Born In Ashes: The Enigma

"Is there a reason you decided to have breakfast together?" Kael asked as he used his knife to cut a piece of sausage.

"Do we need a reason to eat together?" Azrael replied in a calm voice. Although the question seemed simple, he was actually trying to get a sense of what kind of relationship the Azrael of this world had with Kael.

"That's not it, but you know... we only eat together when Mom and Dad are at home. So I am just surprised that you decided to eat together today."

'Mom and Dad, huh...' Azrael thought to himself as he took a bite of thinly sliced meat that tasted like bacon.

'Since he is using the words, 'Mom And Dad' does that mean their personalities are different here? Even if they are really different... will I be able to live with them, knowing what they did to me and Kael?'

"What are you thinking, Brother? Are you sure you are alright?"

Azrael swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded.

"Don't worry. I am just feeling a little weak because I faced that pressure directly."

"If that's the case, you should just rest for today instead of training," Kael said in a worried voice.

'Training...' Azrael caught the word and wondered what kind of training Kael was referring to.

'Well, whatever. I should first clear up some of my doubts before Lia comes back.'

"So Kael, what happened to your prop after it saved you?"

"Hmmm... Are you talking about the Water Spirit Pendant?" Kael asked with a shake of his head and pointed toward his study table, looking somewhat distressed.

"It's already broken and can't be used anymore."

Azrael looked at the silver colored chain resting on the table. The chain was similar to his own pendant's chain, but unlike his, Kael's pendant was missing the water drop shaped gem.

"Since it is a one time use prop, it's understandable that it was destroyed after saving you," Azrael said as he walked to the study table and picked up the chain.

"What are you planning to do with it?" Kael asked in confusion as Azrael brought the broken pendant over.

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---) Condensed White Silver: A sturdy planetary level material that looks shiny and beautiful.

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A pop up window flashed in front of Azrael's eyes, providing information about the silver colored chain.

"Kael, do you know what kind of material this chain is made of?" Azrael asked casually, passing the chain to Kael.

Kael subconsciously took the chain from Azrael's hand. Only after holding it did he shake his head and respond in a slightly confused voice.

"I was never interested in studying things like this, so how would I know what the chain is made of?"

"If you don't know, then start studying. I feel ashamed to have a dumb brother like you," Azrael said with a look of disdain as he stole an egg from Kael's plate.

'My egg!' Kael screamed inwardly, but his brain soon registered what Azrael had just said.

"You... what do you mean by you are ashamed to have a brother like me? If you are so smart, then tell me what material it's made of!"

"My dear brother, if I had known what it was, do you think I would have asked you? And now you are even starting to talk like a dumb person."

"You..." Kael pointed a finger at Azrael but couldn't come up with a proper retort.

'It's really easy to rile up a thirteen year old kid,' Azrael thought with a shake of his head before focusing back on what he had just discovered.

'It seems Kael can't see the details of items after touching them... does that mean it's an ability exclusive to me?'

He touched the silver colored chain again, and as the details popped up once more, he looked back at Kael thoughtfully.

'What about the status window... and things like Traits, Shop, Tasks, Task Points, and so on?'

Azrael continued having breakfast with Kael, and by using carefully twisted words, he was able to extract a lot of information from his naviy thirteen year old brother.

'Quite interesting...' Azrael thought once they had finished eating.

'So, most people receive their Traits only after their Awakening, which happens when they reach sixteen years of age.'

From what he learned, everyone could see their own status window, but unlike Azrael's, other people's status windows only displayed basic information—like stat points, traits, level, name, substance, and a few other categories.

They didn't show anything like Tasks, Task Points, or Inventory.

In rare cases, some people could awaken their traits before reaching sixteen, but it was an extremely uncommon occurrence.

'I guess I fall into the second category since I awakened two traits even before my actual Awakening,' Azrael thought to himself and took a careful look around Kael's room.

'There is no television here either. Is this a world where technology is underdeveloped?'

Just as Azrael was thinking this, he saw Kael suddenly looking at a thin, black colored band on his wrist.

'That band...'

"Hmm... Everyone is talking about what happened earlier," Kael murmured in a low voice, and the next moment, a small holographic screen appeared in front of his face.

Azrael looked at the holographic screen showing the news about the pressure that had descended earlier and silently withdrew his previous assumption.

'So that is why there wasn't a mobile phone or television in my room,' Azrael realized as he stood up.

"Rest well, Kael. I will see you later."

"Don't forget to inform me or someone else if you feel anything wrong with your body," Kael said, stopping his attention on the screen to remind Azrael before he left.

Azrael nodded without looking back and exited the room.

Returning to his own room, Azrael scanned through the clothes he had picked up from the bed earlier when Lia and Rowan had come to check on him, and soon his eyes lit up.

"Found it."