"Mother? Zark?" Trevor called again, knocking harder now. There was still no response.
A flicker of worry crept into his voice as he raised his hand. "Alright, I'm coming in!" he warned, preparing to break the door down.
"W–wait! I'm f–fine! Yes, I'm fine!" Madeleine's flustered voice rang out, halting his next move.
Trevor paused, eyebrow twitching with amusement. "Are you sure?" he asked, masking the genuine concern beneath a growing, mischievous grin.
He couldn't help himself. 'Yo bro... guess what,' Trevor said telepathically, a gleeful gleam in his thoughts as he pinged Ethan's consciousness.
…
In the quiet sanctum of cultivation, Ethan's eyes fluttered open, glowing with a serene golden light. The sacred Grimoire of Order hovered before him, bathed in refulgent radiance.
A familiar smirk curled his lips as he replied in his mind, 'Zark kicked your ass?'
'Fuck you, man!' came Trevor's immediate, indignant response.
