Philip opened his eyes and he saw a familiar ceiling. He looked around and saw the familiar bed and office table. He is currently on his bed inside his room. He slightly frowned because he expected Justine to be beside her
As he was looking around, he became confused. He couldn't move his head at all nor his fingers on his hands or toes
'Oh...'
Philip came into realization at what was happening here. He was neither tied on the bed or drugged by Vanessa
He came into this conclusion because he read and heard several stories about this. It seems that Philip has undergone Sleep Paralysis mode
He expected to see a Sleep Paralysis Demon around but he was unable to see one. He became bothered as to how he would escape this predicament
It was then that the moment he looked straight at the ceiling, he saw a horned devil with sharp jaws and teeth as saliva dripped down its mouth. The head of the demon resembled that of a goat and the demon is hunched back. The demon is sitting on Philip's chest and Philip suddenly felt the weight of the demon weighing him down
The demon was growling while staring directly into Philip's eyes with its hollow eye sockets. Sweat immediately formed on Philip's face and body and dripped down across his skin
He inhaled deeply and glared back at the demon with braveness. He manipulated his emotions to avoid fearing the demon since this is the first time he saw one personally
The demon then slowly moved its long arms and it swiped across Philip's shoulders and its elongated hands and fingers wrapped around his neck, intending to choke him
Philip panicked slightly and tried to move his body with all his might but to no avail
The demon slowly pressed its elongated thumb on the middle of his throat. His throat started to strain and he could feel that it's tearing apart. He felt coughing but he could not because he's paralyzed
He became annoyed and his eyes became bloodshot. The veins across his cheeks towards the corner of his eyes bulged and his face became red. White lines formed around his neck and glowed brightly, the demon was unfazed
Philip considered using Fate Control but he couldn't use his fingers and hands. There is only one method left to use to get rid of the demon and time is running out for Philip
His blood started to clog in his head and he could feel the flow of blood on his ears, it's about time for him to pass out, but not if Philip could help himself
He will try to use Sword Concept and to also have a deeper understanding of the power
'So, Sword Concept is the concept of the sword and it can do anything that has something to do with a sword...'
Philip muttered in his head. His Extreme Self-awareness activated seconds ago
Just then, Philip glared at the demon with a piercing eye
'Sword Concept: Slashing Vision'
A slash of a sword came out solely from Philip's eye that served as his vision and slashed towards the demon. The slash went through the demon and made a slash mark at the ceiling, behind the demon
The slash was ineffective against the demon because Philip considered the demon as a physical manifestation when it's supposed to be a spiritual manifestation because it attacks the mind of people who just woke up
Philip's vision started to black out around his eyes and blur. Philip did his best to take advantage of the Sword Concept to get him out of here. The room started to shake slightly and the wind blew strongly
~~~
Meanwhile, in the Lounge Area, Justine was sipping tea as she watched the morning skies through the window. Natsume is also sitting across her while eating toast and butter with the wrapped Oriental Sword to her side
"When will Philip wake up?"
Natsume asked Justine
"I don't know... It has been a week already and he's still out"
Justine's red markings across her body has disappeared after Vanessa took a sample and studied it. The marking disappeared after two days and Justine became calmer than ever but the stern look on her face is still plastered
"By the way, what do you think of Philip?"
Justine asked a direct question to Natsume since she figured that Natsume has feelings for Philip because Natsume has been asking the same question three times a day for the past werk
"Uh... He's cool, kind, caring, and very mature"
"Do you like him?"
"Very"
Justine has heard the full story from Natsuki, the part where Natsume is okay with the one-sided relationship from Philip because he is not ready for relationships. She was a little jealous, but she tried to understand the situation
"Do you like him?"
Natsume returned the question
"I think so..."
"You think so?"
"Well... I'm still not sure... He's kind and caring as you have said"
"Then what does your heart tell you?"
"..."
Justine became silent. She is thinking deeply about her feelings towards Philip. She has been taking care of him everyday and sleeping with him. It's like they're married already or something
"Let me change the question"
Natsume spoke up after seeing Justine's confusion
"Do you see Philip as your romantic partner or future husband?"
