A cloud of whispers always surrounded Dallion wherever he went. News about him being an empath had spread among the items of the village, and like anywhere else, there were guardians who wanted to talk. It didn’t help that Dallion had increased his empathy to nine. As much as he felt for them, though, Dallion kept on walking, barely responding with a single word. That was the problem with inhabited areas—he still was getting used consciously blocking the noise. Sometimes it just happened without him even thinking about it. Others, he couldn’t manage no matter how much he concentrated.

There were no guards in front of the mansion, unlike in the past. However, Dallion felt the emotions of someone else.

“You saved our lives back there,” Veil said, coming into view. “That still doesn’t make you welcome here.” He wasn’t joking.

“I came anyway,” Dallion said.

“Gloria said you would. I hoped you’d have more common sense.”

“I’m not here to fight, Veil.” Not that there was any issue. Given that both of the Luors had refused to go beyond the second trial, Dallion would have no problem defeating them. “I came here to help.”

Veil looked Dallion straight in the eyes. The Luor’s platinum blond hair shimmered slightly in the sunlight, almost making it seem he was an otherworlder as well. Emotions conflicted within him, emitting faint sounds that Dallion could pick up. After several seconds, the emotion of acceptance gained the upper hand.

“I’m just here to talk to her,” Dallion decided he needed to give Veil a slight push. “And you.”

“Let’s see if she wants to.”

The current village chief turned around and walked into the inner garden. There was a time when this structure had seemed beyond magnificent to Dallion. Back then, it was the epitome of wealth, worth more than everything else in the village combined. Now it didn’t even look like a place a Nerosal minor noble would use for a home.

“I heard you left the guild,” Veil said as he led Dallion through the corridor towards the great hall.

“It was the best for everyone. I needed my space and it would have been awkward if I had stayed.”

“So, just being you.”

The hall was the same it had always been, just empty. Veil made his way to what passed as a throne and sat down. At first Dallion thought that Veil had changed his mind after all, and this was all he was willing to give. Soon enough, though, he heard steps. They were faint, but audible enough to hear. Then Gloria entered the hall. She was dressed as a noble ought to be—not the rough adventurer outfit of her brother, but a fine blue dress of improved silk and a love sleeved shirt of sapphire threads. There was little doubt that the clothes had been a gift from Falkner, though based on her reactions, she hadn’t deliberately put them on to spite Dallion.

“Dal,” she said with a polite smile, making her way to the seat next to Veil. “A pleasure to see you. I didn’t think you’d come to visit so soon.”

That was a clear lie. Apparently, Gloria was picking up the behavior of being a noble.

What did you expect, dear boy? You didn’t exactly give her a reason not to treat you coldly.

“I’m here to fix things,” Dallion went straight to the point. “For both of you. After that, I’ll be gone.”

His sincerity managed to pierce through the fake pleasantries, causing both the twins to react. Even so, Gloria maintained her calm.

“How exactly will you fix things?” she asked.

“I’ll open the gate in your realm, so you can become double digits.”

“That’s impossible!” Veil stood up, a hurricane of emotions raging within. “Once the gate is sealed, there’s no way it to be reopened.”

“There’s a way, but it’ll require me to enter your realms.”

This was the tricky part. The first thing an awakened were taught was never to allow others into their realms. Once inside, they were vulnerable to attack. At best, all their secrets regarding skills and abilities would be revealed. At worst, they could end up with a limiting echo and become puppets to another’s will.

Under normal circumstances, Dallion wouldn’t have even offered. But the three of them shared a deep bond, one that even recent events wouldn’t dissolve… or so he hoped.

“No way,” veil said, even if internally he remained conflicted. “I’d rather—"

“Is there a real chance,” Gloria interrupted. “If you enter, is there a real chance that you might succeed?”

“Yes,” Dallion nodded. “It’s real. You saw how I unsealed the powers of my mother. This should be similar.”

The Luors looked at each other. Dallion could sense that they were discussing something in a whisper, but his perception level wasn’t high enough for him to hear what it was about. In future he was going to have to increase that as well.

“Alright.” Gloria turned at him. “Start with me. After everything you’ve done, I trust you enough to let you try.”

Of course, Dallion knew that if he messed things up, he’d have Falkner and family to deal with. Slowly, he made his way to the woman and placed his hand on her forehead.

“Ready?” Dallion asked.

Gloria nodded.