Conflux System: I Can Merge Anything-Chapter 39: The House That Should Be Empty

There are people in the world so hungry that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.

But for Zane, he had to pay ten Bronze lumens to make God appear in the form of Frozen Nectar for him. And the only thing cheaper than that was to say:

"I really don’t like sweets."

Xavier still had his palms stretched out with candies and Zane didn’t look at them even once. He would stand by what he said.

"I will feel bad eating them alone. At least take one."

Zane shook his head.

"Wait.." Xavier frowned. "Are you not taking them because I stole them?"

I just don’t want to take something for free.

But Zane didn’t want to say that as he already said he didn’t like sweets.

However, that was also one of the reasons he wasn’t taking them.

"The Priest said he had placed some counter measures for stealing. I wouldn’t eat them if I were you." Zane said. "Why do you steal anyway?"

"I... It’s just.." Xavier licked his lips. "When I see something unguarded, my hands move on their own."

"Well, the way the priest spoke to you, I think he knows you stole them. If he didn’t take them back, either he forgave you or he wanted you to eat them, which is more threatening."

Xavier laughed. "You are overthinking. By counter measure he must have meant some Wardens. Don’t worry. Take it. At least one."

"I told you I don’t like them. Even if they weren’t stolen goods, my answer would still be no."

"God, you are stubborn. Fine. Don’t take them for yourself. Take one for the mouth you have to feed at home."

Zane raised his brows. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Xavier smiled. "Of course I remember it."

I am not used to people remembering my words.

"Take it." Xavier insisted.

She does like these.

Zane raised his hand towards the candies, slowly with his fist closing and opening in confusion.

Xavier rolled his eyes.

"Come on. Just take it."

Zane didn’t know what could happen from stealing the offerings but when her face came in front of his eyes, his hand went and picked one sun drop candy from Xavier’s palms.

Also, it would probably be Xavier who would face the punishment for stealing.

Zane kept the candy in his left pant pocket, not with the relic as he didn’t want it to fall while taking out the candy.

Xavier grinned ear to ear and kept the candies back inside his pockets.

"Will you eat all of them?" Zane asked.

Xavier had at least twenty candies. His fists were big enough to manage such a heist.

"I’ll finish them over these days."

"Fair enough."

"Alright then. Let’s leave now. It’s almost dinner time."

Zane scoffed. "Yeah."

Dinner and breakfast make no difference to me.

Xavier reached out his hand and Zane did the same, shifting the idol to his left hand.

They both shook hands again.

"What’s your name though?" Xavier asked. "Funny how I never asked it."

"Zane Atlas."

Xavier nodded.

Speaking of names...

Zane recalled the system window for Xavier’s as beside his name Alias was written.

"Is Xavier your real name?"

Xavier’s hand flinched.

Zane felt it as he was still holding it.

But the next second, Xavier smiled.

"It’s more like a pet name."

So the system was right. How did it know Xavier was an alias? I thought it could see and hear only what I could.

[ Synchronization. ]

You expect me to believe you can see things that I don’t even know because of synchronization?

No reply came.

What are you?

Zane received only silence again.

He shook his head and retracted his hand.

But Xavier again held on to it.

What’s with him and hands?

"You know," Xavier said. "I am also like you."

Zane let out a tired sigh.

"I know. You already said that. You are also not afraid. You are also brave. I get it."

But Xavier shook his head.

"I didn’t mean that this time."

"Then?"

"Just like you..." Xavier’s voice turned softer as he whispered:

"I also touch myself at night."

Hairs stood up all over Zane’s body.

He had said that in the church to save himself but Xavier is finding compatibility by this.

Zane was lying and Xavier was confessing.

"Why are you telling me that?" Zane barked, trying to move his hand from Xavier’s hand. Now more than ever.

Xavier frowned. "You confessed inside the church. I can’t even confess here?"

"Alright. Great. Good for you. Now that you said it, let’s go home."

Xavier smiled. "Sure."

He finally let go of Zane’s hand and Zane wiped it on his tunic. The blood had dried up so nothing stuck on his palm. But he felt some imaginary stains on it transferred from Xavier.

I have only done that once and felt weak so I never tried again. But this guy has enough strength to do it multiple times.

"Is that the truth you want to find? Stop doing it." Zane iterated.

Xavier laughed. "It’s completely normal."

"Enough about it. Go away."

Xavier laughed more and finally took a step towards the road.

Zane stood behind him, watching his back as without looking left and right, the commoner crossed the road.

Some carriages abruptly stopped because of a sudden walking man, bearing the curses from their passengers and transferring them back to Xavier.

But it took only glare from Xavier to stop the abuses.

Zane also noticed something else.

He isn’t laughing anymore.

He was laughing a few seconds ago with Zane but now he appeared as if never laughed.

Must be the thought of going to an empty home.

Xavier’s parents were dead, he didn’t mention any siblings, he was all alone.

Soon, he reached in front of his house and stopped.

Zane watched him closely.

Xavier then turned around, smiling.

Zane smiled in return.

Xavier waved his hand and gestured Zane to go as well.

Zane waved in return and finally started walking away as well.

But he occasionally looked behind, seeing if Xavier went inside or not.

Xavier also looked at Zane and while looking, he rang the bell hanging outside the door.

During this, Zane also saw a black nameplate with white words stamped on the wall of the house.

The Stanners. So his last name is Stanners. Shouldn’t it be Reivax? Or his last name is a pet name too?

Zane decided to ask it tomorrow but then... his eyes flashed.

If his house is empty, why did he ring the bell? Househelp? Maid?

Zane’s mind created countless questions and to satisfy them, he jumped behind the first thick pillar he saw.

He made sure Xavier couldn’t see him hiding.

He kept a close eye on Xavier as the commoner stretched his neck around the area.

Is he checking if I left or not?

Zane hid himself more finely, not caring about the pedestrians watching him.

Xavier looked around for a few more seconds and then he looked ahead.

He was forced to.

Because the door had opened.

Zane squinted his eyes and when he saw the scene...

His pupils widened.

He clenched the pillar, as if trying to dig his nails in the white concrete.

"Hey! Scram!"

Someone shouted and Zane saw the source.

Shit.

A warden was walking towards him with his spear ready.

Zane gave one last look at Xavier.

You surpassed me, my savior.

He clicked his tongue and without wasting a second...

He made a run for it.

He mixed himself with the crowd, losing the Warden but more than the Warden what haunted Zane the most was the scene at the door.

He stumbled with the crowd at every step, not looking behind and in fact, not looking forward because only that moment stayed in front of his eyes.

The moment of a middle aged couple standing in front of Xavier with a smile.

As if they cared for him. As if they were expecting him. As if they loved him. As if...

They were his parents.