Alberic (Aadi's youngest sibling)

One would think being the 22 years old and already a C-grade hunter would get more respect but instead it left one getting nearly assassinated and attacked on all sides more often than not, but he figured this would be the outcome when he chose to make his own guild then choosing already existing ones or joining the army.

The only reason they haven't tried framing him for something is due to his sisters influence that has grown with her now a high B-rank at the age of 31, not that it showed as she looked as young as a teenager due of the effects of energy but slowly people were beginning to grow displeased with the status quo thanks to the new shields and tunnel blockers allowing us to finally start expanding into new territory and reclaim what was lost all those years ago.

Purifiers where hatful of the government and seeing as we needed them to survive and thrive the more powerful awakened were starting to turn against the government, currently the highest grade is the s-grade fire pugilist who is highly compatible with my twin brothers making him a hidden backer for me along with my sister.

The nine of us all ended up doing very well and looking at how little potential our parents had the fact we all came out superior can only be questioned as by no means should so many high grades people be born from not even mediocre people.

I sit in my sister's room waiting for her to return from duty to talk about the things happening when I see a small notebook like object with a edge showing of someone piquing my curiosity as I never knew my sister to overly sentimental even to us her siblings, she showed familial loyalty but little else.

Pulling the notebook out and looking at the picture I freeze as in the picture are his elder siblings all young and smiling with naive and innocent looks to them, but the shocking piece was the boy oldest of them that had a happy but tired smile holding his newborn self in his arms, he had never really looked at any childhood photos as he didn't have any or so he thought until this moment as he knew that this had to be a family photo done anytime a new person is born to a government aide family.

I never seen the oldest boy before and never had anyone mentioned him before as well, I hear the door open behind me and turn only to have the photo yanked from my hand and my sisters pained and angry face looking back at me making me stop before saying anything.

She held the photo to her chest then picked the book I had dropped to the floor up sliding the photo in softly and gently before closing it and putting it softly back on the bookshelf before turning and looking at me with a fury I had never witnessed, "What do you think you are doing snooping around my room?"

"I didn't snoop it was leaning and I went to straighten it when I saw the picture, why did no one mention another sibling?" Because the lack of it was strange as although not the most loving family, we were always there for each other.

"There is no need." Is all she says clearly trying to kill the conversation and I let her prepared to look into it myself.

We spoke of what the military and he high standing people are doing and who can be killed easily and what the best course for the upcoming events are, after a while I leave and call the older of the twins to ask but as soon as I mention and older brother they hung up, and the same happened for most except for the ones who don't remember us having one at all.

Looks like this is more interesting than I thought and so I dug through old photos and records at the schools and hospitals until a police report from 22 years ago precisely my age appeared before me talking of someone in our old government housing unit as reported missing but was supposedly pronounced deceased without a body, strange but not unheard of I looked into it and found a video file linked with the case and watch as the boy I saw in the photo was doing farming in the old farming rooms before they were deemed too dangerous and watch with shock as a tunnel appeared directly behind him but the adults made it so he couldn't run.

The boy gripping the planting bed like life depended on it as it did for him, until a loose wooden board from some construction for a new planter sprung up and back straight into the boy's face sending him straight into the tunnel behind.

He felt surprised when the video continued showing the police coming and slowly the adventurers for the tunnel appeared clearly low level indicating this was a weak dungeon so why would this be evidence of death, but he watched them enter the tunnel and 5 hours later exit the tunnel with no one and an hour later it closed leaving his brother inside.

Staring at the screen he felt both numb and confused as it was adventurers' duty to search for people during a raid especially in such a highly crowded area so why had they clearly not cause even the fastest clearing team if they are searching properly should take 8 hours unless they are more than two grades over the tunnels grade, but these people clearly weren't, looking into it he discovered his brother was marked as the lowest ever seen talent known and was deemed a near waste at birth.

He knew that the worst the talent for physical cultivation the better the talent usually is for purification cultivation along with a weak body being the two biggest indicators so when this became known they probably buried my brothers' case to prevent backlash from losing potentially the highest-grade purifier.

Looking at this I felt confused why no one mentioned it until I looked at the hunter team and froze at the person one it, the S-grade fire pugilist was on it, and it was his first raid and the one to make him famous as the quickest to clear a dungeon, even a low grade one.

I knew the twins were with him and my sister often talked with him so why, why would they do such a thing if they knew?

