Chapter8: curse [2]
"How much longer are you going to stand there idly?"
The arrogant female voice echoing inside Felix's mind cut through his thoughts like a knife.
Felix was startled by the voice.
This was the fallen angel who bestowed the system and blessings upon him.
Her voice was full of sarcasm. "Although I can't blame you, kid. Your mortal mind doesn't seem to have handled the excitement of my blessings very well."
Felix frowned. "How can you speak so freely with me? Do divine laws not apply to you?"
Normally, a god or demon could only communicate with the person they offered their blessing to under certain conditions. But this entity was wandering recklessly in Felix's mind.
"Aren't you too arrogant for a fallen angel?" he asked, not hiding the mockery in his voice.
What echoed in his mind was not a laugh, but a tone richer than that, resembling the sound of bells.
"Arrogance and self confidence are two different things, little one. I am just speaking the truth. I can feel it... I saw your mouth watering when that interface called 'System' presented the abilities I gave you."
"You are a fallen angel. Why didn't the gods kill you?"
Seraphine's joy instantly turned to ice. "Kill? Those cowards? Ahaha..." Her laughter was cold this time. "Little one, for those cowards to kill me, they first had to dare to risk their own lives. I was merely cast out of heaven. You must have realized from the quality of the blessings I offered you; none of them are damaged."
This was an incredible claim. "Are you saying you are stronger than gods even though you are an angel?"
He was confused. Angels were servants of gods. Opposing them meant absolute death.
"No. I was weaker than the gods. I wasn't even counted as the strongest among angels; I can't approach those four Archangels. At most, I would be considered 'above average'."
"Then..."
"Then," she interrupted, her voice gaining a deadly seriousness. "How can I be a threat, right? Let's put it this way, little one: I wasn't the strongest. But I was strong enough to kill everyone."
Her words created an enlightenment in Felix's mind. Not the strongest, but strong enough to kill everyone. This was a terrifying balance.
Her voice returned to that playful tone again. "You admired me, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did. Don't lie. Anyone in your place would admire me. If you really didn't feel admiration, you must be a fool."
Felix sighed. "Okay, maybe I found it... a bit cool."
"Oh! So you are a tsundere. Are kids these days all like you?"
"I don't know," I replied honestly. "I never had any friends."
"Ah... So besides being weak and frail, you are also antisocial."
Felix ignored the playful attitude and turned to the real question in his mind. "Why did you choose me? You knew how weak I was. I'm sure if you waited a little longer, much better ones could have appeared before you. Why me?"
There was a moment of silence. This time there was no sarcasm in her voice; there was a deep, ancient tone.
"Why? Hmm... Because I thought you could entertain me."
"Entertain?"
"Your soul was different, Felix. I have seen millions of souls in my life, but yours was the most intriguing among them. You were shining in the middle of nothingness as if you didn't belong to this world. I decided the moment I saw you: You had to be mine. No one else's."
"You were so bright," her voice continued, sounding almost like a psychopath with a whisper. "Every hungry entity in the void that saw you flocked towards you. They all wanted to merge with you."
"Wait," I said, my blood freezing. "But I waited for a long time. No one offered me a blessing... until you came."
Seraphine's laughter rang out again; this time there was a wild pride in it.
"Ahaha! It's not that no one came, little one. They couldn't come. Because I killed them."
"I destroyed every fallen god, every stray angel, and every greedy demon that had their eyes on you. Frankly, it took quite a bit of my time. Sorry for keeping you waiting."
"You... you are crazy," Felix mumbled.
This woman was even crazier than he thought. Although obtaining a blessing from someone who could defy gods was a great chance, the entity itself was just as frightening.
"Just so you know, Miss Fallen Angel," he said, gathering his voice. "I belong to no one."
"Ahh! I've been rejected by a teenager! How cruel you are. Rejecting a beautiful angel like me, you should be ashamed of yourself. Wait... Or is there someone you are already in love with?"
"None of your business."
"Hmm, let it be so. Now it's my turn to ask questions," Seraphine said. "Now that you have obtained my blessing... What will you do?"
