Patricia and Snow walked into the barracks, Snow was following close behind, the uniform pack was tucked between her arm.
Inside, Several empty bunk beds sat in rows, Patricia strode over to a table, picked up her phone, and with a flick, sent it flying across the room
Snow caught it between her fingers, brows furrowing slightly as she held it firmly in her palms
"What's with the phone?"
"Oh" Patricia clicked her tongue, her gaze sweeping across Snow's face. "Send yourself a friend request" she smiled. "I can't send it myself without it getting buried under mountains of others, so do it yourself so you can remember it"
Snow's eyes dulled, and her brows dropped even lower– What was this woman upto? She never cared about social media, so what's with the sudden interest
Snow let the thought ramble on in her head, and instead replied coolly, "oh, sure. I'll send it myself when I get back"
Patricia nodded slowly, but her gaze lingered on the phone in Snow's hand. "By the way, have you talked to Aunt–" before she could continue, the deafening sound of the alarms blasted across the compound, soldiers marched through the barracks, their magic weapons in hand. Outside, a few of them were helping the collapsed guards, examining them.
Just earlier on
A soldier had been on patrol when he heard a thud, he ran towards the sound, and found a soldier convulsing, if that wasn't enough, he soon found himself shocked, the watch guards were wondering around like zombies– The effect of a curse
"Head tower! Urgent report" The soldier screamed into his com, he reached down, checking the collapsed soldier's pulse. "Possible Infiltration has been detected. North west side!"
In the head tower, the few people inside sat shocked. There were no movements anywhere, how did anyone manage to slip in undetected, their cameras ran at over 400 frames per second, capturing something move should've been a breeze
"The alarm. Ring it now!"
And just like that, the entire compound was surrounded by the wail, red lights swirled around the buildings
Aki had been leaning against a barracks when the alarm blared. He heard the sound of boots stomping getting closer and closer, the sound came from every side he looked. "I should've let the tentacles devour them"
He walked calmly towards 22C, his dark tentacles sprung, wrapping around his waist and hands, his eyes, which had been his regular red, began glowing
Their colors mixed until
[Void Gate] Access 1
His eyes turned a bone chilling blue, they glowed brightly, illuminating the space around him. "What a hassle"
He reached the door, and as he was about to enter, the stomping intensified, followed by a loud roar, "Stop right there! Intruder!"
He turned his head, from their distance, the soldiers could only see a black silhouette, occasionally doused in the redness of the alarm lights, its eyes glowed intensely, it emitted a strong pressure, one that was clearly of hostility
"I said stop!" The lead soldier stepped foward, pointing a gun at Aki, the gun had a soft glow around it, it was a magic weapon
"Guys" Aki patted his tentacles gently, smiling as he looked at them. "You know what to do"
The soldiers exchanged looks of confusion, was the man ignoring them? And why is he talking to magic?
Just as they were wondering, the dark tentacles wiggled, then unwrapped themselves, then they began, approaching the soldiers, the ground around them darkened, and more tentacles arose.
The leader, shocked, shot a single bullet. The bullet whistled until it struck on of the tentacles.
It paused, then collapsed to the ground, the mark where the bullet had penetrated began to glow crimson
The tentacle sprung off the ground, lashing out at the leader, his hands were too slow, and in moments, it had wrapped him down, squeezing hard, its head morphed, revealing red, jagged, ghostly teeth, its insides glowed like a volcano, red and unsettling
Inside the barracks, Snow and Patricia had been listening and watching the whole exchange, Snow in particular looked at Aki with a worried expression
Suddenly, memories flooded her mind, a young Snow, running around a large mansion, being chased by a smiling, senior looking woman, she rushed into a room at the end of the corridor, then shut the door. However, to her horror
Large, Serpent like tentacles were staring, their mouths filled with red shards for teeth, all of them, surrounding a blue eyed boy, who was quietly watching, with a toy in hand
Not only was the boy calm, his features sent a chill down her spine, pitch black sclera, white pupils, and a deep, cold shade of blue iris, bundled with dark, black and blue hair
In contrast to the present, Aki now had silver hair, but the aura, and features were painfully the same
Patricia's gaze shifted, and landed on the girl who was shivering uncontrollably beside her. "Snow? Are you alright?"
