Titania

10 Years Ago

Titania was a spirited little girl in the fourth grade, full of curiosity and energy. But her strength and resilience often attracted (for better or worse) the attention of others, especially three boys in her class who couldn't fathom a girl being stronger than them. They would tease and taunt her relentlessly, making her school days miserable.

One sunny afternoon, during recess, the bullying escalated. The three boys surrounded her, their words harsh and cruel. They mocked her for being different, for being stronger than the rest. Despite her attempts to ignore them, their words pierced her fragile young heart, bringing tears to her eyes.

As the torment continued, one of the boys grew bolder and shoved her to the ground. As she fell onto the rough asphalt, her knees scraped against the rough surface. Pain shot through her, but anger burned hotter within.

 Just as her anger threatened to consume her, a familiar voice pierced through her raging mind. It was her younger brother, Linus, rushing to her defense. With a fiery determination in his eyes, he stood between her and the bullies, ready to protect his sister.

 "HAHA! What do you intend to do shrimp?" One of them asks stepping forward and looking down at him. "Huh? What's so funny?" He asks as Linus looks up at him and smirks mockingly. "Tch. I'll tea... BLEEGH."

Just as the boy went to throw a punch Linus's right fist cleanly hit him in the center of his stomach causing the acid in it to react to the excessive pressure and forcing him to puke.

Linus leans over and as he clutches his stomach in pain. "I'll make sure you never even think of hurting my sister again."

"H-huh?" The boy whimpers just barely catching the smile on Linus's face as he gets hit so hard in the side of his head that he rolls about five feet and lies motionless.

The two other boys stared at Linus, their confidence wavering. Linus, though younger and smaller in stature, possessed an unwavering strength they had never seen. He clenched his fists, faced the two, and gave them the same sadistic smile.

In that moment, in her young mind, a fierce battle unfolded before her eyes. Linus fought with a tenacity that belied his size, dodging and weaving through their attempts to strike him. With each movement, he showed agility and determination that inspired awe within her.

The second bully lunged, aiming a punch at Linus. But with lightning reflexes, Linus evaded the blow and retaliated with a swift flurry of strikes to the bully's midsection. The bully staggered backward, clutching his stomach in pain before falling to his knees and passing out.

The last bully charged, desperate to overpower Linus. But he was not one to back down. No, it wasn't that he wasn't backing down, it was that he was inciting it... However, the three boys were too young to comprehend that at the time. He mokcingly ducked and weaved, slipping between his attacks with nimble footwork. Finally he decided anymore would cause fear for his sister and with calculated precision, delivered a single blow to his temple, that echoed with satisfaction.

"Next time I'll kill you." He says and fear fills the boy right until his vision fades.

She watched, her eyes widening with a mix of awe and admiration. Her brother, her protector, stood tall against the odds. Linus fought valiantly, never yielding to fear or doubt. He stood his ground, defending his sister with every fiber of his being.

With the bullies gone, silence settled around between them. She rose to her feet, brushing off the dust and dirt, a mixture of gratitude and pride filling her heart. She hugged Linus tightly, thanking him profusely for his bravery and the strength he had shown that she wished she had.

"It was nothing at all. I was just what mom taught me." He says not a trace of malice to be seen. Not that she had seen it since his back was to her.

He then coughed and almost projectile vomited a sickly dark red blood sprayed across the ground and the left half of her upper left shoulder and chest as his legs collapsed. That's when she noticed her younger brother trembling, his muscles and veins pulsating a fiery scarlet red, his hair swaying as if it was being moved by the wind, and he was sweating profusely.

Panicked and fear-stricken she quickly began screaming for a teacher, doctor, even their mother and father, anyone who could help her seemingly dying brother. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a teacher who came rushing over to see what the ruckus was and upon seeing the small girl with a smaller boy in her arms crying her voice out till it was hoarse, almost dismissed them as playing immediately recognized the boys' symptoms and scooped him up from the girl and took off running back into the school leaving Titania alone. Linus would then go on to spend 6 months in the hospital in a vegetative state fighting off the effects. 

His body had not been able to keep up with his energy output and he ended up overheating and almost rupturing his kidneys, lungs, gallbladder, spleen, and the most vital, his heart. The school and her parents had questioned her about the incident, but feeling as though what happened was her fault, she became mute and never answered them and became a shell of herself.

It wasn't until they finally watched the school's security footage that they discovered what happened. Their parents had tried to talk to her many times, but whenever she wasn't in her room isolating herself, she was isolated away in Linus' hospital room waiting for him to wake up. That was until the day his vitals spiked out of nowhere and the artificial redirection failed to keep up.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MY SON?!" Amelia asks trying to maintain her composure.

"It seems that something caused his Starblood to reignite. Our machines had been lowered due to him having almost regained control..." He says trailing off.

"AREN'T YOU GOING HELP HIM?" She asks. This time with force.

