Chapter 8: The Insistence and the Revealed Danger
The Patriarch frowned, his icy gaze piercing Kyle's feigned disorientation. "Don't change the subject, Kyle," he said, his voice deep and unyielding. "What did you dream about?"
Kyle looked away. "It was nothing," he said, his childish voice tinged with a melancholy he could barely conceal. "Just a nightmare."
The Patriarch, though his curiosity was unsatisfied, paused. There was something in Kyle's sadness that made him hesitate. "You... you knew there was poison in the food, didn't you?" he inquired, his voice cuttingly sharp.
Kyle was startled but quickly denied it. "It's impossible for me to have known there was poison. I just felt something was wrong when I took the first spoonful..."
The Patriarch observed him. "So your hand didn't just slip, eh?" he said, his voice low and dangerous. "You threw your mother's plate because you believed there was poison in it."
Kyle looked at the time on the window. "How long did I sleep?" he asked, a new diversion tactic.
The Patriarch sighed, a sound of resignation. "You slept for five straight hours." Then, with a hint of thought: "When the first spoonful touched my mouth, I felt an intense cold, a shiver that went right to my bones. It was... it was as if a voice warned me, a terrible premonition. I'd never felt anything like it before."
"A voice?" the Patriarch asked, his tone more inquisitive. "Or a shiver."
Kyle nodded. "Yes, father. It was... it was like something bad was approaching mother. I didn't think, I just reacted."
"I see," the Patriarch said. "The doctor has managed to extract most of the poison from your system. You've been extraordinarily lucky, Kyle. The 'Night's Tear' leaves no survivors." The Patriarch stood up. "From now on, you will eat nothing that hasn't been tasted by a taster, and you will always be accompanied. Especially your mother." His gaze hardened. "I will find out who attempted this. No one attacks my family in my own home and goes unpunished." Then, his gaze fell on Kyle once more. "Your training with Alex will continue. Perhaps this... 'intuition' of yours is something we should explore."
The Patriarch left the room, leaving Kyle with the doctor. The elderly doctor confirmed the luck of his survival and gave him instructions for his recovery. Alone, Kyle thought about the threat looming over his mother and the need to investigate thoroughly.