"I know you are searching for your parents."
Feeling threatened by his knowledge of their activity. Sylvester forces Rai against the wall once more.
Bam!
Rai let out a yell in pain, his heart thumping in fear at how quickly Sylvester turned aggressive again.
Watching his right hand disintegrating, he shakes his head, "please, don't do this. I didn't mean it that way."
Sylvester let go of Rai, stumbling back and falling to the floor as severe pain in his head cut off his hold on Rai.
"Brother Sylve!" Lila calls out in worry, rushing towards him with teary eyes.
Rai let out a sigh of relief as the disintegrating effect reverses. 'It's back!'
Opening and closing his right hand, he takes a few steps back, skeptical about reasoning with the siblings.
"Are you going to leave my brother in this state?" Lila mutters, her brows furrowing in displeasure.
'As a matter of fact, it's only sensible I do not provoke you two and be on my way instead.'
Rai had wanted to reply, but witnessing Lila's eyes glow as tears trailed down her eyes, he cleared his throat, careful about how he would reply.
With no record of her speed, he considers any silly move might have him killed by her touch.
'Why is this happening again?'
Sylvester sat crouched, hyperventilating with his hands trembling.
"Your mind and body can't take the pressure of the gradual evolution of your true ability without training," Rai explains with certainty.
'Without proper training, he would have a mental setback every time he subconsciously uses reality warping.'
Lila held onto her brother, pulling on his shirt to have him back to his feet. "Get up, brother Sylve!"
Sylvester shakes his head, whispering to her, "Lila, please let go."
"It's this stranger!" Lila hisses with hostility, pointing at Rai.
Rai masks his nervousness with a smile. "Little one, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I am the victim here."
'If I kill him, brother Sylve will be alright.' Lila thought with a glare at Rai.
With her new thoughts, she lets go of Sylvester's shirt.
Wiping the tears off her face, she begs Rai. "Can you please help my brother?"
Feeling guilty about being the primary reason Sylvester's setback was triggered, he nods his head as he approaches the two.
Grabbing a hold of her left wrist, Sylvester shakes his head. "Don't you dare try that!"
Lila stiffly turns her head to her brother, tears welling up in her eyes. "But..."
"Do you know how hard it was for me to calm you down at the time?!" Sylvester barks at her in rage.
Rai halts in his steps, his eyes bulging at the meaning of those words.
'Was she trying to kill me? I was tricked!'
"Waaaahhhh!!! I don't want you to die and leave me all alone!" Lila let out a wail at his outbursts.
His voice breaks as she sobs at his words. "You don't have to protect me, you shouldn't! I don't want you suffering another setback!"
As she continues sobbing, he pulls her into a hug.
"It's alright, it only goes on for a few minutes. I'll be fine."
Sylvester had deduced the true motive behind her request, he hadn't stopped her from killing Rai, instead, he had done so to save her the trauma that her ability brings once she kills anyone.
Until he could find a way to have the effects of her ability nullified, she was forbidden to use it except on the grounds of severe circumstances.
To him, Rai wasn't close to a severe circumstance nor a threat worth risking her mental stability on.
'The same minutes I should use to escape and return at a more convenient time.' Rai concludes in his thoughts as he slowly walks sideways in hopes of getting out into the open street he was pulled from.
"Leaving so soon?" Sylvester's chilly voice calls out to Rai.
He had gotten to his feet, cradling Lila in his arms.
Stopping midway, Rai let out a low chuckle. "I was actually sent to buy some milk. It has slipped my mind that it needs to be done before I head back."
A cold sweat trails down Rai's forehead at Sylvester's stare.
"Mae, that's the name of the girl that asked for the milk." Sylvester blurts out.
Making a double take on his mind being read, Rai points an accusing finger at Sylvester. "D–Did you just read my mind?!"
"It just happened, but it seems I can choose if I want to listen or not." Sylvester deadpans.
Rai's heart thumped loudly, disturbed at the rate at which Sylvester's mentifery is advancing with little effort.
"Why are the words 'mentifery' and 'reality warping' constantly on repeat in your thoughts?"
Taking a step back, Rai let out a nervous smile. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"
He continues in the same monotonous laughter to cut out any vital thoughts that could come to mind.
Furrowing his brows, Sylvester threatens. "Any more of those heinous sounds and you will be having a taste of your tongue."
Gulp!
"I am sorry we left you two out in the open, it wasn't my intention to allow that!" Rai explains out of the blue.
"I never asked for your opinion." Sylvester flatly replies.
Lila looks over her shoulder and at Rai, sniffling and wiping at her nose, muttering the words, "I'm sorry."
Rai blinks a few times before he could process what had just happened.
Sylvester looks down at Lila, confused by her apology.
Lila shook her head, explaining to Sylvester in a whisper. "I had wanted to kill him, but he had wanted to help you even when we tried to kill him."
"Are you going to do it?" Rai questions, a glint of curiosity flashing across his eyes.
"Why do you care?" Sylvester rolls his eyes, turning around to leave.
"I'm your safest bet at helping you find their current location," Rai responds with a grin, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"I don't need your help. Leave while you still can with your full limbs."
Shaking his head at the warning, Rai affirms his observation. "You might be cruel and cynical but you do so for a noble goal."
"Noble?!" Sylvester let out a laugh in disbelief, "does killing anyone who gets in my way–which might include you once your limit expires, use any means necessary to get my goal realized, noble?"
Speechless, Rai was caught on the message that concerned only him, "you still wish to kill me?"
"I wish to kill a vast majority, but not until I've toyed with them! You're merely alive because you've shown you're not a threat–at least not yet." Sylvester spat in disdain.
'It's like that, huh?' Rai forces a smile, clenching his fists beside him.
"I don't care if you want to kill or toy with me, please just help my teammates and me with one task." Rai clasps his fingers in front of his face in a plea.
Sylvester let out a sigh, shaking his head as he reluctantly asked, "why would I want to help you?"
"It is about the very organization and its secret partners that are on the hunt for awakeners like you, me, and my friends. I'm certain you'd want to get back at them for what they did to you and your sister." Rai replies.
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Author's note
¶ Thank you for reading so far.
¶ Do check out the weekly auxiliary chapter[Bonus chapter task] to know how you can participate.