‘You have to stop crying.’ She told herself.
‘Nobody likes a crybaby. You are being annoying to your brother.’ Aether’s outburst and the marks on her forearm were proof of this.
‘You have to stop crying.’ She understood this. However, the storm of tempestuous emotions swirling within her heart refused to simmer down.
‘At this rate, he will hate you.’ She would not be able to bear it should it happen.
‘You are going to be abandoned.’ A cynical voice whispered into her ears. The declaration horrified Mei so much that she collapsed to the ground, unable to bear the fear and guilt within her heart.
Her depressive thoughts continued to echo as she spiralled further and further down the narrow gorge of depression.
---
An unknown amount of time slipped by. Mei, having fallen asleep after growing tired from all the crying, slowly got up. Her puffy eyes hurt and the dried tear stains streaking down her two cheeks reminded her of the argument earlier.
Having cried to the point of her tear glands drying up, Mei finally found her heart to be calm.
Calm… no, that wasn’t the right word. Right now, Mei found her heart to be empty; void of all emotions. She felt overcome by an unprecedented feeling of rationality.
It was strange. However, Mei did not think too deeply about this issue. Instead, she calmly ruminated on the argument from earlier.
First, Aether joined the VR Tournament, Ascenders Cup, to secure funds to finance her Level 4 Citizenship education.
Mei was able to infer two things from this point. One, her brother was confident that he would be able to finance her Tuition should he win the tournament. Two, Aether really, really wanted her to pursue the Level 4 qualification.
This inference brought her to the second topic; her brother’s insistence on her continuing with her education.
Her brother was a very easy-going and light-hearted person. He was playful, made old-fashioned jokes, and had an infuriating habit of teasing other people. That being said, never ever in her sixteen years of life had her brother forced her to do something that she disliked or was uncomfortable with.
She could count on her fingers the number of times her brother had been angry at her. And even in those instances, the fault lay with her being silly and immature.
However, today, Aether had been very angry. This was the angriest that she had ever seen him act. He had been so angry that he, who had never once before in her life raised his hand against her to discipline her, had hurt her. Of course, the injury that he inflicted wasn’t anything severe. Still, the fact remained.
Did she resent him for this? No. Mei could rationally surmise that the bruises on her forearm were the result of his momentary loss of control in a fit of anger. It was purely an accident.
Anyone could get angry and cause accidents. Even saints were no exception to this rule. And Aether was certainly no saint.
Mei knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Aether, her old brother who had single-handedly raised her and cared for her throughout the entirety of her life, would and could never willingly hurt her. She knew that her brother would willingly bear all the pain in this world than cause her to feel the slightest prick.
Aether was such a person. And the realisation of this fact caused Mei all the more guilt.
‘I shouldn’t have lost my temper. I shouldn’t have stormed out of the room. I shouldn’t have rejected his wish before hearing him out.’ Mei clearly understood that the fault in this matter lay with her. Should she go back in time and get the chance to redo that conversation, she would…
…still reject his will.
Mei could not in good conscience accept any more of Aether’s sacrifice. Her character would not allow her to accept it. The festering guilt inside her heart would not allow her to accept it. Her rational mind would not allow her to accept it.
Mei could not shamelessly seek any more charity from her older brother. She could not and would not do it.
For how could she? For sixteen long years, she had already latched onto him like a parasite and sucked him of his opportunities, his luxuries, and his relationships. To continue remaining insatiable and shamelessly leech from him would be the sin of a lifetime.
It was something that Mei refused to do.
This was her first time having these thoughts. She had had similar thoughts in the past. She had even spoken to her older brother about them.
When she had talked to him about this issue in the past, Aether had flicked her forehead and had called her an idiot. He explained to her she wasn’t a leech but rather a product that he had invested in. It was a horrible explanation but the young Mei of yore had nevertheless understood his meaning.
Still, the current Mei had found herself asking a similar question once again; was she still worth his investment?
