Jun, Thursday 13, 2007 - 12:15 AM
After leaving Division Omega-7, Paradox and Norika began making their way back home with the mission completed. Norika, however, was limping from the previous fight.
"God, I hate not being able to heal all of my wounds instantly," Norika groaned.
"Well, you'll just have to get used to it. Also, better come up with something to tell Eve," Paradox replied.
"Huh? Why?" she asked, confused.
"Well, it seems that she's up, and it also seems that Zeyla is no longer there."
"I wonder where she could have gone."
"Same, but if I know Eve, she'll pester us about where we've been and what we were doing, and also ask why you are so beat up," Paradox chuckled.
"I am not beat up, just minorly injured."
"Whatever you say, Nor."
As they talked, they grew ever closer to their destination. Suddenly, both of their bodies froze in place.
"Uh-oh, seems like she knows we're here," Paradox sweatdropped.
"Yes, seems like it," Norika said sarcastically.
Out of the house walked a very annoyed Eve, her eyes glowing, signifying the use of her psychic powers.
"WHERE have you TWO been?" she asked, tapping her foot and waiting for an answer.
"Would you believe me if I said we were out for a hike?" Paradox joked, only to be launched into a nearby tree.
"Oww, that hurt," he said, not actually injured at all.
"I don’t have time for jokes. I want answers, and I want you to tell me what happened since I was out of commission."
"Alright, alright, just release us, please," Norika asked, the strain of trying to move coupled with her injuries taking a toll on her body.
"I also want to know what happened to you, Nor," Eve stated before releasing her control over their bodies.
–Somewhere close by–
'Wait, who are those two, and how did Eve do that? Just who is she?' a mysterious figure thought to themselves, trying to put things together.
–Inside Paradox’s House–
Jun, Thursday 13, 2007 - 12:22 AM
Paradox and Norika sat on the floor, both looking a little nervous about what Eve might do once she knew the information.
"First, I want to know what happened to me and Zeyla," Eve questioned them.
"Well, you see, there was a guy named Famine, and for some reason, he used his powers on you to kill you, but we stopped his plan easily," Norika puffed out her chest in pride.
"You got sent to a different space because of your recklessness, and Scarlet and I were the ones who made him leave," Paradox muttered under his breath, only for Norika to punch him in the arm.
"What was that? We can fight right now if you want!" she shouted, somewhat annoyed.
"Sit down," came the eerily calm voice of Eve, prompting Norika to take her spot on the floor again.
"Now, the second question: why are both of you weaker now?"
"Blame Father. He did something that weakened all of our powers, including Mother's," Norika pointed a finger at him.
Paradox, for his part, just looked away.
"Why did you do that, Brother? What was the point?" Eve asked.
"Simple, I was bored of being too strong and only having a select few who could challenge me, so I had the powers of most beings reset."
At this, both Eve and Norika looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
"Doesn’t this just mean you’re easier to kill?" Eve asked, curious and worried.
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"No, not necessarily. Yes, I’m weaker, and some of the strong beings could defeat me now, but I can always get back to my original power quickly."
"Huh, how so?" came the voices of both Eve and Norika.
"What, you didn’t know about it?" Paradox asked, looking at Norika.
"About what?" she said impatiently.
"With the Omni-Watch, well, more so ours with pure imagination as its power, if you just imagine training or doing your original routine, you will become stronger."
"What? Really? Why didn’t I know about this? Is that why you don’t see any need to physically train?" Norika asked, a little amazed at how much training she could do now.
"Yep, that’s correct. Even in battle, I can just train in my head and get stronger if I'm fighting an opponent that is stronger than I am, so there really are no worries. But I don’t use the ability that much."
"How come?" came the voices of both Eve and Norika.
"Simple, you’ll become too strong if you use it too often. That’s the whole reason I reset my and everyone’s powers—to give me some fresh fights and struggles. You can’t have an awesome adventure without epic fights, can you?"
"Heh, I guess you can’t," Norika said, actually thinking about it, while Eve still seemed unsure.
"Now, my last question: where is Scarlet? I haven’t seen her at all," Eve asked, worried.
