Iris sat across from at a diner down the street from the adaptive dungeon. Shed sent a ssage that she was hungry and mom was MIA. Despite it being well past noon, she kicked both legs out in front of her in excitent as the waiter brought a stack of pancakes slathered in syrup.
It was almost nostalgic. Like the old days.
Only instead of SAT prep, I was perusing Kinsleys store page, racking my brain on how to prepare to fight a creature that might not have any discernible weaknesses. I chased an over easy egg across my plate, brow permanently furrowed, as Iris prepared to dig in. Theres only a fork in here. Give a knife?
I passed my roll of silverware over, dimly aware that my own over-easy eggs were getting cold.
Wheres Ellison? Iris asked.
Hm? I responded, trying not to lose focus. The waiter passed by again, topping off our water and leaving without saying a word.
Just, his stuff is gone from your place. And hes not with and mom. So, where is he?
Shes trying to distract . whispered.
I huffed in irritation, not at Iris, but the Title. It was always so grating when there wasnt a direct threat. Which is why I generally leaned back on
That was odd. Id intended to make the switch later, minimizing the ti Id have the title chittering in my ear. Had I just altered it subconsciously?
Unable to stop myself, I pulled up the title screen and selected
Apparently, Id changed it a little over twenty minutes ago. That was concerning. The low-threat dungeon crawling with Sae had gone wellI hadnt hesitated or frozen during the brief ti we were fighting togetherbut that didnt an I was at a hundred percent.
Matt, Iris asked. Her dirty-blonde hair was in a side-ponytail, and her nails were painted. She looked a hell of a lot better than she had a few days ago.
Ellison is working so stuff out. And we should be patient with him while he does. I glanced up from the store page suspiciously. You already ssaged him, havent you.
Just a few tis. Hes ignoring . Iris pouted.
Yeah. You know how El is. The harder you try with him, the more he pulls away.
So nothing happened? Iris asked. There was an implication in her tone that hinted she knew there was more to it.
I rubbed my eyes blearily. Nothing had shown up on the store page when I searched for divine bows or crossbows. Now, I was going through the flavor text of uncommon or rare items in my price range, looking for anything that hinted at divine association. So far, the search was unproductive. Hes a kid trying to figure out how to be an adult in a world that sohow makes less sense than it already did. He just needs ti.
I guess. Iris carved into her pancakes, making content noises as she shoveled them into her mouth. It just worries .
Why? I asked idly, ntally turning the page.
Because hes not as together as he acts. He used to cry at night.
The words imdiately broke my focus. An image of Ellison ca to mind. He was so strong, so unflappable most of the ti. The day hed been suspended, he ca ho and explained it in the sa sort of tone a person would use to comnt on the weather. For a long ti, Id just thought he was stoic.
But as it turned out, the facade wasnt perfect.
Id snuck back into the apartnt late one night a few years ago to the sound of sobbing. A sound so unfamiliar it was almost alien. When I snuck a glance around the dividing wall, I saw Ellison there, clutching his chest like his heart might explode, weeping tears that glimred on his cheeks in the darkness, folded halfway over like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
When I opened the door and closed itlouder the second ti, the crying imdiately stopped. I walked in, poured two cups of water, and sat with him in the dark to spare his dignity. Ellison gave the typical catty line about being out so late, but it was clear his heart wasnt in it.
I tried to get him to open up. That night and the days that followed. As sure as I was that there had to be sothing more to it, there didnt seem to be anything specific bothering him. Eventually, I ca to the uneasy conclusion that the nights crying alone on the couch were just his way of venting the emotion. Which wasnt great, but arguably better than keeping it bottled until it exploded.
I gave Iris my full attention. Yeah, he did have episodes. Didnt know you knew.
But you dont think its weird? Iris asked. That the crying got worse the week before the teor?
This isnt an innocent conversation. She has an angle.
My jaw worked as I considered that. Things had been worse than usual, before the system appeared. Our usual avenues for cash had dried up, which was why I was so dead-set on getting the tip-sheet from Nick. Id dismissed it as stress at the ti, refocused my resolve on working my ass off, so he didnt have to worry as much.
Only, now, looking back at the timing, it went a long way to painting Ellisons distress in a new light. Which begged another questionIf hed known what was about to happen, why didnt he tell us?
Iris was watching , waiting for an answer. When I couldnt form one, she rested her head on her hand, sipping her water. The waiter imdiately ca by and refilled her glass, ignoring mine, which was still filled to the brim.
I think I know what happened, Iriss expression turned pensive. You pushed him away. Just like you always push everyone away.
