Razeal's voice returned, calm, anchoring. "So… what ability do you have?" He nodded faintly, as if already certain of the answer but unwilling to leave it unspoken.

The old man's eyes glinted faintly. His lips curved into a crooked smile. "I can take any three abilities from any being," he said, pausing deliberately. "One ability from one being, no more. But once I take it…" His gaze flicked to the dead marlin still sprawled on the deck. "…they die."

The words hung heavy in the salt-stained air.

Yograj turned his head back to the fish, his tone dropping into something almost thoughtful, almost casual. "I should catch another of these black marlins. They're one of the fastest swimmers in the sea. This one.." he lifted his palm briefly, flexing his thick fingers, "I only absorbed its ability to breathe underwater. But next time? Its speed would be useful."

He spoke of killing and harvesting abilities as though he were discussing the weather. As though it were just another errand.

Razeal nodded silently, his face composed, his dark eyes reflecting only quiet calculation. As expected, he thought. The old man's words aligned with what he'd read his ability, his curse, his power. Overpowered. Terrifying. Dangerous.

And now, undeniably real.

Maria, however, was nearly trembling with frustration. She gawked at Yograj, her brows furrowing so deeply they nearly met. "He must be joking," she muttered under her breath, though loud enough that Levy and Aurora both caught it. "Absorbing abilities?" She shook her head sharply, her lips curling. "This is… this is just bullshit. Doesn't even make sense. It's like some fantasy from a drunk storyteller"

But her voice cracked as she said it. Because even as her words tried to deny it, her eyes betrayed her. She had seen that fish. Seen its body collapse under his hand, seen its life vanish with no wound, no damage. She had felt the shift in the air when its vitality was drained.

Still, she resisted. She refused to believe it. Her rationality screamed that such an ability shouldn't exist. That the world couldn't allow something this unnatural.

Levy, meanwhile, hadn't spoken. His usually calm face was taut, his green eyes reflecting something darker than disbelief. Unlike Maria, his attention hadn't fixed on the immortality claim or even on Yograj's demonstration. It had locked onto the phrase divine boon.

That phrase gnawed at him, digging into places he'd never allowed light before. His jaw flexed, his knuckles white, his thoughts hidden even as his eyes burned with an intensity none of them had seen from him before.

Aurora, on the other hand, stood rigid. Her lips pressed together tightly, her eyes unwavering as she stared at her father. She had known he might be strong. But this?

Surprise. Envy. Even a trace of longing.

Such good ability.

Then Maria's voice cut again, sharp and demanding, though her confusion still showed. "Wait..if what you're saying is true…" Her eyes darted toward Aurora, a sudden gleam of suspicion cutting through her disbelief. "…then does she" her finger jabbed slightly in Aurora's direction, "as your daughter, have some powerful ability like yours? And…" her voice hesitated for only a second, "…how about immortality?"

Aurora's head snapped toward Maria instantly, her pink eyes hardening. For the briefest flicker of a moment, her body stiffened, her composure cracking. The word immortal hitting her like a thorn in her chest.

Still

She didn't answer. Her lips pressed tighter, her eyes lowering slightly, retreating into shadowed thought.

"Ohh, yes? What's your ability, daughter? I almost didn't get the chance to ask."

Yograj's voice, though carrying its usual blunt curiosity, carried a faint thread of hope. He had heard Maria's doubt, and for the first time since this conversation began, his attention shifted fully onto Aurora. His deep eyes settled on her, searching, Very curious.

Aurora raised her head and met his gaze. Her expression was composed ..too composed. But beneath the stillness, frustration simmered, regrets rippled. Her lips trembled ever so slightly before she pressed them flat, as though swallowing the words she truly wanted to hurl at him.

"It never said one would receive a powerful ability," she said at last, her voice steady but hollow, her eyes flicking between Maria and Yograj. "The ability given is only what suits the person. He had something strong. I do not."

She didn't call him father. She referred to him as he, as though he were nothing more than a stranger occupying space on the deck.

The word cut deeper than a blade, though Yograj gave no outward sign of pain. He only sighed, his broad shoulders sinking. She's not wrong, he thought bitterly. It'll take time. After all, I'm the one in the wrong, not her.

"It's alright, girl," he said finally, his voice quieter now, stripped of its usual arrogance. "The ability you have is best for you. If it's chosen by Him, then it will be best.. no matter how it looks. So, tell me… what is your ability?"

His curiosity wasn't just curiosity anymore. It was an attempt to reach her.

Razeal, who had been standing casually, tilted his head too, his eyes narrowing with quiet calculation. He turned toward Aurora as well. He didn't know much about her ability she'd barely been shown in the fragments of knowledge he carried from before. Only hints. Something to do with objects, control, or animation. But what it truly was… he wasn't really sure.

Levy's gaze followed, calm and unreadable, while Maria openly leaned forward, brows furrowed, waiting for an answer.

Aurora's fingers clenched at her sides. The air seemed to tighten around her, as though she were bracing against invisible chains. At last, she extended her hand slowly.

"I…I don't really know" She hesitated, her voice catching in her throat. Her eyes darted away briefly, but she forced them back. "But i think.. i.. I can… give emotions to non-living objects."