"Don’t worry about her. She does this all the time. She is either out training, exploring, or whatever. She is rarely ever around anyway, so it’s pretty normal for her."
"That is true. Mother and the others were always out doing something, and I was never told what they did, especially Mother. She is the most confusing of them all."
"That she is. As long as I have known her, which has been over millions of years, I still don’t know what she is, but she is quite special."
"What do you mean by that, Brother?"
"Yeah, what do you mean, Father?" Norika echoed.
"What I mean is, unlike the other girls, whose parents are out there and just abandoned them, Scarlet did not have parents but was abandoned nonetheless."
"Why were they abandoned?" Eve questioned, her voice edged with danger.
"Well, they were seen as weak compared to others of their race, which seems foolish now. After I restore their powers, they'll soon reclaim their strength as the strongest," Paradox explained.
"Are you certain this power restoration won't provoke the others? They might attack you," Norika interjected.
"They will. Unlike Scarlet, the others will attack first and ask questions later," Paradox admitted, a shiver running down his spine at the thought.
Jun, Thursday 13, 2007 - 12:33 AM
Suddenly, a knock echoed at the door.
"Who could that be?" they all wondered simultaneously.
Approaching cautiously, Paradox opened the door to find a girl about Eve's age with flowing black hair and striking purple eyes.
"Eve, do you know her?" Paradox asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, she's my friend Kiana from school," Eve replied, walking over. "How did you find me here?"
"I was worried since you haven’t been at school. I asked around, and here I am," Kiana explained, stepping inside and admiring the house.
"It's nice here," Kiana remarked.
"My brother built it," Eve said proudly.
"I see. You must be the famous brother. Eve talks about you a lot at school; she really looks up to you," Kiana observed.
"Famous? I just try to take care of my little sister," Paradox replied modestly.
"You're a good older brother," Kiana smiled, turning to Norika. "And who might you be?"
"I'm a relative of Paradox," Norika replied cryptically.
"I see," Kiana pondered for a moment. "Well, I'll be direct. What are you, Eve?"
"What do you mean?" Eve asked, genuinely confused.
"I saw you earlier, with your eyes glowing, stopping these two," Kiana gestured towards Paradox and Norika.
"She's talking about your powers, Eve," Norika chimed in.
"No point hiding it now; she's already seen," Paradox added.
"Fine, yes, I have powers," Eve admitted reluctantly.
"How long have you had them?" Kiana inquired.
"Since I was eight."
"Why didn’t you tell me? You're my best friend," Kiana sounded hurt.
"My brother told me to keep them secret, and I forgot to tell you," Eve explained sadly.
"If you hadn't been told to keep them secret, would you have told me?"
"Of course, you're my best friend. I would tell you almost anything."
"This is a lot to take in. I'm glad you're doing well, but I need some time to process this," Kiana said, taking her leave.
"Don't worry; I'm sure everything will be fine. She's smart; she'll understand," Paradox reassured Eve.
"I hope you're right, brother," Eve replied, troubled.
—Division Omega-7, The Spire—
Jun, Friday 14, 2007 - Noon 12:00 PM
Inside the facility, alarms blared as agents monitored a red dot moving on a screen.
"We've located another superhuman. This one is powerful and dangerous, judging by the destruction," one agent reported.
"Can we contain or neutralize it?" another asked.
"No, normal soldiers can't handle this. We might need to release Subject 013," the first agent suggested.
"Subject 013? That's risky," the second agent hesitated.
"But she's strong. If anyone can handle this, it's her," the first agent insisted.
"Director Rachel wants the new recruits on this mission. They've proven capable," a commanding voice interrupted.
"I hope they can stop this quickly. The damage could be catastrophic," someone murmured.
—Back with Paradox and the others—
Paradox's phone buzzed with mission details.
"We've got a mission, Norika. Ready to go?" Paradox asked.
"Always. My wounds can wait; I live for back-to-back fights," Norika declared eagerly.
"I'm coming too," Eve announced firmly.
"Let's move out," Paradox commanded, leading the way out of the house with his companions in tow.