Mad God – Reborn

At the front gates, the carriage had just arrived, and Milly jumped off the driver's seat, wearing a similar butler outfit to Sentios, who was standing nearby, watching as she opened the carriage's door, helping Rabout down.

"I'm not that old, girl!" He sighed and stepped onto the ground, but Milly just smiled and didn't respond. "It has been a long time since I last came here," he said as she looked around, stretching before his eyes finally fell on Sentios.

"It is an honor to meet with your Lordship." Sentios saluted respectfully as a thundering sound reverberated behind him when Ren appeared, purple lightning flickering around her.

"Oh?" Rabout smacked his lips, watching her. "Now I believe more in the stories that Rudrick did die." He nodded and walked closer without any fear.

"He died the moment he killed my husband. He just needed time to realize it." Ren answered with a smile, greeting him with cupped hands. "My name is Ren, and I am here to take over his position."

"Position as a lord of his spire or his position as the King of the whole bloodline?" Milly asked.

"Both." She answered immediately with a wide grin, surprising Milly, but Rabout just laughed loudly.

"So full of energy, I can see some young Rudrick blood in you, girl; no question that you are his descendant!"

"Ugh… is that an insult or a compliment?" Ren asked, twitching her mouth, drawing another laugh from his lips. "Anyway, you are the first to visit me; let us go and talk inside. I prepared some tasty treats for us."

"Mmm, yeah, that sounds good. But me being the first? It is tough to believe! I was sure Keina would approach you before anybody else. As the only female contender for the throne, I was sure she would be the fastest to come for you."

"In a way, she did that." Ren nodded. "But she just sent a letter, which I ordered my men to throw out. I have no time to play stupid games and attend every nonsense party when I have my hands full." She rolled her eyes as she led Rabout into her courtyard, straight towards her spire. "If she wants something, let her come by herself. Otherwise, I have a thousand plus one things to fix."

"Ahahaha! I think I am going to like you, girl!" Rabout laughed again as Milly walked beside Sentios, a few steps behind the two lords, listening to their talk with curiosity.

"Glad to hear it. I just hope you won't change your mind midway through." Ren smiled, looking up at him with a friendly expression.

"No, I won't. I'm completely uninterested in fighting for the throne, so you only have three others to worry about, and not me. My interest is in science and not in politics."

"Science?" Ren raised her eyebrows as they arrived at her new home and led him in. When they entered a conference room, Kitten was already ready for them and served freshly brewed coffee and cookies with the help of the newly hired servants.

"Exactly. Science!" Rabout nodded proudly, quickly sitting down with Ren, clearly excited to have found someone who looked interested in his work.

"Science is a broad term. Could you narrow it down for me?" Ren raised her cup as she signaled Sentios and Milly to sit down, not just stand there like statues. Especially since Rabout seemed like someone who wasn't too bothered by etiquette.

"There were a lot of fields I dabbled in," he started to explain, raising a cup without hesitation. "I lived for a long time, so spending a few hundred years on one topic is not weird. Astronomy, alchemy, metallurgy, for example. There were a lot of topics I found interest in!"

"And are there any that you pursue currently?" Ren cut in before he could go on a long tangent.

"Creating pure energy!" He answered, almost slapping the table, excitement blazing in his purple eyes. He was saying it out with such force it felt like he was shouting, "My past 329 years, 5 months, and 29 days were all revolving around that one goal. I feel so close to it yet so far away at the same time; it is driving me mad!"

"Pure energy?" Sentios murmured. "Like the cultivation rooms in the Sect?" He asked Ren, who just shook her head while Rabout listened carefully.

"Those are just… condensers. In a sense. They draw energy from the surroundings, concentrating it for the cultivator to absorb." Ren explained, tapping the table with her index finger and watching Rabout, who quickly nodded, happy to see she at least had some knowledge of the topic.

"That is not what I am after." He added right after, "My research showed me that the energy that flooded our world more than 2,000 years ago was pure, purer than anything present now. It was such a potent force that it awakened sentience in some animals. Instantly! The first demons of our world... I want to recreate the same energy! I devised multiple methods to purify our world's energy sources, yet without true success. The energy that flooded the world that day quickly got contaminated by our world's energy. I always peel back a layer to find another one that still has impurities inside… so frustrating!"

"Interesting… you want to recreate the Cosmic, pure energy in our Realm. I don't know if you are mad or not! You just can't bring the Cosmos in; it's like catching lightning in a bottle." Ren chuckled, but her words caught Rabout's attention the moment they left her lips.

"Cosmos?" he repeated, tasting the word and chewing on his lips before something lit up in his eyes. "The Tear! So what is behind that thing called the Cosmos? The energy I seek is from there, yes?"

"Yep!" Ren nodded, dunking a cookie into her coffee cup and munching it. "If you want, I can get you to experience what it is like outside the Tear. It won't be a 100% match; that's impossible. I don't know if we could replicate that in our Realm, but it will be very similar."

