The true patriarch

Elliot Spellman, the current patriarch of the ancient and powerful psychic family, knelt with sweat on his forehead, staring intently at the stone floor.

A few meters ahead, ascending a set of steps, was a figure seated on an old-looking throne. Due to the dim lighting in the room, the person's face was barely visible. Their eyes were light blue, and they gazed at Elliot with disdain.

"A mission," said the figure seated on the throne, breaking the oppressive silence of the room. His voice echoed, monotone and totally devoid of emotion. "You only had to complete one mission, and you failed. Not only that, but your daughter and son died. Your most loyal servant met the same fate. On top of that, the family suffered a major blow because Luke Poe gathered undeniable evidence, and you didn't even notice it," the figure continued. Their tone sounded neither angry nor mocking—it expressed no emotion at all.

"I'm terribly sorry, Patriarch Edward!" exclaimed Elliot, his voice filled with respect and fear toward the figure on the throne. He forcefully struck his head against the cold, cobblestone floor.

The dull thud echoed through the room, and a bit of blood trickled from Elliot's forehead, staining the floor.

For most outcasts, it would be strange to see Elliot calling someone else "Patriarch," when he is the head of the Spellman family. Even more shocking would be hearing the name Elliot had spoken.

The name Elliot said was Edward Spellman, a man who, for the entire outcast community, should be dead. However, he is the true leader of the Spellman family, controlling everything from the shadows.

"I told you it was a priority to eliminate Luke Poe, but you failed spectacularly, and the boy is still breathing. You launched a large-scale attack on Nevermore. I know I said the consequences didn't matter, but I didn't expect an attack of this magnitude. Why?" asked Edward.

In the end, it would have been more effective for Atlas and the others to conduct a nighttime raid on Nevermore targeting Luke, or to ambush him when he left Nevermore. They might have been discovered and implicated innocents—whether normies or outcasts, yes—but they could have killed the boy.

The consequences would have been less severe compared to the large-scale assault that Atlas and the others carried out at Nevermore.

"I…" Elliot hesitated, unsure how to answer.

"I learned that Crackstone's crypt holds the demonic book he used. A major distraction was needed so that Atlas and the others could operate freely on Nevermore's grounds," Elliot answered, deciding to tell the truth. He knew it was useless to lie to Edward, the most powerful psychic.

"The Book of Soyga…" Edward said slowly, and Elliot nodded.

"You disobeyed my order to get the Book of Soyga and keep it for yourself. You are a very loyal follower, Elliot," Edward added sarcastically.

"That's not true, Patriarch!" Elliot said nervously.

"Silence," Edward commanded, and Elliot immediately closed his mouth. He began to feel an icy chill. Frost started to form on the floor near him, reaching his hands and quickly creeping up his arms.

The cold was extreme. He had never felt such an intense chill. If it continued, he could freeze to death, whether he resisted with his fire aura or not.

"You're nearing forty and already crave a demonic book to increase your powers. You're impatient. You're not ready yet. Your father made a pact shortly after you were born. He was ninety. Be patient," said Edward.

"It's true, Patriarch. I'm impatient. I will follow your advice," Elliot replied, avoiding eye contact and speaking in a servile tone.

"You don't even have descendants now... If you gain demonic powers, it will be even harder for you to have new children. Your younger brother has two talented daughters, though they don't match your late daughter, who had two auras. What a shame the family lost a dual aura user because of your greed," said Edward, shaking his head slightly.

Elliot remained silent. It was best to say nothing. Excuses would be pointless.

"You've made two major mistakes since you took the position of Patriarch. First, you were unaware of Luke Poe's birth, the source of our troubles, and now this. Perhaps your brother would be better suited as Patriarch," Edward said, narrowing his eyes at Elliot.

"Give me another chance, Patriarch! This time I will act personally and eliminate Luke Poe. I won't let anything distract me!" Elliot said with determination.

Edward remained silent until he finally spoke, "Very well, but if you fail again, losing the position of Patriarch won't be the only thing at stake."

Elliot felt a shiver run down his spine, but he said nothing and merely nodded obediently.

"The boy has special protection now. We can't set foot in Nevermore to attack him. Any assassination attempt against him will bring punishment to the family. Doesn't that matter?" Elliot asked with some uncertainty. He didn't want to bring more punishments upon the family.

"If you kill him at Nevermore without involving third parties, the punishment is manageable. As long as you don't launch a destructive-scale attack, we can handle the consequences. Do not kill any students or teachers," Edward replied.

"As you command," said Elliot. With permission granted, he could act without fear of potential punishment. Although he had to focus solely on Luke Poe and avoid involving others, which could pose problems if the boy had any support.

"Any news of the maid?" Edward asked, referring to the only servant of the Poe family—the one who hid Luke Poe as a baby and cared for him without their knowledge. Natasha.

"The Kairia clan is hunting her down. She'll soon be our prisoner; she must be exhausted from the pursuit by now," Elliot replied.

"Oh, that clan of half-bloods accepted the request?" Edward asked with mild interest.

The Kairia clan is a group of half-bloods exiled from their families. To make a living, they accept less-than-legitimate requests, such as assassinations, theft of dark artifacts, trafficking of dangerous creatures, and other shady dealings.

In Edward's time, that clan existed, but they didn't accept the Spellman's request to hunt down the Poes. This was mainly because they didn't want to earn the ire of a powerful psychic family like the Poes. However, the Poes were no longer what they once were. Now, only a fifteen-year-old boy bore the name, and then there was his servant.

