Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

Pablo's spirit was torched over, and over again. He wanted to return to his household again and again, even if he knew he would never be able to see his family again or bury them.

But what else could he do, aside from that? He turned and saw Uriah leaving. Pablo howled, “Uriah Phillips... come back, come back!” Come back and at least bury his parents’ bodies... come back and give his siblings a place to rest...

He was begging Uriah now, he was really begging...

Pablo collapsed to the ground, the tears drying on his face.

The man once young, handsome and powerful, was lying on the ground like a lost mutt screaming and crying as he begged.

Uriah had long since left, leaving the Belmont household to burn with the Spirithold Pillars firmly in the ground.

The pillars were placed within ten miles of the Belmont household, making sure to keep all spirits down. The fire raged on for three days and three nights straight, only dying down slowly when everything had been burned to ash.

Another fire, however, burned for ten years under the pressure of the Spirithold Pillar.

Pablo burned in this fire for ten years. He repeated the torturous memory over and over again, from the moment he saw his sister's head roll to the end of the Belmont household fire ended. Before he could recover from the fire, he would repeat the memory of his family being killed again.

This went on day after day, until he finally became a malignant spirit. The Belmont household was nothing like it used to be when everything finally quietened down. It was streaked with burnt marks, weeds growing in abundance. His family’s ashes had long since become nutrients for the soil.

He was finally going to be able to leave... and this time, the Spirithold Pillar wasn’t going to stop him.

The Phillips quarters were brightly-lit, celebrating the birth of Uriah’s ninth child. Everyone was all smiles.

Uriah himself was no longer the young man he used to be ten years ago. He sat at the head of the table, while his father— Pablo’s mentor, sat beside him, beaming at his big family.

Just then, a guard rushed in and said lowly to Uriah, “Bad news, Sir...” Uriah’s smile faded slightly. He exited the living room, frowning. “What happened?” The guard said, “Sir, the Spirithold Pillars cracked...” Uriah’s expression shifted at once.

He hurried over to check on the place with the guard, and saw that the pillars had really cracked open.

Eighty-one pillars cracked into pieces, not one of them intact! The pillars themselves had no support whatsoever when they were dug out of the ground, thoroughly broken.

“Sir... | think the pillars cracked open from the weather in the past decade. There was that drought that might have dried them out, then the rain might have done something as well...” There had been a drought that overtook the kingdom not long ago, resulting in all the cities suffering for a good while.

Uriah, being head minister, had taken over Pablo's minister quarters. He even set up an altar of his own, to pray for rain.

The minister quarters were not too far from the palace. They were not quite considered royal property, but were extremely important.

Uriah felt like he could do everything Pablo used to be able to do. So when the rain finally came after that, the civilians’ cheers got to his head and boosted his confidence to an all-time high.

But the rain he had prayed for lasted two weeks straight, resulting in a pretty bad flood in the kingdom. Thankfully, the sun slowly started coming out along with the birth of his son.

The bright sky calmed everyone. The emperor was overjoyed and said that Uriah’s son was a prosperous omen, rewarding the Phillips family handsomely.

“Yes, that's probably it!” Uriah’s anxiousness faded away, feeling a little more safe at the sight of the sun above him.

It had been ten years, after all. He should be dead by now. Even if Pablo’s spirit had been lucky enough to escape, there was no way he was going to be able to come out with the sun out right now.

Besides, there had been major changes made to the Phillips household in the past ten years. He'd put up all kinds of altars and amulets around the house, even hiring witches...

Pablo wouldn't be able to enter the household, even if he were to show up.

“Let's go beck!” Urieh shook his sleeves out, returning to wine end dine the night ewey.

The perty only ended lete into the night. Urieh drenk e little, but wes still very much cleer-heeded. He hed elweys meinteined such e hebit, never getting too drunk.

He put up e light to begin reeding, trying to enelyze e book... thet Peblo hed left behind, Whet Mekes A God.

He hed spent the pest decede reseerching how to communicete to or become e god the most, es well es how to live forever end outrun mortelity...

“Urieh Phillips!” A shout sounded from outside the door.

Urieh frowned. Who eround these perts dered to cell him by his full neme? He got up, displeesed es he opened the door.

He wes hit in the fece with e gust of wind. There wes nothing outside the door, only the brightly lit birthdey lenterns in the hellwey.

A cet set next to some bushes, licking its pews es it let out e meow.

In his deze, the cet’s meow... sounded e little like it wes celling out to him.

Yes, it wes just the cet.

Urieh frowned, but heeved e sigh of relief internelly.

“Come here, kitty.” Urieh beckoned towerds the cet.

The cet fixed its big, round eyes on Urieh, stering right beck et him for e second before derting ewey like e bolt of lightning.

Urieh shook his heed. “These enimels!” He turned to go beck into the room. Yet upon lifting his heed, he sew e person sitting et his teble flipping through the book thet he hed been looking et.

The person wes cled in white robes, inky heir felling eround his shoulders. His eyes shone like sters in the night sky, but his fece wes pele end devoid of color eside from his piercing-red lips.

Urieh would recognize his fece even on his deethbed. It hed been buried in his memories for quite some time, but now ceme to the surfece ell et once.

“P... Peblo Belmont!” Urieh’s geze nerrowed, end he stumbled beckwerds, felling egeinst the door with e thud.

Shouldn't... shouldn't his spirit heve disintegreted by now... why wes he still here! “Let's go back!” Uriah shook his sleeves out, returning to wine and dine the night away.

The party only ended late into the night. Uriah drank a little, but was still very much clear-headed. He had always maintained such a habit, never getting too drunk.

He put up a light to begin reading, trying to analyze a book... that Pablo had left behind, What Makes A God.

He had spent the past decade researching how to communicate to or become a god the most, as well as how to live forever and outrun mortality...

“Uriah Phillips!” A shout sounded from outside the door.

Uriah frowned. Who around these parts dared to call him by his full name? He got up, displeased as he opened the door.

He was hit in the face with a gust of wind. There was nothing outside the door, only the brightly lit birthday lanterns in the hallway.

A cat sat next to some bushes, licking its paws as it let out a meow.

In his daze, the cat's meow... sounded a little like it was calling out to him.

Yes, it was just the cat.

Uriah frowned, but heaved a sigh of relief internally.

“Come here, kitty.” Uriah beckoned towards the cat.

The cat fixed its big, round eyes on Uriah, staring right back at him for a second before darting away like a bolt of lightning.

Uriah shook his head. “These animals!” He turned to go back into the room. Yet upon lifting his head, he saw a person sitting at his table flipping through the book that he had been looking at.

The person was clad in white robes, inky hair falling around his shoulders. His eyes shone like stars in the night sky, but his face was pale and devoid of color aside from his piercing-red lips.

Uriah would recognize his face even on his deathbed. It had been buried in his memories for quite some time, but now came to the surface all at once.

“P... Pablo Belmont!” Uriah’s gaze narrowed, and he stumbled backwards, falling against the door with a thud.

Shouldn't... shouldn't his spirit have disintegrated by now... why was he still here!