I Laugh at Death's Lack of Cunning, God's Lack of Wisdom

Kane frowned at the passage written in Tom's book. Tom seemed to sense that the Shadow Codex and the shadows moving in and out of his body had been pulled apart. That meant Kane could see him now.

Once Tom confirmed this, he struck while the iron was hot. "Don't you want to become stronger?"

Kane raised an eyebrow. How should he put this? Though he had tortured Tom for so long precisely for this moment, it still felt a little undignified to have to make a deal with him when he was obviously Tom's master...

Forget it. He would give Tom a little sweetness.

"Go on." Kane picked up a pen and wrote on Tom.

[I need your shadows and magic power.]

Kane raised an eyebrow. Well, well! Tom really did not know when to quit. Kane had already graciously deigned to speak with him, yet Tom shamelessly dared to negotiate terms?

Verdict: he had not been trained enough.

Kane very readily placed the Shadow Codex back over Tom, letting the shadows move in and out of Tom's body, stopping just short of the finish.

Then he stuffed both of them into Little Pumpkin's mouth.

It was time for Tom to wake up and understand who was the father and who was the son.

The next day...

In a corner of the library, Kane pulled the two books from Little Pumpkin's mouth. Raising an eyebrow, he wrote on Tom, "Have you had enough?"

[...

"What was that method you mentioned for becoming stronger?"

[I am merely your pitiful and pure senior. Why are you treating me like this?!]

"Because I'm neither pitiful nor pure. Now tell me, what is this method you mentioned?" Kane sat in his chair, slowly crossing one leg over the other as he asked leisurely.