As if to prove it, she lifted her sunflower-colored hairpin. It twitched, almost as if alive, and then its surface shifted. A small face appeared eyes, teeth, even brows stretching into full expressions. The tiny pin blinked, then twisted into a mischievous grin, before its features scrunched into a scowl.

Maria blinked. Levy blinked. Even Yograj blinked. For a long moment, the four of them just stared at the thing in her hand.

"Give… emotions?" they murmured together, their voices layered in disbelief.

Razeal, however, didn't dismiss it so quickly. His eyes sharpened, his mind racing in silence. He leaned forward slightly, studying the hairpin with unusual interest. His gaze grew darker, thoughtful, as if he were searching beneath the surface for something others couldn't see. It's not just a toy trick. There's something more. But what?

Maria's lips parted in confusion, her mind spinning. Levy's green eyes, on the other hand, took on a deeper gleam, something thoughtful but also cold but more like deeply confused.

Finally, he broke the silence as he couldn't take it anymore. "Then why…" his voice carried a rare weight, sharp and unyielding as he looked at Aurora. "…why do you still look sad about it? Even if, let's say, your ability isn't as strong as his… you've already gained everything others could only dream of. You're immortal.. I am not."

His words cut through the air like a blade. "I'd say you're very lucky. Most people would kill for what you've been given. And you?" His voice dropped into something darker, almost accusing. "You already have what countless people wish for. Immortality. You could rip your own heart out.." his hand pressed against his chest as his voice sharpened and complicated "and you'd still live. I can't.. so why isn't that enough?"

Aurora's body stiffened. Her lips parted, trembling, her pink eyes flashing with emotion she could no longer suppress.

"Immortality for a limited time," she snapped back, her voice trembling with anger. The words came out faster, harsher, than she intended. "It's not.." She bit her tongue, choking mid-sentence. She faltered, but her eyes glistened with unspoken rage.

"They're lucky," she hissed, her voice shaking as she gestured vaguely toward the others. "He's lucky." Her finger shot forward suddenly, trembling but steady in its aim, pointing directly at Yograj. "But me? I'm not." Her words cracked like glass shattering. "I'm cursed. And it's all because of him."

The atmosphere froze. The weight of her voice dragged everyone into silence.

Yograj, who had been watching with his usual rugged calm, visibly flinched. For once, his posture faltered. He looked at his daughter, truly looked at her, and his chest tightened. Slowly sighing, he raised a hand and pressed it against his face, dragging it down as though trying to wipe away the guilt etched into his features.

His throat bobbed, words rising and dying before they could leave. The sight of her eyes burning with grief and hatred all at once robbed him of every excuse he wanted to give. He opened his mouth, then shut it. The silence that followed was crushing, suffocating.

Razeal's eyes narrowed faintly, a dark glint flickering across them. So that's what it is, he thought, piecing together the unspoken truth. He said nothing, but the shadow of understanding settled on his face.

Levy, however, was utterly lost. His brows furrowed, and he tilted his head, baffled. "What are they even talking about?" he muttered under his breath, his green eyes darting between Aurora and Yograj.

Maria's confusion mirrored his own. She looked at the pair, her mouth slightly parted, trying to make sense of the cryptic exchange. What kind of code language are they even speaking in?

But Yograj finally broke the silence. His voice was rough, strained, but steady.

"That's why I didn't want to have kids," he admitted, every word sounding like a blade cutting through him. "It was a mistake... Believe me"

The words weren't shouted. They weren't defiant. They were flat, hollow, and deeply human.

Aurora's expression twisted further, her lips curling into a bitter smile that didn't reach her eyes. She shook her head slowly, her voice slicing through the air.

"I wish you hadn't. I wish you'd never brought me into this world. Because now, because of you, I will carry this destiny. I will pay the price. You knew the consequences, and you did it anyway." Her teeth clenched, her pink eyes shimmering, and she turned sharply, her hair whipping behind her as she started walking away.

Yograj's heart sank. His lips trembled as he forced the words out.

"I'm sorry. I really… I…" His voice cracked, and he surged forward, panic in his tone. "Hey.. daughter, don't. Don't turn away from me. You know it.. Didn't i explained everything."

Before she could take another step, his figure blurred, disappearing from where he stood and reappearing directly in front of her, blocking her path. His rough hands twitched, wanting to reach for her but unsure if he had the right.

Aurora stopped, but she didn't look at him. Her gaze was cold, sharp, cutting straight past him as though he weren't even there.

Behind them, Levy crossed his arms, shaking his head with clear judgment. She's angry? Over this? She has immortality.. she has power without doing anything... Inherited And she's still mad? People would kill for this. And she spits on it. His green eyes darkened as he stared at her back, silently branding her as ungrateful.

Maria shifted uncomfortably, glancing at the two of them again. Her brows pressed together, her face still filled with confusion. None of this makes sense. Why's she so angry? Why's he apologizing? What even is going on?

But Razeal… Razeal said nothing. He only shook his head, the faintest flicker of something heavy in his eyes.

Divine blessings may shine on the surface, he thought grimly, but at the core, someone always suffers. Always. What looks like a gift is nothing but a curse in disguise. And it is always the child who bleeds for the sins of the parent.

His lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes lowering faintly. Never trust blessings. Never take them, no matter how bright they seem. Because in the end… the cost is never worth it.

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Handsome Author Asking for daily rent.. Take out powerstones and golden tickets 🔪 🔪

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