Caelum arrived in the dining room and encountered Phlip walking about to serve food on the table. Currently, only Orion and Mr Daniel were seated.
Phlip spotted him and gestured for him to take a seat, which he did.
Mr Daniel didn't glance at Caelum; he was focused on a newspaper in front of him. Orion, on the other hand, changed his seat to sit beside Caelum.
Caelum, however, paid him no attention. He was entirely focused on the food that was about to be served. Phlip then came over, placing a plate in front of him and Orion, followed by one for Mr Daniel.
He continued to set a plate and a spoon in front of each seat, despite the fact that they were empty.
After that, he brought a hot cauldron from the stove to the table, placing it on top of a piece of cloth. A cooking spoon was set beside it. He then rested his arm on the table and leaned back in his chair.
'No... don't tell me we are going to wait for the others to arrive before we begin eating?' Caelum thought, staring at the cauldron.
The aroma wafting from it was enticing, a rich blend of spices and herbs, hinting at a hearty stew filled with tender meat and seasonal vegetables.
Caelum sighed, trying to compose himself and resist the urge to dive in. Orion glanced at him and whispered, "In the next five minutes, they will be down. However, don't attempt to start a conversation with the 'female' – she's a devil!"
Caelum furrowed his brow, staring at Orion for a moment before nodding.
'What's with him?'
A couple of minutes later, two figures came down the stairs: one was female and the other was male. He trailed behind the girl, careful not to make contact with her.
Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, the boy instantly passed her and rushed to the dining room, taking a seat beside Orion and gently greeting the new mate—Caelum, who responded with a slight bow.
Jamie had a diamond-shaped face, green eyes, and dark brown hair that almost touched his shoulders, though Caelum's hair was longer, actually resting on his shoulders. He wore the same dark fabric as everyone else.
"Hi, I'm Jamie. And you are?" Jamie asked, his tone gentle and sweet, bearing a slight resemblance to Philip's.
The young man replied, "Caelum. Nice to meet you..."
This didn't sound like Caelum, as he found such phrases annoyingly cheesy.
The female walked over to sit beside Mr Daniel, who instantly greeted her with the enthusiasm of a teacher meeting his brightest student. The two boys' faces instantly darkened in fear, their body turning pale, with sweat trickling from their brows.
She had sleek, dark hair that fell down to her waist, framing a pale face with sharp cheekbones and hazel eyes, which remained unreadable.
Her figure bore resemblance to the silhouette Caelum had seen the previous night.
Caelum noticed their fear, wondering what was so frightening about her.
"Looks like her expression has worsened more than ever..." Orion whispered to Jamie.
Jamie directed a confused gaze at him, replying in a hushed tone, "I believe that's just an understatement. She looks like a merciless monster."
Caelum caught a bit of their exchange and looked at the girl again; she carried no emotions. She was just plain—no smile, no warmth, no sadness, anger, annoyance, or shyness—none existed. The air around her felt ominous.
She gave him a long stare, and suddenly Caelum felt a fear run down his spine. It felt like something monstrous was lurking around him—no, a bigger threat. However, he remained calm as he hadn't seen anything yet.
A few seconds later, the imposing sense of being watched faded, and the tension in his mind eased. He quickly directed his attention to the girl, guessing it could have been her.
"..."
Instantly, Philip broke the hanging silence with a slight tap on the table.
"Can I get your attention?" he said in a serious manner, but Mr Daniel paid him no heed.
"...Including you, old man," he added.
Mr Daniel then dropped the newspaper and focused on Philip. At that moment, Philip returned to his casual smile.
"Now let's welcome Caelum to the family."
Caelum gave another slight bow to everyone, despite having done that previously.
"I can see you've all introduced yourselves, apart from our only female in the house." Philip was shaken a little when he mentioned "female."
He cleared his throat. "Caelum, this is Mira—the brightest one here. Be careful not to tread into her room or anywhere around her possessions; you wouldn't have the chance to see how to escape." He warned, giving Caelum a sidelong glance.
Mira was a bit busy now, adjusting her sleeve.
The two boys nodded slowly in agreement, while Mr Daniel stared at the hot cauldron with a hint of slight fear and confusion.
Moments later, Philip stood up from his seat, opened the cauldron, and began to serve the soup onto their plates.
A tender piece of meat found its way to Caelum's plate, and the aroma indeed promised the zenith of culinary skills.
'I hope this will taste as good as it seems.'
Without any reluctance, Caelum picked up a spoon and took a small taste of the soup. His brightened face fell in an instant. The soup was far from good; rather, it was the worst he had ever tasted.
Despite not always having the skills to differentiate between good and bad flavours, this made it quite clear for him, as if he had just awakened a long-gone skill. He slowly dropped the spoon back onto the plate and squinted his eyes.
Looking up, he noticed that none of them were even trying to take a look at the soup. This showed that Philip was the worst kind of cook to exist; the aroma and appearance had deceived him.
This is where a saying like, "Don't let the scent fool you; the taste reveals the truth." might apply.
Philip served himself last, then dropped the cauldron and sat back down. He studied the atmosphere, noting that no one wanted to eat the soup. His face turned blank, though he adopted a shameless expression.
