Seeing the unscrupulous intent hidden in his son's eyes, Count Moore lost the will to fight as he realized why and how everything had transpired.
With a feeble breath, the Count said his last words in an attempt to dissuade Otto from delving deeper into the madness, "It is not a blessing… but a curse! It will destroy you… just like how I got devoured!"
"Don't use it!" A despondent light flashed in Count Moore's eyes as he gave his final warning.
Shaking his head, Otto tutted, "Tsk. Tsk."
"I will release it to its full potential… I will achieve what you couldn't—Greatness. Haha!~" He laughed hysterically as he bent down and fumbled through his father's pockets.
When he felt the outline of what he wanted, Otto retracted his clenched fist and glanced at his hands with unbridled voracity.
Upon opening the palm, a pillar of golden light descended into the room.
Otto's lips curved upward as he twirled the golden coin between his fingers.
Unlike all the previous coins — this one had rough edges as if it was made by an unskilled artisan. Also, the outline of an eyeball with vertical pupils appeared on both sides of the coin!
"One of the seven, True Coins of Gradoz!" Otto couldn't help but reveal an excited smile filled with eagerness.
Count Moore's eyes turned hazy upon his possession being stolen, while his defeated expression became maddened.
However, being already on the verge of death, he could only mumble incoherently as his life drifted like a puff of smoke, "My Money… My Status... My Money…"
As the mumbles lingered for some time, Moore's villa soon turned dead silent with two dead bodies inside.
Coming back to his senses, Otto put the gold coin in the inner pockets of his coat. He needed time to get used to an Artifact at such a high level. He couldn't simply start playing with it like a toy.
He turned his gaze to the side and saw Morris Turner looking at the pink coin with an entranced expression.
"Leave." Otto calmly ordered, in a stern tone, "And don't forget about our deal, Mr. Turner."
Morris broke out of his stupor as he hurriedly kept the pink coin in his pocket.
Remembering about 'his' deal, Morris stretched his hand and ruffled through his hair, grabbing thin strands of blonde hair between his fingers.
After some hesitation, he dropped it somewhere in the room.
"Are you sure she'll be okay?" When he had completed his actions, Morris asked with uncertainty.
Otto casually flicked the bony coin up in the air and caught it.
After glancing at it, he said with a small smile, "Kole Akerse won't let her be in danger."
Thinking about that handsome face, he laughed enigmatically, "I don't know how he entered my calculations, but it was a welcome surprise."
"Upon his arrival in my reckonings, everything fell in place—As if he was the missing piece of the puzzle!"
Turning to glance at Morris, Otto said calmly, "Don't worry and go meet the love of your life…"
"She is waiting for you with a smile…"
Hearing that, Morris nodded as his weary eyes almost teared up. Under the curtain of darkness, Morris Turner turned away from light.
…
Appearing in the mansion that they rented for the purpose of hosting his coming-of-age ceremony, Kole breathed a sigh of relief.
Despite the strange vibes that Faneia gave, Kole felt secure when with her.
It is the instinctive nature of every being to depend on their elders when they are in the starting phase of their development. Kole was not any different.
As such, arriving near his mother, he felt as if he was back in his nest with his mother hen.
Mocking himself inwardly for thinking about such a bad metaphor, Kole strolled through the gaslamp-lit corridors of the manor, eager to fill his stomach.
For some reason, Kole felt homesick for the food he used to eat in his previous life. He craved the unique flavors and tastes that reminded him of variety.
Even though Faneia's cooking was fantastic, it was hard not to miss the familiar essences of his past life.
Thus, he stepped into the kitchen with a sigh of melancholy, and looked around at the ingredients available — maybe something could be made from them?
After some thought, he decided to create a spicy burger.
Since he was hungry, he decided to make two of those. However, there was no proper drink to go along with it, so he had to reluctantly make do with what he had available. Thus, he made lemon tea.
To take things up a notch, he concentrated his powers, stirred his Spirit Energy, and materialized black ice cubes.
"I hope it is edible…" The corners of his lips twitched with uncertainty, but regardless, he trusted his <
"Mhmm~" Sitting at the counter, Kole chewed with great relish.
He felt not only his stomach being satiated, but even his mind reaching cloud nine.
Life becomes monotonous if you don't take action to shake things up. Doing the same thing over and over again, without introducing any new elements, can make life seem dull and tedious.
As such, this refreshing perspective allowed Kole to relax his mind, bring some clarity, and also kept him engaged.
Rustle! ~
Suddenly, he heard a noise from the dark corridor of the doorway.
Narrowing his eyes, Kole took a big gulp, drank the iced tea, and craned his neck to look at the intruder.
"Sis?"
When the hidden cat felt her tail being stepped on, she instinctively jumped in surprise.
"Ah… haha." She laughed awkwardly as she came by her brother's side and sat at the counter, "I was thinking who was wandering through the kitchen at this hour."
Grrrr!
Looking at the delicious unfamiliar dish, Caroline's stomach grumbled as a tinge of redness appeared on her beautiful face.
"Hahaha…" Kole chuckled out loud, and hearing his mock laughter, Caroline's embarrassment deepened further as her face got entirely covered in a red hue. Even her ears were stained with fine lines of crimson.
"Here…" Kole pushed forth the remaining burger toward her.
She was about to refuse when Kole practically left the burger hanging in the air for it to drop and retracted his hands.
If she didn't catch it, it would be spoiled!
Her superior senses of an Ascendant gave her enough time to know Kole's intentions.
"Unfair…" She muttered and caught the burger.
"You know, I think you have been unfair as well…" Kole smiled at her gently.
He was in a good mood today. As such, he didn't mind sharing food and having a chat with his dear sister.
Nibbling cutely, Caroline's eyes sparkled as a rush of flavors landed on her tastebuds.
Despite the relishing meal that could make one fall into a reverie, her ears perked up in attention after hearing his words.
"What do you mean?"
She asked as a feeling of oddness developed in her heart.
"You know, I really appreciate what you have done for me and how much you've sacrificed for the people of Stormwatch…"
Drinking a last sip of the iced tea, Kole passed the glass for Caroline to taste.
"But it's unfair to yourself."
Caroline froze.
Kole stood up and walked to the doorway as his footfalls echoed.
"Compared to your unfairness, me sharing my meal with you even though I'm hungry doesn't amount to a dime… dear Caroline."
While walking away from her, he continued, "And mind you, I like every bit of you, and if you really want to save people, if that is what makes you fulfilled—do it! I'd still love you the same.
"But I always feel that something is missing, and this may not be what you truly desire… and it is the second best thing you want!"
With his back facing her, Kole said avidly, "Regardless, it is your life, and I have no right to interfere. As your brother, I will keep supporting you."
"However, I have decided to live my life to the fullest… And only be satisfied with the best!...
"And so should you!"
His words echoed in Caroline's ears as she saw his departing back.
For some reason, her heart pounded vigorously in her chest, and she felt it would burst out any second.
Holding the glass in her hand, her eyes fell upon the clear impression of lips, from where her brother had drunk.
"So should I…" She muttered and traced her lips over the imprint and took a sip of that divinely delicious drink—a drink that was thicker and tastier than iced tea.
It was so delicious that she felt her body shaking from the flavors that exploded in her mind… and body.