Phavian is silent for a moment, then proceeds to flop down on the bed in defeat. “Look, you are right. It is your choice. I have to admit though, I’m a prideful bastard, and without even trying, you are constantly shattering that. It is really hard on me with all the changes. I don’t know how to keep up.”
“You think that is bad?! Try being afraid to take a shit because you are unsure it is going to come shooting out at mach speed and rip through like four floors!”
Phavian looks up at Anaar for a moment, his mouth slightly ajar in an awkward silence. Then together they both begin hysterically laughing, so intensely both have tears in their eyes by the end of it. Anaar sits down on the bed beside Phavian, as they both wipe the tears from the corners of their eyes.
“Is that seriously something you are worried about?!”
“I don’t know! There is no rule book for suddenly becoming something beyond invulnerable! I don’t know what it extends to! Do you know how much I am in fear that even something as benign as some errant spittle could be all hypercharged and take someone out?! Things haven’t been easy. You know I can’t shave anymore? No razors work! I am presuming all the hair on my body is like that now! I have to literally relearn life!”
Phavian takes hold of Anaar’s hand, interlacing their fingers. “I’m sorry… I never stopped to think just how rough this is on you. From the outside looking in, it all looks so amazing and glamorous. When you needed me, I bailed on you because of my jealousy and inability to be a supportive partner.”
“No, it is understandable. It must be difficult being along for the ride and not sure what to do. Hell, as I’ve made clear, I don’t even know what to do. I just know that if I’m going to have to muddle through it, I would feel much better doing it with you at my side. I know it is going to be tough at times, and I apologize in advance, but I really need you right now.”
Phavian nods then leans his head against Anaar’s as they sit in silence. Once again, he had lost sight of Anaar’s struggle because he was incapable of overcoming his own issues. He reaffirmed his dedication to being supportive since Anaar wanted his company. They were enjoying a peaceful moment when they are interrupted by a loud grow from Phavian’s stomach.
“You going to get that?”
“Hey, don’t blame me. I was on my way to dinner when you… summoned me.”
“We had better get a move on then.”
Anaar stands to make a portal and is immediately stopped by Phavian. “Aren’t you worried about being caught?”
“Oh, no. I thought I told you I can sense things down to the micro level now. Making sure we are in the clear is nothing.”
Together they travel to the Cafeteria, both loading their trays with massive amounts of food. They take their seats, all the while cognizant of some of the stares they are receiving. As they start their meal, Phavian opens up the conversation with a trip down memory lane.
“Remember our first date?”
“Must you remind me?! I ran away like a bride with cold feet at the altar!”
Phavian laughs raucously, “You really did! I was really fucked up after that you know. I had never been rejected before, so that was only added atop how much I really wanted you. That feels like a lifetime ago eh? Now our lives are filled with global conspiracies, homicidal siblings, and a massive ton of shit we have yet to understand.”
Anaar looks at Phavian uneasily, his lip beginning to quiver. “Would you change it?”
“Change what?”
“Everything we have been through! Everything about… me. You were interested in me before all the other stuff came about. If you could, would you rather have the man you thought you knew instead of the man you discovered me to be?”
“I… don’t know how to answer that. Without a doubt I could definitely do without getting my ass beat all the time. That shit never gets easier. I could do without wondering if you are okay anytime we are apart. As for all the other things, I just don’t know. Difficult though they may be, I can’t help but think not taking the bad with the good is unrealistic and pretty selfish. I’m not even sure if there is really any ‘bad,’ it just proves to be something I was not equipped to deal with. Would you change things?”
“Yes.”
Phavian is taken aback by the swift and resolute response. “Wow, didn’t even want to think about that one?”
