Chapter 11: Talent and Worries

This was just the beginning, and the world wasn't ready for what was coming.

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Inside the car, the silence stretched, thick and suffocating.

Scarlett, her face covered with lines deeper than worry could carve alone, finally turned to her twins.

"Can you..." her voice trembled slightly, "Can you see it?"

Asher, who had been staring intently out the window, met his mother's gaze. He saw the worry of a mother for their childrens, the fear for their futures, the questions she couldn't quite voice out.

"...Yes," He whispered.

"Mm…" Followed by a nod from Aurora who doesn't want to speak for the time being.

"Can you tell Mama... how many stats you have?" Taking a deep breath, Scarlett pressed on, her voice laced with concern.

"..." Asher went silent.

Aurora suddenly felt a bad promotion.

"Gulp…" She swallowed hard, speaking felt like a betrayal, a reveal that may create a wall between him and her. Which she couldn't ever able to breach.

Aurora remained silent, her knuckles white where they gripped the seat, taking a deep breath.

She stole one last glance at Asher, desperate to understand the turmoil in his eyes.

But his expression remained the same, shocked, dazed, and expressionless.

Having finally made up her mind, with a determination oozing out from her, Aurora spoke.

"It's 4, Mom," Her voice trembled slightly in fear, a tremor that spoke of a fear far deeper than her own anxieties.

Fear for the potential rejection in Asher's eyes. If he wasn't… if he wasn't like her… If Asher wasn't as talented as she was.

She'd to protect him. Stats, legacies – they meant nothing compared to her Asher, her twin, her other half.

"Oh, my~" Scarlett's gasp echoed through the car, a mix of surprise and relief. Her hand, usually steady and strong, trembled slightly as she reached out to touch Aurora's cheek.

"My baby girl is as talented as you, Elysia," she murmured, a faint, fragile smile gracing her lips.

Elysia gave a slight smile and a smirk at Asher.

But the joy never quite reached Scarlett's eyes. They remained fixed on Asher.

And Asher remained silent, his gaze a distant point on the blurring landscape outside. He seemed miles away, lost in a storm of his own thoughts.

The silence returned, heavier this time. Scarlett's smile faded, replaced by a deep concern.

"Asher, sweetie," she said softly, her voice laced with a concern that bordered on desperation, "You don't have to worry," her hand reaching out to touch his cheek.

"If you don't want to share… if it's uncomfortable… Mama won't mind. You don't have to tell us." As if mirroring his mother's gesture, Aurora tightened her grip on Asher's hand, her own heart pounding a frantic beating.

But Asher's response, when it came, wasn't the one they expected. It wasn't the choked denial, the bitter anger, or the hollow acceptance they'd braced themselves for.

"Uncomfortable?" he murmured, a strange expression across his face. What the fuck they are cooking? Shaking his head.

"No... I was just checking my stats," he answered, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"It's… mine also 4!" Asher stared at the black screen.

"Yayyy!" Aurora's face, clouded with worry moments ago, blossomed into a radiant smile that could light up the entire car.

A wave of relief washed over Aurora, flooding her entire being. This wasn't a curse, not a failure. Her brother, her twin, shared the same potential, and the same chance at greatness as she does.

You couldn't imagine how happy she was feeling right now.

She threw her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Oh, Ash! I'm so happy!" she cried, her voice muffled by his shirt. "I was so scared... so scared you wouldn't…"

"Haaa~" Scarlett sighed, a soft sound that spoke volumes. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips, contrasting with the relief that softened her gaze. 'Today certainly wasn't for the faint of heart, was it?'

More than relief, though, there was a quiet pride that bloomed in her chest. Both of her children, brimming with potential, just like their brilliant older sister.

This was a very rare occasion for her.

She wasn't showing, nor did the twin know. Having three children with such a talent was nigh impossible.

But it happened, touched by such a gift. To her family, her twins, and her heart.

The tension slowly drained from her body.

Today had been a day of immense stress, the weight of expectation and uncertainty of Asher's unknown Anima.

But now seeing her children's success had washed away the anxiety, replaced by a deep sense of pride and love.

"Ash, your nails..." Aurora's voice was laced with a hint of surprise.

She pointed at his hands, her eyes wide with wonder. Asher's previously bright pink nails had been replaced by a cool, inky blackness.

Scarlett, too, had noticed the change.

Mutations during Anima's awakening weren't unheard of, and given the nature of his Anima being Gloves, it could be explained.

"Yeah, it's because… of my Anima," Asher confirmed, with amusement in his voice.

"They looked pretty, I also want a similar one hehe~," Aurora giggled, a light, carefree sound. She changed from gloomy to back to her cheerful personality.

But Artifex-type Anima mutation is exceptionally rare; Scarlett didn't point it out, maybe as Aurora so innocently suggested, it was just an accessory mutation.

From then, the atmosphere in the car changed.

And so, finally, they returned home.