Patricia's worried voice reached Aki's ears, his head turned, and he glanced inside the barracks. A flicker of something shone in his deep eyes, the tentacle that had been about to squeeze the leader paused, before loosening its grip
His lips, which were spread into a sadistic smile, relaxed slightly, becoming gentler
"Patricia. I'll see you around. Snow?" his voice came out horse, dual-toned and terrifyingly hollow
He reached out a hand. His tentacles loomed closer and closer to Snow, before gently setting on her back, giving her a small push
The push ended up being far too powerful, and she stumbled foward, he reacted, embracing her as she fell. Her hands froze midair, eyes darting, she put her hands on his chest, trying to push herself off, but instead, the grip intensified, her right hand rested on the left side of his chest, and the rapid thumping beat against it
[Psycho series] Prime relocation
The soldiers were left standing there, suprised and slightly shaken, whatever that was, it was gone, but why was it here, specifically. 22C was an empty barracks, and not meant to house any trainee
The Sun rose the next morning, casting a glow over the city
Aki woke from his sleep, eyes empty, he stared at the ceiling, and his fists clenched
"My head hurts"
He searched his hazy mind, trying to make sense of the previous night's events. Everything came back, hitting him like a truck, all except for his transformation, instead, he could only remember seeing his childhood friend looking at him in pure horror
The image made him wince, his heart clenched, and he ground his teeth
'What the hell happened?!'
The thought simmered. He got out of bed, stepped out and walked to the bathroom, behind him, Snow opened her door, already dressed in a formal gown, and pink headsets sitting over her ears, seeing him turn around, Snow walked away quickly, the memories were still fresh on her mind, and she didn't know how to reconcile the two images as one
Seeing Snow walk away, he sighed, ' She's avoiding me'. In the bathroom, he brushed his teeth, eyes focused on the mirror– Blue and Black
His eyes looked like they did the previous night. He thought back in time
Two years ago, a 17 year old Aki, stepping off a private jet. At the time, his hair had turned silver, and his eyes were the normal red, just like his sisters. Chloe and Rose stood by the terminal, waiting for him
In that moment, he remembered. His sisters' eyes, matched his current ones to some degree– The black sclera
Chloe's voice cut through his thoughts. "Hey"
He turned around. The blank expression on Chloe's face morphed in an instant, turning into one of realization.
"Oh, hey. Good morning"
"Good morning. Anyway, those eyes"
"Yeah. Kinda like how I once saw yours–"
"Wait. When did you see me like that?"
"Central Airport. Two years ago"
She thought about it, searching her memories, until it clicked. When he had first came from the island
She leaned against the doorway, hands crossed. "Oh I remember now"
"So, you know what it is?"
"Not exactly. I've just learned to supress it. Only Rose and mom understand it. Rose should be here to pick us up soon"
"Rose?" His eyes flickered for a moment. "Does she know about last night's events?"
Chloe smiled, then patted him on the shoulder. "Given how nosey she is, she's bound to know. She must've found out who did it by now"
"You've doomed me"
"Don't worry baby brother. I'll keep you safe"
The sound of heels clicking came from tge staircase, silencing the two, the turned around to see Rose, face clouded, mouth twitching, radiating cold fury, walking towards them
"I'm going to shower" Chloe shoved Aki out of the bathroom, and slammed the door shut
"Damn you Chloe" he braced himself, but instead of the tirade he expected, he got a pat on the cheek
"You little idiot. Why would you agree to Chloe's requests, and not tell me?"
Although Rose was smiling, he could tell that she wasn't being friendly, so he decided to play it smart
"I thought it was a in and out job"
He was lying, and Rose could tell, but chose to not call him out, instead, she pointed a finger at his eyes
"That also happened last night?"
"Yeah. Do you know what it is?"
"Of course I do. It's nature activation"
"What?"
"Don't stress on it, I'll explain it when the time is right"
She rose her hands, then cupped his face. "Listen. If you were a girl, this would've been much easier"
"What does that mean?"
"Feminine mana is more direct. So helping Chloe was easier. As for you"
His heart leaped, and his brain shut down.
When Rose let go, his mind was still reeling, his eye twitching
"You're weird. Weird" he rubbed the corner of his lip, wiping off the remnants of lipstick
"What? It's how I helped Chloe, and it's how mom helped me suppress mine. So why am I the weird one. It worked, didn't it?"
"Ugh, now all I smell is strawberry"
"Whatever, go change, we have to get going"
"You really are weird. By the way, was that the only method"
"Well. I saw miss Raine taking Snow away, so that method was no longer applicable. Secondly, what i used is a maternal connection based suppression method"
"Meaning?"
