Loen Kingdom, Backlund, Empress Borough
De Sade Villa
"Mes Chéris, how was your day yesterday?" Elise De Sade — their mother and stepmother, respectively — broke the silence at the breakfast table, her gaze shifting between Abel and Dominique. A knowing smile curved her lips as she lingered on Dominique, who seemed to be glowing.
Is this the famed woman's intuition at work? Yes, Dominique's mood was noticeably bright… but how could she possibly deduce that they had sex?
Truly, women were mysterious creatures.
"It was…pleasant." Dominique said, her posture graceful despite the heat that crept up her face. She lifted her cup of Marquis Black tea to her lips, not meeting her stepmother's eyes. "It was productive."
Abel glanced at his sister, feeling amused. Can you be any more obvious, Domi?
And he wasn't the only one who caught on. Whether knowingly or not, her words had carried a double entendre, and others clearly noticed.
Veronica's eyes were practically sparkling with mirth.
Antoine's perpetual smile seemed to somehow widen even more.
And as for their father, Earl De Sade… was it just his imagination, or did his lips twitch upward for the briefest of moments?
"Productive?" Elise's smile deepened, her brows lifting just enough to be teasing. "I see."
Dominique, of course, picked up the changes of everyone, and momentarily glanced at Abel, and recalled him reading Stormwind Mountain Villa. "We discussed literature." She added quickly, regaining her composure, "Among other things."
"Oh, I'm sure," Elise mused, taking a sip of her Fermo coffee with leisurely grace. "You look… thoroughly well-read."
You mean well-fucked, don't you, Mother? Abel resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"You know," Veronica spoke up, her tone sweet in a way that made Abel want to sigh in exasperation. "I've always found literature to be the most… stimulating of subjects. Especially when read aloud, deep into the night."
"Truly," Antoine added, folding his napkin neatly onto his lap. "It's fascinating how vigorously some people engage with it. Page after page, chapter after chapter—"
"Moaning over the plot twists," Veronica continued, clearly biting back a laugh as she watched the flustered and annoyed Dominique.
Clink!
The ravenette placed her cutlery down, and taking a deep breath, she glanced at the head of the table, "May I excuse myself, Father?"
"You are excused." The Earl nodded her way, his eyes warm as he looked at her.
Dominique rose with all the grace befitting a noblewoman, despite the subtle twitch of her lips that showed her as happiness as she noted his doting look with her sharp eyes. The Vampiress seemed to completely forget that she was just teased moments ago.
…
"You are excused."
Earl De Sade watched his daughter go, the faintest trace of thought flickering across his chiseled features, before he suppressed it as quick as it came, using the body control granted by the Sequence 8: Clown of the Seer Pathway.
Though born of a maid, Dominique had never truly been treated as lesser within his household. Reason being that said maid was not just any woman, but his personal maid. A constant shadow at his side during the most formative years of his ambition.
Abel was like him in that regard, preferring a personal maid over a valet. Like father, like son, he supposed.
Dominique was not the product of carelessness, nor shame. That, he assured her of early on, and by treating her no different than her siblings.
Among the Intisian aristocracy, bloodlines were a curious thing. The obsession with legacy ran parallel to a long-standing tolerance, even quiet approval, of… relationships others might consider improper.
Intis was, after all, a nation of libertines. What others called vice, they called passion. What others whispered as scandal, they declared art. And what others buried in shame, they turned into poetry.
Loen, however, was not Intis. Here, masks were worn in daylight and knives hidden behind smiles. His daughter's bastard status might have seen her shunted to the background, a decorative afterthought to show obligation.
But Earl De Sade knew the nature of court and coin, and he knew how hungry noble families could become when they sensed vulnerability. A bastard daughter raised within an Earl's household but lacking protection?
She was the perfect pawn.
Some lesser house might take her in, not out of the goodness in their hearts, but because they saw an opportunity. An opportunity to make a connection to the De Sade name, and thereby finding a chance to elevate their station.
Parade her out to salons, use her name to gain audiences, and her beauty to distract rivals.
But that was not to be.
