CHAPTER 31: ATHANASIA P9
~31.9~
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How about I start counting them by pulling a single strand of your hair out for each one? I would like to find out if you go bald before I finish.”
He didn’t respond.
“Yes, then perhaps I could-”
“Sister, please! I meant you no harm!”
“Do you take me for a fool?”
“N-no?”
“Why did you say that as a question? Azriel, how would you like to stay with your big sister for a while? I would very much like to show you where I’ve been living. I’m certain you’ll love the problems that pop up frequently when your present rears his ugly head.”
“Yes. Come live with us in Atlantis,” Sanae said. “Big sister will train you well.”
He looked on with wide eyes, unsure how to reply in a way that wouldn’t make things worse.
Kye leaned back in her seat and sighed. She rarely ever had the occasion to see her younger brothers, but never had a desire to see them anytime soon again after. “Stop playing stupid and speak frankly. Why are you interfering with Elysium? Is there something you want?”
Before answering, Azriel looked to Eve, as if as seeking permission. She glared at him and said, “Involve me at your own risk. You know where my throne is and how long it’s been there.”
“In other words, ‘Do what you want, but if I have to step in, you won’t like it.’” Azriel grimaced as he looked back at his sister. She was staring daggers at him, waiting for his answer. “Yeah, there’s something I want.”
After a few moments of silence, Kye’s patience ran out. “Spit it out!”
Azriel stood up and stepped around the table. Luma moved to stand between him and Kye.
“Step aside, chimer-”
As he was speaking, a hand clasped over his mouth. Rather than Luma or Seris standing between him and Kye, it was Eve. She held him in a firm grip and lifted him off the floor. Her rainbow mana flared so intensely that Azriel couldn’t move a finger under the pressure. The display of power affected only him. No matter how close anyone else was, they felt nothing.
“Enough of your haughty, ‘I’m above you’ attitude,” she said, the mana she released continually intensifying. “Do not forget where you are. You may carry the surname Alexandria, but you have no authority here.”
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Azriel’s eyes widened as Eve’s output increased. The expression on Eve’s face was one that none had ever seen, save for Kye, Sanae, and the older Alexandrians. Not even Azriel and Ezra had ever seen it. Her brows were furrowed, and her eyes were wide, filled with anger.
“You call them chimeras?” Eve said. “You ignorant boy. You shouldn’t speak of things you don’t understand. You have yet to gain the ability to see a soul, despite your age. You are jealous of your sister. You have viewed your path as nothing more than walking in her shadow, and came here thinking you could step out of that shadow… You came here to bully her in her weakened state. You believed I would not be watching. Who am I?”
She released the boy, and he collapsed to his knees. He could only move his head, and only enough to look up at his mother. “What do you mean?”
“I’m asking for a literal answer. Who am I?”
Kye stepped around Luma and Seris and stood next to Eve. “You came here to bully me? The moment you arrived, I expected no less, but to hear it stated…”
“Answer me, boy.” Eve was intentionally refusing to refer to Azriel by either his name or his relation to her.
“Eve.”
“And?”
“The Primordial?”
Eve’s frustration only grew. “And?”
Kye sighed. “Azriel, you are not answering literally. You believed she would not be watching? Have you grown so complacent that you’ve forgotten that Mother is omniscient? Of course, she was watching!”
“You will receive punishment for this, Azriel,” Eve said. Her frustrated expression had not faded in the slightest. “You have made your sister’s life quite difficult out of nothing more than jealousy. So long as you do not involve me in your schemes, I will remain a neutral party. However, your insults are unacceptable. Had you used language that did not insult my hand in their creation, I would not interfere. Calling them ‘chimera’ is nothing short of stating I did a poor job.” Her frustrated expression was suddenly replaced by a seemingly warm smile as she stepped back toward her seat. “You and I will speak more after you leave here.”
Azriel gulped as he stood up, finally free of Eve’s pressure. He met Kye’s eyes once he got to his feet. “What?”
“The only difference between them and us is how our souls acquired vessels. Azriel, Ezra, we were born. Our mother created our bodies naturally and created their bodies artificially. Take away our bodies, and you will find no difference. I can forgive your ignorance of the subject, so long as you learn from it. Go learn. Educate yourselves.” Then Kye’s expression grew darker. The topic she was most angry about was the one involving Shiro Shikigami. “Your present is nothing short of a nightmare. Your attempt to entertain me has cost my domain significantly. Your present is a minion of Phantom.” Her brother’s eyes widened. “I know you were not yet born when Phantom first became a problem for Alexandria, but you have had plenty of time to learn. If you are working with Zane, you are my enemy. Think carefully on how you go forward, brother.”
Kye held a hand out, and formed a small ball of silvery white mana that soon became a ring, then multiple rings, then many more complex shapes. Azriel’s face did not betray his stubborn refusal to back down.
“You are my brother, but you are in part responsible for terrorizing Elysium. Cease being a problem, and there will be no action taken. If you wish to continue being a thorn in my side,” the construct in her hand pulsated with mana, “do not forget who I am. I am King of the World.”
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Revision: 2024-10-1