The other side of the door revealed a hallway similar to the one in the mansion. Silas stepped inside and waited for Daken to come.
Immediately, he noticed the difference between this hallway and the one he had been in. There was life here. He could hear insects, birds and conversation.
Silas observed the surroundings and saw servants cleaning the hallway. Some were walking at a fast pace.
He also noticed a few people in noble attire. They were being led by a butler.
No matter the position they held. They all looked at Silas. Some were confused. Others were frightened.
Daken appeared behind him and said, "The Patriarch is waiting for you in the study room."
Silas nodded and followed Daken. He heard whispers from the maids. This alerted him even more.
It took a bit of walking before Silas and Daken arrived at the door. Daken stood and gestured to him to open it.
"My task is done. I will be waiting here."
Silas gave a nod and opened the door. The study room was similar to the one he had. 'So House Todt built the same mansion. Or is this place the same mansion I was in?'
It didn't appear like that because he noticed a few differences in the bookshelves and the layout of the room.
The desk was facing the door. Behind the desk was a man with slick black hair reading a book.
Maybe due to the sunlight, Silas had a hard time seeing the man's face. But the aura he got from the man was familiar. It was heavy and animal-like.
He felt he was facing a predator. He didn't even need mana or magic to tell that the man in front of him was a real deal.
He couldn't use the manner he displayed to Daken.
Silas gave a formal bow to the man and said, "I have arrived, Sir."
The Patriarch closed the book and took off the glass he was wearing. He stared at Silas and sighed.
"Just call me Uncle Dylan."
"I won't dare,Sir."
Dylan let out a long sigh. After that, he stood up from the chair and walked around the bookshelves. Silas followed Dylan.
"Do you know why I adopted you to the House?"
"Because I have Todt blood running through my veins?" Silas answered.
"No."
"There are many kids with the House's blood running around in the Empire. The House doesn't care about everyone." Dylan said.
"You are adopted here because of your father. Do you know him?"
Silas shook his head. "I don't remember my father. All I heard about him is from my mom."
"Do you wish to know about him?"
Silas thought for a moment. The stories he heard from his mom were about how they met and the love they shared. His mom never talked about what his father was like.
Naturally, he was curious. Curious of why he left his mom.
Silas nodded. "I wish to know why he left my mom. It doesn't seem like he wishes to leave my mom but circumstances force him to."
"Indeed. Your father doesn't wish to leave his family." Dylan said in a heavy tone.
"I forced him to leave." There was a hint of regret in his voice.
"Your father was my younger brother. He was talented,much more powerful than me. One day, he came to me and said he wanted to leave the House."
"As an older brother,I understand his feelings. That is why I allowed him to walk away. But as the Patriarch of the House, I ordered him to come back."
Dylan paused, allowing Silas him to absorb the information. Then he continued.
"I can't reveal why I ordered him to come back for various reasons. The only thing I can tell you was the fact that he was dead. His last words were about you and your mom."
Silas frowned.
"You must be wondering why it took me so long to reach you. I was blinded by rage that time. My only thoughts are about revenge."
"Do you get your revenge?"
Dylan chuckled. "No. It was a foolish dream of mine. The enemy was too powerful. Too vast. Now, I have revealed to the Empire that you are adopted into House Todt."
"I don't wish to do that."
"Why?" Silas asked.
"Bearing the name Todt meant, honoring the vow. The vow given to the Emperor by our ancestors. The vow to protect."
Silas nodded. 'Make sense.'
"The current state of the Empire is filled with war. Because of that the Emperor needs House Todt to fulfill the vow."
Silas realized the words in Dylan.
"So I have to participate in war."
Dylan nodded. "After awakening your mana, you will be sent to the war academy. After six months, you will fulfill the vow by fighting the war and winning."
"You can't run from it. Because you now bear the name Todt. That is all I want to say to you."
Silas nodded. His heart was shaken. This was the worst scenario he envisioned. War meant killing. It also meant death.
