《Gods of Violet and Sapphire》


 Chapter 1

    From the perspective of Soren:


    Complacency. Something that I hated my entire life. I grew up knowing that I was a cut above everyone else. I was stronger, smarter, for lack of a better term I was just better. Some might say that¡¯s arrogant of me to think. I disagree. I knew my capabilities from a young age, I proved that I stood out, and the treatment I received from those around me reflected that. I wasn¡¯t arrogant, no, I was confident. Confident in my ability to be unchallenged in many aspects of life. Aside from my father, the only people who could have even held a candle to me were my siblings, and even amongst them, I came out on top. Again, the argument that I speak out of arrogance could be made, but who could blame me for thinking this way about myself, especially then? It wasn¡¯t like I was this gifted because of hard work and determination, I was born this way. I was born with more latent potential than most, so what was I to do but bring that out, letting everyone know that I was destined to stand above them? After all, it was my place in the world, I was given it for a reason. Well, I used to think that way at least.


    Nowadays, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m meant for. I haven¡¯t for several years. For years I¡¯ve wandered around my home, going through the motions of my day-to-day life. I do everything as I did before, but the soul behind it has long gone, I can feel it. I train every day, yet my body never feels any stronger. I attempt to study, but I quickly become exhausted. Even leisurely things have lost my interest. Past hobbies have become dull, and I have no interest in learning new ones. Yet, on paper my life is perfect. I have absolute freedom. I live in a massive house. I¡¯m strong enough to abide by my own rules, and it¡¯s been years since I¡¯ve crossed paths with anyone I¡¯d consider an enemy. In a way, I am my own god. I sit at the top with no threats and do as I please. Even so, the endless freedom holds no value, it never did.


    The only things of value left in my life are my siblings. My older sister lives on the path that I likely would have gone down if my life played out as expected. She¡¯s twenty-three and sees herself as the apex of all life. She hones her strength and lives for the sake of showing the world her superiority. Much like myself, she was born to be above above everyone else. That being said, my sister puts herself first and foremost. Her attachment to me is essentially professional as if being my sister is a title instead of a familial bond. Needless to say, she can get along on her own just fine. Then there¡¯s my little brother, the polar opposite of what my sister and I were like as kids. He¡¯s quiet, soft-spoken, and generally noninvasive. Despite this he isn¡¯t timid, nor does he have much issue with being shy. While he¡¯s not exactly outgoing, he doesn¡¯t actively evade speaking to people. He¡¯s just a good kid, and even though he¡¯s just fifteen, it¡¯s clear his personality won¡¯t deviate much from what it is now. I don¡¯t see much harm in that outcome, though I have other reasons to worry about him. Being the one who takes care of him primarily, I get insight into his habits and quirks. For example, he tends to zone out at random times. He¡¯ll just stare off blankly, even during a conversation. I¡¯ve tried to get him to talk about what he thinks during those periods, but he never really says much, often saying his mind just goes blank. He rarely ever shows any emotions either. Even though he claims at times to be happy, bored, or frustrated, he always appears completely indifferent. Due to these reasons, I try to keep a close eye on him, supervising him throughout the day, and making sure to care for him as if he were my child. It¡¯s difficult without having the experience, but I try my best, drawing off of what I learned from our parents. He and my sister also exist on a professional basis, they barely interact, and honestly, I don¡¯t think my sister cares much for him due to how different he is. He¡¯s not someone who could be a good rival or even sparring partner for her, so to her, it¡¯s just a waste of time to get to know him, I suppose. It¡¯s a shame that¡¯s the case, but really, what am I to do about it?


    Since my sister does what she wants on her schedule and I¡¯m the one in charge of my brother¡¯s care, I¡¯ve essentially become the de facto head of the household, as if that really means anything. My dominion is over a household of three whole people, yet even then I sometimes wish it were less. Don¡¯t be mistaken, I love my siblings dearly, I just wasn¡¯t ready to be put in the position I was back then. Even years later is still don¡¯t feel prepared. Regardless of my feelings, this is my life and I¡¯ve come to accept it. Whether I¡¯m alive for an eternity or a few years, this is it. I¡¯ve given up on trying to move on, as when I live stuck with one unattainable goal hanging over my head, it¡¯s difficult to find motivation to work towards anything else. Any time I try to deviate from pursuing this goal I¡¯ve long since considered ludicrous, I feel nothing but shame and guilt for not putting my energy towards that goal instead. So, I just don¡¯t do anything. I exist and live day to day knowing that the next day won¡¯t be any different from the last. I¡¯ve become what my childhood self loathed, and I know it. I¡¯ve become complacent.


    Oh well, what child-me know anyways? I¡¯m sure he¡¯d understand if he knew my situation now.


