To Live Again, For the First Time!

There's a little Easter egg here... can anyone catch it? <3

***

"I just thought of this, so Brother Dios won't be contemptuous of me if this idea is with flaw right?"

'What a little lier.'

Dios knew Cenci's meticulous personality very well, if he didn't think his words very thoroughly he just wouldn't bother saying anything at all.

Dios let out a soft grunt as if telling Cenci to just spit it out.

"Ah well I was thinking, seeing as they are so incompetent, and so unaware of it too, it was about time that we upped the amount of time they spent in the mental training chamber."

Cenci had a face full of smiles as he did his best to send the newbies into the death chamber, no, the Trials of Reincarnation they called it. 

There were already too many names for these trials, but as of now, they found Trials of Reincarnation to be the most accurate, though the others were still used depending on the occasion.

Mental training sold it short while death chamber wasn't really the most pleasant to hear.

No one really dies there either. (❛ᴗ❛  )

Neither Dios nor Cenci had been here when the name Trials of Reincarnation caught on, but after they experienced it for themselves, they couldn't help but agree with such a name.

Bystanders who didn't experience it for themselves may find it a tad exaggerated, but for the people who did. They almost felt like it wasn't exaggerated enough. (TT__TT)

The newbies wouldn't know, but the trials became exponentially harder as you went on.

And if you wanted to rise in the ranks, the numbers of trials you had to go through were by no means trifling.

As for the newbies that Dios was adding to his numbers, they would at least have to go through the first three levels before even being considered, or recognized, as members.

This was another reason why people were discouraged to send their spies into Elijah's organization.

Even Elijah's uncles found it troublesome to find people who could pass the trials without having their loyalty waver.

It was near impossible to push someone even higher in the ranks while keeping their identities as a spy.

Dios knew they weren't ready for the second level, having just done the first months prior, but he pondered on the thought.

"The trials huh? If they are as incompetent as you say, how are you sure they will be able to survive?" Dios queried.

"Well, we can't take them by the hand when it comes to such things right? This is a good opportunity. Though I say that this is a punishment, you should know better than anyone that this is truly a blessing in disguise (not that those 4 would appreciate such good intentions)."

Cenci covered his mouth after he finished embellishing his every word and action.

If one didn't know better, they would think he was some kind of paragon, a saint for his people!

His face was screaming 'Ah, my noble intentions may be misinterpreted by those who receive my goodwill, but that's okay! If it's for the people, then it doesn't matter if my reputation suffers.'

Followed by a glance at his Brother Dios, which said, 'But you'll understand me right? Even if it's just a little, you should realize that this is all for their good, right?' As he fluttered his thick eyelashes.

Dios promptly ignored all the garnish that littered Cenci's words, focusing solely on the heart of the matter.

After Dios contemplated for a bit with Cenci's talking as background music, he couldn't help but agree.

It was clear that Cenci had thought it through.

It was the most painful, yet reasonably good punishment. 

At the end of the day, as long as those 4 were willing to continue down this path, this event would eventually give them one leg up against their competitors.

"Then let's do it as you say."

Dios also wanted to know just where these people's determinations were. In their heart, in their mind, or their soul.

If it were in their heart, it would be crushed early and if it were in their minds, it would be shattered without a second care.

[Author's Note: No organisms were physically harmed nor killed in the process of the making of this chapter]

In the end, only the resolute would survive to be reborn anew.

"That's great Brother Dios! I'm sure they will one day come to appreciate your goodwill and if they don't then they don't deserve it." Cenci said the last four words with a cold glint in his eyes before returning to his original saint-like disposition.

'So it's my goodwill huh, just a second ago you were just acting as if you could take on any misunderstandings, how did it suddenly become my goodwill ah? This little one has finally shown his small, sharp fangs eh?' Dios inwardly chuckled.

Cenci had clearly taken advantage of his agreeing to push all the responsibility onto himself without a second care.

'What a cold-hearted child.'

Even knowing this much, Dios didn't do anything to stop Cenci's scheming ways. He found it cute that Cenci thought that this could go under Dios's radar, but on the outside, he frowned a little as if not understanding the implications of Cenci's words.

"Don't worry Brother Dios, even if they don't understand, I'll engrave it in my heart what a good person you are," Cenci finally comforted, to which Dios simply snorted.

***

In another section of the building, at Elijah's office, two young men sat around the coffee table along with an aged lady.

An equally old man stood behind the aged lady, despite having been asked to sit down on multiple occasions by the others in the room.

Meanwhile, Liam brought in some tea, placing a cup in front of everyone in the office, including the man who stood behind the elder.

"How come you've come so early?" Elijah questioned casually.

"Aiyo, this grand nephew of mine really doesn't know how to talk. Won't you at least greet this elder of yours first?" The elder took a sip of her tea and placed her teacup down with a clack that resounded throughout the room.

"Grandma, you tell him! He's been bullying me lately, if you don't bring me justice, no one here will." Moulan quickly moved to his grandmother's side,  swaying her arm gently like a child asking for candy.

"Don't even get me started on you boy. You've been here how long now and you haven't even sent me a single message to inform me of your safety. Making me move my old bones all the way here, to the middle of nowhere, just to check up on you," she humphed indignantly.

"Grandma, it's just that I know how much you love going for walks and the fresh air here. I missed you so much that I just felt like talking through a screen simply wasn't enough. I really wanted to see you and Elijah has me trapped here so I can't go out to meet with you." Moulan's eyes drooped as he spoke in the most pitiful tone he could muster.

"I'm sorry. This grandson of yours was too greedy," Moulan lifted his head again, which was now under the woman's eye level, pattering his glistening eyes, which seemed to be ready to shed some tears to placate the elder.

"Aiyo, what should I do with you now. Did you just eat a spoonful of honey or what? Grandma wants to forgive you, but I don't know if my heart could take it if I did." The old woman clutched her chest exaggeratedly as if telling her grandson that 'two could play this game'.

Moulan sighed in resignation, knowing that he could never win against this grandmother of his.

Before Moulan's grandmother could even go on to voice her true intentions in this debacle, Elijah smirked and joined in the conversation smoothly.

"Grand Aunt, how about this; I'll make sure that Moulan contacts you every single day so could you find it in your big heart to forgive this grand-nephew (he's speaking about himself in the third person) for his earlier blunder?"

The elder's eyes shone when her matters were brought on to the table, signaling to everyone in the room just who had won in this small quarrel of words.

"Oh, just what do they serve in this cafeteria of yours? Do you eat dessert from breakfast to dinner, 3 meals a day?"

This was the elder's subtle way to ask her grandson and grand-nephew how they were eating.

"It does seem that Moulan has been eating too many sweets these days, but as for me, I can assuredly tell Grand Aunt that everything I have was inherited genetically."

Elijah went on to praise her Grand Aunt while down putting his efforts, but not his skills, not only that, but he didn't even forget to throw Moulan down the bus a little.

Moulan threw a glare at Elijah before turning her head back at his grandma, changing his face along the way.

He really changed faces at a speed faster than any professional actor could when his grandmother was in front of him.

"Grandma, you don't know, but it's true. I've really been unable to eat properly because of all the work Elijah has me doing! He doesn't respect me, his elder cousin at all!"

Moulan whined, while Elijah just watched as Moulan dug a hole for himself.

***

Have you caught the easter egg?

Was it too hard?

Well here's a hint!

It's a wordplay in the first half (with Cenci and Dios) of the chapter.

Shout out in chapter 94, to the first person to get it correctly in the comments!