Neil’s heart swelled with warmth as he gathered the two girls in his arms, his eyes twinkling with joy. "They are so cute!!" Neil exclaid as he tightened his embrace and couldn’t resist playfully pinching their cheeks.
"See, I told you they were adorable," Carol chid in with a smug grin.
But as his gaze flickered towards their thin fras, a deep-seated worry tugged at his heartstrings, "They look quite skinny, have they been eating well?" Neil’s voice took on a worried tone as he leaned in closer to Carol.
"Fear not, my friend! I’ve been feeding them top-notch monsters to make sure they’re strong and durable," Carol declared proudly, but Neil couldn’t hold back the tears that began to well up in his eyes. He shook his head, pulled out a handkerchief, and dabbed at his tears.
"No wonder they look so skinny, they should have bulky muscles like mine now!" Neil posed as his muscles expanded.
Carol scrunched up her face, "I don’t want them to be bulky, they are trying to keep their training a secret so if they beco too bulky others would suspect them. Causing them to attract unwanted attention," she explained firmly. Neil nodded in understanding, his carefree deanor montarily subdued.
Aurianna and Leila looked at each other, slightly amused by Neil’s antics, and the fear that had gripped them earlier dissipated in the presence of his carefree deanor.
"I see, I see. But they look so slim," Neil lanted once more, and with a flick of his wrist, a grandiose round table filled with a myriad of culinary delights and beverages materialized before them. "You girls should co here. I have a ton of food for you to eat." He gestured towards the chairs around the table, and Aurianna and Leila hesitated, overwheld by the spectacle before them.
Aurianna’s mouth watered as the scent of succulent dishes wafted towards her, tempting her to indulge, but just as Aurianna was about to dig in, Leila’s telepathic warning rang through her mind, "Aurianna, wait."
"What if it’s a trap!" Leila warned as Aurianna’s eyes widened in understanding.
"What do you an?" She asked curiously.
"Why would so strange man we just t today, invite us for food? That’s sketchy!" Leila pointed out, her skepticism on high alert.
"You’re totally right, this slls fishy. It could be laced with poison or sothing!" Aurianna exclaid, nodding in agreent.
"Indeed, we must never underestimate them." Leila nodded.
"Hehehe they think they could trick us," Aurianna chuckled.
As they both stood there, their stomachs growled loudly, and they tried their hardest to resist Neil’s tempting food. Neil furrowed his brow at the girls’ reluctance to join him at the table. "I promise I’m not a weirdo or anything," Neil reassured them, his voice low and calm, "just a guy who likes to eat and share food with others," he reassured them.
Aurianna remained skeptical, her eyes darting to the table of food, "I don’t know, Neil. It does seem a little suspicious," she murmured, voicing her doubts.
Neil let out a sigh, the weight of his loneliness bearing down on him, "Okay, I understand your hesitation, but I guess I’ll just have to eat all this delicious food by myself," he said, his eyes gleaming mischievously as he ate so at before him with teary eyes.
Aurianna’s stomach growled loudly, betraying her deanor, "I’m willing to take the risk," she said with a straight face as she sat down at the table. Leila hesitated for a mont before giving in to her own rumbling stomach and joining them.
"This is so delicious!" Aurianna exclaid, her eyes sparkling with satisfaction as she used her fork to poke nurous foods and imdiately devoured them, "The flavors are lting on my tongue." she added, savoring every bite.
"For years of eating nothing but raw hearts and flesh, this is surely a delicacy," Leila cried as she ate crudely without care.
"Don’t whine, your skills got better!" Carol said with a huff, not having any patience for complaints.
"I don’t care, the pain we had to go through was terrible. I’d rather eat Neil’s food from now on," Aurianna said with her cheeks stuffed full of food, quickly chewing and swallowing so she could eat more.
"See, look at that, I’m not so scary after all, am I?" Neil chuckled as he watched the girls, whose forrly tidy appearance was now ruined by the ton of food sared all over their mouth.
Aurianna’s lips curled into a small smile as she gazed at Neil, "I suppose you’re not so scary after all," she murmured softly.
