The following morning, a sharp knock echoed outside the door, immediately followed by a shout "Wake up!" Receiving no answer, the knocking repeated twice, more insistent this time.
Still receiving no answer, Lark impatiently threw open the door, shouting, "Wake up, you lazy-" but the rest of his insult died in his throat. Terror seized him at the sight that met his eyes.
A gray iris, glowing with a mysterious unnatural light, stared back, making him feel utterly exposed as if all his secrets were laid bare. Then suddenly, the vision vanished, revealing Raphael's normal charcoal eyes and a confused expression
Leaving him unsure if what he'd witnessed had been real.
Maybe the light is playing tricks on me?
He scrutinized his trash master's disheveled appearance, finding nothing amiss. He then taunts him "If you're already awake, then get moving, or else do you want me to take care of you?"
The original Raphael may have been easily provoked in the past, but now, possessing the soul of a father with multiple children, he is far more resistant to such provocation even in the face of the mischievous behavior of his attendant.
With a yawn, Raphael slowly stood up and dismissed his attendant with a wave of his hand, stating simply "You may leave."
Finding nothing unusual in the room, Lark chose to leave, but a feeling of unease lingered.
Raphael stared at the closed door, his hand rising slowly to his wildly beating heart, as his carefully maintained composure finally crumbled, revealing his underlying true panic.
Ahh-
A silent scream erupted in his throat. "Almost got caught, luckily I deactivated it in time!"
He didn't expect Lark to open the door from outside like that.
Fifteen minutes before his attendant entered. Secretly, he focused his mind, He used his child's authority of [Vision], to remotely examine his current state.
The [Vision], also known as the all-knowing eyes, grants the ability to see and perceive things to a different level.
Examining his body with this borrowed power, he found his current body to be a natural-born vessel, or rather, an exceptional medium for various authorities.
He choked in realization.
There is no useless talent, only a useless human.
Because of his predecessor's wicked heart, he failed to awaken a path, because no deity would favor such a useless human!
Then it happened. Suddenly, the door swung open, and his attendant appeared. Unexpectedly, their gaze locked for a split second and his [Vision] instantly perceived the flaws and secrets of his attendant.
He didn't know what to feel. Nervous about being nearly discovered, or shocked that his attendant was a member of the [Null Order].
Hod did he know? Very simple! One of the books he read is about different organizations worldwide.
The Null Order is a mysterious organization that follows [Lord of Abyss] and is currently blacklisted from this country, though not in areas beyond the reach of laws. The reason is that they tend to lose control of their power and anything they touch will be swallowed by void.
The moment someone awakens the Void's path, they need to go at the nothingness and assimilate with the Void's energy to ascend.
The Abyss realm, ruled by the [Lord of Abyss], is where the nothingness is.
To enter the Abyss is to accept the [Lord of Abyss] as their faith and a black mark appearing near their heart as evidence of their walk on the path of [Void].
Some Transcendent of Void's path choose alternative paths to ascend, rather than entering the abyss.
And through the use of his [Vision], he unintentionally perceived a black mark near his attendant's heart.
What should he do!?
The previously calmed panic reappears and spreads to every part of his nerve.
"Did Mr. Lumiere know that a member of Null order enters his territory?" Raphael mumbles to himself.
A sudden realization struck him.
Mr. Lumiere is unaware! If he knew, he would have acted already.
"Then, I, should report it?"
Torn between the pros and cons, he couldn't decide what to do. Reporting it meant explaining how he'd discovered his attendant's true identity and not reporting it risked Lark's power spiraling out of control, causing widespread destruction.
"Then..."
After a minute of silence, Raphael ran a hand through his disheveled hair and then ruffled it in frustration!
"Then the best thing to do is, act like I didn't see anything at all!" He huffed contentedly and began getting ready for the day.
.....
Early in the morning, the sun shone brightly, illuminating the vibrant, active world and momentarily masking the horror, forcing evil-doers to retreat into the shadows.
A sleek black car sliced through the road, leaving only a few other vehicles in its wake. Inside at the back seat, Raphael sat, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and black pants.
In contrast to the sunny atmosphere outside, his face showed displeasure as he looked at the driver.
"I'm supposed to use the portal device, as it was far more convenient" his voice was low, each word dripping with frustration.
He wants to try the portal tough! Seeing it in memory and experiencing it is a completely different matter, also he has a different plan to do!
"They said the last time young master used it, you almost fainted," The driver said, his voice barely a murmur.
"Oh..." Raphael's cheeks burned crimson and his eyes darted towards the outside scenery, not wanting to look at the driver.
He forgot the original Raphael had a weak constitution.
"Also, The Sir has entrusted me to drive you to the university."
Instead of answering, Raphael turned his attention to the fleeting scenery outside.
Technology and magic, that's the modern era. Even without him, the world flourished to a degree that he did not expect.
As he glanced outside, he saw a three-story high-class restaurant.
Raphael pointed to a gleaming, high-end restaurant. "I'm hungry, stop the car there" he instructed. The driver pulled up to the restaurant's front gate and he got out of the car.
"You can now go" Raphael nonchalantly said, shocking the young driver.
"No! I can wait..." The driver blurts in panic.
Before the driver could finish his sentence, Raphael interrupted, sharply asking, "What's your name?"
The driver's gaze met Raphael's. For a fleeting moment, the driver saw a mysterious gray pupil, then it disappeared instantly.
He blinked in confusion, looking at Raphael but seeing nothing unusual.
Seeing the driver's baffled expression, Raphael shook his head in disbelief.
Is he an idiot?
