Esme's POV
I reached the end of the winding hallway and stood there, looking at nothing but a wall. I had expected a door.
Should I return to the room I started from or keep nudging Sanya to teach me to use Blood's Will? "Back to Ruby's room it is."
The 'door' suddenly opened.
I watched as the wall gave way, revealing another dark room. "It opened when I said something." Was it the root to Ruby's magic on everything around his room?
Just say anything and they'd obey. Do the least and everything will fall in place.
He seemed like a tired father of five—six siblings. I chuckled on remembering I had an immortal older brother now.
"Foolish Uncle!"
My head snapped to my left. Sora? He was with someone. I could sense their… energy? "Why is that, Sanya?"
"It is due to the bond you have with them. You can tell each by their energy or aura. However, you have no mana to use magic or sense their aura. So feeling and sensing their energy is like knowing their scents."
She also closed the chapter on me using Blood's Will, didn't she? Her long existence wasn't for nothing. I wouldn't be mana-less for long anyway. "Hmm, I see. You can return to where you hid while I've been calling you."
"Tch."
"'Tch' to you too."
I walked towards the room where I heard Sora. The surroundings gradually felt easier to navigate, and the uncertainty that one would feel in the darkness slowly dissipated as if I walked around my home.
The door moved when I lightly pushed it, as if eager to welcome me in. Sora froze, and so did the figure beside him. I squinted my eyes at that familiarity.
He stood a few distances away from Sora, wearing a foreign hanfu and decorative silver jewelry that accentuated his muscular chest and narrow waist.
I didn't fall into the trap of looking down at his frame again and stared at his face — fluttering pale eye lashes, like his hair, that protected his light blue orbs. Why did he look pleasantly stunned to see me?
"Mistress, are you well? You returned already." Sora ran to me and before I could drag my eyes away from the other, he crashed on me in a hug. The door caught me and I laughed it off.
"Stupid nephew. Do you intend to send her back to faint?"
That voice. It was definitely the Third that had taunted me. He looked away when I kept staring. Such an adorable immortal.
I was pleasantly surprised that the face I imagined was exceeded. He looked similar to Ruby if Ruby was pale skinned and obsessed with silver ornaments.
"Grandus Gone Great. Will you keep thinking lowly of me? Why will a hug send me to faint?" I retorted, looking away from him.
Sora immediately turned to see his expression before laughing. "See, Uncle. The Mistress wouldn't be easily charmed by you. I won." He nodded cutely.
Did they have a bet? I got played by cuteness. Not that I'd complain.
"Are you really alright?" Grandus asked calmly.
I glanced his way quickly while picking Sora off the ground. Did he ask in relation to what Eidrin had done? "I should thank the Fifth for the tantrum he caused because it awakened me. I feel better now that my wolf is active."
Sora looked blank. Expected. Since he had flared and panicked about that situation. I stroked his head, adding. "I really wish Eidrin felt more accepted by you, his brothers. Is this how loyal you are to each other? Sloppy. Should I also expect less?"
My words were likely not the kindest or most thoughtful, but they allowed one of theirs to suffer alone for so long while convincing themselves that Eidrin was the issue. I watched a crease appear on his forehead. "Eidrin isn't the easiest to talk to. You had to beat him down and that's one thing we'd never do—use our strength on each other."
Ruby communicated that. And that might still be dangerous as no one wanted to take responsibility so the problems just stayed.
"Brilliant. No using violence. You get ten marks there. And then? Let Eidrin wallow in self-hate? I'd be taking those ten marks back then."
His hands twitched, and he folded it across his chest, briefly taking my attention there. "What do you want me to do?"
Sora sighed softly and rested his head on my shoulders. I didn't know what that reaction meant or how to answer Grandus.
"He embodies Envy, doesn't he?"
He replied with a neck tilt. Was that a nod? Or was I wrong? "The stabilisation I give to him has to be while he's not being eaten by his own identity, no?"
