At that moment, the door opened, and in came a tall man with a long black beard.
"Sorry to interrupt, I would like to meet this Cassian, my daughter has been telling me so much about."
The man spoke kindly, but walked at an extremely controlled pace. He held a wide and defenseless smile, and his eyes looked kind.
Alizée blushed slightly, "Father, you didn't have to say that."
"Why not? Should I not speak the truth?"
The man then sat down on an opposing couch, but did not relax his posture.
Cassian and the man made eye contact.
Instantly, the man's smile turned into a cold frown, and his eyes cautiously watched Cassian's.
"Alizée, I would like to talk to your friend alone."
The two refused to break eye contact.
"What are you going to do?" She asked, embarrassed by her father.
"Just get out." He said coldly.
Alizée noticed his demeanor and rushed out obediently.
"What did you do to have eyes like that?" Alizée's father asked.
"What do you mean?"
'I can not tell anyone why I am like this.'
"Merely awakening as an F-rank does not make anyone look like that. Even on the battlefield, few share your look."
"And what do I look like?" A curiosity came to him.
"Dead, unstable, self-destructive."
Hearing this, Cassian decided to move on. 'It's not like this will lead to anything.'
"Alizée gave me equipment worth too much, I would like to pay it back."
"And how would a poor, doubly orphaned F-rank pay back anything?"
Alizée's father's intent was not hostile, but more inquisitive.
Cassian pulled out the pile of equipment he had gotten from the muggers.
"Thirty-two pieces of common equipment."
Alizée's father froze not because of the value of the equipment, but because of what it meant. It meant he had defeated at least eleven combat students. Not something one would expect from an F-rank.
"I can see that you are not normal."
"When did I ever say I was?"
With a glance, Mr. Glacielle calculated the price of the equipment. "This is more than enough considering the cloak you gave us."
"Then could you return the remainder to me in merit points?"
A quick nod settled it; one had to get past business matters to get to more important topics.
"I appreciate your affection for my daughter, but you should stay away from her."
Cassian could tell that this was what he had wanted to say all along. He had just been waiting for the chance while observing him.
"You don't have to tell me, I know better than anyone what it means to be involved with me."
Mr. Glacielle's eyes widened.
"Those are not the words a kid should be saying."
"Then why are you considering me a kid?"
Mr. Glacielle grasped his chin to ponder.
"Then it should be fine to consider you an adult going forward." It was not a question nor a mere statement; Cassian could feel some hostile intent in his words.
"However, if I can not interact with Alizée, then I do not have a place to buy and sell equipment."
Staying too close to Alizée would be bad for her in multiple ways. However, there was still a way to support her.
"The Awakeners Association should do just fine for that."
While the surface-level conversation could be considered quite simple, each had their own hidden intentions.
Mr. Glacielle thought that Cassian was trying to gain a connection with his family to get closer to Alizée, not farther away.
"You are right, the Awakeners Association would be fine for common equipment. However, they do not offer the best prices for rarer pieces."
Cassian did not want to get close to Alizée, but he could still support her with rare equipment.
It seemed Mr. Glacielle understood his intentions.
"That would be fine, just make sure you do not hinder her, and come directly to me when trying to sell things."
The two stood to shake hands, but it was not the happy kind of handshake one would think would follow a deal. Instead, it was hostile, and Mr. Glacielle was crushing his hand.
It was a strength much higher than Cassian's; however, his regeneration was too fast, and the pain was nothing to even mention.
"You may leave now, the car will take you home."
It was not an offer but a demand.
And Cassian obliged.
…
That night, Cypher had a special torture just for him.
Inside the room were a pack of wolves.
"They will eat you, in preparation for your dungeon tomorrow."
Immediately, the wolves charged at him. Cassian was able to knock the first away, but the second pounced on him. After falling to the floor, the rest of the wolves clawed at him until he stopped fighting.
For some reason, he could not injure the animals; no damage signs went up after attacks.
'There must be no flaw if it is Cypher.'
His resistance kindled, and the wolves began to devour his flesh. Each bite was painful as the wolves hungrily stuck their teeth deep into his flesh.
He finally understood just how much the sense enhancement skill was a mistake to accept. The pain was brighter than ever; he was sure that if it was before the skill, he could have ignored it. However, now it was too blatant to his mind.
He saw, smelled, and tasted the blood in a completely new clarity. Dark red stained his very being.
'Why did I do this to myself?'
He asked again and again.
He eventually learned that the wolves' hunger never gave way. Three hours later, they were just as desperate and bloodthirsty for his flesh as they were at the beginning.
The pain had reached its peak, and when he looked at the wolves, they had become demons.
They appeared the same, but every small movement sent shivers down his spine.
The way their tails stood straight, the way their eyes focused on him like prey, the way they licked their lips covered with his blood. Every part told him he was going to die, that he was going to be devoured.
Cypher whistled, and the wolves sat just like dogs.
"That's all the time for today, good luck in the dungeon."