"However."
Vlad's voice cut through the air of the study, stopping my glass halfway to the desk.
"Do not think that turning a few petrified trees into toothpicks makes somekind of God, Sethius."
*Clack.*
I placed the glass down. The crimson liquid inside didn't even ripple.
My heart didn't skip a beat.
In fact, it slowed down.
'He knows'
Of course he did. He was the Emperor.
He was the monster that sat at the apex of this Tower food chain.
"I merely... found them to be an eyesore," I replied, my voice steady, laced with a boredom that wasn't entirely feigned.
"They were... just too tall. I preferred them shorter."
Vlad looked up from his documents.
His abyssal red eyes locked onto mine with a look of profound boredom mixed with irritation.
"You reek, Sethius, you know that?"
"It's the stench of a rabid dog that wants to bite the hand that feeds him. One that cannot keep its mouth shut."
He stood up.
*Thump.*
The sound of his boots hitting the obsidian floor echoed like a gavel striking a sounding block.
He walked around the desk, his presence expanding until it suffocated the light in the room.
Then, he stopped right in front of me, towering over my seated form.
" You are just like an uncontrolled explosion, you know? You leak your killing intent like a cracked vase. It is... quite pathetic.""
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"And I... have no use for a weapon that cuts its wielder's hand because it cannot stop vibrating."
The pressure radiating from him spiked. The shadows in the corners of the room stretched out like clawed hands.
*Thump. Thump.*
My heart hammered against my ribs.
But, not from fear.
[Maniac of Slaughter (S+) is active]
[Fear is being converted into Excitement.]
A jolt of electricity shot down my spine.
The disdain rolling off the Emperor wasn't crushing me; it was feeding me.
My lips twitched.
I couldn't help it. A twisted, feral smile broke through my mask of indifference.
"Then perhaps," I whispered, looking directly into his abyssal eyes, "You should stop trying to hold the handle, Father."
"Hoh?"
Vlad's eyes narrowed.
For a second, the tension was thick enough to be severed by a blade.
"Me? Stop trying to hold my OWN sword?"
"I am no Saint Father, and you know that quite well", I continued, my trait humming beneath my skin.
"It doesn't matter what it's in front of me. I will for sure break the shit out of it. Is control really necessary if there is nothing left standing to judge me at the end of the day?"
Vlad stared at me for a long second.
He was looking for the madness. The mindless frenzy that usually consumed Sethius.
But today, he saw something else.
He saw the madness, yes. But he also saw some focus.
"....."
A low, guttural sound erupted from his chest.
"Kuh... Hah."
A short, sharp laugh.
He placed a heavy hand on my shoulder.
*Squeeze.*
His grip was strong enough to crush steel.
I felt my collarbone groan under the weight, but I didn't flinch.
"I was worried," Vlad admitted, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"I worried that you were simply broken. A defect born with too much power and no mind to wield it."
He released my shoulder and stepped back, a look of grim satisfaction on his face.
"But if you can direct that madness... perhaps you aren't a defect after all."
*Swoosh!*
He flicked his wrist.
Something small and heavy flew through the air.
I snatched it instinctively.
It was a ring. Simple, made of a dark, unknown metal, with a small crimson gem embedded in the center.
"A spatial ring. It contains some supplies for your journey. Consider it another gift for your Birthday"
"I'll put it to good use."
"Also," Vlad spoke, turning his back to me to gaze out the window at the crimson world. "The other Families are also sending their heirs this year."
He looked at his reflection in the glass.
"They are proud. Arrogant wretches, truly, if you ask me. But do not be blinded by their hubris, as they possess talents that may rival even yours."
He turned his head slightly, his red eye glowing with malice.
"When playing with them, Sethius. Do not bother with 'reining it in'. If you are a wildfire, then burn all of them down."
"Is that... an order?"
"It is a permission."
Vlad sat back down.
*Tap. Tap. Tap.*
His finger started hitting the desk. Which means, he was already done with me.
"Now, Get out. Your mere presence is giving me a headache."
"Understood."
I bowed, sharp, quick, devoid of flourish, and then turned on my heel.
*Step. Step. Step.*
I walked to the door, the sound of his tapping following me like a countdown.
*Clack.*
I closed the heavy double doors behind me, cutting off the sound.
The silence of the hallway washed over me.
I looked at the ring in my hand.
"Burn it down..."
I ran my thumb over the edges of the gorgeous crimson gem.
My body felt light. The suffocating pressure of the room was gone, replaced by a buzzing anticipation.
He didn't want me to fix myself.
He just wanted me to aim better.
A low chuckle escaped my throat, dark and jagged.
"Well," I whispered to the empty corridor, my grip on the ring tightening until my knuckles turned white.
"I can certainly do that."
I pushed off the wall, my stride long and aggressive.
The Training Grounds were waiting once again.
And I had a lot of pent-up stress to cut through.
But first...
*Grumble.*
A loud, demanding roar erupted from my stomach.
I froze mid-step.
The murderous aura around me shattered instantly.
I blinked, the red haze fading from my vision as I rubbed my belly.
"Right."
Priorities.
"Training can wait."
I turned towards the direction of the kitchen, my face serious.
"Now, it's time for pancakes."