Jasmine's birthday was tomorrow.
And it was going to be just the three of them.
Jered's fingers curled around the velvety box he paid a whopping 300 dollars for; he sneaked the remaining stash into his mother's wallet. Yes, he was paying more for the brand than the shiny piece of jewelry inside. He was not good at making gifts, or at being thoughtful about someone's happiness. He reasoned a valuable gift was more than enough to stitch a smile on his sister's face for the rest of the year. Maybe it would not. Maybe she wanted something else.
What could he possibly give her that would make her happy?
Well, never mind that. Whatever was bothering her would eventually bubble to the surface. He had to think about Ashy Petals. Its leader was a Royal Magician, and while he was not at the top of the wizardry rankings in terms of power, from the tomes Jered read, the man was not an opponent he could face. Not right now. Probably not even in the next few years. Rainey's quest was a long-term one. Gosh, what a pain in the ass. At least it was going to be entertaining and lively. He needed that.
A knock on the door prompted his hand to shovel the fancy box underneath his pillow, "Yes?"
Jasmine's head peeked out of the wooden frame. She stared at him for a few seconds before shuffling forward and closing the door.
Now, that was unexpected.
He pursed his lips inward, leaning back.
"Sorry to disturb you..."
"Not at all."
She gave him a half-hearted smile, "If I'm not the one who approaches you, you'd never come to talk to me."
His face stayed unchanged.
"I'm sorry if I snapped at you... I-I don't hate you. Don't ever think that."
"It's okay. I was a bit forceful. Your reaction was expected," he slicked his unruly hair back, "I just want what mom wants. For this family to go back to what it used to be."
"Yes, I concur..." Jasmine shimmied on the spot, then sighed, and took a seat on his bed—still maintaining a reliable distance from him, of course. She took a deep breath, smoothed the inexistent creases on her clothes, and looked at him soulfully, "I'm hiding something."
He nodded, completely aware of that.
She was not surprised that he knew, "And you're hiding something too..."
Jered tilted his head, his lips curving into a fascinated smile, "What makes you think that?"
She didn't falter, "Your eyes."
He chuckled, "Are they any different?"
She caught her lips between her teeth, "Yes," another sigh rolled out, "You're hiding something important."
The way he narrowed his eyes, somehow, had a certain effect on her—she, who was his sister. She gritted her teeth, ashamed, and averted her gaze.
"Then, would you like to trade secrets?"
Jasmine gulped, "W-What..."
"Isn't that what siblings do? They trade secrets. Yours for mine."
There was no way she was going to tell him that.
Jered crawled closer to her, and she tensed up, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing..."
"You're not looking at me. Again."
She groaned, bursting into a chuckle shortly after, "Tactical retreat," she said as she got up.
How foolish of her. Jered propped his chin up as he followed her with his gaze. Her hand shook the doorknob, but the door didn't open. It didn't even budge.
"Huh?" she was puzzled. She was sure she hadn't locked it. It was as if a force greater than hers was pulling the door from outside, "Jered... the door... it's not—" she turned around, only to nearly gasp in surprise. Jered's eyes were glistening with an ethereal emerald glow that almost sucked her in.
"I know..." he replied nonchalantly, "I think it's time to mend the bridges. I stand by what I said. No more secrets between us."
"B-But..."
"But what? Is it something so horrible you can't bring yourself to tell me? Come on now, I'm your brother... we used to be best friends."
Used. Her heart quaked with sadness. The way he said it made it seem like he didn't care. Jasmine tucked a chock of hair behind her ear, "It's exactly because you're my brother that I can't tell you."
"You openly revealed to me that you have a secret... that you're hiding something. Why would you do so if you don't have any intentions of telling me?" Jered rolled around on his bed, spreading his arms and legs. He stared at the ceiling, drinking in her silence, "No. You want to tell me. You desperately want to tell someone. But you're scared... you're hoping I figure it out on my own, aren't you?"
Her breathing accelerated.
"Relax... let's not fight again. I hate to see you sad... so I'll do my best to find out what is it that you're hiding..."
"I don't think it's a good idea," her face scrunched up, but her eyes were half expectant.
He steered his head towards her, "Oh, you think I wouldn't be able to handle it?"
"N-Not just you... but mom too... and... and..."
And the rest of the world. But she didn't say that.
Jered nodded in contemplation. He could see her shoulders quivering, her teeth biting her bottom lip, and her eyes watering up, "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm going a bit too far again. You can go now. Tomorrow is your big day, and I have a surprise for you. I hope you'll like it."
She sniffed, curious about the surprise, but the mischievous smile dancing on his face was more than a warning sign. She gripped the doorknob, and twisted it easily. This time there was no supernatural force blocking her escape. She was a bit stumped, stared at him for a few meaningful seconds, and then darted out with a parting wave of her hand, "Nighty!"
He rolled his eyes, propelling into a sitting position. With a swift flick of his wrist, his closet swung open, and three tomes floated out. Compared to the previous ones, these had titles emblazoned across their covers.
