The man's voice came out low, almost tired, but every word cut sharp.
"Your father was left with no other option," he said. "So he came to me."
Liam's eyes narrowed. He didn't move, didn't even breathe too loudly.
The man's gaze didn't waver. "He begged me to help him save you. I forgave him for disappearing before—because now I knew why. I agreed to help him."
Liam frowned. His chest tightened at that word—begged. He had never once thought of his father as the type to beg anyone for anything.
The man leaned forward slightly, voice steady. "So I started working. I tried to create something—anything—that could suppress the overwhelming power that was ripping you apart. You were dying, boy. That energy wasn't strength back then, it was poison. And no matter what I built, it wasn't enough. It slipped through my fingers every time."
He stopped, rubbed his jaw like the memory still pissed him off. "Until I took the serum myself."
Liam blinked. "Wait—what?"