"What?!" he stood up, slamming onto the table and unintentionally smashing the cup in his hand.

"Whoa, whoa, gramps! Calm down!" Ren giggled while Milly held back a yelp, especially when Rabout ignored how she called him.

"I want to see it! Name your price. I am the richest relative you have, little Ren. If you can show it to me, I am going to be your sugar daddy!"

"Pffft?!" Ren sprayed coffee out of her nostrils, not expecting words like this to come from him at all. "Sorry, but I'm a married girl. I'll never get on with another man again, sooooorryyyy~!" She looked up at him, wiping her face while Milly's was utterly red, barely holding herself together. Whether from embarrassment or laughter, it was hard to tell.

"Are you sure you are Rudrick's descendant? And not his?" Sentios asked, watching Ren slowly close his mouth, which had been stuck agape. "Your mannerisms are way closer…"

"Just so you know," Rabout turned towards him, "Rudrick is… Or was a direct descendant of my younger brother. If you check the family tree, you can trace it back to me."

"I'm better off if we do not do that." Ren shook her head. "This is more like a circle than a tree."

"Mmh, true… true!" Rabout agreed, then returned to his senses. "So, what do you need? Tell me! I'll get it ready today."

"Whoa, once again, slow down, gramps! I'll need time to recollect myself. I'll send over a list of the materials I need. You get it for me, and I'll set up a formation. After that, you can see it for yourself."

"Materials… formation…" He murmured, stroking his beard. "Good… good! If you can get the list ready now, I-"

"Now? Sorry, I'm busy. I can do it, but it would take months-"

"Then tomorrow!"

"I said it is going to take months-"

"Okay, okay, the day after tomorrow!" Rabout cut in again, impatient like a little boy before his birthday.

"Is he listening?" She leaned to the side and asked Milly, who just cleared her throat before answering.

"His Lordship is… passionate about his research. You must understand, Lady Ren!"

"Haaah… damn it. Okay. Look, give me a week, 'kay? I'll have the list ready by then."

"Wonderful!" Rabout laughed, grabbing her hands and shaking them violently. "A week! Good, I'll come by often and talk about fun stuff; it is really good to have a stroll. It freshens my mind up!" He laughed heartily while Ren just rubbed her temples.

"Damn it… I feel like I just shot myself in the foot with my own blabbering…."

…

….

…..

While Rabout was having his meeting with Ren, Daryan nervously walked up and down a corner from the main gate to the Nelvis Family's courtyard. Just as he turned back, he almost walked into Ariana, who suddenly emerged from his shadow, stunning him.

"Whoa?!" He stumbled backward, landing on his butt in the end, blinking in wonder as he watched her manifest from the ground.

"Did I scare you? Sorry!" Ariana giggled, helping him up. "We got your message. What happened?"

"I tried to ask for an official meeting, but… I was firmly rejected. The guards did not even walk inside to tell them we arrived." he shook his head dejectedly. "I should've expected this, coming here unannounced… It was a bad idea. I should've sent someone forward so they would know in advance, but I was too excited," he said with a lowered head and a loud sigh.

"Yes, that would have been a good choice." Ariana nodded, then patted his shoulder. "Still, you are dressed in a way that even their servants should recognize your position, not to mention some lousy house guards! Let me take it over for a minute."

"Y-yes, Milady!" He bowed, but she just laughed at his reaction.

"I'm just a maid." She said with a wink.

"I never knew a maid who was this strong…" he shook his head, mumbling as he followed her.

Back at the big wooden gate decorated with carved lions, the guards quickly stopped them, recognizing Daryan from before.

"Stop! This is the Nelvis Family Courtyard. Without prior invitation, it does not welcome any visitors!" said one guard, holding the hilt of his sword at his side, ready to draw it any time if necessary.

"We know." Ariana nodded, stopping before them. "We also know we arrived without any invitation or prior notice, but I think the Nelvis family should not make such a fuss about it." She looked at their faces with a friendly smile. "Please go in and inform them of our arrival." She bowed slightly as she presented an amethyst seal with Rudrick's old crest carved into it.

"..." The guard was at a loss for what to do, as now he could not play dumb like before. Refusing a Royal Seal would be like spitting in its owner's face. Outside the members of one of the Spires, no one else would dare such stupidity.

"Can I ask what the Spire of Rudrick wants with my insignificant family?" A deep, firm voice arrived just then as a middle-aged man walked out, looking like a giant boulder. He stood well over 2 meters tall. He wore an ocean-blue gown over his muscular body, his long black hair tied into a knot as he looked down at them. His dark eyes were firm, but he couldn't hide his one-part anger, one-part fear of Ariana, who immediately sensed it.

"Nothing. Also, I assume you already knew that Rudrick is dead, same for most of his line." Ariana answered.

