Chapter 101: Purpose
Packing the various shipments or piles wasn’t so bad. What took a while was getting the items from the Sanctuary back to the barge. Their boat had to be used as a shuttle. This gave them approximately five minutes between each shipment.
During these five-minute intervals, Jasmin would occasionally ask about the children. Or she would ask about the living conditions and whether they had enough food to eat after giving them their share.
If you didn’t know any better, you would believe she was trying to maintain a good relationship with them. She would attempt to help if she had nothing in her hands. She would ask about fetching water and so on.
By all accounts, she was an enthusiastic worker. Her enthusiasm was such that Kain and Amelia almost couldn’t refuse her. They would end up answering a question or two to keep the peace.
They weren’t interested, but she was like an annoying mosquito. No matter how much you wave your hands and swap, you can’t catch them, and they keep coming back.
Chad, on the other hand, used his free time to move around the floor. He found that the first floor was submerged and commented on how lucky they were to still have more floors to live on.
Then he went into the common area and did some more snooping.
"If I’m not wrong, this place is Paradise Gardens. When we were coming in, I saw three other floors besides this one. Are all of them like this one?"
Without waiting for an answer, he moved towards the stairs. Kain caught his arm.
"Don’t walk around in people’s homes." His tone was flat, but his eyes were sharp.
Chad looked down at the hand holding his wrist. His jaw tightened. His posture turned defensive. Jasmine came up beside him, tenderly touching his arm. She turned to Kain.
"Sorry about him. He’s always been curious."
"That’s fine." Kain released his wrist. "Just don’t walk around without the homeowner’s permission. Plus, you might disturb the kids."
Using the children as an excuse, Kain thought that would be enough. Who knew that once Chad was hooked on something, he was like a rabid dog, refusing to let go.
Another shipment had gone out, and they were resting. Chad once again made his way to the stairs when he thought Kain and Amelia weren’t looking.
He was about to touch the stairs when Amelia called out to him.
"Are you deaf?" she said, her tone harsh. "We already told you not to go wandering around in someone’s home."
This time, everyone turned to see Chad with his hand still hovering above the stairs.
Kain’s voice was devoid of emotion. He stepped away from his conversation with the captain.
"This," he said, "is not a museum. We’ve already said don’t go up. Step back."
Tension became thick in an instant. The weight of it swirled around the scene. At level 5, Kain could vaguely feel a person’s intentions. The tug in his chest had nothing to do with being an Awakened; it was an instinctive, almost visceral feeling.
But his Awakened senses also told him these two were testing something. It’s just sad that he had no idea what they were testing.
The pressure from Kain barrelled towards them, almost knocking them off their feet. The shock in Jasmine and Chad’s hearts made their bodies tremble instinctively.
Amelia stepped towards Kain, placing a hand on his arm. Instantly, the pressure lessened. The people around them who were also affected couldn’t help staring at Kain.
Amelia’s heart fluttered when she saw Kain like this. Although it wasn’t the time or the place, she couldn’t stop herself from pulling him down, kissing his lips. It wasn’t the same murderous aura from before, but something about it settled Amelia.
Caught off guard, Kain’s pressure disintegrated just as quickly as it came.
He placed his hands on her hips, reluctantly pulling away. Now wasn’t the time for this.
He cleared his throat. "Captain Gene, since we’re almost finished packing, I would like to ask you to send these people back to the barge on the next trip."
The captain’s mouth opened slightly, unsure how to answer before he got his bearings. Seeing the cold detachment in Kain’s eyes, he didn’t hesitate any longer and gave his orders.
"I’ll send them back," he said. Then, turning to them, he said, "You two should apologize."
If looks could kill, Jasmine and Chad would have buried Captain Gene six feet under. It didn’t matter how much they glared. He had already experienced Kain’s cold pressure; their glares didn’t phase him now.
In the end, they could only agree to leave.
No one talked about the incident for the remainder of the time spent sending out items.
Kain didn’t show any disapproval of the captain at the time of his departure. He was indifferent, but no more so than the first time they had met. He reminded the captain before leaving that he would still need to come back in a month, and at that time, he would use the second condition.
Seeing them all gone, Kain’s shed his indifference. He told the seven to go back to their rooms. He and Amelia took the elevator to the fifth floor.
"Now, tell me. What’s the reason for sending everyone into hiding?" She hadn’t forgotten how he had everyone stay on Floor Three.
He released a long breath. "They feel...off. I think the longer we hide them from those two, the better it will be. At least until everyone gets to level 4."
"Do you think they’re level 4?"
"I don’t know. But something about them is setting me off. I want to kill them, but at the same time, my body is warning itself that now isn’t the time." He scowled.
"Whatever the reason, I think we should talk to the others. Let them know what’s happening."
He nodded, making a sound of affirmation.
"Let’s go get the kids first, then we go talk. This concerns them too."
