Ivan Pov:

I was in my daughter's room, Zenos and the others gave us the rest of the night to talk as I haven't talked to her in twenty years, so my daughter starts asking me a more complex question than she realizes.

"What do you think of Master Zenos, father?" (Lyra)

"I felt in him the presence of a ruler." (I)

My daughter looks at me with a confused and surprised look, it's been twenty years but she's still an open book showing everything she thinks about in her expressions, even after teaching her so much to avoid showing what she thinks on her face she never managed to learn.

"You didn't understand what I said, did you?" (I)

"..." (Lyra)

"Your expression says it all as usual so I'll ask you a question." (I)

"You said you were conscious all the time, so what do you think about the way he walked into the secret room and the way he talked to me?" (I)

"I didn't see how he got in as my eyes had been closed for twenty years, but the way he talked to you seemed normal." (Lyra)

"Exactly, he talked to me in a normal way, he didn't show fear, anxiety and he didn't take his eyes off me for a single second." (I)

"He was just being cautious, wasn't he?" (Lyra)

"Yes, but even in his caution he still tried to take information from me, he listened to my whole story and yours without showing what he was really thinking on his face, he also didn't take his eyes off me because he didn't know what I really wanted and for not knowing my real strength." (I)

"Most importantly he didn't enter the secret room with his entire group, it shows that he was already preparing himself in case to act if something out of the ordinary happened, he also trusted his companions to check the secret room and look for traps while watching me ." (I)

"Isn't that supposed to be normal?" (Lyra)

"For an experienced adventurer or a soldier trained with his companions, yes." (I)

"But even for them it is very difficult to trust other people enough to enter an unknown place with an unknown being without looking around, usually the person ends up looking away to look around for a few seconds." (I)

"I think I understand what you mean, but is that the only reason you have such a good impression of him?" (Lyra)

"You forget my daughter, but I was a member of a royal family, I saw many Kings, many were just people who were lucky at birth, these people ranged from responsible, tyrants, greedy, naive or foolish." (I)

"They didn't understand what it was really like to have to take care of those who followed them or those who ruled, besides these people there were also those who were real Kings, my father was one and my brother had the quality to become one in the future, for this I left the throne to him, no matter how competent I was at what I did or how strong in battle, I knew I didn't possess the qualities to be a King." (I)

"But do you think Master Zenos does?" (Lyra)

"Not yet, he's a little naive yet and doesn't seem to like having so many people around him, but he's got what he needs." (I)"I don't understand, from what I saw he seems like someone good to talk to, he also accepted you and me into his group for which I am grateful, but I still don't know what you saw so special about him." (Lyra)

"For a start he is open-minded, see the different types of races that are in this mansion and work for him, there are Dwarves, Elves, Runics, Demons, Humans, Vampires, Beastmen and an Ogress." (I)

"Now he accepts a Kimera and an Undead to work for him too, most people tend to have some level of prejudice whether consciously or unconsciously it can be by social status, by race, by wealth, by strength, by gender, or by age." (I)

"People acquire these prejudices over time as they grow up, noticing it or not, they learn by seeing their family, their teachers, their friends, their religion or the very culture of the city or kingdom they are in." (I)

"On this continent, for example, people hate and fear the Demonic race, so the fact that he has a Demon working with him in such a natural way shows that he doesn't care about other people's race, this is something rare and an excellent quality for a leader." (I)

"Another thing is that he listens to everyone's opinions, I was listening to them before they even entered the secret room, he asked for the entrance to be checked, he threw objects into the hallway to ensure there were no traps and before calling the rest of his group to enter the room he listened to his companions to make sure he had no traps, when his companions lost control of their actions in surprise at having heard me speak of the Abyssal creature, he was able to silence them all with a single word." (I)

"But he only stayed calm because he didn't know what an Abyssal creature was." (Lyra)

"You're right not to consider that he showed no expression even after one of his companions explained to him what an Abyssal creature was and also realized that I had somehow gotten rid of the Abyssal creature." (I)

After talking so much I gave my daughter some time to think and absorb everything I've already said, it's no use continuing to talk if she can't follow what I'm saying.

I see her with her arms crossed and her eyes closed, as always she is trying hard to think, at least she is taking what I am saying seriously, this is important as we are now working for Zenos, we need to understand him to know the kind of person he is, I just hope I haven't made a mistake by making me and my daughter his servants.