As she took a sip of the drink offered to her, Aurianna’s eyes widened in surprise, "This drink is better than the ones in the palace," she said in surprise as she gulped down the entire bottle of drink.
Neil’s smile was tinged with a hint of pride as he watched the girls enjoy his food, "I’m glad you girls like my cooking," he said, and Aurianna and Leila looked at him in shock.
"You cooked it??" Aurianna exclaid, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Neil’s dark gaze shifted to her, and he nodded slowly, "Well, what can I say? I’m a man of many talents," replied Neil with a smug grin.
"Amazing, could you please teach how to cook such masterpieces!" Aurianna asked as she grabbed his hand with her greedy hands, surprising him a bit.
Neil flashed Aurianna a thumbs up, "Sure, feel free to ask anyti you’re ready," he said with a grin. Aurianna nodded happily, and dug back into her food.
Leila’s voice cut through the silence like a sharp knife. "Who are you, really?" she asked, her eyes narrowed as she studied Neil’s face. "When you said the word Diamond, it was like you knew who we were, even Carol doesn’t know." She asked him while chewing on so food.
Carol’s expression turned to one of shock. "You girls aren’t so strange breed of humans?!" she exclaid, her voice tinged with disbelief.
Leila and Aurianna exchanged a blank look before speaking in unison. "We aren’t Carol."
"Hahahaha," Neil chuckled darkly, his eyes gleaming with a deep intensity. "Why wouldn’t I know?" he replied cryptically. "I was once a gem of the Gray Diamond of Knowledge, a Basalt," he announced, placing his hand over his chest with a fierce pride.
Aurianna’s mind raced as she tried to make sense of the new information. "Gray Diamond?" she repeated in confusion, her mind conjuring up images of the Diamond list, "I rember seeing soone of that na," she mumbled.
"The old generation," Neil replied with a smile, but Aurianna could detect a hint of sadness in his voice. "My master is dead."
Aurianna felt a pang of empathy for Neil as he spoke of his long-deceased master. "Sorry for your loss," she said softly, trying to offer so comfort.
Neil shook his head, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. "No need to worry," he replied. "That was billions of years ago. So, I don’t need to feel sad over sothing that happened a long ti ago."
"Oh so not the new one?" Leila’s words hung in the air as Neil nodded his head slowly, his mind seemingly lost in thought. A few monts passed, and then suddenly his eyes widened in realization, and he looked at the girls surprised.
"There’s a new one?" he grinned, a sense of excitent creeping into his voice. "Hah, if I wasn’t shackled here by Eva, I would have gone to find them and support them through their growth."
"That wouldn’t be fair," Aurianna comnted.
"Says the one who’s being trained by a Death Harpy," Neil replied, his voice laced with amusent.
Aurianna bristled at his words, but before she could respond, Leila piped up with a curious question.
"So you and Carol, who would win in a fight?" she asked, her eyes flickering between the two.
", of course," Neil claid with a proud, evil grin as he summoned a pair of round glasses and slipped them on.
Aurianna couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease at the way he seed to have high confidence in his own power. The glasses only lessened his sinister appearance, making her feel even more on edge.
"Yeah I wouldn’t stand a chance against Neil," Carol said nervously as she nodded.
Aurianna raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Then how did Eva manage to capture you, Neil?" she asked, trying to understand the mysterious circumstances.
Neil stroked his beard thoughtfully, his eyes deep and brooding. "She has a way with words," he said, his voice heavy with a sense of resignation. "I was already at the rcy of the Regals, and she struck a deal with . Thus she imprisoned here."
"For what reason did she capture you?" Aurianna persisted, her curiosity piqued.
Neil’s lips twisted in a bitter smile. "For my knowledge, of course. Gray Diamond, the Diamond of all knowledge, and its gems possess the sa trait. Eva knew this and saw an opportunity to gain an advantage over her enemies. As a Basalt, I was one of his gems, possessing knowledge beyond the scope of an immortal’s understanding."
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