Daniel first opened the portal, and Sebastian, along with Daniel, carried the two individuals through it, returning to the New York Sanctum. The ability to directly open a portal to the Sanctum is a privilege reserved for the Supreme Sorcerer—Master Gu Yi—or the guardians of each Sanctum. Others, even someone like Casillas or Mordo, don’t possess such authority or ability.

When Sebastian and Daniel arrived at the New York Sanctum, Casillas immediately greeted them. He looked at the two individuals they had brought back, a puzzled expression on his face.

“Master Daniel, what happened to these two?” he asked.

“Mage Casillas, these two are part of a group operating in a secretive area that specializes in extorting and robbing new mages. I plan to send them to Kama Taj’s Mirror Cage for containment.”

“I see,” Casillas replied. “In that case, you can leave them with me. I’m headed back to Kama Taj anyway, and you and Master Sebastian have your own matters to attend to. There’s no need for you to waste time traveling back.”

“Thank you so much.”

Daniel handed over both individuals to Casillas. Casillas then folded his hands, formed a hand gesture, and summoned a magic circle made of two fiery threads, which levitated the two individuals and transported them through the fixed portal linking the Sanctum and Kama Taj.

As Casillas departed, Sebastian turned to Daniel and said, “Mage Casillas really seems to enjoy helping others. He’s quite the gentleman.”

“Casillas was a psychiatrist before he came to Kama Taj. He has his own ideals and aims to make the world a better place.”

People with grand ideals and ambitions often fall prey to corruption. It’s hard to imagine that Casillas could end up as he eventually does.

For now, though, there’s no sign of him veering toward darkness, so there’s no need to focus on it any longer.

“Master Daniel, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving for now.”

“Alright, we’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”

“Yes, see you then.”

With that, Sebastian slung his bag over his shoulder and left the New York Sanctum.

Standing on the subway, Sebastian was scrolling through Facebook on his phone when he suddenly came across a headline.

“Famous scientist, businessman, philanthropist, Tony Stark, successfully rescued and is returning from the Middle East, thanks to the military’s day and night efforts…”

“All thanks to the armor created by Tony Stark,” Sebastian thought to himself.

Governments around the world are all the same. Even when something major happens, they never miss a chance to make it look good for the public. And getting Tony Stark back? That’s a big deal.

It was clear that when Tony Stark began forging his armor in that cave, it marked the start of a monumental shift. A sweeping transformation across the universe was on the horizon.

Of course, with these so-called great changes starting, Sebastian’s life would continue on its course.

Today was Friday. Since attending a party more than two months ago, Sebastian had turned down every invitation. But today, he couldn’t refuse. This time, the party was hosted by his good friend Sean, and an invitation from him was impossible to turn down.

When Sebastian got home, he put his things away, took a shower, and changed into fresh clothes. After sending a message to Alisha, he left with two dishes she had prepared.

It’s common to bring something to a party—some people bring wine, others bring food, drinks, or even a special kind of tobacco.

However, at Sean’s party, no one brought that special tobacco. Midtown Science and Technology High School is a prestigious private school in New York. The students there are either wealthy or exceptionally talented, unlike public schools where students may come from more diverse backgrounds.

Sebastian arrived at Sean’s house on his new bicycle. Sean’s home was a luxurious single-family house. His parents weren’t home, so only Sean was standing at the door, greeting the guests as they arrived.

When Sean saw Sebastian, his eyes lit up, and he immediately walked over to greet him.

“Sebastian, it’s really great that you came!”

Sean said, reaching out to shake hands with him.

Sebastian smiled and replied, “If it were anyone else’s party, I might have turned it down, but this is your party, so of course, I had to come.”

“You’re familiar with my family, so let’s go and get comfortable first.”

Sean looked at the bag in Sebastian’s hand in surprise, then nodded eagerly. “I’ve been looking forward to Aunt Alisha’s cooking for a long time.”

Without further delay, Sebastian walked into Sean’s house with his items.

As they entered, Sebastian greeted many people, nodding and exchanging pleasantries.

It’s clear that Sebastian is a well-known figure at Midtown Science and Technology High School. Not only is he talented academically, but his deep cultural roots and natural charm—combined with his good looks and tall stature—make him stand out. Even though he’s not especially fond of sports, it’s hard to call someone a “nerd” when they can throw the school’s quarterback out of the classroom with one hand.

