Raze blinked, convincing himself what he had seen in the man's iris was just some kind of awakening. It was a bizarre sight, but he brushed it off as an ability.
Theodore spoke again, his words measured. "I have heard of your… weakness." He paused, letting the word hang in the air before continuing. "I have something to give you. Consider it a gift… or a burden, if you'd call it. Keep what I am about to give you a secret. There are beings beyond the stars who would destroy you for what you'll become."
Raze's heart pounded in his chest. "W-What do you mean, 'what we are'?" he asked, stumbling over his words.
"You'll understand soon enough," Theodore replied, his voice unsettlingly calm. "But you have no choice. What I give, I give whether you accept it or not."
Looking into the man's eyes, Raze could tell his words weren't empty, they were absolute.
"May you be the one who finally changes things. Goodbye, Raze Zaden."
The moment his name was spoken, Raze's vision blurred. His mouth moved, but the words slurred into nonsense. A sharp pain stabbed into his skull, like countless needles piercing at once. "W-What did you do to me! How do you know my full name!" he cried out, his knees buckling.
Theodore caught him effortlessly with one arm, stopping him from hitting the floor. Raze's vision darkened. 'What's happening to me?!' his thoughts screamed. Just before he slipped into unconsciousness, a ding echoed inside his mind.
[God Slayer System has been granted to: Raze Zaden.]
[Congratulations. You are the first… and last… user of this system.]
Raze's body went limp in Theodore's hold. He glanced down at the boy with a calm expression. "How far the Zaden line has fallen."