More than the sudden appearance of an unknown anomaly inside the facility, what truly caught me off guard were Nekra’s words—delivered with a sharp edge of irritation in her voice. To put that in perspective, ever since I’d met her, I had never once seen her lose her composure.
Nekra had always carried herself with an icy, almost indifferent air, as if nothing in the world could disturb her unshakable calm. Watching that mask crack, even for a second, unsettled me far more than the anomaly itself.
Either way, Nekra’s reaction was strange enough to keep me on edge. Even though I had already faced Nyara to some extent, it had been clear as daylight that she never actually intended to harm me in that fight. The same could easily be said for me.
Still, there was one thing I couldn’t ignore: Nyara hadn’t used her full strength, nor had she revealed the true scope of her powers. The same applied to Nekra and Althea. In short, I still had no idea where the real limits of any of them lay.
And then... almost as if oblivious to the weight of the moment, the new anomaly—who, according to Nekra, was called Eryanis—turned her gaze toward her with a calmness that felt almost mocking.
“Well, well! Nekra, my dear little sister, you were here too?” Her voice carried a teasing tone, as if her surprise was nothing but a performance.
As she spoke, her eyes narrowed slowly, a faint, scornful smile tugging at her lips. Only then did she shift her attention past me, to where Althea and Nyara were. Her eyes flickered for a brief second, as though she had just taken notice of their presence: “Hmmm... I see Althea and Nyara decided to show up as well”
The two reacted in very different ways under Eryanis’s attention. Althea, with her trademark playful smile, simply waved back as though it was all just another game between them.
Nyara, on the other hand, shrank under the blankets, leaving only the nervous shimmer of her eyes visible. Her fingers clenched tightly around the fabric, as though seeking protection, while she hurriedly avoided the piercing stare Eryanis refused to take off her.
Still, for some reason, the words Eryanis had directed at Nekra seemed to strike a nerve, dragging her mood down almost instantly—a rare sight, to say the least.
Most of the time, Nekra carried that same cold, detached look, as though nothing around her mattered. But this time, there was no denying the shift—a heavy, silent shadow lingered across her face, darkening her expression.
“I hate it...” Nekra muttered, her voice laced with a frustration so thick it was almost tangible.
At the same time, I felt a strange energy ripple around her, the air itself vibrating with her mood, even though nothing visible was actually happening. Her eyes flared briefly, her shoulders tensing as she finished, in that drawn-out tone of hers: “... when you call me... little sister”
For a moment, standing at Nekra’s side, my gaze drifted back to Eryanis, who remained utterly unmoved, her expression as cold and detached as before, as if none of it mattered.
The tension in the air was nearly suffocating, and an uneasy thought crossed my mind: if the two of them really decided to fight, the outcome would be nothing short of catastrophic. I knew that with absolute certainty.
And yet, no words came to me—nothing that could ease the suffocating atmosphere. In the end, the only thing I managed was a small, almost instinctive gesture: I raised my hand and gently placed it on Nekra’s head, as though I could somehow calm her down.
Would that actually work? Honestly, I had no clue. If I had to bet, I’d have put everything on it failing miserably. And yet, against every expectation I had, the moment my hand touched her head, something unexpected happened.
The strange energy that had been radiating from her seconds before simply dissolved—evaporating into nothing, like smoke scattered by the wind. In an instant, it was as if it had never existed at all, as though it had been nothing more than a trick of my imagination.
Meanwhile, from the other side, Eryanis raised an eyebrow at me with a curious look, as if trying to piece together what was going on in my mind. Nekra, at my side, turned her eyes toward me; and while her face remained as unreadable as ever, there was something subtle that betrayed her—her cheeks were faintly flushed. It was barely noticeable, but enough to make me wonder if I was imagining it or if she had truly let a rare flicker of emotion slip.
I brushed my hand softly over Nekra’s hood, trying to reassure her with the gesture. Taking a deep breath, I spoke with a steady yet calm tone: (Let’s calm down first... you know I’ve always been against using violence)
Outwardly, I might have looked calm and composed, but inside, I was anything but. My heart was pounding hard, and with every second, a single thought gnawed at me: what would I do if Nekra simply lost control right next to me? Would I even have the slightest chance of making it out alive? It was hard to picture any outcome that didn’t end badly. And yet, contrary to everything I feared, Nekra didn’t do anything I expected.
Instead of lashing out, she simply lifted her gaze toward me. Her eyes gleamed for a second, hiding something I couldn’t quite read, before she suddenly turned her face away, concealing her expression. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet, hesitant... strangely shy, as if all the harshness I expected from her simply wasn’t there.
“Hmmm...” Nekra began, her voice low and drawn-out, carrying a tone almost like a cat purring against its owner. Her lips curved into a lazy smile as her eyes gleamed with a mix of obedience and defiance: “If that’s... what my sister wishes... then I’ll do it”
... Right... I can’t deny I was genuinely shocked at how easily Nekra accepted my words. Was it really supposed to be that simple to convince her? Something about it felt off, as though I had missed some hidden detail. Still, as I stole a sideways glance at her, only one thought echoed in my head: “Nekra is... unexpectedly easy to handle...”