He had once assumed Dominique's future would be something to leave in his wife's capable hands, to secure a husband they both approved of. Someone pliant and respectful—A man who wouldn't overstep his place.
And yet, to his surprise, his second son and daughter with only a few months' age difference had ended up in a relationship that could be considered taboo.
And although it wasn't what he and his wife envisioned, it was a relationship they tacitly and quietly approved, making no stop to interfere or separate the two.
Better Dominique be loved deeply and kept close, than married off to some minor viscount's wayward heir who would never see her worth.
This alleviated his concerns, both as a father and as the head of House De Sade.
With that thought, the Earl returned to his coffee.
…
…
…
Knock! Knock!
"Enter." A calm, aged, authoritative voice responded from the other side of the door.
With a placid expression, Abel opened the door and stepped inside his father's study. The scent of old paper, wax, and leather hung in the air.
Shelves lined with ledgers and books covered the walls, and maps of the Loen Kingdom were rolled or pinned neatly on a side table.
Abel's gaze only briefly swept through the familiar room, before his eyes landed on the Earl sitting behind a wide oak desk.
He stepped forward, making sure to close the door behind him.
"Father." The white haired young man greeted him politely, taking a seat on the chair that was purposely placed opposite the Earl.
"You're a Beyonder." There was no questioning or accusation in the tone of the Earl, it was simply a statement of fact.
An ability of the Seer pathway? Abel didn't miss the probing gaze of his father as he entered the breakfast room. Sixth Sense reacted to him as well as Antoine, both Beyonders of the pathway. The Fool was the same in this regard.
"Yes." He paused briefly, before nodding. "I'm a Monster."
The pen in his father's hand stopped moving, and his gaze finally fell on Abel who looked no worse for wear. Still, the Earl inquired, "Did you hear voices you shouldn't hear, or see things you shouldn't see?"
The gravity in his voice was clear, and his piercing eyes seemed to glow slightly as he scanned Abel's every move.
Spectator? The Summoner's eyes fell on the ring on the inconspicuous silver ring on the Earl's finger.
The aged Seer raised an eyebrow at his gaze, but other than that, there was no surprise on his face. "I guess such perception should be expected of the Fate pathway."
"This ring is a mystical item of the Spectator pathway," the Earl explained, lifting his hand slightly so the silver band caught the light. "Its abilities are equal to that of a Sequence 7: Psychiatrist."
Can you tell me more? At least explain the abilities of a Psychiatrist. Abel inwardly urged, yet outwardly, he was the epitome of calmness, except for the mild frown he purposely presented.
What little FolkloricInterest had revealed to him was frustratingly vague. Or rather, it would have been nice to know more about the higher sequences. Beyonders of the Visionary pathway were most adept, and revolved around psychological manipulation.
They could peer into the mind, discern true emotions, plant suggestions through hypnosis, and walk seamlessly between dreams and reality. Because of this skill set, they could display the precise emotional reactions, body language, and speech patterns people wanted to see.
They were the easily greatest liars and actors.
"Is something wrong?" His father asked, seeing his frown.
Abel showed a brief look of hesitation, before responding, "I feel like this pathway is dangerous."
If the Spectator pathway was only that, spectating, Abel wouldn't be worried. Even mind reading and entering dreams was something he could handle with Strange Minded.
But the pathway was called Visionary. As someone who has completed Bleach, the name alone raised too many red flags.
He had even considered advancing down that pathway, only to change his mind, after recalling the possible risks
The Visionary. The power to turn fantasy into reality through mere imagination.
He remembered Gremmy Thoumeaux all too clearly, and remembered how he imagined bones turning to brittle cookies, how he conjured artillery from nothing, how he stitched wounds with the simple belief that they no longer existed.
The guy even pulled a Madara and summoned a meteor.
And most of all, the guy created Life from imagination.
If even a fragment of that potential lay within this Pathway…
No, If a True God existed on that level, wielding such power openly, they wouldn't be hidden…And if one had cloaked themselves with constant, world-spanning psychological manipulation to avoid detection… StrangeMinded would have let him know. He would have noticed the gaps and the inconsistencies.