    A few weeks go by. One afternoon, my sister and I were outside sparring as we occasionally did. While it¡¯s not something I take particular interest in anymore, I do it anyway as my sister always claims I¡¯m the only other person worth training with. Besides, it does at least help break up the monotony a little bit. As we went at it, our weapons clanging off each other as we battled, I couldn¡¯t help but pick up an unusually high sense of hostility coming from her. She and I have fought enough to know each other¡¯s temperaments and how our fighting styles reflect that. Typically, when we spar, we¡¯re both in a state of calm concentration. Our goal is always to be as deadly as possible without being unreasonably destructive. Retaining ourselves this way allows us to push our abilities with the same effectiveness as going all out, while also allowing us to still have somewhere to live at the end of the day. Today was different though. The power that came from my sister¡¯s attacks was more intense than in our normal sparring sessions. She might have been just been agitated that day, though, it didn¡¯t seem like that was it. This was new, this aggression almost seemed like it was targeted specifically at me.


    I continued to observe her movements as we continued to battle. With each slash she made, I only felt the hostility grow. Her movements were much less refined than normal, it was like she was pouring all of her focus into sheer strength and speed. This, of course, caused me to have to step up my defense. We continued to go at it until I could see her rearing up for a powerful attack. That¡¯s when I knew for certain something was going on with her, as with this attack she was noticeably putting some of her destructive force behind it. She seriously wanted to hurt me. So, I did the only logical thing and used some of my own power to prepare a defense. Then, with a rapid thrust, our opposing forces clashed in a massive perry, sending a small shockwave that rattled the area around us, throwing the snow off of some of the nearby trees. We both slid back away from each other after that uncharacteristically large clash and took a short reprieve.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you?¡± I asked my sister as she stood back up straight.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± She answered, hiding her underlying aggression towards me.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± I responded. ¡°I can tell you¡¯re fighting much differently than before, I¡¯m not stupid,¡± I added. She sighed.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯d like to take training more seriously instead of just going through the motions like a certain someone.¡± She snarked back.


    ¡°That would be fine and all if it weren¡¯t for the fact that you were clearly fighting with the intent to hurt me,¡± I said before narrowing my eyes at her. ¡°I know how you fight, Astrid, you weren¡¯t being that sloppy for no reason. What is your problem?¡±


    ¡°You want to know what my problem is, Soren?¡± Astrid asked, raising her weapon in my direction, and brandishing it at me. ¡°My problem is that you¡¯ve gone soft. You¡¯re pathetic. You live as though nothing in the world matters and your training reflects that to the point where it¡¯s become pointless for me to waste my time fighting you.¡±


    ¡°Is that it?¡± I asked, lowering my sword to my side. ¡°So, what, did you just discover that you were aggravated by this now?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Astrid replied. ¡°I¡¯ve spent the past how many years waiting for you to get yourself together and come to your senses, yet day after day you¡¯ve done nothing but disappoint. I¡¯ve had enough of it, Soren. It¡¯s about time you were called out for your behavior.¡± She declared. I sighed at her response and sheathed my sword.


    ¡°You¡¯re being ridiculous,¡± I said. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve forgotten that I spend a great deal of my time trying to take care of our little brother, and don¡¯t have the energy to go to all-out war when we spar, like you might.¡± I turned and began to walk away, knowing arguing with my stubborn older sister would be all for nothing.


    ¡°Is that what you think?¡± Astrid asked in a calm yet seething voice. ¡°Last I checked, I wasn¡¯t the one sitting around doing nothing while our father was still missing!¡± Her voice got progressively louder as she finished her last sentence. I turned my head back at her.


    ¡°Doing nothing?¡± I ask. Even though there was truth behind her statement, when those words came out of her mouth, it made my blood boil. ¡°After all this time you have the nerve to tell me I¡¯ve been doing nothing?¡±


    ¡°I know you gave up trying to find him a long time ago, Soren. Don¡¯t act like you¡¯ve been putting any sort of effort in when you haven¡¯t.¡± Astrid responded, her tone now returned to a much calmer state knowing that she touched a nerve. ¡°The proof is right in front of your eyes. The fact that you put your sword away as I brandish my own against you, and then the first thing that gets any sort of reaction out of you is when I call you out just goes to show that I¡¯m right. You¡¯ve grown complacent, and you know it.¡± She finished, her scowl turned into a smug grin, satisfied that she was right in calling me out for being the one thing I never wanted to become. I clenched my fist, doing everything I could to keep myself from lunging at her. I knew that¡¯s what she wanted, and I refused to give her that satisfaction, even though there was nothing more I¡¯d like than to cut her down. I turned my head away from her and gritted my teeth, trying to get over the embarrassment of walking away with my tail between my legs. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Astrid growls behind my back. ¡°You¡¯re just going to ignore me? Ignore the fact that I¡¯m right. Come on. I know you¡¯re angry at me, so why don¡¯t you do something about it? Show me that you¡¯re worth something for once in your pathetic life!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re done.¡± I said and resumed walking away.


