Chapter 5 - Siblings! My Siblings! HAHAHAHA!

“Mom!” The two little brats screamed together.

It was later in the afternoon. How did I know that? The Control Tower’s MIDAR was maybe down, but it’s back-up geolocalisation system wasn’t. Just gotta take into account the time of the year and let the computing crystal do the work.

Yes, I hated not knowing the time. I’m sure some of you are the same, stressed when they don’t have a clock around.

“Shh! Not so loud!” Mom scolded them.

I looked at them, running through the door to enter the room, each around a meter tall, maybe a bit more, each with a smile on their face.

“Your little sister needs peace and quiet.” They stopped dead in their tracks and, looking apologetic, uttered a repentant “Yes mooom.”

They then pounced at me and mom. Well, not literally, but I’m sure they would have done it if they had been able to.

“So she’s our new sibling? She’s cute~!” That was my big brother. Ha, he had the freckles of his mom but, surprisingly, his eyes were blue? Well, he was dynamic for sure. Reminded me a bit of Radiance, actual, jumping around and fidgeting all the time.

It was nearly impossible to make Radiance stay in one place. Unless you used booze. That kept her in place alright.

“Not fair. Let me see too, Noa.” The second voice was soft and minimalistic.

A second head popped over me. My big sister.

Her face had a neutral expression, a peaceful one. She was contemplating me with her big green eyes.

And that’s like Wanderer. Wonder if she’s as curious as he was.

“Hello little sister, I am Vivianne, but call me Vi, okay?” And she… she extended her hand? Like, to make a handshake?

“Silly Vi, she can’t understand you just yet. Didn’t I explai- he?”

“Gah! Gahgah!” Mom had abruptly stopped talking because of me.

DON’T OVERDO IT.

I do whatever I want.

Indeed, I was shaking Vivianne hand, albeit shakily and with great difficulty.

“Mom! Look mom, dad too! She’s shaking my hand!” Exclaimed the not-so-calm-anymore girl.

Yep. Those people, when they find something exciting, they compensate their natural quietness a hundredfold.

You’re one to talk.

Oh shush you.

Both mom and dad were looking at me with surprise in their eyes.

“Me too! I’m Noa, pleased to meet you little sister!”

Hey hey, shaking hands both at the time is a thing to get jinxed you know? Ha, fuck it, here we go.

I shook his hand too, and they both happily followed before starting to shower me with kisses.

“She’s so cute!”

“Right right bro!”

Both my parent were still thinking, and I think I may have heard something sounding like genius out the mouth of dad, but I couldn’t be sure.

Of course I’m a genius! You know that this daughter of yours built a great many things, right?

...Wait. Guess he doesn’t know. Bah, whatever. I’ll just have to show him later.

Waaaay later then.

Depend on the state of the world.

...True.

“Hey you two, stop it already, you’ll make her suffocate under your love!”

“Sorry mom~!”

They’re not sorry at all!

They are not.

“Guess since everyone’s there we can make proper presentations, right?” Mom, with me still in her arms, got up and showed me the whole family.

“That’s Noa and Vivianne, your big siblings! They’ll take care of you, so trust them and ask them for help in the future, okay? And that big meaty thing in the corner is your dad! I’m sure I’ll teach you lots of things. And finally, me, your mom!”

“Gahgah!” I exclaimed, happy.

A family.

No.

My family. Could you imagine that?

I mean. Siblings! my siblings! HAHAHA!

“Gah!”

“Not sure she’s understood but at least she seems happy enough.” Said dad, coming toward the big pile of, well, us, putting a kiss on her lips, then on my forehead.

***

You know that asking me every day won’t make it go faster, right?

I know. Just tell me.

...Meh. Okay. Still two months and three weeks before the shields are up. ‘Till then, not MIDAR, not wide range mana analysis, no scan, nothing. So now wait and shut the fuck up, please, mother.

Alright alright.

The day after I met my siblings, mom and I moved out of Meredith’s place. Figured we couldn’t impose ourselves much longer, and the Poor Woman Wise Woman needed the room.

And so I came in contact with my new home, Mom and Dad’s house.

It was… okay.

Same grey walls as Meredith’s, same strange green wood. The structure of the house was, in fact, a bit interesting. What did they call it again? Half-timbered houses? Or timber-framed houses? Basically, you had a wood mesh made from big... well, timbers. The holes between the timbers were filled with whatever type of concrete or things you had in hands.

I’m no architect, okay? Well, not a rustic one.

Orichalcum? Mithril? Gaïum and Thaumium? I’m unbeatable with that.

Naval, aeronautics/spacial ships? Easy peasy.

Giant mana reactors coupled with propulsors that lifts a city-sized battleship? Of course, no problems.

