Anecdote Broadcast.

~~8,435 words~~

—18 September 2023—

"BREAKING NEWS!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news from across the globe today has sent shockwaves through the scientific community and captured the imagination of people worldwide. Reports are flooding in from multiple continents, detailing astonishing sightings of creatures long thought to be extinct or confined solely to the realm of myth and legend."

The voice of the TV was loud. Or rather, the sheer silence that blanketed the dark room with the TV being the sole source of illumination was what made it sound really loud. 

"In India, locals have reported sightings of what can only be described as prehistoric behemoths—Mammoths all over the country. Mainly in New Delhi, where the concentration of these animals seemed to be highest. Not much is known about where these prehistoric creatures have come from, however, all of them seemed to be converging towards New Delhi. The scale of damage is yet to be calculated, however, the death toll solely from getting into the way of the "bull charge" has exceeded 10,000. However, in some weird turn of events, when artillery was not enough, two mysterious girls seemed to have apprehended the incoming charge and have defeated the first horde. However, much to our dismay, the local government and the army have refused to give any explanation or even a hint towards the saviour of New Delhi and possibly, the whole of India."

The screen flickered and another NEWS channel appeared on the huge television. 

"Very much like India, reports have emerged from Brazil about the encounters of sabre-toothed tigers. Or at least that is what they seemed like. With the appearance of sabre-toothed tigers and the ability to bring the temperatures to a freezing point, these creatures seem to be no joke. Armies have assembled around Sau Paulo where the concentration has been the highest. Although it doesn't seem like it, however, it is speculated that someone, just like in India, has been working in tandem with the Brazilian legal force to hunt them down."

"At least someone was discreet."

A comment washes the tense atmosphere, only for it to turn even more tense. 

"Over in Nigeria, residents have been left astounded by sightings of creatures akin to ancient reptiles, possibly resembling creatures from the Mesozoic era. The locals, however, have already begun the pillaging of the carcasses that were left. The government is said to be working its hardest to recover these remnants of the pseudo calamity. But the surprises don't end there. In Australia, reports have surfaced of encounters with creatures straight out of mythological lore. Visitors of the Simson's Desert have claimed to have seen the dead carcasses of worms the size of skyscrapers, brutally mutilated and chopped up. The damage until now, as far as its concerned to mythological creatures appearing, has been the least in Australia, with no death count. " 

The reporter heaves out a deep breath. That doesn't seem like something Finn would do. But then again, I guess the loss of his guardian was heavy on him. 

"If you think that is bizarre, think twice. In Norway, an equally astounding yet horrifying sighting has taken place, with reports emerging of a colossal figure reminiscent of the Frost Giants from Norse mythology. Witnesses describe a towering, otherworldly presence shrouded in frost and mist. Video evidence has shown a young boy, probably a teen, to be fighting this Frost Giant before eventually killing it. The video evidence however is in an extremely garbled quality, making it quite hard to make much sense of. Our IT team is working to make the video comprehensible again. All electronics within the City of Bergen have gone haywire."

The static of the TV fills the air for a while before stabilising on a channel once again. 

"Reports have arrived about sightings of Quetzalcoatl, or as anime fans like to call it, "WyrmKin", in the United States of America. The revered feathered serpent-human abominations from Mesoamerican mythology. A white haired boy was said to quickly dispatch every last one of them. However, there are no remains, carcasses or video evidence of them. But the methodology behind dealing with this scenario was just like the reports we have received from other continents. Just like how in Tokyo, Japan, sightings of different variations of cat and dog-like beings from Japanese folklore, have left an indelible mark of destruction and deaths."

The reporter sharpened his gaze. And no matter which channel was tuned in every reporter has only one set of questions on their lips.. 

"What is going on with our world? What are these "Frontiers" that have magically appeared in the middle of cities, seemingly expanding the size of our world? We can see it, but we can't get near it? But most of all, who are these young kids? The ones who are our saviour but refuse to come in the light of the day. What is the logic behind this "magic" that they perform? So many unanswered questions have sparked widespread panic among both the public and governments alike. With so many unanswered questions swirling in the air, we're left grasping for explanations, struggling to make sense of this surreal turn of events. Stay tuned for more updates!"

As the news report finally concluded, a hand extended and turned the TV off. The numerous lights that were turned on right after made me squint my eyes a little. Shifting in my seat, I looked around me. 

Currently, we are back in Fjellborg Castle. The Seven Syndicates have called for an emergency meeting. 

Meetings arranged on such urgent and short notice are rare. So rare that I have not seen any records of meetings being arranged other than the Annual ones in the scriptures present in our libraries. The scriptures were something akin to board minutes of a company. It usually contains headers which is kind of a summary about every normal, annual and urgent meeting of the Seven Syndicates. 

Of course, this information is available to everyone. At least the ones in charge and the next in line. 

Shifting carefully behind me, I could feel Astrid's nervousness and her gaze seeping into me. This actually makes somewhat sense considering how this is the first time she is in the same room with all heirs for this much time. 

