"Kole Akerse, do you wish to become a monster?"
Faneia stood up. With slow deliberate steps, she approached Kole.
Kole felt his heart sinking.
It was already a miracle that he has not pissed his pants yet.
"Ara~" The smile on Faneia's face reached her eyes, but her eyes weren't smiling.
The mirth evident in her expressions made Kole's breathing raspier.
Kole forcibly controlled from falling to his knees and begging for forgiveness as he thought about the latter's question.
Gaining power is so terrifying that people at that level become close to a monster! Would I also become a monster and not remain human anymore? If that is the case, do I still want power? Must I go through all that struggle?
I am already the son of the Duke, and not to mention, even my sister has been rising through the ranks in the House of Tempest. As long as I don't f*ck up entirely, I should be able to live a comfortable life with the accumulated wealth of our family.
I will then fall in love, marry a beautiful woman, have children, and watch them grow old…
"Yes, mom!"
Yes. I want power! I want to find a way to crack the erosion of time! Not just for myself but for everything around me! I want to explore and broaden my horizons! I want to lead a fulfilling life not an ordinary one... but he didn't voice his reasons out loud.
And if all of that leads me to become a monster... so be it. I would be much more content dying while trying instead of not trying at all!
Faneia, who at some point was circling behind him with slow steps, paused.
"Heh." A sneer. And with that, the shadows receded as her expression returned to an impassive one.
"Impressive…" She muttered to herself.
Kole on the other hand, felt the reaper's scythe retracting as the pressure suddenly vanished.
A relieved sigh escaped his lips as he took deep breaths to calm himself.
To be honest, if not for the fact he had died once, had the memories of previous Kole who, he believed to have died in the "Banes" outbreak, he would've long been sprawled on the floor with foam leaking through his mouth.
And his thoughts aligned with Faneia. She was mildly surprised by his will, which didn't bend in the face of a calamity of epic proportions.
"Very well," Faneia turned toward the door as she spoke tonelessly, "Follow me."
Kole derailed his out-of-control train of thoughts as he followed behind the departing back of the Duchess.
He took out the pocket watch from his inner receptacles and glanced at it, habitually. He was surprised to find out that it was already almost evening.
What the f*ck? How did almost five hours pass by? Wasn't it merely 10 minutes?... The more Kole thought about it, the more his expression turned strange.
A gulp.
The tension in his mind sprang again.
The feeling of being a helpless little lamb was certainly not pleasant.
He had no idea what was happening!
Was he being played like a fiddle? Or maybe Faneia's powers seemed to distort the perception of time? Or maybe all the while he imagined to be in Faneia's study, he was in a comatose state of mind? Maybe he was just standing there, possibly even revealing all the secrets inside his heart… Kole's mind hurt thinking so much in a matter of seconds as he followed his mother.
Hah… He let out a turbid breath of air and forcibly halted his clashing thoughts.
That's right. I am neither the smartest nor the strongest.
The only advantage I have is my experience and not-so-naïve mind. But it's hard to believe that even that would amount to a dime in front of a monster, like mom…
Since he could do nothing to oppose her, he would try to be a good little son, with no objectionable thoughts.
None at all!
He would forcibly dump those desires in the back of his mind… until he gets strong enough!
Maybe he might never catch up to her. But hey, a man's got to dream! And only by thinking of catching stars, they'd reach the moon!
Kole encouraged himself inwardly as tried to distract himself from scary thoughts about all the abnormalities regarding Faneia.
Suddenly Kole noticed the passageway they were walking on…
Wasn't this a dead end?... A bewildered expression appeared on Kole's face.
From the memories he had gathered, he knew each corner of this small manor. It was not that hard, after all, the young Kole would often play with his elder sister Caroline in these very same halls.
Soon, Faneia stopped in front of a wall with an elegant painting of a beautiful landscape.
It was a generic painting that could be found in any noble's house.
"We are here," Faneia said succinctly. She put her hand on the painting as a 'Click!' sound was heard.
With a flick of her finger, the painting slid to the side, revealing a dark stone door hidden beneath.
A spellbinding mural was engraved upon the door.
On one side of the door, an abstract dark existence with contorted lines drawn all over it lay. On the other side, different smaller figures glowed in the darkness, however, all of them were very blurry, and it seemed like stars were shining in the night sky and rapidly approaching that abstract existence.
For some reason, Kole felt not one but many "gazes" on him, but that feeling went as fast as it came as if it was all an illusion. Kole dismissed the slight discomfort and blamed it on his overthinking.
Maybe I am being too paranoid…
Faneia snapped her fingers.
Creak!...
The door slowly slid open as a cool wind that sent chills up Kole's spine wafted from behind the door.
Behind the door, all Kole could see was a cold stone staircase leading underground.
Why? Why can't I see something normal?... Kole shot an accusing glance at Faneia, who was unbothered by it and retracted an oil lamp that was affixed at the corner.
With another snap of her fingers, the oil lamp lit up with bright bursting flames, illuminating the dark stairway, though the light couldn't reach far and only a few immediate steps could be seen.
"Watch your step."
With that, she descended.
Damn it!... Kole hurriedly followed behind.