The Deceitful One



"Left Nadir?" Bryan was slightly taken aback, "Where did she go? And when is she coming back?"

Grace's expression turned crestfallen, "I-I don't think she's coming back."

Now, Bryan was really surprised. He couldn't help but assume the worst, "What exactly happened? Is she all right?"

Grace sighed and a few moments later decided to disclose everything, "Everything was fine when we first started college here."

She then clenched her fists and gritted her teeth in frustration and anger, "Then that bastard showed up in our lives."

Bryan narrowed his eyes, "Who showed up? Tell me his name."

Naturally, he thought that this person must have done something to Leah which caused her to probably leave Nadir forever.

"His name is Charles," Grace replied in resentment, "He was a final-year student. When we met him for the first time, he and Leah hit it off really well. And after that…"

Seeing that Grace didn't continue her sentence, Bryan couldn't help but inquire in apprehension, "And what happened after that?"

Grace's shoulders slouched down and her entire being emanated a depressing aura, "And then they fell in love. After Charles graduated, he went back to his home in the Demeter Kingdom."

"What about Leah?" Bryan's eyebrows twitched repeatedly.

"Leah naturally went with him. And I think they even got married or something… Leah's parents had no issues with it since Charles hails from a wealthy family." Grace replied as she looked out the window.

Bryan resisted the urge to facepalm, "What do you mean 'married or something'? Don't you know for sure?"

"I'm pretty sure they got married," Grace replied, "It's just that me and Leah had a disagreement before the event. So I didn't end up attending her wedding."

Bryan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The way that grace continued to keep him in suspense, he thought that this Charles guy had done something unspeakable to Leah.

But the truth was that the couple actually fell in love and got married!

Suddenly, he saw Benny get up on the table, point at Grace with his little paw, and begin to laugh. Seeing Benny's actions, Bryan struggled to contain his laughter as well.

"Who is this cat!?" Grace was taken aback at the sudden entrance of this black feline.

But more importantly, she was actually flabbergasted, "Is this cat laughing at me?"

She then looked at Bryan, feeling wronged, "Bry- I mean Anthony, is this your pet?"

"No, that's my brother," Bryan replied with a chuckle.

"Eh?" Grace's lips twitched, "Y-Yeah, sure."

She grabbed Benny by the armpits and put him on her lap. She then proceeded to reprimand him, "Bad cat! How dare you laugh at my misfortune?"

'Because it's funny.' Benny replied mentally as he brought both his paws forward and covered his mouth and giggled.

Grace's eyes widened in utter shock! She looked at the cat incredulously and then at Bryan and asked in disbelief, "T-This cat…"

Bryan nodded with a smile.

Meanwhile, Benny transmitted another mental message to Grace, 'This cat has a name, you know. I am Benjamin Lombardi, the greatest and the wisest.'

Grace turned her attention back to Benny and saw that he was looking at him with a smug smile. It took a few minutes to comprehend what was happening.

Although she had heard and read about Transcendent creatures before, this was the first time she was actually meeting one!

Grace got her bearings under control, "Hmph! Benny, you're a mischievous cat."

Benny began to giggle, eliciting laughter from Grace as well. She continued to stroke Benny on the head and then looked at Bryan and asked, "So, what are your plans now?"

"Hmm, I'm not really sure. Apart from meditating, I'm free most of the time." Bryan spoke half lies.

Of course, he had plans! It was to slaughter those Blood Path scums. But he didn't want to involve Grace in his matters at all. Actually, he didn't want to involve anyone else for that reason.

He then recalled one of the reasons why he had decided to meet up with Grace, and inquired, "By the way, do you happen to know of any Transcendent conventions in the city?"

Grace nodded, "Of course, I know a couple."

Her eyebrows then furrowed and she asked in confusion, "Wait, do you not know of any secret gatherings in the city even after staying here for a year?"

"I don't," Bryan laughed awkwardly, "During the past year, I was mostly meditating or training in seclusion. The High-String Transcendent in charge of me didn't really let me go out."

Grace was shocked, "It sounds like you were in a prison!"

"I guess so, haha," Bryan shrugged, "But on the bright side, I've come to learn a lot in this past year and have also grown much stronger."

