The young man awakened earlier than usual the following morning, an ominous feeling gripping at his heart. He took his time in finishing up the breakfast of corn and eggs Martha had prepared. In the midst of puzzling over his expectations for Oswald's speech later, he couldn't help but feel grateful for her cooking. Having been out there in the forest with only wild animals cooked over a fire pit could never compare to Martha's skill in the kitchen. Even with that as fact, he made a mental note never to mention it to Lana since she was the one who did the hunting and roasting.

He twirled the pocket watch this way and that in his hand, occasionally flipping it open to check for the time.

"You know..." Martha said, gazing at him from the opposite side of the dining table. "You have more frown lines than your father."

The young man scoffed.

"You laugh, but it's true!" Martha said. "Your father didn't know the meaning of 'worry'. He'd crack jokes even when something serious was happening. Drove me crazy."

"Well, he was a smart man," Nikolai said, shrugging. "Suited him not to be worried about anything." He dug into the pile of fried eggs he had set aside on his plate. The two stalks of corn was now bare but he didn't remember going through them. He had to make the eggs last somehow.

"Not exactly 'smart'. He was wise," Martha said, nodding. "Your father believed in Brymia Light's teachings more than anything else in Silraphia."

Nikolai slowed down on his chewing. The lecture was coming. He could feel it.

"He lived a peaceful life," she said, nodding again. "All the way to his very last breath -- bless his heart. He held no worry because he chose to discard the world's views. He abstained from comparison with others; looking only within himself for improvement."

Nikolai nodded, scooping more food to his mouth. It was the same story, word for word. He would stop her but he felt that letting her talk about his father was more comforting for her than it was for him.

"I watched you grow for twenty years," Martha continued. "You matured in some ways. But you've been stagnant for some time now."

Nikolai raised his eyebrow. Well, this was new... "I know the Teachings of Light too," he said. "But what does not touching Magic have anything to do with --"

"The point isn't about Magic," Martha said, shaking her head. "It's about power."

Nikolai nodded silently. Nothing new there. Many people had interpreted that the founder of Brymlight had meant Magic to be another word for power. He didn't find contradiction nor obscurity in that interpretation, so he had accepted it as well.

"Light's teachings tell us of the rivalry that comes from comparison," Martha went on. She used to enjoy giving the Brymlightian parent to child words of discipline back in the day. Nothing changed. "The Foundation of Light, second chapter. Pride is how a human-being falls. Comparison breeds jealousy, and jealousy breeds the seeking of Magic to overthrow rivals. Light did not teach us to pull away from power. She taught us NOT to let it cloud our thoughts."

At this, Nikolai stopped eating. He stared at the remnants of fried egg on his plate. He had also stopped playing with his watch. "What made you bring that up?" he asked quietly.

"You're competitive by nature," his mother replied with a scoff. "Don't let it blind you. That's all I'm saying." Martha stood to her feet. She strode over towards him, took the plate of unfinished food, and left for the kitchen.

Nikolai sat there, watching the empty chair nearest to him.

Power. He turned to his pocket watch and caught sight of his reflection in the metal. It was ugly and distorted, much like a painting being smeared before the paint had dried. He rubbed a finger over the gold. The smudge cleared but his reflection still remained unrecognizable.

For some reason, it reminded him of his complaint to Lana while they had been sitting on the bench in the city. Could Martha have perhaps seen that it disturbed him? Then again, he was only unsettled by it. It wasn't as though he envied Oswald... Why would he of a disgusting man who showed no regard for human life? He simply hated the fact that the man was undeserving of his status. It didn't mean he wanted to overthrow him... Did it?