Eric got off the bed slowly. He felt like he had been reborn; his life had gained a new light.
It was as if he had been constantly sinking in a deep ocean, darkness blocking his sight with no sense of direction, but suddenly he saw a light, followed it, and got out to the surface, saving himself and gaining life again!
He immediately got up from the bed. Today was Sunday; there was no need for him to go to work.
He walked with firm and lively steps and stepped into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and saw a blurry reflection of his face for a few seconds!
Eric's eyes widened in shock. This was the first time in years that he had seen his reflection—even if vaguely—for a few seconds!
Ever since the voice had awakened in his mind, a lot of things had changed in his life.
His inability to see his own reflection was also one of those changes.
But now, he was able to see this. A not-so-intelligent person might be unable to figure out what the reason for this was. But Eric had been gifted with natural deduction abilities.
With his sharp mind, he immediately understood the reason.
"So it is due to me losing my sense of self? Sigh, it took me so long to figure this out. I had been in an unstable state of mind all this time. It wasn't huge, but it affected me, making me unable to see my reflection. Now that I have recovered to a certain extent and am livelier than ever, I am able to see my reflection. The more I understand myself and increase the rate of my Aura to the maximum, I will gradually be able to see my reflection more clearly and for far longer until it becomes completely fine."
Eric didn't dwell on this for too long and went to take a bath and brush his teeth.
After that, he dressed in simple clothes and went to the kitchen. Ruby was cleaning the dishes in the sink while some vegetables were being boiled on the stove.
Ruby was in her usual baggy clothes, covering her curvy body. Despite wearing no makeup, her natural beauty was enough to draw attention.
She was rubbing her eyes, still sleepy. She didn't even realize Eric coming into the kitchen.
It was only after Eric stood behind her and gave her a hug from behind that she startled.
"Yawn… so sleepy… ahh! Eric!" Ruby was yawning and thinking to herself when she got hugged by Eric. She barely turned her head to the right and looked up at her husband.
Eric was a tall man with 193 cm of height, while Ruby was a Russian woman with a little taller than average height of 170 cm.
When hugged, the back of her head pressed against Eric's well-defined chest.
Eric removed some force from his arms, letting her breathe. He lowered his head so that it brushed against her ear and softly whispered in a calm tone which carried a trace of teasing:
"We haven't been able to spend some time alone ever since we moved to Paris due to work. I want to apologize and make it up to you. The weather is nice. I suggest we go on a date today. What do you say, Honey?"
The last word was said by Eric after a few breaths of time to create tension and had a clear air of allure to it, making Ruby feel a chill run down her spine as she trembled a little and her cheeks burned pink.
She puffed her cheeks a little as she held his arms with her soft hands before smiling a little and nodding in agreement.
Eric kissed her left cheek as he let her go.
His face had a faint smile, but the most striking change that had appeared after waking up was the shining light in his eyes.
Ruby stared at his face in a daze for a few seconds, trying to tell what was different about her hubby this morning.
Eric blinked at her with his calm face.
While Ruby was staring and frozen in place, trying to think of what was new about him, Eric leaned down and pushed his lips onto hers for a few seconds before pulling away, making her fluster from the kiss.
Ruby's cheeks blushed red at this as she screamed at him.
"Y-you! I get what is wrong with you now! You are being way too jolly, teasing, and free now!"
Eric laughed at her reaction as he laughed at her face and ran away out of the kitchen.
Ruby's brows furrowed in anger for a few seconds before she relaxed and a smile formed on her face as she thought, "He is finally no longer depressed. Hmm… what should I wear?"
Eric's steps slowed down as he got out of the kitchen door and started to get ready for the date. He went to his office room and opened up the almirah.
He took a look at the clothes available to him. He had to look good.
After some contemplation and experimentation, he finally decided on his fit.
Eric wore a crisp white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms. The top two buttons were left undone, giving him a relaxed but refined look.
He paired it with slim black trousers and dark brown leather loafers that made almost no sound against the pavement. A simple silver watch rested on his wrist; its polished surface would catch the faint sunlight whenever he moved his hand.
Eric stood in front of the mirror. After every few minutes, his blurry figure would show up on the surface of the mirror for one to two seconds before disappearing, but just this alone made Eric happy as a faint smile appeared on his face.
He had spent so many years in confusion and dejection, wondering how he looked after all these years had passed. His figure even in his mind was always blurry and in a fog.
He obviously had no problem seeing himself in photos or pictures, but the deep sense of grief, confusion, guilt, and depression was there like bubble gum stuck under a bench no matter what.
Eric took a deep breath as he took out his phone and messaged Max about going out on a date with Ruby. He could definitely transmit it to him using Meditation Aura.
But why waste Meditation Aura when there is technology?
Meditation Aura takes a long time to recover naturally, with its quantity stored in the body of an Aura user being much smaller too.
