"If that's the case, Sarah and Erin, I want you to travel to Ironcrest immediately. Secure the city and stay there until Vicente returns. If he returns to the province, we'll make sure he goes there to resolve the situation." Rory ordered the two women.",

Sarah and the Dark Path magician looked at each other and, as soon as they had greeted Eve and Bart again, they left as quickly as they had arrived in Metal City.

"Casey, you and Bart are going to Millfall later. If you have anything to take care of there, do it by nightfall. As for Onyx, you'll stay in Metal City when I go to Martell Village tomorrow."

"All right." The large 5th-stage crow agreed, while Bart studied the bird beside him, especially the artifacts in Onyx's beak, feathers, and talons.

He obviously wanted his master to give him something like that!

"Senior Onyx, would you tell me about your experiences in the north?" Bart asked as he watched the black bird fly to the top of the Fuller family mansion.

Meanwhile, Casey left, leaving Rory and Eve alone.

The two walked slowly toward the college building, talking about what seemed to be the most important thing at the moment.

"Vicente got Lauren back, did you know that?" Rory commented to Eve, while he had a deep look on his face.

"Is her situation bad?" Eve realized that this was not the best.

"Yes, she doesn't remember who she was. Our Lauren has been living all these years under the identity of an old acquaintance of ours, Miss Death."

"What?" Eve's eyes widened as she brought a hand to her mouth, unbelieving that Lauren had acted so close to them on so many occasions.

"Yeah, it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. And that's why she's become such a cold, hard to get along with, arrogant and unreliable woman. I don't know if she'll ever recover, so we'd better prepare Nina. The older sister she remembers may not exist anymore." Rory said with difficulty, his heart trembling with regret for the family, especially for Nina.

"That's a shame. But Nina is more mature and stronger than you think, Rory. She's grown up a lot over the years." Eve said confidently. "Last night she advanced her cultivation to the 3rd stage, and even before that she was taking on more and more responsibility in the family.

Our men trust her a lot, especially those who have fought alongside her. She is highly respected and considered a genuine leader. They don't do it for me, for you, or for Vicente. They truly respect their young lady for who she has proven herself to be.

I know she'll be sad about Lauren's situation, but she'll get over it."

"Really? They say Dark Path magicians grow up fast... I didn't know that was so true."

"Don't believe everything they say about Dark Path magicians. After all, Nina is a sweet person, and she's even sweeter since she awakened her powers." Eve said as she pulled up in front of the college building, having already signaled one of the family's men to alert Nina about their presence there.

As they talked about Nina, five minutes passed and soon the girl appeared, coming towards them while a young man with brown hair stood beside her, hand in hand with her.

Eve saw this and said. "I had almost forgotten. Vicente was right. Nina and Killian were really going to be more than just friends in the end."

"That..." Rory's eyes widened as he looked at the blonde next to him.

"Don't worry, we've all made the situation clear to both of them, and they're both committed to carrying out Vicente's intentions. They're just waiting for him to come back so they can get married."

Rory opened her mouth in surprise, not expecting to see that girl again when she was already engaged to a man!

"Vicente won't be happy to hear that." He muttered to Eve.

"I know. But there's nothing we can do about it. It's out of our hands." She laughed bitterly until the two of them finally stopped in front of her and Rory.

"Rory, where's my brother? Have you finally finished your hunt?" Nina asked with interest, smiling as she imagined what her brother was like, the stories he could tell her, and so much more.

"Vicente is in Grandis, dealing with the problems of the capital." Rory said, the young Killian watching him intently, a serious look on his youthful face.

"He should be here in a few weeks, Nina. Next to him is Lauren. We managed to get your sister back on our side."

"Is that true?" A broad smile appeared on Nina's face.

Nina was still wearing the cloth mask her brother had recommended, something capable of hiding her Magic Gem. But she hadn't worn the metal mask since she arrived in Metal City a few months ago.

In Grandis, she had followed all of her brother's recommendations. But in Metal City, a place controlled by her family, she had only worn the cloth mask on her face.

As such, Rory and Eve saw the happiness on her face, as this type of mask could reflect the emotions of its wearer.

"Yes, but you should be careful with her return. Don't get too excited. The Lauren we brought back is not the same one you saw last time, Nina." Rory preferred to be direct with her rather than let the young woman in front of him raise false expectations.

"Lauren has been through more and more and doesn't remember her life before her awakening. She became a weapon for Nixlas' Shadows, a cold and negative woman, the kind who makes comments that are hard to hear.

If you meet her again, be careful and don't expect her to treat you the way she used to. Maybe she will change in time, but for now, it's best to control your expectations and be realistic."

Nina heard this, but she wasn't disappointed, because she had already imagined that something like this would happen, because her brother had prepared her for it before he left.

Vicente had told her many times that Lauren had been taken by bad people who would try to destroy the sister they remembered. He and Nina should do their best to help Lauren in the future, but they shouldn't be naive.

That's why the young woman next to Killian didn't get angry when she heard Rory's recommendations. She had a disappointed look on her face, but she knew that getting angry with Rory and the others wouldn't change anything.

"I understand... It's a shame, but it's better that she's with us than where she was."