[22 years old. You and Lilith had grown distant.]
[Something seemed to have happened between her and Selena. You thought of asking a few times, but with the Inheritance Dimension’s appearance drawing near, you didn’t probe any further... until the day Lilith, heavily injured, arrived at the house with your adoptive mother.]
[The words your mother spoke — Protect her — echoed in your ears. And in that moment, you lost control of your emotions, yelling at your adoptive mother while holding Lilith close.]
[You stayed by Lilith’s side, while your adoptive mother tended to her.]
[A week passed. When Lilith’s condition finally stabilized, you calmed down and turned your attention back to your adoptive mother.]
[But instead of her usual gentle presence, she now gave off a cold, dangerous air. Naturally, that wasn’t a reason for you to back down. You stared at her for a while, intending to demand answers — until the sound of the door unlocking behind you stopped you.]
[A familiar voice followed: Her injuries have stabilized. Now come with me.]
[Your expression twisted as you turned to see Selena. You already had an idea of where this was going. You were about to protest—]
[Your body froze. You couldn’t move. You couldn’t even blink.]
[It was then that your adoptive mother, Linda, stepped forward — her expression furious, her aura cracking the air around her.]
[Whatever had bound your body suddenly snapped. You regained control.]
[But Selena, eyes narrowed, looked directly at Linda and asked: Are you sure you want to resist?]
[Linda didn’t answer. Instead, she turned her gaze to Lilith, hesitating... weighing the situation.]
[Then, biting her lip, she stepped aside.]
[Selena smiled at that — and without giving you a chance to resist, she took you away.]
Why is the relationship between Selena and Lilith this bad?
Noel with eyes narrowed, wondered.
Could it really just be jealousy?
He was nearly certain now — that the injuries Lilith suffered were caused by Selena.
That’s why he wanted to believe there was something more behind it.
But in the end... he knew he was probably right.
Especially when he could already piece together why Selena had imprisoned him first this time, instead of Lilith.
It probably went : Selena discovered that Lilith was planning to imprison him. A fight broke out. And then... Selena took him.
That was the most logical sequence of events he could think of, after all.
And Noel didn’t like that.
Should I confront one of them?
With a clenched fist, and nails digging into his palm, Noel wondered.
He had thought that as long as nothing happened in reality — as long as he still had even a small sense of control — then he could endure it.
But that turned out not to be the case.
Shaking his head, trying to cool himself down, Noel’s thoughts shifted toward Linda and Ryan — his adoptive parents.
From this simulation, he could deduce that Linda, and probably Ryan too, were stronger than both Lilith and Selena.
And that in turn means that it’s out of loyalty to the Cross family, they were serving Lilith.
Then... could he have them on his side?
With these thoughts circling in his mind, Noel continued reading the contents of the simulation.
[One month later. Detained in a secluded house, watched constantly, completely cut off from the outside world — you had already fought with Selena, and things between you were no longer like before.]
[On that day, after another argument, Selena, seemingly unable to hold it in any longer, snapped and shouted:]
[Lilith, Lilith, Lilith. Fuck. Do you think I wanted to do this?]
[Had your sister not wanted you for herself alone, would I have made a move ... you think?]
Well. You would have.
Noel thought, watching the drama Selena was playing out in the simulation.
[After bursting out and saying what she truly wanted, Selena left the house — leaving you surrounded by servants who didn’t even exchange a word with you.]
[One month passed. You hadn’t seen Selena since that last fight.]
[But on that day, Selena, bearing a light injury, finally visited you again.]
[She came with a conflicted expression as She told you that she had already gone to Italy, but, she only been able to obtain a part of the inheritance you were aiming for.]
[You didn’t get angry. Nor did you bring up Lilith again.]
[Instead, you simply thanked her — grateful that at least there was something you could now devote yourself to... grateful that one of your goals had actually been achieved.]
[Relieved by your reaction, Selena began to explain.]
[The Blood Refinement Path, she said, was purely about physique — and perfectly suited for you. She then took out an obviously ancient book, its cover a deep, blood-crimson red, titled Blood Scripture.]
[She told you that Blood Scripture was the main technique of the inheritance. It contained eight stages, but she had only managed to retrieve the first half.]
[She reassured you that by the time you reached the fifth stage, she would already have the second half prepared — the final three stages.]
["The Blood Refinement Path might not compare to the Soul Path," Selena added, "but it’s still not bad. With it mastered, you’ll gain decent standing in the world, and most importantly, a very long lifespan."]
From low ceiling to not bad, and even a decent standing in the world.
Noel clenched his hand slightly, a small, satisfied smile appearing on his face as he read about the Blood Scripture he’d acquired, and compared it with Selena’s explanation from the previous simulation.
’Seems like I made the right choice last time,’ he thought. Not choosing the Crimson Body Manual... gave him something better, after all.
As for securing the second half?
He could always take care of that later.