Strange, strange, strange... Kuroka had grown accustomed to it throughout her life. Her existence, the people around her, events. Everything was strange. Or incomprehensible. Or beyond her understanding. Nekomata had grown accustomed to living this way and simply getting the most out of life, mocking those she disliked along the way. But now... Now the bar for strangeness had been raised dramatically. Her encounter with the incomprehensible human mage was the very thing that raised it. Glowing icy eyes, a constant smile that seemed glued to his face, precise, measured movements, a constant sadness in his eyes... And no adequate answers! Nothing!
She still remembers that moment with the wounds and the expression on the guy's face, who looked so lost at that moment that the woman thought his soul had left his body. For some reason, this had been bothering her for the third day of her stay in the house of the strange but hospitable and kind magician. And anyway! He behaves much better towards her than Vali, and Castor also has a heavenly dragon! Only it's red, and he talks to it out loud all the time. And he doesn't hide it, unlike any other bearer. It's as if... it doesn't bother him. Definitely! Brinel clearly doesn't give a damn about the entire magical world and its secrecy.
"Hmm... This game is a very strange creation. On the one hand, it creates a competitive environment, but on the other, it generates a huge amount of negativity.
Yes... His speech was also very strange. Too abstruse, too complicated. Any word that can be complicated, the guy will definitely complicate, as if he doesn't know how to speak any other way!
"Why do these individuals react so violently to losing, so-called, 'skating'?"
"Kasto-o-o-o-o-r, nyah!" Kuroka stopped looking at the guy sitting in the chair and came up behind him, hugging him by the shoulders. He stopped surfing the Internet for some game and sighed.
"You should stay in bed and limit your movement. Although three days have passed and your recovery is progressing well, you can't be so careless with your health," Brinel said in a neutral voice, continuing to smile indifferently. Damn!
"Come on! Be more lenient!" Kuroka puffed out her cheeks and shook Castor a little, who continued to look at her with slight dissatisfaction.
"Over-simplification never leads to good results.
The woman rolled her eyes and let go of the guy, returning to his bed and falling back onto the pillow. She exhaled slowly, relaxing. These days had flown by unnoticed, and her initial fears had almost disappeared because of his attitude towards her. The calm mage made no attempt to take advantage of her wounded state, cared for her wounds, and never gave her any reason to doubt his intentions. Kuroka saw nothing but a desire to help! Yeah, another oddity to add to Castor's collection!
But it was precisely this mystery, as well as his incredible power, not only in the form of the Red Dragon Emperor, but also his incomprehensible ice magic, that stirred and attracted attention. But... Her attempts to shake the mage and get at least a shred of information or attention were met with a wall of incomprehension and denial.
"As soon as your wounds have completely healed without any consequences, you can leave my house in peace."
Come on! Even her hints about the existence of the White One had no effect! It was as if... Exactly! This mage was only interested in information, not battles or the magical world in general. But how? Every inhabitant of this side of the world was active in one way or another. Some worried about their own safety, some accumulated power and wealth, and some tried to deceive everyone and everything. Castor, on the other hand, looked like a man who would see a god, shrug his shoulders, and go on combing the Internet or reading books. Wait... Does he do anything else besides that? Kuroka exhaled and turned her head towards Brinel. He was silently staring at the screen, where she could see frames from some game.
"And I used to think Vali was strange..."
***
Castor stared silently at the computer screen, unable to believe his eyes. At first, he decided it was a momentary lapse of reason caused by processes he couldn't comprehend...
"It's kind of true."
Or perhaps it was the universe playing a cruel joke on him and his existence. But no. Reality was, as always, playing out its own script. His eyes stared silently at the title "Grim Dawn" and the screenshots from the computer game. Yes, that was it. A game based on his childhood home. Was such a coincidence possible? Within the infinite universe, yes, but mathematically, the chances of information leaking through space and ending up in someone else's head during sleep or a burst of inspiration were practically zero.
"However, this is just a parody and someone else's fantasy, not a replication of reality...
Does this scare Castor? No, not at all. He even felt... interest in this product of the gaming industry. It would be exciting to see an imitation of the reality in which he grew up. Just like walking through Kaern not as a spellcaster. To live... another life. To follow a different path, not the one dictated by eternal beauty.
But that could wait, just like the second game that intrigued him with its paradoxical nature. On the one hand, millions of players around the world played it, but on the other, almost everyone hated it, just like the company, yet they continued to waste their brain cells and energy on the product. It was intriguing. And the root causes could only be understood through personal experience, but first it was necessary to wait for Kuroki to recover. Which, in Castor's opinion, had certain oddities. Every personality had them, due to the subjective views of every living person.
"Can you express yourself normally at least once?!"
