The Reunion of Goldwyn and Blood

  Arthur Thorne stood before his mother's humble home, the golden shimmer of the First Egg's power fading within his eyes, yet the sheer pressure radiating from his body remained terrifying. The atmosphere in the narrow alley of Luna City felt heavy, as if the oxygen itself had been displaced by his overwhelming presence.

  Hidden in the dark corners of the street, the remaining five Gene-X hunters watched the gruesome end of their sniper colleague. Their legs began to tremble, and a cold sweat broke out beneath their tactical gear. A distorted, frantic voice crackled through their earpieces.

  "Do not be afraid! He is just a boy. Use your full strength! Does he really think he can defeat the Gene-X Corporation?" The voice on the other end began to laugh hysterically, fueled by a mixture of arrogance and desperation. "How naive!"

  The hunters, emboldened by the voice, emerged from the shadows, brandishing their high-tech laser rifles. Arthur didn't even turn his head fully; he watched them from the corner of his eye. He silently activated his Hardening Cells, his skin becoming as dense as diamond-fiber. He decided right then that he would not waste his cosmic energy on these mere insects.

  As the first hunter pulled the trigger, the discharge of the weapon echoed through the alley. In the blink of an eye, Arthur reached out. With two fingers, he caught the high-velocity bullet mid-air, holding it up for a split second before crushing it into fine metallic dust.

  Before the hunters could even scream, Arthur moved like a flicker of shadow. He didn't use a punch; he simply pushed his palm against the chest of the nearest hunter. The impact was like being hit by a speeding freight train. The man was launched backward, crashing through a thick concrete wall and landing in a heap on the other side. Arthur then grabbed the remaining two hunters by their collars, hoisting them up effortlessly. With a sickening crunch of breaking bones, he slammed them into each other. Arthur's raw physical strength was nothing short of demonic.

  The last two remaining hunters stood paralyzed, their rifles shaking in their hands. They attempted to fire blindly, their eyes squeezed shut in terror, but within moments, the frantic sounds of gunfire were replaced by an eerie, hollow silence.

  Suddenly, a streak of blue light descended from the heavens. Monica Valentine, the Level-2 Star Warrior from The Aegis, landed gracefully between Arthur and the doorway. A violent whirlwind began to rotate around her, dust and debris spiraling upward.

  "Stop, Arthur," Monica said, her voice stern and professional. "I am from The Aegis. You must answer for the destruction you have caused. Come with me, or I will be forced to use strength."

  Arthur didn't even look at her. He continued his steady walk toward the old wooden door of his home. Monica felt a surge of indignation at being ignored. She focused her energy, manipulating the air pressure around Arthur's chest to constrict his lungs and stop his movement. However, the moment her energy touched his perimeter, Arthur's Universal Pulse hummed. It didn't just resist her; it completely neutralized her power, turning the air pressure into a gentle breeze.

  Arthur stopped and turned his head, locking his gaze with Monica's. His eyes were like voids of frozen ice. "My family is right behind this door," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "If you try to come between us, I will forget that you are simply doing your duty."

  He stepped closer, the pressure from his body making Monica's knees buckle. "Where was your agency when they attacked my mother? Where was 'The Aegis' when Annie and I were kidnapped and thrown into that hellhole?"

  Monica's hands dropped to her sides. She had no answer. Looking into his cold, ancient eyes, she felt a genuine fear for her life for the first time.

  "Tell your head," Arthur added, "that when the time is right, I will come to meet them myself."

  Monica felt a strange sense of relief. At the very least, Arthur did not view her as an immediate enemy and was willing to talk in the future.

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  Suddenly, the clouds above Luna City parted as if sliced by a giant blade. A massive, golden spaceship descended, its hull gleaming with the majesty of the Sun Empire. The citizens of Luna City cowered in awe—this was the crest of the Goldwyn Empire, one of the most powerful families in existence.

  The heavy hydraulic doors of the vessel hissed open. Albert and Isabella Goldwyn stepped out onto the scorched pavement. Their faces carried an aura of absolute authority, but beneath that mask was the visible weight of twenty years of agonizing pain. They looked around the dilapidated alley with a mixture of gravity and hesitation.

