Chapter 31

The new ability that floated within my mana core was teleportation with two wisps floating around inside of it. The image was a bit difficult to understand just from a glance, it looked like a swirling blue disc that reminded me of a portal only after I looked into the ability. Again I decided to wait on the full download until later. It was harder than I expected it to be, I really wanted to know as much as I could about the ability as I could, but now wasn't the time.

Opening my eyes I saw that everyone was watching me. I gave them a smile then stepped out of the way of the bloodstone.

"What did you get?" another of the younger men asked me.

"That is something you can wait to discover after you touch the bloodstone." the butler said before I could even think about replying.

The other man clicked his tongue but didn't argue.

"So who is next?" the butler asked looking around at the other young men. One stepped forward and placed his hand on the bloodstone. It began to shine red a moment later.

"Was it brighter for me?" I asked curiously.

"Yes." Enya replied.

"The bloodstone reacts to the potential of the individual." my father said as he walked over to stand beside me while giving me a speculative look. I looked back at him for a few moments before I turned my attention back to the next man who was verifying his bloodline. I didn't have much to say to my father, while he had acted the part to an extent, it was obvious that he never believed that I was his son. I had no idea why he or my mother hadn't done a paternity test, then again I honestly wasn't sure they hadn't.

My father sighed after a few moments of silence. Then my phone dinged. I looked at the screen expecting to see a message from Karen telling me they had left the store. Instead it was another text from my mother. 'Give him your phone.'

I had to wonder what kind of ability my mother had, though I still handed my father my phone.

I was more than a little amused to see him take my phone and hold it cautiously like he expected it to either burn or bite him.

After a moment a new message appeared on my phone for him, then he started to text back. I watched my father for another moment before I turned my attention back to the other men verifying their bloodline. There hadn't been any problems, which didn't surprise me, given the fact I had gained teleportation from the stone, I could guess that the bloodline verification was merely an excuse to gift the ability to the next generation.

Several more of the younger men verified their bloodline then I got bored and looked over at the group of women that were watching. Despite being a mix of hair and skin colors all of them shared one common point. They were all very attractive. Several of the women in the group returned my gaze giving me smiles or winks when our eyes met. Having proven my bloodline seemed to have changed their opinion of me slightly. Which made sense after I thought about it. Now that I was confirmed to be one of the Wallous family's sons I was supposed to become one of their fiances. Not that I knew how to handle that. I was barely even dating Karen and Megan, and I wasn't even sure about that, and now I was supposed to be getting engaged.

To distract myself I shifted my attention back to my father. He had a very serious expression on his face as he looked down at my phone.

"You know you could give her your number and keep your conversation private from me." I told him.

"Huh?" my father asked looking up at me.

"Eventually you will have to give me my phone back." I pointed out.

"Daryl I might be from a different world, but I have learned how to erase a text conversation." he told me, giving me an annoyed look.

I just shrugged at him.

My father sighed then texted something to my mother. Then he swiped a few times before handing me my phone back.

I took it and looked at the screen but the conversation he had been having with my mother was gone. I was a bit annoyed by that as some of that conversation included information she had sent to me. A new text appeared from my mother. 'Thanks.' was all she said so I bit back my irritation and looked back towards the bloodstone.

The butler had commented on giving us supplies that would help us grow. While the teleportation ability was useful, I didn't think that was what he meant. I was sure I would find out once the rest of the guys had verified their bloodline. Thankfully there were only three left who hadn't finished it yet.

Soon the second to last man, a youth who I would guess was the youngest of us all, stepped up and placed his hand on the bloodstone. Immediately it flared up and then there was a loud pop followed quickly by the man being pushed violently away from the bloodstone.

For a moment everyone was silent as they took in the scene before them. Then the last man in line, the only one who hadn't been tested, bent down over the one who had been ahead of him. "Jens? Jenson? Jenson?!" he called out his anxiety mounting as the man didn't reply.

"Clear the way." the butler said, moving closer then kneeling down beside the youth a cold expression on his face. The man who was last in line leaned back out of the way but didn't move any farther than that.

"How entertaining. The one they were sure was a fake turned out to be true, and then the one they were sure was true turned out to be a fake." the older woman committed dryly.

The butler ignored her comment but I could see his expression and he grimaced after hearing her comment. Then the butler placed his hand on the zapped youth's chest before closing his eyes. After a few more moments he opened his eyes again, a frown marring his face. Before anyone could ask anything he reached into an inner pocket of his uniform and produced a stone that looked identical to the bloodstone, but the size of a chicken egg. He placed the smaller bloodstone on the youth's forehead and watched as it glowed red like the bloodstone had for everyone else so far.

"Odd." the butler commented then before the other man could react the butler reached out and placed the smaller bloodstone against the forehead of the last man who hadn't verified his bloodline yet. The result was immediate. The bloodstone flared up a bright malevolent red and the man was pushed away with great force hitting the wall behind him. A loud snapping sound informed us that he had certainly broken something.

The butler moved to the side of the last man and knelt down and placed his hand on his chest like he had the previous youth. He opened his eyes much faster this time with a look of anger and disgust written on his face.

"What happened?" the older woman asked.

"This man is not a Wallous." the butler replied. "Jenson is, but this one placed a spell on him that would make it seem like he wasn't. From what I could see, he intended to discredit Jenson's mother and cause a rift to form between our families."

The older woman chuckled, "Never a dull moment." she commented. "I assume Jenson's mother is from one of the major families?"

The butler simply nodded then stood up and walked back to Jenson. He knelt down again and gently picked the youth up like he weighed nothing. I watched as the butler gently laid Jenson on a couch then turned back to the rest of us. "That concludes the bloodline verification."

I almost snorted at the obviousness of the statement but restrained myself.

Then the butler snapped his fingers and black velvet bags appeared in the air in front of everyone of the younger males. "These are the supplies that the Wallous clan has prepared for you. Given the situation we find ourselves in with this world I am sure many of you have no idea what the items are or how to use them. Thankfully the ladies that you will be paired with do." he told them.

"That doesn't fill me with confidence." the older woman commented.

The butler looked over at her then snapped his fingers again and a second black velvet bag appeared in front of each of the younger males.

I grabbed both bags then peered curiously into the first bag. Inside I found a dozen egg sized white stones that glowed faintly. "Mana Stones!" Delilah and Enya yelled excitedly.

"I guess you might have other means to learn about the stones." the butler commented looking over at me with a small smile.

I merely shrugged as I wondered what was so great about the mana stones.

The door the butler had left through earlier opened and a very old man in a black business suit walked in followed by two more old men who didn't look as old as the first. If I were to make a guess the first man was old enough to be my great grandfather, while the others were old enough to be my grandfather. Maybe they were the older man's sons?

"Master." the butler called out respectfully.

"How did it go?" the oldest man asked.

"One spy, and an attempt to discredit another's mother." the butler replied.

The oldest man sighed. "I see, do you know who is responsible?" he asked.

"No, they made sure to clear his mind. I will seek out his mother to see if they left a clue in her mind, but there is a chance she is already deceased." the butler replied.