Burey's Attic. 15:00 P.M.
We've played over 15 matches, and I've lost every single time! How is this possible?! Even if I'm ridiculously unlucky, I should still win at least once!
Michael's face was already red with anger as he kept losing.
"You're definitely cheating!" he shouted as he shuffled the deck.
"Stop being a crybaby, Mike. You're just bad," Rebecca said, covering her eyes with her hands.
Hmph... I'm sure she's cheating; I just don't know how… Well, if she can cheat, so can I!
Michael kept shuffling the deck, trying to keep track of the ace.
Rebecca smirked slightly as she opened her eyes.
Michael handed the deck to her.
"You deal."
Rebecca dealt three cards to each of them.
Michael looked at his cards: a seven of hearts, a queen of spades, and a king of hearts…
I followed the ace all along, and I still didn't get it. I hate card games…
"Come on, Mike, give up. We both know your hand's full of trash."
Michael rolled his eyes and threw his cards on the floor.
"What did you have?" he asked as he gathered the cards.
Rebecca chuckled and showed her cards: a three of diamonds, a two of clubs, and a four of hearts.
Based on the game they were playing, which had rules similar to poker but with some variations, Michael actually had a better hand than Rebecca.
Rebecca tossed her cards on the floor, laughing.
Michael's face turned even redder as he tried to calm himself.
I don't know how, but she is definitely cheating!
Seeing her brother's reaction, Rebecca couldn't help but keep laughing.
"You're such a sore loser, Mike… Is this a side effect of your recovery? Did those memories you gained that day turn you into a crybaby?" Rebecca teased as she ruffled his hair.
I know i lied to her saying i got someone's memories so she would stop calling me a demon, but this still hurts...
Michael closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
"You shuffle this time." He handed her the deck.
Rebecca took the deck and placed it on the floor.
"I'm tired of winning. Let's do something else."
This girl sure knows how to be annoying…
Damn… I really am a sore loser. Shit...
"Stay where you are!" Rebecca shouted as she grabbed a blank canvas and started to draw.
"What are you doing, Becca?" Michael asked, watching her.
"Don't move, you moron!"
"E-Eh, s-sorry?" Michael stammered, resuming his original position.
"I'm going to paint you!"
"Paint me? Why do you want to do this all of a sudden?"
"Shut up, Mike! You're distracting me."
The more I talk to her, the less I understand what happens in her mind...
"Becca, how long do you need me to stay still?"
Rebecca paused to think for a second.
"I don't know, an hour, maybe five. Nothing much, don't worry."
"Now don't you dare move a single centimeter!"
"Wait, what…" Michael started, but she interrupted him.
"I swear on the War, if you speak again, I'll throw this paint and turn you green!"
Swear on the War, huh. Looks like religion is really intertwined with people's daily lives here…
....
17:00 P.M.
While waiting for Rebecca to finish painting, Michael accidentally fell asleep.
Noticing this, Rebecca stopped painting, took her brush with red paint, and quietly walked over to him. Without waking him, she painted a smile on his face that stretched from his lips to his cheek.
She returned to her canvas and continued painting.
Is he really sleeping? I thought he was faking…
She took a deep breath before shouting, "Wake up, you moron!" Her voice echoed through the attic.
Michael jolted awake and sat up quickly.
As he calmed down, he sat back down in his original position.
Did I actually fall asleep? I usually never doze off before night…
Michael licked his lips and tasted something sour. Walking to a nearby mirror, he looked at his face.
"Really, Becca? What are you, five?"
"I told you to stay still," she shrugged.
Michael grabbed a brush, dipped it in green ink, and tossed it at her, but she dodged it easily.
She threw it back, hitting his left arm.
"Now sit down and let me finish my painting."
Honestly, I don't know why I thought throwing a brush at her would work. She's a Beyonder, after all…
I can't say for sure which of those three Pathways she belongs to, but based on the convergence law, I'd guess Delusional.
But what exactly does her Pathway do? Her abilities just don't make any sense to me…
He sat down as Rebecca continued painting.
....
Church of Light, Cathedral of the War Angel. Trier, Intis. 5:00 P.M.
Shit… I can already see the archbishop yelling at me. This meeting will be my end…
The captain of Trier's Lumieres entered the archbishop's office.
"Mr. Archbishop, I've come as requested." The captain bowed, waiting for a response.
The archbishop sat in his chair, holding two pieces of paper.
"Let's skip the formalities since I don't have much time."
"I assume you know this meeting is about the stolen Sequence 9 Delusional formula."
"Yes, Mr. Archbishop. We're still searching for it. All the Lumieres have been tasked with recovering the formula. However, we haven't succeeded yet. I apologize on behalf of the Lumieres."
The archbishop placed the papers on his desk.
"The Lumieres don't need to keep looking for the formula. This matter has become a church priority and will be handled by the Pope himself."
The Pope?! I know the mysticism is something that can't become public, but for a Sequence 9 formula to get the Pope's attention…
"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Archbishop, but why is a Sequence 9 formula being handled by the Pope himself?" the captain asked, clearly confused.
"I can't share the details because even I don't fully know."
"But the main reason I called you here is for your reward."
"R-Reward? I'm sorry, Mr. Archbishop, but we couldn't retrieve the formula."
"From what's recorded, a Sequence 6 Planter formula, a Sequence 9 Delusional formula, and various ingredients were stolen that day."
"All the items were recovered except the Delusional formula, and the thief was killed soon after by one of your men. Because of this, I've decided it's time to promote you."
"You've passed all the tests and shown you can handle the powers of your Sequence. As a result, I'm granting you the Sequence 6 potion, Conspirer."
Finally! After all these years, I can advance!
The archbishop handed one of the papers to the captain.
"This is the Conspirer formula. You may advance immediately if you wish."
The captain smiled, bowing to the archbishop.
"Yes, Mr. Archbishop!"
He left the room, eagerly reading the paper:
"Main Ingredients:
Black Hunting Spider's Composite Eyes
Sphinx Heart
Supplementary Ingredients:
Black Hunting Spider's Poison Gland
80 milliliters of Sphinx Blood
10 grams of Amber Powder
2 White Oak Fruits."
Back in the archbishop's office, he sat down and read the other paper on his desk.
"Conspirer Formula
Main Ingredients:
Black Hunting Spider's Composite Eyes
Sphinx Brain."
"I don't know why the church went to such lengths for this formula. They even had me corrupt one of our own…"
"Something is definitely not right about all of this..." The archbishop took a candle out of the chandelier to burn the paper.