So I'm going to watch him closely to try to understand more about the type of person he is and his goals.

"I think I understand what you mean, dad." (Lyra)

"Now that I've stopped to think he has a Blacksmith and a Tailor working for him." (Lyra)

"He also seemed to be happy when he heard that I know alchemy, it seems he's also been looking for an Alchemist for a while now." (Lyra)

"Well observed my daughter, besides that he also has a strong group, I could see some that seem to be Mages, there were also many that seemed to be warriors and the Gray Elf had a spirit accompanied her, her group is very diverse." (I)

"What did you understand about him after realizing all this?" (I)

"Looks like he wants to have an independent group, he didn't anticipate relying on guns, clothes, and potions from the town's merchants if he had me, Anton, and Tânia working for him." (Lyra)

"As expected of my daughter, you got it right, but you haven't got it all yet." (I)

"You forgot about Nira, we were told she was a former Black Market receptionist, they also said that she is responsible for purchasing materials for you, Anton and Tânia." (I)

"In other people, she is responsible for the trade, having her work for him will be good for selling things in the future." (I)

"I hadn't thought about it, but I don't understand why Master Zenos is having such a hard time, wouldn't it be easier to buy what you need in a town like everyone else does?" (Lyra)

"That may be the case for most, but he and the rest of his group have a lot of secrets to hide, I think he wants to be as independent as possible to prevent others from noticing the types of gear they buy, he's restricting the type of information that others can find out about him like that, at least it's the only reason I can think of." (I)I sit on the bed next to my daughter and put my hand on her head, I've been hoping to have a moment like this with my daughter for a long time, it's been so long since I've heard her voice, even if it's a little different now in her way. of talking is still the same.

"I'm telling you all this to make you understand our situation and prepare for the future." (I)

"What do you mean prepare me for the future?" (Lyra)

"Zenos has something that cannot be learned easily and cannot be acquired by normal means, this is charisma, but not a normal one, but a charisma that attracts a certain type of people, those like him become leaders whether they want to or not, from what I can see, everyone in this mansion likes to work here, they follow Zenos's orders obediently, but they still talk to him like you talk to someone in the family, which I find strange." (I)

"Isn't that because of the power he used on us earlier too?" (Lyra)

"In part, yes, but he already has that quality, that power just amplifies that quality of him to those who serve him, I feel my connection to him, but it's not the same kind of a Familiar connection with his master, slave or of control, it feels more like the kind of connection you feel with someone in your family." (I)

"I thought he wanted to get control of you and me to trust us." (Lyra)

"The power he used and the shadow I saw when it happened looked like it was some kind of awakening or transforming ability." (I)

"That explains how he was able to wake me up, it also explains how you regained your unique ability." (Lyra)

"Yes." (I)

Talking like that with my daughter brings me a lot of happiness, I brought this up to get used to having a conversation again where she responds, but I think it's time for me to say what I've been keeping inside.

I get up and kneel in front of her lowering my head.

"Dad, what are you doing?" (Lyra)

"I've been wanting to say this to you for a long time." (I)

"I'm sorry my daughter, because of me that your mothers and the others who worked at the mansion died, it's also my fault that you're not human anymore, I was so desperate to save you that it became an obsession, it made me you suffered, even more, I'm sorry." (I)

"I was so obsessed with saving you that I didn't stop to think if I should." (I)

"..." (Lyra)

I wait but the answer never comes, soon I feel something hit the back of my head and try to see what it is, then I realize my daughter is standing in front of me crying.

It breaks my heart to see my daughter like this, once again it feels like I made her suffer, as this sort of thing flashes through my mind she grabs me by the collar and lifts me up with great ease as she rocks me back and forth repeatedly violently while talking to me.

"You big idiot dad." (Lyra)

"How many times are you going to have to make me say you're not to blame, my moms were just like you." (Lyra)

"I was also scared of dying back then and I was supportive of you, so don't go saying that everything that happened is your fault." (Lyra)

She stops shaking me and gives me a fierce hug that would have broken all my bones if I were an ordinary skeleton.

"Look how I am, your plan was a success, if we had known about that core before and had looked for another one then none of this would have happened, what happened was an accident and I'm sure my moms wouldn't blame you you idiot, so stop apologizing all the time." (Lyra)

I hug my daughter back, if I were still alive I would be crying now, as I felt speak of hugging her like that.

"Thank you, my daughter." (I)