    ¡°Done?!¡± Astrid asked, beginning to lose her cool again. ¡°After all of that, and you¡¯re just going to walk away?¡± She tried to walk after me but stopped, aware that I wasn¡¯t turning back. ¡°Our parents wasted their time producing you two. You¡¯re both gifted with talent and power greater than anyone else on this planet, yet you do nothing with it when the one who gave it to you is in danger. As if it wasn¡¯t enough our mother died! Such a selfish disgrace to our bloodline, if you¡¯re going to act this way you may as well drop our surname to save the real members the embarrassment.¡± I continued to walk, knowing Astrid was getting progressively more frustrated that I wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her. I hear her growl in frustration as she takes another two steps in my direction. ¡°You and Jesper are worthless! Nothing but a disgusting waste of flesh and blood that never cared about anything but themselves! I hope you both burn for your betrayal of our father!¡± She yelled ferociously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± I replied, feeling myself getting ever so close to losing control. I could feel my nails almost cutting into the flesh of my palm as I clenched my fist tighter and tighter. I had to just keep walking though, I couldn¡¯t let her verbal assault get to me. I just had to keep walking.


    ¡°You apathetic coward¡­¡± Astrid muttered under her breath. ¡°You¡¯d rather sit and ignore the world around you than stand up and face your problems.¡± A brief silence fell over the surrounding area. It was quiet, but the tension in the air was deafening. ¡°That¡¯s what I hate about you!¡± I heard Astrid exclaim. Not even a second later I feel a petrifying chill run down my spine. I see Astrid in front of me, standing as if she just struck something. Then, I notice the small streak of blood across the left blade of her scythe. Upon noticing that, I finally became aware of what transpired as I began to feel a stinging pain start to radiate from a small incision across my neck.


    I froze. That was the first time in my entire life my elder sister had purposely wounded me out of malice. The cut itself wasn¡¯t deep, just shallow enough to prevent any major injury, yet deep enough to cause a stream of blood to make its way down the side of my neck onto my shirt. I could tell while the attack wasn¡¯t meant to be lethal, it was something she had been holding back for years. She got back up and looked at me, silent. It was as if she was waiting for me to explode, for the overwhelming rage I¡¯d built up for her and for myself due to my guilt to finally boil over, forcing me to unleash an unbridled assault. What made it even more difficult was the fact that I wanted to. I wanted to so bad.


    As the thoughts of how my own sister could be so disgustingly arrogant, so cold and careless to her siblings, acting as if she¡¯s above us every single solitary day, I could feel myself starting to crack. She was so damn high and mighty because she trained hard, seriously thinking she¡¯d be able to rescue our father on her own. Then, she looked down on my brother and me because we refused to be naive and follow her example. Now¡­she struck me for it? My vision began to blur as I tried to cling to some semblance of sanity. I loathe arrogant people, people who act like they have authority over me, who think they can tell me what¡¯s right or wrong. I despise being treated like I¡¯m ignorant like I need to meet other''s expectations and she knew that, she knew I hated that more than anything. At that point, there was nothing more I wanted to do than make her regret her actions. I wanted to hurt her.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    no¡­


    I wanted to kill her.


    All of my feelings were numb except the sensation of blood running down my neck and my fingers as I managed to pierce the skin of my palm due to how tightly I had clenched my fist. I knew if I let myself go I could¡¯ve destroyed her right then and there. I could¡¯ve been rid of her. I could¡¯ve made her suffer as much as I wanted until I finally erased her existence from the world. Then I could live as I wanted. She would¡¯ve no longer been able to guilt or belittle me. I could finally move on, forgetting the past and working to move forward with my life in peace. All I would have had to do was end her.


    If only it was as simple as my anger led me to believe.


    The fact was, even if I did go through with it, I would likely not only destroy her but my home in the process. Not only that but who knows what would¡¯ve happened to Jesper in the wake of the destruction. Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t even know how my own body would recover. Chances are I would severely harm myself if I lost control. The destruction caused by my inability to handle my emotions would be something I know I¡¯d regret. Beyond all of that though is that I know I¡¯d be playing right into what my sister wants. Even if I did succeed in killing her, I knew her well enough to realize she would gladly die if it meant she was right about her assumptions about me. The truth was, the second I lost my cool, she won, and she knew that. So, despite the blinding hatred raging through my body, I focused all of my energy on one single thing, leaving. Putting one foot in front of the other, trying my hardest to keep my composition and evading all sight of her. I suffocated any extraneous thoughts in my mind that didn¡¯t involve what I was doing right that second. All of my focus was going towards getting back inside the house and away from her as quickly as possible. Astrid stood still as I opened the heavy wooden door to get in the house, not realizing the hand I was using was the one I had punctured and thus was leaving blood on the handle.


    ¡°Pathetic.¡± I heard Astrid say quietly as I entered the house. I let the door shut behind me before I began to walk significantly faster. Still attempting to pull myself together I make the quick decision to head to a bathroom to clean and dress my wounds. I get into the bathroom and lock the door before examining the damage. Once I wiped my neck down with a damp cloth, I was able to see the slash my sister left clearly. It was a perfect cut that ran across the entire side of my neck. Regardless of the intent, I couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge my sister¡¯s prowess when it came to wielding a weapon that was larger than her. I did my best to clean any blood off from around the area before applying some medicine to the incision. I wrapped my neck up tightly to make sure no more blood leaked down it. After that was taken care of I examined my right hand. As expected, there were four individual punctures in it, three of which blood was drawn from. I cleaned each spot out, then medicated and bandaged those as well. Once that was all taken care of I exited the bathroom and headed to my bedroom.


