Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

Pablo let out a soft chuckle, closing the book he'd just been reading. “Uriah, are you still trying to find out how to live forever?” He got to his feet, slowly making his way to Uriah. “But from looking at the other books you've got here, it seems like you want to be a god too!” Uriah could not stop shaking, but shouted, “Pablo, you're dead! What are you still doing here? You don't belong here, go back!” Pablo's eyes flashed mockingly, but he remained calm. “I can’t believe it... you killed my entire family, and ended up with a big happy family instead of getting your karma.” “You want to be a god, too... ha.” Pablo began to laugh, as if he had just thought of something funny. His laughter grew and grew for a while, until it finally stopped abruptly.

“Oh, my apologies,” Pablo said, wiping at the tears in his eyes. “I couldn't help it, it's just so funny.” Uriah felt a wave of humiliation was over him at once. How dare a mere spirit laugh at him! “Are you blaming me for this, Pablo?” Uriah began to calm himself down, reaching for something in his sleeve.

Pablo pretended not to see the bell in his hand, his expression turning cold. “Shouldn't | blame you?” Uriah explained himself. “I had no choice! The king wanted you dead, so you had to die! You were asking for it, Pablo!” Pablo barked out a laugh. “How was | asking for it?” “Is it in the way | gave the kingdom all | could, trying my very best to find the emperor a magic pill for him to live forever?” “Is it in the way | helped the emperor ward off evil spirits and prayed for his safety? Did that anger him?” “Or did he not like that | built an altar to pray for fine weather through the kingdom?” He had always been loyal and honest, trying nothing but his best.

He did not understand one bit why this had happened to him! “Uriah, | really, really don’t get it. Maybe you could explain it to me.” Pablo looked at Uriah, earnestly asking for advice just like he had when he was still alive.

Uriah stared back at the gentle, studious Pablo, and found that he could not find it in himself to attack him.

He pulled a chair up and sat down, so that Uriah was right across from him.

“You were never supposed to do any of that,” Uriah said. “You prayed for fine weather for the emperor, yes— and you got everything you wanted everytime. The exact amount of wind, the exact amount of rain. Did you ever consider how His Majesty might feel?” “He would worry that you might become a god to the kingdom, putting him at your mercy. He never dared to disrespect you because of how powerful you were, for he feared deeply that you might pray on his downfall one day.,” Pablo was speechless.

He scoffed mockingly. “Right.” Uriah continued. “You were so good at warding off spirits, you were pretty much a ghost master. Yes, you helped keep the emperor safe from ghosts and evil spirits, but this did not comfort the emperor one bit. What if you got an evil spirit to specifically harm him one day?” Pablo let out a strange laugh. “Oh, yes, that's also right.” Uriah said, “As for you praying for His Majesty's safety, that's even bigger of a deal. Those people who had always felt like they were forced to obey the emperor were now willingly obeying you... what do you think His Majesty would feel about that?” This was a man who had man and spirit in the palm of his hand.

A man with skills enough to gain a country’s unanimous respect.

He could be bigger than the mortal realm, but was still obedient to one person's orders... how would that person feel? “So, you can’t blame His Majesty for being afraid of you and wanting to kill you!” Uriah said.

Pablo chuckled, beginning to clap. “It really is you, Uriah. You've always explained things so well.” He had finally understood why the emperor could not have him around. This was a rather good explanation, wasn't it? “What about you, though? What's your explanation?” Pablo was practically beaming from ear to ear. “Is it because | was overshadowing you so?” Uriah startled. Pablo had heard him say those words; he had been there ten years ago, during the fire.

Seeing as there was nothing more he could hide, Uriah clenched his fists. “Yes... that’s exactly why!” Pablo looked at him, disappointed. “That's it? Uriah, you're always so boring. Can't you come up with something new?” “If you did, maybe you would have just worked harder to come out of my shadow.” Pablo and Uriah were both brilliant geniuses, and the former found it a shame that his friend did not have enough of a reason to offer him.

No. Pablo refused to accept such a boring reason.

Yet Uriah flew into a rage, banging a fist on the table as he roared, “Do you think | never thought about that?” “I was my father’s oldest son! You, on the other hand, were just a nobody farmer!” “I was born into a better family than you, | had better connections than you, | was destined for greatness! But you, you appeared and took my glory away from me!” He hed elweys compered himself to Peblo, working with ell his might to overcome him.