Or maybe they knew and simply couldn't do anything for now due to his level but once I am powerful enough, they can easily use this as ammo against him when they say I was biting the hand that fed me when I eventually betrayed him for more power and control as I am sure they figured I would do but the dilemma is I know sooner than I am meant to so now what?

Looking at the situation it can only be best to forget I know until the best time to use this comes, so I will look away until our families long coming revenge can commence.

Aadi

I stood where we reappeared for a moment as what happened processed but slowly fell into contemplation as although everything said it was wrong, I could not deny my interest in such relationship with him, he was handsome and powerful with good position and family one really couldn't do better without literally looking for another planet but now was not the time to think on it as we needed to give the report on what happened on the fourth floor.

Reporting the role play parts and the missions that went against each other to an extent to the higher ups seem to have them on edge, but they simply let us head back to rest for a day before we intend to head out once more, it has been 7 years since we entered the new tower and slowly everyone's strength and knowledge have undergone transformation especially the void people who got access to mana on the third floor, soon we will have left the ten year period and make alliances and spark off wars as we will get our official nick name form the tower.

In my room I wait for Wyatt to come as I am sure he will as we have picked up the habit of him visiting me after events like this, sitting on his bed he thinks of how he has turned 32 while within the tower due to how much time it has taken to go from the tutorial to the fifth floor and by the time they get to the ten year mark he will probably just only finished the fifth floor if it isn't even longer then the last like the previous ones have been.

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He is working on furthering his cultivation as he is trying to not overthink until he and Wyatt can talk but hearing the knock of Lucien he freezes as he knows Lucien and Wyatt don't always get along and he doesn't want his father to realize they may evolve to more than just a guarantor and guarantee.

Waiting to make it seem like he just didn't hear the first one he lets a slightly louder knock come before he moved to open the door and smile as he saw Lucien standing in front with Nilan beside him both with some food in hand and a small chocolate cake box under arm.

We talk and eat as we unwind, until finally they seem to decide whatever was bothering me was too much and asked, "Aadi what is the matter?"

I stop for a second but continue washing the used dishes with Lucien as Nilan wipes the table, I remain silent making my wish not to speak on the matter clear and they respect it but then I feel a small energy bit flow that I never felt before it was so thin I almost didn't notice but it made me freeze and jerk to look around.

Lucien seemed to notice and took on an amused look as Nilan has what could only be called exasperation written across his features, the ten coins passed from Nilan to Lucien proved this must be more than I thought.

"You felt the energy, didn't you?" Nilan asks.

Nodding in confusion I see Lucien smile softly and then grab my hand in a way he hasn't done since I was young and place it over his pelvic region, freezing as a thin energy is felt from such place and what it implies sinks in, Lucien is pregnant.

Wyatt

Walking through the halls of the military base I wonder how Aadi had reacted to my kiss but decided to give him time to process what happened before going to confront him, entering my father's office I stand at attention as he goes through paperwork.

Soon his father looks at him then looks back down signaling him to speak while he works, "I have officially made the first move to court Aadi null and like to stake my claim." My father freezes for a hairs breath before continuing but the uptick of his lip shows his approval more than words could ever.

Waiting for him to finish the paper he is on I continue to stand there as he slowly goes through a stack and signs intermittently until finally, he sits it down and looks at me.

"You have chosen the outworlder as your partner I see, though I was unsure if you would or not due to potential backlash from the other continental protectors, the brine family of the water people have made their hatred and wish to see him dead more than clear in the petitions sent and council meetings held over this new revelation. Good to see you have enough courage to go for what you want, if it was your brother he would have made his move as soon as he realized what he was interested in."

It was both approval and admonishment on how long it took me to make a move, but I needed to wait for Aadi to get used to seeing me as something other than his superior both in the tower and out of it.

I wait to see if he will say anything else but nothing else is as he turns back to his paperwork and continues on while flicking a hand at the door a clear dismissal that I take, walking down the hall I see my second older brother coming this way and salute as is proper but continue on without a word said between us.

I begin to head for Aadi's room as I know it should have been enough time for him to think it over but as I get near, I can hear the sound of talking and the sound of Lucien's voice lets me know it will be a while before we can talk so I go to turn and freeze when I hear Lucien ask what is the matter to Aadi but no response comes I sigh as I know if Aadi tells Lucien I might as well leave because if Lucien realizes I made a move he would raise hell.

But the question that comes from Nilan freezes me "You felt the energy, didn't you?"