“What do you want me to say? Killing massive amounts of people by accident is fun for me? Finding out I have a twin only to end up killing him in a week after learning of his existence was awesome? Being looked upon with so many expectations because of what I can do is how I wanted my life to turn out? Not at all! I just wanted a peaceful life for my mom with a good paying job that allowed her to never work another day in her life. I now have a sliver of that, but it doesn’t matter because my mom is going to work herself to death anyway. Oh, did I mention how odd it is to have like three families all of a sudden?”
Phavian and Anaar talked about many things, and though these topics had come up, this was the first he was hearing about how disagreeable Anaar found them. Only the unfortunate situation with his brother had been well explored, possibly because of how brief and recent it was. To see there be so many things about his life he wished would be different, Phavian began regretting all the times he envied what Anaar had. Though he had a glimpse, it seemed he would never understand the cost of such things that seemed to hold little value for Anaar.
They continued eating in silence, simply enjoying one another’s proximity, something they had denied one another since the accident. Much to Phavian’s dismay, it seemed another person emboldened by recent event decided to throw jabs at Phavian. Phavian had begun to feel at peace again, headed toward reconciliation with Anaar as he understood more of Anaar’s feelings regarding the various instances in his life. Dedicated to ignoring the insults, Phavian looked into Anaar’s eyes with a smile, doing his best to convey a sense of being unbothered.
“DISreSPeCt caNnOt bE TOLErateD! ReTrIbUtIoN mUsT BE sWiFt!”
The cackling man thought his moment could not be any greater. Long had he resented being so invisible in the school. Not being a Quintessence, or even a Titan like the greats in his class, he was doomed to obscurity. Now if this was recorded and went viral, finally everyone would know his name. As he continued his assault, sure the smiling veneer would give way soon, he awaited the retaliation. That would be his chance to spring forth with his magnum opus. The thought of what awaited him next was so sweet that the sudden combustion of his tray was enough to elicit an extremely high pitched scream from him.
In movements no one seemed to be capable of following, Anaar was upon the man, towering and ominous. His actions were completely divergent from the sinister presence he filled the room with. Caressing the man’s face gently with a sneer on his face, he circled him, tapping lightly various places on the man’s body.
In a sickeningly sweet tone, Anaar confronted him all while he continued his orbit of the man. “Oh no! It looks like I had an accident too! I suppose we all have difficulties controlling ourselves. Then again, a loser like you who is barely worth existence wouldn’t know anything about that now would you? I wonder what would happen if I had another ‘accident,’ but it hit a little closer to home…”
Ending his circuit, Anaar completes it with a light pat of the man’s crotch and devilish grin that was like looking into the jaws of hell itself. With a slight push from Anaar, the man’s eyes go wide. Stepping back in disgust, Anaar scoffs as he is walking away from the man. Unable to control himself, the man’s pants grow increasingly darker in the front, a pool of yellow liquid accumulating on the floor beneath him.
“Look, another accident! Seems it happens to the best and worst of us.”
The utterly embarrassed man finally forces his body to obey him, turning to flee from the roaring laugher reverberating about and the simultaneous revulsion of the puddle left on the floor and the trail behind him. Anaar slides back into his chair as if nothing
had occurred, the eyes of Phavian searching desperately to discern who the man sitting before him was.
In all the time Phavian had known him, Anaar had never been petty, nor cruel. He never made displays of his might to others, especially without being backed into a corner. The person before him seemed very familiar, and Phavian was finally able to remember where he had seen him. Though there were no dark pools replacing the iridescent eyes he loved, the smugly satisfied face was unmistakable.
“What did you do to that guy?! I was just going to ignore him!”
“I just suggested his bladder feel free to release itself. It was his own fault for thinking to try his hand at something that belongs to me.”
Phavian was becoming more and more uncomfortable with the attitude and manner of speech Anaar was exhibiting. Never did he think he would hear Anaar refer to him as a mere possession. It went against the very core of his being. Unsure how to address the situation, Anaar ended it before Phavian could act. Pointing at something on Phavian’s tray, Anaar practically grabbed it before the words had even formed.