The idiot driver woke from his stupor. "I'm Alver" he said.
"Are you a new driver?"
Alver nodded, his eyes never leaving his young master's face.
"You can go. Don't worry, you won't be fired."
Alver's grip tightened on the steering wheel as he wrestled with his decision. Heed the so-called trash or obey Mr. Lumiere's instructions.
He instinctively knew the so-called trash was telling the truth. And he desperately wanted to believe it.
"Go now," Raphael said, his voice surprisingly warm, a comfort to his restless heart.
Alver let out a long sigh, his gaze fixed on the so-called trash, He chose to believe in what he saw himself rather than those rumors.
"Take care, young master," he murmured, the words barely audible above the rumble of the engine as he drove away, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.
Raphael briefly watched the disappearing silhouette of the car, with a mysterious smile playing on his lips. "A driver, huh"
Walking toward a secluded alley, he searched his memory for the exact location of the small villa his predecessor had owned.
The dim light of the alley cast long shadows, obscuring his face as he whispered "Let's do a little test, shall we~" The playful word resonated in the narrow space, lost in the echoing silence.
Soon, a profound symbol materialized, and its silver light enveloped the young man as the center and created a rift between two different spaces.
"[Space] authority, Teleportation"
The silver light symbols completely engulfed him.
Instantly, He vanished.
.....
Golden rays of sunlight slanted through the window, bathing the living room in a warm, inviting glow. A peaceful aura settled over the place.
A sudden silver glow ripped through the tranquil silence, an imaginary rift appeared that tore open the very fabric of reality, and a young man emerged with effortless grace.
Raphael examined the living room with keen interest, this place is a gift given to the original Raphael by his adopted mother.
To avoid doing the daily commute and not wanting to sleep in the dorm provided by the university, his predecessor originally wanted to purchase a small villa near the university, so Mrs. Lumiere selected this as a gift for his sixteenth birthday.
How can you expect this child not to become a spoiled brat if you indulge his every whim?
"Nevermind! At least my kids are obedient!"
To avoid the headache caused by thinking about their messy relationship, let's focus on the real purpose of his visit.
He looked left and right, then whispered mysteriously "No one should disturb our discussion here, right?"
The question went unanswered.
"Oh? A shy little thing, are we?"
The question went unanswered for the second time and his soft breathing was the sole audible sound in the silent room.
Hm? Was I mistaken?
Raphael's face instantly darkens. "So you want to play hide and seek?"
Every time he tries to trace the connection between his children and the paths, something always interferes, distorting the picture that he wants to think.
All the information about the previous and current eras can be found anywhere except the first three with little information like it was lost in history.
Then it struck him. Someone was deliberately guiding the world away from the truth and distorting minds to mislead their thinking.
Raphael lowered his head in distress. Why would someone want to hide the past of his children?
"Are they being bullied?" His brow furrowed as he wondered.
Clearing his mind, he stated in absolute conviction "The path of [Void], [Purity], [Judgement] and the other more, the reason why they seem familiar is that..."
He stops himself mid-sentence, not because he wants to, the real reason is unbeknownst to him, the whole villa is shrouded with a mysterious power and its sole target is him, influencing his mind to shift its thinking.
A smirk played on Raphael's lips as if he'd already grasped victory. He added "Because the [Path] and [Concept] are one"
Instantly, as if a switch had been flipped, the world fell silent, so quiet that even a pin dropping would have been heard.
"The survival of this world, the [Concept], the missing history, my kids! Why are you hiding it!?" His calm facade is lowly crumbling, revealing the frustration deep in his heart.
"S...t...o..p!"
A barely audible voice reached Raphe's ears, followed instantly by a blur of light violet fur that zipped across his vision before settling in a dark corner.
"Stop! You're destroying the rules!" His eyes followed the voice and managed to catch a silhouette.
A gentle breeze swept through the villa, lifting the heavy curtains near the window. The shadows retreated, and as the sunlight touched the figure within, it was revealed to be...
A startled gasp escaped Raphael as he looked toward the culprit. "A lavender fox?"
In response, the fox bared its fang towards him. "You dare!"
Unfazed by the fox, he'd encountered far more frightening creatures in the past. He interrogates it in a relaxed and controlled tone. "What are you and what rules?"
"We're a Dream Fox, the one who protect and enforce the entire spell, and you! For unknown reasons manage to bypass the rules!" The fox growled in annoyance, its eyes narrowed in displeasure.
To Raphael, the Dream Fox seemed to emit an almost aggrieved sound as he examined it.
Why does it seem like I'm the bully!?
"Hey, believe it or not, I don't know either!" he said, trying to appease the enraged fox.
"Liar!" The dream entity releases an intense pulse of unknown power toward Raphael.
In a split moment, he said instinctively "[Protection]"
A crystal blue, transparent barrier rose around him, encircling and protecting him as the center.
The pulse and shield collided with violent friction, shattering both forces and sending Raphael stumbling backward two steps.
The Dream Fox stared dumbly, mouth slightly agape, at the aftermath, then shook its head, clearing its confusion.
After thinking for a moment, the fox decisively said, "If the outside can't affect you, the inside can!"
The fox let out a joyous sound of victory.
Before he could react, the Dream Entity pounced on him with blinding speed and in a blink, the fox entered his consciousness.
Suddenly, Raphael immediately stumbled, struck by a wave of sleepiness.
A teasing smirk played on his lips. Rather than fight it, he willingly surrendered to the sleepiness.
"What a stupid fox..."
Then suddenly everything went blank. The world dissolved, and he slumped to the ground unconscious.