Ever since Astrid started living with me in Hammerfest, she has attended the Annual Meeting only once. Since last year we could not attend it due to multiple complicated reasons. And the only time she did attend before, she barely talked to Yui. 

Looking back over my shoulder, I saw her fidget restlessly as she tried to stand and act like the other attendants in the room who were standing behind the seats of their respective heirs. 

The room that we were in now served as a giant theatre for whichever family wanted to come and rest here. However, right now it was arranged in a way that the comfy seats were placed all around the round table. 

Only the heirs were seated inside with the respective caretakers or guardians right beside them. Except Finn. His guardian was apparently killed by one of the giant centipede monsters that suddenly emerged in the desert. Guardians were usually selected from families that generated an Arcanum user every once in a decade. 

Michael as well did not have a guardian behind him. But the absence of his guardian was a totally different reason. 

Glancing back, I saw Astrid who was twaddling with her thumbs, her locks spilling over both of her shoulders. I should've left her behind, seeing how uncomfortable she is. And she stood out like a sore thumb as well, given my relationship with her was much lighthearted and more akin to friends than enslaving her as a guardian and prompting her to lay her life down for me. 

Putting that aside, the room was pretty large and the sun had come out at this time. It was quite surprising that it was not raining today. 

A bright warm day, natural sunlight and no one talking to me. What a pleasant time to be alive in—

"I'd say you had a pretty hard time in there, didn't ya, Arty boy?"

Noooooo- My tranquillity~

Glancing over to the side, I saw Michael placed his hand on the upper side of his backrest, his piercing golden eyes looking at me with a predatory intensity. His lips were curved into a grin and his voice had a rough edge to it. He always had this quality about his voice. Something that made one think that they'd get injured even by hearing anything from him. 

On the contrary, I, on the other hand, have quite a different opinion. While people never seem to appreciate it, talking to him is like a fresh brisk wind. A good change in pace. At least when I am not in Hammerfest. Since no one knows about this "Arcanum" there. Hence not getting revered as a Godly specimen and instead being talked to in a casual way is a fresh breath. 

Might sound strange, but to each their own, I guess. 

"He was a strong opponent, I'd say." I replied, my shoulders automatically shrugging upwards in a barely perceptible manner. 

"Strong? That Frost Giant was not even mature."

"I suppose that makes me the weak one." I tried to steer the conversation to a conclusion. While I did appreciate Michael being himself, his penchant for chaos was something that should not be played around for a long time. 

I was not looking at him, but even from across the room, I could feel his mood take a complete 180. "How typical." He scoffed and I felt his arms cross. "Always looking down on people around you." He raised his voice barely, the intensity in his gaze only increasing with every passing moment. I felt Astrid take a nervous step towards me, Michael's open hostility taking a tangible toll on her. 

Looking up, I matched his gaze and held it for a strong minute before responding. "I am not looking down on you." I responded. "Looking down on you would be deluding myself." I stated as a matter-of-factly. However, I could see his intentions clearly painted over his face. He really loved causing some kind of discord, all the time. 

However, silly little games that could result in a little scuffle was not something I hated. They were tolerable. Hence I gave him an answer that could be easily moulded in its own way. 

"Oh, me?" As if picking up on what I had said, he spoke up. "What about others, eh? Not worthy of your attention?"

Slipping back into my seat, I let the soft embrace of the cushion hug me from behind. "I don't see anyone in this room as a threat. Of course, except you." I replied. "But that's inconsequential." It was my turn to have a little ride with words. "It might just be me being really humble."

 The look in his eyes was like the one that his brain had suffered a heavy blow. 

Woah, is he grinding his teeth?

A smirk formed on his face, his fingers tightening around the armrest of his seat. 

"Should I feel flattered?" He mused. 

It seemed like my statement earlier had caused everyone to be on edge. The caretakers behind each heir were looking down at me with intense gazes. Beneath their skins, I could feel the Arcanum swelling outwards, ready to combust.

Such simple minded beings. 

"Perhaps?" Replying in a rhetoric, I cocked my head to the side. "Might as well consider feeling rightfully offended." 

The air tensed and cracked and a pop resonated to the right side of my ear. Before it could fully manifest and then explode, Maria extended her hand in my direction and the small congregation of energy was instantly sucked away, diverging towards her open palm. It took a tangible, spherical shape before seeping into her skin and totally disappearing from sight. 

"Michael. You'd be better off not trying anything here." She spoke, her golden hair—that was extremely curly towards the bottom—jumping upwards as she rose up from her seat. The grey irises were almost alight with frustration.

"Let them go at it!"

"Yep, yep, totally agreed!"

Maria's gaze snapped towards the source of the voice. Letting out an elongated sigh, she slipped back into her seat, seemingly fed up. The sunlight that spilled into the room illuminated her tanned, unblemished flesh, giving her an ethereal look. Her guard—an old clean shaven man—was standing to the side. 

The other guards also seemed to be on edge, nervously exchanging glances. 

The guards were people assigned to most of us as kids. However, as of now, I don't think any of the guards has the capability to go against their own masters. It's not because of special training. It's just that Adam's Arcane Arts are basically a cheat code. 

