"Happy birthday!" she cried excitedly, hugging Theos tighter. "You're all grown up now, huh?" she giggled.
"Hahaha, thank you," he replied with a smile, stroking Alice's hair lovingly.
Eventually, stroking Alice's hair became a habit that she loved, purring like a kitten.
"Did you get my present yet?" he asked with a hint of mischief as he pinched her cheeks while moving his hand to another area… Alice's perky buttocks.
She shivered under his touch but didn't deny it; instead, she enjoyed it. "I… I got it, but for tonight," she said, her voice like a gnat.
"Ha ha ha. I'll wait for you then," he declared, stopping his teasing and kissing her porcelain cheeks gently. "By the way, your food is going to burn," Theos mentioned, catching the burnt aroma.
"Ah, no way," she said, jumping out of Theos' arms and running back to the pot that was emitting a charcoal smell.
"Hahahaha," Theos chuckled as he walked away with a smile. As the days passed, he grew accustomed to the change in his personality when confronted with Alice. He always seemed to be softer with her, more affectionate, kinder… He liked the change.
'She's one of the few who can take away my frost' he concluded, but his smile gradually faded to an indifferent expression.
'Today is the second arc of the original novel… The birthday of the most powerful young duke, I, Theos' as he remembered the information of that whole party, he couldn't help but feel his expression getting colder and colder, to the point of having a murderous intent in his eyes.
'In the original novel, after the massacre at the noble gathering, they were afraid and panicked to attend another noble party, but as the biggest family in the whole world, they had to accept… The birthday party was more like a funeral. The only interesting event was Alan's challenge to Theos to show off his greatness and conquer the heroines.'
As he remembered more of the plot, suddenly, the sound of Theos' phone in his pocket rang rhythmically and melodiously.
Frowning, Theos decided to answer. After all, hardly anyone has his phone number—only a few privileged bodyguards, Alice, and his parents. Even his sister doesn't have it.
"Father…" he read the name of the person who had called him, which was stored in the phone book as "Father". Accepting the call, he put the cell phone to his ear. "Hello, is that you?" he answered briefly.
"Yes, it's me, your father, Matheo Von Fallen," the voice on the other end confirmed.
"Why all the trouble?" asked Theos with genuine curiosity, although a theory was already forming in his mind.
'It must be to finally awaken my original path' he thought, his expectations fortunately fulfilled.
"It's your 18th birthday, so it's appropriate to give you a gift…. Awaken your path," he said in a neutral voice, but there was still a hint of fear and excitement in his voice.
Am I awakening an incomparable monster? How will he use his brutal talent? Will he go mad with so much power? Matheo' insecurities were still everywhere, but remembering the conversation with his wife, he could only sigh in defeat.
"Son, your mother wants to give you this gift. She wants you to be a dragon that rises against the world… That you be the greatest," Matheo confessed, surprising Theos.
'Is she the one who wants me to be very powerful? Is my father the one who wants me to live a peaceful life?' he was shocked beyond belief. In the novel, he had always read that it was Matheo who led Theos to gain more power.
'Not everything in the novel is real; maybe he pretended to be like that later in the story so that Theos would become more obsessed with Powe because he didn't want his wife to bear all the responsibility or blame if something happened.'
'But why is it different now? Maybe it's a butterfly effect of my actions' concluded Theos, which, in his opinion, made perfect sense.
"Well, don't worry, father. Tell me the time when you will pick me up for the awakening procedure, or should I go there?" he asked so politely that it seemed all rehearsed.
"Mmm, don't worry, I'll pick you up in an hour. See you then."
"See you."
The two said goodbye, confirmed the time of their meeting, and hung up the phone.
Theos sat on a couch and thought about the future. "I am Theos, but I am not 100% the original Theos. My soul has changed… Will my path still be the same?" he wondered, remembering the path of Theos in the novel for which he was so feared…. So powerful.
Honestly, he didn't want to change his way; he already knew all the tricks of the original Theos way, so he could use all those advantages and become even more powerful in less time.
"Status"
[Name: Theos Von Fallen.
Age: 18.
Path: Oblivion (%2) - ¿…?
Race: Human - ¿?
Rank: Peak Advanced (By the Force) – Basic (Path Understanding).
Abilities: ¿??, Attraction of Heroines, Attraction of Hate, Eye of Oblivion.
Negative mana: 45 000].
Looking at his updated status, he smiled proudly. The extra negative mana came from what he gained that day when he met Luna and the Hooded One, as well as more negative feelings from his actions in the banquet attack, which earned him a few negative points.
But his gaze was fixed on the section of his Path, [Forgot 2%]. 'So much training and I only improved 2%' he complained, but he could only sigh; he already knew that it would not be easy to improve a path received from a Supreme Being.
And this realization affected his rank, which was Basic to his condition.
"Dinner's ready!" Alice shouted. He was a bit stressed and hungry, so he quickly went to enjoy the food.
~