They weren't talking about me as Aadi even after the kiss would have come to open the door and let me in so what are they talking about?

Aadi

I look at his pelvic region in fascination as although I know men can fall pregnant in this world, to see it for myself is another as this is my first time.

I slowly send some energy into the child from where my hand remains on his pelvic region and a small energy pulse weak but there comes back to me, I can feel it's curiosity and joy from this and can't help but laugh as the small thing, and it is without a doubt small as Lucien is not showing yet.

"So, when am I expected to be a big brother?"

Lucien laughs while Nilan shakes his head clearly both are overjoyed by this and are happy with my reaction, but I feel warm knowing for the first time in a long time I will have a sibling again.

Thinking of my own siblings back on Cerulean Base no.4 I wonder how they are doing after all these years, but I have spent more time in this world with this family to truly feel anything more than slight longing for them and this new sibling who although not born is without a doubt a little miracle as most half-breeds like Lucien are infertile.

Looking at the small family that has formed over time I feel stuffy in a way I never had before even on my origin planet, we laughed and talked on everything about the upcoming child such as who got what time to look after them and what training they would do or who got to teach them their first weapon.

We spoke the rest of the evening and when night came they went back to their rooms while I imagined the child to come, I lay in bed when a knock on my door comes and I open it to see Wyatt outside.

I let him in and we both remain silent until we are both seated on the couch where we usually sit and talk, it lacks the awkwardness one would expect and instead seems more like a silent agreement between us to wait just a bit longer before we get into what could be a potential falling out.

"Say what you want." Wyatt suddenly breaks the silence and like a ball up in the air the only thing one can do is either let it fall or catch it.

"I have some beliefs of my origin world that even after all this time are still their though it is not that I believe in them or anything but more like I spent my childhood hearing it that even now after all these years something in me says it is wrong, I don't even agree with it most of the time and honestly this is one of those times."

It wasn't a confession, not truly, but it was enough to let him know that what he wants between us isn't just him as I have been interested in him before this floor, I just was never willing to be the one to break this unspoken line between us.

Suddenly my face is grabbed, and Wyatt is pulling me in for a kiss that I give back into fully while we lay back on my small couch that can barely fit us laying back on it. I am gasping by the end as Wyatt pulls back licking his lips and smirking in a way that nearly has me groaning though I hold back, the look in Wyatt eyes tell me if I make a noise, I will not be leaving this room for the next few days.

We lay there with our foreheads together as I catch my breath and he watches me with eyes both dark and light at the same time, we move to the bedroom with a bed large enough for two people as my room is a leger one meant for higher ups.

We don't do anything more than kissing but it was nice and soothing for a night.

Come morning we get up, shower, and eat before heading out to do a workout once the food has had enough time to settle. I see people rushing all over the place, but they make way around us as we walk letting us get to the training room quickly without having to worry about bumping into anyone.

We train and talk until we are called into the mission debrief room and are told we return to the tower tomorrow as they want to try and get pass floor five by the time the ten years are over.

We pack for what might be needed as you never know if a floor is a provide for yourself or the tower gives you what you need, the day comes to an end and Lucien swigs by just before bed to talk while Wyatt is on my couch making me nervous but everything seems fine for now as they merely glance at each other and continue on as though the other doesn't exist.

we talk and he tells me that when we come out the surprise should be done, I freeze as I realize I will miss the birth of my younger sibling if the tower takes as long this time as it has these past few times.

I will even miss their early years as if it takes slightly longer then this time it will have been three years out here meaning the protection period will end and we will be at war or in war readiness leaving me no time to truly care for the child as I had with my other siblings, I suddenly felt pain at this but knew there was nothing I could do as my position though solid was precarious as they put up with me now thanks to me helping them but that may not remain so if I suddenly decide to not do a mission.

Although Wyatt could protect me, I do not wish to put him in a difficult situation so all I can do is remain silent as the weight of his words settle in for both him and me.

I smile as he leaves but Wyatt hugs me after the door shuts clearly knowing that something is wrong but not asking anything simply comforting me as he can, we lay in bed until sleep eventually claims us still wrapped around each other as Wyatt hugs my waist and my arms wrap around his shoulders.

Getting up we put on our uniforms and put on our backpacks, standing in the field as we wait for transport to the tower, we both stay silent until they come and get us.

We see the tower and as we enter, we both know this is the last bit of peace we will get before everything comes tumbling down.