But wood? What do you want me to do with wood? It’s like, some kind of lame plant that tried to grow and survive, then got killed to become timbers. Loser.

Also, all the houses were like that. Some were bigger, other smaller, but the method of construction, aka timber-framing, was the same.

Though it’s pleasing to the eyes, if a bit weak.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I mean, at the end of the war, a sneeze from any of the two belligerents could have flattened everything here in seconds.

...Yeah, we went a bit overboard. But hey, we had no choice. Well, my side hadn’t.

So we were strolling through the houses. Wait.

They were calling this a city?

The word sure had changed meaning. None of the houses were stuck against each other. Can you imagine that? A city where no houses were adjacents? Yeah, that made me cringe too.

Also, what’s with the method of construction? No building had more than three floors. Man, we were far from Heimdasral’s Stars-Reachings skyscrapers.

Helped a bit on that project, as a material specialist. Twin towers, five fucking kilometres high. Insane.

It was just before we realised that… well, we hadn’t won the war yet. Burned, the twin towers, to the ground. With the whole city.

I miss Heimdasral.

Me too, mother, me too. Everyone mourned this loss. But now is not the time for the past. Focus on the present, mom. Please, for me, okay?

I’ll try cutie pie, I’ll try.

So we strolled through the idyllic city, mom greetings people here and there, showing me like a fucking trophy proudly to her neighbours with her eyes sparkling. She was spilling love like a lamp spilt light, but it wasn’t unpleasant. I tried to greet everyone with a smile and a “Gah!” of excitation, but I think I fell asleep in the middle, ‘cause next time I opened my eyes we were indoor.

Urgh. Too close.

I was in a cradle, lightly covered by a blanket as to let me move freely but still keep me warm.

And right in front of me, with her all-devouring green eyes, was the face of my sister.

“Gah?” I exclaimed in surprise. Then, carried by a surge of curiosity, I extended a trembling hand and touched her nose. Yes, she was close to that point.

“Eh? Eheheh mom look! She’s grasping my nose!” Her placid look instantly turned into the exited face of a little girl. I didn’t know if it was because of me or if her mood was this naturally changing.

“You’re awfully noisy since we took her back from the Wise Woman’s place, aren’t you?” Guess it was because of me after all.

Urgh. Hungry. Hungry isn’t fun, hard to think.

Because you’re low on sugar.

“Gah! Gah! Gah!” I let my arm fall back in the cradle and started calling my mom.

“Well well, are you hungry tiny fairy?” Mom appeared nearly directly beside Vi.

“Vi sweetie, can you step back please? I need to feed your sister.”

“Ha! sorry, mom.” And right back at the placid face. Guess my first superpower in this life was to make my sister smile? Well, besides being able to do magic, having an AI in my head and being connected to an orbital battle station around the clock.

But if you ask me, I think making my sister smile was at least as awesome as all of that. Would need to pull out the mechas to top a smile from my sister.

Mom quickly took me in her arms and started feeding me.

How did she know I was hungry? Well, I tried very hard to create a code when I called mom. A certain way was to say I was hungry, another one to say that I needed to have the, urgh, the diaper changed.

I hate diapers.

Well, you’ll have to keep them ‘till you can walk at least.

Hell that is awful. Let’s walk quickly.

Can’t do sooner than 11 months. Lack of muscles.

But-

No. Not gonna mess with your body’s growth just so that you’ll need to use fewer diapers. Not gonna happens.

Fine. I know you’re right but still.

Yes, I know. Bear with it for 11 months.

‘Kay.

“Mooom?”

“Yes Vi?” Ha. Question incoming. Well, as the Wanderer always said, Beware the Curious Ones.

I think the base idiom is Beware the Nice Ones.

Never heard of it but the one that popped that was right too, really picture Radiance well. But back at my sister.

“Why is little sister never crying?”

“Ah, good question." My mom answered with a cheerful voice, before avoiding Vivianne's gaze. "I don’t know yet, but Meredith is working on it. Maybe you could go ask her about that, and when she’ll be able to have her friends take a look at your little sister?”

“Okay mom. Can I go right now?”

“Of course.” She smiled at her tranquil motivation.

“I come back quickly then.”

“See you sweety.”

“See you mom.”

Wait. She’s gonna go there alone? No adult going with her? Aren’t they scared that something could happen to her?

Population seems small. Maybe they trust each other? It’s a bit old-school, I know, but…

Yeah, don’t see another explanation.

“Excuse your big sister, she’s a bit too curious sometimes, and she seems fascinated with you.” She went to sit in her chair, looking outside through the only window of the big living room.

A tiny fire was peacefully snaping in the fireplace. What a serene place and time.

***

…

“I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.”

Eh. Eh? Ha! I fell asleep again!