Despite it being a double edged sword. 

"We are supposed to be the voice of reason here, Zara. Trisha." 

Zara and Trisha were twin sisters from India. And while the theme of the Seven Syndicates was to have a family represent each continent, Antarctica is not exactly habitable. Researchers and scientists are often going in between but for permanent residency, it is not a very good place to live in. 

That is also a reason why the Antarctic Treaty was signed. Norway as well is a part of this treaty. Since it is quite vast and mysterious, the Syndicates are often sending teams to uncover any kind of tomes or artefacts deep beneath the layers of ice hidden by the following generations of Adam and Eve. 

And while Zara and Trisha were technically a part of Asia, a family which had inherited Adam's Arcane Art was too hard to ignore. It would've created a power imbalance, if not for the South Asians' argument of them not being a part of Asia. A bit incomprehensible, but geopolitics is a long topic. 

Something I am not willing to expend any brain power on. 

Since both Zara and Trisha were twins, they looked alike. The only way one could tell them apart was their hair colour with Zara having jet black tresses while Trisha had a coffee brown shade to her filaments. Both had hazel eyes and were quite short standing at around 155 and 156 cm respectively. 

Although height is something that is irrelevant since it varies based on diet and environment. What is the average height for women in my country is the average height for men in others. 

"Nothing wrong with a little horseplay." Zara argued back, looking bored out of her mind, her eyes glazed over with disinterest now that the potential scuffle was immediately snuffed out, evident from how Michael just folded his arms and let out a muffled 'tch'.

Surprisingly docile. 

With a contemptuous disregard for any norm, Zara slouched forward, resting her arms on the table, and buried her head into them, letting out an exaggerated yawn. The display of apathy was jarring in our current milieu, but I can't blame her. 

Sitting in the same room with people you are not very fond of can be taxing. Especially in the current moment as an awkward silence descended on the whole room. I could feel Astrid's deep breaths brushing against my hair, making me feel a little remorseful for bringing her here. 

However, since mostly I have not told her anything, her presence here would answer her own questions, saving me from the trouble of explaining everything from the start. She was smart enough to piece information even from the little bits of casual chat between us. 

Sitting calmly until now, Dotun was the one who talked this time, finally breaking the reign of silence.

"Putting this childish banter aside, I think we should get to the pressing matters at hand." He spoke. His eyes were squinted due to the sunlight falling directly on his face as his pale flesh had turned to a pinkish tint of red. His hair was pale white in colour, kept in a neat buzz cut. He was quite tall as well, standing at around 188 cm. 

Although the squinting of his eyes can be attributed towards the fact that he had albinism and was most likely suffering from photophobia which is an increased sensitivity to light, causing discomfort or pain in brightly lit environments. 

Putting his condition aside…my peace was disrupted…once again! 

All he had to do was to stay silent for an hour or so and then we'd be allowed to go back to our rooms or even back home. But this guy had this crushing urge to voice his pointless existence!

"Agreed." Maria hummed. "The quicker we discuss matters here, the quicker we can leave this meeting. I am sure not all of you are fond of being here in the same confined space." 

She has a point. But I am not sure if the sunlight outside will stay for any longer. Given how the intensity of the sunrays intruding through the windows has dimmed subtly, it is quite possible that by the time we are done here, the sun would no longer be up. 

"Don't zone out-" Astrid's whisper caressed my ears, making a jolt down my spine. 

"Oh, hmm- Yeah." Blinking away any thoughts about finally wearing some light clothes and sitting in the sun, I focused back on the room. 

"I don't really have a problem." Michael shrugged. "This guy still pisses me off."

The urge to mess around a bit more bubbled up inside me.

"Harbouring such strong emotions for me. I am flattered."

"Fuc-"

"Ok, enough." Maria slammed her hands on the table, making Zara who was still laying down snicker while Trisha patted her tresses silently beside her, carrying an equally amused smile on her face. For some reason Finn was the quietest until now. 

Although on second thought, it makes sense since his guardian was killed right in front of him. Sitting with his hands resting on his thighs and his eyes downcast, he stayed extremely silent, sitting between Michael and Dotun. 

Maria let out a frustrated groan before looking at me. The side of her eyes creased as she tried to say something just by looking. The gaze flicked from me to Astrid, before landing back at me. Letting out a sigh, I raised my hands up in a placating manner, surrendering myself. 

I don't really like to anger her. 

"Well, the main agenda for today's discussion is the appearance of these Frontiers all over the world." Dotun continued, standing up. 

"I am still a little confused as to what these Frontiers are. Since they didn't appear in Japan, or at least in Tokyo. Since we left for this place as soon as I dealt with animal people, I am not exactly aware of it." The one to talk this time was a cute, petite little girl, Yuki. Her black hair was tied upwards in a tight ponytail. As she saw everyone glance in her direction, she nervously chuckled. "Ahah— did I say something stupid?"

"Not at all." Dotun replied, waving his hand. "You not having knowledge about it is natural. After all those of us who are informed about it and have inspected it don't have much intel about it anyways." He reassured, making Yuki heave out a deep breath and place her hand on her chest. 

