Chapter Five: There Was Never a Negotiation
John sat alone in his room.
The curtains were drawn, and the dim glow of a small lamp reflected off a carefully placed box on the table.
He opened it.
Inside lay a dark stone, uneven, its surface as if shadow itself had frozen upon it.
He studied it for a long moment before speaking in a low voice.
"The Stone of the Unknown…"
He paused.
"An unexpected gain."
He closed his eyes briefly, then added with quiet sincerity:
"Neptune… thank you."
He reached out his hand.
He didn't touch the stone.
He felt it.
"This isn't an energy stone."
"Nor a raw element."
He opened his eyes.
"It's a Spirit Stone."
He took a deep breath, as though the next words carried the weight of history itself.
"When a Path Master dies…"
"And does not wish his understanding to disappear…"
"Nor his way of seeing the Path to vanish…"
"He condenses that understanding into a stone."
"To pass it on."
He fell silent for a moment.
"As if saying…"
"I died."
"But my path… should not."
He looked at the stone again.
"That's why…"
"No Path Master can leave a stone behind."
A faint smile appeared.
"Unless they reached the Master Rank at least."
Silence settled heavily in the room.
Then he said quietly:
"And that means only one thing."
He raised his head.
"There once was a master of the Unknown Path…"
"…who reached the Master Rank."
For the first time—
his eyes trembled slightly.
"Just one."
"But that alone…"
"…is enough."
He closed the box gently.
"I'll use the stone…"
"After today's negotiations."
He stood up.
Opened his door.
And descended the stairs with steady steps.
Below…
the family was gathered.
John stood among them and said calmly:
"We are going to the Pharaoh Family."
Silence fell.
Then Barathium Ront stepped forward.
His back was straight, his gaze still carrying the weight of seventy years of leadership.
"I will go."
He turned slightly.
"Kara… my eldest son."
"Neptune… my nephew."
Then he looked toward John and Robert.
"John."
"Robert."
"My youngest sons."
He paused.
"Leave now."
He turned toward the man standing quietly behind him.
"The leader of the negotiations…"
"…will be my second son."
"Ram."
Silence followed.
Then he added:
"I trust your judgment."
Ram didn't respond.
He simply nodded once.
Minutes later…
a massive black car rolled out of the family compound.
Five men sat inside.
All wore elegant black suits.
On their chests was an engraved emblem.
A wolf.
Sharp eyes.
Closed jaws.
The symbol of the Ront Family.
The car moved slowly away.
As if the city itself made way for it.
Today's negotiations…
would not be about words alone.
But about—
land.
paths.
and the future.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Neptune stood by the door adjusting the collar of his black suit before turning.
Cersei sat by the window.
Her long black hair flowed gently over her shoulders, her dark eyes reflecting the faint morning light.
Beautiful.
But not the kind of beauty that seeks attention.
The kind that commands it.
Early thirties.
And in her eyes was an understanding that made words unnecessary.
Without looking at him, she asked:
"What do you want?"
Neptune approached.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly.
"Today… will be difficult."
He paused.
"Pray for me."
She finally looked at him.
She didn't say I will.
She didn't say be careful.
She said only one word:
"Return."
One word.
Yet it carried the weight of countless possibilities.
Neptune turned.
Before closing the door, he thought quietly:
The world is truly cruel.
We're about to stand before a Supreme Family.
He breathed deeply.
Then straightened his shoulders.
"Well, Neptune…"
"Time to do your best."
The massive black car moved steadily through the road like a fragment of shadow.
Inside—
the five men sat in heavy silence.
Ram in the front seat, eyes fixed ahead.
Kara beside him, fists clenched.
John in the back, gaze lost in emptiness.
Robert beside him, body tense like a drawn bowstring.
And Neptune…
silent, thinking.
Ram broke the silence.
"It will take five hours to arrive."
No one replied.
John closed his eyes briefly.
The Pharaoh Family…
A Supreme Family.
One of the five most powerful families in the world.
And we are trying to deceive them.
He opened his eyes.
Reality was harsher.
This won't be easy.
"But we won't give up our freedom easily."
Families were classified.
And that classification…
was a verdict.
A Third-Rank Family?
The bottom of power.
They must have at least three individuals at the peak of the Walker Rank.
Second-Rank Families?
Stronger.
At least three Masters.
Some even possess Transcenders.
First-Rank Families?
At least five Transcenders.
Some touch the Legendary Rank.
But Supreme Families…
John's eyes sharpened.
They must possess at least two individuals in the Legendary Rank.
And now—
they were heading toward one of the strongest.
The Pharaoh Family.
An ancient family.
From the Stone Age.
Founded before most Paths were ever recorded.
Its origin came from a nation once called…
Egypt.
A nation that vanished.
A thousand years ago.
The Total War.
A war fought by Path Masters.
Countries were destroyed.
Systems collapsed.
The world transformed from nations…
into families.
Humanity did not advance.
It regressed.
The driver finally spoke.
"We've arrived."
They stepped out.
The air changed.
Not heavier.
But deeper.
As if the place itself possessed awareness.
Before them—
palaces.
Not one palace.
Not ten.
A hundred.
The Palaces of the Pharaohs.
Stretching like a city within a city.
Golden columns.
Walls of dark stone carved with silent symbols that seemed to watch.
An ancient family.
Large.
And expanding.
Number of Awakened?
Around ninety-nine thousand.
And growing.
John thought calmly:
To them…
we are nothing.
They approached one of the palaces.
Palace 66.
Its gate towered above them.
Polished gold.
A guard stood before it.
The aura surrounding him made Robert swallow hard.
The same rank as them.
A servant appeared quietly and bowed with perfect discipline.
