Saga of Atlantis

66  Soul of higher beings

"knock knock".

I knocked on the door twice, taking a step back as I waited for it to open.

"Click".

With a soft click, the door swung open, revealing the pink-haired girl who peered out.

"Breakfast is ready if yo―"

"Slam!".

Before I could finish my sentence, she slammed the door right in my face.

'Don't be angry; don't be'.

I took deep breaths to suppress my frustration and made my way to the next door. If not for Sylvia asking me to call them for breakfast, I wouldn't have been here.

"Knock".

I waited as I knocked on the door. The door swung open, and this time a black-haired girl came out.

"Breakfast is ready; would you like to join us?" I asked, and she nodded in agreement.

"Sure," she replied with a smile, closing the door behind her.

"Can you call your other companions as well?" I requested, and she nodded.

Afterward, I made my way to the main hall, where Sylvia sat at one of the arranged tables, waiting for our guests.

"I feel like a servant more than a disciple," I remarked with a wry smile as I settled down beside Sylvia, who chuckled in response.

"What? Weren't you making breakfast for me every day?" She inquired, her hand resting beneath her chin.

"Of course I would. I was getting to see you fresh out of the bath every  day."As I set the plates on the table, I replied nonchalantly. I actually enjoyed cooking, but I wasn't going to tell her.

"Ayee, you're letting your inner thoughts out," she teased, evidently surprised by my frank honesty.

"So what?" I leaned back in my seat, unconcerned. "It's not like you can just kick me out now."

Sylvia gazed at herself, dressed in a full-sleeved dress for the purpose of our arriving guests. "You don't like me in this?"

"No, you don't need to be half-naked to look good," I said, receiving a real smile from her. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

As our conversation was about to continue, the arrival of our guests was heralded by the sound of footsteps. Sylvia's demeanor underwent a striking transformation as she seamlessly shifted into her graceful and elegant form.

'What an actor',

I mused as I looked at her,though I kept my thoughts to myself.

The ladies took their places at the table, and to my surprise, there were three of them in total.

"I-i a-apologize for my b-behavior before",

The pink-haired girl spoke up first, offering an apology with a small bow.

"It's fine".

I replied, not bothered by it. The rest of the people looked at us curiously but didn't say anything; they sat down in their respective seats.

"I haven't introduced you to him", Sylvia said as she looked at them. Seriously, she is remembering that now?

"He is my first disciple and official successor, Neil; he is most of the time stupid but a tad bit of a genius."

Her introduction left me feeling somewhat insulted.

Sylvia continued, indicating the other girls, "And Neil, they are the granddaughters of my close friend, Nadya and Elysia," as she gestured to the pink-haired and black-haired girls in turn.

"And she is their bodyguard, Linda," she added, looking at the armored lady who had shed her armor.

Elysia, the main heroine of the second game, was the first to speak, and she will be known for her tactical talent and abilities as a leader in the future.

"It's good to meet you, Sir Neil," she said warmly. "I hope you take care of me."

"Likewise," I acknowledged with a nod before turning my focus to Elysia's sister.

Nadya was up next, and she began, albeit stutteringly, "I-its an h-honor to meet you."

Nadya was a major antagonist in the second game, and if circumstances unfolded according to the game's plot, she would grow into a psychopathic manipulator and seductress.

'Why are you shuttering though?',

I couldn't help but wonder about her constant stutter, but I decided not to voice my thoughts. Instead, I replied,

"It's good to meet you," before shifting my focus back to Sylvia.

I pushed my chair closer to Sylvia, my face inches away from hers. She leaned in, placing her head to get her ears within speaking distance, fully knowing that I had a question.

"How old are you to be friends with their grandma?" With genuine curiosity in my voice, I whispered.

Sylvia leaned even closer, her breath hot against my ear as she delivered her response: "Ask that again, and I will beat the shit out of you."

 She wore a smile, but her eyes told a different story.

"Ha-ha".

I chuckled nervously and shifted my chair back to its original position, deciding it was best not to push the subject any further.

She doesn't hold back when it comes to beating; she has beaten me quite a bit in the name of training if she is ever annoyed or frustrated by my behavior.

Instead, I started serving breakfast. I made simple sandwiches with a few ingredient tweaks and a portion of fruit juice, a personal favorite of mine.

They all began eating their meals with the proper etiquette of noble families, using forks and knives—even Sylvia, who kept her role model appearance. It was common for noble children to learn these manners in order to create an image of sophistication and elegance. I had received similar training, but I had a habit of doing things differently.

"Munch..munch.."

With a sandwich in hand, I dove in, drawing inquisitive eyes from everyone else at the table except Sylvia, who was used to it. I ignored them and continued to eat my lunch.

'What's the deal with her?' I wondered silently as I watched Nadya. Her demeanor had been strange since our first meeting, and she is still casting sidelong glances in my direction.

'You know something, Edda?'

I couldn't stop myself from asking, even though I had little hope of receiving a meaningful response. I've kept my conversations with her to a minimum in recent months, wary of being misled or frustrated by her cryptic responses.

[She is unable to feel your emotion.]

Edda's response caught me off guard. I took a little break from eating my sandwich but quickly resumed, not wanting to draw any more attention to myself.

'But why?'

I couldn't help but wonder. I had planned to woo Nadya over to my side, and her ability to read my emotions was an important part of my approach. It seems like I would need to rethink my plan now.

[She can't feel the emotion of any higher beings].

Edda explained, leaving me more perplexed. Weren't higher beings classified as Tier 3 or above? Why was she bringing this up now?

[She can feel emotions because of her bloodline, even when it's not awakened, but that, too, has its limitations. As emotions are a reflection of the soul, she can't feel yours.]

'Ahhh, I get it. I forgot that I'm some kind of old monster now'.

I responded, effectively closing our conversation.

From my traveling across space for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, my soul has become quite strong, giving me quite a resistance towards mental attacks, and I can now understand her reaction.

It would be the first time her ability to feel others emotions has not worked, and that alone is enough to make her wary of me, not to mention she is an overthinker as well.

My thoughts were disturbed by Sylvia's comment. "Do you have anything on your mind?" she inquired.

I took a sip of my juice and said, "No, nothing."

With that, I drank the juice in one gulp and said, "I'll be heading out now." I walked into my room, ready to face the day.

"Come back early," Sylvia replied, and I gave her a thumbs up before walking into my room.

When I got to my room, I quickly changed into my fighting gear. Then I moved to the center of the room, where a complicated circle was engraved on the floor.

As I stepped into the circle, the mana stones positioned around it began to glow softly. I vanished from my room with a small disturbance in the space.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a dimly lit chamber deep beneath the Kraken's domain.

I'd borrowed a short-distance teleportation circle from Sylvia. She had given it to me without questioning its intended use, merely reminding me to utilize the items she had given me if my life was ever in danger.

I found myself on the 33rd floor of the dungeon, a relatively safe space devoid of any monsters.

This safety was due to the utter desolation of the floor; it lacked anything capable of sustaining life, presenting an empty, barren field.

"Let's aim to get that elixir today" .

I spoke aloud as I stretched my body.

It had been a long time since I had my eyes on it, and today I could finally have it.

I reached into my inventory and retrieved my trusty spear and the glowing orb that I had thrown over my head, ready to ascend to the 34th floor.