Less said about the True Gods who would take action against such tampering. There was no way they would tolerate mental manipulation on that scale.
As for the Outer Gods… if one had reached the peak of the Spectator Pathway—truly become its apex—then this world would've already collapsed under Their gaze.
A single thought is all it would take to reduce the world to ashes, if the pathway was anything like the Schrift, The Visionary.
That begged the question: why hadn't the Outer Gods invaded? Could it be that he was wrong in his concerns?
If that was the case, it would be something to celebrate.
Or maybe someone has yet to achieve it. An intrusive part of him whispered, before he shook away the thought. He shelved the line of thought for another time, when it actually mattered. It was a rabbit hole he couldn't afford to fall into right now.
"Did you hear something?" His father's posture shifted at his long silence.
Abel shook his head, unbothered by the scrutiny. "No. I was just considering the reason for my unease."
Earl De Sade regarded him quietly for a moment before speaking. "In the notes left by the Ancestor, there's a line: Beware of the Spectator."
A chill ran down Abel's spine at his father's words.
Just when he'd decided to put his thoughts aside, his father had to say something that sounded like it had been ripped straight from a horror story.
The way Spectator was emphasised instead of Visionary only made it worse. It made him rethink his previous assumption.
Could this pathway actually not be about Omnipotence? The ability to turn fantasy into reality could be considered Omnipotence—no, it was Omnipotence.
The Omni-Triad consisted of: Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence.
If he ruled out Omnipotence, which he had previously thought the Spectator pathway embodied—Imagination Manifestation—then only two remained.
Omnipresence—being everywhere all at once, fully and completely.
Omniscience—knowing everything, not just facts, but also thoughts, feelings, intentions, possibilities, and even outcomes that haven't happened yet.
Omnipresence was also ruled out.
The Spectator pathway's abilities are most aligned with Omniscience, albeit on a lower scale. The only part he remained unsure of was whether they knew possibilities and outcomes that hadn't happened yet.
Perhaps, they are the ones guiding those outcomes through psychological cues, and thus know future events—because they are the ones influencing the actions that led to them.
At that moment, ObsessionWhispers thrummed. For a moment, he thought his conclusion was correct, only to feel a lingering incompleteness.
Hmm? He went over the facts from before, revisiting his first conjecture—it was then, that his Intuition suddenly glued itself to a single word, no, two words.
Omnipotent…Omniscient
Click!
Suddenly, like a puzzle, everything fell into place.
Cold sweat formed on Abel's back. If not for Presentation and Calm & Collected, his reaction would have been more physical.
He turned his attention back to the Earl, only to see his father quietly watching him again.
"Father, have you heard of The Fool?" He suddenly asked, and for the first time, Abel saw visible surprise on his father's face.
The Monster also felt the familiar feeling of a progress bar within him move as well. I've digested the Monster Characteristic a bit…
It was the same feeling he had back in the carriage, when he tried to act like a Monster using AuraSignature. Now, the same sensation occurred again.
The feedback clearly came from his father…
Could the second principle of acting like a Monster be… unpredictability? He wasn't unaware of his current behaviour in front of the Earl. The long pauses he used to think—that was not something he usually did. But he could attribute it to the changes of becoming a Beyonder, so he didn't mind doing it before his father.
But after asking that question—after suddenly jumping from Spectator to The Fool—the characteristic had digested.
He reasoned it was because the transition had been too sudden, too erratic. Even his father couldn't have predicted such a random shift.
In the carriage, he'd learned that the first principle of acting like a Monster was to cultivate a sense of otherness, or simply put, to set oneself apart from others in a way that was unnatural. The second principle… was unpredictability—spontaneous decisions, acting on gut feelings.
A Monster is not methodical. A Monster acts on whim and instinct. His Characteristic digested even more as he came to this conclusion. It was now one fifth of the way done.
"Fool… Did this hidden existence whisper to you?" His eyes gleamed again, a sign that he was using the Sealed Artefacts ability. The next moment, Abel felt a refreshing cooling sensation wash over his mind.