Brinel once again ignored Ddraig and glanced out of the corner of his eye as the non-human left the room. The mage believed that three days would not be enough for the woman to accept his company, but she had settled in very quickly and even began to make attempts to "stir him up," as the dragon had said. A good attitude, openness, and honesty help build relationships, but too little time had passed. Even for a statistical error.
"I am absolutely certain that this is again the influence of your rotten aura, Ddraig.
"I'm offended, that's one. And you're probably right, that's two," the dragon expressed his point of view. The mage frowned slightly, and his smile turned into a straight line. It was necessary to distract himself from exploring the new world and deal with this problem.
"We will need the knowledge of inquisitors in artefactology, as well as some practices of necromancers and mystics who have worked with pure ether," the mage exhaled and pulled a notebook and pencil towards him. Perhaps the use of electronic media for recording would be more relevant, but paper was a familiar tool.
"Entering a divine artefact created by a god unknown to me is an extremely dangerous undertaking. Without knowledge of its principles or security systems, I risk death or a fate far worse than oblivion," Castor twirled his pencil and stared thoughtfully at the paper.
"It would be much easier to perform an exorcism and drive a foreign soul out of my own, but there is a high probability of attracting the attention of otherworldly entities. The spawn of the Abyss and the Void, in particular.
"What are you up to, partner?" Ddraig asked with interest in his voice.
"Get rid of your aura, which attracts various members of the female gender to me.
"Oh, come on! What's wrong with surrounding yourself with a crowd of females? You don't have to interact with them!" the dragon exclaimed heatedly, but Brinel exhaled and began to slowly draw runes on the paper.
"I want to live a quiet, peaceful and trouble-free life. The one I was deprived of in childhood because of my supernatural abilities," Castor smiled sadly. If it weren't for chance, if it weren't for the games of the universe, and if it weren't for the Grim Dawn, he would now be sitting in his office, filling out paperwork and complaining about life. Just like everyone else. But history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood, so all that remains is to build a "new" life.
"I had many carriers, but none of them immediately wanted a normal life. But you are unusual in your own right..."
"When your life is filled with nothing but a virtual prison and a constant struggle with your own fears and external enemies..." Castor shook his head. "In the end, you either want to die or leave it all behind and find peace.
"A miserable state. I would not want to experience it again.
Castor wanted to continue, but Kuroki's footsteps reached his keen ears, so he silently continued to sketch the symbols. No. Some secrets of his life were meant only for him. Well... Now and Draygu.
***
Serapholl couldn't say how bad the situation was. Now her sister knew about Castor, and this magician was studying at the same academy as Sonochka! Was that bad in itself? No! She didn't understand the root cause of the stranger's behaviour at all, nor his incomprehensible desire to study the world around him. Didn't visitors usually bother with such things? Judging by the books, they usually tried to rise to the top of the world and gather a harem for themselves. What an unusual visitor!
The fact that he was studying at the academy bothered the Lord of Hell. Naturally, it was because of his sister! Brinel might seem stable (just a little crazy), but he could snap at any moment! Who knows what kind of bugs are crawling around in that icy head... So Serafall decided to visit the mage and warn him about Sona. Just in case. No matter how cool a wizard he is, there's always a way to deal with someone. Either sweet words, money, women... Or something worse.
"In the past, if a demon had appeared on my doorstep, I would have instantly turned it into an ice statue. Truly, people change with the times.Leviathan's benevolent smile twitched with irritation. When he's not engaged in perversions, he also likes to talk like that! Ugh! Disgusting old man!
"Hi, Castor!" The woman waved to the guy sitting on a garden chair outside the house, slowly sipping coffee, judging by the smell, and looking at the setting sun.
"If you've come to sign a contract, I'm sorry. I'm not interested in the services your kind offers," she exhaled slowly as the mage's smile became mocking and a hint of derision flashed in his eyes. What a jerk! All cold and aloof, but he still manages to be sarcastic!
"I'm not offering. I just came to visit and see how you're settling in," Serafall approached and sat down on a nearby chair. Castor did not react, turning away towards the sunset. His smile seemed to grow warmer and happier, as if the sunset brought him pleasure.
"Do you like the sunset so much?" The woman looked at the setting sun. She also found it beautiful, but it did not bring her the same joy as it did the mage.
"I rarely got to see it at home in such a peaceful setting. If I looked at it after a battle, my wounds prevented me from enjoying the moment.
Serapholl smiled understandingly. When you are deprived of something that others have, it gradually becomes a sweet and forbidden fruit. No one is immune to this, not even demons. Look, every Lord enjoys life in his own way. Sazex, for example...
"Castor..." The woman's smile vanished instantly, and her gaze darkened. She looked at the young man, who had silently turned to face her.
"Why do I sense the energy of a dangerous criminal coming from your house?"
***
patreon.com/posts/dawn-dxd-full-in-134549147