We Are A Family

Klaus breathed an exasperated sigh. He didn't want to get in a heated argument about someone wanting to take the name of an idol she was enamored. His personal values aside, there was nothing wrong with her doing that, so he shifted the conversation's topic back to the previous one.

"Ricercari, the third stage of Succession grants you the ability to use my Oubliette. Before you get too conceited, let me remind you that my Oubliette will be revamped and take on a new form altogether in your hands. What I'm trying to say is that it will be different when you will the power into existence."

"...What's the final stage of Succession?" Klaus asked the question lingering in his mind.

If the third stage already granted him such a fearsome ability, then he couldn't imagine what the final stage would bestow upon him. Perhaps he could fly in the air after all this had come to past. Or he could shoot lasers with his eyes! That would be even better!

"...Stop deluding yourself, Klaus." Euryanthe nudged him out of his daydream. "Your fantasy aside, I want you to go back to the hidden room—you refer to the Crown's Chamber with that mundane name, right?"

"...You want to go back there? Wait, the Crown is still there."

"To transcend and become an Astral—the role I had imposed on you so that this Dimension won't collapse—you have to enter the fourth stage of Succession. And to do exactly that, you must claim the Crown, for this act is its sole requirement."

"You make it sound so sophisticated."

"You make everything seem sophisticated, but they're not," Euryanthe remarked.

Klaus reached the hidden room and stepped inside languidly. He had no reason to make haste. Upon seeing the sight—which resembled close to a battlefield—he made out a glass box set on top of a pedestal at the end of the room.

The content of the glass box was none other than this Dimension's Crown.

"..." Klaus's hand reached out for the Crown, but he hesitated, his arm stayed afloat.

"...I put two and two together, and I kind of get what the fourth stage is all about," said Klaus. "The fourth stage bestows upon me complete dominion over this Dimension."

"Exactly," Euryanthe confirmed.

The glass box vanished into thin air when Klaus's hand touched it, as if it had a will of its own, acknowledging the one true owner of the Crown. First, his index finger felt the cold touch of the Crown, followed by his thumb and middle finger.

A warm feeling filled his c.h.e.s.t as he held the Crown. Sweat trickled down his cheeks.

"Wear the Crown," ordered Euryanthe.

"..."

"Your worry is not needed. Once you wear the Crown, it will disappear and take its true form as your power. The power to rule over this Dimension as its rightful owner. So, go on."

Klaus gulped at her explanation. When he stopped and thought about it, the realization that he would be able to manipulate the Dimension as he saw fit was surreal. He knew well enough how being able to obtain a small fraction of that power would change him.

Would he become callous when he wielded such power?

Would his callowness expand and spill over its current bounds? If that became a reality, Klaus feared the und.e.s.i.r.ed truth.

"...Won't you wear it?" Euryanthe asked.

"..." Klaus himself wasn't sure if he even wanted to have that power. What if he adapted to a hedonistic nature? No, the more he stalled, the more uncertain he became.

"...Hey, Euryanthe."

"Yes?"

"I know this is a peculiar thing to say after what we've been through together. But can I stay the way I am right now?"

"...? Why?"

"I feel like there's no real need for me to rule over the Dimension right now. I have this feeling that I might change for the worse. Um, what I'm trying to say is that I'll consider it sometime later—"

"How naive can you be!?" Euryanthe shouted in his mind and it startled him to the point where he almost dropped the Crown.

"You're not normal, Klaus Weber. Don't conform to the fake normalcy you'd adhere to for so long!"

"Euryanthe—"

"Face the truth. From the very beginning, your destiny has been decided. The die has been cast since your birth. You want to return to your normal day-to-day life?"

"Well..."

"You can't, Klaus Weber. Ever since you found out the truth about yourself, there's no going back. The Draugrs would never stop coming here to prey on you and seize your Crown. If you don't act now, then a stronger Draugr will seize the Crown from you."

"..."

Naive. Yes, Klaus was naive to a certain degree. But his naivete was not uncommon for a youth like him.

Nay, he was trying to think of a strategy that still adhered to the law of the world—where logic and common sense ruled above everything else. After all, the epitome of normalcy laid on the bridge linking both logic and common sense.

If one didn't stray from that bridge, then society would regard him or her as "normal". And being normal meant that individual would be accepted as a part of them. Leading a normal life was a wish quite a lot of people had. But of course, even humans had black sheep living among them.

These people d.e.s.i.r.ed more, hungered more, l.u.s.ted more for the unknown. A smaller group of people were born with talents—gifted with abilities surpassing that of average human—blessed with luck that invoked reverence and awe in those around them.

So, did these people lead what society deemed 'normal'?

Nay, such a notion was a delusion for the gifted and blessed.

They experienced hardsh.i.p.s—their families, friends, acquaintances expected to be impressed by them one way or another. Since the beginning of time, these people had marked the world's history with their achievements, and their achievements spurred mankind's advancement.

Society made them out as idols, but they never asked what their idols had gone through for them to succeed. They sacrificed their chance to become 'normal'. Why? The answer was simple. Their chances were slim and too far away from their grasp. In the end, they gave up hope.

Klaus Weber's case was no different. While he was a typical high school student during the day, he would always fight for his life during the night. If his wounds carried on to reality, his daily routine would be disrupted, and he would repeat the same thing the next day.

"...Survival of the fittest," Klaus muttered.

He couldn't hope to b.a.r.e his back toward his enemies. The moment he decided to let his guard down and become careless, he would never saw the light of day ever again.

A cruel fate. Tears started to streak down Klaus's cheeks as he succ.u.mbed to anguish.

So, he would take the Crown, for his life depended on it.