“You going to eat that?”
Phavian shook his head slightly, though it would not matter what his response was as Anaar was intent on taking it anyway. Though there were no other noticeable actions throughout the rest of their meal, Phavian still could not help but wonder about the scene that had played out, and what it meant for the man he loved.
10
Maggie watches with a mixture of horror, disgust, and awe as Anaar finishes mounds and mounds of food without slowing down. Compared to what was on her plate, he surely could not even begin to think of her portion as an appetizer. Since she had always been petite, she was never one to envy someone else’s body, but even she imagined how many wonderful foods she could try with an appetite like Anaar’s.
“Are you seriously getting hungrier by the day?”
Anaar stops his munching, swallowing with a large gulp before answering. “Yep. It has gotten so bad I am even contending with Leo.”
“That boy is inhuman! I don’t understand him. Is his appetite related to his powers? He’s an Artillerite. How often could he be using them to be so hungry all the time?”
“Thanks to my surge in strength, I can better understand people. Wish it was as easy with my own powers, but I digress. While it is true Leo’s powers directly cannibalize his own body’s vital resources, that is not the only time he needs to eat. In a way, Leo’s powers are constantly active, even when he is not expelling energy. I can now tell that his body isn’t exactly devoid of the batterylike source most Artillerites have, it is just different. His entire body acts as the battery, and thus is constantly generating energy. To keep him from exploding, though it is imperceptible, he emits a constant energy field. He is like eight or nine degrees hotter than even me.”
Maggie was initially impressed, but then something became clear to her. “Oh no. This is only going to make you even worse when it comes to attunements! We are all going to start limiting our exposure to you, lest we end up like Pryshka.”
“What does that even mean?”
“You crushed that poor girl’s world by casually telling her that she was not amazing due to hard work, but instead she has a manifestation that makes her life easy mode! Who knows whose life you will ruin next!”
Anaar looks hurt, his face beginning to slightly pout as he folds his arms across his chest. “I can’t win! No one seems to have a problem using me as a resource to advance themselves when it suits them. Why would I think offering up help unsolicited would be bad? You know what? That’s it. You all are on you own. From now on I will watch as you go about things that make your lives far more difficult, preventing you from advancing. You want help, go to Exploration where they can only make conjectures rather than reading you and telling you the best path. Gramps has been dying to get his hands on all of you. Did no one notice I had been counting our sessions as your Exploration requirements?! Good luck.”
Maggie blanches and is left without words, a rarity for her. As she is beginning to recover, Stefani and Dan join them at the table, weary from their Quantum Physics class. When Stefani notices Maggie’s state, and Anaar’s look of defiance, she immediately seeks to understand the tension.
“Hey you all! What is going on? Why does Maggie look like she is on the brink of death?”
“Maggie here has informed me that my help with your abilities is tantamount to meddling. As such, I have decided that you are on your own. Going forward you can get help at Exploration like everyone else. This means I will no longer be utilizing my position to override your Exploration requirements. Have fun.”
Before Stefani could respond, Dan starts screaming at the top of his lungs, attracting the attention of many around. “I don’t claim her! Who she is?! I ain’t got no damn clue! She don’t speak for me! I ‘preshiate ya! Please don’t make me go there wit dem people!”
Though Stefani shared Dan’s sentiments, she could not agree with his volume. “Dan will you hush?! Everyone is staring now! Though… I second his statement. I officially separate myself from Maggie’s counsel and would like to be handled subject to my own individual interests. Sorry sweetie.”
Still shouting, Dan nods vehemently. “Yea! All them shits!”
Maggie begins waggling her hands in the air defensively, her eyes pleading for forgiveness. “I’m sorry! I misspoke! It was not my intention to come across as ungrateful! Please, don’t give up on us! Actually, please interject much more often! Love you!”
Anaar grumbles underneath his breath before finally responding. “That’s what I thought. Everyone loves Anaar when they need help, but when a little bit of attunement theory comes unbidden, everyone runs.”
