Iode stared at the individual from afar with a bilious expression on his face.
"What on Heaters is that ugly-looking thing?" he said.
"That's a cursed spirit," Reggie replied.
"Cursed spirit?" Iode repeated.
"Yes. Apparently, they're created from humans' negative emotions and feelings—prolonged anger, anxiety, fear, stress, sadness. The accumulation of these emotions gives birth to cursed spirits. The more intense and prolonged these feelings, the stronger and more powerful the spirit becomes.
That black substance you see oozing out of that man's body is his negative emotion, converted into energy for the spirit to feed on. If nothing is done about it, the spirit will eventually kill the man and become something monstrous. But who are we to care? Life, as it is, is for enjoyment, not work," Reggie explained.
"The humans can't see it? Not even the host suspects a thing? Can they be any more pathetic? Humans are such a weak race. I wonder how we even descend from people like this—who don't even know the concept of mana," Iode said.
"How do you know that?" Reggie asked.
"No human I've seen has a shred of mana in them—no mana vessel, mana pool, or mana channel. They're as plain as any other animal. Even animals use mana from time to time. It's quite surprising they're able to achieve this much without it," Iode said.
"Humans do know the concept of mana. In fact, they were once great sorcerers and magicians who communicated with gods and devils alike. They're known by almost every celestial because of their compatibility with deities. However, sadly, the knowledge of magic is fading and on the brink of extinction due to the rise of the technology you see everywhere," Reggie explained.
"They lost their knowledge of magic and are now a plain-arse race. Probably the information Igor, Zenobios, and Valier had about them is outdated. I don't see what's particularly dangerous or worrisome about them," Iode said.
"Oh, you're in for a lot of surprises. I won't spoil it for you, but you'll be amazed by what Earth has to offer—especially the humans you look down on," Reggie grinned.
Iode stared at him, unfazed.
"What are you two chatting about? Include me too!" Amica butted in.
"It's nothing," Iode replied.
"You want to hide things from me? Tell me too! I want to know," Amica pouted.
Iode smiled cheerfully at her and patted her head. "Let's go in together, Amica," he said, offering his hand to her.
Amica's face flushed red. She quickly covered her face to hide it.
"Are you alright, my dear? Your face looks red. Is the sun too hot? Don't worry, I'll shield you till we get inside," Iode said.
Amica's face grew even redder, and it looked as if her hair would pop off like a lid. She rushed over to Nivea, who was smiling—albeit mockingly. Reggie wasn't far behind, grinning smugly. He covered his mouth, but his expression was clearly visible.
"What shall we call this... incest? Muahahaha," Reggie snickered under his breath.
Iode looked oblivious. He shrugged his shoulders and turned around to head inside.
---
A few hours later, Emily, Sofia, and two mall attendants emerged from the large mall carrying loads of clothes. They headed toward their vehicle, where the Raubenheimer family waited.
' I feel sorry for these people—especially Emily, Sofia, and that brunette attendant. They just had the bad luck of carrying the twins' clothes. Those two kept picking out clothes like there's no tomorrow. Any outfit that caught their eye, they chose. And with Amica joining us, she made things worse—she picked clothes for herself, Nivea, and me', Iode thought.
"Now we're going to look like people of utmost respect—as we've always been! To the Raubenheimer mansion we move!" Reggie said excitedly.
"Sometimes it's hard to believe he's your brother. He's so... immature," Amica said. Reggie continued grinning wildly in the background.
---
Two weeks later, in Iode's room, he sat on the floor with his legs crossed, assuming a meditative pose. He inhaled and exhaled slowly and gently. He continued this for about twenty minutes, then opened his eyes and placed a hand on his chest.
Soon, a holographic image resembling an atomic structure appeared—one large globe at the center with two star-shaped objects orbiting it.
"Finally, I'm a two-star mage. The progress is slow but manageable. Surprisingly, Earth has a concentrated amount of mana—probably because nobody is tapping into it. Just two weeks, and my already abnormally large mana vessel has doubled in size, and my mana pool has increased. Moreover, I gained one more star.
All that remains is to practice magic spells and swordsmanship to rise in stars quickly," he said.
"Let's start with a basic spell—Spark Shot!" Iode raised his hand, and a flame ignited atop it. He smirked.
---
A few days later, Reggie, Nivea, and Iode were summoned by Madam Begonia to the mansion's library.
"I've called you three here because I want to discuss your education. I need to know which high school you graduated from, so I can work on your university admissions."
"High school?!" the three said in unison...