.
Just a short distance away, he was already tailing a sneaky, panicked-looking Ember wizard—one who had been quietly following Wilson since he left the house.
The wizard had clearly witnessed Arthur's sudden appearance and disappearance and now looked visibly shaken.
He rubbed his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Am I seeing things? Is this… hell?"
Arthur's eyes narrowed. So, Tom didn't fully trust Wilson after all.
He had sent a Peak Wizard to shadow his son—either to monitor him or to intervene if Wilson failed to carry out the plan.
This wizard's strength was clearly greater than Wilson's. And more importantly, Wilson, feeling safe within his own family grounds, hadn't been on alert. He hadn't even noticed he was being tailed.
But Arthur had noticed.
And this so-called "stealthy" wizard was laughably poor at hiding from someone like him.
Arthur stepped forward and gently tapped the man on the shoulder.
The Ember wizard turned—only to see a glowing magic circle light up in Arthur's hand.
In the next instant, darkness consumed his consciousness.
Effortlessly lifting the unconscious wizard over one shoulder, Arthur strolled back toward Wilson's location.
Moments later, Wilson's eyes lit up as he saw a familiar figure in white emerge from the corner, calmly walking toward him.
In Arthur's hand was a limp body—the very same Ember guard Wilson remembered seeing frequently beside Tom.
Realization dawned. The pieces fit together.
And Wilson's heart sank.
He finally understood everything.