"Okay. Then, I will just get rid of the soup, and tomorrow we can get something else. Surely, by midnight tomorrow, we would have eaten," he said in a low tone, feigning sadness.
'Tomorrow? Midnight tomorrow?' Caelum screamed in his head. Before he could direct his attention back to the soup, everyone had begun eating frantically, apart from Mira, who simply stood up and headed back upstairs.
"I will get something else for you! Make sure to be in the training room in a few minutes," Philip called out to Mira. She nodded as she walked away.
'What does he mean he will get her something else? Isn't everyone here the same as her? So, we will go through such terror while she just leaves. Ahh~ it's everywhere, corruption and favouritism!' Caelum complained, straining his eyes on the soup.
Orion gave him a tug as he ate his own soup.
Caelum shot him an annoyed side glance.
'I have no choice then; this will hurt, but I will go through with it. Let's go!'
Caelum reluctantly began to pick up the spoon, his hands shaking as it moved closer to the soup. His eyes trembled at the recent taste, a whole new series of fears rushing through him.
Picking up the spoon, he dug it into the soup, lifting a full spoon and slowly bringing it to his mouth. His body shivered, and sweat ran down his neck at the sight.
'Here it goes! My Lord...'
He pushed it into his mouth, and instantly, his face turned pale. His head spun from that terrible taste, but ultimately, he gulped it down and nearly died from just that.
Meanwhile, Philip had already finished his soup. He stood up to drop the used plate, and suddenly a wet pouch dropped from under his sleeve and landed on the ground, spilling its contents—this was surely the soup.
The three shot a fiery look at him and the soup.
'He didn't eat it? His own rubbish? But he made us do so!?'
"What in the bloody hell is...?" Mr Daniel shouted, while Philip chuckled, stammering as he tried to explain himself.
...
Mr Daniel had rushed to the toilet, accompanied by Orion and Jamie, who also went to the toilet, but they were surely now in a queue.
Caelum, in contrast, felt no urge to push that disaster out of himself. It also didn't disturb his stomach as he had thought it would.
Phlip informed Caelum to meet in the training room, which was situated underground. He told him how to get there.
Caelum was currently standing in front of a wooden door, the knob of which was nowhere to be seen. He pushed the door inward, entering and shutting it behind him.
He discovered a narrow staircase leading downwards and carefully made his way down, as there were only a few flickering lights from the candles fixed to the wall.
Reaching the bottom, he entered a vast room, better described as the size of a library.
A chandelier was affixed to the ceiling, equipped with gas lamps that effectively illuminated the entire area.
Gas lamps were a recent invention in the Four Kingdoms, marking a significant technological advancement but remaining rare.
Their high cost and limited distribution meant that only wealthier households or prominent public spaces could afford them.
Many communities resisted this change due to cultural traditions and superstitions surrounding fire and light.
One cultural tradition in the Four Kingdoms involve the use of candles during significant life events, such as births, weddings, and funerals. Candles are believed to carry blessings and provide protection against malevolent spirits, symbolizing the light of hope and guidance.
A common superstition is that introducing gas lamps into a home would attract dark entities or misfortune, as they are seen as unnatural and potentially dangerous. This belief led families to avoid gas lamps, opting instead for traditional lighting methods that are thought to safeguard their homes and loved ones.
-All this are considered quite foolish, and a mere excuse for avoiding modern development.
Additionally, the necessary infrastructure for gas supply was underdeveloped, and maintenance required specialized knowledge that was not widespread.
As a result, gas lamps symbolized wealth and status, further emphasizing the divide between the rich and the poor. While they promised to transform lighting in the kingdoms, their presence was still limited.
'This is the only place with gas lamps in this mansion...' Caelum remarked inwardly.
"Hi..." a whisper floated into Caelum's ear, causing him to drop to the ground in surprise. Quickly turning around on the floor and moving back on his bottom, he found nothing there.
Then, out of the blue, a silhouette began to emerge from the shadows – it was Mira. She walked towards Caelum, although she passed by him. Her pace appeared quite fast, whereas to the eye it seemed slow.
"You still harbour fear within you... you should rid yourself of that if you're ever preparing for the Second Fate. Fear, anguish, and anxiety are what weaken your skills. You would typically be the first to die if you continue like this..." Mira advised, her voice low yet clear.
It had a kind of authority that compelled one to listen whenever she spoke; it carried a sense of superiority. One could easily be confused into thinking she was not a Fledgling; she didn't move or react like one.
Caelum pushed himself off the ground.
"What do you expect if someone suddenly sneaks up on you? Your body reacts quickly to that; it's not fear, it's a bodily response that automatically kicks in and..."
She interrupted him.
"And what if that 'body sensor' leads you to your doom? You should react, but not in that way; you should react defensively. I wonder how you survived your First Fate; I'm sure you didn't make any catastrophic mistakes, and that's why you survived."
Caelum sighed deeply.
"The same way you reacted to Mr Daniel's sudden attack..."
An abrupt gust of wind swept through the entire area.
Caelum quickly pushed himself backwards, his body responding instinctively to the sudden movement. He found Mira close to him, her hands reaching out to grab his collar.
'Why is she so fast?'