"Ah... about that..." He swallows.

"TELL ME!" She yells. "DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TO."

"The thing is... we need to do a Starblood transfer... we currently have no one who is compatible... the only option..."

Her eyes widen as he swallows again. "The only option left is to test your family for a match."

"...And if no one does?" She asks dryly her rational mind returning somewhat.

"Then we hope he can hold out long enough until we can find a volunteer."

Her vision blurred, her throat was parched, and she felt dizzy. However, remembering her position she forced herself to calm down, albeit temporarily. "Please test us."

[Amelia Horizon: 15% compatibility.]

[Titania Horizon: 34% compatibility.]

[Theodore Horizon: 5% compatibility.]

[Adrianna Horizon: 27% compatibility.]

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid no one is compatible. We do have a potential volunteer. Once we complete a thorough background check and ensure he will pose no danger after attaining the Starblood we can proceed immediately." The doctor tells them.

"...And that will take how long?" Theodore asks.

"5 weeks. 3 if we expedite the process."

Amelia merely bit her bottom lip.

Amelia and Theodore were both sick to their stomachs as they sat and stared at the results. Titania was the most compatible, percentage-wise but neither could commit. 34 was too low and they doubted either of them had the mental capacity to lose two children at once.

The next day, however, a miracle happened.

Bzzt, Bzzt. Bzzt, Bzzt.

"Yes, this is Amelia Horizon... Really? Due to a pixel error, the 8 looked like a 3? She can take in his excess Starblood? Yes. I'll ask her. I don't want to force her."

The sterile, fluorescent-lit hospital room was filled with an eerie tension as Linus and Titania lay strapped down to separate tables. Their pale faces contrasted sharply against the crisp white sheets, and the faint hum of medical equipment filled the air.

Dr. Keller, a tall and imposing figure in a white lab coat, stood beside Titania's table, his expression grave. He hesitated for a moment, his gaze fixed on Titania's determined face.

"Titania, are you absolutely certain you want to go through with this?" Dr. Keller asked, his voice tinged with concern. "Once we begin the Starblood transfer, there's no turning back. It's a highly experimental procedure, and the risks—"

Titania's eyes blazed with unwavering determination as she stared back at the doctor. Despite the fear and uncertainty swirling within her, she nodded defiantly.

"I'm sure, Dr. Keller," she replied, her voice steady with resolve. "I'll do whatever it takes to save my brother."

Dr. Keller's expression softened momentarily before he nodded in acknowledgment. With a heavy sigh, he turned to the medical team assembled in the room, giving the signal to begin the procedure.

As the transfer commenced, a low hum filled the room, and Titania's body tensed involuntarily. A series of intricate machines whirred to life, their monitors flashing with vital signs and data.

Titania gritted her teeth against the pain, her fingers curling into fists as she braced herself for what was to come. The sensation of Starblood coursing through her veins was unlike anything she had ever experienced — a strange mixture of agony and euphoria that threatened to overwhelm her senses.

But amidst the chaos of her own torment, Titania's thoughts remained focused on Linus, lying unconscious on the adjacent table. She could feel the weight of their bond, the unbreakable connection that would bind them together, even in the darkest of moments.

As the transfer reached its peak, Titania's screams echoed through the room, reverberating off the sterile walls. Each cry was a testament to her strength and resilience, a desperate plea for salvation in the face of overwhelming adversity. She desperately wanted the pain to hurry and leave.

There were so many times when she just wanted to pass out and let the pain go away if only for a bit... However, somehow deep down she knew if she gave in and lost consciousness then not only would Linus die, so would she.

"STOP THE OPERATION! PLEASE!" Amelia began screaming and pounding on the window as her husband desperately pulled her back. He was a soldier by default so he didn't know how loud one had to be to have a scream reach where they were. But he knew one thing. His daughter was being inflicted with a pain greater than anything he could ever imagine.

He refused to look away. He had inflicted this on her. His daughter came to him pleading and threatening to harm herself if he didn't allow her to try. She promised if it was too much she would quit. So, he called the hospital, bribed a scribe, and had them call his wife.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, the procedure was over. The room fell silent, save for the steady beeping of the monitors and the sound of labored breathing.

Dr. Keller approached Titania's table, his expression a mixture of relief and concern. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, offering a reassuring smile.

"You did it, Titania," he said, his voice filled with admiration. "You've completed the transfer. Now, we just have to wait and see..."

Titania's eyes flickered, her vision failing to return as she looked over at the blurry still form of Linus's. A glimmer of hope lighting up her weary face. Though the road ahead would be fraught with uncertainty, she knew that she had done everything in her power to save her brother, just like he had did for her.

As she lay there, surrounded by the sterile walls of the hospital room, Titania found solace in the knowledge that their bond was now undoubtedly unbreakable and slowly let her body shut down.