Every drop of it was precious.
"After I advance to Hypernova rank, the storage problem would become much smaller and less urgent," Eric thought plainly as he walked out of his office with his phone in his hand.
Max had already seen the message and replied with a nodding emoji. He also told him that Zoe was talking about having a kid and asking about his opinion.
Max personally didn't want to become a father, and knowing Max? Anyone who saw how he acted would say that.
He was a complete man-child after all.
"If only they knew his other sides."
Eric replied that he should talk and tell her that he doesn't feel ready yet to be a father. If she forces, then keep denying maturely—this is not a child's play.
Not only that, they should avoid having any sexual relations altogether!
The reason?
Michael Voyage—this baby was an Aura user of the Birth Pathway!
The Birth Pathway is publicly accepted as the most disgusting pathway.
Don't take this pathway or any of its Aura users lightly. The Aura users of this pathway have very disgusting, revolting, and mystical abilities.
Taking Voyage as an example, who has the power of the Rebirth Aura, he could implant his soul in the ovules or foetus inside the womb of a female, allowing him to be reborn with a new body, allowing him to live for hundreds of years.
He was about to die from old age when he used a desperate couple's pleas to get a child. He set up the situation very well. He secretly gained info about them, creating a scene where they would meet him, giving them a special pill which contained his Aura.
The Birth Pathway's powers revolve around birth, reproduction, pregnancy, fertilization, fluids, reproductive fluids, lactation, and organs.
The uniquenesses of the Birth Pathway are also quite mystical and unique. They are:
It allows all living beings near the user to be more fertile and have more urge to procreate.Small reproductions happen around the user.They can move in any fluid easily.They are also naturally very fertile with well-developed reproductive organs.
Not just that, they also have a special premonition of theirs which allows them to feel it when someone is fertile, has conceived a baby, or is pregnant. They can get all of that knowledge simply from their premonitions.
They also have the ability to quickly grasp huge amounts of knowledge regarding reproductive biology and apothecary.
The range of these uniquenesses depends on the amount of control the user has on their Aura. Voyage can definitely control his uniqueness freely; he has already spread it to the entire city. If he willed, it could cover the entire planet!
It is like when the Church of Serenity appeared; its effect was in the city but was much more obvious.
This was the might of a Lysi Nova. When they gain full control of their Aura, they can be planetary threats—of course, the size of the planet and the power of the Aura also matter a lot.
It was no wonder that Paris had been having too many pregnancies and births of babies these last weeks.
Voyage may look like a simple baby, but he is two centuries old!
Using his Aura to be reborn again and again has made him live different lives and have many types of precious experiences.
Due to the lack of opportunity and other reasons, he is still stuck in Lysi Nova rank, but Eric doesn't dare look down on him.
Voyage was at the peak of Lysi Nova with close to one hundred percent control on his Aura.
Such an astute, patient, and experienced person—he was able to take the lives of two innocent and desperate people without any guilt or regret. It shows his ruthlessness and how he can kill people like grass. Only a moron would look down at someone like that. He was currently the person Eric was the most guarded against after the Hypernovas and the Church of Serenity.
Some records hinted that Voyage had once been a scholar, a war tactician, and even a cult priest in his previous lives.
Whether those rumors were true or not, no one knew. But one thing was certain—a man who had lived for two centuries through countless identities could never be simple.
His rank was low, but he was experienced and had a good Aura and the protection of a Hypernova. He was the perfect candidate to send in this operation.
All the people sent in this operation were definitely experts.
After this mission ends, Voyage would gain more than enough contribution points and get Divine Karma's help to advance to Hypernova. He would become a true powerhouse by then.
Eric might be allying with Voyage right now, but he doesn't trust him at all. One wrong move and he might get seriously injured if not dead. He has no intentions of letting anyone he knows even get in contact with Voyage, even Max.
If Voyage were to get the premonition of Zoe getting pregnant, he would kill himself in a flash and send his soul and will to the zygote in her womb. By then, Zoe would be used as a hostage.
Who would they go cry to at that point?
If they don't have special methods against his Aura—like some afterlife pathways' soul path methods or the Mind Pathway's will techniques—they won't be able to counter Voyage.
Visie, despite being an Aura user of the Mind Pathway, can't help with this due to her Aura not being proficient in wills. She also has no relics or charms for that.
Max, Zoe, Ruby, and even himself have been affected by this uniqueness over time. It is very subtle, but it is affecting them subconsciously, making them be more in heat and have the urge to copulate.
Eric has strong willpower. He can counter it without any problem, but in moments of emotional vulnerability, the uniqueness had showed its effects.
Eric is someone who is not lustful or goes around satisfying his bodily desires, but when Ruby opened up to him, didn't he give in and was going to do it with her?