    As soon as I entered my room and changed my blood-stained shirt I began to feel the rage I had suppressed start to return like a tidal wave. I sat down on my bed and stared blankly as I gripped my knees. My body was shaking. I felt stiff and rigid, trying to contain my desire to go berserk and fight back was growing increasingly more difficult. Unfortunately, I still couldn¡¯t do anything about it. If I let even a little bit go, I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop. Astrid would have won, and I likely would have decimated my home and further traumatized my little brother. I knew it couldn¡¯t be healthy to seal away such extreme emotion, but I had no other choice. The grip on my knees tightened as I continued to force myself to calm down. At this point, I half expected myself to either start crying uncontrollably or blow a blood vessel in my brain and die. To help clear my mind a bit I decided to close my eyes and attempted to take some deep breaths. I was never very good at meditating when I used to do it, especially when my emotions were running high, but as of right now, it seemed like the best way to help keep myself from breaking.


    With each breath, I attempted to force myself to make the next less aggressive than the last. I worked to pace myself, trying to establish a steady rhythm. As I pushed my body to relax, I began to feel my energy start to radiate off of my body, something I struggled with when I was a child as well. I remember the days back when Astrid and I were young. Our father would always lecture us on the importance of proper meditation in our training. It was something we both had issues getting the hang of due to our aggressive nature. Regardless of that, he never gave up trying to help us master it. I could never get both my mind and my body to cooperate during the sessions we would have. Any time I would think I was doing it right, my father would tell me that my energy was spilling out as visible light emitted from my body. Over time, I began to recognize that feeling and would be able to feel when I needed to try again. Even with that new skill, I never really felt like I got any closer to being able to meditate the right way. Since our father went missing, Astrid was quick to stop trying to learn. I tried for a short while after but ended up giving up as well. Now I wish I hadn¡¯t.


    As I sat and worked to control my breathing I began to remember back to all of the advice my father gave. I cleared my mind the best I could, putting all of my focus on my breathing until I could fully release the tension inside of me. Once my breathing got steady I then shifted my focus to reeling back my energy. It was difficult, just as difficult as I remembered. After trying to suppress my energy for a while, I came to realize I was not at a point where I was able to. Not only was I too out of practice, but my mind and body were still struggling to not be overcome by my anger. I should have practiced more, I know, but it was not the time to beat myself up for it. I just had to do my best, even with my energy seeping out. Despite my extreme lack of skill and practice in that department, I was able to discipline myself enough to sit and focus on it long enough to finally get myself down from the mental precipice I was on. As soon as I was at a point of being able to manage myself again, I decided that it was a good enough time to stop meditating, or rather attempting to meditate. I opened my eyes and allowed my externally visible energy to die down before opting to lay on my bed. After staring at my ceiling for a while, I felt calm enough to fall asleep, which I allowed myself to do in hopes of resetting my mental state.


    A couple hours later I woke up. I stared blankly at the ceiling once more as I came to, recollecting what had happened before I fell asleep. I began to clench my injured fist again as I remembered the dispute I had with Astrid, but quickly let go of it with a sigh. My anger towards her died down as I slept. Now, I just felt the way I often do in this kind of situation, empty. Once again I wondered what the point of my life is. Aside from caring for Jesper, nothing that I do has any real meaning. I don¡¯t have a reason to train or get stronger, especially when no one besides my sister could even pose a threat to me. Well¡­no one I¡¯d ever cross paths with anyways. The hope of ever finding my father has gone long ago, and I can¡¯t bring myself to commit to trying to look anymore, no matter how much I miss him. Outside of the few people I interact with on the streets or in stores, my connections to anyone are limited to my own home. I have no friends, anyone who ever would have wanted to befriend me I scared off at a young age. Two of the most important people in my life are completely gone, and with my siblings being the way that they are, there¡¯s not a single person in the world I can lean on. I¡¯m alone. I hate to think that I always will be, but it¡¯s difficult not to when there seem to be no alternatives. Even if I wanted to meet new people, my reputation where I live is set in stone. Sure, I get along with people, but they¡¯ve known me forever. They know my strength and how temperamental I used to be. Who am I kidding, they know how temperamental I still am to this day. I may not be nearly as bombastic as I was, but I know amongst those in my town that I¡¯m feared. I suppose I screwed myself over as a kid, and now I get to live with it. It¡¯s times like these I think it would have been best for me not to have been born. It would¡¯ve at least saved me the trouble of wasting away in my early adulthood. These are all just the same thoughts that run through my mind on a constant basis. I¡¯m used to them by now. Like everything else, I¡¯ve become indifferent to them. It¡¯s become normal to live with the constant feelings of guilt, lack of direction, and emptiness. That¡¯s the life of someone who has gifts that are second to none, but lost their desire to use them. Someone with no path in life, who will just wander endlessly until they die. That¡¯s me.


