"Leo, don't!" Bruce yelled, trying to prevent him from doing something he couldn't undo.
Leo, still furious and glaring at Lenz, spoke out, "But master, this guy tried to hurt you!"
"I know. That's why I brought you here. To prevent things like this," Bruce explained.
"You knew he might do this. But..." Leo wanted answers, but Bruce interrupted him,
"Not now. Let him go. And take away his weapons."
Leo reluctantly eased his grip, and the knife in Lenz's hand flew over to Leo as he caught it. Still, his eyes bore into Lenz, warning him silently, making Lenz gulp nervously.
"That wasn't very nice of you to treat a guest like that, Mr. Lenz," Bruce said, smiling at Lenz, who still eyed him warily.
"Sorry. It's just a habit... yeah, a habit," Lenz replied nervously.
"I know you have questions, but I'm sorry, I don't have time to answer them right now. But I assure you, we mean no harm. Well, except Leo here might drink your blood if I didn't stop him. But he listens to me. So don't worry," Bruce assured.
Lenz couldn't relax. 'Was that guy a freaking vampire?' He wanted to shout out asking, but he didn't show his discomfort in his reply.
"he hee ..So, …ehm..you won't tell me how you know about Penz, even if I ask?" Lenz questioned.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you. But even if I did, you wouldn't believe me. And like I said, I don't have the time to convince you. But trust me, we mean no harm. In fact, I'll make sure you're well protected if you help us," Bruce explained.
"Well, I have quite a few powerful enemies. No offense, but you seem a bit small to protect me.., hehe... but if it's." …," Lenz started but hesitated as he glanced at Leo.
Leo's gaze turned hostile again as if asking, 'What are you staring at?'
"None taken. And don't worry, even though Leo won't be your protector, someone capable of handling your enemies will keep you safe," Bruce assured.
But Lenz still doubted. He looked at Bruce skeptically, prompting Bruce to respond.
"I forgot to give you my full name, didn't I? Let me do that now. I'm Bruce, and my last name is Sterling. Bruce Sterling," Bruce said.
"Wait... Sterling... you!!... oh. Uh... fine, fine, fine...." The man muttered to himself and went on to speak with himself in a language nobody could understand.
Then, he looked at Leo and Bruce alternately before responding,
"Now I understand how you found me. Hehe, And it explains the powerful bodyguard. Hehe... I'm an idiot. Should've seen this coming... idiot... stupid... idiot or stupid..this or that... or another... that or this." He seemed confused again.
"Now, can I speak to Ms. Penz Tucker? I don't have all day, you know," Bruce urged.
Lenz Tucker's eyes were filled with doubt. Even though the person before him was from the powerful Sterling family, nobody from the Aethens continent knew the secret about Penz. At least, that's what he thought. So he couldn't bring himself to trust the guy.
But he also realized he couldn't do anything about it. Leo alone could easily kill him a thousand times over under a minute, and moreover, they were from the Sterling family.
Lenz knew they could get what they wanted even if he disagreed. However, he could see sincerity in the little fellow's eyes.
Over the past few years, Lenz had mostly stayed at home, only going out to earn enough to survive. Due to his bad luck, he had become enemies with the underground mafia, a story for another time for him to regret about.
But with the Sterling family protecting him, he knew he could still save himself and his sister. It was even better to become a member of them.
He was willing to sell his soul even to the devil if it meant getting protection, in this case, ruler of Silverlake, the Sterling family. So, even though he knew there were risks, he believed the benefits outweighed them.
"Fine. All I can hope is you keep your promise. And since you came specifically to see Penz, I assume you're aware of her ability too." Lenz questioned.
To which Bruce noded
"Seriously, you know all about her abilities too. Hmm... confusing, confusing... hehe... Alright, fine. Just hold on a second, please," Lenz said, stepping back.
He took off his top hat and tossed it onto the table in the hall. Then, he removed his eye patch, revealing his right eye, which was a vivid green unlike his left eye, which was normal brown. He closed both eyes and stood there, motionless.
After a few minutes passed with nothing happening, Leo was about to speak up when Bruce interrupted him, placing a finger on his lips to keep him quiet. Bruce pointed towards Lenz, and Leo looked over, shocked to the core by what he was witnessing.
