Chapter 7: Symbol

I immediately looked through my pockets,even inside my shirt patting it up.

"Nah, I don't have anything that can be considered as Mythos.....can I know how it looks so I can-" I am a bit annoyed by how easily he asked me for it but soon shut my mouth as I was grabbed.

His claws pierced the side flesh of my cheek and the nails dug inside, Passing through one of the cheek too another.

[I've already wasted a lot of my time, so I'd appreciate if you be serious.]

The red eyes that bore into me were actually quite emotion less.

"Then try not to be too mysterious, Midoss..." it hurts when I speak like this, my cheek gets torn because of my movements but I managed to squeeze out my voice," be clear about this deal, what you want and what I get."

[...]

He paused before, removing the hand and leaving me to pant and wince to the pain that the wound gave- hope it's not affecting me in the real world.

[Listen, Mythos is a device that the origin God's created, it's a powerful- something that can shape my fate  and I want you to find it.]

"How?" I am sure that this isn't like he'd give me a map and tell to just go and dig it out of the ground or something.

[I don't know.]

"Heh?"And his words made me a bit confused.

Midoss's enigmatic response left me puzzled and frustrated. How could he ask me to find something as elusive as the Mythos without any guidance? I needed more information.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" I asked, still nursing the stinging pain in my cheek.

He leaned in closer, his fiery eyes locked onto mine. "[The Mythos is not a common artifact that can be easily described. It's a creation of the Origin Gods, a complex device that transcends human comprehension. It has the power to shape the destiny of gods and mortals alike. To find it, you'll need to seek out clues, follow leads, and explore hidden knowledge that even I can't fully fathom.]"

I couldn't help but feel a sense of hopelessness. The task sounded incredibly daunting. "How am I supposed to even begin searching for something so mysterious?"

[Glacia, Find her tomb.]

I paused before -

"Are you out of your mind or something?" I shot back, incredulous. Finding the tomb of Glacia, a Goddess second to none, seemed like an impossible feat.

[Your mother found a way to entangle the God himself in a never-ending cycle. You should at least be able to do this much... for pride of your blood.]

I let out a heavy sigh, relenting. "And if I manage to find this Mythos, what's in it for me?"

I am sure that I won't be finding it any time soon.

" what do I get in return other than just getting out of the loop hole, as I wasn't the only one stuck in the loop, right? It goes both ways." I made it clear that I wouldn't be on the lower end of this deal.

[That brings us to the first question I asked when you came here. Do you desire power? If yes, then I'll give you the power... power that has never been seen before, a power that can never be achieved by anyone. Just polish it a bit, and you'll be the greatest.]

His voice took a higher note with each passing second as he praised this "power."

"Deal," I quickly agreed, selling myself to this mysterious bargain.

[Good, good... fantastic!] Midoss seemed delighted with the arrangement.

[now, go back. I am not a Seraph, so don't expect power to be like a Seraph's... and don't expect to meet me again. I'll come again when I need to, not when you need.]

His claw made its way towards my chest, and something felt amiss.

Midoss had his eyes closed.

[This is... how cruel and kind a mother can be at the same time.]

He muttered, and I knew he was talking about my mother, but I couldn't grasp the context.

[Get out of my realm, boy... try to live up to my expectations.]

His voice, for the first time in a while, seemed sympathetic as he slowly pushed me back.

I felt the chair falling backward, my weight shifting, and yet, I never felt the impact of the fall.

***

"Haa," I immediately opened my eyes and tried to adjust them to the illuminated surroundings.

The crowd was as silent as it could get, and everyone's eyes were fixed on me from top to bottom.

What did they expect?

I felt no different from before.

"What is the contract? Which bond did you get?" Amire walked up to me and inquired.

I pulled up my sleeve, looked for my wrist, and saw that there was nothing there.

"Seems like Asher was denied authority," Eldric's voice from my left chimed in.

"Denied of authority" was a heavy term; it meant that in that realm, not a single Seraph was willing to take me as their bond.

Which was pathetic... even the weakest individuals typically had a Seraph. Only those who were cursed or truly unlikable were denied.