What? No. Thats wrong, Iris. I dont push family away. I bit back, raising my voice slightly before I realized it.
Sure you do. Iris twiddled her straw between her fingertips. Thats why you pawned off to that architect, rather than helping yourself.
With a small-fucking legion of rcenaries watching and reporting your every move. Youre literally safer now than you have ever been.
I wonder if thats true, Iris responded.
As I stared at her, my heart raced. This wasnt happening. I wasnt within a hairs breadth of losing both of my siblings, days away from each other. It was up there with so of the worst things I could possibly imagine.
Focus on that thought.
I tried to listen to but it was impossible to focus on anything as Iris flayed to my very core.
Its obvious. Iris said. Her eyes took on a glazed look. Soone as obsessive as you doesnt just suddenly decide to take a hands-off approach. Youre probably hoping Kinsleys people get sloppy. She stared dead in the face. Ive always been the weak link. Your stupid, overly empathetic little sister. Bleeding heart, disabled, and broken. I barely even had the courage to speak before I beca a User. We both know youve always wanted to be free of .
My mouth was dry. Ive never thought that. Ever. If you want to spend more ti with you, Ill make ti. Things will be tight for the next few weeks, but after
Always an excuse. Iris rolled her eyes. Im going to the bathroom.
As my sister stood to leave, I fought back a storm of emotions. All the while, my title whispered in my ear, slowly eroding the pain. This felt exactly like when Ellison had left. It was almost play for play, point by point. As if it were intentional.
An overwhelming sense of dj vu swept over .
Slowly, curtains of stone lowered over my tornted mind, shutting out all emotion as I withdrew sothing from my inventory and placed it on my knee beneath the table.
Her back was to as she walked towards the wons room beyond the tables.
Iris. I called after her.
My deaf sister turned to look at , showing an expression of utter disappointnt.
I pulled the trigger.
The crossbow made an audible twang and the bolt flew out from beneath the table, striking Iris directly in the chest. She wobbled on her feet, staring down at herself as blood blossod. Iris fell to her knees, helplessly clawing at the bolt.
Soone scread. Ti slowed down as Iris fell backwards, and I recounted everything that had led to this like a mantra.
It wasnt necessarily unlikely that Id invite my sister to lunch while I prepared for sothing. That was standard. But today was different. Id intended to go to the adaptive dungeon. And Id specifically been preparing myself for the lithid to use my family against . It was my intention to avoid them until the matter was resolved, leaving early in the morning with Sae. So, it made far more sense that Id send her to Kinsleys than invite her here. And as much as I was sure Iris was capable of being disappointed with maybe rightfully soshed never approach it this way. Shed hint at it, or perhaps avoid entirely. Direct conflict was Ellisons style, not hers.
It was possible that a bad title could alter her behavior. But not this drastically. If this was still the earlier days, and Daphne was my only example, perhaps I could have believed that. Yet, the more Users I encountered, the less viable that seed.
Astrid and Astrias title reflected a sibling dependency turned literal. Like them, each of my titles reflected a part of that had existed before the system, good or bad.
It was clear by now that titles werent absolute. They could augnt who you were, exacerbate it, even push you towards extres youd usually never considerBut they couldnt change you entirely.
The final piece was simple. When Id called out to Iris as shed walked away, shed heard . Her back was to , and she still turned when I called. Undoubtedly, it was probably possible for Iris to get her hearing back through so sort of system loophole. Healing, or a boon or reward of so kind. But she would have been so excited, everyone with her contact info would have gotten a celebratory ssage.
All of this led to one, immutable conclusion:
I was already on the fifth floor of the adaptive dungeon.
And the lithid had co to play.
Enraged, I loaded another bolt and stalked across the room to my sisters body. I pointed the crossbow at her forehead. Are you done?
There was no response. Through the peripheral of my vision, I saw people exiting the diner in panic, so of them taking off in cars or on foot, while others crowded around the building in a half-circle.
What if Im wrong?
My resolve began to crumble around the fringes. In the distance, I heard the sound of sirens. I repeated myself once more, my entire body so tight it felt as if I could snap at any mont. Are you fucking done?
Slowly, as if it was a post-mortem spasm, Iris moved. The movents beca less spastic, more guided and intentional. She reached up with one hand and ripped the bolt free, the open wound bleeding freely. Her head rotated slowly until dead eyes stared directly above my head. Her lips parted in a wicked smile. Oh no. Were just getting started.
The world around us fell away, revealing the dungeon beyond.
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