Chapter 8: Ember  

Closing the door tight, he gawked at the twins on the bed. A boy and a girl of age two, having the same light brown hair and sky-blue eyes like their mother. He smiled, his smile not matching his former smile like before. It was scary, it was daunting. The end of his lips on the verge of reaching his own ears.

"how cute…?" he said.

The children gradually woke up from his voice, wanting to whimper right after, but opening their blue eyes. they only smiled, their eyes glowing with joy. They didn't know who the hell the person before them was, but the person felt akin to the only person they cared about, their mother, not for the part where the mom would show genuine love and care but for what the person fed them.

Like when hunger strikes, they cry for the familiar taste which could only be given by non-other than their mother. Sucking on the white liquid to fill their stomach. Satiating their appetite. And the man before them did the same.

And so they smiled, gazing at his thumb, waiting for him to feed them. Something that pleased them, pleased they're being like something new, something tasty, like the many candies they ate, but way tastier like anything they had ever eaten.

Bite!

Kraner bit his own thumb. Letting a spike of blood emerge from the small cut of a wound. It was painful to a degree. But he didn't care, gazing at his thumb, leaking out his human blood. The sensation was different, The feeling was different, unlike the times when he was still a demon, as a small wound like the one he just gave himself would heal away in just milliseconds.

But he didn't want it to heal, as the blood had a purpose, may it be of humans or demons. Blood is always a good conductor, its red color gravitating something, something sinful, something corrupt. It was minuscule in comparison to the likes of the demons. So much so it was like comparing the highest mountain to an ant's egg. But even though it was so little to nonexistent. It was still there and that was all he needed.

He looked around. The spacious and luxurious room, filled with toys and nothing but toys. Every single one, made from advanced tech to keep children happy. Keep them distracted. Each item pricing in millions and millions of golden dohas.

And with the advanced security, with cams and sensors all over the place. It was safe, so much so, if one of the children gets hurt or tries to get hurt. Its sensors would catch up, turning the many dolls and toys, alive. Helping the child in every way possible.

He sighed. There shouldn't be a blind spot for the many cameras but, he had nudged some cameras from the control room, giving him the perfect spot which he was now standing upon, and after a minute or so, the cameras would nudge again, giving him half a minute with the children.

And he had time before that moment came, so he concentrated back on his other thumb, biting it the same way as he did before.

"….first the right…" he said, gazing at his right thumb. Focusing on his own blood, he slowly closed his eyes, to concentrate on what was to come.

'….let's use mother's gift again….Serahill?' he called out.

[yes Kraner?]

The voice was robotic and cold as always and If he had opened his eyes, he could see the white globe which was only visible to him and him alone. But he didn't have time. As his mind was occupied, busy peaking inside his core, which every living and breathing individual had. The one thing, which connected them to the astral plane. Where the source of every magic was derived from.

The Ember.

He didn't know how much the human beings were adept in the ways of Ember, but he knew from the day he arrived in this body. He could access it, his experienced mentality could pass through what normal humans couldn't and now with the help of this body, he could knock upon the doors that his demon form never could and touch upon the taboo which all the angels and demons oh so feared.

He once tried it, demising himself and his foes at the end. But even though he could walk upon that path as of now, the lane was still thin, disheveled, ruffled, tousled to a degree that even his foot couldn't even take a step forward but for his next experiment to be successful, he required that step, needed for what his mind was conniving for the children. For his next plan. For what was to come.

Even though he had access. The human body was still weak, so weak that it baffled him when he tried to access it a couple of days before.

And from the looks of it, it would need something akin to a miracle to adjust the path even a little and for it to match his lowest and lowest of standard, the time it required would cross many centuries, which his human body sorely lacked.

And to solve this abysmal problem, he had a miracle of his own. 'Serahill, place 30 points on the Ember constitution.' He ordered.

[….Done! Ember: 55 => Ember: 85.]

[congratulations! You can now carry out basic level spells.]

'….hmm, I thought I had to wait until 100 but, it's ok now, I guess.'

he could feel it, his core magnifying slightly. The broken and thin lane stretched to a degree that he could take only half a step ahead.

He smiled, knowing it had worked again, who knew with the help of the system, the same process which took him years and years of suffering would turn so simple. Only adding some points which he garnered a few days ago and Wala…

And from his online research, he found out, this era still hadn't found ways to increase its touch upon Ember. As they had little by no knowledge of what the true element behind Ember really was. They see it as only a source, a constitution from which their magic spells derived from. Some had high, some had low. Their composition, fixed from the moment they were born. If a child was born with a hundred, it would forever remain a hundred until the end of their mortal lives.

And his body was worse of the worse, only having thirty-six points on his Ember constitution, which he checked on his own system, as his IIS was still showed nothing but a blank. He first laughed at his own body. Not from hypocrisy but from amusement. Like his former self, grinding was his thing, turning from a weak pebble to a sturdy mountain that ripped the high heavens itself.

