Nico Paolo's mind seethed with his usually demented parents' condemnation, but he refused to believe its validity. He had only defended his work in the garden (his pride and passion) when that older lad tried to destroy it with fire! In fact, one or more of his father’s buildings–or even the entire complex–could have burned, too!
Sure, he then used more of his nightmare powers to make the audience see the true villains of Italy's past to understand he wasn’t the monster they thought him to be. And sure, the audience's fear turned to rapt attention and terror as they collectively daymared. And sure, Nico's actions consequently seemed trivial–even heroic–in comparison!
Nonetheless, Nico was surprised that his father believed the account of the brutal attack on the older lad. On the contrary, Nico wasn’t at all shocked by his mother's acceptance of the account. (She’d been cruel to him since he hit puberty, a sudden and inexplicable change that still hurt him deeply.)
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And now, his parents' memories were fading faster than before. His mother, a renowned singer, struggled to recall her own melodies, while his father, a brilliant architect, couldn't remember his own creations on sight. Their latest lucid revelation was an elaboration: the wealthy elite had exploited their talents and stolen their ambition and dreams. In light of these new revelations, the darkness deep in his soul climbed upward, tempting him with sinister promises. He now lusted after the wealthy elite's hidden knowledge, riches, and power!
Driven by desperation and morbid ingenuity, he sought a remedy for dementia, herbs to restore his parents' sanity if no cure were real, and the fabled Fountain of Youth! Before now, he felt like he was drowning in despair, unsure if he could reclaim his sense of self. The fountain's mystical waters beckoned, offering a chance to cheat time itself by halting his aging–perhaps even reversing the clock to an innocence his parents' fading memories still cherished!