"Please enter."
"The Young Master… is waiting."
Robert clenched his jaw.
That arrogant bastard didn't even come out to greet us.
Kara leaned closer and whispered like a blade:
"We are insects in this world, brother."
He paused.
"You must work harder."
He glanced at the guard.
"That guard… is our rank."
His voice lowered further.
"Don't be angry… because you're weak."
Then he said the sentence that etched itself into Robert's soul:
"Weakness isn't a sin."
"But remaining weak…"
"…is the greatest of all sins."
The doors opened slowly.
The darkness inside wasn't the absence of light.
It was the presence of something else.
Something ancient.
Watching.
Waiting.
And the Ront Family…
walked into the beast's mouth.
Inside the reception hall—
one man sat alone.
Golden-blond hair.
Fair skin.
Gold earrings.
Chains around his neck.
Rings on his fingers.
Heavy bracelets on his wrists.
Gold everywhere.
Yet strangely…
the gold didn't overwhelm him.
It looked as if it belonged to him.
John stopped for a moment.
Jacob Pharaoh.
A Master.
Twenty years old.
My age…
My academy classmate.
The aura around him was calm.
Terrifyingly calm.
Like a still sea that hides something capable of swallowing you whole.
Jacob looked up.
His eyes were clear.
But they carried the gaze of someone who had never been denied.
The five stood in a line.
Barathium bowed first.
Then Kara.
Ram.
Neptune.
And finally John and Robert.
"We greet you, Lord Jacob Pharaoh."
Jacob laughed softly.
"There's no need for such formality."
His gaze shifted to John.
Then to Robert.
His smile widened slightly.
"The twins…"
He paused.
"Were my friends."
He gestured to the opposite couch.
"Sit."
Ram moved first.
He sat calmly.
Kara beside him, body tense, eyes fixed on Jacob.
But the other three—
John.
Robert.
Neptune.
Remained standing.
Their black suits were identical.
On their chests—
the wolf emblem.
Clear.
Bold.
Almost a declaration of challenge in a place that hated challenges.
Jacob wore a pure white robe.
On his chest was a golden symbol.
A pyramid.
The symbol of the Pharaohs.
Wolf.
And pyramid.
The contrast was blatant.
Jacob leaned back comfortably, crossing his legs.
He looked at them one by one.
Then said calmly—
with the calm of someone who knew the scales were unequal:
"Let's see…"
"What brought the Ront Family…"
"…to Palace Sixty-Six."
Barathium moved at last.
He walked forward slowly.
Each step firm.
He sat in the center.
Ram on his right.
Kara on his left.
Not random.
A statement.
The lord of the family.
And his two wings.
Barathium placed his wooden cane beside him.
His white hair fell over his shoulders.
His face carried wrinkles not of weakness—
but of time.
He raised his eyes and looked directly at Jacob.
No bow.
No flattery.
No visible fear.
"We are here because the road led us here."
Silence filled the room.
Even the servant by the door straightened.
The atmosphere shifted.
Jacob tilted his head slightly.
His smile froze.
Ram sat calmly.
His mind calculating every word.
Kara's body was tense.
His jaw tight.
But silent.
Behind them, John watched everything.
Jacob's posture.
Hidden guards.
The fluctuation of aura.
Robert stood like a sword in its sheath.
Waiting for one moment.
Neptune lowered his head slightly.
Thinking.
Jacob clapped once.
The sound was sharp in the silence.
"I like that."
He smiled faintly.
"Few low-rank families…"
He paused.
"…still know how to sit."
Then he added coldly:
"But sitting well…"
"Doesn't change the balance of power."
Barathium replied calmly—
more terrifying than shouting.
"The balance of power changes."
"But dignity…"
"Once it falls…"
"…never returns."
Silence fell again.
The kind that comes before storms.
Inside his mind, John said quietly:
The confrontation has begun.
Finally Jacob spoke.
"We offer you this deal… only because of my sister."
His voice hardened.
"She fell in love with that bastard from your family."
Ram tried to answer—
but Jacob cut him off sharply.
"Silence."
"I'm not finished."
He stood slowly.
"I'm a busy man, fools."
He walked a few steps.
"The offer is simple."
"You become our subordinates."
The air froze.
"Everything you own becomes ours."
"You may use the resources you gather…"
"But if we want something…"
"We simply take it."
He smiled.
"We'll assign you gathering missions."
"You complete them… and receive rewards."
Then came the heaviest line.
"You will sign a Soul Binding Contract."
"From the moment you sign…"
"You belong to me."
He stepped closer.
"The offer stands as it is."
"No changes."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"If you refuse…"
"Leave my palace immediately."
They looked at him.
Anger.
Humiliation.
Suffocation.
Then—
Jacob stood.
And his aura exploded.
Crushing pressure filled the room.
The air turned to stone.
Their knees trembled.
Breath became difficult.
Even Barathium tightened his grip silently.
Jacob spoke with contempt.
"Worthless Walkers…"
"Clutching gold as if it were power."
He stepped closer.
"Did you think we would show mercy to weakness?"
Silence.
Then Ram spoke.
His voice hoarse.
But steady.
"We accept… the offer."
The aura vanished instantly.
Jacob smiled.
As if the outcome had never been in doubt.
"Good."
"I'll send someone to initiate the Soul Binding."
He turned away.
"Leave my palace."
They left.
The massive car moved slowly.
The golden city fading behind them.
Silence swallowed them.
No one spoke.
Yet each of them understood the same truth.
They were weak.
Small.
And the thought of rebellion…
was nothing but a foolish illusion.
The road ahead…
had become narrower—
and darker—
than they ever imagined.