Alvin sat in his room, and after calming down his initial enthusiasm, he thought about his new talent. The darkness talent had appeared on the Golden Page suddenly, and he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease about its origin. Calming himself, he began to ponder the possibilities.
"Is it because I awakened the Eye of Intent and it randomly gave me one of its talents?" Alvin's mind raced with theories. Perhaps it was a talent inherent to the Golden Book, only surfacing after the awakening of his Eye of Intent.
But then, a sudden realization struck him, and his expression changed. "The Golden Book got awakened when I was watching Mia demonstrate her darkness talent. Does that mean this is Mia's talent?" Anxiety gripped him as he considered the implications.
"Did I steal her ability? If it's true, what will I do? That girl always dreamed about becoming a magician." Alvin's heart pounded in his chest as he grappled with the weight of his realization.
"Mia... Mia..." Alvin ran out of his room calling out for his little sister, startling Mia who was still playing with her broken doll and Elena who was arranging old books over her writing table.
The room fell silent, except for the soft clinking of Emily, the broken doll in Mia's hands, falling to the ground.
"Brother, why are you shouting? Look, you ruined Emily's clothes!" Mia scolded Alvin, hastily picking up her doll which had fallen to the ground.
Mia clutched Emily, the broken doll, tightly in her small hands. it was a treasure Mia salvaged from the trash heap left behind by a family who had moved away from their neighborhood, leaving behind what they thought was worthless.
In Mia's eyes, Emily was far from worthless. She was a companion, a friend, and a source of comfort in a world where money was tight, and toys were a luxury Mia's family couldn't afford.
The doll's porcelain face was chipped, and her once vibrant dress was faded and torn. But to Mia, none of that mattered. Emily was perfect just the way she was.
As Mia sat on the floor of her small room, surrounded by worn-out furniture and hand-me-downs, Alvin reminisced about the day she found Emily. It was a bright summer afternoon; Alvin and Mia had been rummaging through the discarded items left on the curb. Most of the things were broken or useless, but then Mia's eyes fell upon the doll lying amidst the rubble. Mia's heart skipped a beat as she rushed to rescue her newfound treasure.
From that day forward, Emily became Mia's constant companion. They shared secrets, dreams, and countless adventures within the confines of Mia's imagination.
Alvin's heart sank at the sight of the doll. Guilt gnawed at him as he realized the weight of his actions. "I'm sorry, Mia," he murmured, his voice heavy with regret.
Elena also looked at Alvin curiously. "What happened, Alvin? Why were you shouting?"
"I'll tell you later, Mom," Alvin replied.
Turning to Mia, he addressed her gently, "Mia, I need to talk to you."
"I won't talk to you, hmph," Mia retorted, still angry with Alvin.
Ignoring her refusal to speak to him, Alvin asked her, "Mia, can you show me how you manipulated shadows once more?"
Mia sat there, her arms crossed and a determined pout on her face, still upset with her brother. He had ignored her earlier when she tried to show him how she manipulated shadows, and now, despite her silent treatment, he was back, asking for another demonstration.
Alvin, undeterred by Mia's refusal, leaned in and asked with a hopeful tone, "Mia, can you show me again how you manipulate shadows?"
Mia, not one to back down easily, glanced at Alvin and stuck out her tongue. "I won't! You ignored me earlier when I showed you. It's not fair!" She shook her head like a rattled drum.
Elena, trying to mediate the sibling squabble, stepped in. "Mia, sweetheart, didn't you promise Mom that you will forgive Alvin? Why don't you show your talent to your brother once more?"
Pouting, Mia complained to Elena, "Mom, when I showed it to him, he just closed his eyes and ignored me. And when I told him about it, he pinched my cheeks!"
Alvin, feeling a bit desperate, pleaded, "Mia, it's urgent... please."
But Mia remained resolute. "No."
Alvin, taking a deep breath, realized he needed to resort to bribery. "How about this, Mia? I'll give you one piece of chocolate cupcake."
Elena, who was busy arranging books, was stunned. A small chocolate cupcake cost around 1 copper coin, and using that money, they could easily buy enough sweet buns for all three of them.
Elena didn't understand what Alvin was trying to do; she kept silent and didn't say anything.
Mia's ears perked up at the mention of chocolate cupcake, a luxury they couldn't afford often. Her eyes widened with excitement as she considered the offer, her mind already indulging in the thought of the sweet treat.
"Chocolate cupcake?" Mia repeated, her voice filled with longing. "But big brother, we don't have enough money for that."
Alvin chuckled, "Ah, that's the beauty of it, little monkey. I'll find a way. Just impress me with your shadows, and the cupcake is yours."
Alvin replied with a grin. "Consider it a special treat."
Mia's little face lit up a smile at the thought of chocolate cake. She pretended to ponder the offer, placing her hands on her chin and furrowing her brows as though she was contemplating something of great importance.
After a moment of dramatic silence, Mia finally relented, her grin widening. "Fine, but only because I'm feeling generous today."
Alvin chuckled at her behavior, knowing full well that Mia was just as excited about the chocolate cupcake as he was about seeing her darkness talent in action.
With a nod of agreement, Mia turned her attention to the shadow behind Alvin. With a wave of her hand and a flick of her wrist, she began to manipulate the darkness, weaving intricate patterns and shapes in the air.
Alvin breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Mia effortlessly demonstrate her darkness talent once again.
It was a reassuring sight, confirming that her ability hadn't been absorbed by him, and that she could still wield her talent as before.
Alvin silently muttered the words "Eye of Intent" under his breath.
Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation, as if something was stirring within him. His mind was flooded with images, and he sensed a moment of connection with the Golden Book.
As if in response to his thoughts, the Golden Book buzzed with energy once again, and several lines of text appeared before Alvin, just like they had before.
Alvin blinked in surprise, his heart pounding with anticipation.
"Dark Talent +5"
"Dark Talent +3"
"Dark Talent +1"
"Dark Talent +5"
"Dark Talent +4"
"Dark Talent..."