Chapter 60 The Man Waiting Below

Chapter 60 The Man Waiting Below

Sera’s POV

Nobody moved as the figure stood beneath the stone archway without even attempting to hide himself, one hand resting against a carved pillar while shadows stretched behind him from the lantern light.

He looked old, that was my first thought. He didn't look weak or fragile but old in a dangerous way.

Terry reacted first, his entire body stiffened instantly. “You.”

The man tilted his head slightly. “That is usually how recognition works.”

“Well,” I whispered under my breath, “he already sounds irritating.”

Caden coughed out a laugh beside me before immediately regretting it.

“You good?” I asked quietly.

“No,” he muttered. “But I’m committed to surviving out of spite now.”

The stranger’s gaze shifted toward me then, everything in me went alert immediately.

His eyes stayed on mine for a long second before he finally exhaled.

“She has his face.”

My chest tightened instantly.

“You knew my father?”

“Knew?” The man scoffed softly. “Child, your father nearly got me killed at least twelve times.”

“That sounds less comforting than you think.”

“He was a difficult one, but he has a good heart.”

“That part sounds believable.”

A faint smile appeared briefly on his face before disappearing again.

Maera stepped forward slightly. “You were supposed to be gone.”

“So were you,” he replied calmly.

Terry moved closer toward me instinctively. “Why are you here?”

The man looked unimpressed. “Because somebody triggered enough power above ground to wake half the buried wards beneath this territory.”

Oops, he was talking about me.

Everybody looked at me immediately.

I folded my arms. “In my defense, I’m having a terrible week.”

“That was you?” the man asked.

“Uhm…yes.”

“You shattered hunter tracking lines from miles away. You also nearly exposed every hidden entrance beneath this territory.”

Caden leaned closer slightly. “You sound guilty now.”

“I am guilty now.”

The stranger studied me again carefully.

“You don’t control it yet.”

“It is that obvious?”

The man stepped fully into the lantern light finally, and I realized he was taller than I first thought. Dark silver threaded through his hair, old scars marked one side of his throat, and his clothes looked worn enough to suggest he actually lived down here.

Which was deeply concerning.

“Who exactly are you?” I asked.

“Tobias.”

“That tells me absolutely nothing, you’re very committed to being mysterious.”

“You’re very committed to surviving conversations through sarcasm, you sound just like him.”

“That’s because everybody around me keeps speaking like riddles.”

Tobias looked toward Terry briefly. “She got that from her father too.”

My heart skipped painfully at the mention again.

I stepped forward before anybody could stop me. “Where is he?”

The cavern went still after that.

Tobias watched me carefully. “Straight to the important question.”

“I’m tired of people avoiding it.”

“What if the answer hurts?”

“At least it’s an answer.” I sighed, nobody interrupted.

Tobias sighed eventually. “Your father is alive.”

The words hit me so hard I forgot how to breathe, the relief I felt was unmeasurable.

Beside me, Caden swore quietly and Damien’s attention sharpened instantly.

My mother looked down immediately like hearing it out loud physically hurt.

“Then where is he?” I whispered

“I don’t know.”

Anger rose immediately after the relief.

“You just said he’s alive!”

“He was alive the last time I saw him.”

“When was that?”

Tobias hesitated briefly. “Three years ago.”

“That’s not helpful!”

I started pacing before I realized I was doing it.

“He’s alive,” I repeated softly to myself.

My chest hurt violently after that realization.

Because if he was alive…Then why didn’t he come back to find us?

Tobias watched my reaction before speaking again.

“He knew people were hunting your bloodline. Staying near you would have guaranteed your death, he bought you time but he's very much alive.”

“So he abandoned me?”

“No,” my mother said sharply.

I looked toward her instantly, her eyes already looked glassy.

“He protected you,” she continued quietly. “Your father loved you more than anything, I can still feel his mate bond but you need to focus on your training so we can save him.”

“Then why didn’t he tell me any of this?”

“Because you are a child,” Terry answered.

“And now I’m apparently a supernatural disaster everyone keeps secrets from.”

“You’re not a disaster,” Damien said immediately.

I looked at him, as his voice carried zero hesitation. That affected me more than it should have.

Tobias gaze moved slowly between Damien and Caden before one eyebrow lifted slightly.

“Well,” he muttered. “That’s unfortunate.”

I frowned. “What is?”

“You’ve bonded with both.”

The air became awkward instantly. Caden rubbed the back of his neck while Damien looked away completely.

“I really wish people would stop announcing that like it’s public news,” I muttered.

Tobias ignored me entirely. “And neither bond is settled.”

Maera crossed her arms. “We know.”

“That explains the instability of your powers and emotions…Well I can blame your emotions on teenage outbursts.”

“We already know, it's a work in progress.”

“No,” Tobias replied calmly. “You know the theory, I know what happens when it gets worse.”

That got everybody’s attention immediately.

My stomach tightened. “Worse how?”

Tobias looked directly at me.

“Your emotions will begin affecting your power more aggressively.”

“That’s already happening.”

“It gets worse.”

“How much worse?”

“You brought down a tree earlier, didn’t you?”

I blinked. “How do you know that?”

“The underground wards felt it.”

That was genuinely terrifying information.

Tobias continued before I could respond. “Eventually the power stops waiting for emotional permission.”

Cold dread crawled slowly down my spine.

“What does that mean exactly?”

“It means grief becomes destruction. Anger becomes violence, fear becomes catastrophe.”

Nobody spoke after that, because nobody needed clarification.

I already understood it too well.

Caden stepped closer toward me immediately. “We’ll figure it out.”

Tobias looked at him. “You say that very confidently for somebody bleeding through his shirt.”

That dragged the smallest laugh out of me despite everything.

Tobias noticed immediately, that expression crossed his face so briefly most people would’ve missed it.

Which meant he definitely noticed the bond tension too.

My mother finally spoke again. “Can we stay here safely?”

“For now, you can.” Tobias answered.

“For now?” Terry repeated.

“The hunters are not your largest problem anymore.”

My stomach tightened immediately.

“What does that mean?”

Tobias turned toward the deeper tunnels behind him.

“The people chasing you above ground are desperate, they’re running from something worse.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

The cavern grew colder after that sentence. I hated the way it sounded.

“What worse thing?” I asked carefully.

Tobias looked back toward me slowly.

“The people who actually want your power.”

Every nerve in my body tightened instantly.

“What the actual flying fuck is that supposed to mean?” I paused. “I am sorry, I am just tired of everything.”

Caden leaned slightly toward me. “You insult people a lot for somebody surrounded by dangerous fighters.”

“That’s because nobody here scares me properly yet.”

Tobias actually laughed at that.

“She truly is his daughter.”

The ache in my chest returned instantly, because every mention of my father felt different now.

Tobias moved toward the deeper part of the chambers slowly before stopping again.

“You should all rest while you still can.”

Maera finally stepped beside me a
gain. “You need sleep.”

“I need therapy.” I rubbed my face tiredly. “This is insane.”

“No,” Tobias said quietly from ahead of us.

Everybody looked toward him again.

Then he delivered the sentence that made my stomach drop completely.

“This is only the beginning.”