"!!!"
Justine's eyes widened after imagining what Natsume just said. She instantly blushes and covered her face with her hands. Energy circulated around her from her being flustered
Natsume smiled after seeing Justine's appearance. There was a tint of red on her cheeks from thinking of placing herself in Justine's shoes
It was then that Natsume's face changed into surprise after she felt the wrapped Oriental Sword moving beside her
Justine's expression also changed from being flustered to being serious. She straightened her back and looked to her side
"Sword Energy?"
Justine felt the abundance of Sword Energy flowing around the mansion. She also saw the white cloth unwrapping around the Oriental Sword
The wrapping revealed a jade colored sword with a lotus flower on the guard and two eastern dragon heads growing to the side of the flower
The Oriental Sword then floated in the air and spun, until it shot towards the hallway and aimed for the source of the flow of Sword Energy
"Huh? Is Jude commanding the sword?"
Natsume asked
"That's not Jude's Sword Energy signature..."
Justine became excited because this energy signature belonged to Philip. She quickly stood up to go to Philip when suddenly, she felt her heart thump hard and felt dread
"Demonic Energy!"
Justine muttered before disappearing in her place in a speed of sound. Wind and small debris swirled through the Lounge Area and hallways from the air resistance that Justine made. Natsume covered her body from the gusts of wind
She also stood up and decided to run towards Philip room because she understood what Justine meant by the flying Oriental Sword not caused by Jude
It was then that she saw the Dominator Sword, flying through the hallway that the Oriental Sword also went through. A second later, there was Jude following the sword carefully
~~~
Philip panicked and resisted as much as he can to the point that he is slowly losing his reasoning. His negative emotions and aura grew around him but the demon only seemed to be powering up from them
It was then that his Extreme Self-awareness ability hit him. He manipulated his emotions and calmed himself down
Even though pain were filling around his neck, he tried to use Pain Conversion and converted the pain into endurance. He also tried to inhale as he closed his eyes to enter deep concentration
His head became redder and redder while veins around his head bulged. Black liquid oozed out from the eye sockets of the demon and dripped down on Philip's face
Philip opened his eyes and his eyes glowed with a blue light. His pupils formed a sword shape in the center and the Stigma of the Sword on his right palm also glowed
In his deep concentration, if Sword Concept allows him to do absolutely anything from a sword... Then...
'Sword Concept: Origin Cutter'
Philip focused on the very existence and concept of the Sleep Paralysis Demon and the demon was cut vertically and separated its left and right body
It was then that the Oriental Sword and the Dominator Sword entered Philip room from the door and sliced the remains of the demon into pieces until the demon was reduced to atoms. With every slash, the Dominator Sword released blue and white light while the Oriental Sword released green light
After a second, the two swords hovered above Philip while pointing to ground
At this point, Justine barged into Philip's room by pushing the door with a bang. Justine's eyes were golden, preparing herself to fight against a demonic entity
"Philip?!!"
Philip was still lying on the bed when he suddenly inhaled air from his mouth in relief. He abruptly raised his body and he began to cough dryly that seemed to strain for every cough
Justine ran towards Philip and jumped to the bed to hug him. She sat on top of him and hugged his head
"Are you okay?!"
Justine was genuinely worried especially when she sensed the Demonic Energy of a high caliber coming from Philip's room
Jude also arrived at Philip's door and saw the scene. He didn't mind the affection of Justine and Philip but he was surprised about the Sword Energy that the Dominator Sword and Oriental Sword are releasing
It was like the two sword where shooting arcs of lasers around the room while emitting Sword Aura
Jude reached his hand toward the Dominator Sword to retrieve it, only for the sword to shake like a metal being under stress
Philip noticed this and saw Jude. The Dominator Sword then flew towards Jude's hand and calmed down
"What happened?"
Justine asked as she held Philip's head
"There was a Sleep Paralysis Demon"
"What?! That's scary! How did you escape?"
"..."
