Sharing is caring

Elias sat on his bed, having been escorted from the courtyard to his bedroom by a servant. Since the "lost child" incident, he was absolutely forbidden to be alone outside his room. To make matters worse, he had to share this bedroom with Yui.

He opened the small pouch he had been given and examined its contents—brightly colored sweets. After much consideration, Elias decided to hide them in a drawer. He didn't know the man's exact purpose, but he was certain the sweets were not harmless.

Just as he finished hiding the sweets, Yui entered the room, her expression one of relief. She rushed over and hugged him tightly, her arms wrapping around him.

"Are you alright? Were they too harsh on you? Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

"I'm fine," Elias replied.

Yui sighed and released him, her expression softening slightly as she meticulously checked his body for injuries. "I'm glad you're safe," she said, her eyes shining with relief. "Have you eaten anything?" she asked.

"No, why?" Elias replied, his gaze fixed on the ground.

"Good. You should take a bath and change clothes. Tonight, we will have a family dinner with your... father? And meet your stepbrother?" Yui's tone was doubtful. She wasn't sure about this strange family dynamic but decided to play along. Since Ray had officially "adopted" her son, it seemed natural for her to call him his father.

"About that, Elias... You know that he isn't your father, right? It may be weird for you, but you must still call him 'Father' and listen to him, okay?" she asked gently.

Elias nodded as if it were obvious. "Yes," he replied.

"Good. Now, let's get you cleaned up."

Yui gently guided Elias to the bathroom, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. Inside, the steam from the warm water filled the air, creating a calming atmosphere. Elias stepped into the tub, and Yui ensured he was settled before helping him wash his back.

After a few moments, Elias emerged from the water, feeling refreshed. He dried himself off meticulously and changed into the clean clothes he had asked for earlier. As he dressed, his gaze remained on the drawer where he had hidden his stash of candies. After a moment of reflection, he retrieved them, carefully tucking the pouch into his clothes.

Once ready, Elias followed Yui to the dining room, his steps quiet and deliberate. His expression remained neutral, betraying nothing of the small secret he carried.

As they entered the dining room, Yui and Elias were greeted by a table filled with delicious-looking food. Ray sat at the head of the table, his expression calm and composed.

"Welcome. Please have a seat," he said, gesturing to the two empty chairs.

Yui and Elias sat down without much thought.

"Thank you for inviting us," Yui said, her voice polite and respectful.

"It's no problem. I wanted to... see my new family," Ray replied, his tone friendly. He pointed toward a little boy. "This is my son, Raymond. Say hi, Raymond."

Elias observed the young boy closely. Raymond was the spitting image of his father, Ray, who in turn was a copy of Liandor. The boy had the same shade of brown hair and similar features, creating an uncanny resemblance.

After a few seconds of silence, Raymond still did not say anything.

"Raymond, say hi to your mother and brother," Ray repeated, his tone firm and commanding.

"...Hi," Raymond said, his voice a bit cold.

"Raymond, how old are you?" Yui asked, attempting to break the awkwardness.

"Six," Raymond replied flatly.

Elias quickly noted this information. There was a high chance he had not been awakened yet if he was six.

"I see... I'm Yui, and this is my son, Elias, your stepbrother," Yui said, her voice gentle and kind.

"Hi, big brother! I wanted to meet you, too! You look so cool!" Elias said, his tone cheerful and energetic.

Elias's sudden burst of enthusiasm momentarily took everyone aback, but they quickly recovered and smiled. However, Raymond remained silent, his expression blank.

Elias continued observing Raymond intently, noting every detail: the boy's cold and distant eyes and his stiff and guarded posture. It was clear that Raymond did not want to be here.

"Let's eat," Ray said, breaking the silence.

Everyone began to eat, and there was a brief period of silence.

"So, Raymond, what do you like to do?" Yui asked, her tone light and conversational.

"Nothing," Raymond replied, his voice flat and emotionless.

There was another moment of awkward silence.

"Well, I'm sure you have some interests. What do you enjoy doing?" Yui pressed, her tone gentle and encouraging.

"Stop asking me questions," Raymond said, his voice suddenly sharp and angry.

"Raymond, don't be rude," Ray scolded, his tone stern.

Raymond fell silent, his expression dark.

"It's okay, I'm sorry for prying," Yui said, her tone apologetic.

The rest of the meal was spent in silence. As the last bite was taken, Ray spoke.