    Checking the time, I realized it was later than I thought. I had to get up and prepare dinner for my brother, so I slumped off my bed and exited my room, making my way to our kitchen. I was still in the clothes that I used for training and sparring, but I couldn¡¯t be bothered to change. Besides, the elastic material was rather comfortable. I walked over to a small rack of hooks mounted by the doorway into the kitchen and grabbed one of the headbands I often wear when I cook to keep any sweat or hair out of my eyes. I tied it on, making sure to tuck in the loose tufts of my hair that stuck out. This one was blue, and so coordinated with my black and blue training clothes and of course my hair, which was of a darker shade. I then went over to the fridge followed by the pantry and grabbed out what I needed for dinner: a cut of beef, mushrooms, onions, milk, sour cream, and flour. All of these items I would use to make a simple stroganoff for Jesper and me.


    Cooking was one thing I could somewhat look forward to. Even though I only really cooked for Jesper and me and wouldn¡¯t consider it a huge joy or anything, it still helped give me something to do that wasn¡¯t completely unenjoyable. I prepared everything whilst making sure my attention was focused on what I was doing, and not on the negative thoughts that filled my head. A while later, and the food was done, ready to eat. I walked over to Jesper¡¯s room and let him know dinner was ready. He then followed me to the kitchen, washing up on the way. I set the table and dished us both up a helping of my homemade stroganoff as well as some broccoli I had in the fridge. Once everything was set, we sat down at the table and proceeded to eat, enjoying the warm meal on yet another cold day in our freezing climate.


    ¡°How was your day, Jesper?¡± I asked, initiating some small talk.


    ¡°It was okay,¡± Jesper said, brushing aside the deep violet hair that covered his eye. ¡°Just doing some more reading and research, nothing out of the ordinary.¡±


    ¡°I see. Still mainly focusing on biology?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jesper said with a nod. ¡°I still have so much to learn in the field, it¡¯s like every time I get a concept down, something new comes up.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s nice that you have such an interest in the subject. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a lot you can get out of it.¡± I replied with a small smile. For only being fifteen years old, Jesper was extraordinarily intelligent. Sure, all three of us were smart, especially when compared to your average person, but when it came to academic knowledge and a desire to learn, Jesper was on a whole other level. He was always reading, conducting research, and even in some cases experimenting. Where Astrid and I spent most of our time training ourselves physically, Jesper¡¯s investment was in knowledge. I was proud of him for being so dedicated to that facet, especially since it would heavily benefit his usage of his abilities. Most important though was that he enjoyed what he did. He found meaning in his life through his work and as someone who lost a lot of that meaning and purpose in his own life, it does me good to see my younger brother keep his. After a couple more minutes of quiet eating, Jesper spoke up again.


    ¡°Soren?¡± Jesper asked, getting my attention.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°What happened to your neck?¡± Jesper asked as he pointed to the area where my bandage was on himself.


    ¡°Oh, that.¡± I replied, ¡°Astrid and I just happened to get a little bit too into our training today. She ended up cutting my neck a little, I¡¯m okay, though.¡±


    ¡°Is that what shook the house earlier?¡± Jesper followed up.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m surprised you felt that. Sorry if it bothered you.¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Jesper answered, he picked at his food a little before speaking back up in a lower volume. ¡°Your fights are getting worse.¡± He said. I looked back up to him and let out a small sigh.


    ¡°No¡­it¡¯s just¡­okay, yeah, they are,¡± I admitted. ¡°We got into it pretty bad today. Well, Astrid did. I did my best to avoid the conflict, but she ended up striking me. It seems she got some of that aggression out of her system after it was all said and done, but I still think we¡¯re going to avoid crossing paths for a while.¡± I explained. Jesper nodded and took another bite of his food.


    ¡°You two¡­aren¡¯t going to try to kill each other, are you?¡± Jesper asked hesitantly.


    ¡°No, no. Not if I have anything to do about it.¡± I replied. ¡°Our family has been torn apart enough. I won¡¯t ever let myself sink low enough to attempt to kill one of our own.¡± Jesper didn¡¯t need to know my thoughts about killing her earlier. The important part was that I didn¡¯t, and so long as I could work on controlling myself, I wouldn¡¯t. That being said, if Jesper were ever put in danger, and she was somehow involved, that would be an exception. ¡°As far as Astrid¡­I doubt she¡¯d ever try to kill me. She knows she likely wouldn¡¯t be able to, even if she wanted. Personally, I¡¯m not going to dwell too much on the thought, and you shouldn¡¯t either. When it comes down to your safety, I¡¯ll do whatever I have to to keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jesper said simply before going back to eating. That conversation left us both quiet for the rest of the meal. Jesper finished his portion, thanked me, and returned to his room. Meanwhile, I sat, stopped about halfway through my plate as I got stuck in thought. It was rare that Jesper was ever concerned about anything like this. I never even knew he was knowledgeable about the occasional fights Astrid and I would get into. He really must have been a better observer than I thought. It bothered me though, as that was the most concerned I had seen him in ages. Sure, to anyone else he would have appeared totally neutral, but I know him well enough to recognize the intricate differences in his expression and could pick up on the subtle change. I could only hope what I said helped put his mind at ease. He¡¯s seen so much in his life already, I never wanted him to experience trauma on the level he already had again. I figured all I could really do was work on myself, focus on managing my temper so I didn¡¯t allow those thoughts to enter my head again if Astrid and I got into another skirmish. I wasn¡¯t ever going to change Astrid, I knew that much. After several minutes of moving the food on my plate around with my fork, I took another bite, realizing the food had gone cold and my appetite was gone. I disposed of the rest of my food and cleaned up, wondering if it would just be best to call it a night.