It made the high-strung tension winding through his nerves ease, like a taut string finally being unspooled. The heaviness that had gathered in his mind from connecting Visionary to both Omnipotence and Omniscience—a terrifying combination he hadn't even believed possible in reality until now—gradually ebbed away.
He could think again without a corner of his mind spiraling into half-formed doomsday scenarios.
How convenient. He didn't hide the appreciation in his eyes as he looked at the ring, getting a rare chuckle from his father.
The Earl removed the ring from his finger, sliding it across the table to Abel. "Take it, it'll help you when the ravings get too much to bear."
Abel's eyes widened at the gesture, and he looked at the ring, then at his father. This was the first gift his father had ever given him—well, that was if you didn't count the various properties, land, mines, shares, stocks, bonds, and such in his name that valued at 800,000 pounds.
But if he were to rank the best gifts, Roberta would still take the top spot, hands down.
He picked up the ring, holding it between thumb and forefinger, the light catching on its polished surface. Then, he slipped onto his finger.
"Thank you, Father." He said, sincerely.
"There's no need for such words, Abel," The Earl paused briefly, and an unmistakable look of pride appeared on his face as he said, "The glory you'll bring to House De Sade cannot possibly be compared to a measly Sequence 7 ring."
What…? Abel blinked, not withholding his surprise at the unexpected words of praise.
The Earl didn't wait for his confusion to crystallize, changing the subject as effortlessly as he breathed. "That ring… It's not as harmless as it appears. You'll find it most useful, but it demands caution."
"Its first ability is Telepathy. Through either gazing into a target's eyes or making physical contact, you can forcibly draw them into a hypnotic state. From there, you gain access to their Body of Heart and Mind, allowing you to communicate with their true mental self. With this, you can navigate trauma, uncover hidden triggers, and interact directly with the subconscious."
"The second ability is Body Language Analysis." The Earl began, "As the name implies, it allows you to glean a person's thoughts through their subtle cues — expressions, mannerisms, subconscious movements. With it, you can construct a detailed mental image of the individual before you.
However, as this ring was made from a Sequence 7 Spectator Characteristic, this ability is stronger. You'll be able to mirror the reactions people expect to see, even manipulate conversations by responding precisely as they wish. Even making a mental model of someone from just seeing their picture is possible."
This would synergise well with my perception perks like Observant, Abelidly thought, listening to his father continue.
"The third ability is Psychological Cue, through eye contact, words, and a medium, you can embed a suggestion in a person's mind tied to a condition. When the trigger occurs, the subject will execute the command. Simple things, mind you. 'Run when you see fire.' 'Speak the truth when questioned by X.'"
"Can it override their will?" Abel asked, already running simulations in his head.
"Not deeply held beliefs," the Earl replied. "You can plant a seed. But if it conflicts with a rooted conviction, the mind will reject it."
Abel nodded, not questioning how his father had uncovered such information. For all he knew, it could have been divined—or worse, extracted through the darker paths of mind-breaking.
Still, he didn't hold high expectations. If it had already happened, there was little he could do about it now.
"There's also Frenzy," His father continued, "Once per hour, within a ten meter radius, you can push someone into a violent emotional spiral—terror, despair, rage. It affects both their spirit body and Body of Heart and Mind."
"Lastly, the ability I used on you, Placate. When someone is on the verge of losing control, you can stabilize them, restoring calm and anchoring their Body of Heart and Mind. It can also be used to soothe trauma, enhance memory recovery, or allow coherent speech." The Seer finished explaining.
A rather useful item, Abel mused. He could already envision how planting a suggestion through Psychological Cue might allow a high-sequence Spectator to predict future outcomes, especially if they were the ones to orchestrate them in the first place, just as he had suspected.
"As for the negative effects," the Earl's voice drew the Summoner's attention back. "Overuse—more than seven times within twenty-four hours—will result in identity erosion. You'll begin to echo others: their gestures, their words, even emotions you picked up from inside their minds. And if you're not careful, the line between who you are and who they are will begin to blur."