Walking to the table in the living room, Sebastian took the food out of his bag and placed it on the table, which immediately attracted the attention of some people. He then poured himself a glass of red wine and stepped away from the crowded area, taking his goblet with him. He made his way to the balcony in a small activity room on the third floor of Sean’s house.

The balcony wasn’t easy to find for those who weren’t familiar with Sean’s family. Though small, it offered a stunning view. After tasting the red wine secretly brought by his parents, Sebastian thought that if the party were more like this, it wouldn’t be too boring.

Sebastian stayed on the balcony for nearly an hour, lying back on the lounge chair and enjoying the cool evening breeze. But at that moment, he suddenly heard some loud quarrels, which caused him to open his eyes in surprise.

Sebastian got up, looked in the direction of the argument, and immediately saw that in the garden below the balcony, four girls were facing off—three of them on one side, and only one on the other.

Sebastian recognized three of the girls. They were well-known socialites at Midtown Science and Technology High School, more outgoing in nature. They had once tried to get close to him, but he had rejected them outright. Since then, their interactions had been minimal.

As for the girl who was confronting them, Sebastian didn’t have a clear memory of her. She seemed familiar, though, and he had probably seen her around. It was clear that all of them had been invited to Sean’s party.

Is this some sort of fight? Interesting…

Sebastian didn’t say anything, but continued to observe the four people below.

“Tessa, give me an answer today. You can’t just leave Ryan’s side!” one of the girls shouted.

The girl called Tessa appeared calm and composed. She looked at the three people in front of her and, with a faint smile, replied, “Angela, I’m not the same person I used to be. Your threats have no effect on me anymore.

Besides, Kane followed me of his own accord. Everything that’s happening is because of him. Even if I left him, he would keep chasing me. As for you… I’m afraid Kane wouldn’t even give you a second glance.”

“What did you say?! You bloody…!” Angela raised her hand, intending to slap Tessa. But at that moment, a strong hand suddenly seized Angela’s wrist, and a voice rang out, seething with anger.

“Angela, what do you think you’re doing to Tessa?!”

Angela turned to face the person who grabbed her wrist, her expression showing a bit of pain. “Kane, you… you hurt me!”

“I’ll ask you again. What do you think you’re doing to Tessa?” Kane’s voice was cold.

“I just wanted to teach her a lesson! You… you hurt me!” Angela replied, her voice trembling.

“You wanted to teach Tessa a lesson…” Kane muttered to himself.

Suddenly, Kane raised his hand, as if to strike Angela. But in that instant, Tessa spoke up.

“Kane, stop,” she said.

The anger radiating from Kane instantly faded, and he released Angela’s wrist. He then walked over to Tessa’s side gently, like a docile and obedient pet.

Seeing Kane’s sudden shift in demeanor, Angela gasped in shock and yelled, “It’s true! It’s true! You must have used some kind of trick to control Kane—hypnosis? Witchcraft? Or drugs? You… despicable woman! How dare you do this?! I’m going to expose you! I’ll make sure everyone knows what you’ve done!”

“Angela, how many people will believe the words of a woman like you? But it seems you won’t back down… then…” Tessa said, her voice chilling. “You two, teach Angela a lesson!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the two companions behind Angela suddenly lunged at her, tearing at her and beating her mercilessly. Their faces were blank and vacant, just like Kane’s had been earlier.

Angela’s screams caught the attention of others, and someone rushed forward to pull the two attackers away. But the two didn’t stop for a second, continuing to assault Angela with a frenzied intensity.

With more and more people gathering, Tessa quickly whispered something to Kane, and the two swiftly moved away, with Kane leading her to safety.

From the balcony, Sebastian observed Tessa and Kane retreating into the distance, his expression growing more serious. He turned his attention to the two girls who had been standing by, now slowly coming to their senses. They stared, dazed, at Angela, whose body was covered in bruises and scars. They didn’t dare speak of what they had almost done moments before.

This is… Kilgrave’s ability. How could it have transferred to Tessa? Could she be a descendant of Kilgrave, or is there another explanation?

Kilgrave had been too dangerous. Sebastian knew well that he had killed Kilgrave, but in the world he now found himself in, nothing was certain. The idea of someone resurrecting and gaining Kilgrave’s powers didn’t seem strange to him. He had to investigate this matter. If left unchecked, it could pose a threat to those close to him—especially Alisha.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep