Chapter 195: Because of Her

Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Because of Her

Chapter 195: Because of Her

Once Warren Sloane finished speaking, the attention of everyone in the study naturally settled on the small patterned box Audra had brought over.

Warren looked from the box back to Cyrus.

"Would you mind telling me where you first learned about rare-bloods?"

Cyrus glanced toward the book resting on the desk.

"From a book. That one, actually."

Warren followed his gaze.

Then he laughed.

"In that case, what did you think of it?"

Cyrus considered the question.

"I don’t have any particular criticism."

His answer was honest.

The book had given him information he badly needed at a time when he had known almost nothing about the wider rare-blood world.

Sometimes the difference between having information and having none at all was enormous.

Cyrus looked again at the author’s name printed on the cover.

The suspicion he had already formed became harder to ignore.

"Can I ask something? Were you the person who wrote this?"

Warren laughed even louder.

"I assumed Audra had already told you."

Cyrus was still slightly surprised despite having guessed the answer.

So Warren Sloane really was the author.

The realization changed how Cyrus viewed him.

For an ordinary human to learn enough about so many rare-blood lines to write an entire field guide was impressive.

Even Cyrus, who had grown up among Frostborn, had known almost nothing about Bloodborn, Firebirds, glamourkin, or most of the other groups described in Warren’s research.

Maybe humans really were frighteningly good at learning things once they became curious enough.

For some reason, though, Cyrus felt something faintly unusual when he met Warren’s sharp, energetic eyes.

It was almost as though the older man was studying more than his face.

As though he had noticed something Cyrus had not openly revealed.

Cyrus kept his expression unchanged.

If Warren had suspicions, there was no reason to help confirm them.

Warren picked up the small box Audra had brought over.

He opened it and looked at the glamourkin ring inside.

A trace of nostalgia passed through his expression.

Then he began explaining where the ring had come from.

Audra had heard parts of the story before, but Warren told it in much greater detail this time.

Years ago, during one of his journeys researching rare-blood communities, he had encountered someone connected to the glamourkin bloodline.

The ring eventually came into his possession through circumstances Cyrus listened to carefully.

Warren had recognized that it was unusual but had never fully understood every function.

Audra’s recent testing had clarified much more.

When Warren finished, he leaned back slightly.

"That’s roughly the whole story. I should thank you, Cyrus. You helped Audra figure out what the ring actually does."

"It wasn’t a big deal."

Cyrus answered naturally.

From his perspective, testing the ring had been worth the risk because the information mattered to him too.

Warren looked down at the artifact again.

"If something happened to me and this ring ended up with the wrong person, it could cause serious trouble."

At that, Cyrus and Audra both looked away by a small but suspiciously similar amount.

One of them had tested the ring because he wanted a future weapon against Isolde.

The other had already used it for reasons that could not exactly be called innocent.

Warren happened to be focused on the ring and missed the synchronized reaction.

He looked back at Cyrus.

"You don’t strike me as someone who would use something like this carelessly."

Cyrus silently agreed.

He had no intention of controlling random people.

He only wanted enough power to deal with one particular woman if she ever appeared again.

That seemed perfectly reasonable.

Since entering the study, Audra had remained seated beside Cyrus.

Most of the conversation happened between Warren and Cyrus, while Audra listened quietly with her usual composed posture.

After a while, Cyrus checked the time.

He had already stayed longer than expected.

Soon afterward, he thanked Warren for lunch and prepared to leave.

The invitation had never really been about keeping him there all afternoon.

Warren mainly wanted to meet the young man Audra had mentioned and get a sense of what kind of person he was.

He could not claim to understand Cyrus after a single visit.

Still, the first impression was favorable.

From the study window, Warren watched Audra walk Cyrus toward the front of the property.

The two figures moved side by side below.

A satisfied look entered his eyes.

This was the first male friend Audra had ever brought home.

That alone made the situation meaningful.

They also looked remarkably well suited standing together.

Warren was old enough to understand that appearances proved nothing, but that did not stop him from noticing.

A short while later, Audra returned to the study after seeing Cyrus off.

The patterned box remained on the desk.

She looked at it.

"Grandpa, can I ask you something?"

Warren turned.

"Of course you can."

Audra hesitated briefly.

"Under what circumstances would this ring stop working for someone?"

Warren raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you ask that?"

Audra trusted him enough that she did not see a reason to hide what happened during the testing.

She explained that Cyrus had once worn the glamourkin ring and attempted to use it on her.

Nothing happened.