    After going back to my room and falling asleep to the sound of the breeze blowing in my window, that question answered itself.

 Chapter 2

    The next day after Soren and Jesper woke up they shared some conversation over breakfast.


    ¡°Any plans for the day?¡± Soren asked his little brother as he ate a piece of a waffle he made.


    ¡°Just checking up on my bacteria colonies. I do need some more agar solution though, so I''ll have to run out for a bit.¡± Jesper replied.


    ¡°You really are invested in those huh?¡± Soren asked. Jesper nodded.


    ¡°I am,¡± Jesper said. ¡°I think if I''m able to understand organisms on a smaller scale it will help grow my comprehension of more complex beings, and if I can figure that out, it''ll open up a lot of possibilities for even more complicated research.¡± He explained. Soren smiled.


    ¡°It makes me happy that you''re so interested in learning new things. You''re a very smart kid, you know that?¡± Soren said.


    ¡°It¡¯s something to do,¡± Jesper said nonchalantly. ¡°After all, I don''t leave much so being able to do anything that helps me learn something new is a plus. Who knows, maybe someday I''ll get enough understanding of the human body to help you get strong enough to fully manage your powers.¡±


    Soren simply laughed and ruffled his brother''s hair a bit.


    ¡°Don''t worry too much about me. I get by just fine. After all, when would I be put in a situation where I need to tap into my full strength?¡± Soren mentioned.


    ¡°Well, that''s fair, I guess,¡± Jesper replied. ¡°Still, I''d like to keep up my research so that we can understand ourselves better someday.¡±


    ¡°A noble cause, Jes. You''re definitely one of the smartest and most sensible kids of your age.¡± Soren said, complementing him.


    ¡°All I''m doing is building off of the intellect I inherited from our dad. We had quite the head start in that department.¡± Jesper responded.


    ¡°You''re right. Still, your inquisitive mind is something of your own, and I''m proud you using your intellect to further your understanding of the world.¡± Soren said. ¡°Anyways, I''ll give you some money and you can go and grab your supplies. I actually may run to the market and grab some things for dinner. Do you have any preferences tonight?¡± Soren asked.


    ¡°Maybe some sausage rolls? Those ones you make with the sweet sausage and cheese in the flaky crust?¡± Jesper asked.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I can do that. I''ll get some meat from the butcher while I''m out.¡± Soren told him. ¡°I''ll even make extra so there''s some left to heat up whenever you want them.¡±


    ¡°That sounds great. Thank you Soren.¡± Jesper said politely.


    ¡°Of course. Anything for my little brother.¡± Soren replied with a smile. Even though Jesper was a rather blank slate when it came to showing emotions, Soren knew his brother was showing he was happy about something in his own way. ¡°Well, I''ll go and get dressed and then we can go. I''ll start working on the puff pastry for the sausage rolls when I get back.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jesper said as they both went to get dressed. A few minutes later Jesper came down in a simple outfit of a long-sleeved shirt, and his black winter coat. Soren was behind him in a black button-down shirt along with some gray chinos and a white jacket that went down around his knees. Once they headed out, Soren gave Jesper some money for his expenses and they both went on their way.


    While he was young, Jesper was often allowed to go out on his own. Due to the fact they lived in a rather secluded town in the middle of their snowy region, and the population consisted exclusively of normal humans, there wasn''t much to worry about. Even Jesper, who wasn''t very trained in fighting, would be strong enough to fend for himself if there was trouble. As Jesper walked down the streets he navigated his way to the facility he got a lot of his equipment from. Once there he went up to the glass doors and buzzed in. The doors opened for him immediately as he went up to the counter.


    ¡°Master Andreasson, what brings you here?¡± A woman of dark complexion asked. Her hair was tied neatly into a braid behind her back, and she donned a white lab coat, goggles on her head, as well as some gloves and other lab gear. She was typically the person who answered for Jesper.


    ¡°I told you you don''t have to call me that. Jesper is just fine.¡± Jesper told her politely.


    ¡°Of course, my mistake Jesper.¡± She replied. ¡°Anyways, what can I do for you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I need some agar solution, I''m close to running out.¡± Jesper explained.