Lenz's hair, which was only reaching his neck, began growing rapidly until it reached his hips. His left eye also changed to the same pure green color as his right eye.
His goatee disappeared, leaving behind a completely clean face that looked like a mosaic. His entire body shape transformed, and the most unusual change was the sudden appearance of two large lumps on Lenz's chest, like melons.
It was no longer correct to call the person standing before them Lenz because the person they were looking at was actually Penz Tucker.
"What... What's going on here?" Leo couldn't make sense of what was happening. Despite his years of experience and witnessing many unusual things, he'd never seen anything like this before. He wasn't even sure if this was some kind of ability.
Bruce, on the other hand, didn't seem the least bit surprised by the transformation.
He looked at the person before him as if she were a long-lost friend. Memories of their time together as captives of pirates and the hardships they endured lingered in his eyes. But not wanting to dwell on those dark times, he spoke to the person in front of him with a slight smile.
"Greetings, Ms. Penz," Bruce said with a slight bow.
The woman standing before him didn't resemble Lenz much, except for a similar face shape. She was incredibly elegant, with a face like a bright full moon. Her hair cascaded silkily like waterfalls, and her eyes were stunning, with green irises that seemed to radiate warmth to anyone who looked into them.
"Hello, Master Bruce, I apologize for my brother's behavior," Penz replied with a smile, speaking smoothly and confidently, unlike Lenz.
There was a deep kindness in Penz's smile, and Bruce returned it with his own smile.
"Oh. That's fine. And just as I suspected. You can still see and hear everything, even when Lenz is in control, right?"
"Yes. Although it's a mystery why, I can clearly see and hear everything Lenz does. But unfortunately, when I take over, Lenz falls asleep and can't remember a thing. That's why Lenz is always the one who's out," Penz explained.
"Wait a minute..." Suddenly, Leo interrupted, causing both Penz and Bruce to turn toward him with puzzled expressions. Leo continued to stare at Penz in shock.
"Are you saying... you're trying to tell us that this isn't your ability but that Lenz and Penz are two different people sharing the same body?" he asked.
"Um... Yes. But I thought you already knew that, since Master Bruce seems to be aware of it," Penz replied. "Lenz doesn't have any ability, but I've awakened one. And I suppose you came to see me for that reason."
Before Bruce could respond, Leo looked at him and leaned in.
"You knew about this too, Master? Master, he... I mean, she... is a complete anomaly. You know what happens once the truth gets out," Leo panicked.
Leo had every reason to be scared. They called people who didn't fit the basic rules of awakening "anomalies."
Usually, people awaken their abilities between the ages of 12 and 16. That's the basic norm.
Those who awaken have only one ability, and those with high talent grades are often hired by powerful families. Almost everyone in the world goes through this process.
But there's a group called 'anomalies' that the whole world fears.
Because the chance of awakening more than one ability is almost zero. However, nearly 500 years ago, a powerful S talented with 'future sight' ability, Sandra Drake, an Ascendant Level awakened made a prophecy.
She foretold that in the future, the world would be destroyed by a powerful awakener who could use more than one ability.
Since that prophecy was revealed, the word "anomalies" has been born, referring to those who awaken more than one ability.
Even though there was no historical evidence of anyone awakening with more than one ability till today, even a tiny doubt was enough to bring destruction upon the one being doubted, along with their friends and family.
"Stop freaking out. She's not an anomaly. Didn't you hear her say that only Penz can use the ability and not Lenz?"
"But nobody's going to believe that. If this gets out, they'll surely kill her. And they'll come after us for being involved with her or him."
"Enough with the worrying. Nothing's going to happen. Or are you planning to spill the beans yourself?" Bruce asked, slightly irritated.
"Master, you know I wouldn't..."
"Then there's no need to stress. Now, give me what I asked you to bring," Bruce said.
Leo handed Bruce a small vial containing dark blood. Bruce took the vial from him and gave it to Penz, saying,
"As you mentioned, we came here for your services, Ms. Penz. Now, if you could tell us what you see."
He handed the vial to Penz and continued, "It's the blood of one of our followers, Martha."
"Okay," Penz replied and opened the vial. Without hesitation, she emptied the contents into her mouth, much to Leo's shock once again.
"What on earth is happening here?" He muttered to himself, bewildered. Again.