My face noticeably flushed as I looked to the door, attempting to stifle my embarrassment as much as I could. Clearing my throat, I pointed at it and asked a question.

  "Is that locked?"

  Kael nodded his head, taking out a gold coin from his pocket and flipping it up and down in his palm. "I exchanged currencies rather quickly, adjusting to the kingdom. In the molecular interval I was teleporting you, I wrote a letter to the bar's owner and left them a small, charitable amount. He'll leave us alone until we leave."

  Hearing this, I felt even more flustered, almost repulsed. "You told him that we were going to this room? I'm a minor, and you're a lot older than me. Won't he assume bad stuff will happen and he'll call the authorities?"

  The enigmatic man shook his head, sliding the gold coin across the table. "I told him I needed a quiet place to study. He also doesn't even know you're in here with me. Therefore, I could get the price of one person whilst smuggling two."

  "Isn't that illegal?" I arched an eyebrow.

  "If anyone breaks in, I'll make them lose their sanity," Kael said with a teasing smile.

  Kael suddenly huffed, clasping his hands together on the mahogany table before us. I stood up and sat back down, looking at the mess that remained on the carpet. Sighing silently, I returned my gaze to Kael.

  "You brought me here for a reason. No one would rent an orgy room of all things to discuss stuff like this in private."

  "I would, for a good reason," Kael replied.

  His elven ears twitched as he leaned back, conjuring a pipe from a burst of violent crimson flames. Kael brought it to his lips, puffing out a small amount of smoke.

  "No one would enter an orgy room without permission."

  At this moment, Kael's smirk sharpened, bordering on something more predatory. "Should I conjure something to fake a lewd scene?"

  "I'd rather you didn't." My face heated even more, countless images flashing through my mind, making my pants twitch.

  "Sorry if I'm being weird; I'm not good with children."

  "I'm not really a child."

  "Whatever."

  Kael adjusted his posture in the velvet chair he was sitting in, his vermillion eyes flickering softly in the dim illumination. "When I said I could mentor you, did you take that to mind?"

  "I haven't really thought about that. I was too occupied giving the family your gift," I replied, my voice now slightly calm.

  "Ah, my gift. I hope they enjoy my funds."

  I nodded in agreement, smiling. At this moment, I suddenly had a question. "If you're already a very powerful Apocalyptic seeker, why haven't you gone mad or... become evil in any way?"

  "Gone mad?" Kael silently perked up. "How would you define 'going mad'?"

  His question caught me off guard, causing me to go stiff. My grip around my teacup tightened, almost trembling. I took a deep breath, replying.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "When I first drank my potion, I had no idea what I was walking into. At first, I always succumbed to blackouts, visions, and ravings from someone I knew—" Before I could continue, Kael raised his palm.

  "Who to be exact?"

  The entire room fell silent as an inscrutable chill coursed over me. "My father, the man I already put behind me. His mental projection tormented and tortured me with my guilt and actions. Eventually, I realized I'm not like him. I knew deep down I wanted power, the power to forget, to be a great person. Now, I'm surrounded by people who care about me."

  "Your father? Daddy issues, eh?" Kael puffed into his pipe again.

  I nodded before clearing my throat again. "Anyways, being at Order 9 required me to cause chaos and calamity to advance to Order 8, which is now Harbinger. However, I managed to exploit a loophole within this system, causing chaos and calamity to the wraiths and demons during the Blood Moon."

  "What's that have to do with going mad?" Kael crossed one leg over the other. "You asked that question, didn't you?"

  "Y-you're obviously very powerful in your own right, a demi-god. If this pathway requires one to do bad things, how have you maintained a... gentlemanly personality?"

  "Sounds like you're assuming I'm mad? If I were, your eyes would have been gouged out by now, and your desiccated corpse would've been left in a street corner if you talked to me."

  Kael sipped his tea again, scoffing as he looked down at the table. "Have you ever heard the quote: "History is only told by those who win?"

  "N-no," I replied.

  "You haven't? It appears the generational consensus is correct. I have no idea what adolescents do behind closed doors, but reading surely isn't one of them."

  "Tell the consensus I'm not really an adolescent then," I joked.

  "So you are a reader? Well then, you're quite promising. Did you know the literacy rate of my kingdom is incredibly low?"

  He suddenly realized he was astray from the current subject, and immediately reverted. Kael's gaze remained on me, but his hands shifted. Fiery crimson energy condensed in the center of his palm, before erecting into the form of an illusory figure.

