"Let go of me!" Percival told Godfrey with a furious tone as he pulled his shoulder out of Godfreyâs grasp, but Godfrey held him once more, forcing him to turn and throw a punch.
Godfrey blocked his fist, though the impact sent him straight to a building. The walls cracked slightly.
"Weâll bring her back," Godfrey said.
"If he could bring her back, he would have by now." Percival snapped his head toward Sebastian, who had exhausted all his mana, his eyes gleaming coldly.
Wasnât that him... wasnât that Cain, just with another face?!
At that moment, Godfrey moved. Percival threw another punch at him, but he caught it this time. The air exploded, ripples spreading out with fierce gales.
"I know youâre angry, but you need to calm down. My mother will do all she can to bring her back, but youâre delaying us." Godfreyâs reasoning made Percival calm down.
Godfrey then nodded at Gabriel, who swiftly took all the Jacksons away.
"Youâve grown, a little bit more calm than before." Sebastian chuckled.
Godfrey felt weird internally. This man was Cain, the self-proclaimed god, the reason this world was like this. He was Cainâs clone, just with a different face and personality which could be overridden at any time.
Sebastian, his Headmaster, the man who protected him in secret during his school days, was the same man waiting to claim his summons, scheming to sacrifice his mother, yearning for all humanity to bow beneath his feet.
Cain was a complicated man.
"I know Gabriel brought you out, but what I didnât know was that youâve taken a fruit." Godfrey said, referring to Sebastianâs strength.
"It found me even in prison." Sebastian sighed. "The mana tree has plans for me."
"I see."
"I mean the true me." Sebastianâs statement made Godfreyâs eyes widen.
"You found out?!"
"The mana tree showed me. After eating my fruit, I unlocked a skill that allowed me access to a memory, a memory where I was being sculpted by none other than Cain." Sebastianâs solemn tone made Godfreyâs heart more complex.
What exactly should he feel at this moment?
"Itâs best you kill me now." Sebastian lifted up his hands, looking at Godfrey, who just stared at him, clenching and releasing his hands.
"I guessed you couldnât. No worries, Gabriel made plans." Sebastian turned back, his hands up as armoured vehicles drove toward into the street with some airborne summons swooping in.
A space rift opened up and Godfrey vanished, leaving Sebastian who was quickly surrounded by the authorities.
He went on his knees as they closed in on him with guns and summons.
"You have a lot of explaining to do." Bram said with a hardened face as he glared at Sebastian. Unbeknownst to him, this man on his knees wielded the power to walk untouched, to cause havoc and no one would even know about it.
"Take him." Bram declared, and agents swiftly cuffed Sebastian and took him into an armoured truck.
***
In Paradise, Godfrey walked into a round room from where he could watch his mother behind a glass wall attending to Percivalâs mother.
Her Primal Stag stood before the lifeless woman as it conjured glowing water on the bullet hole.
Percivalâs mother had already been attached to life support machines and their readings stunned everyone, including Godfrey.
No wonder the room was so tense. Mrs. Joy was surprisingly still alive. It was a miracle none of them could explain, but they could only hope his motherâs ability could heal her or Mrs. Joyâs effort to hang on to the land of the living would be meaningless.
Godfrey looked at Percival, who stared without flinching for a second, while his sister was on the verge of crying, even with the stains of past tears on her cheeks.
Fear seeped into Godfrey. If Percival could descend into this state due to his motherâs current state, what would happen to him if the authorities managed to get their hands on his mother?
His eyes slowly widened. His anger was way worse than Percivalâs. He worried if that was the part of Cainâs plans, but his current concern was Mrs. Joyâs state.
How was she still alive?
"You might be wondering why sheâs still alive," Gabriel said, looking at Arian and other elites who were quietly hoping for Mrs. Joy to live.
Seeing all eyes on him, Gabriel explained. "Sheâs alive because she isnât a normal human anymore."
"What?" Priscilla gasped.
Gabriel nodded as he looked at Mrs. Joy, who laid on the table with her eyes shut.
"She has awakened. Symbiosis is whatâs keeping her alive. Itâs extremely rare, but itâs stated that average humans are those who just couldnât get past the final step, despite the aid of awakening platforms. However, less than 0.01 percent manage to awaken due to different circumstances, most likely an undying urge to live in the most helpless situation possible." Gabriel touched the glass wall.
"Her soul for the first time gets to see its other part. I believe sheâll live." Gabriel announced confidently.
Godfrey had hope. After all, Gabriel had an entire tower filled with books he had read. Rare cases like this should be one of the few things in that enormous amount of knowledge he had.
***
In a dark space, Joy found herself floating, her eyes fixed on a mighty black mare with pure white eyes and a white mane that billowed like it was made of the clouds.
It walked on clouds. The moment their eyes met, Joy recoiled in shock and fear while the mareâs eyes narrowed slightly.
It exuded confidence, nothing like Joyâs withdrawn, humble personality. She gasped as her hair turned black as night and grew, billowing gracefully like the horseâs mane.
The mare was pleased with this sight while Mrs. Joyâs eyes softened.
âOf course, I can see it. A horse, It might be a female. Itâs still petrified, but once you awaken, youâll see that your summon is more magnificent than the ones you admire!â her husbandâs voice rang in his mind, reminding her of when they were still just friends. He had looked into her eyes, claiming he could see into her soul.
Right now, she didnât know if he guessed right or really saw into her soul space, but that memory made her eyes moisten.