[WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SCENES OF CANNIBALISM AND HARM OF A MINOR THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTURBING! DISCRETION IS ADVISED!]
All the candles in the manor were snuffed out by an ominous wind accompanying Fólórunsó as he walked in. His presence shocked all who were there for different reasons. Francine, Jonathan and Sola were all shocked by the fact that he was even alive. His white shirt was blood-stained and ripped around the chest where a hole lacking a heart was supposed to be. However, he was without injury. All of the cuts he had sustained from Iku were gone as well. The woman looked at Fólórunsó and could not help but be intrigued by the Revel that surrounded him like a dark haze hanging over a dead man.
What is this weird Revel? She thought to herself. And why does he have so much of it?
Fólórunsó looked entirely different than he did when before and during his death. His skin was gaunt and pale, with the texture of papyrus. The sclera of his eyes had turned black, and his irises emitted a green glow. Surrounding his body was the unnatural Revel that only the woman could see of the people present. The black and green energy hung around him like the threat of death. The Revel was so much and so eerie that she found it suffocating.
Jonathan was the first of the three to recover from the initial shock. As far as he could tell, Fólórunsó looked like a living corpse and nothing more. If anything, he would be weaker than he had initially been. The red-haired boy stood up and kicked Sola aside. He wore his smile once more as he approached his revived victim, standing an inch away from him.
"Well, well," he began. "I was not expecting to witness a miracle tonight. Come to die again?"
"No," Fólórunsó replied. "I'm just here to kill you,"
Fólórunsó threw the first punch, knocking the boy back. Jonathan felt all the air leave his lungs and a chill went through his body. The shock came over him again as he stared at the living corpse. The shock was immediately replaced with rage as he ripped apart his hand and wielded his skeleton once again.
Jonathan rushed forward in an attempt to stand the man. Fólórunsó effortlessly dodged the attack and punched the redhead again. It was as if he was fighting a different person than the one who had struggled against Iku. He continued his attempts to stab Fólórunsó, but it was all to no avail.
As the Immortalis went in for another attack, his hands were grabbed by his opponent. The chill came over his body again as he could see his flesh rotting and his bone crumbling due to Fólórunsó's touch. Jonathan quickly ribbed himself apart, leaving his arms in Fólórunsó's grasp, unaware of the damage that had truly been dealt to him. He tried to regenerate his arms but to no avail. Confused, Jonathan ripped into his shoulder, eating himself once more before trying again. Another failure.
The woman was surprised by this. She could see the strange Revel attached to Jonathan's wounds. It was what was preventing him from regenerating. She had never heard of such a thing being possible. Specialised Revel Arts had been used against the Immortalis in an attempt to take their life and all of them had failed miserably. Yet, a side effect of another type of Revel used without technique could inhibit it. It was so ludicrous that she would not have believed it had she not seen it firsthand.
Jonathan on the other hand, did not share in her curiosity. For the first time in his life, he felt fear from someone who was not his father. He had become complacent and arrogant due to his regenerative ability. Death had never been a factor in his life; only Fólórunsó came and put it in.
The boy was not given time to comprehend what was about to happen to him, he was kicked through a door and into the manor's garden. Jonathan slowly picked himself on. He peered into the darkness of the manor and was met only by the green glow of Fólórunsó's eyes as he slowly approached him. He screamed in horror as he tried to retreat from his aggressor, failing to realise the inevitability of his death.
Francine watched this scene unfold with a sense of dread. She had unwittingly come to the conclusion that she knew now what Sola had seen in Fólórunsó that made him want to team up with him. It was power in the absolute. Enough power to make anyone fear who he was and wonder what he was. Just the thought of such strength was enough to make one quiver. The sight of it? If on the receiving end, it could drive one mad.
"What is that you want?" Jonathan asked as he tried to run away. "Is it money? Weapons? Ships? Whatever it is, I'll give it to you! Just let me go!"
"There's only one thing I want right now," Fólórunsó replied. "Your life,"
As he brought down his fist to land the final blow, someone grabbed Fólórunsó by the wrist. He turned to see who this interloper was and was met by the imposing figure of the Patriarch of the Immortalis family. His hair was a deeper auburn than his son's, almost red and his eyes were a vibrant blue. His face did not betray his age, making him seem as though he was untouched by time. He was dressed in a nightshirt with a gold laced cape draped over his shoulder and maroon trousers and a pair of slippers. His presence was imposing, exuding a lethal aura even though he was smiling. Even the Revel around him behaved in an odd way as it was being bent by him.
"I would like to apologise for the transgressions of my son," Kenan Immortalis said. "He is still young and wayward, yet to understand that life is not a game where he gets everything he wants. Rest assured; he will be reprimanded for his actions but as of tonight, I seek your mercy on him,"
Though Kenan seemed to make this request politely, Fólórunsó could tell that a request was the last thing he was doing was making a request. This was a demand, and he could either obey or die trying. As if to emphasise his point, the weird Revel surrounding Fólórunsó faded away. His appearance was also restored to its original state.
Begrudgingly, Fólórunsó pulled his hand free from Kenan's grasp and walked over to Sola to help him up. As the two began to leave, he turned to face the elder Immortalis with a fierce look in his eyes.
"If your family messes with either of us again, Yubila is going to forget that there was a family called the Immortalis,"
After their departure, Kenan turned his attention to his son. Though the presence of death had narrowly escaped him, Jonathan knew he had landed himself in a fate much worse due to his father having to get involved to save him. He avoided the man's gaze as his body shook on the floor.
"I will deal with you later," Kenan said. "Wait for me in the Chamber. We will be spending the night there,"
Jonathan got up wordlessly, his body still shaking. He slowly made his way up the stairs of the manor and disappeared into its upper halls, never to be heard from till the next morning. Francine could only watch as her ward retreated into the confines of the Chamber, unaware of the horrors that awaited him there. She then realised that the Head of the Immortalis had turned his attention to her.
"Thank you for your service today, Francine, you should take your leave. Don't worry about coming in tomorrow too. Consider it a treat for your troubles,"
Francine simply bowed and left the manor. The only people left were Kenan and the woman. Iku had at some point fled during the violence. Once alone, Kenan's smile tripled in size and he rushed towards the woman, picking her off the ground. He swirled her into the air before putting her down and kissing her.
"We finally found it!" He exclaimed. "A power that can kill me!"
The woman knew all too well what the Immortalis head wanted. It was why she had been employed by him and why her father before her had the same job; kill Kenan Immortalis. No manner of power was able to inhibit the healing factor that he had that was even able to revert ageing. That was until that boy came with his 'Other Revel'.
Kenan released the woman from his grip and held her by her shoulders.
"Though that boy has the power to kill me, he's still too weak to do it," He spoke. "I need you to intervene. Teach him how to properly harness that Revel of his and when he's strong enough, bring him back to kill me,"
"Is that necessary?" The woman asked. "Do we need to involve this boy in our matters once more? He has already shown his disinterest in us,"
"You seem to be forgetting something," The red-haired being smiled. "This isn't a request. It's a command,"
The woman flinched immediately. She took a few steps back before going on to her knees and bowing.
"As you command,"
"Excellent. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a child to discipline,"
Kenan went upstairs and went into the dimly lit room that was the chamber. Afterwards, the only thing that could be heard from the Immortalis Manor were the screams of young Jonathan.