CHAPTER 53: DYSFUNCTIONAL

His uncle leaned back into his seat, his jaw muscles flexing.

"How?" His brows were furrowed. "This long?"

"It’s only been two weeks." Baruch said. When no one answered, he shrugged. "It’s one of those new paths."

Despite the shocked expressions of the others, Baruch spoke about the matter with casualness.

His uncle scrutinized him, then leaned forward, supporting himself on the table with his elbows.

"You still kept this from us."

"Here I am, telling you." Baruch said.

His uncle’s eye muscles twitched.

"And now that you do, you plan to go and swear this.... Oath."

"Did you not hear, uncle, I’ll be considered an outlaw if I don’t."

"Outlaw?" His uncle’s tone was that of suppressed anger. "The law? You should know better."

He pointed a finger at Baruch. "You want to ruin us, that’s it. If it wasn’t my love for your late father, I’d have cast such a parasite to Calos district."

"Well, now you can cast me to the military." Baruch said.

"And have you thought how that would affect us? What if they start investigating you."

"Perhaps the pardon will extend to the family." Baruch said.

"And when you can’t ensure that?"

"I’ll try my best."

"Your best. When have you ever tried in anything?"

Baruch scratched his left temple. Words were simply words.

"I’m a mage now, I don’t think there’s much you can do to stop me." with a sigh, Baruch said.

"Now you want to slaughter us all."

Baruch threw up one of his hands. "Did I say that?"

"It’s stupid." His uncle said, resuming to eat like the matter had been decided.

"You’ll do no such thing, we’ve survived fine enough without connections to this city’s officials. You’ll use your new talents, and your new energy in life, it seems, to benefit and pay back this family."

Seeing the uncle, at the head seat of the table resume eating, the others also hesitatingly did the same.

"Did you not hear, it’s a decree from The Princeps of the east."

"Princeps of the east." His uncle scoffed. "Carmine Thorne.... I’ve never even heard such a name."

"The more reason you shouldn’t take the matter lightly. To send a decree through the Baron." Baruch said.

"Winds might change the shape of the dunes, but the desert will always be the desert." his uncle said without looking at him.

Baruch nodded.

"Well, I’ll still be going tomorrow."

Standing up, his uncle slammed the table. "Guards!" he shouted.

Baruch’s eyes rolled.

"Go on then, slaughter them and your family."

The wooden double doors to their eating chambers were pushed open.

Three men walked in, heavy built with swords at their waists.

"Get up." The uncle said harshly. "Get up you parasite."

Baruch sluggishly did as told. Two of the guards walked around and grabbed him by the hands.

"I don’t wish to raise my hand against my own family. But this won’t go well for you, and it won’t be in my control."

"Shut up."

They took him to their dungeon cellars. In the line of business the family was involved in, extortion and illegal slave trafficking, the uncle had amassed enough wealth for a building with dungeon cellars.

Baruch was thrown inside one.

Seeing this whole scene, Hadrian was really annoyed.

Leaning against the cold walls, Baruch sent his situation through "prayer."

Actually, he’d done the whole thing on purpose. And it was one of the reasons Hadrian was really annoyed.

So, he wants to test me.

Hadrian took a bite of the hot chicken he’d been served.

This won’t do. If when he is outside my range he does what he pleases, it can greatly cost me.

Until his range of control expanded to hundreds of kilometres, there was little Hadrian could do to Baruch at the moment.

Hearing Baruch’s false prayers, Hadrian squeezed his spoon a little harder.

Baruch, finishing his prayers, lay down on the floor. He tried to keep his mind free of thoughts.

He wasn’t simply trying to test the existence. Ever since that encounter, the existence had been acting like he had abandoned him, only giving him two revelations.

The first time the revelation came, he’d been with a woman. And while the feeling wasn’t anything sexual, it was exhilarating to say the least.

Hadrian retracted his consciousness when he saw where Baruch’s mind began to wander.

It couldn’t be helped, he imagined every time he reached out his intent to Baruch, it affected Baruch’s essence naturally creating such an effect.

If it’s a mage from a different path, and I managed this type of control, I wonder if they would feel fear instead.

Thinking this, he finished his plate of dinner and paid with the coins he’d gotten from the mage he’d just killed.

Making me go all the way back for this.

Despite the fact he despised Baruch, there was a part of Hadrian, not spiritual and not tied to his authority, that gave him a certain sense of connection to the guy.

For once, it was something not through struggle or pain.

Not since his mother.

Of course, it wasn’t anything like with his mother.

If I find other mages under the three paths....

He was scared to think this.

It’s pathetic, really. The only reason anyone would be happy I’m around them is if I turn them into my vessel.

Walking out the restaurant he saw a group of young adults, not a rare sight at this hour, walking, laughing and obviously drunk.

Well, I have always been a rather selfish bastard.

He watched as the group of young adults walked through the alley he’d left the corpse of the mage.

There was a scream from one of the girls in the group.

The next moment, they all took steps out the alley, not screaming anymore.

It was best not to have people thinking you saw anything.

But then again, everyone is selfish in their own ways.

"Come on." Alia Hadrian nudged Hadrian on the shoulder.

They made their way back to the next district over.

I hope those handful mages are still here when we pass by again.