"If only it's that easy." Sora mumbled. "The sins we embody will always manifest, whether we want it to or not."
So I had to handle it like I'd handle any case of insecurity? Maybe I shouldn't see it from a supernatural point of view if it was truly just Eidrin wanting attention from his brother.
"You already know that's all he wants. His brothers' feelings are being projected on you again. They believe Eidrin is acting out due to the sin he embodies."
I palmed my face, massaging my cheeks. I should be careful to only use my emotions when reading one of them, instead of what the rest thought.
"I will handle Eidrin myself. No marks for you." I said, like a verdict.
Grandus's hands dropped and I turned away, ignoring the despaired expression on his face. "Let's go, Sora." I patted the boy gently and walked away.
I went back up the winding dark hallway, knowing exactly where I needed to be.
"Sora?"
"Hmm?" His voice was low, almost tired. What had he been up to since I left? I was very curious as to why he argued with Grandus before I came in, but it was likely due to the bet—which was another thing that piqued my curiosity.
Grandus made a bet that he'd be my favourite? What a confident young man after what he said. Did he embody pride? Or was being proud a default for all those brothers, except Ruby?"
"Why are your uncles different species, yet good looking, with similar energies?" Might be an odd question to ask a child, but it must've been intentional that they were the finest from the species they were born from.
"Are you sure you want to know, Mistress?"
Well, if he says it like that then I'd want to know more. " I do."
"Well…"
I leaned my ear towards him.
"Their father mixed all existing genes, and the strongest and most befitting becomes the Uncle's species. Father said it was pretty random. No thoughts."
Silence…
No thoughts… "I see." I saw nothing!
So that Sun God just played a game with whatever species his sons would be?! He was truly the most laid-back Grace there was. How nonchalant could he be? "He must've taken genes from the most healthy looking species." That's the only thought he would've put.
"I believe so."
I shook my head. I wouldn't ever be able to understand the intentions of that Sun God. All I should do was keep all seven of my boys mentally ready for the 'adventures' we'd be going into.
"Just avoid the Disciples of the Moon Grace in those 'adventures'."
"Of course. Why would I ever clash with those people? We live in vastly different worlds." I paused, realizing that Sora couldn't hear me interact with my wolf. It was like my words were internal even if I felt like I spoke them. Having my own wolf was truly exciting.
I stopped in front of a wall, and pushed it forward. "Open up." It did what walls usually did—not open. "Okay, perhaps I am leaving Ruby's territory so things don't listen to simple commands?"
"Sorry, Mistress. I never learned the pass for Uncle Eidrin's room because I never visited." Sora reported himself.
Now we were staring at a wall, feeling like unwanted guests because we probably were. "That's not good. You have to give all of your Uncles your attention and you'd be surprised by the gifts you can receive."
"Darkness in an enclosed penchant? A decorated dead bird? My fifth uncle is rather bleak." He insisted.
I should probably not push him since my very first meeting with Eidrin wasn't tender either. Eidrin's energy was on the other side of the room, so I just had to find a way to—
"Come in." His voice came from behind us. The voice wasn't feminine as Ruby mentioned.
I held Sora as he instantly grew restless. The wall opened in the same manner as earlier and a dark figure walked in. I assumed the reason Eidrin was mostly in the shadows during the ritual was because it was dark, but it seemed he really merged with the darkness. Sora's complaints made more sense.
"Thank you." I walked in and found a sofa to place Sora, but the moment I did, his neck fell to the side. Was he asleep? I picked him and marched towards the bed Eidrin plopped on.
His room was covered in a large bed, two smaller ones at the sides of the wall, the only sofa I found, and candlesticks by the side of the bed.
"Lay him down."
I looked hard to see the edge of the bed before sitting. Sora lightly gripped my shoulders in refusal, so I knew he's likely acting asleep so he wouldn't talk to his Uncle. He was such a petty nephew.
"It's fine. He keeps me warm." What a random excuse. I cleared my throat. "I am here to see you… after everything."