The voice in a way had saved him. Though he wouldn't have made her pregnant, who knows?
Ruby can be handled as well as long as he paid attention.
But Max and Zoe are a different case.
They do it a lot. It is like their daily routine.
Eric has made sure that Max always uses his Property Aura to take out his property of "not being able to conceive a female."
If not for that, with their constant copulation and the effect of the uniqueness of the Birth Pathway, how could Zoe not get pregnant?
All this information about Voyage was naturally given to Eric by Edward in advance because he knew that Eric had already allied with Divine Karma, with Voyage being the representative of Divine Karma in the Lysi Nova rank. Eric and Voyage would help each other naturally.
Obviously, Edward had not given the info for free and had taken some aura stones for it. But the price was too low. Eric, despite having a lack of aura stones, was able to buy it.
Eric still desires the info on the other Aura users that have been sent by the other 2 great bodies—the Truth Seekers and the Organisation—but Edward never gave him the chance to ask.
Eric understood his intention clearly: he wanted to keep Eric in check and make sure that they stay in his control.
After walking out of his office, Eric smelled some perfume. He turned his gaze to near the door. Ruby was standing there, waiting for him.
Ruby wore a light cream sundress that would flow gently around her knees whenever the breeze passed by. The fabric was soft and airy, decorated with small embroidered flowers that gave it a delicate charm.
A thin brown belt wrapped around her waist, giving the dress a graceful shape. On her feet were simple white sandals, and a small beige handbag hung loosely from her shoulder.
Her Kelly-green hair was tied into a loose braid that rested over one shoulder, with a few strands escaping to frame her face. When the sunlight filtered through the trees, the color of her hair shimmered faintly like leaves after rain.
Ruby had worn just a little bit of makeup. The most attractive part was her lips, which she had put red lipstick on.
She had also not taken much time to pick her dress. She was able to get ready so fast.
Eric stared at her without blinking, making Ruby flustered a little as her gaze hovered around.
Seeing her flustered, Eric first cleared his mind and focused.
"The uniqueness is affecting me more. It seems like Voyage had increased the effect of his uniqueness after sensing something."
Eric slowly walked up to the door as he put on his shoes. He then offered his hand to Ruby. Ruby slowly put her left hand on his right hand. He complimented her:
"You look very beautiful, Honey."
"Y-you look good too," Ruby stuttered her words.
The pigeons outside flew in the sky in a V formation, catching the attention of many.
With that, this couple opened the door and stepped outside, ready for their eventful date today.
…
Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital,
Voyage was sitting in his cradle, staring at the ceiling with an expressionless face. Unlike the other loud babies, he was very quiet.
He was in deep thought right now, laying out his plans and all the information he had on the personality, foundation, and powers of the Aura users who had joined this Paris operation.
There were two nurses in the nursery at this moment. They were busy calming the babies down and stabilizing their situation. They talked while doing their work.
"Susie, I have something to say. Don't answer if it is stupid, but haven't you felt that the hospital has been having way too many pregnant patients these days?"
The nurse who had just spoken was a middle-aged blonde nurse with black eyes.
"Oh! You have noticed it too? I have noticed it myself too! There have been way too many pregnant patients in all the hospitals of Paris these days. I have talked to some students at the university; one is making a paper on the increasing rate of pregnancy in the last month. They have researched that pregnancy cases have increased by five times!
Susie was a young woman with long black hair, brown eyes, and a sharp nose. She spoke very loudly.
Susie continued: "I have also had urges to… you know, way too often these last days, and I have been lactating a lot too…"
"…"
After she said that, both women went silent.
Voyage's expression suddenly contorted as he sneezed loudly and sniffed.
Voyage, who was silent, now caught the attention of the blonde nurse as she walked toward him and picked him up lovingly. She patted his back and teased the baby about not stealing ice cream the next time.
Some days ago, Voyage had sneaked out to steal some ice cream and was caught while eating it.
Now this nurse thinks that this is why he got a sneeze. This cute chubby baby, despite always having an expressionless face, had always been cute to her no matter what—even after he pissed on her clothes too, he still remained adorable.
"This sneeze was not a normal one. This is a premonition. Someone is plotting against me. The sneeze was quick and high, but it didn't leave any deep aftereffect. It means that the danger is hidden and can be avoided. This danger will come soon. It will be very dangerous one if I fall for it and am unable to avoid it, though."
"Tomorrow is the day I go out to hunt some teenagers with the third one. It is most likely due to him that I got such a premonition. It makes sense though. He has been implicated by me increasing the effect of my uniqueness after all. It has indirectly implicated him and the people around him, but I have to set up my advantages beforehand. I can't afford to show weakness! If I am to perform well in this operation, I will be given the chance to advance to Hypernova!"
"I absolutely can't let such a chance go. The next day is just a stepping stone. But I can't afford to be careless."