"What good did it do when you inspected it yourself?" Trisha joined in the conversation with a serious face, her previous cheerfulness gone. Zara was sitting straight as well, although much in contrast to her twin, she had a sly grin over her face. 

That can't be good. 

Not picking up on her provocation, Dotun totally ignored her comment but still looked at her and replied to her question, showing maturity.

Good thing not everyone is looking for a fight. 

"Well, first I did try to cross-reference this phenomenon with everything we have on deck." Dotun started his explanation as he extended his hand outwards, small—barely visible—nanites—nano-machines—sprouting out from it and forming a holographic screen in the air. 

The Olaniyans Arcane Arts. 

Their Arcane Arts was quite bizarre. There are next to almost no records about their techniques. And the scant information we do have on them, it totally contradicts with the techniques we have seen Dotun or his father Kwame use. Nanites did not exist in Adam's time. 

One theory could be that their Arcane Arts evolved over time, or they managed to understand its true essence, much like how the Whites understood that there was more to their techniques other than to self-destruct. That small understanding made them the most powerful family among us. 

And without a sliver of doubt, amongst us—the heirs—Michael was the strongest. 

As the holographic screen flickered to life, Dotun closed one eye and images started to appear on the screen. Scripts, scrolls and tomes. 

"I have researched these in the past 2 days. However, nothing has matched the current phenomenon. I have discussed it with Albert as well, but he is just as confused as we are." 

Of course they won't find about it in old scriptures. Our world was never split into parts before. So everything that entails to that would be a new occurrence. Maybe I was making some kind of face that Maria turned her head towards me, tilted her head and raised her brows as if asking what was up. 

I shook my head once and she shot me a frown, holding my sight for a while before suddenly turning away. I can tell this much that she was not angry or anything like that. I still wonder why she did that though. Ah well, anyways. 

"However the deemed Frontiers seem to be an addition to the current landmass instead of just simple 'replacement' as many are putting it." He said, and the image shifted to one of the Frontiers that had appeared in Helsinki, Osaka, Seoul and Colorado. "I was thinking over it, but it doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't make sense? And what do you mean an addition to landmass?" Yuki asked, tilting her head quizzically.

"Well, the landmass of countries is fixed, for the most part, yes?"

"Mhmm." 

 "Since we were not getting anywhere, I decided to do something I was a bit sceptical of before." He paused and different measurements sprouted up in the air with detailed information. "This is the first example. Osaka, Japan." As he said it, Yuki left her comfortable position and sat straight in her seat. None of us knew her very well since the heirs are rarely replaced and she got into that spot just recently, but seeing how Maria comforted her every now and then, it would be quite natural to assume that she knew her long before she even became the heir. 

In extension, the Mirandas and Watanabes are in cahoots for a long time. 

"Although it doesn't have its own distinct landmass and is located within the broader Kansai region on the island of Honshu, the city itself spans an area of approximately 225 square kilometres." 

"Kilometres?" Michael groaned, raising a brow. 

Zara let out a snicker as Maria facepalmed, hiding her face in both of her hands. I could even feel Astrid stifle a laugh right behind me, her features finally unfreezing from the tense expression she had worn as a mask since the start. 

"87 square miles, dearest friend." Dotun replied, turning to him with a neutral look before rolling his eyes and turning back to Yuki. Michael shrugged his shoulders, totally disregarding the ridicule he had just received.

I suppose he doesn't even consider others enough to think much of their actions or words. 

Although that might not be the case. Since that would contradict his behaviour towards me. 

"But what has the span of the city got anything to do with our current situation?"

"I was getting to that point." Dotun replied. I was surprised his patience had lasted this long after constant interruptions. "After re-measuring Osaka, it has increased from 225 square kilometres-" he paused and glanced at Michael, "-87 square miles to 300 square metres or 115 square miles."

This was quite strange. 

"What about the total span of earth?" I asked this time, gaining a few quick glances, however, they were redirected back at Dotun, searching for an answer. 

A smile graced his ever serious face, the earring in his left ear reflecting a ray of sunlight as he turned towards me. "I was expecting you to ask that question."

Could've just answered it yourself. 

As I stayed quiet in response, he cleared his throat before answering my question. 

"Well, we did take that factor into account." He explained, "Surprisingly, yet at the same time, as expected, the Earth's span has also increased." 

Everyone just stared blankly at him. 

It was not outlandish news. The seal separating the two worlds was powered by the faith earliest humans had in those 4 gods. And as we already know, as people's faith in our patron Gods reduces, the seal over the worlds that were once one and were stripped away from each other would become loose, leading to them merging back. 

But it seems like there is still a lot of divinity in that seal. That should explain why there are only selected places from Eden appearing here. Or rather where they used to be. It's still quite baffling though…

Why would the Gods strip lands that are in between the Eden? Just like the one in Helsinki, where a Frontier has appeared in the middle of the city… 

This just doesn't explain things going back to the way they were. Something is definitely up. Something we don't really understand. 

