For Leonard, it was an ordinary day. Aside from a new colleague's rapid rise to Beyonder status sparking mild surprise, nothing stood out.
At least, that's what he thought until he got home.
"Someone's here."
As Leonard unlocked his door, Pallez, usually silent, suddenly spoke up.
Instantly alert, Leonard's lazy demeanor vanished. He peered inside and saw a figure lounging on his living room sofa.
It was a man in his early twenties with striking features. Noticing the door, he looked up, his emerald eyes meeting Leonard's with a hint of amusement.
Who is this?
Leonard's wariness deepened with confusion. He was certain he didn't know this young man. Where had he come from?
"Who are you? Breaking into someone's home without permission isn't exactly polite." Leonard said, eyeing the stranger, ready to act or flee.
"My apologies for the unannounced visit. I had my reasons." Alaric said with a faintly apologetic smile, watching the cautious Leonard. He paused, then added, "I'm sure you wouldn't want me visiting you at Blackthorn Security Company, openly discussing the old man inside you, would you, Mr. Leonard?"
Leonard's pupils constricted. Pallez's existence was his greatest secret. Though wary of Pallez himself, Leonard had never revealed him to anyone. To have a stranger expose this left him stunned.
If Leonard were an animal, his fur would be bristling.
Alaric offered a faint smile. "So, can we talk now, Mr. Leonard?"
"You…" Leonard frowned, hesitating. Then Pallez's voice reached him.
"You can talk to him."
"Old man, you know him? What's going on?" Leonard pressed, but got no reply.
Disappointed but resolute, Leonard gave Alaric a long look, stepped inside, and sat on the sofa across from him.
"No need to be so tense. It's your house." Alaric said, amused by Leonard's rigid posture.
"Thanks for the reminder." Leonard said through gritted teeth, then whispered, "Old man, don't play dead. What's this about?"
"I'm not sure. His aura feels familiar." Pallez finally replied, his tone hesitant. "Like… one of my descendants."
Before the words settled, Pallez saw the young man on the sofa leisurely pull a monocle from his pocket and place it on his left eye.
"..."
My apologies, I'll see myself out.
The familiar bloodline aura, coupled with curiosity about how this youth found him and his intentions, had kept Pallez engaged. But now, his spiritual form froze.
If his mind could be visualized, it'd be a screaming marmot.
Yet Pallez recovered quickly. In a split second, he noticed a key detail... the monocle was on the wrong eye.
Amon wore his on the right. This youth wore his on the left.
More crucially, if Amon had found him, this area would be sealed, and danger would already loom. Yet Pallez sensed no threat.
In a mere second, Pallez realized... this kid was deliberately messing with him.
"..."
Fists clenched. Time to discipline this brat.
"Old man, what's wrong? Why'd you go quiet again?" Leonard, sensing something off, pressed urgently.
"Shut up, I'm fine." Pallez snapped, then did something... Leonard didn't know what. A blurry shadow formed beside him and spoke, "I assume you didn't come just to spook me?"
Leonard's eyes widened, clearly unused to this.
Alaric, eyeing the shadowy Pallez with interest, asked cheekily, "If I said yes, would you hit me?"
Why the prank? Simple. Partly, Alaric couldn't resist his Joker urges... what transmigrator in the Lord of Mysteries world wouldn't mess with Pallez? Partly, it was to digest his Joker potion.
And it worked. Scaring Pallez digested about a third of the potion. For a typical sequence 9 potion, it might've melted instantly.
Not fully digested, huh? Not fun enough, or is Pallez just in rough shape? Alaric mused, still grinning outwardly.
"Hmph!" Pallez sneered. "What do you think?"
"I think you would." Alaric said, sensing Pallez might actually mean it. He swiftly pulled out an ornate iron box, sliding it toward Pallez. "Ancestor, I'm here to acknowledge our kinship and offer a gift. This is my greeting present."
"Kinship?" Before Pallez could respond, Leonard blurted out, surprised. He glanced between Alaric and the shadowy Pallez, realization dawning. "Right, you said he's your descendant…"
"Are you really my descendant?" Pallez could sense the Zoroast family bloodline in Alaric, which only deepened his suspicion.
How could the near-extinct Zoroast family, its bloodline all but withered, produce someone like this?
"My name is Alaric Zoroast. By blood, I'm indeed of the Zoroast family, your descendant, Ancestor." Alaric said openly, glancing at the shadow. "Won't you check my gift?"
***
Every 100 Power Stones and 5 Reviews will earn you a Bonus Chapter.
And if you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)