Time passed, and Elin grew accustomed to the Kraush family members, managing to suppress the feeling of rejection whenever they called him their own or their friend. Yet he was merely passing time, waiting for the right moment to ask his father the most important question.
"Where is my older brother Kaid?" Elin asked at the breakfast table on a sunny day, a broad smile on his face.
"Your brother Kaid? I sent him on a business trip, but he'll return soon. Have you missed him?"
"Yes!"
Everyone was puzzled by Elin's reaction to his father's question, unaware that young Kaid despised him, secretly wishing that street dogs would tear him apart before leaving.
"Damn… that's awkward," Elin muttered in his mind, a foolish smile covering his embarrassment.
"Ahem! Anyway, he'll be back soon, so don't worry," his father said.
"Soon? Can't you be more specific?"
"I can't, unfortunately. He's delivering an important shipment of rare metals for some influential people, and he's in charge of protecting it, so I can't promise when he'll return—or if he'll return at all."
"My dear!" Frieda called out to her husband.
"It's the truth. His brother must know. Even though I told Kaid we shouldn't accept that order… he knows that anyone who messes with the False Lambs doesn't survive."
"This is not something you discuss with Elin, especially not during breakfast!"
"Who are the False Lambs?" Elin asked.
"Bad people, we don't talk about them! Right, dear Gram?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"And why not? He's old enough. As a member of the Kraush family, he needs to know who his allies are and who his enemies are!"
The third son of the Kraush family, Alkham, spoke with a nauseatingly arrogant tone, as if addressing a street animal.
"Alkham," Frieda called out, but he ignored her, staring at Elin, waiting for his answer.
"Tell me, Alkham," Elin replied with the same smile and disdainful look, crossing one leg over the other as he awaited his brother's response.
"Quiet! The False Lambs are a notorious family living in the far east of Tawan city. All their dealings are suspicious. Some say they're sorcerers, offering sacrifices to the Ends to prosper their business."
"That's enough, Alkham! Go to your room immediately!"
"I was leaving anyway," Alkham muttered.
As he left the dining room, all eyes followed him, annoyed. He approached his younger brother Elin's chair and whispered in his ear:
"But the truth is… they use the Cursed Supplicant Transcendent."
Alkham left the room. Everyone tried to continue their meal, but in reality, their appetite had vanished. The False Lambs were a dangerous family in the world of Transcendents; no one dared meddle with them. Unlike other noble families, they used their Transcendent on both non-Transcendents and Transcendents alike.
After finishing their meals, Elin went upstairs to the floor where all the Kraush men's bedrooms were located. He headed straight to his brother Alkham's room and knocked.
"Who's there?"
"It's me, Elin."
"What do you want, annoying little brat? Are you trying to befriend me or something?"
"What are you saying… aren't we brothers?"
Alkham opened the door angrily, giving Elin a look filled with centuries of hatred, scratching the doorframe in his fury.
"Don't speak of what you don't understand! You've changed since waking from that coma, trying to be nice to everyone, you little bastard. Is this really you, or someone else?"
"What do you mean?" Elin tried to counter Alkham's words with surprise, but the reality that Alkham noticed the change showed he wasn't blending into the youngest Kraush role convincingly.
"Maybe you've fooled everyone, but you won't fool me! I know that selfish bastard better than anyone."
Alkham's eyes reflected frustration, not hatred or anger, but fear—a look of shock from the past.
That glance made Elin think: What was the personality of the original owner of this body like…
"I just… want to know more about Transcendents," Elin said.
Hearing this, Alkham swiftly pulled him into the room, locked the door, and covered Elin's mouth with his hands.
"I told you! Don't speak of what you don't understand!"
Alkham looked around to ensure no one was watching, then slowly removed his hands from Elin's mouth.
"You've become dangerous, little one. You want to learn about the world of Transcendents?"
"Yes. Are you a Transcendent?"
"Me?" A pause. Alkham's calm gaze made the situation awkward, yet it made Elin burst into laughter.
"Why are you laughing?"
"You're not a Transcendent, are you?"
"No, I'm not! But I know everything, and within ten years or less, I'll become a Transcendent!"
"Ten years? That's a long time."
"Yes, since no one will bless me. That bastard Kaid thinks it's dangerous and won't bless me! He uses a weak Transcendent anyway. Who wants that Lazy Transcendent!"
"Calm down… I don't understand any of this. What are the Transcendents and blessings?"
"You really are ignorant, huh?"
Alkham looked down at Elin, a smug smile of pride spreading across his chest.
He jumped onto the bed, looking down at his brother.
"Listen, little rascal. Legend says this world was blessed by thirty sorcerers."
"Thirty?"
"Yes, thirty! Each sorcerer blessed the world with their power, experience, principles, beliefs, and energy. These blessings are called Transcendents—or so everyone believes. Sorcerers and Transcendents, each is a greater mystery than the last."
"This is amazing!"
Both Alkham and Elin grew excited in their discussion.
"Yes! And each Transcendent is divided into levels, starting from level zero. As the levels increase, so does the Transcendent's strength."
"I get it, I get it!"
"Of course! Each Transcendent grants different abilities, with unique rituals to obtain it. Success isn't guaranteed."
"So the chances of becoming a Transcendent are limited?"
"Not exactly! That's where blessings come in. Just as sorcerers blessed the world with Transcendents, a person can bless someone else with the same Transcendent, ensuring they become a Transcendent themselves!"
"That really cuts down on all the suffering!"
"Yes! All major families in the Transcendent world do this with their descendants, working hard to keep their Transcendents within the family."
Alkham and Elin both smiled, their joy undimmed by the childlike persona of their bodies.
Alkham cleared his throat, returning to a serious expression, placing his hands on Elin's shoulders.
"Promise me you won't tell anyone what I've told you, alright?"
"I promise."
"So… do you want to become a Transcendent too?"
"I… want to know more about this. I have my reasons, and I think this is the path fate has laid out for me."
Alkham's smug smile softened into a genuine one, his eyes gentle toward his younger brother for the first time.
"That's the spirit."
Elin left the room, having gained Alkham's impression, despite thinking he would cause trouble in the long run.
"You!" Alkham called.
"Yes?"
"I… prefer you over the old Elin."
Surprised, Elin simply smiled and left. Moments after closing the door, he collapsed to the ground in pain from a thousand pounding thoughts and feelings, echoing over and over in his mind.
I hate Alkham. Damn Alkham.
That feeling kept surfacing like poison, but Elin managed to suppress it after struggling with himself.
He stood up, barely able to see, as memories formed like smoke rising from fire and mist caused by humidity.
He saw scenes of himself whipping Alkham across his body, blood dripping from him.
When Alkham went to their father, tears streaming down his face, Gram didn't scold him, only patted his head and assured him he'd be fine.
Every time, Elin tortured Alkham in new ways: once burning his skin, another time attempting to flay him with a knife.
Yet Alkham never retaliated, lowering his head and enduring the pain, showing it in his eyes.
Disgusted, Elin fought the urge to vomit, sweat pouring from his brow under the weight of these memories.
He wasn't shocked, only deeply saddened, tears falling to the ground.
The sensation of holding the whip, feeling Alkham's flesh in his hand—Elin still felt everything.
Though he hadn't done it himself, a part of him felt as if his conscience was repeatedly stabbing his soul.
"What the hell… that little bastard!!"