"You have to keep our bloodline pure. That's your mission in life."
When Sol's dad was on his deathbed, he held Sol against his chest and said this again and again. At that point, Sol was unsure of what his dad meant, but the words stayed with him. He never forgot them.
Today, he was lying on his bed, head buried in the pillow.
He wanted adventure in life. He wanted to do some crazy stuff.
Maybe dive into the oceans on a grand journey to find Atlantis, or search for missing Titanic parts, or go into dark caves to find some treasure known to no man. You know, the crazy stuff.
Instead, he was on his bed worrying about his fucking exams that were about to happen tomorrow. He was going to fucking fail, and his twin sister—that smartass—was not going to stay behind.
Fuck. He should have studied.
Right until exams were due the next day, he didn't so much as bother about the books.
There was still time. I will study a month prior to the exam.
Then, the month turned into.
I'll start studying a week before it.
Then, he had told himself.
I will study the day before it.
Now, he was on the last day, and he had nearly zero interest in studying.
It's not going to be that hard. Fuck. I'll study on my way to school from the bus.
He sat up from his bed and frustratedly squeezed the pillow. No matter if he failed. His ideal life was not a nine-to-five in some corporate job anyway. That was for losers.
He was going to live dangerously.
"Sol, come down; dinner's ready!" a shout came from downstairs, and he stood up and walked down with lingering thoughts in his mind.
This was already irritating him. Failing in something that losers don't fail in didn't seem any good.
Sigh… his only respite now was that he could tease that book nerd of a sister. The fact that she was already immune to his insults didn't make him feel much better.
Reaching outside the kitchen, he frowned at the sight of a pretty girl lying on the couch in a pink hoodie. Her beige glasses were as heavy as ever, and as usual, she had a book in her hand. Her black hair seemed wet, so she was just out of a bath, too.
At the moment, she was munching on a round brown cookie and reading the book with avid interest. She was, of course, his book-nerd sister—Emily Tatsuya.
His eyes twitched at the sight of the book's title.
It was a fucking mathematics theorem studies helper.
"Nerd, what are you doing?" going behind her and snatching the half-eaten cookie, he asked. She growled at him.
"Don't disturb the only one studying, Sol," His mother's harsh voice came from the kitchen. "Or I'll kick your butt."
"You heard her, Sol," she held his wrist. "My cookie."
He took the cookie with his other hand and ate it without mercy. She took deep breaths, then, with a sigh, focused back on her studies and ignored him.
"Mom called. Dinner's ready, apparently," he said.
"I don't want anything. I am studying for an exam that will change my life, whereas someone seems awfully hungry. I wonder why that pig doesn't just go and mind his own business instead of stealing others' food."
"Come, kids, don't let the food cool. Argue later."
Snatching away the book from her hand and throwing it aside, Sol ignored her displeased yelps and struggle and carried her up into a princess carry. She pouted and hissed as he brought her into the kitchen and made her sit beside him around the table.
"Mom…" Emily said in irritation. "Sol doesn't let me study calmly."
Sol twisted her hand under the table but said in a gentle voice, "It's because it's time for dinner."
Emily tried to twist his hand back in anger but he was indeed stronger than her. Feeling pissed, she pinched him.
"That's cheating," he hissed at her.
"Let my hand go, and I'll let yours go."
They both let each other go with irritated frowns on their faces, and soon enough, their mother arrived at the table with a steaming pot with an amazing scent.
Sol looked at her and looked at Emily next.
His mother seemed to have lost her own glasses somewhere because she was wearing Emily's old, uncool, and no-beauty-sense dork glasses. She didn't look cool like she always used to and seemed like another nerd in the house.
Why was his cool CEO mom like this? Tsk tsk.
"Mom, you look like a nerd," Sol said, "We don't need more than one of them in this household."
His mom glared at him, and he smirked. She said, "I lost my glasses. I am coping with hers for now, our glasses are almost the same in power—I will only be a nerd for today. I'll be back to your cool CEO tomorrow."
Emily growled. "Yeah, yeah. Make fun of me whenever you two get the chance. I hate dinners."
The other two smiled.
Soon, plates were set, their mother served the food, and they were eating.
"You don't look bad in those glasses, Emy." Their mother said, "You look pretty. Don't mind your brother. He just can't see you for what you are worth."
"I know." Emy nodded calmly.
Some silent seconds passed.
He asked, "What if I fail in this exam?"
"I knew it," the true nerd chuckled, picking on her food and eating it slowly. Her curious gaze locked on to his. "No wonder you were messing with my studies. I told you I could teach you a month ago; maybe you should have listened."
"Can I learn now?"
"What chapters did your monkey brain already learn?"
"…None."
"Did you listen to the teacher while in the class?"
"…No."
"You will fail."
Sol looked at her seriously. "No way to pass? I know my genius sis would help me."
She squinted. "Cheat."
"There are cameras in the class—I don't know how to hack them, and the hackers on the internet all seem like a sham. I already thought of that."
Emily threw him a weird glance and put a fried fish onto his plate. "Then you can only pray. Or write the failure-people's re-examination three months from now to pass."
Just as he was about to curse her for being useless, something flickered in his sight, and Sol's eyes widened. A blue panel covered his entire sight, and his sister's voice, along with his mother's silent tapping of the spoon against ceramic, all vanished.
[The Divine Bloodline within you has been simulated due to contact with another person with a similar bloodline.]
The skin near his hand had been chapped slightly after Emily pinched it. Emily's own hand had some paper cut; their blood had touched each other. Or it could have also been the cookie that her saliva had stained before he ate it.
[Quest]
[The system is struggling to fuse with you due to the lack of stimulation in your blood. Stimulate your blood by coming in contact with the fluids of another person with a similar bloodline.]
[Time before the system shuts itself out forever: 30 Seconds.]
"Are you listening to me, Sol?" Emily pushed up her glasses. "There are these simple questions you might be able to learn easily. Come to my room. I'll teach you."
Sol took a deep breath and threw a fork to the side. Surprised, both the mother and sister looked towards the fork in amazement. Just as Emily was about to curse, though, she felt his hand cup her cheeks and his lips part her lips before his tongue slithered into her mouth.
Her eyes widened in disbelief for a second before he stopped the kiss, turned around, and ran out of the kitchen. "Thanks for the food. I'll see you in a bit."
"What happened?" Their mother, Hellen, asked.
Sol tensed and paused on his way upstairs.
"Nothing," Emily said.
"Why is your face so red then?"
"Mus… Must be the heat."
"Isn't it cold though?"
Heart pumping with adrenaline, Sol walked upstairs.
[Bloodline has been stimulated.]
[Bloodline matches the requirements.]
[System fusion proceeding.]
.
.
.
[You have become the Host of the Supreme Obsidian Stone. It shall interact with you in a way familiar to you from now on—as an RPG interface.]