Akerses' Manor, North Grovebourne.
Having completed his advancement to Tier 2-C after consuming 48 Creation Seeds back-to-back, and a good night's sleep, Kole woke up in a fresh mood.
To be honest, he neither felt the need to sleep much nor had the hunger or thirst of a normal human being.
He had already noted these changes in his body long ago. But he still did those activities because he felt more human-like, or maybe it had become a habit of his!
Still, the feeling of rapidly increasing power made a smile appear on his face.
It felt like the very core of his being was evolving into something else.
His body felt lighter and studier than ever, like a well-oiled machine.
And the endurance levels shot through the roof when he activated his Berserk Mode, as Spirit Energy cladded against his body.
Kole knew these changes came from the path the Creation Seeds had led him to.
Some Ascendants would have other changes like becoming a glutton or even having a sweet tooth.
It depended from person to person.
Some may even have strong obsessions, like in the case of Morris Turner, who sacrificed everything to reunite with love.
Although it was unclear whether his fixation came from the changes brought by the Creation Seeds, something was evidently wrong with his psyche.
For Kole, he had been evolving into something — that can survive the harshest conditions that a human can't face, quite easily!
Stretching his hands lazily, Kole stood up from the bed in his full naked glory and beelined to the balcony where he sat at the round table while basking in the morning sunshine.
He made an iced tea for himself and silently relished the taste as a soft smile hung over his lips.
Was he an exhibitionist?
Of course not.
But the fact that they lived so far from the main city that barely anyone could be seen on the streets of this suburban area made Kole unbound by conformity.
"Kole—" Without knocking on the door, Caroline stepped in with a tray full of delicious steaming hot breakfast.
But.
Her eyes opened wide, her little mouth agape with incredulity.
Seeing his full naked form and that long shlong made Caroline freeze in her spot.
Kole revealed a shit-eating grin, "Well, now we are equal, aren't we?"
He took a jab on the other day when Caroline had flashed him.
Taking a deep breath, a light of determination flashed in Caroline's eyes.
She tried hard to control her rapidly beating heart.
Walking stiffly, she approached the table while stealing glances, which she didn't even try to hide. It was evident enough for any man to take note of it.
Kole was proud of his top-tier physique that could make even men blush in shame and question their sexuality.
He didn't bother hiding. If Caroline wanted to admire him, then so be it.
She placed the breakfast, which was a mouthwatering fish bathed in a special traditional golden sauce, bread, and other assortments.
Since Stormwatch was famous for its rich marine life and exotic fishes, locals had developed quite a cuisine catered towards sea-food enthusiasts.
"Did you make this?" Kole smiled at Caroline, who had sat in front of him after placing the tray on the table.
"Mn." With a blush, she started making tea for herself.
"Thank you."
Seeing the awkwardness and right amount of shyness that made her look extremely cute, Kole couldn't help but tease a little more, "If you want, I'll walk around naked in the manor."
"N-No!" She shook her head, albeit reluctantly, "Mother would throw you out!"
"So, you do want to admire my body but are afraid about what mother will say."
"Absolutely Not!" She said with fake resoluteness.
"So, you are not afraid of mom either? Then what is the problem?"
Caroline felt her tongue being tied.
"I… I meant I have no interest in admiring your body!" She stuttered a little.
Kole chuckled and focused back on enjoying the dish made by his sister.
At the same time, he overlapped his clothes over his body that were placed in Subspace, and he got dressed in his usual dark tuxedo and half-top hat in an instant.
"Anyways, do you know anything about Light cultists?"
Kole didn't know much except the fact that Light cultists were notorious for terrorizing the world.
They could appear anywhere and everywhere to cause chaos.
He was very confused about why someone from Light attacked him, and even Mark Moore earlier.
Neither of them had any grudges against the Light.
Caroline's expression darkened.
She made a Tch sound as she explained in an exasperated tone, "In the Tempest Order, we call them Loons of Light."
Sighing to herself, she continued, "Their motives always remain unclear. From our understanding, they don't want people to forget about Light."
"According to the past interrogative results we obtained, they believe Light will never die, as long as people are reminded of Light.
"As such, they commit acts of terrorism all over the world, and would boldly claim any incident was done by them if no one else takes responsibility to increase their long list of crimes — to further increase their infamous reputation!"
"Hold on…" Although Kole understood that Light cultists were basically a group of fanatics with no rhyme or reason, he was still perplexed, "What do you mean by 'They believe Light will never die?'"
Caroline raised an eyebrow as she fell into a contemplative silence.
After deliberating for a moment, she said slowly, "We don't know much, but according to mythologies, Light was one of the earliest gods to make contact with human civilization.
"In one report from the revelations of the Gods, it was said that Light was a God who was inherently on the 'good' side and helped civilization prosper while keeping the Banes at bay!
"However, for unknown reasons, he went missing eons ago, and the Light God church crumbled. As for his death, it is still unknown."
