The road was an overly swollen mess of aimless people and continuously tooting vehicles. The maddening and wearisome scene was almost killing Jered out of exasperation and annoyance. He hated crowdy places, oh how he hated them, the suffocating feeling would always drown him in an impatient need to get out of there. But what could he have done? That road was the only shortcut available to reach East Hills Avenue the fastest possible.

If it wasn't because he was worried about his sister's probable health issues he wouldn't dare to delve into that neighborhood that was brimming with wealthy and unnecessarily arrogant people.

The last time he had been there, he had the displeasure to witness a middle-aged woman bragging about her husband's successful business and overflowing finances with a mocking tone to the other ladies of humbler conditions.

Sigh.

He gazed up at the sky, hoping to catch the shadow of his small feathery friend but found none. Once he got out of that abandoned building, leaving behind the burned corpses, his mind was so occupied by distracting thoughts that he hadn't time to clarify things with her that he swiftly left.

Luckily thanks to their bond he could feel her somewhere quietly following him, which made him breathe out in relief. It had never been part of his intention to depart from her, in fact, he hoped that she'd become his pet, not that she already wasn't, however, it was a forced connection due to a precarious situation.

Another problem that made its presence known was his now unlocked and unrestrained attitude. He knew that Opak's soul piece worked, he could feel it slowly pervading his being and washing away his fears and uncertainties.

It was good, he was pretty happy about it, he could finally be at peace with himself, and although he was still suspicious about the Shadow's potential exclusion of some details that concerned their contract, overall he was satisfied with the result.

However...

What was he supposed to do now that his unsealed emotions run free and wild? What would his family's reaction be when they'd find out that he actually has psychopath tendencies?

Obviously, he wouldn't start a bloody massacre in front of their eyes. Nonetheless, it was only a question of time before he'd get to the point where it'd be a lame attempt of his to try to hide anything. Eventually, weird things will happen, and he'd be compelled to tell the truth, or at least reveal only a small part.

He was just delaying the inevitable, he knew it. Still, he hoped that when the time comes he'll be strong enough to protect them. But what he hoped the most was their acceptance of the 'new' him.

Will they look at him with distrustful and fearful eyes? Will they break even more apart?

Was everything really doomed to be unchanged?

That dilemma slowly sprouted in his heart, giving birth to other negative and pessimistic emotions he'd rather not mull over. It was a touchy subject he hoped to not ever talk about with them.

Shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts he straightened himself and accelerated his steps, it was best to concentrate on what he had to do.

.

.

.

"Well..."

Here he was, looking disinterestedly and a bit queerly at the villa in front of him. It had nothing out of normal or somewhat eye-catching, however, what picked his attention was a strange and ominous shift on the mana that surrounded it.

After becoming a magician he could finally feel the mana waves in the air, thus allowing him to gauge any differences that it might have. And based on his view of it, mana was a colorless energy which was present everywhere. Every single being or inorganic object somewhat had a fraction of it, and only a very small amount of people could perceive it.

He did remember though that when he was in the process of ranking up he glimpsed at his mana waves, and noticed that it was green colored, the same as Opak's, which basically refuted what he had just found out about it.

Was it because mana takes a specific color based on a person's attribute and affinities? Is it related to the soul or other aspects?

Whatever the case, what he felt surrounding the villa was a dark natured mana, the same as his, just much weaker and thinner.

Nonetheless, it worried him even more since whatever was the cause of this phenomenon was definitely centered on the family living in it, and right now his sister was amidst this strange occurrence, and the fact that she called because she was not feeling well, deeply disturbed him.

He needed to be cautious, but if he think it necessary he won't hesitate to start a bloodshed right here in the daylight. When it comes to his family he wouldn't care about consequences.

...

Knock! Knock!

Knocking twice on the wooden door he waited patiently for someone to welcome him.

Footsteps resounded and soon the door opened, followed by the shape of a handsome middle-aged man with slicked back black hair and bright hazel eyes. He was tall, reaching 6'1ft with a delicate but muscular frame.

What Jered noted right away though was that the dark energy was more concentrated around him than the house. Thanks to his affinity for it he could feel it way better than an ordinary magician, which helped him discover a few things about the man in front of him.

First, the man's mana intensity was a bit higher than his, which meant that at the moment the probability of him losing to this out of the normal man was higher than 50%, but so was his probability to escape. Still, he had his system that had mystical stuff and miraculous potions. Obviously, he still couldn't use all of its function but he did believe that whether he'd lose or not was still a question mark.

Second, he undeniably felt a not so human aura emanating from him, and the overwhelming scent of blood confirmed his already growing suspicions. Whoever he was, Jered had an almost absolute assurance that he wasn't a human being, or at least he was not far from it.

However, at that moment he really didn't care whether he was a possible dangerous creature not so known to human eyes or just one of the countless secluded and obscure secrets striving to remain as such.

His sister was inside that house, which was presumably filled with unknown variables that could very well be threatening to him and his family. Since his sister already came in contact with them, nothing prevents them to do the same with him and his mother too.

There was a moment of silence as they stared into each other eyes. A flicker of surprise quickly flashed in his hazel eyes as he felt the intimidating mana around Jered. He also could feel its darkness, which somehow was so ridiculously high that his mind went blank for a moment before a myriad of hypothesis swirled in his head.