He loved it, pressing on the strong who thought him as weak. The disbelief on their face as they turn from hateful to despair.

With that in mind, he took his half step on his road within his core, feeling his inner mind expand slightly. He could feel them, the closing sensation towards the many sins, he was familiar with, and he could also see them, the white path of roots, leading him to the virtues of humankind.

He was never tired, feeling the sensation of the naïve feelings inclining towards, what they call goodness. But he didn't let it touch him, touch his personality, as it was only weakness. A weakness which he knew plenty off, as he used it face the creations of the almighty ones.

What he needed was the triumphing power. the power like of those mighty angelic warriors whose will was said to be ironclad, and their devotion, never-diminishing.

Yes, he only wanted that. With his little reach, his finger reached to those pieces. Letting it touch his thumb, in the same spot which he bit himself. Letting it pass through him. he could feel it. it wasn't much but the warm sensation was surely an indication.

He did the same, with his other hand, but this one was reaching toward the complete opposite, which he already mastered. But what use was the power which he couldn't grasp, his finger only reaching it the same. Letting it flow through him like the virtues, the sensation of coldness and hunger, slowly rousing within.

He took a long breath in and out, calming his mind, as his body was slowly shaking, his forehead gradually drenching in sweat. Like a person suffering from heavy fever, he was down cold, feeling the low temperature with his heating body.

He opened his eyes, a bit red and tired, but he needed to move as the camera movement would occur the second later. He gazed at his side and at the smiling children. A smile, creeping up once more.

"bone appetite…" he said, letting his left thumb be sucked by the boy and his right to the twin sister. "drink well and feel the change, as it will enhance your pitiful body in the future."

Like before, both of them happily drank his blood, like delicious nectar from their parent. They drank and they drank until finally the camera slowly paneled towards them once more, and with that, he withdrew what he had given. The children wanted to whimper, as they wanted to drink more, but a single gesture of kraner's finger on his lips, silence them like usual.

Why wouldn't they, he had trained them in a way in these few days that if they listened. He would let them drink that delicious drink more. And what could a normal child want? Letting their hunger consume their innocent actions.

Click!

The sound of the door knub clicked, the white light of the hallway reaching the half deem room inside. Reaching the silver-haired boy as he turned to see who disturbed the children of the elder. As such actions would have cold consequences, and he also didn't like to be disturbed, as he wanted to try other experiments as well.

But what a shame, the person was nonother than the personal maid of the elder.

"...Ms. Jessica, can I help you?" he whispered, his hushed tone showing his nature like a humble caretaker.

Jessica gazed at him, then the children of her mistress. They were awake, with a smile on their lips as they were waving their hands at the man before them. She gritted her teeth. the task which was impossible for her, the same task which she would always get scolded for. He had done it, just like that.

"…..what did you do?" she asked, her high tone, like of an interrogator. She didn't care if the children started crying. As she would blame it on the man before her. she stared at him, his once disheveled face which she used to kick on as a stress relief now shining with confidence.

"….i know you did something, tell me, slave… I can tell the camera nudges are your doings…"

The children hearing the sudden shout wanted to cry right after but they felt something warm on their back, as they got lifted in the air. Leaning on the wide and warm chest of the one who fed them the likes of which they had never drunk.

"….I don't know what you might be talking about, Ms. Jessica." He said, his eyes not looking at her glare. He only looked at the cute brown-haired children, still smiling as he slowly shook them. Giving them a sense of care and peace. "…as you can see, I am just doing my job….just because someone is better than you, doesn't mean they are using trickery to achieve it," he replied with a smile, his gaze now looking at her cold eyes. The same eyes as of the head maid before and like her, she fazed right after, her gaze now looking elsewhere. Feeling the same notion from his domineering look.

"….smile all you want, you….you are nothing but a slave. A slave who doesn't even have a quarter of what I have, a slave who doesn't own a single wealth, a slave who doesn't even have a name of his own…..oh how pitiful you are…" She said in defiance, trying to hide her whimper of gaze from before.

She couldn't help but say it out loud. Trying to uphold her pride. She didn't know the insect would grow so much that his eyes could look down at her, her a maid who was second in command of the 'cancer grade hospital'. And she would soon be the CEO if she had her mistress's blessings but all went down the drain just because an insect which she pushed around was now back, his puny gaze trying to match hers, match her own excellence.

'…..how dare he, look at me like that…' she thought as she gazed at him smile even more.

Why wouldn't he, as he saw the fire within her burning bright, trickled from her pride and wrath, and it was all directed towards him and him alone.

[…..the sin of pride detected]

[…..the sin of wrath detected]

[ Congratulations! You now have 2 points.]

'….hahahaha.'