"Is something the matter, Arthur?" Maria asked expectedly, sitting on the side of the table, just beside me. 

"Ah, no- I was just lost in thought."

"A little insight into those thoughts would be helpful." Dotun raised his brow, smiling from ear-to-ear.

This rat…

"Placement." I replied, regardless of my reluctance to partake in the conversation.

"Ah yes!" His squint eyes gleamed with excitement before realising the current setting and reverted back. "Placement is what feels weird."

"Quit playing with words, ya bastards. Explain in clear—oh shit, it makes sense." Michael suddenly came to a realisation. "If the worlds really were divided into two back then, why is that one frontier right in the middle of Helsinki?!"

About time he realised it as well. The room seemed to erupt as everyone started to argue about it. 

As they were talking, I turned my neck back, facing Astrid. She simply raised a brow at me. 

"What do you think about it?"

Her eyes widened, and then looked around before frowning. "Are you seriously asking me?"

"Is there anything wrong with asking you?" 

She looked around nervously before settling her sky-like eyes on me. "No- I mean, I was just made aware that everything I saw in anime was not wrong. Honestly, I am having a mid-life crisis right now."

"You're 15, Astrid."

"16."

"Not yet."

"Ughh-" She grumbled. As I kept looking at her, she let out a resigned sigh. "–I don't knowwwww… maybe like some areas having denser Arcanum amount-"

As she was about to finish her sentence, Dotun slammed his fist on the table. 

"That's right! Of course! Why didn't I think of it before?" He spoke with the excitement of a mad scientist. The small congregation of nanites extended from his arms and latched itself on the table before the small floating screens that carried pictures—most likely being projected from his memories—changed into a huge floating blue screen. 

Clicking on some random things a few times—which were not exactly random. It was just that I was too dumb to understand what this crazy life form was doing—two globes appeared on the screen. 

"Voila. This is it." He spoke, placing one hand on his waist while he gave Astrid a thumbs up with the other. "You're a genius, uhhh—"

"Ehm, Astrid." 

"Yes. You're a genius, Astrid!" 

I have not seen this peculiar creature get this excited ever before. It's uncanny. It almost makes my bones go cold. Also why does he need to know her name again? Didn't he meet her two years ago? Well I guess nothing catches his eye other than smart people who can be of help to his many researches. 

"Thank yo– Wait, what did I do again?" 

"Oh please, don't be modest. You solved our dilemma in a second. No wonder this fu- Arthur won't replace you with a practical guard. It all makes sense!"

"H-Huh!?" She looked at me desperately, stumbling over her words. The look in her eyes was pleading for something. 

There seems to be a very steep misunderstanding. Not that I am going to clear it. If anything–

"You're right. She has a knack for such things."

"That's what I am saying!"

—I am going to fan this misunderstanding. 

Why?

Well, I don't know. I am just bored and I don't think my life is going to get exciting any time soon. Unless I make it spicy myself. Which my lazy self would never. 

"I see." Maria hummed to herself. 

I have no idea what she suddenly "sees" but I will pretend I never heard her say that to herself. She'd most likely cringe over it if I told her that.

"That does seem like a plausible theory. And I can't really find an argument to it." Yuki agreed as well. 

"No objections here as well." Zara raised her hand. 

"Well I have no argument saying it's wrong. However, I have a question. If the two worlds were once the same and they're integrating back, how come they're replacing landmass? Shouldn't they just magically integrate with each other? Something is fishy, the more you think more about it." Trisha added her own thoughts. "What do you think, Finn?" She turned her head towards the usually cheerful boy who had been quiet since the beginning. 

Looking up with droopy eyes that had red streaks into it, he shrugged before looking back down. "I am blank. Cant think."

"Sorry…" Trisha's voice trailed off, apologising. 

"Dumb girl. Can't ya see he's mourning." Michael raised his voice, his sudden utterance making Trisha flinch for a flying second before a frown formed on her face. 

"Oh yeah? And letting him sulk and blame himself as he falls deeper and deeper into guilt is a better idea, right, Mr. Know-it-all?"

"Oh shut up with the theatrics." Michael waved her off like swatting away a bug. "Talking to you suffocates my breath. Begone with your ugly thoughts and looks. And opinions."

"Michael. You might want to choose your words carefully when you talk to my sister." Zara suddenly stood up from her seat. 

"Woah, shit really is going down!" With a hushed, yet somewhat… excited? Whisper, Astrid spoke. 

This girl… 

"Or what, huh? Two twigs don't make a stronger twig. I'll fucking snap you in half before you know it. Pipe down."

Dotun and Finn looked at the two sisters with a worry-filled gaze and then at Michael. However, they didn't talk to stop it. The guards were on edge as well, thinking a scuffle is bound to happen. 

Well, I guess this is good for a change of pace as well. It's been a long time since I have seen Michael… or well, anyone fight. All I need right now is a cup of coffee and I will be living my drea—- NOOO. The sun is gone. 

I hope these three kill each other as compensation for making me miss my lovely sunlight.

Damn it!