"Emotional blunting is the second consequence," he continued. "If you rely on the ring continuously for a month, your emotions will begin to dull. Love, rage, joy—it will become difficult to feel any of them, until all you're left with is… apathy."
At the end of his explanation, Abel's expression didn't shift, but inwardly, he couldn't help but smirk at a realization.
Strange Minded ensured that any attempt to reshape his mind would fail—unless the intruder could somehow understand how his brain processed thoughts. A near impossibility, considering his mind no longer functioned like that of an ordinary mortal. Perhaps High Sequence Beyonders which were no longer just mortals, but Demigods and Angels could.
But what if you added Perspective, which allows him to constantly change his mentality to match the most inhuman and alien of creatures?
The chances weren't even one percent. Practically nonexistent.
"I see. I'll be careful when I use it."
The Earl nodded at his words, pausing for a moment before suddenly asking, "What do you know about the Fourth Epoch?"
Abel raised an eyebrow at his father's question, but still answered, "What everyone else knows."
The casual way in which he spoke could be considered disrespectful, especially when addressing someone at the rank of an Earl. Yet, the Earl didn't look displeased at all.
And now that Abel thought about it, despite being a second son, his father had always been strangely… generous with him.
Yes, their family existed since the founding of Loen Kingdom, around a millennia old. So, they weren't hurting for money, but the Earl was generous in a way that hinted at expectation, as if he were quietly betting on Abel to succeed in something far greater than simple nobility.
And it probably had something to do with what he said earlier—about Abel bringing glory to House De Sade.
Shouldn't he be the heir if that was the case?
Could it have been the result of a divination? A prophecy? After all, something similar had happened with how the Aurora Order had come to know his Honorific Name—The Summoner—before he'd even thought about making one.
This subtle favour that his father was showing him only made him feel more wary of Antoine now.
What if Antoine saw him as a threat to his heirship?
Abel's elder didn't act hostile or display any negativity, rather, it was the opposite. He teased him and Dominique, his opinions of commoners was as you would expect of a noble, indifferent.
He put his focus on the Earl that gestured to him with a faint smile, seemingly waiting for an answer.
So an answer, he gave. "The Fourth Epoch, also known as the 'Epoch of the Gods,' when supposedly mortal rulers performed miracles and angels intervened firsthand in worldly affairs."
He leaned back in his, idly tracing the ring as he continued. "In the Northern Continent, there were three great empires that stood above the rest. First, the Solomon Empire, ruled by Solomon the Black Emperor. Then the Tudor Empire, ruled by Alista Tudor, the Blood Emperor. And the Trunsoest Empire, ruled by Trunsoest the Night Emperor."
"Apart from them, on the Southern Continent, the Balam Empire existed. Ruled by the Underworld Emperor—also known as the Death Emperor. His surname was Eggers."
He paused a beat, "For reasons unknown, these Four Emperors started a war… now known as the War of the Four Emperors."
"The only one who survived was the Underworld Emperor of the southern continent. Afterward, after some time, he ushered in what is known as the Pale Era."
Abel finished speaking, then looked directly at his father as he questioned.
"Was the Four Emperors War… a war between Beyonders?"
More than just Beyonders, Abel suspected that the war had actually been a clash between Sequence 0s.
A war between Gods.
Why did he think so?
Take the Black Emperor, for instance—that was the original, formal name of the Lawyer Pathway. From what Abel knew, most people referred to pathways by their Sequence 9 names.
Fool as Seer. Door as Apprentice. Visionary as Spectator. So on and so forth. The formal names were rarely used from what he had seen in Beyonder Gatherings he attended, perhaps only by ancient, well-informed Beyonder families.
But thanks to his perks, Abel had begun to connect the dots: the formal names weren't arbitrary. They might very well be the titles of the Sequence 0s.
Fool Pathway had The Transmigrator—someone who, perhaps unknowingly, or maybe due to the manipulations of Mysteries, named himself The Fool, and possessed what was clearly a divine kingdom-like artifact tied to the Seer Pathway.
The Sleepless Pathway was also known as the Evernight Pathway, and its goddess—Evernight.
