Chapter 7

Kane was overwhelmed with excitement. He quickly turned around and shouted at the dozens of men behind him, "You fools! Can't you see the Shadow Sigil? Why aren't you on your knees to greet our young leader?"

Everyone behind him turned pale with fear and immediately dropped to their knees in front of Damian.

"Greetings, sir!"

Damian's mind was spinning. How the hell did he become their young leader? Just how powerful of a background did Alden have?

"You can stand as we talk," Damian said as he helped Kane to his feet.

Tears were streaming down Kane's face as he looked at Damian. His voice choked with emotion. "I've waited for this day for 20 years, sir! I finally got to see you today! This isn't the right place for us to talk. Please get in the car, sir. Let's go home."

Kane respectfully escorted Damian into the car and brought him into Mistfall Estate. As soon as they entered the estate, Damian was stunned.

The place was huge! It was bigger than his entire village. The buildings were luxurious while still maintaining a level of elegance. It was a display of refined taste.

The Spencer residence had already been a symbol of luxury in his eyes, but it was a shoddy hut compared to what he saw in Mistfall Estate now.

"Is this your home?" Damian asked, his eyes wide with shock.

"No, sir. It's yours!" Kane quickly corrected.

It wasn't just Mistfall Estate. Everything he had came from Alden, so now that Damian was here, it all belonged to him.

Damian nearly choked on his saliva as he inwardly cursed at Alden. Who knew Alden was this rich? This was unbelievable! Why had he made Damian suffer 20 years of hardship out there in the village, then? It was so unfair!

He followed Kane into the living room. After they'd taken their seats, Kane hurriedly asked, "Sir, is all well with Mr. Thorne?"

Nodding, Damian replied in a huff, "Relax. He's perfectly fine. Who knows what he and that widow Gloria have been getting up to since he kicked me out?"

"Oh…" Kane chuckled weakly.

While Damian had the guts to say that, Kane dared not joke about Alden the same way. His expression grew serious as he said tentatively, "Mr. Thorne left some instructions before he left. He said that once you return, sir, I'm to work with you to rebuild the Shadow Sanctum.

"May I know what your plans are, sir?"

Toying with the Shadow Sigil in his hand, Damian replied somewhat exasperatedly, "Fill me in on the situation first. That old fogey was too lazy to even tell me anything!"

The thought of that pissed Damian off again. Before he descended the mountain, Alden simply gave him the Shadow Sigil and informed him of the coded message. He said all would be revealed once he met Kane.

Alden made no mention of the Shadow Sanctum or Damian becoming its young leader. He couldn't be relied upon for anything!

Hurriedly nodding, Kane spoke up respectfully, "Sir, Mr. Thorne is the leader of the Shadow Sanctum, the top secret organization in Dacovia. The organization's influence stretches across the globe, wielding immense power and wealth.

"But 20 years ago, Mr. Thorne suddenly vanished, and the organization fell into chaos. Now, it has broken up, our power fragmenting into multiple factions everywhere. Our glory days are long gone. I came to Cloudcove with Mr. Thorne two decades ago, and per his orders, I've been waiting here for your return."

The leader of the Shadow Sanctum?

Damian was stunned by the revelation. He could hardly believe it. How could a perverted old man like Alden be the head of a world-dominating secret organization? Didn't he claim to be some wandering, homeless bum?

He'd tricked Damian all along!

Damian felt a headache coming on when he realized the first major task Alden had assigned to him was to rebuild a major organization like the Shadow Sanctum.

Moreover, based on what he just heard from Kane, the Shadow Sanctum was in a precarious position. Things didn't look good at all.

Alden was busy having the time of his life with Gloria while making this mess Damian's responsibility. He sure knew how to make the poor Damian do his bidding instead.

Nevertheless, even though Damian was inwardly cursing Alden, he'd spent two decades with him and long since considered Alden like a grandfather to him. Since this was what Alden wanted, he'd get it done no matter what it took, even if it meant sacrificing his life to do it.

