(So, that's pretty much all I can tell you for now)
Sarah concluded the topic with her sentences still echoing in the minds of her avid listeners - Sora and Void.
After a brief lapse, Void was the first one to snap out of his reverie and with a question mark floating above his head.
He finally voiced the question that had been plaguing his mind for some time now.
(Aunt, why does it feel like this information is
incomplete?)
This time, even Sora nodded her head in a rare moment of understanding with void.
Upon hearing Void's question, a melodious laughter escaped from Sarah, causing her strands of platinum hair, which were glistening in the moonlight, to cascaded onto the armrest of the chair by the library window.
She replied in amusement.
(My prince, do you still remember the reference of 'Taboos' that you elaborated on and the last phrase you emphasized before I started my lecture?)
Void tilted his head in confusion, while
re-processing his memories of that specific moment. After a second, he seemed to recall the last sentence.
(Do you mean the paragraph about how attempting to process the data frequency of material immersion without an initiation of source could result in death?)
Sarah nodded, while Sora, still sitting on her mom's lap, had her little finger grappled against her pristine teeth in a deadlock - as if trying hard to remember. This looked super cute in the eyes of the only two appreciators.
However, after sensing the prying eyes on her, she gripped her sacred white hair and hid her head in embarrassment.
Reluctantly shifting her focus from her beloved daughter, Sarah nodded once again and further clarified.
(That's right, just like its implication. Even attempting to pry into the intricacies of material immersion and processing that data in your mind without a source could lead to your brain exploding.)
While saying that, Sarah had a devilish smile plastered on her face, which sent a jolt of shivers down Void's spine and left the now-embarrassment-recovered Sora speechless.
[Isn't that what we have been doing until now? ]
Finally, after a brief pause, Void comprehended the meaning behind her devilish smile.
Making him understand the gravity of the predicament.
(Aunt, are you trying to kill us?
You should have explained this a little sooner)
He almost cried out in indignation.
Seeing Void's flustered movements, Sarah had a sparkling brilliance in her oceanic eyes - as if she enjoyed teasing and eliciting pleasure-inducing reactions from him the most.
..... At least until the latter half of his words.
(No, perhaps you intentionally pushed me into this verbal trap so that you could settle a past grudge you might have against my mother on me. But why would you even implicate your own daughter into this mess?) He continued, his tone filled with disbelief.
Watching as her supposed pleasure-inducer made wild assumptions, Sarah panicked. Assuming that maybe the fear of death turned the innocent child into a desperate attempt to reason, she blamed herself for teasing a child with the threat of death without considering the fragile state of a child's mentality. But his subsequent words made her seethe with anger.
(Unless, of course, you're just stupid!)
At the end of the sentence, he added with a sarcastic remark.
Seeing Void changing his expressions faster than a chameleon, Sarah almost felt the urge to strangle him.
[Rascal, aren't you quite the actor? Being able to effortlessly switch between expressions and confining me in my own web of teasing. It seems I might've still underestimated your intelligence a bit.]
She thought, while suppressing her aura that surged like a tidal wave, along with her platinum hair already half-weaving through the air.
Void, who was still smug about outwitting his aunt's rare antics, abruptly rose from his chair and backed away in fright upon glimpsing her palpable aura that was threatening to smother him.
He waved his hand while trying to smooth talk his way out.
(My sweet aunt, aren't you the most apathetic woman in the world? Please try to rein in that anger and forgive this little child's impulsive feedback).
Unfortunately, his overly honest opinion of her character made Sarah even angrier. Her deep blue aura rippled through the window, shrouding the moonlight in obscurity. This caused Void to curse under his breath for the unintended slip-up.
However, in the next instant, Sarah retracted her aura and slumped, burying her platinum hair-filled head in her knees. Sora had long abandoned her lap due to the unbearable vibes emitted by her mom.
After slumping down, she muttered in a barely audible whisper, a tinge of sadness coating her tone.
(Is that so? In my Prince's perspective, am I nothing more than an emotionless woman? Sister, I'm sorry! It seems that without your support, a failure like me couldn't even take care of a child properly.)
Hearing her murmurings, Sora had a shocked expression as if an incomprehensible scenario were unfolding before her. Meanwhile, Void was both surprised and guilt-ridden for causing his aunt to think like that.
