"This axe," I finally said, my voice steady but tinged with a hesitation I couldn't entirely hide.
Luminus, seated beside me, turned his head toward me so quickly it almost made a sound. His golden eyes were wide, and for the first time since we'd stepped into the carriage, he looked genuinely surprised.
"You want the patriarch's axe?" His voice carried a mix of disbelief and apprehension.
The patriarch didn't answer right away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly to the side, the smile on his lips widening as though he'd just heard something exceedingly intriguing. His eyes, once so cold and calculating, now sparkled with something akin to amusement.
"Interesting," he murmured, as if speaking to himself. "Of all the things you could want... you choose that."
Still transfixed, my gaze remained locked on the axe. My eyes refused to leave it. Without even looking at the patriarch, I replied,
"I don't know. I just want it."
Under normal circumstances, I would have used my skills to assess the item first, wouldn't have dared to ask for it outright, let alone respond like that. But my mind wasn't focused on anything other than the axe.
Luminus reacted instantly, his posture stiffening even further. He looked almost insulted, as though my audacity left no room for understanding.
"You just want it?" he burst out for the first time, his voice louder than usual, clearly rattled. "How dare you? It's as if you're demanding something from the patriarch!"
I was still completely consumed by the desire to possess the axe, and that gave me a strange, newfound confidence. A wry smile spread across my lips before I could even consider the consequences.
"I am," I said. "I want that axe for myself."
My voice, though childish, carried a firmness that sounded more condescending than I cared to admit. The tone felt strange, but it was the only thing that made sense in the moment.
Luminus appeared to be at the end of his patience.
"Are you going to give it to me, then?" I asked, the words slipping out without any thought for the implications. My eyes stayed fixed on the axe, feeling as if it were already an extension of me. My voice was no longer defiant but demanding, as if what I was asking for was the most natural thing in the world
For a moment, the patriarch remained silent, observing me with piercing eyes. But then, to my surprise, his face—so solemn and unyielding until now—changed entirely. A broad smile spread across his lips, and a deep, resonant laugh echoed through the carriage.
"HAHAHA!" The patriarch laughed, his voice reverberating like a rolling thunder, filled with raw satisfaction. He brought a hand to his face, as if even he was caught off guard by his reaction, and continued laughing for several seconds. "To think that one of my own children would be insane enough to demand my weapon from me."
Luminus looked stunned, his expression hardened and confused. If I were in his place, I'd feel the same way—after all, the carriage itself seemed to tremble under the force of the patriarch's laughter. Even those outside could probably feel the pressure it emitted, a palpable force that accompanied the sound.
That laughter struck me like a sharp blade, snapping me back to my senses. In that moment, a single, burning question formed in my mind: 'What the hell have I just done?!'
I glanced quickly at the axe again, feeling an overwhelming need to look at it one more time, but I tore my gaze away almost instantly, afraid of falling into that trance again. My heart raced with insecurity, my chest tightening as I tried to make sense of my actions.
Why did I want this so badly? Analyzing my behavior, everything felt disproportionate. I had done something—said something—that, under normal circumstances, I would never have dared.
The patriarch, still wearing a look of amusement, regarded me with a sharp glint in his eyes. "You truly are my child," he said, chuckling once more.
"But, to my surprise, you're even crazier than I am." His words carried a strange mix of approval and mockery, spoken with a casualness that seemed to test my perception of reality even further.
Though his tone was amused, the patriarch's words pierced through me, leaving a sting in my chest. 'What kind of madness is this? Did I really hear him right?'
When he spoke again, his voice had taken on a more serious edge. "My answer is no," he declared without hesitation, his tone steeped in unshakable authority.
"If you want my weapon, then take it from me." His eyes blazed fiercely, and it was clear this wasn't an empty threat. It was a command, a challenge—a veiled invitation to prove myself.
'He's truly a monster'. The aura radiating from him surged violently, as if trying to swallow me whole, yet it seemed restrained by his own will.
"But my axe is no ordinary weapon, as you must have already noticed with those eyes of yours," he continued, his voice steady and deliberate.
There was something in his posture, something in the way he looked at me, that made me feel as if he knew exactly what had just happened. I wanted to question him, but at the same time, I knew he wouldn't answer.
A heavy, uncomfortable silence settled between us for a moment. Then, the patriarch spoke again, his voice carrying a mix of gravity and faint amusement, as though he were thoroughly enjoying the moment despite its seriousness.
"Boy, under normal circumstances, you would face more than just punishment," he said, his gaze piercing and deliberate, as if he were dissecting every fragment of my soul. "But since you've given me a good laugh, I'll spare you. For today."