Philip paused for a moment to think whether he should tell them about Sword Concept. He then decided that, for now, he would keep it a secret since it's a power that should belong to someone who can rule the universe
It's not that he doesn't trust Justine, he just wants to keep his trump card a secret and to at least become mysterious
"It's because of these swords..."
"You called them here?"
"Yeah, something like that"
"I'm glad"
Justine calmed down and her golden eyes returned to becoming blue. Philip stared at her eyes deeply, mesmerized by the beauty of her eyes
Justine also stared at Philip, hypnotized by his gaze. Her heart slowly raced and accelerated every second until she could hear her own heartbeat
'Can he hear my heartbeat?!'
Justine became flustered and she blushed. She broke and avoided Philip's gaze and looked down to the left
"You lost"
Philip whispered on Justine's right ear while smiling
"Eep!"
Justine exclaimed quietly and cutely, surprised from Philip's bold actions. He wrapped his arms around Justine's waist while having a blissful face. Justine also has her hands on top of Philip's shoulders as she looked at him with worried puppy eyes
"I'm okay now"
Philip assured Justine with a slight smile
"You seemed different"
"I am? How?"
"Yeah, you seemed to be very confident and you know what you're doing"
"Really... Must be what happened last night"
"Last night?"
"The battle against Goddess Sai?"
"You've been asleep for seven days"
"Oh..."
Philip was dumbfounded. He didn't expect that he'll be knocked out for a week at all
"What happened while I was asleep? Did anything noteworthy happened at all?"
"Nope, I took care of you though"
"Really? Thank you. What reward do you want?"
"What? Nothing... Just, stay with us, okay?"
"Hm... Okay, we'll see"
"Also, some has visited you"
"Who?"
"There was Anonymous and Headmaster Yozu"
"Yozu?! Why?"
"Apparently, he also came with the high beings after you changed Goddess Sai's Fate"
"Hmmm... He's the only one who visited?"
"Yup"
Philip frowned. Not because he expected two girls to visit with Yozu, but because his guilt is taking over him once again. He never thanked Yozu or said goodbye to him when he left and Yozu still visited him
"What's wrong?"
Justine noticed Philip's change in demeanor and she couldn't help but ask. Philip leaned his head forward and placed it above her chest, next to her neck. Justine ruffled his hair
"Sometimes... There are times that you don't know what do anymore..."
"Well... You could always choose what's the best for everything! Or you could be selfish and choose what's best for you"
"I guess so..."
"Ehem!"
Jude cleared his throat while leaning against the door frame. He has been watching them for quite a while. Justine turned her head in embarrassment and realization
"Since when have been there?!"
"Since you came"
Philip answered. Justine was about to stand up from Philip but Philip held Justine closer
"Let's stay like this for a while"
"O-okay..."
For several minutes, Philip and Justine stayed in their position while showing each other their affection. Justine missed Philip and Philip wanted the feeling of affection
Jude smile and left as he closed the door with the Dominator Sword on his hand. His long black hair has been tied into a ponytail and his straight tail hair swayed behind him for every walk. The Oriental Sword floated above the bed, behind Philip while releasing streaks and arcs of Sword Energy
~~~
One hour later, Justine and Philip entered the Lounge Area and they saw everyone present in the room, except for the Old Man
Everyone was quiet and tense though, even Justine as soon as she entered the room, which made Philip confused. He looked at everyone once more and saw an unfamiliar face
"Are you the new Homeowner? It's surprising"
The woman drank from the wine glass with confidence and emptied it. She then slammed the wine glass on the table which made a loud sound
Natsuki and Natsume were specifically next to her and their expression is showing fear and worry. Jude and Mathilda is standing next to the wall, as usual. Alucard is sitting on an expensive chair while sipping tea and Vanessa is next to Natsuki. Camille is sitting on her own chair while her energy and aura were screaming and burning around her, Philip became worried about her. Mei'er and Bea is sitting next to each other in another sofa. Kyouko is not present though
"Nice to meet you, may I know who you ar--"
Philip tried to be nice to the arrogant woman until he recognized her appearance
Long black hair, black eyeliner, eyebrows on fleek, black lipstick, black striped sweater, and black jogger pants. She also has black ear hoops, black nails, and black purse. Everything about the woman screams goth
The goth woman smiled because Philip recignized her. She was the woman that Philip saw when he was riding the limousine
"My name is Natsu, Natsuki and Natsume's oldest sister. I came here to check on them"
"Oh! Welcome!"