(Wait, wait, wait! Please don't be sad, my sweetest aunt. What I meant to say is that you are the most beautiful and benevolent woman in the whole worl... No, no, no, scratch that - the entire universe. Yes, you are the most beautiful and benevolent woman in the entire universe!)
Void hurriedly tried to salvage the escalating situation while not forgetting to rectify his mistake by praising her to the heavens..
Upon hearing him compliment her, Sarah lifted her 'tear-filled?' face. Her oceanic eyes interlocked with his obsidian eyes. For a moment, the entire library held its breath, as if awaiting a supreme judgment. Involuntarily, an audible gulp slid across Void's throat.
But in the next moment, a mischievous grin spread across her supposedly tear-streaked face, as if her earlier sadness had been a fabricated mask she had put on.
(My dear prince, you are still a hundred years too young to defeat this {Noble lady} in a battle of wits,) she cunningly spoke, folding her hands under her ample bosom.
Void's mind went blank for a moment due to the suddenness of her change. The atmosphere halted to a brief stillness. Finally, he cursed under his breath, "{Old vixen}," his expression a mix of resentment and fluster as he gazed at his aunt's smug pose and stomped his tiny foot on the antique marble floor beneath him.
(You should never emphasize a lady's age, regardless of the circumstances. Otherwise...?)
Sarah pointed out the mistakes in his language, once again, not forgetting to took pleasure in his flustered and adorable reactions.
While those two were bickering like kids in an amusement park, Sora watched them in utter speechlessness, with a few question marks hovering over her head. Her mind reeling in confusion.
[What is going on? When did her mom and big brother start arguing like this? And didn't her mom always reprimand her and her onii-chan for engaging in a "sarcastic battle"? Yet here she is, acting all childish, unlike her usual cold and caring nature.]
🔵🔵🔵🔵
After some time, the strange atmosphere subsided and returned to a normal tempo.
At last, Sarah adopted a serious face and began speaking. (Getting back to the point, neither of you need to worry about your brains exploding from data frequency, alright?)
(After all, who do you think this noble lady is? With my strength and the {Rune Enchantment} inscribed into this dimensional pocket created by 'Her' and yours truly, not even the code particles could seep into this private domain of mine,) she further proclaimed arrogantly.
Hearing her proud statement, Void pondered her words for a moment and curiously voiced out.
(Aunt, what power-output & evolutionary stage are you at now?)
(Oh! That...~)
(Why don't we save this question for the future?)
Sarah masked her face in a mysterious veil and skillfully dodged that question like the cunning fox she is.
Noticing her tight-lipped mouth, Void reluctantly let it go. Although he has a vague idea about her strength based on the intensity of her previously unleashed aura and... Let's just say the not-so-bad rumors circulating about her outside the confines of this dimensional pocket - known as {The Everlasting Garden}.
(Now then, enough of this perpetual nonsense. It's already 9:00 PM, and I still haven't prepared dinner for you little ones , my two precious children must have been starving for quite a while now huh!) Sarah stood up from her partially destroyed chair and gently cupped the lovely cheeks of Sora & Void, speaking in the softest tone she could muster.
Afterwards, she began walking towards the entrance of the library to leave. However, at the last moment, she turned her head, causing her glossy platinum hair to cascade down her otherworldly face, painting a breathtaking sight under the silvery-violet moon glow.
(Oh! I forgot to tell you two about the primary reason why I came. This month, both of you might be able to undergo the [Source Formation and Elemental Affinity Assessment] since you both turned 4 years old and are at the right age to test your talents and determine your future path.}
Having that said, Sarah disappeared along the indigo corridor.
Left alone, Sora and Void stood in an awkward silence, lost in their own thoughts.
(Is it finally time?) Void murmured in an enigmatic tone.
Catching the wind of his uncertainty-filled whisper, Sora tugged her sacred hair backwards and sneered sarcastically. (What's with that enigmatic look, onii-chan? Don't tell me you're having second thoughts?)
Without caring in the least about Sora's usual provocation, Void sighed and gazed into the ever-twinkling night sky through the window. His abyssal hair danced, and his obsidian blank pupils reflected the silvery-violet moon of mysticism. 🌀🌀♦♦