Points of View Part 2

Walking through the garden, it was clear Lucas had created a work of art. Surrounding the gazebo, the "failures" of his craft stood proudly. Dozens of blades were embedded in the ground, and given their density, the number was likely close to a hundred.

That small sea of swords was meant to represent his flaws, but the more Gabriel looked at them, the more he realized they were perfectly functional. Each one was sharp, finely crafted, and had a unique design.

He let out another deep sigh and felt a gaze coming from above.

Following his instincts, he saw Nikki. She sat cross-legged on the balcony, wearing a white silk robe. Her eyes were on him but looked vacant, reflecting the sunrise.

He began to move the moment he noticed her absent expression. That scene had become common, and no one dared to ask what she was doing. Still, something told him not to interrupt.

Moving quickly through the garden, Gabriel did his best not to bump into any of those blades.

When he finally passed through, he noticed something else strange. This mansion was peculiar, at the very least, the heart of madness.

One person forging before sunrise, another meditating amidst the forge's deafening noise, and now, right in front of him: a pedestal full of embers made from some metal that helped retain heat.

Right above it, a damn serpent egg. Covered in scales and completely white.

Only God, or whatever existed up there, would know why Nikki brought it back. But due to some insanity of hers, no one could touch it. And when someone tried, she nearly killed half a dozen of her mother's soldiers.

Gabriel started running. He had already wasted too much time. As he headed toward the entrance gate, he felt Nikki's fierce gaze on his back. He didn't even need to look to know she had finished meditating and was now watching him to make sure he wouldn't touch the egg.

Moments later, he was climbing the access stairs to the wall. Mrs. Romanov was definitely a security fanatic. The mansion stood outside the city walls, where the north gate used to be. She had constructed another wall that connected to the city's, forming a fortress attached to it.

Gabriel didn't fully understand the military strategy behind it, but something told him that anyone trying to take down the mansion would first have to conquer an entire armed city, pass through two fortified gates, and defeat hundreds of armored soldiers, now all fully equipped by Lucas.

"Psychopath," was all he thought as he reached the top of the wall and looked at the guard captain. She was a redhead like all the Romanovs and Nikki's cousin, just older and seemingly a protégé of Mrs. Romanov.

He nodded at her, and she smiled, stepping aside. He had walked this path so many times that she had grown friendly. A rare trait in that family.

Of course, that only happened after he brought her some pastries and pretended not to notice her genuine smile for sweets.

Leaving behind the candy-loving Romanov, he found himself at the edge of the north wall with a view of the entire city.

It was insane how much the city had grown in just ten days, and how organized it was.

Except for the south side, where houses were still under construction and debris was everywhere, everything from the main road northward was fully built and operating with perfect efficiency.

And then-

He jumped off the wall.

Feeling the wind slash against his face and gravity pulling him down, he had tightly fastened Aline's spear to his back. The sensation of free-falling brought him a strange comfort.

[Acceleration]

Gabriel watched as the bracelet on his forearm responded to his will. A few days ago, after breaking through rank – 1, he developed a type of ability, mimicking the steps of some electric tigers they had once fought.

Energy surged through his veins and body as he neared the rooftop of one of the houses.

He kicked off the wall and launched himself into the air, landing two houses ahead and beginning his sprint.

When Gabriel first saw Mrs. Romanov's architectural plans, he thought they were nonsensical, houses with no slanted roofs, only slabs and water drainage paths.

Well, that was until he realized they were no longer ordinary humans. Running through a crowded city with superhuman strength would lead to accidents. So why not run above the city and avoid the humans below altogether?

It was so perfect that he was already halfway to where Aline was, and barely a minute had passed.

Stopping a few houses later, he eyed a different building. It was Mrs. Enallume's hospital, and it seemed quieter than usual.

"Guess she overdid it again, staying late treating Samuel's paladins." He sighed heavily. That woman had lost her husband earlier this year, and now her son, all in the name of protecting others. Her pain was far greater than his, and he could barely sleep thinking about that chubby nerd who had turned into a powerful lion.

His frustration reached its peak, until he saw something.

A tall, filthy man emerged from the back of the hospital. For a few seconds, Gabriel's soul froze, and his breathing faltered. That figure looked exactly like Oliver. But when the man's face turned, Gabriel realized it wasn't him.

Aside from being absurdly more handsome than the nerd, his hair was darker than night, and he had a massive snake tattoo on his forearm.

"Gods… there's no way someone who had a snake phobia a few days ago would tattoo a serpent. And worse, where the hell would he even do that?"

He shook his head but kept watching the man. Something about him felt… familiar. But he was sure he'd never seen him before. Maybe it was the eyes, those brown eyes were beautiful and eerily familiar. Or maybe it was that jacket tied around his waist?

His mind snapped out of the daydream when he realized how long he'd been standing there. He had to find Aline. But his eyes lingered on the man until he disappeared into the distance.

"Why does he feel so familiar?"