Anyway, setting aside how almost suspiciously — and strangely easily — Nekra accepted my words, I turned my gaze toward Eryanis. Up until then, she had remained silent, watching everything with a calm expression, as if carefully weighing every detail before speaking.
There was something in her eyes, a restrained glow that suggested both wisdom and caution. In the end, I chose not to drag things out any longer and went straight to the point: her true identity.
It was obvious to me that Eryanis was also one of my sisters — that much I had no doubt about. What remained uncertain was the domain she belonged to. By now, we already had Nekra tied to Death, Althea to Life, and Nyara to Chaos.
As for me... it was still debatable what role I was meant to play in this balance. Eryanis, however, gave off the distinct impression that she knew exactly which domain was hers — and that only fueled my curiosity.
(Eryanis) I began, projecting my thoughts toward her. For a moment, I thought her body shivered slightly, as if something had pierced her soul — or maybe it was just my imagination. Even so, I chose to ignore the feeling and pressed on: (My memories are still scrambled... I can’t remember you clearly. So tell me, why exactly did you come looking for me?)
To be honest, it was only that last question that truly sparked any genuine curiosity in me; the others felt hollow whenever I tried to ask. Nekra didn’t even seem to care, averting her gaze as if it were a complete waste of time.
Nyara, on the other hand, stayed in a silence so pointed it felt almost provocative — as if withholding an answer spoke louder than words ever could. And Althea, as always, confined herself to flashing that mischievous grin of hers and letting out her trademark: “Fufufu, who knows?” as though savoring my discomfort.
When all was said and done, I still couldn’t understand why my little sisters kept showing up one after another, as if drawn to me by some hidden reason they refused to reveal. Just to see me? No... not even I’m naïve enough to believe that.
There’s something behind this string of encounters, something concealed beneath their enigmatic expressions. And without a doubt, something is happening.
Yeah... while I was still lost in my own thoughts, waiting impatiently for Eryanis’s words, she caught me off guard. When she finally opened her mouth, what came out wasn’t what I expected at all. Her voice carried a faint hesitation, as if she had been caught off guard by her own feelings.
“Wait...” The single word echoed in the air — short, but heavy, leaving me confused and on edge for what would come next.
When Eryanis said that, letting silence stretch between us, I turned my eyes back to her. Her gaze had shifted; before, it had carried an air of pride, almost aristocratic, as if every word she might utter came from atop some invisible pedestal.
Now, though, there was a fragile uncertainty in her expression, a mix of anxiety and unease. Her voice trembled slightly as she broke the silence: “Zentharys... your words... do you mean you... you don’t remember me? Who I am?”
... Well, that definitely wasn’t how I had pictured things going. I mean, just looking at her, the expression on her face made it clear that my lack of memory struck her like an unexpected blow, a shock she could barely hide.
In the end, I stayed silent. What was I supposed to say in a situation like that? Was there even an answer I could give? No matter how I looked at it, any words would just sound like an excuse.
But in the end, my silence only seemed to confirm Eryanis’s suspicions. Her eyes wavered faintly, reflecting both hurt and disbelief, while her trembling voice shattered the heavy air between us: “You... you promised me. You said that when we met again...”
She didn’t finish her sentence — as though carrying it further had lost all meaning. The silence that followed felt suffocating. Then, suddenly, when she lifted her gaze once more, it was as if all the turmoil of emotions she had just displayed had been nothing but a lie, an illusionary reflection. Her face now looked cold, distant, as if nothing had happened.
“Hmph, anyway...” Eryanis paused for a moment, lifting her chin with arrogance as her eyes gleamed, carefully choosing her next words. A faint, smug smile tugged at her lips before she went on: “Either way, there’s more than one way to prove which of us truly deserves the title of elder sister”
As she said this, her cheeks puffed out ever so slightly, and she glared at me with such intensity it felt like she wanted to bore straight through me. And yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out what any of this had to do with being the elder sister. Had I missed some crucial point in the conversation? Seriously... what the hell was even going on here?
In the end, while I was still caught up in my thoughts, Eryanis stepped forward. I blinked, trying to refocus, and saw her moving toward me with her usual solemn composure.
For an instant, I imagined she would stop right in front of the glass separating us, frozen like an unbreakable barrier. Yet, contrary to all logic, her steps didn’t stop. The glass quivered slightly, then rippled like the surface of a lake disturbed by a stone.
And then, right before my stunned eyes, a vortex opened — swirling like a living spiral until it shaped itself into an ethereal passage. Without the slightest hesitation, Eryanis stepped through that impossible rift, drawing closer to me as though reality itself had bent to her will.
Even as my mind spun, trying to process what had just happened, Eryanis advanced slowly toward me. Her stride was steady, each step radiating authority, as if the very air bowed under her presence.
When she finally stood before me, she lifted her chin proudly and spoke with a commanding voice that left no room for argument: “Since you haven’t recovered all your powers yet, Zentharys, I’ll limit mine to the level of yours. That way, our contest will be truly fair”