"Michael!" Zara stood up, her chair skidding against the carpet and then falling backwards. 

Her guard behind her tensed up. 

Maria cast one look back at me. 

Don't look at me like that. I am not going to stop them. 

Shrugging with my shoulders, I closed my eyes and looked the other way. Let's pretend I never saw her asking me to stop the fight. 

"Zara." Trisha called out from behind her sister. "No fighting, remember?"

"I am sorry from his side. Please calm down." Finn added, standing between the two. 

Michael was still confidently sitting in his chair, his legs wide open while smiling, as if mocking her in every imaginable way. "Say whatever you want, I am sorry to absolutely nobody. Y'all can go fuck yourselves."

Looking away, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, her chest rising upwards as she did. "Stupid grease gobbler." 

"Heh. Children these days." He shook his head, like a disappointed parent. 

Zara didn't react to it. I think the joke flew above her head but from what I can see, he was clearly mocking her chest that was no different than a wall. It was quite obvious since the person saying this was Michael. 

I mean, putting bias aside, she really was flat enough that placing your head over her chest might result in a crack or two to your cranium. 

Totally opposite to her own twin sister. Nevermind those things. 

"Can we please stop fighting for just a few minutes? We were just getting to the important part!" Maria raised her voice. 

"Oh shut up granny—" 

Michael was about to talk but the little nanites extended from Dotun's hand and latched on to his lips, zipping them close. 

"Sorry my dear friend, but we are in the middle of a breakthrough. Please, shut up. For the sake of everything that's holy to you." Dotun seemed frustrated. 

Makes sense. Mad scientists like him are quite sensitive during breakthroughs. 

Michael effortlessly ripped the machine apart and then threw it to the ground as the nanites gave out a dying buzz before shutting down. 

"Whatever. Wrap it up."

"I— We would. If you were to stay silent."

"Yeah, yeah, Dexter. I got it."

Why do I think I've heard that name before? 

Oh well. Nevermind. I don't have a good memory anyways. Thinking too much over it might burn me out. 

Dotun turned around and faced Astrid once again, flashing his teeth in a wide glee. "Oh, so where were we?" Scratching his head once, he looked back at the hovering screen. "Ah, yes! Arcanum amount fluctuations. What do you think about it?"

I looked back at her. Underneath the few freckles was a rosy tint of red lining her porcelain skin, embarrassed out of her mind as her gaze darted from Dotun to me and then back at him. She scowled at me, motioning with her irises to help her out of this situation. 

"He asked you something, Astrid. You were talking about something."

"I can't believe you've been oppressing such a smart and beautiful girl." Dotun said dramatically. "Give her the permission to talk."

"Uhhh–" Whoopsie. Looks like he got the wrong idea from my teasing. "—I…" 

I was about to talk when Astrid spoke up for the first time. 

"Arthur is not like that." Compared to the previous meek and embarrassed voice, her words came out confident backed with a sharp gaze. 

Makes me shed a tear hearing someone talk good about me. 

"Oh? I am sorry for assuming." He backed away, however, despite the respect he was giving Astrid—which was mostly because of a misunderstanding—his patience was also reaching its breaking point. "Would you mind expanding on what you said earlier?" He asked, his brow twitching. "If you do, we can adjourn this meeting for today." He continued, taking a step towards us. 

Pulling the extra tucked away chairs, he placed it beside me and directed his arm towards it. "Have a seat." He said as he walked away to his original spot. 

Astrid walked in front of me and then sat on the chair that was placed just between me and Maria. Tucking her skirt gracefully, she sat down and jerked her head backwards once, making the single ponytail on her left side sway a few times, whereas the rest of her hair was resting on her other shoulder.

"Time to bullshit my way out of this." She whispered to herself. 

"Pardon?" Dotun snapped in her direction, almost like she was a fountain of knowledge and not a single word that left her lips was to be left unrecorded. 

"Eh—-- I- I didn't mean that. Actually— I did…" Stammering on her words, she continued to awkwardly fidget with her thumbs. 

Oh yeah… I just remembered. She's really anti-social. 

(Oopsie number 2)

"She said she's really tired and wants it to be over soon." I replied in her stead. "Or else she'd forget whatever theory she had in mind."

"Ohhhh… well I won't take much of your time then. Just share your thoughts on whatever you said a while ago."

Astrid turned her head towards me and while everyone was looking at her. 

Well, well, well… this is a rather serious situation now that I look at it. 

They'd pounce on her if they knew she was just blabbering nonsense. 

"Eep–!"Slipping one hand behind her back, I gently patted her a few times. I could feel the sleek outline of her body, despite the thick cream-coloured sweater she was wearing on top of her white coloured shirt of which collars were poking out from the top of the sweater. 

Although she did squeal a little, no one really noted what I was doing. A spark jolted between my fingers, raising goosebumps all over my body. Transferring it seamlessly through the layers of insulant clothing, I somehow made it make contact with her body. 

It was a seed. 

A small seed of an idea. 

In the matter of a few seconds, Astrid suddenly started talking. 