“Thanks, that’s a relief.”

I was lying flat on the table of the dining room. At my right, mom. At my left, Meredith and a man with grey in his hair, currently taking his hands back from me. His hands were rough, calloused, but his touch was gentle.

A swordsman.

“So there’s nothing special? You’re sure?” That was Meredith voicing her disbelief.

“Well, this lass is extremely young, so things may change as she grows, but right now there’s nothing special. Well, she’s very healthy, but that’s all.”

“Thank you for your time Nicklass.”

“That’s fine, ‘was my pleasure. Besides, no soldier would dislike being in your good grace, Ela.” He winked at her.

“Be careful that your charm doesn’t end up making the opposite effect. Would be bad, if I wasn’t there to help with my potions the day you get injured by a beast~.”

Ha, so mom knows how to defend herself. That’s good.

“Bah, as if you could refuse to heal this old husk of mine.”

“Don’t be so sure. I’m quite confident that your wife would love to take care of your old husk. Adding another sibling to the family.” Meredith added, siding with mom in this battle of tease.

It seems that your mom goes along pretty well with everyone we’ve seen so far, right?

Yup. That’s nice. Look at her, she seems happy. And also a bit relieved about me, maybe.

Talking of mom, she’d turned red at the not-so-subtle implication of Meredith’s words.

“Well then, see you around.” It’s only when he rose from his seat that I realised he had been sitting all the time.

Wow. That’s one tall motherfucker alright.

Running… around 2m10 +-2cm.

Can you… urgh, can you warn me before you run a magical scan, even a light? The mana is so thin here, it’s suffocating.

My bad.

Indeed, but I can’t blame you. I mean. Fuck this mana density, I hate it. Ha! Oh fuck, if the mana density is the same everywhere that means that most of my creation won’t work!

Stop putting the cart before the horses. As long as the MIDAR is offline we can’t make a mana chart of the world. Once we’ve remapped the laylines and the manaflux we’ll have the necessary data to adjust the whole network. IF the network is still working, that is.

I sure do hope it is. Would be a pain in the ass to go search after every tidbit of technology I want to recover.

“You’re leaving so soon? Don’t you want to stay, drink tea or something?”

“Thank you Ela but I’ve work waiting for me. An outpost reported higher monster activity than usual, I’ll need to mount a scouting party.”

“Ha. Of course. Thank you again for your time, even more in light of what you said.”

“Don’t worry. I did it because I had the time. See you around Ela, Meredith.” And, nodding at each of them, he left the room.

“So…” Meredith gave me a finger, with which I start playing. When you’re a baby, you take everything that can entertain you.

“...Nothing, eh? What a strange little girl. Cried only once in four days, and not even of hunger or anything.” She was gently moving her hand as I kept my grasp tightly on her finger.

“But there are no problems so far. The kids’ reactions were great and this little miss seemed to like them, if her smile was good indication.”

“Well… maybe I’m worried for nothing. If she’s healthy then everything’s good. You don’t mind if I come here from time to time, keep an eye on her?”

“Of course not. You’re always welcome here.”

“Thanks.” The old woman seemed genuinely happy about her younger associate’s words.

“So, you also have places to be, or can you take tea with me?”

“It’s a quiet day. I’ve taken in the old Amlas woman, but she should be sleeping right now, and my apprentice is home.”

“Then tea it is.”

Mom took me with her, putting me in my cradle while brewing tea. The two women then proceeded to sit in chairs and talk about everything, the weather, gossips, restless monster activity.

From that discussion, I extracted multiple interesting information:

I was in Valince, a city just big enough to not be called an overgrown village.

This city was located far north in this country.

We were near a huge forest.

And beasts of this forest were particularly restless for this time of the year.

That’s actually quite interesting.

It is. A shame I can’t ask questions yet. I’m itching to know what’s going on around the world.

In particular since Valince is not a name I remember.

Me neither, but it could just be that we never paid attention to it. No, what really bothers me is the technological level.

I get what you mean. No magic device, no light beside fires, no communication devices so far.

I feel like I’ve travelled in the past instead of the future, but that’s not possible since the Control Tower is still up there.

Another mystery we’ll need to solve when we have the adapted tools.

I think I’ll need to re-learn patience.

Just think about it as you would about theatres of operations. Everything is slow, shifting, and you need to take carefully planned steps.

...Right. I’ll try.

***

Once Meredith took her leave, mom took me in her arms and went into the garden. Under the bright sun that was illuminating the sky, my little brother was training with a sword, our father looking at him. Ha, and big sis’ too, with eyes full of flame.

Looking at my big bro, I squinted.

Uh? What the fuck is that?

That? That would be a totally new experience for me, something that would broaden my horizons beyond anything I could have imagined.