“I can’t believe you just stuffed them in the trunk, old Zhan! You might have been upset about that picture, but those guys literally had nothing to do with it!” said Miles, more amused than actually upset.

“Bah! They’re thieves. The trunk of this car is already too good for criminals!” Zhan Shen argued.

Miles shook his head grinning. It was always entertaining to mess with old Zhan. Which was why he had asked Irina to send him that picture for future reference.

Unfortunately, this had made the old butler rather annoyed, leading to the innocent Jimmy and Luther being thrown into the trunk and slammed shut.

Moving on from the two poor youths, the pair of Ward and Butler was currently in the back of the Light Ray, separated from the driver by a leather seat and a black tinted glass pane, designed for nothing but privacy.

The driver was obviously Irina, who drove like a maniac, swerving through the streets at an insane speed beyond 500 kmph.

Despite the sudden turns and intense velocity, the passengers were unaffected. Negation or reduction of gravitational forces and momentum, was one of the earliest technology that humanity was able to replicate from Fae Ships.

This meant that Miles could afford to calmly enjoy a glass of wine, almost as if he was standing still. The wine was Burgundy, not the best, but sufficient.

Miles was truly glad that turning into Kindred had not ruined his taste buds. He couldn’t imagine what he might have done had he lost his appreciation of fine wine.

‘Hmm. Blood-infused wine? An Intriguing thought. I’ve always considered brewing my own wine. Mother’s collection is limited after all. An idea for another time, I suppose. Perhaps I could even sell it to other Kindred. Hah! That’s a thought!’

At that same instant, Zhan Shen spoke up, breaking the silence, “Master Miles, we should speak about the White Snakes. If this gang could truly employ a Knight of the Military, it may well be that they possess a genuine Fae Booster Serum. Should we not investigate?”

Miles calmly took a sip of the wine, before answering, “With me becoming Kindred, I don’t believe I require the Fae Booster anymore. But, it is true such a serum can change the fate of men and women all over the world, so it cannot be ignored either.”

The elderly butler glanced down, before slowly speaking, “I-- I didn’t tell you this before, since we didn’t really get a proper opportunity, but…”

With his index finger, Zhan Shen poked the seat before him, or rather the screen embedded within, causing it to light up, “Your uncle had some... opinions about how you handled the Fae Ships that attacked Lykaon Mansion.”

Miles frowned, instantly serious, “Show me.”

The old butler continued to press the keys while scratching his head, “Uhhh, it was a news article, somewhere.”

Miles interrupted, “Let me,” and with a few taps quickly searched for articles regarding the attack on Lykaon Mansion.

As he had expected, there were quite a few. Even with a Fae invasion sending the majority of the population into hiding, Journalists didn’t rest, especially when there was a juicy piece of gossip involving one of the most controversial and wealthy people of Central City.

But as he read through, Miles’s frown quickly twisted into a scowl.

A small excerpt from the first search result, the most popular article from the leading news network, CCN.

“In a shocking turn of events, Lykaon Mansion, the ancestral home of the founders of renowned Lykaon Industries, was attacked by two lone Fae Ships!

The Defense Systems were activated, but due to rather sloppy use of the weaponry, the ships crashed into the garden, resulting in a massive explosion. Fortunately for the Lykaon’s only half of the garden was burned, while the mansion surprisingly remained undamaged.

This incident has caused the public and the leading board of Lykaon Industries to once again doubt the qualifications of the next heir, Master Miles Lykaon.

The question everyone is asking is, if he couldn’t even handle two basic Fae ships with all the defenses of Lykaon Mansion at his disposal, how could he lead the behemoth that is Lykaon Industries someday?

The heir himself has refused to comment on the matter, so make of that what you will.

The current CEO of Lykaon Industries, Harold Maximilian however, was more than willing to speak, “At first, the only shortcoming my nephew had was an insufficiency of Faetality.

Even the fact that he couldn’t handle two small Fae ships by himself, while pitiful, is somehow acceptable.

Honestly, I was still planning on supporting him for the sake of my beloved younger sister.