Mei certainly didn’t think so. Any more investment would simply be a sunk-cost fallacy. In short, she thought it would be a foolish decision to let her continue with her education.
However, Aether was insistent. And judging from their earlier argument, he seemed to have no intention of backing down. If Mei wanted to protect their relationship and continue with their familiar life, she had no choice but to act according to his will.
But she could not do that. And hence, she found herself in a quagmire.
At the end of the day, no matter how intelligent or rational she was, Mei was still only sixteen years of age. She was a young lady with limited life experience. It was already a commendable fact that she was able to think this keenly on this complex issue.
However, this was as far as she could go. Mei did not know how to proceed from here.
She wanted to stop being a leech to her older brother and wanted to start repaying the immeasurable debt that she owed him. She did not want her brother to start resenting and she also did not want to accept his selfless sacrifice.
And yet, she did not know how. She found herself unable to resolve this complex issue satisfactorily. And the realisation of this inability brought tears to her eyes once again.
Curling herself into the foetal position, Mei resumed crying quietly inside the cold darkness of her room.
---
Outside the curtained room, Aether heard Mei resume her quiet crying. Hearing her silent sobs, he felt horrible.
‘Look at what you’ve done, you bastard!’ His inner voice admonished him. ‘Listen closely to how much pain you have caused Mei. How can you even live with yourself?’ His admonishments quickly turned into self-loathing.
Just before his loathing could turn into hatred, Aether raised his hand and suddenly struck himself. His strike was so sudden and heavy that his slap echoed throughout the entirety of the apartment sharply and crisply.
Grabbing onto his chin, Aether muttered to himself. “Get a hold of yourself. This isn’t the time to be wallowing in your regrets.”
Between him and Mei, he was the older and the more experienced one. If he wanted to solve this situation, he had to step up and do it instead of sinking into self-loathing.
Lowering his hand, Aether raised his head and looked at the drawn curtain. Taking a deep breath, he slowly called, “Mei.” His tone was gentle and tender.
With his sharp sense of hearing, he heard Mei’s sobs quieten. However, that was it and he heard no follow-up movements. Still, having erred once, Aether wasn’t the type to err again.
Gently and patiently, he spoke once again. “Mei. Can you please come out? I want to talk to you.”
He heard her stir but no substantial movement followed.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Can you please come out and hear me out? I want to tell you that I’m sorry. No matter how mad I was, I shouldn’t have grabbed you and hurt you like that.” Genuine regret and apology were felt in his words.
“Does it hurt? It does, right? There’s no way that it doesn’t hurt. So can you please come out and beat this idiotic brother of yours in revenge? I swear I won’t dodge your strikes. No matter how insidious or low-handed they are,” Aether mirthlessly chuckled.
He waited and he waited. However, Mei did not seem to move within her room. It seemed that she had no intention of facing him.
‘Of course, she doesn’t! Who the hell would meet with their attacker after being attacked? She must be scared of you!’ His inner voice whispered to him. However, Aether paid it no mind and continued to gently and patiently apologise.
He knew that this wouldn’t be easy. He even surmised that Mei might be feeling hatred for the violence inflicted upon her. Still, he continued to patiently and sincerely apologise.
“You’re welcome to curse at me, you know? Call me a ‘scumbag’ or ‘garbage’ or whatever really.” He apologised again.
“I’m sorry.”
And again.
“I’m very sorry.”
And again.
“Can you please come out?”
And again.
He continued to patiently apologise for a long time. It was unknown for how long he continued to stand outside her room and apologise. However, at some point, Aether found his legs heavy and his throat parched.
“Hey, my legs are getting tired so I’m going to sit outside your room, okay?” Aether informed her before taking a seat. He then suddenly chuckled while massaging his feet. “This is the part where you mock me and call me an ‘old man’, you know? Tch, you’re missing some real golden opportunities to knock me down a few pegs.”
With this as the start, Aether started to inanely talk about random stuff.
