"Regardless, I'm quite glad you at least made some semblance of progress to your character, no matter how feeble your mask is."
Lucius turned away from me, even though I had pestered him with death multiple times in the same conversation. My fist tightened but I didn't follow.
I know that I was no match for him, and at least now, I had to manage my own anger.
…
Orochi's chair lurched back, scraping against the dirt—"Alright, everything is done now, or is there anymore to this little farce?"
Lucius glanced at the giant man, "Patience, Orochi. It's the most valuable discipline that a man can learn."
Wait, didn't Lucius stab me multiple times because he 'lost his patience?'
So, I wasn't just dealing with a maniacal saint who stabbed me multiple times, I also happened to be in the presence of a fatally acclimated hypocrite. My luck was definitely through the roof right now.
"Now, what's next on the agenda…" Lucius closed his eyes solemnly and tapped at his temple with one wrinkled hand. His bald head glistened in the sunlight, reflecting the light bulbs in his mind twinkling.
"Hmmmmmmm...I could go for a beast farm sundae right about now. No, wait, that's at least a few years from now, why am I reminiscing about food in the future? Damn, these visions of mine!" Lucius shook his head, and tugged at his grey goatee. "Ahhhhhhh…."
I skimmed the expressions of the people around me at Lucius's little mental crisis. They all seem a little agitated, but otherwise seemingly used to his muttering.
Lucius's eyes fluttered open and he snapped his fingers. For a normal person, it would've been normal–but for a saint, his snap was a lion's roar.
I flinched at the burst of sound, but Lucius turned to the rest of us with a smile. "Vincent, how do you feel about going to the waking world?"
"...Is there a trick to it?" I narrowed my eyes at him full of suspicion, but a hopeful butterfly danced in my heart anyway.
Lucius nodded and waved a hand at me mischievously, "Get used to it. Regardless, if I want you to get stronger I can't just keep you trapped here for a decade and make you a mindless beast. It was a possibility, but real world experience matters most, and I of all people know what it's like being sheltered."
He said it so casually, and by now I knew he meant it. The mad saint with discolored eyes seriously considered keeping me trapped in this place, and who knew what else he planned to do here. I had somehow managed to gain the ability to act sane while being ripped up by Lucius before, but I knew I couldn't keep that up for a decade. I assumed I would be something worse than the mindless beast Lucius said I would become under those circumstances.
"I agree." Blair spoke up for the first time ever since we entered this place, and it made me shocked. Her voice was as sweet as before, yet I was fully aware of how inhumane she could be. Actually, who was to say she was even a human?
I closed my eyes, something my body protested again considering I was in a room full of hungry predators but I resisted the sensation to break down.
I already implied it before: I wouldn't let myself be played with anymore like a lump of clay.
Whether I would be made fun of, pushed to the side, crushed, or stabbed into a mess–I would stand strong, as long as my will could hold the pressure.
I hissed through my teeth and raised my head, "I'm going to the waking world… to awaken.."
I was a sleeper, and when I would go into the waking world I would awaken. My dormant ability, [Blood Purge] was immensely powerful and when I awakened, it would reach a new magnitude of strength. My Heart Core would expand and let me hold more essence, my body would become tougher, I'd be faster, stronger, and all of this didn't even mention what my awakened ability was.
I remembered the vision I saw in my soul sea, the vision that Lucius apparently showed me. The crystalline red spikes that sprouted from my skin to form entangled, blood tree branches. I had a sacred rank aspect, probably the only one of its kind. This awakened ability that was unveiled to me ahead of time was surely powerful like [Blood Purge].
Orochi crossed his arms and smiled with all his sharp teeth. He didn't bother hiding the savageness emanating from his jade eyes.
I was concerned how excited he seemed over what was going to happen next.
He clapped his hands together, "Time to leave."