  Thousands of questions raced through their minds. Was this really happening? Was it a mere coincidence? Would their daughter recognize them, or would she turn them away? Would she ever be able to forgive them? These thoughts made their eyes redden with unshed tears.

  Standing right behind them was Victor, his massive seven-foot Greatsword resting on his shoulder. When a few straggling Gene-X goons tried to rush forward, Victor didn't even draw his blade. He simply slammed the hilt of the sword into the ground. A devastating shockwave rippled through the earth, tossing the goons into the air like scraps of paper.

  Victor stepped forward and handed a digital tablet to Albert. "Master, the report is complete," he said solemnly. "We have cross-referenced the DNA samples and the old medical records of the woman inside. She is indeed Lady Sylvie. It appears she suffered from amnesia after the accident and lost her identity, living as 'Catherine' in Luna City for the last twenty years."

  Albert closed the report, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "So it is true. My daughter has been suffering in this place, right under our noses, all these years."

  Isabella's hands shook as she looked at the crumbling apartment. "My child... she was living in this hell for two decades?"

  At that same moment, chaos erupted at the Gene-X Corporation headquarters. President Rockefeller stood in his private sanctum, watching the live feed from Luna City on a massive screen. He had more Star Warriors ready to deploy, but the moment he saw the Goldwyn crest and Albert himself, the color drained from his face.

  "Sir, shall we initiate the secondary attack?" a commander asked.

  "You fool! Fall back immediately!" Rockefeller screamed. "That is the Goldwyn family. If we clash with them directly, Gene-X will be erased from the Sun Empire by tomorrow morning. They are not just rich; they are the pillars of the Empire. We stop now. The Goldwyn involvement changes everything. We must strike from the shadows from now on."

  The Gene-X hunters in the field retreated instantly, disappearing into the city's labyrinthine streets to avoid the wrath of the Goldwyn private army.

  Back in the alley, Isabella and Albert approached Arthur. Isabella ran toward him, her eyes overflowing with tears of repentance and love. "Arthur... please, forgive us. We had no idea you and Sylvie were still alive."

  Arthur looked at his grandmother. The fire of rage within him cooled slightly as he saw the genuine love in her eyes. He didn't fully understand the complexities of their world yet, but the sincerity of their grief was undeniable.

  Then, the wooden door of the house creaked open. Catherine stepped out, holding Annie tightly against her. When she saw the two elderly figures standing there, she froze. Her mind was suddenly hit by a lightning bolt of memory—blurred images of a palace, a garden, and the melody of a lullaby. The scent in the air was familiar, a scent she hadn't smelled since her childhood.

  "Mother...?" Catherine's voice was barely a whisper, a dream finally finding its way into reality.

  Tears poured down Catherine's face as she ran into Isabella's open arms. Twenty years of loneliness and hardship vanished in that single embrace. Albert Goldwyn, known as the hardest man in the Empire, finally broke down, weeping openly as he saw his daughter.

  "Father...?" Catherine looked at him with trembling lips.

  Albert stepped forward and gently embraced Sylvie. He used his thumb to wipe away her tears. "Do not cry, Sylvie. Never again. From this day forward, there will be no more tears in your eyes," Albert declared, his voice thick with emotion.

  Isabella then pulled Annie into the embrace, stroking her hair. "She looks exactly like me," she whispered with a smile. It was a reunion the slums of Luna City had never witnessed—a dusty, broken alley on one side, and the most magnificent spaceship in the universe on the other.

  Arthur watched the scene from a distance, a small sense of peace settling over him. He was happy that his mother had found her identity and that Annie finally had a future that was safe.

  Then, an elderly man stepped out from inside the house—Silas Thorne. He was the one who had taken Catherine in when she was a nameless wanderer.

  Albert Goldwyn walked toward Silas and, to the absolute shock of Victor and Monica, the most powerful man in the Empire bowed his head. "Mr. Thorne," Albert said, "you raised my daughter as your own and gave her a name. The Goldwyn family will be in your debt for a lifetime."

  Silas replied humbly, "Albert, Catherine is my daughter in every way that matters. I am just happy she is finally going home."

  As the dust of the conflict settled, Arthur walked toward his grandparents. "It is time to go."

  Albert looked at his grandson with immense pride. "Yes, Arthur. Gene-X tore our family apart. Now, we will tear them out by the roots."