The Underworld Emperor was also known as the Death Emperor, and in the Balam Empire—that was now divided into East and West Balam—he was worshipped as Death. The Pathway associated was the Death Pathway, with its Sequence 9 being: Corpse Collector.
As for the Visionary Pathway… Abel couldn't form a definite conclusion. But if its Sequence 0 wasn't simply called Visionary, he'd be genuinely disappointed.
It would be Aura Loss. Abel remembered the phrase—used to describe losing one's vibe or coolness
that was getting popular on that particular app, TikTok, before he got isekai'd.
"Indeed." The Earl said, snapping him out of his thoughts, before asking, "Do you know of the Five Great Nobles who served the Blood Emperor?"
Abel nodded. He was well aware, his Messenger might even be a descendant of one of them. "Abraham, Amon, Antigonus, Jacob, and Tamara."
Hmm? Was it his imagination, or did his father's mouth twitch when he said 'Amon'?
"What do you know of the Antigonus Family?"
Abel was confused at the Earl's line of questioning, but still answered, "That they served the Blood Emperor."
The Seer looked into his eyes as he dropped a bombshell the next moment, "Antigonus—the ancestor of the family—was once known as The Half-Fool."
Abel showed the appropriate expression of surprise, as it was what he was indeed feeling at the moment. For a brief second, he wondered if The Fool was, in fact, Antigonus, before ruling it out almost immediately.
Antigonus must have been on the verge of apotheosis, and even if he was weakened, Abel didn't believe it would be to the extent of acting all chummy with mortals and holding gatherings in the Sefirah Castle.
It felt more like a Transmigrator thing, to gather information by playing God.
Still—
I wonder what face the paper tiger, The Fool, would make if he knew he almost stole the name of a Quasi -God? Abel resisted the urge to chuckle. The last thing he needed was to seem even crazier in front of his father, what with all these silent pauses between questions and answers.
"Father, do you believe that The Fool I mentioned is Antigonus?" Abel asked the question the Earl was expecting of him.
The older man leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, expression unreadable. "I don't know," the Earl admitted, "But if you ever encounter Him… do not respond."
Do not respond…That was what truly caught Abel's attention. He didn't tell him to not listen, or even ignore him, only to not respond.
Could it be that his father suspected something else entirely?
Does he think that The Fool isn't Antigonus… but the De Sade Ancestor? That wasn't unreasonable.
After all, their family did possess the Seer Pathway formulas, whose origin Abel had assumed was because of their bloodline's founder. So, the Ancestor was at least Angel for father to wonder if the ancestor advanced to The Fool.
Unfortunately…Abel mused with a touch of internal irony, The Fool is neither Antigonus nor De Sade. He was, in truth, a 21st-century internet scroller with an acting habit, who—if his exploits were ever revealed—would face a social death so absolute, even the Outer Gods would cringe in embarrassment…probably…maybe.
As for himself, Abel hadn't a single voice since becoming a Monster—unless he made the conscious effort to listen, like with Fors and her curse. He could still see things—things he shouldn't—but they were just that, things he would see, yet not harm him thanks to Comprehension, Protected Soul, and Outer Reaches.
In any case, Abel simply nodded, acknowledging his father's warning, and rose from his seat once more. It was clear the conversation was over.
"Have a good day, Father." He respectfully said, different from his previous casual tone.
He walked to the door with measured steps. Hand on the brass handle, he was just about to pull when—
"Abel."
He paused mid-step, preparing to turn, only for his father's following words to stop him.
"Our Ancestor once said…The rise of the De Sades shall begin with a descendant whose Fate is such that even the Gods will not be able to control it."
What rise? Isn't the position of Earl enough for you? Do you want to start a coup to become a King too now?
Abel bit back the urge to lampoon, giving his father a short nod, "I understand, Father."
Then, without waiting for anything further, he opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind him with a soft click.
++++
A/N: I feel like this chapter has no right to be this long. The chapter title was previously: Encounter, but I had to change it.
Anyways, that's the next chapter now.
Also, do readers prefer chapter titles that actually give hints at what the chapter will be about, So, Encounter at the Harvest Church, or short titles like Encounter?