On the other side of the world, the chill of Silverlake Harbor cut through the night air like a knife.
Elvis stood on the balcony, the harsh wind whipping against his face and billowing his black trench coat around him. Avery's voice, mocking and smug, was like a whisper from a demon.
Elvis felt a chokehold on his breath, his eyes bloodshot with fury: "Avery, do you have a death wish?"
"That line, I've heard it countless times over the past fifteen years. Sadly, they were all talk, no action. Not one could lay a finger on me."
Avery chuckled, his tone arrogant, "So, Elvis, thinking of being the first to pull the tiger's whiskers?"
"A tiger? Please..." Elvis's chest heaved with heavy, stifled breaths, "You're nothing but a scavenger, feasting on the dead in the wilderness!"
"Next Saturday, Elsie and my assistant Harvey are getting married in Helgen. As the woman you love, wouldn't it be a lifelong regret if you missed her wedding?"
Elvis, a top agent with instincts beyond the ordinary, felt a shiver of terror at Avery's words: "Avery... if you dare touch Elsie, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth, even to hell itself!"
"On their big day, I will present a special gift to the newlyweds." Avery's laughter was low and ominous, hinting at the madness and excitement of a man pushed to the edge, "I hope you'll come to Helgen and witness it with me. Otherwise, I assure you, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
"Avery!" Elvis roared with hatred.
The call was abruptly ended, not giving Elvis a chance to vent, fueling his anger and frustration.
"Ellie... wait for me. Even if it costs me my life, I will save you!"
Elvis inhaled the icy air deeply, the pain cutting through him like a knife. His muscles were tense as he stepped back from the balcony, only to freeze: "Dad...?!"
As a top agent, his reflexes were sharp, his senses acute. Yet, in his heated confrontation with Avery, he hadn't noticed his father's arrival.
"Elvis, were you on the phone with that Little Critter from the Chambers family?" Emeric Ashbourne looked at his son with deep concern, "What did he want? What's he planning?!"
"It's nothing, don't worry." Elvis's voice was weak.
Years of wandering and his secretive profession had made him accustomed to solitude, unable to share his burdens even with his father.
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