I widened my eyes, staring at Seven before me. His face was shadowed by sadness, and the words that had just come from his mouth left me utterly stunned.
Sylvia Blue stepped up to Seven, pressing a hand against his chest.
"You liar. The power in you—I don't know what it is, but it's definitely not my dad's, and it's not Rachel Lan's either. You almost had me fooled just now."
Sylvia's eyes changed, growing colder by the second. But just then, Future Ethan Zhang strode over, grabbed Sylvia by the back of her collar, and pulled her behind me.
"Why, Dad? Wasn't the Wraithlord already dead? How could he be here, in our future world? The Wraithlord should be long gone."
I clutched my forehead, unable to think straight. The situation had already surpassed my understanding. Suddenly, something occurred to me, and I stared wide-eyed at Future Ethan Zhang.
"It's just as you suspect. His appearance really is because of you."
"Could it be that when I returned to the future, I brought the Wraithlord's Heavenly Soul with me?"
Future Ethan Zhang nodded.
"Exactly. Because of you, the Wraithlord's Heavenly Soul was brought into the future. Although I've already sent him away, the impact he left behind is still immeasurable. That's why this guy appeared."
"No, I'm not the Wraithlord. Ethan Zhang, please believe me, I'm definitely not the Wraithlord. I'm your son from the future—Zach Qiyuan."
Seven kept defending himself. I was about to speak when suddenly I felt my body restrained, as if my own Deathbane Aura was trapping me. The ground erupted with thick streams of Deathbane Aura, instantly wrapping around me—their density and strength shocked me; I couldn't break free at all.
Sylvia let out a chilling giggle.
"Let me handle it, Dad. This guy counts as my enemy too. Because of him, I was born without a mother."
Sylvia grinned and walked over. Seven retreated step by step, but suddenly Future Ethan Zhang pressed Sylvia down with one hand.
"You can't kill him. Just stand aside and watch, Sylvia. I'll kill him myself."
I couldn't move, nor could I make a sound. Seven looked to me for help, his eyes brimming with sorrow.
"Don't look into his eyes, Ethan Zhang. None of this was ever your burden to bear. It's mine, as the future me. You and Rachel Lan have your own future. Now I must send him away, so he won't affect your future. Your future is in your hands—it's yours to create."
I kept thinking, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't figure out Seven's situation. Yet at this moment, the sadness in Seven's eyes was real, his tears painfully genuine. In my mind, I recalled something Zachary Justice once said.
Tears are real.