"Most. That," He nodded at the seal, "means it is still around. The plays of the true nobles elude such small families as mine."

"Then take note that the whole courtyard had a name change." Ariana continued, not flustered by his attitude, "It is now called the Spire of Ren after my Master took it over in the past few days. My name is Ariana, and I am the personal maid of Her Highness." She smiled but did not bow toward him in the slightest as she introduced herself.

"My name is Ooda. I am the family's leader." He returned the 'greetings' the same way.

"I can't fault your people for not recognizing Young Noble Daryan here, so we won't pursue the matter." She shook her head and put the seal away.

"Young… noble?" He turned his eyes toward Daryan, who lowered his head reflexively, unable to meet his gaze.

"Yes, he has been inducted into the main family line. I thought his clothing already gave it away." Ariana laughed, playfully reminding him that they had already committed a grave offense by chasing Daryan away. "It was my Master who sent Daryan here." She nudged him gently as he shook his body. After he managed to gather his courage, with a little help from Ariana's powers, he spoke up, even though his back was soaked by now.

"Her Highness sent me here to meet with the Nelvis family and offer cooperation. Everything is written in this letter." he presented it, but before Ooda could take it away, Ariana's words stopped his hand from grabbing it.

"We should talk inside, or are we not invited into your courtyard?"

"I am only afraid it would disappoint someone of your stature," Ooda replied, keeping his hand stretched out for a moment before slowly drawing it back without touching the letter. "We are just a small family, doing some little businesses on the side, not worthy of the attention of someone from so high up." he shook his head. "We respectfully refuse the offer, or does the Spire of Rud… Ren wants to force its will onto others?"

"I see. Too bad." Ariana sighed and shook her head. "No, we won't. We are respectful of others' decisions." She cupped her hands as her eyes wandered behind the family head, watching the closed, thick wooden gates as her lips curled into a barely noticeable smile. "Let's go." Ariana suddenly turned without sparing a second glance, and Daryan pocketed the letter, embarrassed and wanting to say something, but, n the end, he just bowed and left, following Ariana.

Watching them disappear, Ooda crossed his arms before his chest, expecting them to be much, much more forceful than this. If it were the line of Rudrick from before, his guards would already be dead, and the gates would be kicked in. Nobody could refuse an offer from anyone in that dreaded spire. The same thing happened over a decade ago when his youngest grandchildren fell for one of the 'Young Masters' from the Spire of Rudrick. Her impressionable, easily influenced teenage mind was completely corrupted as she not only laid with a guy after a few months of flowery words but also got pregnant. When the truth surfaced, it caused a great ruckus in the family, but it was already too late to intervene. Worse, it turned out the so-called Young Master was not even a main member of the family, only a marginalized bastard who went around seducing young girls left and right with the name of the Spire of Rudrick alone.

"Look what you got us into once again, Ina…" he sighed, shaking his head with a groan.

In part, he blamed himself for the current situation, as Ina was always spoiled rotten. She was the only girl among his grandchildren. When he learned that she was pregnant, he was about to ensure the kid did not survive before anyone could get wind of it. So they could deny everything. Yet when it was time, he couldn't do it. Ina's heartbroken crying and begging halted his hands at the last moment. Even though she was used and discarded, she wanted to keep the life growing in her belly. No matter how hard they tried to conceal her pregnancy and even the birth of Daryan, after a year and a half, people from the Spire of Rudrick appeared at their home. They marched inside and took away the baby without offering any explanation as to why. They never saw or heard about him again since then, not until today. Ooda immediately recognized him as his face resembled his mother from her younger years.

Walking back inside the courtyard and opening the gate, his eyes immediately met Ina's. She was standing there, her black eyes filled with tears. She was sickly and thin, and her long black hair already had white streaks, yet she had only turned 32 a few months ago. She was clearly here to hear what was happening... She knew who was on the other side, yet she could not leave the courtyard. Not because she was not allowed to, but because she became a complete wreck since that day when her baby was robbed from her arms. Anytime she stepped outside, she just broke down mentally.

"Ina… go back. You are too weak to walk around this much!" Ooda sighed, trying to turn her away from the gate, but she was barely budging.

"It was him… it was him, no? Grandfather!" She said with trembling lips.

"No, it was not. He died a long time ago; I have already told you. Now come…" He led her away, feeling heartbroken. Seeing the once-feisty, cheerful girl reduced to a wreck, he cursed the Naulins with every step, every day since it happened.

"He died…? No… No! I know he is still alive! He must be a healthy boy by now, Grandpa! I know…" she murmured dazedly as she was led back to her room.

What nobody noticed was a pair of eyes watching them, melting into the shadows on the walls.

"They are a good family; we could trust them…" Ariana murmured, already deciding she needed to rope them in, as they could be a great asset to her Master.