"Those frontiers... since the terminology used so far in scriptures was "stripped away" rather than just being magically separated, it's possible that in the process of mending itself back, some areas are too damaged to be joined back. This perhaps might be caused by some space distortion in that region which was later filled in with the Patron Gods' divinity. So those places from Eden are finding their place inside our land, however, that is already lost while they "stripped" Earth away from Eden. So instead of mending back, it's fighting for domination."

She said it one fell swoop. Despite the sudden change in weather and it snowing heavily outside, Astrid was sweating profusely. 

There were still some confused faces who did not totally get it. 

"She means a stitch. Like a torn fabric being stitched back. It isn't seamless like before and you have to overlap one side of the fabric over the other to perform a stitch. If that makes sense to any of you. Just like how a stitched piece of flesh is tighter than before the dissection."

Disregarding my statement, Dotun turned towards Astrid. I was sure if I wasn't here, he would be bowing down to her. Crazy nerd. 

"W-Wow. Totally splendid!" He remarked, his eyes glimmering. "Thanks for enlightening us."

Where is my encouragement, huh? Are you sexist? Or do you just want an excuse to talk to a woman?

"Enlighten my ass." Michael grumbled, running his fingers haphazardly through his white locks. 

He clearly is too dense for all this. 

"Ignoring my rude friend's comment, I think this should be enough for today." He directed everyone this time. "Is that agreed?"

"Yep."

"Yep."

Zara and Trisha answered in their usual synchronised manner. 

"I suppose so…" Maria seemed sceptical, stealing glances at Astrid. 

"I am much more informed than when I initially entered this room, so I am satisfied." Yuki spoke with a smile and then walked over to Astrid. As she looked up, Yuki held both of her hands in her own. 

The difference in their hands was a lot. Astrid had much bigger hands, slim fingers and long nails. They still seemed soft, don't get me wrong, whereas, Yuki—who was around 20 centimetre or 8 inches shorter than Astrid—had small chubby hands with small but light purple painted nails. 

"If you are free after this, we can hang out." She spoke with a smile. "I am new here so it was good to get along with everyone. Especially if you are a girl and almost my age."

Astrid looked back at me. 

I guess I should give her the permiss—

"I'll go, alright?"

What the hell happened to taking permissions and being anti-social?

"Uhhh- Ok." I replied. 

Did I even need to reply? She was just telling me. 

Maybe I should lock her up from any human interaction. 

"Errr, if you are free—"

"She's tired, so no." 

I interrupted Dotun before he could ask her out to discuss. Since I am damn sure this crazy lifeform is going to pull her to the laboratory. 

He looked down at me and then left without saying a word. Finn and Michael were already waiting for him in the door frame. Michael's arm was flung around Finn's shoulder who had a sullen look on his face. Once Dotun joined them, Michael placed his arm around Dotun's neck and pulled him down since he was 3 inches taller than Michael, as he pulled them out with himself. 

The sisters joined Yuki and Astrid as they were excitedly talking to each other about doing something… oh damn. They're gossiping already. 

Gross. 

Standing up, I placed my hand on her shoulder. 

"You know your way around the place, right?"

"Eh, I don't." She replied with such confidence that I could've sworn that I heard that she does know her way around. "But I'll find you. Don't worry." 

As she smiled, I shook my head and then looked up at Yuki who was already waving bye at me. 

I don't really doubt the sisters since they're neutral but this new girl… her sister was a good person but something about her cuteness scares me. You know the feeling where something is too good to be true? 

Yeah, she gives off those vibes. 

Or maybe my lonely self has never encountered such a good person.

I felt reluctant for a while, but pushed the thought to the back of my head. Before I went away, I turned my head to her once last time.

"You remember what I said when you ran away from the mountain?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I do."

Yuki looked at me sceptically. 

"Be sure to do that when you're returning."

"Gotcha." 

There was a subtle undertone to her words. 

I didn't want to do it... but well. I think I can give her an explanation later on. It's not a reliable method, but it's better than nothing. 

As she turned back to her newly acquired "acquaintances," I stepped out of the room. 

Time to get an ice bath and a sauna right after. It can't replace the joy I would've received from going out in the sunlight, but whatever. At least this place isn't as suffocating as back home in Bergen. 

—-------------------------

I think either the old elf or the dark elf cursed me with 10 years of bad luck. 

What are the chances?

I want to have some sunlight but suddenly these unserious, selfish idiots get serious about solving world problems. 

I want to have a sauna, but those three have already beaten me to it. 

I wanted to take an ice bath in the lake nearby. Guess what, it's rock solid. 

This definitely has to be a curse. 

I did read about it in a book, but not much is known about curses.

After all, Arcane Arts are inherited using one's lineage or race. So humans can't know much about it. 

Just like how white elves can use Light Magic and dark elves have dominion over Shadow Magic. 

From my fight with the two elves, it was quite clear that they were young. Really young. Same goes for the Frost Giant. 

I am not sure about all races, but as far as I remember, Elves grow at a halted pace. However, it's not halted, it's just super slow. They grow at a human's pace—physically—until they're 7 or 8.