Then she spat in disgust, "And since then, the only proof of his existence has been the Light cultists that keep crawling like cockroaches, unwilling to die."
She looked at Kole, feeling a bit perplexed, "Anyways, why are you asking about Light?"
Kole shook his head as he laughed nonchalantly, "I was wondering where their source of power comes from. Do they advance with Creation Seeds? If yes, then how do they get the powers of Light?"
Caroline narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
She inquired bluntly, "How do you know Light cultists have the Power of Light coursing through them?"
"Argh!" Kole scratched his head, "Well, you remember I killed Mark with the help of a random Light cultist I met?"
Caroline snorted lightly, not believing this reason.
After all, the fight between the Light cultist and Mark's servant was so short that they didn't even get to use their full powers.
Regardless, she answered this topic rather enthusiastically, "Well, as long as you believe in a God, you will be blessed by them and will be able to use their powers to a certain extent depending on your own Strength.
"If you get blessed when you are already an Ascendant, you will be able to use various spells and even increase the level of potency. But if you aren't, you could only do some parlor tricks like lighting a candle from afar.
"So, in general, it doesn't matter whether you are an Ascendant or not."
"Wait. That proves Light isn't dead, right? Because people who use Light are still present in the world. They must've been blessed by him!" Kole was increasingly more confused.
His sister nodded at him, "It does, and that's why I said: Light went missing, and his death is unknown. But his believers have no one to guide them properly like the Saint, Archbishops, and Bishops of the House of Tempest."
Nodding slightly, Kole noted it down inside his mind as he finished his meal.
Stretching his hand to take the Iced Tea to quench his parched throat, Kole was stunned upon realizing Caroline had snatched his drink and was drinking with an enraptured expression, leaving her own tea aside.
"If you wanted it to be chilled this badly, you could've asked me to make more ice cubes!" Kole's lips twitched, but he didn't take it back and let Caroline enjoy.
If only he knew Caroline didn't care about ice cubes… what she enjoyed about his drink was something else…
Shaking his head, Kole focused on the topic at hand, "So… as long as I believe in a God sincerely, there is a chance I can awaken a portion of their powers in myself."
Caroline let out a satisfied sigh as she licked her lips.
Just the slight saliva of his made her mind dreamy and the spot between her legs wet.
Hearing Kole's question, she snapped back to reality.
"Um. Yes? There is a chance, but it is not guaranteed."
"Really? Then how does it work for you in the Tempest Order." Kole questioned with a smile; while wondering whether Caroline can use some powers of Tempest.
"Me? As I said, it isn't reliable. It is a kind of blessing that entirely depends on your devotion.
"If you believe in the Goddess while keeping her as the target for your absolute dedication — only then, you will be blessed by the Goddess.
She smiled ruefully as she continued, "Although we have a large number of priests and nuns who have received blessings of the Goddess, sadly, I am not one of them!"
Shaking her head, she focused on her explanation.
"For different Gods, circumstances also differ. Like, for Gradoz believers, it was entirely random, and everyone could be blessed. For Light, it's generally your devotion to God, and how much are you willing to sacrifice."
"I see…" Kole nodded with a slightly playful grin.
Should I start praying to Light? Can I get the power of Light?
"However, one mustn't pray to any other Gods except the Orthodox churches. You can get 'corrupted' instead of being 'blessed' if you are praying to an Evil God."
Cold water was poured on Kole's head.
However, instead of feeling disheartened, his smile extended.
I will give it a try regardless!... His heart thumped in excitement.
Suddenly, remembering something Kole vanished from the spot.
Caroline was startled for a moment, but then she sighed to herself, "Having the means to use Subspace is such an envious ability."
After a second, Kole appeared in the same position while carrying a newspaper.
He remembered Ryan and Eleanor had mentioned he would know about their purpose for coming to Turners' villa in today's newspaper!
Seeing a look of shock spreading over his face as Kole read the newspaper, Caroline became puzzled.
"…Count Moore is dead…" As Kole read the newspaper, his heart skipped a beat.
What happened? How did Count Moore die?
Reading further, the following lines attracted his attention:
"…Morris Turner, a secretly hidden cultist, killed Count Moore…"
Kole connected the dots quite easily. He could tell Viscount Turner had wanted the pink coin to reunite with his lover, which was in Count Moore's possession.
As for the Police calling Morris Turner a cultist? It was a better explanation than telling the entire love story to the public, which could ignite the spark of craziness in many individuals who had lost their loved ones in the past.
But where is the news of Otto Moore's death or even a missing report?
Kole's eyes narrowed upon seeing the last line on the column.
"…After the death of Mark Moore, the second son of Count Moore, and now Count Moore at the hands of Morris Turner — Otto Moore is the last remaining member of Moore's family, whose marriage was arranged to be next week with the daughter of Duke Houston!..."
Kole's mouth turned agape.
Didn't I kill him? How is he still alive?