Irad Lee was the grand conspirator who twisted the public perception of Terrence’s mother inside the family after her death.

Even though she originated from a minor branch family and wasn’t directly born of the patriarch’s bloodline, she should have been hailed as a noble hero who saved countless lives, given that she was the only Lee Family member who perished during that brutal defense against the breached rift.

Yet, Irad had manufactured his own twisted version of the story. Kalisha’s contribution wasn’t considered that heavy.

Irad was the official director tasked with overseeing all administrative affairs inside the former sector in the Fringe. No one had anticipated the sudden rift outbreak, but Irad should have initiated an immediate civilian evacuation the very second the initial energy fluctuations were detected.

However, based on the secret, nearly erased reports Terrence had managed to uncover during his own private investigations, Irad chose not to report the spatial fluctuations right away. Instead, he callously observed how the strange energy would affect the beasts contracted by local tamers.

The environmental fluctuations boosted the beasts’ physical aspects by a mere one percent. Desperate for greater research results, Irad waited eagerly to see if the power surge would grow, but as the spatial fluctuations intensified, the performance percentage failed to rise any further.

Ultimately, the unstable rift fully materialized, morphing into a chaotic breached rift as it tore open space inside the Suran sector.

Terrence had originally gone undercover as Irad’s student despite enduring endless physical and emotional abuse. He knew that if he ever wanted to uncover the raw truth regarding his parents’ deaths, he had to start his investigation directly with his uncles and aunts who held high-ranking positions in the former sector.

It was only after the horrific atrocity committed in the barren slums that the messy, scattered pieces of the puzzle began connecting.

The barren slum had been completely wiped out without a single care for the innocent citizens living there. That massacre, combined with similar atrocities committed by other family elders, finally drove Terrence to investigate whether there had been foul play surrounding his mother’s passing.

The truth turned out to be far worse than his darkest expectations. Irad’s obsessive, maniacal personality regarding beast research and his sheer carelessness had directly caused the deaths of many innocent people—including Terrence’s mother.

And now, learning that his mother was actively sacrificed?! He simply couldn’t digest the horrific reality of that revelation.

Clame carefully explained everything she had personally uncovered since the historic Mana Wave, detailing what she had witnessed firsthand when she was deployed as a young support soldier from Nara City to bolster the outer sector’s defenses.

Terrence listened to her words in absolute silence, refusing to jump to immediate conclusions. His fingernails dug deeper and deeper into his paling palms, nearly drawing blood.

A dry, burning sensation choked his throat, forcing him to swallow hard with every passing second.

In the end, Clame revealed that due to sheer negligence, and in a desperate bid to minimize broader structural damage, Terrence’s mother had been deliberately selected as a human sacrifice to stabilize the rift.

"So... it wasn’t an unavoidable accident?" Terrence asked, his voice entirely void of emotion. He was struggling to process the reality, desperate to find some way to deny her words.

Clame nodded hesitantly, visibly weighing whether she had made the right choice by telling him. Seeing how deeply affected Terrence was by the news made her own heart ache with guilt.

Her chest felt heavy, remembering the chaos she had witnessed as a young soldier.

"So... does that mean my mother could actually be alive right now? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?!"

Clame jolted slightly at his intense reaction, but she couldn’t deny the implications of what she had just shared.

"I didn’t mean to give you false hope, but yes... her sacrifice could have easily been avoided."

Terrence dug his nails even deeper into his bloodless palms.

"And this was all because of Irad Lee."

He cursed violently in his mind, instantly playing out dozens of horrific scenarios of how he would personally execute Irad.

He could have his Shadow Hound shred the man’s body to pieces, or torture him until he begged for death. He could drop the Sky Dragon’s Smash skill directly on top of him, crushing his bones one by one.

Yet all those violent, vengeful thoughts bled into soft, painful memories of his loving mother—the comforting warmth of her embrace, the valuable life lessons she had taught him, and the complete, happy family they once shared when Lucas was still a caring brother to him.

Terrence missed those golden memories dearly. He could have lived a peaceful, beautiful life if his mother’s sudden death hadn’t slowly extinguished the light and warmth that once wrapped around his home.

If only his mother were still standing by his side today, he would have never felt so dejected or useless after failing to awaken as a traditional tamer. Even without innate talent, his mother would have gently guided him toward a purpose far greater than what a simple tamer could ever achieve.

A long, silent internal struggle played out inside his head. He felt the wild surges of burning rage clashing against the soft, nostalgic warmth of the family he had lost.

Finally, he let out a long, shuddering sigh, forcing his body to relax as he reined in his chaotic emotions.

"I’m so sorry, Terrence," Clame offered softly.

Her clear eyes reflected the lounge lights like shimmering diamonds, filled with genuine empathy after keeping this painful secret buried for so long.

"No need to apologize. I’m okay."

Terrence forced a small, polite smile onto his face, but the fake gesture completely failed to fool Clame.

"Come on... you don’t have to force yourself to pretend you’re okay," Clame said gently, reaching out a hand slightly toward him. "You’re still just a kid, Terrence. You aren’t obligated to carry the weight of all this grief by yourself."

Clame had a strong inkling that the dark truth she had just revealed might serve as the final volatile ingredient for a chaotic catastrophe in Suran City, but she wasn’t in a position to stop him.

He deserved to know the truth about his own mother.

"I know..." Terrence said quietly, his eyes darkening as he pushed himself up from his chair to stand tall. He looked down at her before walking away. "I will contact you the moment a new beast is ready for sale. And please do me one favor—whatever happens in Suran City moving forward, make sure Nara City does not meddle in it."

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