A cruel, chilling smile spread across Ethan’s lips as he looked at his younger brother.
He placed a hand gently on Arthur’s shoulder, his expression turning grave. "Arthur, do you remember what happened right before our mother passed away? When you went close to her... what did she do?"
Arthur shook his head slowly, a sad look in his eyes. "Mother couldn’t speak because of the poison. Blood was coming out of her mouth. She simply took off this blue stone and put it around my neck... as if she wanted me to wear it like a protective charm."
Ethan nodded, though his eyes carried a dark, manipulative gleam.
"Arthur... the truth is, by giving you this blue stone, Mother wasn’t trying to protect you at all. She wanted—she wanted you to throw it away into the most deepest abyss so that it would never come near our family again."
Arthur recoiled in absolute shock. "No! Mother... how could that be?She wearing it everyday and said it’s her most precious tresure, She put it on me herself!"
"She put it on you so you could experience firsthand just how terrifying and cursed this object truly is," Ethan whispered, leaning in closer.
"Can’t you feel it? Ever since you started wearing this blue stone, your ability to sense mana has been steadily vanishing."
Arthur froze. He searched his mind, and a chilling wave of realization hit him. It wasn’t just because of their mother’s death—he remembered clearly that his mana sensing had started deteriorating at the exact moment this locket had touched his skin.
Whispering softly, Ethan twisted the knife further.
"The truth is, this blue stone constantly devours our mana. Mother only realized its true, terrifying nature right before she died. She wanted to warn you by putting it on you, showing you how dangerous it could be. That’s why she wanted you to throw it away."
Ethan paused, letting the heavy words sink in before delivering the final strike.
"But because you thought it was her final keepsake, you decided to keep wearing it. Now, tell me... do you still want to wear this cursed thing and disobey her, or are you going to take it off right now and fulfill Mother’s true final wish?"
Arthur’s expression twisted into a web of complicated emotions.
Could Big Brother actually be right? he thought, panic and doubt warring inside his chest. Did Mother really want to show me the terrifying truth of this stone... to warn me how dangerous it is and make me throw it away?
His young mind was overwhelmed, caught in a storm of confusion. But right through the haze of doubt, one brutal reality pierced through with absolute clarity—he desperately needed a successful awakening today.
If this blue was truly devouring his mana, then during today’s upcoming Awakening Ceremony, he wouldn’t be able to awaken a single element.
He would be branded an utter loser. While it was true that there was another awakening test at the age of ten, by then, he would already be left hopelessly behind by all his peers, a laughingstock in their town.
Slowly, with trembling hands, Arthur reached up and lifted the blue stone off his neck.
A heavy, sinking feeling gripped his chest, as if he were parting with something of immeasurable value. But the crushing pressure of the upcoming Awakening Ceremony outweighed his hesitation.
Desperate to secure his future, he finally slipped the blue stone completely off and looked up at his brother.
"Big Brother... where should I throw this? Should I go toss it into the lake?"
The moment Arthur took it off, Ethan snatched the blue stone straight out of his hands.
Trying to mask his overwhelming eagerness, Ethan said sharply, "Don’t even hold onto it for another second. It has already sucked way too much of your mana. Leave it to me—I’ll make sure to get rid of it properly."
"Stay here and try to sense mana."
"See if, after removing this poison stone, you can sense mana again or not."
Without waiting another moment, Ethan turned on his heel and strode out of the room.
In his distress, Arthur completely failed to notice the expression on his older brother’s face. Once he was out of sight, Ethan could no longer contain the victorious, sinister grin splitting across his face.
I did it... I actually did it! Ethan thought, his heart pounding with euphoric triumph. One of Arthur’s greatest, most monumental destinies... I’ve just snatched it right out of his hands!
Arthur... in this new life, I could easily kill you right here and right now. I could wipe out every single trace of your existence from this world. But a quick death is too good for you. I am going to give you a life filled with agonizing despair.
You are going to experience that exact same helplessness and torment—the very same slow psychological death that I suffered for a hundred long years, locked away in that dark prison because of you.
Just as he was about to step outside the house, a glowing red screen suddenly flickered into existence right in front of his eyes.
Bold, crimson text began to materialize across the interface:
[ Host has committed an action defying the Chosen One’s destiny. ]
[ Host has finally awakened his system. ]
[ Primordial Demon System Awakening: 1%... 2%... ]
Staring at the floating holographic screen, Ethan froze in absolute shock.
What... what is happening here? he thought, his mind racing in disbelief. I lived an entire lifetime in the past, and back then, I never had anything like this!
Before he could fully process the shock, the system interface flashed again, displaying a congratulatory message:
[ Congratulations, Host. You have successfully awakened the Primordial Demon System. ]