    ¡°Wow, you must have been busy, you bought quite a substantial amount last time.¡± She commented.


    ¡°I''ve been working a lot with various types of bacteria and living cells that I''ve been suspending in it, especially now.¡± He said.


    ¡°I see, I see. Unfortunately, we haven''t gotten any in for a while now. Actually, a lot of our supplies out west have stopped coming in because the person who usually travels to deliver it quit and they can''t find a replacement. Most people are either too afraid or are of questionable motivation.¡± The woman explained further.


    ¡°Afraid?¡± Jesper asked.


    ¡°Yes. A lot of people are hesitant to travel here because it is the heart of where your father lived. While no one really knows about you or your siblings, they do still get a bit on edge about setting foot in here. It''s almost as if they think it''s haunted.¡± She said. ¡°The only willing person they had to do our shipments didn''t even know, but still, he would drop everything off and leave as soon as possible. He claimed even the sight of your home up the hill over there would send chills down his spine.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­I guess I never realized.¡± Jesper replied.


    ¡°That being said, as I mentioned they aren''t aware of you or your siblings so in theory you could go out there and buy some if you wanted. I''d advise you to keep your status as an Andreasson on the down low though.¡± She recommended.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Jesper responded hesitantly. ¡°The thing is¡­I never left the town here in my life. I don''t know how to even go there.¡±


    ¡°It''s pretty simple, exit from here and take a left, go to the border where the treeline starts and there will be a walked-over path that leads out that way. It''s a bit of a hike, so I would recommend some sort of vehicle I''d you have one.¡± The woman told him.


    ¡°Right. I could probably take my bike. I added a motor onto it when I was working more with electronics.¡± Jesper said. ¡°Do you have the address of where I''m supposed to go?¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°That I do!¡± She said as she took out a piece of paper and wrote the address down. ¡°It''s a warehouse-type building like this one, but on a much larger scale. You should be able to find it rather easily.¡±


    ¡°Perfect, thank you,¡± Jesper said before turning to exit. ¡°Have a nice day.¡±


    ¡°And you as well. Let me know how things go next time you''re here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He said before leaving the facility and going back to his home to get his bike.


    Once he got home and got his motorized bike started up he began riding his way out of town, following the instructions the woman at the facility gave him. He didn''t know what to expect when he passed the treeline, but what could really be that different? What was one group of plain old humans to the next for a person like him? In any case, he wasn''t planning on doing much sightseeing, just grabbing his things and going.


    The path was long. Real long. It was no wonder no one went out either way to these places as they may as well be disconnected from one another at this length. Not to mention the geography was changing as well, going from the snowy area he was in to a warmer, greener region. After losing track of how much time he was riding out there Jesper started to make heads or tails of a nearby civilization.


    ¡°Must be it.¡± He said to himself as he rode in, breaking past the forest. There was a clear divide between the treeline and the inhabited area he was entering as he transitioned from a dirt trail to pavement. The area he was in was almost exclusively paved, with plants in designated areas for aesthetics. Buildings tall and short were butted up against one another in a compact manner. It gave the vibe of being the outskirts of a larger civilization, as there were a lot of empty buildings, but they weren''t in disrepair or looked abandoned, just out of service. At least, that was the impression until Jesper peeked into one and saw some people. It was a small group of people that looked preoccupied until Jesper stuck his head in. Once he did, a couple of them immediately looked up. Sensing a negative feeling from them, Jesper decided to hop on his bike and ride a little further into town so as to not cause any trouble.


    Unfortunately for Jesper, this outskirts area seemed to last quite a while, with things looking the same as he went further in. This made Jesper think that either the area as a whole was massive, or that this was just it. Either way, he was pretty lost as to where to go. Most of the buildings were empty or presumably occupied by groups like the one he saw earlier.


    ¡°This has to be some sort of residential community,¡± Jesper said softly to himself as he looked around. ¡°Maybe there will be a of conglomerate of shops if I look around enough.¡± So, he continued to look around until either he found something of use or someone who could help him.


    After wheeling his bike around for a while, getting lost amidst the repetitive empty buildings, he finally was surprised by something that broke the monotony.


    ¡°Hey. What ya lookin for?¡± A gruff-sounding female asked from behind him, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere. He turned around.


    ¡°Oh, hello. I''m looking for a place where they sell bulk agar solution and other chemicals.¡± Jesper responded, looking at the woman. She was around his height, sporting some long deep crimson hair pulled back into a ponytail and big brown eyes. She wore a pair of light blue jeans and a black leather jacket with a tank top underneath. Next to her was a man of a slim yet muscular build. He had some short spiky brown hair, hazel eyes and a load of tattoos that started at his neck and covered his body, all of which looked like different flowers and plant life as thorny rose stems wrapped around most of his extremities. He was a few inches taller than both of them and donned a T-shirt, black hoodie, and some dark gray jeans.


