Two days later, Edward and Yvonne arrived at the big mansion of Mr. Charles Gold, the patriarch of the Gold family, where the Awakening Ritual would be held soon.
"I'm coming. I'll claim what's rightfully mine, and won't stop until I've taken it all back," Edward vowed.
His face was a scarlet mask of fury, and his eyes brimming with a deep well of resentment.
"Brother, you were downright terrifying just now," his sister whispered, her voice quivering.
"If you'd borne the scorn and mockery I've faced, you'd be just as riled up," he shot back. "I'll make those bullies grovel at my feet for mercy."
"I'm by your side, brother, through thick and thin," she pledged.
"We stand together, dear sis" he replied, regaining his composure and offering Yvonne a smile. "You're right. Even in vengeance, we should find joy."
As they strode into the Mansion, a crowd had amassed in the grand courtyard.
"Patriarch, behold! That wretched Edward and his sister approach," a voice cried out.
"It's him. He slew Jim yesterday. And my face—look at what his sister did to me. Patriarch, you must seek retribution for us!"
The patriarch's courtyard sparked in opulence. Marble, dark wood and rare flowers and trees.
Larry, the despicable butler, was hunched over, wailing pitifully. His face, once pummeled, now looked like a bruised purple eggplant, exuding a ghastly pallor.
Edward scoffed, "Is this what you swore to me? You're nothing but a cur. I promised to strike you down every time we crossed paths, Larry."
In a flash, Edward's fist was raised.
"Save me, Master!" Larry pleaded.
All eyes were on Edward.
Weren't there whispers that Edward had perished, cast off a cliff? Yet here he stood. And how had Larry ended up at his mercy, with Jim dead?
Wasn't he the dud who couldn't awaken?
Didn't he realize Larry was the trusted steward of Patriarch Mr. Charles Gold?
He was playing with fire, tangling with the wrong person.
A spectacle was in the making.
"How dare you, Edward. Kneel before me!"
Mr. Charles's face was a storm cloud, his brow furrowed with rage.
"Why should I kneel? You're ready to condemn me without a fair hearing, based on Larry's lies?"
"What do you have to say for yourself? Did you not beat Larry? Did you not kill Jim?"
"As for Larry, yeah, I did it!" Edward admitted, unfazed by Mr. Charles Gold's interrogation.
"But Jim's death wasn't by my hand. It was him!"
Edward pointed a damning finger at Larry.
"You're spewing lies," Larry retorted, his eyes wide with feigned innocence.
With a snap of his fingers, his bruised and battered minions emerged from the crowd and knelt before the patriarch.
"Tell our master, who slew Jim?" he demanded.
They both pointed at Edward, "Yes, patriarch, it was him who killed Jim."
Mr. Charles Gold snorted coldly, "Anything else to say?"
Edward's mouth twitched, and he snorted in return,
"If this is your version of justice, I'd say you'd send ten innocents to the gallows out of ten."
"With witnesses and all, you're still arguing," Mr. Charles Gold ordered, "Four guardians of the family, seize Edward and pin him down."
The so-called Four Guardians of the family were all ordinary awakeners of at least level seven or eight.
"Hold your horses," Edward called out loudly, "They have witnesses, so do I! Yvonne, tell them, did I kill Jim?"
All eyes turned to Yvonne.
Of course, most were more captivated by her beauty than the truth.
"Jim was very much alive when he left our yard," Yvonne said nonchalantly.
Then, turning to Larry, she added, "I do recall you pounding your man Jim into a pulp. You're the one who killed Jim."
"I... I did it under your control," Larry stammered in response.
"Ridiculous," Yvonne laughed, "You, a level-one ordinary awakener, under my control? Besides, if it weren't for you peeping on me while I bathed..."
"Lies, I'm not that kind of person."
Suddenly, the crowd seemed to catch on, and murmurs spread.
"What an old lecher! How dare he peep on a girl like that!"
"The old lech dared to eye a girl barely out of her teens," a disgusted whisper rippled through the crowd.
"He's sullying the family name. Is our patriarch a secret pervert?" another hissed, scandalized. "Maybe Larry's his pimp, hunting for fresh young girls for the old man," a third voice threw in, the air thick with suspicion.
Patriarch Charles felt the sting of the crowd's gaze, his cheeks burning with shame.
