the polar opposite

As per the contract, Omi got to keep 10% of the sales. I waved goodbye and called up Devina.

"Can you come pick me up?"

Devina came and teleported me back to her house. I gave her the money and asked what we were supposed to do with the money.

"How about, we get some food first?"

I gladly accepted her offer and we went to the most luxurious restaurants in Nautilus. Exquisitely tall and large, animal statues were built next to the hero Hectima. Statues of the hero were erected throughout the city. Water fountains, metal sculptures, and texts about the hero were scattered across the city of the sea. The people of Nautilus profoundly glorified and hailed Hectima as their hero.

Devina took hold of my hand and ran to a store with a sign on it. It was one of those recherché restaurants. Dark spruce flooring, soothing deep colors on the wall. Comfortable and soft chairs. I peered inside and saw no one was inside.

I heard footsteps coming from down the road. I turn my head to see Fiviana and Marlowlia. They wore frilly dark clothing and had a confused expression on their faces.

Devina ran up to them and handed Marlowlia a wallet.

"I reconstructed it, all the contents are inside."

Marlowlia gracefully took her wallet back and put it inside her little bag.

"You guys here to eat as well?"

Marlowlia looked down at Fiviana and Fiviana looked up at Marlowlia.

"Are you hungry sis?"

Marlowlia said it would be best to eat because they hadn't had lunch yet.

"But I'm not hungry," Fiviana said with a straight face.

Devina's eyes narrowed in annoyance. She summoned her blue dimension and grabbed something small. She then patted Fiviana's shoulder and walked back towards me.

"Fiviana, should we go eat?"

"Alright then."

I smacked Devina's head.

"What did you do to her?"

"A little drug that would make a her little bit hungry."

We walked into the restaurant and chose a seat in the corner. A waiter came up to us and asked us what we wanted to order. Devina ordered a cheese schnitzel with corn on the side. While I just ordered something I thought looked good.

Fiviana and Marlowlia approached us, Marlowlia sat down at the table beside us but when she saw Fiviana had sat down at our table, she awkwardly stood up from her seat and sat down at our table.

The waiter came again and asked what the sisters wanted.

Marlowlia asked for a pasta salad whilst Fiviana asked for fried rice.

We all sat there waiting for our food, Devina tried multiple times to start a conversation with Marlowlia but she got constantly swatted like a fly for every attempt. Marlowlia would respond with simple and non-continuable sentences like yes, no and I don't know. But when she saw Fiviana effortlessly start a conversation with Marlowlia, she pouted and crossed her arms.

The food came and we enjoyed our meals. When we were finished Marlowlia stood up to go to the counter to pay for her and Fiviana's meal but the waiter told her that it had already been paid. So she went back and sat back down.

I looked at Marlowlia who sat there with her arms hung loose with her eyes averted on a painting on the wall.

"Marlowlia, what are you planning to do now?"

"I'm thinking to continue studying but I don't have a set path I want to walk."

Devina proposed to her that she could become one of Devina's students and learn from her. However, she was quickly rejected because Marlowlia needed an official school to write in her curriculum vitae so she could get jobs.

"But aren't you going to take over your father's business?" I asked.

Marlowlia didn't seem to want to answer my question. Marlowlia and Fiviana were the first ones to leave because they had to go shopping. Devina and I sat for a few more minutes in the restaurant discussing the drug trade.

"Devina, do you know anything about negative cursed speech?"

"You mean the thingy Omi uses?"

"You know what it is?"

"Well, ye."

Devina explained it in the most simple and basic way, anything negative perceived by the user will turn into a positive experience for the user. For example, if the person is hungry, using negative cursed speech would forcefully revert it, and the person is forced to eat.

"How do these things even happen?"

"You could say it is an effect from Aeons, those whom Aeons choose to bless get sub-abilities that closely resemble the Aeon. They won't have the Aeon power itself but a fragment that has been modified to their soul."

"So… Omi is a fragment of an Aeon?"

"Yeppers."

"Which one?"

Devina started to explain, that those who rejoice in the world's joy, will experience suffering they have never submitted themselves to. Those emotions of yearning will be soothed by the happiness they will get at the end. To be waiting on the other end of pain and torture is an eternal paradise full of pleasure. Those who seek the thrill of ecstasy, are those who are going to suffer the most. The one who couldn't wait for the changes. All would bear witness to opposites being flipped by the Aeon of Joy, Allegrano.