Archie jumped over the traps Lauren had left for him, springing to his feet as he landed on the floor. He walked into the kitchen with a smile as he realised that there was an open seat at the table. Archie saw his little brother, Patryk, making his breakfast at the other side of the table. Archie sprinted towards him, moving much faster than he had before, grabbing the milk jug and cereal box from his little brother. He also took a bowl from the table and sat in his brother's chair. Patryk let out a noise that could only be described as a sad impression, shocked that his brother was up but also sad that his seat had been taken.
"Aw, your seat got stolen, Patryk!" Jess taunted Patryk, who groaned in anger as he stood beside the table, eating his breakfast with a scowl since he wasn't tall enough to comfortably eat with the bowl on the table. "Come on, Archie, can I have my seat back? You're taller than me!" Patryk tried to reason with Archie, who had a devious smile on. Archie made a shrugging motion as he smiled, causing Patryk to grumble and probably swear under his breath. Alexis floated around above them, their back to the roof as they observed the unfolding situation.
Patryk created a shard of plastic with sharp edges, threatening to throw it at Archie. Archie just taunted Patryk with the finger-pulling taunt known as "The Beckoning Sign". That meant he dared Patryk to try. "Fine, you asked for it!" Patryk shouted as the plastic piece flew threw the air at Archie. However, for him, it seemed slow. It was almost as if time had slowed down. Archie watched the plastic piece move through the air, grabbing it from its position and holding it in his hand. Suddenly, time returned to its original speed, and Patryk stared at him, eyes wide in bewilderment. Archie flicked the plastic back at Patryk, watching it bounce off his forehead before continuing to eat his breakfast.
After he finished eating his breakfast, Archie grabbed his school bag. He didn't remember leaving it in the kitchen, but he couldn't recall most of the day before, so it made sense. Archie didn't stop to wait for Jess to finish since she'd probably take a good ten minutes to eat her breakfast and get her books together. Archie left his house without saying a word, his mother only noticing his disappearance after he closed the door. His father never spoke to him, so it didn't matter what happened to Archie. He'd never pay attention. His mother had tried to tell him, but he refused to believe her.
Alexis floated above his head with a smile. "What do you plan on doing now, Archie?" Alexis asked him as he tried to remember the name of a skill he had unlocked. 'Allied Forces...activate.' Archie said to himself, Alexis suddenly gaining a physical body. They fell to the ground, slapping their body off the ground as they gasped in shock. "Jesus, be careful when you're using that!" Alexis scolded him before they looked around, placing their hand on the wall of his house. "Holy shit...you did it! I can actually interact with the real world!" Alexis yelled happily, only to be quickly shut up by Archie as he put his hand over their mouth. 'Shut up, Alexis! Remember, you appeared in front of my house! Nobody knows you, and if anyone realises that you didn't exist before this moment, there will be questions!' Archie shouted at them, mentally. "Oh, fuck, I forgot. Sorry." Alexis apologised quietly, although that lack of volume could have been because Archie had his hand over their mouth.
'At least you understand.' Archie sighed as he pulled his hand away from their mouth. 'Now, I'm going to head to school. Would you like to be a physical entity or not?' Archie asked Alexis, who looked at him with an expression that told him, "Are you serious, my brother?" and Archie picked up on it. 'Alright, you're staying physical. Hope you're ready to do some walking.' Archie informed them, walking out the gate that led to his house. Alexis followed behind, manifesting a familiar book out of thin air, holding it in their hands. It was the same book Alexis had used to injure Archie in the Night Terror. Archie turned around to look at them, noticing the book. 'Is that the same book you had in the Night Terror?' Archie asked in curiosity as he walked. "Yes, it is. My blood may be a healing elixir in Night Terrors, but my real power comes from this book. My signature ability involves reciting poems and creating effects based on them." Alexis explained as their shadowy body trailed Archie while they walked.
Jess left the house, yelling goodbye to her mother as she closed the door. As she turned to look at the road, she saw a black shadow pass exit her vision. This was strange in and of itself, so Jess decided to activate the focal ability of her system, allowing her to turn into an ethereal entity with increased speed, being nearly undetectable while it was active. She ran to the gate, silently jumping over it as she tried to spy on the dark, shadowy creature.
Jess continued to watch it pass corners, noticing that it was following the same path she took to get to school. As she got closer to the shadowy monster, she realised it was following Archie. Jess didn't know what it was trying to do to him. However, she wouldn't let some unknown entity mess with her brother. Jess sprinted towards Archie, and the monster that would soon be revealed as Alexis, disengaging her system ability while reaching the pair. She slammed her hand into what appeared to be the shadow creature's neck, pinning it to the ground with both hands. "Why the hell are you following Archie?!" She screamed, pushing her hands down towards the concrete.
Archie turned around to see Jess holding Alexis to the ground as if trying to choke them. Archie pushed her off, Alexis coughing slightly. "Jesus Christ, woman! I know you're related to Archie since I just learned his name, but you don't need to get so grabby!" Alexis yelled back, rubbing her throat. 'Tell her that you're a translator for me. Say that you'll help me get across my messages without writing. It's the easiest way to get her to calm down.' Archie told Alexis. "I'm a translator for Archie. He conveys his thoughts to me, and I say them aloud for him. Here, ask Archie a question to prove it." Alexis dared Jess.
"Fine. Archie, when did you obtain this translator?" Jess asked Archie. 'Tell her that it was last night. Same sort of experience with the ring.' Archie instructed Alexis. "Archie says that it was last night. It was the same kind of event he got his ring from." Alexis relayed this to Jess. "Fine. I guess you aren't lying. I'll be keeping my eye on you, though." Jess told Alexis, staring her down as she walked away, only averting her vision once she turned the next corner.
"Your sister is a bit crazy, isn't she?" Alexis summarised, Archie nodding his head in response. 'That's just how my family works. You learn how to deal with it.'