He put a bit of guard before steeling his gaze.

"You are?" He asked cautiously, feeling somewhat threatened by the handsome young man in front of him. His left hand that was on the door's handle slightly moved, closing the ajar door. He didn't know who this young guest was, but he seemed to be a magician strong enough to alarm him, and if a fight was about to break out he didn't want to involve his family in it.

"Jered. Jasmine's younger brother." He answered calmly without revealing emotions that might betray the building rage inside him.

The man's eyes widened for a brief instant before he forced down a stretched gasp of shock. Thanks to the constant visits from her daughter's best friend he had come to become quite fond of her, to the point of almost seeing her as one of his own children, and from the looks in his wife's eyes he could ascertain the same went for her.

However, yesterday night, after a quick discussion between the entire family, they came to a decision that would change her life forever. After digging in a bit of her background, and finding nothing of concern, they decided to carry on with their plans.

And they succeeded.

But now... with the addition of this mysterious younger brother that suddenly appeared to be more than what he had thought he was, really put him in a tight spot regarding the events that might occur.

Was he really little Jasmine's brother? Wasn't he supposed to be a normal high school student?

What had happened?

Question after question crossed his already confused head, but whatever answer he came up with only lead to even more troublesome questions.

He wanted to say something but his lips seemed to be glued as his hands started to get sweaty.

A fight with someone he assumed was on the same level as his would not bring benefits to either of them. But the prospect of telling him the situation his sister was in right now would be even worse.

Either way, a 'and they lived happily ever after' ending would be only a fool's thinking. As for telling the true reason behind the possible mayhem that'll happen? He doesn't dare to imagine the consequences.

"Where is Jasmine?" Jered said, his tone cold and authoritative.

"Oh... so you're her brother? I finally get to know you, my name is Alaric Cruentus, Alison's father." He stated with a gentle smile while putting off his guard, hoping that he would do the same.

It was best to resolve this peacefully.

"You still didn't answer my question." Now he was getting very angry, the man was clearly avoiding to bring up Jasmine's whereabouts in their short exchange, and the reason for it was pretty obvious.

Just thinking that something might have happened to her... that she might be in pain right now...

Any sense of rationality he prior had was crushed by his immense worry for his sister's welfare.

If he wants to play the game of silence then I shall make so that he stays as such forever!

The quietness that suddenly descended was an overwhelming boulder pressed on their chest as a slight amount of green mana circled around Jered's body, enveloping him in a gorgeous but sinister blanket of light particles.

The air was disturbed as light green-shaded ripples spread to his surroundings, making everything it passed upon to slightly tremble.

Alaric halted his breath, he felt a horribly dangerous aura around the boy, it was like a corrosive and devouring force whose intentions were not so noble. The blood in his veins stirred and flowed more rapidly than usual.

Reacting fast he stimulated his mana pool, the already agitated air became even more so when it made contact with Jered's mana, and where upon once the green grass glowed under the bright sun, a baleful black fog crept out of it, engulfing its lively garden in a dark field of death.

That same fog hovered quietly around Alaric, like a shield ready to take in any attacks from its opponent.

Jered lifted his right index finger, its tip generating a small but deadly green flame whose flickering light promised nothing but destruction. And it was only when that small inferno appeared on his hand that Alaric's tensed expression turned into sheer horror.

Because he finally knew what was going on...

And the answer to the questions that were annoyingly bugging his mind before was not something his limited knowledge could have taken in so lightly.

"This...." He opened his mouth, but the air was stuck in his throat. And before he could even do or say anything, the flame that was lazily laying on Jered's finger shot through the air and flew quickly towards him.

Burning marks and black smoke were left behind as it passed and swiftly approached Alaric.

However, right when the flame was about to clash with his shield, the door opened abruptly, revealing the face of three shocked women. And it was the face of a particular beautiful blonde haired girl that was shakily standing by their side that made Jered's heart to thump. She was so pallid, with sweat sliding down her smooth cheeks, her green eyes wavering with fright.

With a clenching move of his hand, the flame that was about to impact on them stopped mid-air and extinguished itself.

The black fog also dispersed, allowing the newly arrived women to finally see who was the perpetrator of that huge shift in mana. And when their eyes settled on the mysterious guest they had to hold back a shocked expression. It was a young man who didn't even reach adulthood with incredibly good looks.

The residue mana was still lingering around him, making the air a bit windier.

However, even though their eyes were all focused on him, Jered was preoccupied with something else.

"Jasmine..." He said, his eyes lightly trembling from mixed emotions and a deep anxiety that seemed to overpower his motor capacity, as he unconsciously started walking towards her.

Seeing her form that looked so much like their mother's yet so weak right now, was tearing his soul apart and making his heart pulse with painful beats.

He gulped.

She looked at him.

Their gazes interlocked in a blissful reminiscence of old memories. At that moment no words were needed.

"Jered..." She whispered to the wind. Her eyes quivering with unknown emotions as she saw something that she wouldn't imagine even in her wildest dreams. He was a bit different, but she would never forget her brother's face.

Her lips slightly parted but no voice resounded.

She was speechless.

The scene she just witnessed really broke down her view of reality, creating a storm of confusion and disbelief.

And her brother was apparently in the center of it.

.

.

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