However, their brain development and by extension their critical thinking and emotions develop at a different pace. 

A good example would be how human kids start to perceive strong emotions in the age range of 3 to 5 years old, Elves start to feel emotions after 18 years. And from there it's an extrapolating effect in regards to everything. Same goes for frost giants. 

Ones would normally expect elves to have nature's power but that were just fairytales that got modified with time. Although they do act like monkeys. Swinging on trees and all that. 

Why am I even talking to myself about things I know already? 

Hahhhhh— I think I might be going senile. 

As I walked with slumped shoulders towards the corridors which led to my room, I heard a footstep behind me. Even her way of walking is different. 

"Maria." I spoke, more to myself than to the one tailing me. 

"It's like you've got a pair on the back of your head." The voice that reached my ears was unmistakably hers. 

"Hard to not notice when you make it so obvio–"

My words got stuck in my throat, like a wedge lodged in a narrow crevice, refusing to budge as I felt her locks frolicking near my face due to her throwing herself at me before her arms coiled like serpents around my waist. The turtlenecks we were wearing did little to mask the warmth of her body that permeated into me like the gentle rays of sun. 

Not that I can remember when was the last time I felt them. It wasn't particularly sunny when I went out with Astrid.

Ahhhh— I've lost track. I am getting old. NOOOOOO. 

"Thank goodness you're okay..." She whispered, her voice muffled as she pressed her face against my chest. I quickly shifted my weight, planting my left foot behind me and wrapping my arms around her shoulders just in time to break her—our fall.

"That was close." I murmured under my breath. 

"Mmm~" 

She said something incomprehensible, something I half didn't quite understand. She was on her tip-toes, her chest pressing against mine while she snuggled her face against the soft fabric. 

"What's with the sudden show of compassion?" I asked, raising my voice barely so only she could hear. "Also, get off me. Someone will see us."

As she looked up, the usually serious and stoic demeanour that was her trademark was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a small smile. "You worry too much." Peeling herself away, her hands traced along my back and then against my chest as she finally broke the embrace, but still stayed close. "I am just happy you are in one piece."

"It was just one juvenile frost giant. It would've been quite shameful if I was not able to deflect even that much trouble." I spoke as a matter-of-factly. 

She shifted, her hands drawing a small circle on my chest before looking upwards. Although having the same eye colour, hers was much more mesmerising. So full of life. Almost glittering with emotions. It made me want to gouge them out. Place it in a fixative solution as a decoration. By my bedside. 

"Still—" She stayed persistent. I don't remember when it all started. But she had always shown these odd shows of compassion for me. She warned me about something more bizarre happening in the area where I was while compared to other parts of the world. And not just this, the instances are too much to count. "—you were strong." 

"I suppose so." Taking a small step back, I saw her gasp at the realisation that she had been sticking close to me for too long. She took a step back as well, creating a comfortable distance between us. 

"Ehm–" She coughed, looking at the floor as she played with the curly end of her blonde hair, wrapping it around her index finger. 

"Is something the matter?" I asked, turning around, ready to leave. 

"No-" She replied almost instantly, and then sealed her lips and looked at the roof, as if pondering over something. "-actually, yes. But since you look so bored, I think I won't tell you."

Oh damn. Anyways. 

"As you wish. Take care, Maria." Bidding her farewell by waving my hand once, I turned around completely. 

"H-hey!" She called out after me. 

"What?"

I wish I just ran away at that moment… 

"Take a joke, geez." She sighed, facepalming. 

"You know I am not very good with jokes." I defended myself. 

Maria and I had a peculiar relationship. I was close to her, yes. But not in a way that most people around us assumed us to be. It was not that I liked her and she liked me back. That would be weird if she liked someone like me.

As for me, I was close to her because she was not as unbearable as the others. Minus maybe Yui, but she is no longer a part of the little group the heirs have. 

Even before I became an heir, my father would often bring me alongside him at these meetings. And Maria was the first one to open up to me. I wonder if she still feels obligated to hang around me because she thinks that I am a loner. 

….which I am. I have no friends. Astrid perhaps? Hmmm- But she's different. 

But does that make me pathetic on top of being a loner? Do these come in a jumbo pack?

By all means, no. 

Maybe... 

No. Definitely not. 

"Arthurrr?" 

"Oh, sorry. You were saying?" I saw her sigh once again. "You're going to turn into an old lady if you continue to sigh so much."

"Can you blame me though?" She snapped. 

"Of course. Sighing is a controllable action." 

"No, it's not."

"Just don't sigh. Simple."

She looked at me as if I had lost my mind. 

Sigh "Whatever. Are you free?"

"Not for long-"

"Are. You. Free?"

"For the moment, yes."

I have a bad feeling about this.

"Mind accompanying me somewhere?" 

Taking out my phone, I looked at the time on it. There was still time before the tea. I guess it won't harm me listening to her out. 

"Can you at least tell me where we are going?"

She leaned forward, making the fabric around her chest bounce in my direction. 

Ehmmmmm—

"You'll find out." She spoke with a flushed face before turning around.