"This is ridiculous," Kyle muttered as he walked down the pristine path that was somehow a part of Melissa’s mindscape.

He had breached into her consciousness during the blessing extraction because Melissa was reluctant to let it go.

Well, of course she was.

If someone tried to snatch away his God’s Eye, Kyle would make their teeth disappear too.

And considering that such a reaction should have been normal, WarHorse really should have warned him about something like this beforehand.

Myuri: [This stupid oaf needs to stop underestimating people. You are risking Kyle’s life here!]

Since the livestream was still ongoing, Kyle could clearly read Myuri’s frustration through the chat. And for the first time, he actually agreed with her.

WarHorse had underestimated Melissa.

WarHorse: [Trust me, it takes a very long time for a mortal to form a soul bond with their blessing. Unless someone is deeply rooted to their gift, they won’t be able to resist when it’s being taken away.]

In his defense, WarHorse quickly offered an explanation.

Ethara: [A soul bond cannot form between a mortal and a blessing unless the blessing has resonated with the vessel in perfect sync. That explains it...you trimmed your blessing to fit the human perfectly, didn’t you?]

WarHorse: [...]

Kyle briefly paused before staring blankly ahead. "Wait, seriously? You completely forgot about that and still assured me nothing would happen?"

WarHorse: [But...but little Milli has always been devoted to me. She never relied on those machines and always forged things the traditional way. How could I not have...]

Kyle groaned internally.

Despite his name, this guy definitely had a soft side.

Tharos: [She needs to die.]

That statement stunned not only Kyle, but everyone watching the chat as well.

Brawler: [Can’t agree more. She has become a variable capable of swallowing this pathetic excuse of a realm humans nurture.]

Kyle smiled wryly at the sudden involvement of his newest viewer.

Tharos: [If she harms Kyle, she dies.]

WarHorse: [No, wait! You will break the balance—]

Tharos: [I will erase the balance. Nothing is allowed to endanger Kyle’s life.]

Kyle was genuinely taken aback by how determined Tharos sounded. And judging by the panic in WarHorse’s voice, it was clear he knew exactly what Tharos was capable of.

Kyle swallowed hard.

For some reason, he was now far more worried about the world itself than Melissa or even his own life.

’I need to handle this carefully.’

Taking a deep breath, he commanded, "Use God’s Eye and locate her."

[Activating God’s Eye...]

[Host, the target is directly behind you.]

Kyle blinked in surprise before glancing over his shoulder, only to find a kneeling figure sitting there quietly, completely cooped up within her own world.

He was genuinely startled.

Even though he had passed by that exact spot moments ago, he had never sensed her presence.

’Thank goodness I can still use God’s Eye...otherwise this would’ve been difficult.’

Taking a deep breath, Kyle turned around and crouched before the girl, who sat there with her knees drawn tightly to her chest, arms wrapped around them while her lifeless eyes stared blankly into nothingness.

Resting a hand on her shoulder, Kyle called out,

"Hey, Melissa, can you hear me? Melissa? I need you to respond, or this is only going to get harder for both of us."

He gently shook her while repeatedly calling her name, trying to draw even the slightest reaction from her, but to no avail.

It felt as though he was trying to breathe life into a lifeless doll.

She simply sat there, unmoving, without the faintest sign of awareness.

Clicking his tongue, Kyle sighed. "I need you to say something if you can hear me. Melissa, do you hea—"

"Yes, I hear you."

Kyle’s soul nearly left his body.

A dark hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, making his entire body seize up.

The one who answered him was not Melissa.

Someone had appeared behind him.

Slowly, Kyle turned his head, and for the love of everything holy...the sight looked straight out of a horror story.

"Fuck!"

Kyle instantly jolted to his feet and created distance between them.

The figure wore the same clothes as Melissa, and even her body structure was identical.

But her face...

Her hollow eyes were unnaturally large, bulging like black spheres. Her lips stretched so wide they looked ready to split her face apart, while her twisted expression carried such grim distortion that Kyle instantly knew she was about to become the source of countless nightmares.

The thing stood there with its head tilted unnaturally before muttering,

"Talk to me...tell me what you want...and in return, I will take your life."

Kyle wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes sharpening as he asked internally,

’What in the seven worlds is that thing?’

[A malicious intent born from the Blessed One’s resistance. She is subconsciously protecting her fragile will to hold onto the gift, and that desire has produced this monstrosity. Host, you must suppress it and awaken the Blessed One. You do not have much time.]

Squelch.

The moment Kyle finished reading that he needed to suppress the creature, the ghostly Melissa suddenly jerked violently.

Her arms extended grotesquely, twisting, deforming, and reforming before his eyes.

What should have been arms, wrists, and fingers had now transformed into a pair of massive blood-coated saws, trembling hungrily with the desire to slaughter.

’For fuck sake, how am I going to fight something like that?’

....

Blake entered the Astortia mansion after three long days.

He had been extremely busy lately and hadn’t found the time to return home, instead sleeping in his office during the past few nights.

Walking behind him, his secretary continued arranging all the important meetings Blake had postponed, considering he had a far more important matter to handle.

Lara quietly pushed the least urgent tasks even further back, already aware that her boss would still spend a significant amount of his time arranging things for his brother.

She had worked under him long enough to understand his priorities.

"Blake!"

Suddenly, a voice called out from afar.

Both of them paused.

Blake’s eyes sharpened upon seeing the approaching figure before he calmly instructed the woman beside him,

"Leave us."

Lara gave a faint bow and quietly excused herself before the speaker arrived.

Mathew, these days, seemed capable of wearing only one expression, and that expression was painted red with fury.

"Why didn’t you inform me about Kyle’s awakening?" Mathew demanded, his brows tightly drawn together.

Blake responded calmly, "I only found out about it recently myself. Why? What’s the big issue?"

Mathew clicked his tongue, "He has been causing havoc in the town for so long...again, that boy has done something to taint our name."

Blake frowned, "Are you in your right mind, right now? Rather than being proud that your son has awakened such a strong trait and is being fought over by the central ministry...you are blaming him again?"

Mathew huffed, "What’s the point of having high potential when he is going to waste it in Montclair. Do one thing and bring him here." His eyes darkened a little, "I will educate him...properly."

Blake had to use all the restraint he has accumulated over his life from not punching the face before his eyes in that moment.

He couldn’t believe it ...despite so many things having happened, despite being insulted repeatedly, the man was still the same.

"I will give you one suggestion," Blake suddenly said, his voice eeriely calm, "Rather than Kyle you should be worrying about yourself. In due time, you would regret meddling with my affairs."

Mathew narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

Blake faintly muttered, "You will know soon. Just wait."

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop a comment.