Chapter 20: Sisterly Admonishing

  The next morning, he woke to his hotel room door opening and closing, the loud automatic locking system sounding more like someone slamming the door, waking him up. Jessie entered and sat down on the side of his bed. She didn’t look at him, nor did she say anything.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting up.

  “Listen, I don’t know how to feel about this, but that isn’t stopping this from happening. You hurt my sister’s feelings yesterday. Are you just stupid, or did you not catch on to what she’s thinking?” she said after a few more silent moments.

  “You mean during the absorption? I’m sorry about that, but I think I know why that—”

  “No, dummy,” she interrupted, laying down beside him with a sigh.

  “Then what? She didn’t seem upset or anything?” he said in a questioning manner. Maybe she did at the end of the evening, but it didn’t seem bad, right? He just wanted to sleep. He’d been worn out and said they would hang out today.

  “I was awake the last moments before you left yesterday. Hearing that you were leaving, I thought I should let you go. But she wanted you to stay,” she started. “She wants to spend time with you, to get to know you,” Jessie finished.

  “I said we’d hang today. Was that wrong?”

  “Not at all. If you were just as out of it as I was, I don’t blame you. But she didn’t realise that. Listen, she’s a na?ve and gullible girl, but she’s the purest soul I know. The last few months have been devastating to her and all of a sudden, everything flips. Her dead sister comes back to life like nothing had happened and with her comes a dapper man, the strongest and bravest she ever met. She’s crushing on you because of course she would, but you’re something new to her. I don’t think she realises the pedestal she’s put you on. She might even think that you’re the reason I returned. It isn’t that far-fetched, given the week she’s had. The way I talked you up before you arrived didn’t help, I guess. You leaving her last night hurt her because she felt you didn’t want to spend time with her.”

  When Erik considered her words, it did make sense. It would explain why she had paid so much attention to him. She even saw straight through how he acted. “I didn’t realise.”

  “I get that, doofus. You’re just a boy after all,” Jessie sighed, tussling his hair before pinching his cheeks with a grin. “She’s always been popular, and she’s never been rejected before. She doesn’t know what rejection is other than when the boy she’s been with breaks up with her. I’d rather you two don’t get together, to be honest, but I know you and you’re a great catch and I know you’re perfect for her.”

  “Wow, I sound great,” Erik teased.

  “I will deny ever saying that for the rest of my sweet life,” she countered. “But…”

  “But?” Erik asked, pushing the conversation back.

  “You’re not human anymore. You’re a Titan. We don’t know what that will mean a month from now, or a year from now. You’re fighting a war while she can only stand on the sidelines. It isn’t fair to either of you, but much less to her. What if she wants to die, just for the hope of joining you as a Remnant? It’s in her blood, obviously, and she knows that.”

  “What about you? Aren’t you risking the same?”

  “I am. That’s why I won’t stand in your way if you decide to pursue this. I’ve made my choice and I stand by it. She’s my sister.”

  “I don’t know her well enough to decide whether to pursue her or not right now. She’s beautiful and sweet, everything you are not, but I don’t know. Would you mind if I spend some time with her today? I have to make up to her for last night, I think,” Erik said, pretty sure he slipped one by her.

  “Damn right you do,” Jessie said, tussling his hair again before getting out of the bed. “You should think about it and let her know if you’re not interested, though. It’s better to let her know now that she’s confused about her own feelings rather than waiting.”

  “I will. Thanks, Jessie. I’ll visit your room after a shower. You should tell her about Hosu. She was kind of mentioned her last night.”

  “I know. I’ll do it now. And I’ll talk to her about you as well. Don’t worry, I won’t say what we talked about.” She walked out the door.

  It was odd to consider relationship problems during a war to save the planet. Erik had been worried about what would happen considering his companions were all women, though he’d been more worried about his own feelings rather than what his friends would feel. He was not expecting everyone to fall for him, but how much could he trust himself? He was never the hottest guy around growing up and after that, there had never been many women his age around.

  Jessie was right about everything, though, which was what irked him the most. Throwing playful jabs at each other had become their thing but doing that was never to hide their own feelings. It was the opposite. If they could whip on each other a bit, they showed they were fine even despite everything. A teasing jab told much more than an empty ‘I’m fine’.

  Erik was interested in Sophie. It wasn’t love. It wasn’t even a crush, but it was a seed. He’d have to decide whether to nurture it or let it die. He had to keep his mind focused on getting stronger and winning the war. Everything else should be benched until then.

  He appreciated Jessie letting him know, however. She didn’t have to do that. Erik thought she was considering not just her sister’s and Erik’s feelings, but the group dynamic in its entirety.

  He went into the bathroom to take a shower, thinking about what he should do. He didn’t get anywhere, though. After drying himself off, he got dressed and went to visit the sisters.

  Erik knocked on the door before entering, something he hadn’t done for Jessie’s apartment or room in over three months by now. The two siblings were lying across each of their beds, facing each other in the middle. It was hard not to notice Sophie in just a short nightgown.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Hey,” Jessie said.

  “Hey, girls,” Erik said casually, closing the door behind him and sitting down next to Jessie. “What’s up?”

  “I’m telling her about Hosu,” Jessie explained.

  “I can’t believe elves are real! Jessie says she’s incredibly beautiful, is that true?” Sophie asked.

  “Definitely. As she arrived at Afterlife, neither of us could keep our eyes off her. Until she spoke, that is,” Erik explained.

  “Nasal voice?” Sophie asked jokingly and Erik realised Jessie hadn’t talked about the limitations they first experienced before getting their Crests.

  “No, because she’s from another world or dimension or something, our brains couldn’t comprehend each other’s language. It just gave us a massive headache. When we got our Crests it was okay, though.”