Dan’s mind catches up to the conversation once the threat to his training was resolved. “Hold up. You be just getting’ rid of our Exploration requirements?!”
“Dan… how did you think you graduated last year?”
Stefani looks around nervously, emitting a weak chuckle. “I… had no idea either…”
Anaar looks around at his friends incredulously. “Seriously?! Did none of you ever once consider the whole sixty hours of Exploration required to graduate?! Even you Maggie?!”
Maggie gives her best look of indignation. “I saw it was fulfilled and did not question it. Why look a gift horse in the mouth? It is your fault for being so secretive!”
“That’s it. You are on your own again.”
“Maggie shut yo ass up! You finna fuck up some good shit here!” Maggie shoots Dan a filthy look, the man withering under her gaze. “Um, please?”
Stefani realizing the others were only setting them further back than before, once again dives in for the rescue. “I believe what Maggie meant to say was thank you for taking care of that for us. If possible, we would request that you tell us just so we are aware in the future.” Jabbing her in the side with a freshly painted nail while smiling through clenched teeth, “Right Maggie?”
Her attention being pulled away from Dan, she looks to Anaar sweetly. “Absolutely. From my mind to her lips!”
Anaar casts a squinted look around the table as he stands to leave. Everyone else was worried that he was still upset, but Dan’s often present inability to read the environment caused him to speak up.
“Where you runnin’ off to?”
Picking up his empty tray after pushing in his chair, “I’m going to spend time with someone who actually appreciates me.”
With no further words, he takes his leave to the surprised look of everyone at the table. They waited for him to be out of earshot before feverishly commencing conversation. Stefani was the first to speak out.
“What is wrong with him? Has anyone noticed he’s been a little…off lately? Normally he is the calmest, most evenly keeled person I know. Now he is so emotional.”
“Dat’s cause Maggie startin’ shit!”
“Hey! Don’t blame me because he’s all moody! If I wasn’t absolutely sure he was male, I’d wonder
if he was going through his cycle!”
A message comes in on Maggie’s Vizer, causing her to break away from the conversation for a moment to read it. Her eyes grow wide, darting around to room desperately. With nothing coming of her search, she closes the message she received that was a single line:
“You know I can hear you right?”
Upon exiting the building, Anaar ran into Leo outside. Considering it was just past the middle of the school year for them, their group was still very tight knit, which made it odd to find him alone. Curious was he was doing, Anaar strode up to the perpetually aloof boy.
“Leo, everything alright?”
Leo turned from the open space he was gazing and fixed his attentions on Anaar. “Oh, hey. I was trying to figure out if I had time to go back to my room and change.”
“Change? Why do you need to change?”
Though he was not sure why, he was picking up the distinct odor of singed fabric. Leo opened his coat and the smell intensified. From inside the folds, Anaar could see the thin shirt he was wearing, charred in places, with various holes in it. Though he tended to be fairly unreactive, he was overwhelmingly curious about Anaar’s reaction, or lack thereof.
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“What? About you burning through your clothes? Why would I be? It makes perfect sense. When is the last time you used your powers?”
“I don’t know, like a few days ago? Why does that matter?”
“Because your body is constantly emitting energy, hence why you eat so much. Did no one at Exploration talk to you about this?”
“Um, no?”
Sighing, “Ugh, I must have a talk with Gramps… Come on. We will discuss it as we head back to Ebony so you can change.”
Together the two begin striding at a clip, Leo keeping pace with Anaar well, which was refreshing since most people complained about the rate of speed in which he walked. He was not sure if it was his increased abilities, or just that he had not been attentive enough, but there seemed to be a wealth of instances where people had no clue about their own abilities. He did not want to sound stuck up, but he did not understand how things that were so obvious completely bypassed their wielder’s notice.
Revelations (Song of Sophangence Book 4) Page 14