“...so I win this one game and suddenly, everyone is kneeling around me and calling me ‘God’. It was the funniest thing ever! And then…”
He talked about how he joined up with Team Fox and Friends and made new friends.
“...it’s a really interesting game actually. It’s got a lot of depth. There is a ton of simple-seeming-but-actually-devious stuff in the mechanics and the stages. It’s really fun to play…”
He talked about the game, Pathfinders Ascent.
“...could you imagine, this small, delicate-looking guy is actually the headliner of the entire establishment! He’s even got a billboard of his face! Not anymore, of course, but still! He had a billboard with his face on it! How cool is that!?”
He talked about Cypher.
“...oh, and Vix, right, is totally head over heels for the captain. Apparently, they are childhood friends or something. Real envious stuff. Anyway, here’s the twist; Fox, the captain, is totally unaware of his feelings! Insane, right!? The man’s not even that secretive about his feelings! How could she be so blind!?”
He unhesitantly sold out his vice-captain.
“...the championship title might seem distant, but I think we can do it. There’s something really special about this team. Excluding me, that is. But of course, that goes without saying.”
He even talked about the tournament and his aspirations.
At the end of his long monologue, Mei had yet to reveal herself in front of Aether. However, Aether knew for a fact that she had stopped crying.
His sharp sense of hearing allowed him to pick up the soft sound of breathing behind the curtain. He knew that Mei was intently listening to his stories with rapt attention.
Realising that it was time, Aether intentionally lowered his voice. With a sombre tone and serious face, he started to talk. “I made a promise. A promise to protect you from all harm and ensure your happiness.”
“And so far, I think I’ve done well on the protection part. At least, I don’t have to worry anymore about any random hobo attacking you or some accident befalling you. I’m certain that you will be able to protect yourself in such situations. Of course, I’ll be there to protect you too.”
Sighing heavily, Aether continued, “However, about the second part of that promise, I’m… not sure.”
Staring distantly at the ceiling, he spoke. “What exactly is happiness? I’ve wondered about that question for a long time. Is it having a lot of credits? Is it eating the best food? Is it owning the latest tech? Is it having someone that you love by your side? Honestly, I still don’t know.” He shrugged.
“What I do know, however, is that the feeling of happiness is different from person to person. One person’s happiness could be another person’s misery. My happiness might not necessarily make you feel happy.”
“And so, after some long, long thinking sessions, I finally arrived at a conclusion,” Aether declared. “I might not be able to give you happiness. However, I will do my very best to make sure that you don’t have any regrets. This, I can do. This, I promise.”
“You gaining Level 4 Citizenship and reaching the highest tier of society within District 4 is a part of this promise. I don’t want you to ever, ever regret that you couldn’t be something more ever in the future.”
“Even if the cost is you hating me forever,” he paused for a moment. “I will ensure that you never have any regrets.” Aether finished saying his piece.
Silence descended within the apartment. Only the sounds of the siblings' quiet breathing filled the atmosphere. After what seemed like forever, Aether heard Mei finally speak up.
“That promise… who did you make it to?” she softly asked.
Chuckling out loud, Aether answered, “Of course, it’s to your father, stupid.” He laughed.
The curtain parted and Mei appeared before Aether with her head lowered. With a quiet voice, she apologised. “I’m sorry.”
Looking up at her, Aether replied, “I’m sorry too.”
“I will obey your will. However, I have a condition.” Mei looked at her older brother. “I will only go to school for Level 4 education only if you win this tournament and secure the money. If you don't, then I’ll graduate with Level 3 honours and find a job.”
“Do you agree?” She stared into Aether’s eyes.
After thinking about it silently, he replied, “I agree.”
Relief flooded Mei’s features. She leapt forward and enveloped Aether in a hug. Burying her face into his shoulder, she softly said. “Thank you.”
While patting her back, Aether replied with a smirk. “Damn brat, you don’t believe that I can win.”