    ¡°Dunno where a place like that exists, kid.¡± The woman said, sounding like she was blowing off his question before laying a finger on his chest. ¡°What I''d like to know is who the hell you are.¡± She said, staring daggers at him. It didn''t take Jesper long to realize that these two weren''t just some passerbys, they were the people who saw him peek his head into their building when he arrived in this strange place. They must have followed him all the way out here. Why? How? That was beyond Jesper, but whatever it was, it did not seem like a promising situation.


    ¡°Oh, I''m just passing through looking for a shop I was told was out here. I''m not here for any trouble.¡± Jesper said simply.


    ¡°That doesn''t answer my question.¡± The woman responded, demandingly. ¡°Who the hell are you? Who do you belong to?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jesper asked. ¡°I don''t think I belong to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°I¡­don''t really even know what you mean by that to be entirely honest,¡± Jesper replied.


    ¡°And yet you''re out here. You know screwed up big time kid.¡± She said, sounding a bit more threatening as she snatched his bike. ¡°Wandering around this area without any sorta affiliation has to be one of the dumbest things you could ever do. To think your kind would know that.¡±


    This kid¡­I think he''s a descendant of the Andreasson bloodline. She thought.


    ¡°You think?¡± The guy next to her asked.


    Look at those eyes, the thick pointy lines around em like some sorta bad mascara job. That purple hair and eyes too. By everything I know this kid is part if not all Andreasson right here. She thought before looking over at her partner with a smirk. That means if we take this kid down and show we managed to not only find but bag an Andreasson, we''ll be praised like gods.


    ¡°That''s dangerous, you know.¡± Her partner replied. ¡°You don''t know what he''s capable of.¡± He whispered. Jesper was rather confused as it seemed like he was having a one-way conversation.


    Hah, please! Like this kid could do anything, he looks clueless. Besides, after all these years, I doubt any Andreasson could stand up to one of us. We''re way past their dumb power no doubt. She thought.


    The man simply rolled his eyes.


    ¡°If you insist. Things go downhill, you''re on your own.¡± He said.


    ¡°Tell me kid, if I told ya to come back with us, you''d probably say no huh?¡± She asked, looking right into his eyes.


    ¡°Well¡­yes. I really would rather get what I need and get back home.¡± Jesper replied.


    ¡°I figured as much. Of course you¡¯d turn us down, Andreasson.¡± She said, which took Jesper a bit by surprise.


    ¡°You knew?¡± Jesper asked.


    ¡°Well yeah, it''s kinda obvious. That just sucks for you though cuz you''re coming with us, and we''re not planning on you being alive either!¡± She said as she pulled a knife out so quickly it almost seemed like it came from thin air. She then stabbed Jesper before he could even move. As Jesper bent over, the man grabbed his arms and restrained him as he was stabbed a couple more times in different spots of his stomach and chest.


    ¡°C-crap¡­¡± Jesper said softly as he started rapidly bleeding out. Despite that, his expression still seemed¡­neutral, as if this was more of an inconvenience than a life-threatening situation.


    ¡°Really, that''s it?!¡± She asked, sounding frustrated, her knife dripping blood. ¡°What did getting stabbed not phase you?¡± She asked before thrusting her blade into him once again.


    ¡°No¡­it did¡­¡± Jesper replied quietly, blood starting to dribble from his mouth. He tried to wiggle his hands a bit but was too weak to move them at all.


    ¡°Well then why don''t you act like it?!¡± She said before going to jam her fingers into one of the wounds. ¡°h-huh?¡± She looked down and noticed the initial wound she had made was already closed up most of the way. While Jesper was being restrained, she tore his shirt a bit and wiped away the blood to see that the cut she had left was regenerating quickly. ¡°so that''s it¡­I suppose I underestimated your abilities after all.¡± She said before looking up at him. ¡°You''re just toying with me aren''t you?¡±


    Jesper shook his head.


    ¡°Not really. You caused a lot of damage. If things keep going like this, I''ll probably die.¡± Jesper told her in a voice that was as plain as ever. This just made her growl.


    ¡°We should give this up.¡± The man holding Jesper said. ¡°I have a bad feeling we''re really playing with fire.¡±


    ¡°Hell no! We''re not just gonna give up cuz of this dumb kid. If he says we can kill him, then let''s take him down!¡± She argued.


    ¡°Are you seriously that stupid? This kid could probably murder us in an instant if he wa-¡± He was interrupted by his partner giving Jesper a swift punch to the gut.


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± She said as Jesper coughed blood onto her. ¡°We''re members of The Head Of David! We¡¯re known to slay kings! This is our chance to not just take down the son of a mere king, but a god of his time! You''re seriously gonna throw that away over some kid who won''t - ¡° She punched him again. ¡°- fight -¡± another punch ¡°ba-¡± Before her hand could reach Jesper a third time it was stopped. The man holding Jesper flew back onto the ground instantaneously with Jesper standing, beat up, and taken by surprise by what he saw.


    ¡°The next move you make will be your last, so if you want to die, at least make the fight worth my time.¡± The person said. All three of them simply looked in shock, all for different reasons.