"Are there any branches of the Shadow Sanctum here in Cloudcove?" Damian asked while rubbing his temples.

Kane replied, "Yes, there is one in Cloudcove. The branch leader is Benedict Hoover, chairman of Prestige Group, the largest property developer in the city."

Pausing, he sighed before adding, "At first, I was still able to keep Benedict in check while relying on Mr. Thorne's lingering authority. But over the last 20 years, with no word from Mr. Thorne at all, Benedict has slowly revealed his true ambitions.

"Not only does he no longer abide by the orders of the Shadow Sanctum, but a year ago, he even defected and allied himself with a powerful faction in Sengrove instead.

"I wanted to get rid of him, but he has an extremely strong martial arts expert at his side. I've sent people to deal with him twice now, and both groups were killed in a horrific manner without ever returning.

"What's more, he had their bodies chopped up and tossed at the foot of Mount Mistfall, right outside Mistfall Estate. He even said that no matter how many more people we send after him, he'll kill them all!"

As Kane spoke, his eyes flashed with resentment. "Sir, Benedict Hoover is a monster. He's pure evil. His hands are drenched with the blood of our comrades. He cannot be forgiven!"

Having heard everything, Damian was fuming.

Not only did Benedict betray the organization, but he also murdered his fellow comrades and mutilated their corpses. A man like that deserved to be killed.

Damian slowly stood up. His eyes turned cold, and he began exuding an invisible air of dominance.

"We will rebuild the Shadow Sanctum by starting with Benedict!"

Kane was overjoyed. Brimming with zeal, he spoke up once more, his eyes gleaming with hostility, "Benedict will be celebrating his 50th birthday on the 7th of next month, sir. Why won't we spill his blood on his birthday in honor of our fallen comrades?"

"You can make the arrangements," Damian said. "I'll only be in charge of the killing."

Kane's body tensed. He sensed an overwhelming wave of bloodlust coming from Damian. It was as if he had encountered a ravenous predator, and it made his hair stand on end.

Damian looked weak, but he possessed such a terrifying presence. Kane couldn't help but feel even more respect for Damian.

Kane had no idea that since Damian was eight years old, Alden had left him in the wild to fight with the wild beasts. Hundreds, if not thousands, of wild beasts had died at Damian's hands. Even the fiercest predators would quake with fear if they saw a bloodthirsty Damian, let alone other human beings.

"Sir, your return is a cause for celebration for all of us in the Shadow Sanctum. I'd like to host a dinner party tonight and gather all of our core members to give you a proper welcome. Would that be alright with you, sir?"

After mulling it over for a moment, Damian nodded. "Sure."

Since he'd been tricked into taking over Alden's organization, he had no choice but to complete the task assigned to him. Therefore, it was essential for him to acquaint himself with the core members of the Shadow Sanctum.

Kane began filling Damian in on other matters regarding the Shadow Sanctum.

At noon, Kane wanted Damian to stay for lunch, but Damian declined. Once the two exchanged phone numbers, Kane arranged for someone to drive Damian back to the Spencer residence.

Soon, Christine came back from the office as well. During lunch, Eli abruptly said, "Christine, don't head back to the office this afternoon. Take Damian out shopping for some clothes. Also, he only just arrived in Cloudcove, so you should show him around and let him have some fun."

Christine's expression stiffened briefly, but she soon regained her composure and said, "I will, Grandpa. Let's go, Damian."

She looked at Damian with a faint smile that made her look devastatingly beautiful. Damian was captivated. He had to admit that she was truly gorgeous.

"I'll have to trouble you, then, darling."

"You don't need to be so courteous with me," Christine replied with a sweet smile that made Damian's heart melt.

Eli was pleased to see how friendly Christine was with Damian. He kept nodding with a smile. From the looks of it, the two seemed to be getting along very well.

After leaving the house, Damian obediently got into the back seat and sat still. As soon as Christine got into the car, her smile vanished, and her expression turned cold.