"They no longer fear the name of an almost extinct family. I have to admit, they're experts at tracking people. With their help, we'll be able to capture the servant before she reaches Nevermore," said Elliot.

"Good. Did they find out why she moved so far away from Luke Poe?" Edward asked. It wasn't normal for Natasha to be separated from Luke for so long. She must have a goal.

"No, but once they bring her here, we'll find out," Elliot said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Edward snorted lightly at Elliot's uselessness and ordered him to leave, which Elliot gratefully did.

"The Book of Soyga…" Edward murmured; his expression thoughtful.

...

Luke was gazing up at the blue sky, sitting on the grass under the shade of a large tree. A short distance away, Wednesday sat with her back straight, reading a small book.

Both were silent. Only the soft breeze and the sounds of nature could be heard. They had found a small, secluded spot near the building where Wednesday attended her beekeeping club meetings.

They had been sitting in silence for over thirty minutes—Wednesday reading without lifting her eyes from her book, and Luke staring at the sky, lost in his own thoughts.

After a few more minutes, Wednesday closed her book and looked at Luke, who seemed like a statue. A few days ago, they had made their relationship official, becoming what society would call a couple.

Wednesday had never thought the day would come when she would have a boyfriend. Throughout her life, many boys had tried to approach her, both at the normie schools she attended and at Nevermore, before her relationship with Luke developed.

However, none of those boys had caught her interest, and she quickly pushed them away since they couldn't tolerate her personality, though some were more persistent than others.

She didn't think she was capable of forming a romantic connection with anyone. If she wasn't suited to being a friend, how could she even imagine herself as a girlfriend? She saw herself as someone distant, with clearly defined priorities—her own interests always came first. The affection of others was nothing more than a bothersome detail she preferred to ignore.

However, sitting in front of her was Luke, the only person with whom no problems ever arose. Not because she had changed, but because Luke was so similar to her. They both shared an innate arrogance, a certain narcissism, and a lack of interest in conventional relationships. Like her, Luke had no qualms about putting his own needs first.

On top of that, they were both geniuses, far superior to others their age when it came to combat skills. Wednesday wouldn't want to be with a weakling who didn't know how to fight. Luke felt the same. In the long run, he didn't want a burden as a girlfriend. It would be annoying to constantly have to protect her.

"What are you thinking about? It's rare for you to be silent for so long," Wednesday asked, her usual unflappable expression fixed on Luke.

"I thought you liked silence," Luke said, still staring at the sky.

"I do," Wednesday replied, her tone completely flat. "I'm just asking about the anomaly of your closed mouth. Instead of beating around the bush, answer."

Luke let out a slight smile before responding. "I'm thinking about Natasha."

"The housekeeper?" Wednesday asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Luke confirmed, his hand resting on his chin as if reflecting more to himself than to her. "It's been a while since I've heard from her. I wonder if she's alright," his tone was casual, but there was a hint of unease in his words—something unusual for him.

"How touching. You're worried about a mere housekeeper," Wednesday commented.

"It's more than that," Luke replied. "She's been with me since forever. Even though she didn't provide many benefits as the caretaker of the orphanage, thanks to her, I'm still alive."

Moreover, Natasha's mission was important. She needed to find the place where his parents had hidden the evidence they had gathered all this time.

Wednesday moved a little closer to Luke, enough for her shadow to stretch over him. "So, you're worried about her?" she asked.

It seemed strange to her that Luke would care about someone. The only person she knew who had affected Luke emotionally was Enid, and that didn't seem to be a big deal, since they broke their promise and had an argument, but here was Luke, in the same mood as before and not too affected by it.

"It's natural to worry about someone who has been a part of your life for years," Luke explained, staring intently at Wednesday.

"Natural, perhaps for you," Wednesday retorted, tilting her head slightly as she studied his reaction.

'You're not the one to say that,' Luke thought with a slight smile, gazing at Wednesday's face, which was just inches from his own.

From the series, he knew that Wednesday cared about her family members. When Thing nearly died, she showed deep concern. She also defended her brother, albeit in an unconventional way.

Here, although she was colder and more ruthless than in the series, she still showed concern for her loved ones. Like with Thing or her younger brother. She defended Eugene solely because he reminded her of her brother. She even wanted to save Nevermore from the prophecy and Rowan when she saw his future death.

She also helped him and showed her concern in her own way. She wasn't a robot without emotions. If she were, she wouldn't have accepted to be his girlfriend.

"I remember you telling me that you confronted your brother's abusers. That's because he matters to you," Luke said.

"Matters?" Wednesday repeated, almost as if the word were foreign to her.

"If you call worrying about someone burying your brother alive," he added.

"Burying him... What a way to show affection," Luke said, unable to suppress a slight laugh.

"Still, you were expelled from your last school for nearly killing the bully who messed with your brother. Why would you defend him if he doesn't matter to you?" Luke added.

"It's the most logical thing. I won't let anyone bother him. Except for me," she retorted, unfazed.

Luke smiled, recognizing the twisted nuance in her words. He knew that this was how Wednesday processed what others would call concern.

"Then if someone bothers me, you'd make sure to be the only one doing it?" Luke asked with a slight smile.

"If someone bothers you, I'll make sure they stop, although I doubt anyone would dare, and if you're bothered, I don't think you'll need my help," Wednesday replied.

"You're right. I'll take care of it. I don't want you to get expelled for murder," Luke said.

At that moment, Luke's expression changed.

"What happened?" Wednesday asked, noticing the shift in his expression. It went from carefree to alert.

"It's Natasha. She seems to be in trouble," Luke said, standing up.

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