"Well, now that we've eaten, why don't you two go play in the corridor? The adults need to talk." He looked at Elias for a few seconds and remembered that he was not supposed to be left alone. "Leave the door open and don't go anywhere else, okay?"

Elias glanced at Yui, who gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't touch any random sword you find, and call me if you need anything," she said. Without many options, Elias and Raymond headed into the corridor. Once out of the room, Elias didn't bother trying to spy on Yui and Ray; his attention was fully on Raymond. "Do you want to play a game?" he asked.

"No," Raymond replied flatly.

Elias shrugged with feigned indifference. "Okay." He then took out his sweets, carefully displaying them. "If you win a simple game, I'll give you one. These are very, very precious candies. Only very important people can have them."

Raymond's eyes widened. He looked at Elias with suspicion, then at the candies, and gulped. The strict rules Liandor enforced in the household meant he was never allowed such treats, making the sight of these candies particularly tempting.

"What kind of game?" Raymond asked, his voice barely audible. It was as if he was ready to put aside his pride for those candies.

"I'll ask a question; if you answer correctly, you get one! But my questions are very, very hard! Okay?" Elias's tone was cheerful, masking his calculated intentions.

"Fine," Raymond replied, still suspicious.

"Great! Let's start. What is the difference between a cultivator and a beast?"

"A cultivator has an aperture, but the beast doesn't have one!" Raymond replied confidently.

"Correct! You are so smart, brother! Here, take one!" Elias handed him a candy with a bright, practiced smile."Now, the next question! What are manifestations?"

"Manifestations are the only way a cultivator can express their aether," Raymond replied mechanically as if reciting a memorized answer.

"Correct! You are really smart, Raymond. Here, take another one!" Elias handed him another candy, maintaining his cheerful facade.

"Now, the next question... Are you awakened?"

Hearing such a strange question, Raymond did not want to answer for a few seconds, but seeing those candies, he folded. "Not yet. Grandpa says that I should wait until I'm seven," Raymond replied, his voice tinged with sadness.

Elias handed him another piece of candy, smiling brightly. Mimicking the man who had given him those candies, Elias added."But don't tell anyone I gave you candies, okay? I won't be able to give you more if you tell anyone."

Raymond looked at Elias's pouch with a calculating smirk. "Only if you give me the two left."

With a pained smile, Elias complied. "Sure, big brother. Here, take two more," he said, handing over the remaining candies in his pouch.

Raymond's eyes turned cold and cruel as he popped the candies into his mouth. "I won't tell anyone, but you must give me more candies, okay? Or I will tell everyone."

Elias nodded with a sad expression. "Sure, big brother... I never tried those candies. Are they good?"

Raymond, wanting to taunt him, grinned broadly. "Mmmh! These candies are so good! It's so sad you don't have any. They're so good that I feel a warm sensation in my belly!"

Elias raised an eyebrow, 'A warm sensation in your belly...' Elias reflected on Raymond's words, recalling a similar feeling from when he ate the rank 1 smoky flower to awaken his talent.

Without showing any outward reaction, he immediately deduced the nature of the candies. 'Those candies were crafted using ranked material.'

Eating ranked material is typically not a big deal for cultivators. Their aether within the aperture is stable enough to reject the foreign aether in ranked material. However, the situation is quite different for normal people. Those who have yet to awaken their aperture lack the necessary aether to repel the raw and corrupted aether found in ranked materials.

Consuming ranked material can have serious consequences for someone who hasn't awakened. The corrupted aether from the ranked material would not be expelled and would instead remain in the space where an aperture would later form, causing permanent damage and degrading their talent.

Over time, if enough corrupted aether accumulates in their system, the person's aperture might awaken on its own. However, this forced awakening comes at a significant cost: the aperture would be filled with corrupted aether, resulting in a degraded talent and severely limiting their potential as a cultivator.

In essence, while ranked material can benefit those already on the path of cultivation, it poses a substantial risk to those who have yet to begin their journey, potentially ruining their future.

Looking at the empty pouch, Elias's gaze turned cold and dark. 'This must be Liandor's retaliation. He was trying to erode my talent with those seemingly innocent candies. He thought he could weaken me by filling my aperture with corrupted aether,' Elias thought, his mind racing. 'But that is exactly what I need at the moment. I need more candies.'

He then turned his attention to Raymond, who was happily munching on the candies. 'But ... What kind of grandson would I be if I don't share with my brother? Sharing is caring, after all.'