'A Guide Towards Mana Mastery'
'The Art of Fire'
'A Record of Magical Creatures'
[Do you want to absorb the content of this tome? Y/N]
[Do you want to absorb the content of this tome? Y/N]
[Do you want to absorb the content of this tome? Y/N]
[Because 'A Record of Magical Creatures' doesn't contain any learnable spell, you can absorb this tome without any side effects.]
Jered ignored the first two screens, and focused on the last one, "Yes."
The hovering tome burst into a shower of flickering lights that seeped into his mouth, nose, and ears. An incredible amount of information ensconced in his head, enriching his knowledge about the supernatural side. Dragons. Phoenixes. Spectral existences. Pharaohs. And even the so-called Guardians. There were tidbits of everything. And while it wasn't fully detailed, at least he had a cursory grasp of what awaited him on the other side. And it was simply amazing.
His eyes glowed for an instant.
The remaining two tomes floated by. He grabbed the thickest one, and began flipping its pages. Due to his acquisition of mana, he could read faster and better. With a genuine smile on his face, he slouched back, and let his mind wander into the teachings engraved in those pages.
----
Thankfully, Jasmine's birthday fell on a Sunday. Jane had the day off, which meant she was in full mom mode. Jered woke up to a slew of messages from Kenny—whom he ignored—and the boisterous cleaning of his mother. He had dedicated a whole night to 'A Guide Towards Mana Mastery', with only half an hour of sleep. It was a complex read, yes, but it was worth it. He was still a few hundred pages short of finishing it, but he reasoned he could get it done within a day.
He tossed the blankets aside, stretched, and sprung up to his feet. A blast of sleepiness made him want to roll back into his blankets, but his mana promptly acted up, rejuvenating him. With a satisfied sigh, he summoned a shirt and slipped into it.
"Jasmine," he heard Jane's exasperated sigh through the running water as soon as he strode downstairs, "Don't you have anything to do instead of being a loaf?"
"Hah, I'm a cute loaf! I'm privileged!"
"Privileged my a—ahem," she coughed, "My derriere," she corrected.
"Hahaha, look at you being so dignified and fancy!"
"Gosh, you're impossible..."
Jered ran a hand across his face, "Why do you two have to be so loud in the morning?"
Jane and Jasmine pointed at each other, "It's her fault!" they chorused.
"..."
He blinked, shrugged, and sat down. He grabbed a loaf of bread, and waved it mockingly in front of Jasmine's pouty face, "This is what you are, a loaf."
"Well, you are..." she scoured the table for anything to use against her brother's ruthless tyranny. She stared at her bowl of cereal, and cackled evilly, "... a spoonful of cereal!" she announced, chomping down on the spoon, and chewing very, very slowly and menacingly. The way her cheeks puffed up made her look like a hamster. Once she swallowed the food, she stuck her small, rosy tongue out at him.
That didn't make any sense, but her weird humor still got him. He shook his head with a chuckle, and Jasmine translated that as her victory. Jane, who was watching the two from her peripheral, rolled her eyes. She knew her children had inherited her eccentricity. Hmph. It was not like she was to blame.
After Jered and Jasmine were done eating, Jane cleared her throat, beckoning at her son with her eyes. He arched an eyebrow, left the table, and approached her.
"I need you to do me a small favor," she started in a begging, almost whiny, tone, "Can you please take Jasmine out for the rest of the day? I told you I wanted to do a surprise party for her, didn't I?"
"But she's already expecting a party. Where's the surprise in that?"
She groaned, "It's not about the surprise!"
"Then what is it about?"
"It's about... the hidden meaning behind the surprise."
"Which is?"
"The surprise..."
"The surprise is the hidden meaning behind the surprise?"
"Jered, please!"
"Fine, fine..."
"Sweet!" Jane wiped her hands with a cloth, then fumbled around her purse before drawing out a set of keys, and a thin stack of money, "You won't believe this, but I found a bit over a thousand dollars in my purse the other day! Someone must have put them there..." her eyes narrowed as she said so, clearly holding a hint of suspicion, "I don't know who did it, and I won't ask why, but we need the money right now... so I'll accept it."
He nodded in agreement, "Yes, whoever put the money there must have done it on purpose, so don't be shy about it. See? Father is still watching over us."
She gave him a sad smile as she handed him the keys and the cash,"Yes, he is..." she leaned down to plant a soft kiss on his cheek, "Anyway, take this money and the car. Since it's your sister's birthday, feel free to squander a bit, but don't go overboard. You know she can't handle money."
"I know she can't, and don't worry. I'll keep her occupied until the decorations are done."
"Yes," she clasped her hands together in excitement, "I should be done by this late afternoon."
"Alright."
Jered sidled up to an unsuspecting Jasmine, and skillfully borrowed her muffin. He had to lure her out first, "Oh no, not today!" since he dared to invoke her divine wrath, Jasmine decided he needed to be punished accordingly, but first, she had to catch him. The chair scraped back as she darted out of the kitchen and ran after him, leaving an amused Jane behind.