Natsu nodded and she sat back down. Justine sat next to Mei'er and Bea while Philip sat on the prepared chair across the table from Natsu
"So, I've heard that Natsume took a liking to you"
"Yes"
"Then... Are you taking responsibility?"
"Onee-san!"
"Be quiet, Natsume"
"Huh? She's not pregnant though?"
Natsu raised her eyebrow
"What I mean is... Are you taking care of her since you two are a thing?"
"I can, but our relationship is complicated"
"Ho? Care to explain?"
"We're on a one-sided relationship where she loves me but I don't... I like her, but I don't want to engage in commitment"
Natsu's eyes burned with a purple color from Philip's answer
"Why?"
"I don't want to hurt her"
"But isn't reciprocating her feeling already hurting her?"
"She forced herself on me"
Natsu looked at Natsume as she was looking down in extreme embarrassment because everyone is present. But little did Natsume know, only Mathilda, Vanessa, Natsuki, Justine, and Mei'er only cared
"I see... So, you're a player then?"
"Huh?"
"You wanted Natsume for yourself even though you already have her?!"
Natsu pointed at Justine while her pointing finger is burning in purple color
"Haaah???"
"Maybe I should teach you proper manners of not hurting anyone and playing with their feelings?!"
Natsu raised her hands and purple fire came out of her hands
"Plasma Combustion"
Philip and everyone became confused as to what Natsu was doing inside the mansion. She was never part of the mansion and rarely visits her younger sisters
This time, she visited in the right time and dared to teach Philip a lesson for giving Natsume a hard time
"Onee-san! Don't do this! I chose this!"
"No Natsume, this guy needs to be aware of how precious you are! I'm going to make him realize!"
Natsuki and Natsume already knows. Natsu is an overprotective big sister and a very supportive one that she will force herself on anyone and anything that her younger sister wants
It was then that there was an audible sound that reverberated throughout the Lounge Area. Wind blew around the room and the plasma on Natsu's hand was extinguished
Everyone looked at Philip and he was in a position that he just snapped his fingers
"I don't have time for this"
Philip stood up and faced Natsu
"Natsume chose to love me even though I didn't want to, for now. I'm not interested in any relationships, for now. But it doesn't mean that I didn't want any love or affection. Even though I don't want any relationships, I tend to care for them or love them back without me realizing. So, there's no need for you to teach me because I already know myself"
Philip then walked out of the room and went to the backyard garden
"You're welcomed in the mansion and you can stay for as long as you want!"
Natsu became dumbfounded and Natsume blushed, it was the same for Justine and surprisingly, Mei'er. Bea followed Philip with her eyes in a stern look and everyone else was calm
Alucard then stood up and went back to his room. Camille did the same while her aura is burning alongside her. Vanessa bowed to Natsu and talked for a second before leaving
Jude and Mathilda stayed while Justine talked to Natsu with Natsuki and Natsume. It seems that Natsu's demeanor dramatically changed after Philip used Fate Control. It sent shivers down Justine's spine
Bea also left towards the library to continue deciphering the One-paged Book and Mei'er stood up to follow Philip in the backyard
Philip changed Natsu's Fate by changing her purpose in coming to the mansion. Using Origin Seeker, he saw that Natsu has the purpose of taking Natsuki and Natsume to Japan and train them as the family of fire ability users
After changing her Fate, Natsu will consider leaving Natsuki and Natsume in the mansion, which will give them a better life, or better yet, Natsu mighy even consider living in the mansion also
Philip sat on the grassy ground and leaned against the trunk of the tree. He then stared at the clear sky as cool wind circulates around the backyard