The Eight Family Heads understood—it was a seal. That person had used his own life force to seal the Shell Nexus. The Shell Nexus, which had once communicated with them all, fell silent once more.
The Eight Family Heads prepared to find that person and demand answers about what had happened. But he and his family had vanished completely. He had taken his wife and children and simply left—without leaving any trace behind.
He was the one who had sat in the central seat of authority in the Council Chamber. He had abandoned his control over the Eight Families and departed without a word.
And so, the Eight Families lived in peace for twenty years.
---
One day, the current generation of Family Heads gathered once more. Someone proposed a plan—to use endless blood energy to nourish the Silverwood family's Shell Nexus. Twenty years had passed, and the emerald barrier surrounding the Energy Core-producing Shell Nexus had disappeared. Once again, it began to tempt them.
