Chapter 318 – New Eyes : Adonis’s Eyes
Cassius’s eyes snapped open, drawing a deep breath into his lungs so sharply he coughed, his whole body drenched in sweat.
The first thing he noticed was the darkness settling over his room. He turned his head left, toward his open window, and saw night had already fallen.
He frowned, wiping the sweat from his face, ’How is that possible? I didn’t think it lasted that long?’
[You lasted a long time.] Ananke said, her voice thick with worry, [What happened, Cassius? My connection to you suddenly went completely dark, blocked by something.]
’Ah, that would be the High King.’ Cassius began, and recounted everything that had happened within what the High King called his dream.
The more he spoke, the more startled Ananke became, clearly not having expected any of this.
[This is genuinely strange.] she said, [The very fact he could block me means he is, at minimum, a god, or something wielding equivalent power.]
’Maybe. Though he was running a tavern, and cleaning it with real skill.’
[If what you’re describing is accurate, then perhaps the High King is trapped somewhere? Or maybe he’s in some state of slumber, feeling isolated?] Ananke began piecing together theories, [When your master, that dragon, told you that only a genuine hobby could save you...that wasn’t a small statement, Cassius.]
The goddess’s tone turned deadly serious, laced with concern, [Even gods can go mad. Even the strongest beings can feel a loneliness deep enough to spiral into depression. And witnessing a depressed god is never a good sign. You don’t fully grasp this yet, Cassius, but the mind is the most complex, most fragile thing that exists. No matter how powerful we become, there’s always some weakness buried inside. In fact, the stronger we grow, the more vulnerabilities tend to form within our Mind World.]
"How does that even make sense?"
[Because you experience more as you grow stronger. And growing stronger rarely comes paired with pleasant experiences.] Ananke’s voice dropped to a whisper, as though recalling something painful, [Some things will haunt you forever. The only real way to soften that is to have something you love, purely, without any agenda attached. No goal, no gain...just because you love it.]
Cassius guessed then that the High King’s hobby had been innkeeping? Or perhaps bartending?
A strange hobby for someone capable of blocking Ananke’s very interference, but it only underscored its significance.
Still, knowing that didn’t make finding such a connection any easier for himself. And Cassius knew it would be difficult, precisely because of how his mind worked.
Changing how you viewed the world was brutally hard, once you’d viewed it a certain way for so long.
But he was serious about it now, after that meeting. If even the High King had found something like this, he owed it to himself to try.
’Guess I’ll need to experiment with things. Eventually, someday, hopefully, I’ll stumble onto something I’m genuinely passionate about. Then I might reach the same level of mastery my 12th ancestor achieved.’
Thinking that, he smiled faintly, finally turning his attention to the two objects resting beside his bed.
One was a white-and-gold card. It depicted High King Trenovar in royal attire, seated on a throne, a golden sword at his left side. Behind him stretched countless worlds of every shape and color imaginable. At the top, the words read: Praise the Walker of Worlds!
The second was a pair of stunning pink eyes, strange patterns swirling through their pupils. Extraordinarily beautiful.
[These are your rewards.] Ananke said, whistling appreciatively, [wow.]
’Right?’ Cassius replied, before summoning the system’s information on both items,
[Memory Fragment of High King Trenovar]
[Rank: Special Item.]
[Description: An object that passes down information, power, or anything else the owner wished to convey. One-time use.
Using this item alongside Dream or Memory-related artifacts amplifies its potency and may produce unexpected effects, whether beneficial or harmful.
Proceed at your own risk.]
Then the second,
[Characteristic: Blessed Eyes of Adonis.]
[Description: Characteristics derived from the very eyes of Adonis. Obtaining them grants full immunity to charm and lust-based Skills, while elevating your own Charm to an entirely new realm of possibility.
Additional benefits will reveal themselves as you continue.
However, be warned: with this power, people will either love you fiercely or hate you with equal passion.
According to myth, no one who has ever obtained anything of Adonis’s has avoided a tragic end.
You have been warned.]
Cassius’s lips twitched at that last line.
[Extremely true, honestly.] Ananke said, [Are you sure you want this? It’s a significant benefit, but the downside is equally massive, Cass. Overwhelming beauty without the power to protect yourself is practically an invitation to be used, exploited, and eventually killed.]
"I doubt anything carries more problems than my own Aspect and bloodline already do." He smiled wryly, "Adding one more won’t kill me. Probably."
Ananke said nothing to that.
"My only concern is my eyes. Will I lose the red color? I hope not."
Ananke sighed before answering, [Don’t worry. Your bloodline is far more possessive than you think.]
"Fantastic." He said, "Klaus has his duel with Love tomorrow, I think I can go through with this now and still be ready to watch."
Decision made, Cassius took the Memory Fragment of the High King and let his Seed of World Tree absorb it, after binding the Seed to himself.
The moment it absorbed the card, the Seed settled inside his body, taking root in his dantian, officially becoming a Seed of Memories.