Larry had always been his faithful butler. Even if he'd erred, Charles was not ready to give him any punishment.
"It seems the patriarch is bent on favoring Larry. That's not the action of a leader who claims to be impartial," Yvonne's voice rang out, clear and defiant.
Charles was taken aback by the sharp tongue of this young girl, barely out of her teens. She was trying to shift the blame.
Among the family elders, who didn't relish the chance to seize on any misstep and make a power play?
Realizing this, Charles had no choice but to compromise,
"Jim's death will be left for the police to investigate thoroughly. As for the brawl involving Larry and his men, with stories clashing, I say we put it on ice for the time being."
"You promised to stand for me, master!" Larry butted in, his voice whiny.
"Enough! The Awakening Ceremony is on the horizon. No more sideshows," Charles barked, his authority leaving no room for argument.
Edward clapped his hands, a sharp sound in the tense air.
"That's a decision a true patriarch would make. Otherwise, it might be time for the family to consider a change at the top."
His words sparked a firestorm.
Some thought Edward had gone off the deep end, while others, nursing their own ambitions for the patriarch's seat, silently revelled.
They hadn't expected such gall from an unawakened plankton. Edward was green, they thought, too inexperienced to play with the big shot like Charles.
"I have another question!" Edward pressed on.
"What now?" Charles bit out, his patience hanging by a thread.
"What's the penalty for someone who falsely claims to act on your orders?" Edward asked, his gaze steady.
"Anyone with the audacity to do so gets fifty lashes and the boot," Charles declared, his voice ringing with finality.
"Is that a promise?" Edward sneered, a glint in his eye.
"Absolutely. The other elders will back me up. My word is bond," Charles retorted, his jaw set.
"Then let's talk about your orders. Did you give an order to Larry that my sister and I would pack our bags and scrub dishes at McCoy's in the boonies?" Edward demanded.
"I never gave such orders. That's a bald-faced lie!" Charles blustered, his acting skills in full display.
"Larry said it was straight from you," Edward shot back.
"Larry, did you pull a stunt like that?" Charles asked, feigning shock.
" I thought you told me to do it, Master!" Larry played along, confusion painted on his face.
"That's ridiculous! You're spouting nonsense," Charles snapped, giving Larry a wink.
Larry immediately took it in and quickly slapped his swollen face, his new script ready.
"It was my fault! What an old fool I am! I figured since the Awakening Ritual would be just around the corner, Edward, well, he's not gifted, and he'd never pass.
Thus I decided to find him a job in advance. I was looking out for the family's interests."
"Who says my brother can't pass the Awakening Trial?" Yvonne chimed in, her voice sharp.
"By the family rules, if Larry and his men lied about the patriarch's orders, they deserve fifty lashes. Come on, punish them now!"
Charles cleared his throat, his voice smooth as silk.
"He was thinking about the family's interests and your future. He's right; your brother doesn't stand a chance at the Awakening Test. I say we skip the lashes and just ask him to apologize to you."
Everyone could see the patriarch was throwing his butler a lifeline, but no one dared to side with Edward and Yvonne. After all, the patriarch was a master-level Awakener, backed by his four formidable family guardians.
No one wanted to get on his bad side.
"Apologize? If apologies fixed everything, why would we need the police?" Edward scoffed. "So how about a bet? If I pass the Awakening test, you must punish Larry with fifty lashes and send him to work as a dishwasher at McCoy's."
"What do you say, Larry?" Patriarch Charles asked.
"I'll take that bet, Master. I was just caught off guard by Yvonne's trickery before. If he passes the Awakening test, I'll happily pack my bags and wash dishes without a peep," Larry declared, sure that Edward's previous luck was just a fluke, not a true Awakening.
"Then it's a deal," Edward said, bowing to the other family members present. "You all bear witness. I hope you'll hold me to it!"
A chorus of nods filled the air; Who would turn down a free show?
Charles's eyes glittered with cold fire. He thought Edward was asking for it!
Useless Larry hadn't managed to drive Edward and his sister out, but this time would be different.
A person with ruined awakening talent wanted to dominate? Just a pipe dream!
Ants always belong beneath the boot!
To think of grasping their own destiny? Fat chance!
'I am the god who holds your fate in my hands, Edward!'