'Dammit.' He cursed silently inside his mind.
"I brought you to the main house for the awakening. Originally, I planned to take over the merchant town's mansion but the attack on the house came unexpectedly."
"Three of your cousins were poisoned. I planned to send them to the war academy instead of you but now only you remain for this year's academy."
Silas nodded. "I will do my best."
Dylan nodded and muttered something quietly to himself.
"Go rest. Tomorrow will be the day of your awakening."
Silas bowed and left the room. Daken was waiting and led him to his room.
After that, he left without a word.
Silas lay down on the bed and sighed.
'What a hypocrite. You said you love your brother and yet ordered him. You said you are planning to give me an easy life and sent me to the war.'
He calmed himself and closed his eyes.
Looks like his mana was going to awaken. That meant getting the power to protect himself. He didn't know how rare magic is in this world.
He had almost never seen magic in the slum. Only heard from the old man. He also didn't know about what magic can do.
What is its capability? Its ceiling.
He didn't want the magic to have the power of a nuke. He also didn't want the magic to be weak.
"Guess I will know tomorrow."
Silas stayed inside his room, wondering about his future. Around dinner time, maids came in and prepared dinner for him.
They were silent and professional. They only said about wishing him a good night.
Silas fell asleep after filling his stomach. The food was much better than his cooking.
He woke up the next morning with full energy. He was still thin but there was now meat hanging on his skeleton. Now, He most likely can do exercise without stressing his body.
Knock. Knock.
He heard someone knocking on the door. Silas fixed his clothes and ordered the maids to come inside.
Three maids entered. One of them carried clothes for him.
"The Patriarch asks you to wear formal attire and come to the ceremony." One of the maids said in a gentle tone.
He nodded. The maids then dressed him up.
Silas was a bit uncomfortable with them touching his body but he knew he had to get used to it. After styling his hair, the maids led him to the ceremony.
The Awakening ceremony took place in an underground chamber. There were a few people waiting for him. He saw familiar faces like Dylan and Daken.
Daken nodded at him with an unreadable expression.
Dylan pointed toward the center of the chamber. Silas followed the gesture and found a circular platform surrounded by people.
Twelve people surrounded him. Dylan stood forward from the back and explained the awakening process to Silas for the first time.
"I want you to stand there.Our mages will gather mana in the air to help you fix your nodes. All you need to do is contain the mana you awakened into yourself. There is no need to get nervous. It is not a life threatening process."
His words did little to calm his mind.
Nevertheless, Silas nodded and stood tall among the people. After seeing his expression, Dylan ordered the mages to start.
The mages began.
The air around him thickened immediately.
He immediately felt a heavy weight pressed down on his body. Then it surrounded his body like a living mucus. Silas tried to move his hand but found himself stuck.
His heartbeat thundered in his head.
He then felt the mucus enter inside his body. Like something foreign forcing its way into him.
"I have opened all the nodes around your body." The mage in front of him said. "The final node will be in your eyes. Don't panic. Just try to contain the fleeing mana."
The mage's words were similar to Dylan.
"Okay." Silas said.
The mage glanced at his colleagues and they all nodded.
Something pecked his eyes with an invisible needle. His vision blurred.
Then it was clear.
Silas saw a faint mist surrounding him. No. It didn't surround him. It was scattering from him. He realized that the mage must have fixed the node from his eyes.
He didn't know what that meant.
Looking at the scattering mist, he tried to contain them as the Patriarch asked. At first, he used his mind to communicate with the mist. He reached out to the mist with his thoughts.
It didn't work.
'So I can't control the mist using my will.' He thought.
'Okay. Okay. No need to get work out. Dylan said it is not a life threatening process.'
"Although fixing the node is not a life threatening process, containing the mist is."
Silas froze.
"What you are seeing is not a regular mist? It is your life force. It has a limit." Dylan said.
Silas immediately raised his eyes and panicked. 'Shit, why didn't they tell me from the start.'