Loovis refrained from any more action that day and made it to the night as clear-minded as one can be. The blinding light on his back turned off like a strobelight.
"It's a lot to take in. Ismael should not have to be a liability, he's good at what he does and the day he betrays his comrades is the day I will be closer to what I was meant to be. But I'm okay with it not working out, this is a comfortable life and I can't complain. I want every night to be this way and if the stars collapse on my roof, I'll have a full view of the night sky. None of this matters to the point where I should spend my nights wondering and wither in anxiety. This Genova sure sounds like a threat, just not an imminent one, and I'll make sure she doesn't even know who I am, so that her aggressiveness targets someone else. Ashnael hates new people, so Ismael won't integrate easily. Right now Nerida is outside on a mission, I told her not to kill or even interact from afar with any of the Suffered. I want to see them play this game, no pressure. An ant tank, that I slowly fill with higher predators. Rat poison for air, see if they choke."
In his sleep Loovis caught on noises, peculiar movements on ground level. Usually at night, this castle goes dead silent, so the irregularity his brain picked up on woke him up.
He looks down and sees a man with the behaviour of a rancid beast.
"Universalis, go back to sleep. You have a room, stay in it."
"He didn't improve, from what I gathered when I analyzed his soul is that he possesses a high-level artificial intelligence system but his soul itself works as a shared connected body. Ambroise Ler is a nephilim, incredibly dangerous. So naturally, as unstable as this one was on an individual standpoint, the fact that he's linked to a nephilim produces sharp periodic pain. Here and there he loses his mind and reportedly showed signs of syncopes, there are no known cures, nothing that I can think of. Ismael brought the nephilims from the Lifeline with him and his friends...an original move, for a broken chessboard."
Universalis came back to his room and Loovis fell asleep again.
Daytime arrived quick and Loovis kept on sleeping, using his high throne to keep from the light. Theigon was told to not mess with the Suffered, but Nerida was already back with blood on her hands.
"Loovis my King. I come back from the hunt."
"Do not...disturb me now...come back later. Have some rest."
"These children are going to be the end of me..."
"Ahsnael, look. Look, Ashnael. I've made it. An entire week without a single direct kill."
"You're good at this, Nerida. What about not attempting yourself?"
Nerida's eyes rested, almost shut.
"One more step and you'll be lost in the void. One more word and I send you there."
"Nerida you are a grotesque excuse for a woman, I have to say. You've been away for a long time, have a shower."
"You hang out with Cassius and Faviel and you talk about my appearence of all?"
"My friends actually have some decency. Look at your outfit, we are the Cardinals for crying out loud. What do you think this is?"
"Ashnael, don't tell Nerida how to dress up", Loovis interrupted, finally rising up.
In a flash step, he appeared in front of them.
"Loovis, we were just playing, you don't have to..."
A wind went cutting their skin off on random parts of their body, but Ashnael visibly had more cuts.
"Both of you. Don't tell me what to think or what to say. I'll act accordingly to my own will. Soak up the world red and come back home, to your King. It's that easy."
"Understood..." Nerida replied, disappointed, head leaning down a bit.
"Ashnael."
"Fine."
"ASHNAEL."
"I SAID FINE. I HATE THIS THING. Forcing people to kill themselves will always be an ugly death. The Castellan of Suicide. An anomaly, you are. Should be ranked as low as Ismael himself for being that disgusting."
Loovis cut an arm off from Loovis' body without moving.
"ASHNAEL."
"UNDERSTOOD, LOOVIS."
Ashnael left to his dorm, slamming the door.
"Kids can be difficult, Nerida. But tough love is a good teacher."
"Yes, I know...so as I was saying, I've made a bunch of kids kill themselves in different parts of Perseus."
"Did you leave any trace?"
"Nothing. Not a hair."
"How many?"
"One hundred and twenty-two."
"Perfect, you have the week. Seven days from now. Go sleep."
"Thank you Loovis!"
"I don't care that much about these two. What's taking me out right now is Amphelise. She could be meddling with my personal plans, and what do I do if this is the case? I should talk to her."
Before he could take a step to her location, Ismael barged through the front door in a loud bang.
"This could be the moment for me to get back at Ashnael."
"Ismael, I want you to do something for me. I think the time has come for you to start killing your friends. I want their heads."
"How many?"
"Two for a start."
Ismael looked inside his coat and detached two heads. In one swing, he threw both of them at Loovis' feet.
"Good job...Ismael..."
"This is a cold stare, he envisionned this, of course, but he asked how many while looking into his inventory, he has more. He already killed them."
"Is that it?"
"Yes, you may go take a rest."
"We've created a monster. Something that kills even before receiving orders. We've turned the Ismael that would die for his friends to an absolute menace that sacrifices them."
Ismael went knocking on Ashnael's door instead of going to his own room.
"You have to be kidding me. Newbie what the hell do you want?"
"I wanted to tell you that you don't have your place in here, your Cardinal Sin sucks. Murder? That's it? Everyone here kills, you're useless."