"As siblings, we share wavelengths, so the suppression is easier"
"That doesn't justify anything"
"I know that. I wasn't justifying anything, how do you think I felt? Do I seem to be enjoying it?"
"Whatever"
"I'm ten years older than you, why would I find–"
"Please stop talking, you're making it weirder than it already is"
Moments later, Aki was standing outside, leaning against the family car, Rose was seated in the backseat, both waiting for Chloe
He turned to his sister, "Hey sis. Can you explain Nature activation to me?"
"Not right now"
"Why not?"
"Fine, I'll summarize it for you"
"Every single creature has a special part of their soul called– The nature core"
A Nature core is a special soul component for all creatures, holding classification biology, specific traits and identity of their powers
Nature activation is the awakening of the connection between power nature and biological nature of a creature, it allows for classification of a creature based on what their most dominant trait in their soul is
For example, one who's most dominant trait is magic, is classified as a mage etc.
Physical changes, like eyes changing or eldritch manifestation are always signs of Existential based nature awakening, like Spirit nature etc
"Oh?, so what's your classification?"
"Just know its an existential, just like you"
He nodded slowly, quietly thinking to himself. 'Existential? Wait!'
"So, where are we going?"
"Mom asked me to bring you two to the Company banquet"
"Oh, so that's why you insisted on me wearing a suit?"
"No. The suit wasn't mandatory, I just wanted you to wear it"
"Of course you did"
Just then, Chloe came out, dressed, they got in the car, and drove off
Meanwhile
In the city, the Prime minister sat in his office, downing glass after glass of alcohol, his cheeks were flushed, eyes red. "That damn headmaster. Where does he get the nerve? Now my plans are delayed"
"Whatever, I have that military camp incident to take care of. Secretary, call Rin for me"
Back at the car
They arrived outside a large, cloud piercing Building in the heart of the city, luxurious cars were already parked, men in suits, and women in gowns were chatting, in and outside the building
Maria stood with Snow and Snow's aunt, Raine, by the entrance, chatting and laughing, through the window, he watched as a white-haired young man approached them, said a few words, then left with Snow, unconsciously, his brows furrowed. He immediately got out and walked up to his mom
"Mom, aunt Raine"
Raine smiled at him, raising her glass, "young boy, its been far too long, how have you been?"
"Alright"
"That's wonderful. Why don't we chat later, you should head in inside. Kai has been dying to see you"
After a brief exchange, Aki nodded and walked inside, tables were piled with all sorts of delicacies, pristine drinks and all sorts of miscellaneous
Guests stood huddled in groups, chatting casually, Kai, who was talking to his younger sister, turned and noticed Aki taking a seat in the corner
"Brother in law. Come over here" he waved him over, but Aki just gave him a confused head tilt
'Who's that, is it Kai?'
"Sure" he stood up slowly, and walked up to them. In his mind, he was still trying to remember who this person was, but decided not to dwell on it– He said brother in law, so I'll think of the closest person to Snow
"Hey. Long time no see" Kai threw his hand around Aki's shoulder, smiling. Aki just smiled, head slightly tilted, Kai's mood shifted, his expression turning dark. "No way, did you forget who I am?"
"Of course not. Do I seem that dismissive to you?"
"Yes, yes you do"
"Whatever. Oh by the way, I need have a favor to ask"
"What's up"
"Well, I was thinking, since Winter isn't going back to the island, I had aunt Raine enroll her at Central academy"
"Oh" his gaze swept over Snow for a brief moment. "So what's the favor you're asking for"
"Simple. She can be a bit, too expressive, so keep an eye on her"
His eyes turned to see Snow glaring at her brother from the side, and he couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry. I'll keep her safe"
Snow cleared her throat, tapping one foot on the marble floor. "I'm not a little girl, i‐"
"Come one sis. Between the three of us, you're the youngest"
"Screw you"
Amongst their bickering, Aki prepared to step away, but a sudden feeling hit his chest, telling him to look around. Following his instincts, he turned to see someone watching, their face was hidden by a wall, the person smiled, rose their glass, then walked up the stairs
"Weirdo"
"Yo Aki. Who you calling a weirdo" Kai squeezed on his shoulder hard, making Aki wince,
"My bad. It slipped"
"Dude!"