Felix's crimson eyes shone at this question. He clenched his bloody hand into a fist. He spoke with the ambition given by the ritual, the pain, and the new power.
The words poured from his mouth with loud, clear determination:
"I will kill."
"Who will you kill?"
At that moment, inside the room, behind Felix, a cold voice belonging to a third person was heard.
The whisper in his mind fell silent instantly. His body turned to ice. His eyes widened in shock.
Fearfully, when he turned around slowly, he saw his eldest sister Charlotte. Perched on the edge of the window, she was watching Felix.
Panic stricken, Felix hid his bloody hand behind his back. "Wha... what are you doing here?"
Charlotte tilted her head slightly to the side and asked in a cold tone.
"Noises were coming from your room. I heard a thud. I came to check."
"To check? You entered my room without permission! At least you could have knocked! Wait... since when have you been here?"
"Since I heard the thud sound," Charlotte replied, her voice expressionless.
She silently descended from the window edge and appeared in front of Felix.
Her gaze locked onto the hand Felix was hiding behind his back. She must have smelled the blood.
She reached out her hand. "Show me your hand."
This was more like an unquestionable order than a request.
Felix stood squeezing his hand tightly behind his back. He had no intention of showing his hand.
He was afraid of her.
Charlotte reached out her hand quickly and grabbed Felix's wrist. Her strength was disproportionate to her appearance.
She forced Felix's bloody palm open and looked at the wound.
"How did this happen?"
Felix pulled his hand back furiously. "None of your business!"
"No, it is my business," she said, her voice still maintaining that ice cold calm.
"You have been acting strange for a few days. I am worried you might do something stupid."
Felix's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Worried? You? You were indifferent to my existence until today, now you claim to be worried about me?"
"You misunderstood me, Felix," Charlotte interrupted. Her blue eyes locked onto Felix's crimson eyes.
"What I am worried about is not you. The safety of our family, siblinghood, our dynasty, the duchy, the empire... None of these are my concern.
She stared at Felix piercingly with her blue eyes.
The only thing I worry about is my future."
She took one more step closer to Felix. "I want to be stronger than everyone and everything. For this, I will not hesitate to use all the resources of the Crossfield Duchy. It is not my fault that you are weak, bullied by our other stupid siblings, or neglected by our parents."
She raised her hand and placed it on Felix's cheek. Her palm was ice cold.
"You can hate me, little brother. I don't care if you love me or not."
"But you, Felix... If my future is affected because of what you did," she said, her eyes shining with a dangerous light, "be sure, I will make you regret it."
Felix stood frozen in place. This was a threat different from Jaxar's bullying. This was cold, calculated ruthlessness.
Charlotte pulled her hand from Felix's cheek and walked towards the door.
While her hand was on the doorknob, Felix shook off his numbness and spoke:
"Thank you, sister. For telling me these things."
Charlotte paused and looked at Felix, wondering what he would say.
"Now in the future, against you," he said, trying to smile, "I can be ruthless with peace of mind."
Something flickered on Charlotte's expressionless face for a moment, but before Felix could understand what it was, she left the room.
The moment the door closed, Felix threw himself onto the bed. His body was trembling.
"You have a good sister, Felix," Seraphine's voice said, returning to Felix's mind.
"Are you kidding me?" he hissed. "You heard what she just told me! She threatened to almost kill me!"
"She was lying," Seraphine said suddenly, no trace of the previous playfulness in her voice.
"What?"
"She was lying. Ah, of course... You are not used to the 'Dark Eye' skill yet. It is natural you didn't notice."
"What do you mean?"
"She was lying when she said she didn't care about you. She was lying about her family. While telling you these things... her heart was screaming in pain."
Seraphine's words shook Felix. "That... is impossible. Charlotte hasn't treated me well even once in her life."
"It appears," Seraphine said, her voice thoughtful. "To protect you... she uses strange methods in her own way."
Lying on the bed, watching the dark ceiling, Seraphine's words echoed in Felix's mind.
This family was much more complex than he thought.