But, if he doesn't even have the spine to accept responsibility for his mistake, he is even worse than I had anticipated! I will never let our company fall into such unworthy hands! Into the hands of a spineless wimp! Nephew! If you disagree, come out and say it!”

Miles could read no more of it, ‘How dare-- How dare that f*cker!’

Rage and anger overwhelmed him, blurring his mind with red.

Crunch!

The wine glass shattered under the power of his grip.

[External Bleeding Detected. 0.09 BP lost (Negligible. Not considered.)]

Scarlet red liquid seeped down his hand dripping onto the floor, making it impossible to discern the Burgundy wine from his own blood.

[Conditional Undeath activated. All wounds healed. HP: 10/10]

The pain vanished, the cuts from the shattered glass already healed. But Miles’s anger wasn’t sated.

“That f*cker! Who does he think he is? Support me for the sake of my mother, my ass! And the public, the press? Have they forgotten all the things my parents have done and donated to build up this city!? They are worried about my qualifications? Ungrateful rats!”

Zhan Shen began to say something, intending to pacify his ward, but--

Miles roared out, “IRINA, STOP THE CAR!”

WHUMPF!

The car came to a sudden stop, the sudden shift in speed failing to affect either of them.

Miles opened the door and instantly jumped out onto the pavement.

“Master Miles, wait, calm down!”

The black glass pane lowered itself, and a worried-looking blonde woman poked her head out.

“Boss, what’s wrong?!”

Ignoring them all, Miles walked forwards, his steps hurried.

Noticing a trash can on the side of the street, his right foot lifted itself.

In a blur of wind, Zhan Shen appeared beside him, “Self Control, Master Miles! Self Control!”

Clang!

His kick struck the unfortunate trash can bending the metal inwards, as it was sent flying through the air, falling about 100 m down the street, with an even louder crash.

Miles released a breath, slowly lowering his foot. He answered, with lightly grit teeth, “I am in control, old Zhan. Just releasing my anger without damaging Rina’s car.”

Zhan Shen seemed skeptical considering the state of the trash can but still nodded and said, “That’s good. Being able to control yourself better already is rapid improvement.”

‘Yeah, small victories.’

Miles hurried back into the car, gesturing at Zhan Shen to do the same.

As the old Butler walked over, Irina spoke to Miles, apparently surprised, “That was kind of impressive boss. Pity for the trash can though. Dare I ask what’s got you so mad?”

Miles shrugged, “My blasted uncle.”

Irina nodded, seemingly understanding, “Ah, that would do it.”

Meanwhile, Zhan Shen had entered the vehicle, closing the door behind him. He gestured at Irina to give them privacy, and she did so, lifting up the black glass pane once more.

The moment it closed, Miles’s eyes flashed red in anticipation, his voice oozing with blood lust, “Old Zhan, let’s return to Lykaon Mansion. Wherever we were heading before, is no longer relevant.

I’ll show my uncle which one of us actually lacks a spine. With both you and me, we might just be able to take him down!”

The elderly butler immediately shook his head, “No! That is not wise, Master Miles.

Even ignoring the fact that your uncle is a Delta, you cannot ignore how he has treated the conflict between the two of you.

He may manipulate the press, bend words, and incidents to his advantage, but he has never gone beyond that. He only strikes as a businessman, never taking things personally.

If you are the one to step over the line first, the public and the investors will doubt your qualifications even more! Your uncle may even capitalize on it, perhaps even taking full control!”

Miles scowled. He hated to admit it, but Zhan Shen had a point.

Didn’t mean he was happy about it though.

“So what the hell am I supposed to do?! I can’t even explain the truth! Who would believe that I crashed the Fae Ships just to survive the attack of a Vampire and a Werewolf!? Am I supposed to just take this lying down!? I never thought I’d see the day where you would tell me to back down from a fight, old Zhan!”

Zhan Shen heaved a sigh. “While I would love to see you embracing the beauty of war and battle, this is not a simple battle. This is not one that can be won with sheer power, not unless you wish to maintain the support of the public.”

Miles’s scowl worsened.