“Of course, I don’t,” Mei replied with a cheerful scoff.
“Well, now I have to!” Aether clenched his fists. “Just to prove you wrong!”
Mei laughed at his declaration and goaded him by saying, “You better try hard then, old man.”
Laughter and warmth returned to the siblings’ apartment as they engaged in silly banter.
---
With widened eyes, Mei stared at the drink in her hand. Turning to Aether with a look of astonishment, she asked, “What the hell is this drink called?”
“It’s called Snazzy. It tastes great, right?” Aether replied with a smile.
“It tastes amazing,” Mei honestly replied. She then returned to slurping the drink.
Reaching out with her hand, Mei returned to stuffing herself with all the various snacks and pastries that Aether had brought for her. Each of one them caused Mei to moan with pleasure and spew endless compliments at their taste.
Seeing his sister turn into a gluttonous monster, Aether spoke with disbelief. “How can you eat so much? That’s more food than what all five of us consumed together!”
Mei rolled his eyes at his exaggeration and continued to stuff herself. Stars appeared within her eyes as she immersed herself in this culinary bliss.
Aether watched this scene and said nothing. A warm smile, however, hung on his lips. As he watched her eat, Aether suddenly remembered something.
“Right. My teammates wanted to meet you someday.” He recalled how excited they looked when he informed them about his sister.
Wiping the crumbs around her mouth, Mei said, “I forgot. My friends also wanted to meet you someday.”
Seeing Aether’s confusion, she explained, “The two of them are big fans of the game.” She then suddenly chuckled as she jokingly said, “One of them, Chloe, even asked me to introduce her to you.”
Catching the nuance in his sister’s tone, Aether went along with her joke. “Oh really? Then I guess, I have to meet with her.” He said with a smile.
Mei laughed at his answer and thought that it would be very funny to see her brother interact with her two best friends. She especially thought that his interactions with Chloe would be the most hilarious, given how she was the most in-tune person with youth culture and her brother was the exact opposite being a borderline old person.
As she continued with her thoughts, Mei’s resounding laughter slowly died down. Her pupils shrunk to form pins as her mind recalled a conversation that Chloe had with Eka in the past.
[Chloe: My ideal type? Definitely an older person. Not too old though. Anything within a ten-year range would be A-okay! Oh, and he definitely should be handsome! Height really doesn’t matter for I like them both tall and short. It would be funny if he was a bit old-fashioned. I believe it adds character to people. Also, it would be adorable to watch him flounder as I tease him. I would like my ideal man to be mature, steady, and have a positive outlook on everything! That would be it, I suppose. What do you think? Not too bad, is it?]
Mei looked at her brother who was eating a few of the pastries scattered on the table. She then went through the checklist set by Chloe.
Aether’s age? 26. Safely within range.
His looks? Objectively speaking, her older brother was indeed very good-looking. Another tick on the checklist.
Height wasn’t an issue.
Old-fashioned? Does it get any more old-fashioned than making lame, dad jokes? Mei did not think so.
Mature, steady, positive outlook on life, the more Mei thought about it, the more she realised how much her older brother conformed to Chloe’s ideal type!
A sudden image struck her mind out of the blue. In the image, there was she, her older brother and Chloe. The latter two stood hand in hand, interlocking their arms.
Chloe was her sister-in-law.
A chill went down Mei’s spine as her mind, body, and soul instinctively recoiled with horror at the mere thought. Furtively shaking her head, Mei told herself. ‘Never! I must never let the two of them meet!’
Should Chloe by some chance become her sister-in-law, Mei did not think she had the will to continue living in this world.
Seeing his sister suddenly shiver out of the blue, Aether asked, “What’s wrong?”
Mei glanced at him and quietly said, “You.” She then returned to eating her snacks.
Aether froze dumbfoundedly at this random accusation and grumbled. He then joined her in eating the food. The two siblings eventually said their goodnights and went to bed.
Though, it was already almost the next morning.