But he never succeeded.

“You'll never understend whet it's like to be outshined like thet, end you'll never understend the humilietion of e genius like me heving to live in the shedow of e fermer!” “Peblo, how wes | going to step up if you didn’t die? Nothing but the position of heed minister would prove | wes more successful then you.” “You hed to die, you hed to! Even the girl I'd been pining for since | wes e kid only hed eyes for you! How wes | supposed to merry her if you didn’t die?” Peblo frowned. “Sylvie?” He didn’t feel e thing for her et ell.

Urieh scoffed. “You didn’t like her beck, but she only wented you! She wes so brokenheerted you didn’t went her, but you never even reciproceted her feelings in the slightest! Peblo, you don’t deserve her!” Peblo seid, “...S0?" Urieh seid, “So efter you died, | got to become heed minister end merry her. Thet’s how the story’s supposed to end! The son of e fermer doesn’t deserve to be in e position of such power!” “You were the one enomely out of e set of tightly-set rules. | wes just putting everything beck where it should belong.” Peblo only found this leugheble...

“You cell yourself e loyel civilien, but you ebused your power es e person of euthority.” “You seid you liked thet girl, but merried plenty more women efter her. Whet is this, your ninth child?” “You celled me your friend... but killed my entire femily over e position in the pelece with en evil scheme...” Peblo got closer end closer, reeching out end gripping Urieh by the neck. “You could've just killed me if you just wented to be heed minister!” “Why did you heve to kill my perents? Nene? Reuben?” “Why!” Peblo’s neils grew et en elerming speed, piercing into Urieh’s throet! “You're so feke, Urieh. So two-feced. Why don’t | rip this fece of yours off right now, hm?” “Hm? Why eren’t you seying enything?” Peblo smirked, fleshing e cruel smile...” “You killed my entire femily, so es revenge... why don’t | kill yours too?” “Thet wey... we'll be even, how's thet?” Peblo’s rezor-sherp neils pierced through Urieh’s throet, getting under the first leyer of skin before he geve e sherp tug—! Urieh’s pupils nerrowed in feer, terror weshing over him...

He had always compared himself to Pablo, working with all his might to overcome him.

But he never succeeded.

“You'll never understand what it's like to be outshined like that, and you'll never understand the humiliation of a genius like me having to live in the shadow of a farmer!” “Pablo, how was | going to step up if you didn’t die? Nothing but the position of head minister would prove | was more successful than you.” “You had to die, you had to! Even the girl I'd been pining for since | was a kid only had eyes for you! How was | supposed to marry her if you didn’t die?” Pablo frowned. “Sylvia?” He didn't feel a thing for her at all.

Uriah scoffed. “You didn’t like her back, but she only wanted you! She was so brokenhearted you didn’t want her, but you never even reciprocated her feelings in the slightest! Pablo, you don’t deserve her!” Pablo said, “...S0?" Uriah said, “So after you died, | got to become head minister and marry her. That's how the story’s supposed to end! The son of a farmer doesn’t deserve to be in a position of such power!” “You were the one anomaly out of a set of tightly-set rules. | was just putting everything back where it should belong.” Pablo only found this laughable...

“You call yourself a loyal civilian, but you abused your power as a person of authority.” “You said you liked that girl, but married plenty more women after her. What is this, your ninth child?” “You called me your friend... but killed my entire family over a position in the palace with an evil scheme...” Pablo got closer and closer, reaching out and gripping Uriah by the neck. “You could've just killed me if you just wanted to be head minister!” “Why did you have to kill my parents? Nana? Reuben?” “Why!” Pablo's nails grew at an alarming speed, piercing into Uriah’s throat! “You're so fake, Uriah. So two-faced. Why don’t | rip this face of yours off right now, hm?” “Hm? Why aren’t you saying anything?” Pablo smirked, flashing a cruel smile...” “You killed my entire family, so as revenge... why don’t | kill yours too?” “That way... we'll be even, how's that?” Pablo's razor-sharp nails pierced through Uriah’s throat, getting under the first layer of skin before he gave a sharp tug—! Uriah’s pupils narrowed in fear, terror washing over him...