"Is your father in his room?" Janus asked Nyx, glancing toward the stairs.
Previously, he could teleport inside the house and directly in Ryder's room whenever he wanted. However, since the last time this place was attacked, Ryder had changed a lot of things.
Following the attack and worrying about the future safety of his family, Ryder had placed extra restrictions on his mansion, making it impossible for any Spatial Portal to open inside his mansion.
Not only that but Ryder had also placed a lot of other restrictions around the mansion as if he was preparing for the unexpected. Even Janus had never seen Ryder this cautious in the past.
"I'm not sure, but if he's at home, then he'll definitely be in his room. In recent days, he rarely leaves his room," Nyx explained. Although his words also contained a hint of his curiosity, but he didn't ask his father about it.
"I'll meet him upstairs. You don't have to escort me," Janus stated, telling Nyx to not be concerned about him.
Although Nyx wanted to escort Janus to his father's room personally, once Janus said that it wasn't needed, he didn't force it.
Janus had been here many times so it was understandable that he didn't need any help. He was no different than a family member after all. Nyx didn't intend to make Janus feel like an outsider.
"If you say so." He bid his farewell, not intending to be stubborn about it. "But don't leave directly after meeting Father. Mother will be upset if you're not at the dinner table with him."
Nyx took a different direction, going towards the kitchen to inform his mother about the arrival of a new guest.
Janus watched Nyx leave. He repeatedly apologized in his heart about what he was about to do. Taking a deep breath, Janus walked towards the stairs to meet Nyx's father.
Soon, he was on the first floor, standing before Ryder's room. It was the same room in which Ryder had treated Caen when his life was hanging by the thread.
In the room where Ryder had saved Caen, Janus had to take his life. As Janus stood outside Ryder's room, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sadness and conflict.
He knew that his actions would bring pain to Nyx and his family, but he was convinced it was the only way to protect Caen from a future that no one could change. He had to kill Ryder first when he was unaware. Only after taking out Ryder could he kill Nyx without worrying about revenge.
"Are you inside?" Gathering his will, he knocked on the door, waiting for Ryder to invite him in.
Ryder's voice echoed from within, "Come in."
Janus turned the doorknob and stepped into the dimly lit room. The air between them was heavy with unspoken words as Janus tried to find the right moment to reveal his true intentions.
Ryder sat behind a large mahogany desk, engrossed in his work. An ancient book was placed before him, on which he had circles a few blurry words.
Putting the pen down, Ryder looked back at Janus. "You're back. How's Caen doing now? Did you face any other problems?"
Janus forced a smile, his heart heavy with the weight of the impending task. "No other problems. The Realm of Gods is completely vacant. Gabriel can't be found anywhere, and without Ezekiel, things seem to be getting better now."
"Caen has also changed for the better. I've decided to let him take the throne, although it's insignificant at this point. But I believe that he will make for a good leader now," he stated, stepping closer to Ryder.
"That's true. I suppose your biggest problem about his temperament has been solved. Unfortunately, in the process, so many had to lose their lives."
Ryder sighed, as he shifted his attention back to the book before him.
"I met Nyx when I was coming here. He said that you don't leave your room much nowadays? What have you been doing all this time?"
Janus stopped right behind Ryder, looking over his shoulder to look at the ancient book on the table.
"Nothing significant. I guess you can just say that I've been trying to solve my curiosity," Ryder answered, picking up the marker again.
With the marker, he could mark anything in the book without actually touching or affecting the old pages. All the highlighters floated a millimeter above the
Even as Ryder went through the page, he didn't forget to ask, "What's troubling you?"
Janus took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Nothing. I've just been thinking about the future. I've lost so many things in life. And I don't want to lose anymore."
"Winning or losing isn't in our control, is it? We can only try our best in this world. Even Gods can't be convinced on how long they can live after all. One moment, you're alive and on top of the world, and the next moment, you're taking your last breath," Ryder replied.
"The world has always been cruel. Who could know better than you?" he asked, not thinking much about Janus' words. It was understandable to feel down after losing all his family.
"But if there was a way to ensure that you could protect the one you cherish the most, but you had to ruin someone else in the process?" Janus asked, his left hand behind his back. "Is it right to be selfish then?"
A rusted black knife appeared in his hand, that he had brought back from the Abyss.
"If there was a way to save someone they cherish at the cost of someone else, then everyone would take that path. There's nothing wrong with being a little selfish for our family after all," Ryder answered, not thinking much about Janus' words.
He marked another word at the bottom of the page.
"Thank you for answering." Janus spoke, taking a deep breath. "And I'm sorry!"
With slight push, he stabbed the rusted knife in Ryder's back.