  Sophie looked suspiciously at her older sister and said, “You said you got together when Erik was getting his Crest, but he was the first of you,” she said matter-of-factly. “So even before then?”

  “Oh, she’s that hot,” Jessie said with a grin.

  “Those two were like bunnies even before they could communicate properly. When they were getting their own Crests, I had to separate them as the pained groans of your sister caused massive extra pain for Hosu and the other way around. Still, they wanted to be together even then. That’s when I knew they loved each other, maybe even before they even did,” Erik explained, looking at Jessie with her now rosy-red cheeks and her innocent smile.

  “That was only a couple of days, a week tops, after you got sick from your Crest, right?” Sophie asked, a new expression covering her face as she looked at Erik.

  “Yeah, less than a week after me, I think. Why?”

  “Nothing,” Sophie said, looking straight back at her older sister, who clenched her lips tightly together. “Just developed quite quickly, it sounds like.”

  “Speaking of developments, I’ve got something to take care of today regarding my new ability. I’d like to keep it a secret for now, if you don’t mind. Want to tell us about yours before I leave?” Jessie said, expertly changing the topic of conversation.

  Erik gave Jessie and Sophie the run-down of his new power, Authority. This power was an aura power. Erik remembered Nana explaining that all living things had an aura of some sort, but as a Remnant, they could not just sense these auras but even control it to some extent.

  Every Remnant would get a few key powers. One of these was the aura power and whether it would manifest in a minor or major power slot was random. Erik explained that he thought his aura went out of control when he absorbed the new power, as it likely changed and upgraded from the basic near-nothing aura he had previously.

  The internalised description of his ability was short, but he and Jessie knew they could improve this ability as well. Sophie took charge and wrote down Erik’s description of his new ability into the notebook.

  Erik:

  Core Ability

  Name: Unexpected Arsenal

  Tier: Iron

  Type: N/A

  Cost: Variable

  Effect - Iron:

  Manifest spiritual power in objects around you. Items used can have varying effects.

  Applicable items limited by mass, volume, density, quality of materials, spiritual bond, spiritual power and more.

  Major Ability

  Name: Authority

  Tier: Iron | Rank: 0 | Willpower

  Type: Aura, Control, Will

  Cost: N/A

  Effect - Iron:

  Improved Aura, Aura sense, and Aura control. Aura effect changed to Authority.

  Erik also told them about the merging of his ‘sea’ and himself and how that seemed to be the key to unlocking the true essence of his own magic. It was hard to put into words, but he instinctively knew that whatever powers he’d unlock next, he’d be able to understand them instantly.

  Jessie didn’t see her magic as a magical sphere like Erik did, but she thought the same could apply to her own manifestation. It was indeed separate from her own self when she meditated, but she hadn’t thought of merging herself together with it like that.

  Like Erik, she had reached for it and it would come to her. She decided to try the merge later that evening, when she had made a few preparations.

  “So that fear I felt, that dominance.. That was your aura? Authority and dominance can be very similar, I suppose,” Jessie said.

  “Yeah. I want to try to control it soon, but I want to do it under controlled circumstances, not in the middle of a hotel. Even normal people should be able to sense it, if I focus it enough. I don’t want it to run rampant and cause trouble like what happened to you on accident.”

  “On accident?” Sophie asked.

  “I’d like to do it targeted,” he answered her worried question.

  “Oh. Yeah, I suppose.”

  “I don’t want to feel anything like that again, but it’s a weapon we can use to drive the invasion into the ground. We should be able to use it, so long as it’s safe,” Jessie said in agreement.

  With Jessie’s rather reluctant blessing, Sophie also jotted down what her sister allowed her to in the notebook, frowning at the end because of its lacking nature and waste of paper space.

  Jessie:

  Core Ability

  Name: Call of Nature

  Tier: Iron | Rank: 0

  Type: Spell, Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Channelled

  Cost: Variable

  Effect - Iron:

  Elemental Call:

  Scorch (Fire): Set fire to target. Medium cost.

  Restore (Water): Restore the physical body of the target to its natural state. Middling cost over time. Channelled.

  Replenish (Wind): Replenishes stamina of target. Middling cost over time. Channelled.

  Spike (Earth): Forces the earth beneath target into a jagged spear. Will explode after a short time. Moderate cost.

  Major Ability

  Name: Undisclosed

  Tier: Iron | Rank: 0

  Effect - Iron:

  Super secret!

  This archive is under the administration of the lovely Sophie Callum xx

  Jessie left shortly after Sophie had jotted down what she could gather from meditating on her Core ability. As she closed the door behind her, the tension in the room shot up. Sophie placed the book and pencil into her bag and looked at Erik. She hadn’t acted weird when her sister was here, but now she seemed a bit upset. She didn’t smile the way Erik was getting used to.

  “So, I thought maybe you and I could hang out today, like I said last night. You in?” Erik said, trying to break the ice.

  “I was thinking I should relax a bit today. Maybe later? I was up late last night watching a movie on the TV,” she replied, changing position on the bed.

  She placed her head on her pillow. Her nightgown was black and lacy and reached halfway down her thighs. It was low cut, the girl’s bright pink bra peeking out.

  “Oh. Okay. I guess I’ll have to wander around town aimlessly, all alone…get lost in some dark alley,” Erik said with hopeful eyes as he retreated backwards towards the door. Sophie smiled the usual way.

  “You’re horrible! Fine, I’ll come with you. Have you had breakfast yet? They’re serving until ten,” she said, shooting up from the bed.

  “No. Want to eat with me?”

  “Of course. Give me five minutes and meet me downstairs?” she said, entering the bathroom.

  She didn’t close the door behind her and Erik could see her as she lifted the free-flowing dress up above her head. There was no way that was an accident.

  “Of course, see you there,” he said, exiting the room.