Ignoring his ward’s reaction, the elderly butler smiled, “But, that does not mean you should do nothing. This is my suggestion. For now, let your uncle do whatever he wishes...

Let him have his little victory, while you prepare.

With the power of the Vampire, you will build up strength. I may have just said power is unnecessary for this conflict, but you can never be too strong. It is what will hold you when worst comes to worst.

Then, the possibility of the Fae Booster might just help you grow even stronger, perhaps even solidifying your qualifications. I will handle this.

As for regaining the support of the public and the press, all you need to do is something that will awe the masses, grab the attention and support of the city in an instant. I’m confident you can figure something out.

Be smart about it, Master Miles. Not impulsive.”

Miles heaved a sigh, his scowl slowly dissipating. Old Zhan gave good advice. He had been acting without thought, without logic.

“You’re right old Zhan, as always.

My uncle may be a manipulative piece of sh*t, but he has always remained professional. He has never made our conflict go beyond the company. So I will treat him with due respect.

But… I just can’t ignore the insult! My uncle is manipulating the truth, while the press and the public eat it all up like idiots!”

Zhan Shen nodded gravely “You can truly see the extent of his cunning in this event.

Technically speaking, Harold isn’t lying. There may be some irrelevant phrases, but he is telling his truth.

After all, the Fae Ships did crash, and you did ‘refuse’ to take the blame. The reasons for each of them may be reasonable from our point of view, what with the attack forcing you to crash the ships and you being knocked out, unable to take responsibility even if you wanted to.

But Harold doesn’t know that. Neither does the press, nor the public. And he has made perfect use of this lack of information to spin a half-truth to fit his agenda.”

Miles raised an eyebrow, “On the other hand, if they had known the truth and if you had not hidden the fact that I had been knocked out, I’d be facing an even worse accusation. Perhaps something along the lines of ‘Lykaon heir faints in fear of two little Fae ships’.”

Zhan Shen forced a grin, “That... is very possible.”

"Old Zhan, so this is why we ended up in the outer city? In that safe house? To hide from the vultures of the press and my opportunistic uncle?"

The elderly butler nodded, "It was a risk to come here during a Fae Invasion, but I was confident I could keep you safe. Didn't expect three would-be thieves to come sauntering in though."

That made sense. Zhan Shen was always preemptive and he valued the old butler for it.

Miles heaved a final sigh.

Despite all of that, there truly was little he could do about his uncle.

Even if he returned now, what could he say that would change the opinion of the public and the press? He could say the truth and be considered crazy. He could lie, and be considered a liar.

Harold Maximillian was truly a master manipulator, creating a scenario that would help him, no matter what the truth might be.

Well, Miles knew quite well about his particular skill set. After all, it was mainly due to his uncle's involvement that Miles had been forced out of Lykaon Industries.

He would forever hate the man, but he had to admit, Harold had never crossed the line.

So he would take Zhan Shen’s advice, and find a way around. Two could play the manipulation game.

“Alright old Zhan. It will be as you say.”

Having decided to follow his guardian's advice, Miles was just about to tell Irina to continue driving…

When he noticed something strange, unusual, and eye-catching.

'What is that? Why didn't I notice it before?'

It was a piece of paper, the background a bright but dark blue, littered with ethereally glowing yellow stars, pasted on a dingy and moss-ridden street wall.

Instantly re-opening the door, he jumped back onto the street.

“Master Miles? What’s wrong?”

He pointed at the poster and asked absent-mindedly, “Old Zhan, can you see that?”

The old butler seemed confused, “I’m afraid I cannot. Is this another one of the things only you can see?”

“Perhaps,” answered Miles, moving closer to the poster.

As he got closer, words slowly appeared on the paper, written in pure white. It was no longer a paper, but a poster.

It read, “Have you ever wondered if you are special? Something more than the ordinary folk? Something greater?

Well, if you can see this, you definitely are!

My friend, you possess a natural aptitude for magic! And eye for magic, if you will.

Welcome brother or sister, to the amazing world of magic! And if you wish to join our fellowship, let me say in advance, welcome to the Society of Magicae!”