The rain poured down, bringing the acid along with the water droplets. Each time the rain touched something, it melted everything away.
Fortunately, Medeia found an old barn not far from the small town, so they could use it as their shelter. Lucian turned the wooden roof and walls into stones to protect them from the acid rain.
"Is everyone okay?" asked Lucian.
Nico got off Bear's back with a gasp. He patted the wolf and said, "We're fine.
On the other side, Medeia immediately took off her coat and threw it away because the acid had ruined the thread. "My coat is not okay." she clicked her tongue. "Geez, that's the finest coat I could find in the village."
The other clothes either looked old-fashioned or had patches all over them. As someone who liked to change clothes at least three times a day, wearing the same clothes every week was such torture!
Lucian picked the coat up after he ensured no acid left there. "We can fix it later."
"It's already ruined. I don't like it anymore." Medeia walked around the barn, trying to find something to make a bonfire.
She stopped walking as she spotted a broken wooden crate behind a pile of pitchforks. Through the crack, Medeia saw a dusty, fragile skeleton.
"Lucian, I found woods to create fire!" shouted Medeia across the barn.
Nico, who was standing near her, freaked out, "That's a coffin!"
Medeia rolled her eyes. "Yes, and?" She tapped the coffin. "This buddy doesn't need a place to sleep anymore."
"But … But still …."
How could they steal someone's coffin?
"Bear! Come here and help me!" Medeia asked the wolf to drag the corpse out of the coffin, then destroyed the wooden crate into firewood.
Nico hissed as he saw the poor skeleton placed between pitforks. Its fragile bones scattered, while the skull immediately shattered when Bear accidentally stepped on it.
"Lucian, the skeleton ...." Nico hoped Lucian would be kind enough to stop Mediea's shenanigans and give the skeleton a proper resting place.
Lucian smiled, his voice sounded gentle but his words weren't that gentle at all. "What about it? The dead won't need firewood to warm themselves anymore."
Both of them were basically the same person in different covers!
After stealing a skeleton's resting place, they put the planks in the middle of the barn and put them on fire, raising the temperature in it. Bear curled up by the fireplace, while Nico leaned against the wolf.
Nico tried his best to stay awake, but his body was too tired after facing so many bad things in one day. The sound of the rain and the bonfire created a peaceful sound that lulled him into a deep sleep.
"He must be so tired." Lucian used his coat to cover Nico's body, then sat down next to Medeia.
Medeia suddenly pulled a small water bottle out of her pocket. "He's finally asleep," she opened it, letting the smell of alcohol waft around them. "Do you want some?"
Lucian chuckled. "How did you have time to steal a bottle of alcohol when we fought angry moles?"
"I always have time for alcohol." Medeia handed the bottle to Lucian. "You can taste it first."
Medeia wanted to make sure the brandy was still drinkable after fifteen years. If she drank it first, Medeia might die, but Lucian would be fine, maybe.
Lucian took the bottle without hesitation and took a swig. He creased his forehead as the warm liquid flowed down his throat.
"How is it?" asked Medeia curiously.
"Not bad." Lucian handed the bottle to Medeia, but he seemed hesitant. "I think the alcohol is strong. Can you handle it?"
"Nonsense." Medeia used to drink alcohol like water, so a little brandy wouldn't make her drunk.
However, she forgot that she was in a different body now and her current body couldn't handle alcohol very well.
Luckily, Medeia didn't drink too much, so she could maintain her sanity in front of Lucian. She bent her legs, then rested her head on her knees.
The rain hadn't stopped yet, making the air around them colder. Suddenly, Medeia felt something warm draped on her body. It was her coat that had been damaged by acid, but the holes surprisingly gone and the coat looked as good as new.
"I have fixed it." Lucian seemed delighted as he saw Medeia's eyes lit up.
"How? You don't even have thread and needle with you." she paused for a moment when she realized something, "Oh, it's your ability. I don't expect you to use it to fix unimportant things."
Lucian smiled. "It's important. Didn't you say you like it?"
But it never crossed in Medeia's mind that someone would consider her words like that. Medeia used to order her underlings if she wanted them to do something, and if she didn't say anything, then no one would take the initiative.
Lucian was the first one who took the initiative to make her happy.
"Thank you." A genuine smile appeared on her face and she felt her cheeks were as hot as the fire.
"There you are." Lucian smiled. "You look sweet if you smile more."
[Ding! Get a praise from Host's potential husband: +50 C-Point]
Medeia didn't know whether she was happy because she was getting points or because she got a praise from Lucian.
She didn't want to embarrass herself by becoming a shy person, so she decided to change the topic. "Do you want to tell me more about your ability?"
Even though the system could provide the information about his ability, Medeia would like to hear that from Lucian.
Lucian brought himself closer to Medeia. "My ability," he began, "is a bit … complex."
Medeia tilted her head, feeling intrigued by his deep voice. Her blue eyes narrowed slightly and looked at his golden hair that seemed glistening when it was near the fire.
"My ability is atom manipulation," he continued, "I can control the basic particles that make up everything around us—shape, density, even temperature if I concentrate hard enough."
Lucian took a wood splinter, then spun it around between his fingers. Slowly, the splinter began to shift. Within seconds, the sharp splinter turned into a red rose.
"I can turn something into everything I want." He slipped the rose over Medeia's ear, saying, "I can even make something solid into dust or reinforce it until it's nearly unbreakable. But it takes a lot of energy to maintain it."
Hence, Lucian chose to teach Nico to control his abilities because Nico's shield would stay solid by itself.
Medeia's gaze softened. "Power like that is not easy to control."
Lucian hesitated, looking down. "Yes, one wrong move, one miscalculation, and it could turn dangerous. That's why I don't use it unless I absolutely have to."
So he wasn't a psycho ….
He just didn't like to use his ability and chose to fight with his raw strength instead.
Medeia thought about it for a while. That kind of power was really dangerous if he lost control of it, so what happened to him when he got that ability for the first time?
"Is that why you want to help Nico so badly?"