Cassius could feel it growing, slowly. Based on his understanding, the Seed would naturally continue expanding, generating new memories from that first one to populate itself.
That process, though, would take ages. Feeding it directly himself was far more efficient. Still, the High King’s memory was already steadily strengthening within the Seed, the two feeding off each other.
Cassius felt even more eager now to reach the Wastelands.
With that done, his strength noticeably improved thanks to the Seed now settled within him, he moved on to Adonis’s Characteristic.
He hesitated once more, before finally deciding to proceed.
’Don’t make me regret this.’
And he applied the Characteristic to himself, instantly blacking out from the mind-shattering pain that tore through his eyes.
...
At that same moment, that same night, Klaus sat in that secluded spot no one else ever visited, listening to the beautiful song drifting from the piano girl’s fingers.
That night, the music felt even more beautiful, as though the girl had improved by leaps and bounds since his last visit.
Klaus wouldn’t say it aloud, but he was thoroughly impressed. As someone genuinely interested in music, he wanted to talk with her, to learn more about her and her craft, before his first day at the club.
’It’s been a while since I came here.’ He thought quietly, watching the woman whose veil still concealed the lower half of her face, from nose to neck.
He listened in silence until she finished.
She stopped, rose from her seat, and bowed toward Klaus several times, respectfully.
Her already-large eyes seemed even wider now, smiling with joy and relief at seeing him return.
Klaus rose from the single chair set up, seemingly just for him, and walked toward her.
He stopped a meter or two from the piano, nodding in greeting.
"As always, not too bad, woman."
"Why can’t you just be honest and say she was wonderful. Girls love compliments." Windy said, visible and audible only to Klaus in that moment.
’Can you shut up?’ He shot back.
The piano girl, though, didn’t seem bothered by his words. She nodded cutely, repeatedly, hands folded shyly in front of her.
Klaus made a difficult expression. It was frustrating speaking with someone who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, speak back.
Normally, he wouldn’t bother himself with someone like this.
But this time was different.
’How do I actually talk to her?’ He wondered, tilting his head, until an idea struck him.
Grinning like the proud bastard he was, he pulled a paper and pen from his space ring.
The woman watched him with curiosity.
"Pardon the intrusion." Klaus said, setting the paper atop the piano and writing something down.
Once finished, he showed it to her. It read:
<If you can’t speak, you can write, can’t you? Let’s talk this way, woman!>
She read the words over and over, eyes widening, as if she couldn’t quite believe it. Slowly, she lifted her large, beautiful eyes back to Klaus, finding him gloating over his brilliant idea.
"You can write, right? Even commoners manage that these days. Heh."
She let out a short giggle. She took the paper and pen, some of her fingers bandaged, others red and wounded, and quickly wrote:
<I can write.>
Her handwriting, notably, was quite beautiful.
Klaus grinned widely, immensely proud of himself.
’Sigh. I really am too good. I am unfair, honestly.’
The woman grew more amused. She wrote again:
<Thank you for coming here to listen to my performance. It means a lot to me. My name is Sorry.>
"Huh? Sorry? That’s your name?" Klaus said loudly, and the woman nodded shyly. "What a sorry ass name."
"Klaus!" Windy smacked the back of his head hard, making him yelp, "What did I teach you about manners!"
"Hey, leave me alone!" Klaus groaned at the sting.
He ignored Windy’s scolding and refocused on the woman, Sorry.
’How does anyone name their daughter Sorry?’
That thought led him to wonder how anyone could name their daughter Love, either.
People were strange.
Klaus quickly wrote back:
<I like your performance. I’ll support you however I can. My name’s Klaus, the third most handsome man in the Kingdom. I deserve second place, honestly, but those guys are all sucking up to the Prince too hard. SMH.>
Sorry giggled again, <Why not first?>
Klaus’s expression turned pained as he shook his head, <Leave that bastard where he is. Even I have limits.>
The first side of the paper filled up quickly. Klaus’s handwriting sprawled far larger than Sorry’s small, almost shy script.
He decided to stop there, checking the time, promising himself to bring more paper next visit.
Before leaving, though, he added one final message, <I have a duel tomorrow. Klaus, sixth ranker. Come watch, if you want. Bye for now, and keep up the good work, Sorry. Fuck, what a damned name you’ve got there. So pitiful. I will be kind to you, don’t worry."
Then he donated 1,000 EP this time, waved his hand goodbye, and left the paper behind.
Sorry watched him walk away in silence, her eyes still smiling gently. She picked up the paper and read Klaus’s words over and over.
Each time, her heart warmed a little more.
This was only the second time anyone had ever gone to such lengths just to speak with her.
The first had been her father, her only family. Now this strange, boastful man had done the same.
’Klaus...’ she repeated his name to herself, her eyes curving further, beautiful and radiant, ’Klaus Silicin Handoff.’
She folded the paper carefully, gently.
’I’ll come watch you tomorrow.’
—End of Chapter 318—