As the story continues, Alissia begins to see the downsides to her power while her group seeks the final two Primordials and builds an alliance with the Watchers to counter Avarice's forces. Meanwhile, Tymon and Za'Fia focus their efforts on persona...
Avarice sat on his throne, which turned to gold in response to his anger. He had gone to compel the humans not to worry about the recent events. When he returned, he noticed everyone except the twins were gone.
He had asked them if they knew where the others had gone, but they weren't aware of them leaving either, meaning they must have snuck away. Avarice had then decided to focus and search for their energies, where he found them each heading back to the lab already. Judging from the trajectories, he knew it was no coincidence that Junichiro and his siblings were coming from the direction of the Watchers' HQs. He immediately understood what had happened.
"Verin..." Avarice had grumbled. She was the only one who could convince the others to act against his command.
When they returned, they were shocked by his unpleasant disposition. Avarice glared at them, furious. He looked at Verin.
"I told you not to act and specifically expressed my interest in keeping the Hearts alive."
In a blink of an eye, he had moved across the room and grabbed Verin by the throat, lifting her off the floor.
"I want an explanation. Now." He demanded, holding her firmly as her skin slowly changed into gold under his touch.
Verin gripped his wrists in desperation. For the first time in over a millennium, there was fear in her eyes, something he knew only he could instill in her.
"I believe...sparing the girl's family...would...have shown signs of weakness," Verin said through strained coughs. "Weakness that the others may have tried to play on...but killing her family and forcing her to watch...then crippling her...it'll cause her to fall into despair."
"Hm. And while disobeying my order, did you manage to capture or kill any of the Primordials?"
"N-No. I had the human, Junichiro spared Damien's life for you, and the other two would've died, but they were each saved at the last second by Michael, it seems."
Avarice tightened his grip, causing Verin to kick wildly as the gold spread from her throat to her shoulders and chin.
"Then your insubordinate actions will bear fruitless. Had you done nothing as you were told, they would've eventually realized that we weren't attacking. The humans would've become anxious and unnerved while expecting us to strike, while the Primordials would've split themselves up to ensure they were prepared for an attack. Now, they no longer have a reason to separate themselves. Michael will heal the others, Tymon and Za'Fia will rejoin them, and they will stand firm against us in their time of need."
The gold had now covered most of Verin's body, making her stiff like a statue. Avarice willed the gold to liquefy, resulting in it falling to the floor as he dropped her. Verin started choking and vomiting the golden liquid as Avarice stepped away. He smoothed his hair back in quiet frustration as the others avoided eye contact.
"Father," Junichiro said, lowering his head solemnly. "Verin is not the only one to blame for this decision. I also encouraged the others to participate despite their initial reluctance. If you are angry, you should know that I am also culpable. Instead of obeying, I was too absorbed by the humiliation I experienced through Tymon and did not think twice about Verin's tasks for us."
Avarice walked up to Junichiro and placed a hand on his shoulder. While looking him in the eye, his expression softened.
"No...Had Verin not suggested such, you wouldn't have done this. None of you would have."
Avarice sighed, exasperated. Then, he directed his attention to each of them as a whole.
"I'll figure out a way to keep things afloat for a while longer, but you should each prepare for a fight. Tymon was one thing, but I doubt the rest will stay passive now that they each have a personal vendetta against us."
"It shouldn't be a problem for us," Claeg stated boastfully.
"No, it shouldn't, but vengeance and hatred are powerful motivators. I'd even call them amplifiers. We're more powerful, but they could still use underhanded tactics to gain the advantage, so don't underestimate them." Avarice advised.
"If everyone was as wounded as you say, Michael won't be able to heal them all fully since it requires more of his energy to heal one of us. Then, they'll need time to try to find a way to stop us. Hopefully, none of it will interfere with the upcoming plans, and I can still salvage something from all this turmoil," he said, then looked directly at Verin with cold contempt. "For your sake."
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Fun fact: When sensed by others, Avarice's energy feels imposing and insatiable.
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