  "There once was a ruler, one with power and gold at his side. He was proud, angry, and always seeking a fight. Eventually, he found a war, one he fought and won with great effort. On his side, he lost countless lives, was betrayed, and gravely injured in his own throne room. On his deathbed, he hired a biographer."

  Kael's expression hardened as he scowled. "He told the biographer that he won the war easily, he was able to keep his allies and his love. The empire loved him, and he died a happy man."

  "What's that have to do with my pathway?" I asked, feeling quite puzzled.

  At this moment, Kael sighed. With the flick of his wrist, I suddenly felt a small, burning sensation in the center of my chest—just above my heart. This burning sensation intensified, causing me to grit my teeth. I watched, my eyes widening as an illusory book flew from my body, landing in Kael's palm. It was black in color, spiral-bound, and somewhat dirty. It was my journal!

  "W-where'd you get that?" I instinctively felt the urge to reach out and take it back, my hands trembling at my sides.

  Kael sighed. "You'll find soon that the Apocalypse pathway allows many things to happen."

  He opened the journal, flipping through it for a few moments before stopping on a page. Due to his position, I couldn't see much of the writing, only the fact that it was upside down. Kael turned the book to me, smiling.

  "Your friend responded. Silas is his name, isn't it?"

  My blood ran cold. My hand reached out, taking the journal with a tremble and reading the words in my head. They were written in messy, bloodied handwriting that was legible to an extent. The date was written in the top left-hand corner—December 1, 1593. From what I could remember, the date written down last time was May 3rd, 1592.

  What's wrong with the date?

  I began to read what was written.

  "You wonder who I am, and why I write for you whilst you're asleep, correct? Well, unfortunately, I can't clarify such information at this moment—you're far too weak, too naive to learn about me. The Apocalypse pathway is laden with many dangers, but also, many blessings. Advance to the level of an Angel, then I'd be glad to share more information regarding my origins."

  I froze, my hands trembling as I sat the journal on the mahogany table, looking at Kael. The crimson-haired man took the journal, reading the contents himself. As he read, his eyes gradually widened, and he wolf-whistled at the end of it.

  "Your imaginary friend wants you to become... an Angel of all things before you can talk again?"

  He leaned back in his chair, slumping as he laughed out loud. "I would wish the best of luck, but the world hasn't seen any Angels in almost a millenia. The last Angel perished during the cataclysm over a thousand years ago."

  "Cataclysm?" I felt my curiosity peak to an extent.

  Kael nodded, taking a slow breath as he slid my journal back to me. "The cataclysm was the event that reshaped the tides of both this world, and its inhabitants. While information on it is scarce, I'd be happy to tell you what you want to know when you're strong enough...or..."

  He extended a hand, tracing his gloved fingers along the contours of my cheek. "When you have the right protection."

  "Protection?" I looked to the corner of the room, where the Umbridge manifested, looming in the shadows.

  Kael glanced to the shadows, his lips curling up as he spoke. "Umbridge, don't think I can't see you."

  "Huh? Do you two know each other?"

  Kael nodded his head, smiling. "If you're on the Apocalypse pathway, you can be aware of all Spiritual Creatures corresponding to the pathway. The Umbridge is actually—"

  Before Kael could finish, an illusory tendril extended from the darkness, coiling around his mouth. The Umbridge shook their head, an illusory ringing sound ebbing in my ears, the intervals and frequencies of it occurring awfully resembling speaking. Can the Umbridge talk to others and conceal conversations?

  "Right, alright," Kael snagged his head back, ripping the tendrils of black energy from his mouth.

  "What protection were you talking about?" I asked.

  Kael fell silent, his attention suddenly gravitating to the door. Behind the door, we heard knocking, followed by a deep voice calling for us to open up.

  "It appears a little whore is already looking for a meal. It's time we leave, alright?"

  I nodded, my cheeks flushing a little as Kael flicked his wrist, teleporting us elsewhere. We ended up back in the street where I was previously standing. Around us, nobody seemed to pay mind to me or the raven now perched on the street lamp. Seems like the spiritual invisibility of the Apocalypse pathway is pretty effective.

  But why would it activate at this moment? It's never done this before.

  A figure suddenly came into view, clad in casual attire. Upon first glance, they looked ordinary. But when I could properly outline their features, it was Helana's father, the one who invited me for a job tonight.