Grace didn't really buy into it. However, she still let Bryan know about a few Transcendent conventions in Nadir and also about each of their secret codes to gain entry.

The duo talked for a long time as they shared each other's stories. After having breakfast, they bade goodbyes to each other. Before leaving, they exchanged their telephone numbers and promised to meet soon.

As Bryan saw Grace's departing back, he couldn't help but mutter, "Even after going through such a miserable time at home, she always appears so bubbly. She's bottled up everything underneath that smile."

Benny who was sitting atop Bryan's shoulder, nodded, 'Indeed. I sense a lot of grief and resentment from her.'

Bryan stayed silent for a very long time and then replied, "Perhaps I should help her out with her family issues…"

Benny looked at him and replied mentally, 'If you care so much for her then sure. But you must ask her first, Bryan. She seems to be a very headstrong lady.'

"You're quite the good judge of character, huh?" Bryan smirked as he looked at Benny.

'Hmph!' Benny raised his chin, 'Of course! I am Benjamin Lombardi, the omniscient!'

Bryan rolled his eyes, "You're using quite a lot of big words these days. If I find out you've been giving nightmares to our new neighbors, I'll punish you with a bath."

Benny simply chuckled in return. But Bryan felt his body tremble for a split second. He couldn't help but think in amusement, 'I wonder why he hates baths so much.'

Bryan then walked towards his car which was parked close to the restaurant. He saw that Donald was waiting outside for him. He approached him and stated, "You can go back home, Donald."

"What about you, Master Tony?" Donald inquired.

Bryan smiled, "It's a good day for a walk outside."

"Very well, sir." Donald nodded, "Will you be home for lunch? If so, I'll notify the cook beforehand to prepare a scrumptuous meal for you."

Bryan shook his head, "Nope, I'll be home by dinner."

Donald nodded and bowed, "I shall await your return at the manor then."

Bryan turned around and walked towards the southern part of the city. His destination was an abandoned building near the outskirts.

From Grace, he had gotten to know that one of the secret gatherings took place here in this abandoned building every Monday and Friday at 2 pm.

Bryan saw that he still had time, hence, he decided to walk there. As he walked on the footpath, amidst the crowd of people, he thought inwardly, 'Hopefully, I can buy some ingredients for my potion. If not, I can at least place an order.'

Although there were low chances of him acquiring the ingredients on the spot, he would definitely be able to buy them next time if he placed an order today and let other Transcendents know.

Bryan's eyes suddenly narrowed as he thought, 'I can also put my plan in motion.'

…

Grace walked back towards her dormitory in a slight daze as she recalled what had just happened earlier at the cafe.

A small smile hung on her lips the entire time. She couldn't believe that Bryan was actually alive! After Leah left Nadir, she felt extremely lonely and she barely made any attempts to make new friends at the university.

The main reason was, she always felt that people would try to take advantage of her since practically most of the students on campus knew her identity. After all, the Wilson Family was very famous in the city.

And being the youngest daughter of the Wilson Family naturally brought a lot of attention to her, all the wrong ones that is.

Another reason was that after becoming a Transcendent, she felt that she had become more estranged from regular people. She felt a sense of superiority. She didn't know if this was the result of the potions or just her own ego.

But regardless, now that she knew that Bryan was alive and also seemed to be doing well for himself, she felt genuinely happy.

'I should meet up with him more often.' She thought inwardly.

All of a sudden, a familiar voice drifted into her ears, causing her to snap out of her reverie, "Who was that man?"

Grace turned her head in the direction of the voice and was slightly taken aback. The next moment, her face turned cold, "None of your business."

The person who had just spoken was none other than Grace's sister, Claudia Wilson. She was also the eldest of the four siblings.

Seeing Grace's behavior, Claudia felt hurt but she didn't show it on her face, "I thought becoming a Transcendent would have put some sense into your head. That unknown person you were just speaking to is a Transcendent! Tell me, who is he?"

"Unknown?" Grace sneered, "He's more of a family to me than you lot will ever be. At least, he treats me like a close friend…like a human."

With that said, she stomped her feet and walked away, leaving Claudia to stare at her back in mixed emotions.

The next moment, her eyes narrowed as she muttered, "If that's the case. Then I shall find out on my own."