Audra had remained completely unaffected.

At first she had assumed they did something wrong.

Later, another possibility occurred to her.

Maybe the ring simply would not work for anyone except her.

Warren became visibly interested.

"Let me try wearing it."

Audra nodded.

"That should be fine."

She handed him the ring.

On Warren’s enormous hand, the delicate artifact looked almost comically small.

He could barely fit it onto his little finger.

Once it was in place, Warren tested its effect on Audra.

Nothing changed.

Audra’s eyes stayed clear.

Her expression remained calm.

Warren tried again before removing the ring.

"So it really does work that way."

He returned it to the box.

As soon as the ring disappeared beneath the lid, Audra felt an unexpected flicker of disappointment.

The emotion came and went quickly.

Before she could examine it too closely, Warren pushed the box toward her.

"In that case, you should keep it."

Audra looked up.

"You want me to hold onto it?"

"Yes, I do."

Warren’s tone remained relaxed.

"If the artifact only responds properly to you, keeping it locked away with me would serve very little purpose."

Audra looked down at the box.

Logically, Warren should have been the safer person to keep something this dangerous.

He had far more experience.

He was older, cautious, and well aware of how badly a rare-blood artifact could be abused.

Yet he had chosen to trust her instead.

That trust made the weight of the small box feel different.

Warren believed she would not let personal desires control how she used the ring.

Audra’s thoughts briefly returned to Cyrus.

That only strengthened a decision she had already been making.

If she wanted to be with him, she wanted to reach that point herself.

Not through the ring.

Not by controlling what he thought or forcing him to respond the way she wanted.

She could take the first step without relying on something like that.

The upcoming school trip lasted two days and one night.

That might be the opportunity she needed.

"I’ll keep it safe."

Audra accepted the box carefully.

Warren walked back toward the window.

After another moment, he asked, almost casually, "What is Cyrus usually like at school?"

Audra blinked.

She had not expected the question.

"He used to wear his hair long enough that people could barely see his face. He kept a low profile and didn’t attract much attention."

Warren listened.

Audra continued.

"Later, because of a few things that happened, he cut his hair and stopped hiding his face."

A faint smile touched her lips.

She remembered why Cyrus had made that choice.

He had not wanted people talking about her because she kept spending time alone with the gloomy, hidden-looking boy in the back of the classroom.

At least part of that change had happened because of her.

The thought still made her quietly happy.

Audra looked at Warren.

"Why did you ask?"

Warren remained silent for a moment.

Then he shook his head.

"It’s probably nothing important. I may be overthinking it."

He returned to his chair.

Audra did not press him.

Later, Cyrus arrived back outside his apartment building.

Before going upstairs, he remembered Faye.

He pulled out his phone and opened their chat.

Her profile picture was still the hydrangea image he recognized immediately.

Cyrus rested his thumb above the keyboard.

He could send something.

Ask how she was doing.

Tell her the trip probably would not be that interesting anyway.

Promise to bring something back.

But after thinking about it, none of those messages felt especially useful.

A few comforting sentences would not change why Faye had to stay home.

She still needed to take care of Miles and Lena.

Cyrus frowned.

Maybe saying nothing and bringing her something thoughtful after the trip would be better.

Local snacks.

A small souvenir.

Something the three siblings could share.

That at least had practical value.

He wondered again how much longer Faye’s parents planned to remain away for work.

The helplessness irritated him.

There was no obvious enemy to fight and no simple solution to buy.

Cyrus went upstairs.

He spent the next part of the afternoon preparing for the trip.

Clothes.

Toiletries.

Phone charger.

A few snacks.

Anything else he might need for one night away.

Then he reached the suppressants.

Cyrus picked up one box.

After a moment, he added a second.

Better to carry too much medicine than discover halfway through the trip that he had miscalculated.

Vera had at least saved him a significant amount of money recently by supplying stronger suppressants.

Looking at his current savings still put Cyrus in a good mood.

Between work and the money he had managed not to spend, the number had finally become comfortable.

Having actual savings made tomorrow’s trip feel easier too.

Cyrus finished packing quickly.

Then, rather than wasting the free afternoon, he pulled out his textbooks and started studying.

The hours passed quietly.

Eventually, dinner time approached.

Normally Daphne would have appeared by now with food.

Tonight, the hallway remained silent.

Cyrus glanced toward the door.

Maybe St. Alder had needed teachers to stay late because of tomorrow’s trip.

He did not think much of it.

Instead, he picked up his phone and started looking through nearby delivery options.