"Seems true, I never saw any Seraph there," I said, opting to keep it simple rather than explain something that might be dismissed as a dream.

With this, everything buzzed with hushed voices and shocked dialogues under the guise of sympathy.

They were all amused by my failure.

I got up and, to them, I was nothing but a failed and disowned son of a Marquis, now lower than a commoner, ignored even in another realm.

"I'm sorry to disappoint," I smiled as I walked down the stage.

I sat alone at the far end of the grand hall, isolated at the last table.

"Next in line is Eldric,"but I decided to watch and see what he would get. As I'd mentioned before, "this was about the family, not just me."

I lied....it was never about this shitty family.

My chest weighed heavily; everything was crumbling. What was this Midoss guy talking about?

As I sat at the last table in the grand hall, my mind was in turmoil. The encounter with Midoss and the revelation about my mother's sacrifices had left me deeply unsettled. The weight of the world seemed to rest on my shoulders, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing some critical piece of the puzzle.

Eldric's turn arrived, and the room's attention shifted to him. He walked up to the stage with an air of confidence, his chest puffed out and a smug grin on his face. The aristocrats watched with eager anticipation, curious to see what bond he would receive.

The servant brought the tray forward, just as they had for me.

He cut his palm, and then his figure became as still as a rock - his mind in another realm.

I picked up the glass of water that was on the table, feeling the trembling of my hand. I was getting anxious.

I had wanted to live this day for the past 21 years, but now that I was living it, I felt pressured.

Tuk*

My eyes followed the sound from the left as I saw Esme sitting on the other side of the table. She had purposely pulled the chair far back so she could claim that she wasn't sitting near me.

"I never thought you'd hit a lower bottom than you already had," she mocked. She was enjoying this. "You never cease to surprise me with your incompetence. It's hard to believe that if Father didn't have big brother Eldric, he would've been forced to entrust the future of our family to your hands."

I sighed as I put the water back.

"At least I stepped down as a pure blood than a wedlock mistake," I retorted.

"....you!" She growled, there was nothing she hated more than being called out on her lineage. "Where'd you get the confidence to be this disrespectful, huh?" Her anger was evident.

After the second loop, I had let them do whatever they wanted due to my waning will to live. But now...

"Cry about it," I couldn't help but taunt.

She huffed before standing up. "Be ready to live with the servants," and left.

How petty.

As I looked back at the stage, Eldric was still in his trance, his hand extended over the block of metal. The room remained silent.

"Haaa, haaa," he gasped for air, and then he snapped back to reality.

Amire rushed to him immediately, patting and rubbing his back. "Bring water for him."

Water? I couldn't help but find it a bit anticlimactic.

Curiosity got the better of me despite my own troubled thoughts.

"I got it!" Eldric announced, and his words filled me with a sense of disappointment.

So, this son of a bitch got a Seraph.

I couldn't bear to watch him show off the nightshade floral pattern on his wrist. It was a mark of someone who had formed a bond with a Seraph. He'd still need to train, of course.

Leaving the grand hall was a relief, and no one even batted an eye.

As I walked through the corridors of the grand manor, my thoughts swirled with uncertainty about what to do next.

I entered my room, resigned to the fact that Esme would likely follow through with her threat, and I'd lose this place too. I had already been kicked from my original room to this smaller one.

"Fuck it," I cursed, frustration boiling within me. I decided to change, my room's mirror the witness to my growing anxiety. I unbuttoned my shirt, throwing it carelessly to the side. Then, I moved to the hanger, removing the rest of my clothes until only my undergarments remained.

And that's when I noticed it. A sensation on my back, a strange, tingling feeling. I spun around to face the mirror, my heart racing, and what I saw sent a shockwave through me.

"What the fuck?" I stammered. The sight was bewildering, and I couldn't believe my eyes. There, on my back, was a whole circular tribal imprint, as if it had been inked onto my skin. The symbol was ominous and unfamiliar, and it left me with an unsettling feeling of dread.

...Is this something that Middos was talking about?