"What was that strange energy coming off you last night?"
Alesha looked at him, her face going pale. "S-strange energy?" She stuttered.
"Yeah. It was all white and colorful and kinda looked like fire. It was while you were screaming. Only after it went to me did you stop hurting."
Eyes widening and all remnants of color leaving her cheeks, Alesha gasped as she realized what must have happened. "No," she whispered, "It can't be, no, it went into you?!"
"Yeah, so please, tell me what it was!" His eyes looked desperate for answers.
"Are you, are you okay?" Alesha asked, almost too afraid to do so.
Dennis shook his head. "I'd usually ask Dad about this but since the stuff came from you I thought you might have better answers." With that, he grabbed the base of his long-sleeved shirt, which was a deep forest green in color, and stripped it off.
What Alesha saw underneath knocked the breath out of her.
"Ah, crap," she muttered, horrified. How was she going to explain this?! Was it possible to do so without revealing the System?!
His torso was normal. As gangly as ever, all skin and bones like the twig pre-teen he was. The "normal" descriptor was only applicable if you ignored the scales, though. Starting about 2 inches past his wrist and going up the entire length of his arm, petering out as they reached his shoulders, then starting back up again in full force going down the front of his chest and out of sight underneath his pants, were yellow-green scales with a somewhat iridescent satin sheen.
Alesha's hands covered her mouth as he stood there nervously and asked, "So do you know what this is? And… maybe how to undo it?" Tears were brimming in his eyes. "I don't want to go to the doctor, that's all Mom or Dad would do, and I think they'd just keep me in the hospital."
Alesha snapped out of her horrified state and embraced her younger brother. She didn't know what the hell was happening, but she knew it was her fault somehow (or at least the System's), and that he was terrified. He knew even less than she did about what was happening, and he trusted her enough to ask. In a flood of gratitude, she realized how cataclysmic it could have been had he chosen to go to their parents first instead.
Determined to repay his trust, she squeezed him tighter and cooed calming words at him while she sent a mental note to the System, inquiring as to what was going on.
[This is very interesting, and very unexpected,] the System said, sounding excited. [In order to save your frail human body, I had to expel excess Chaos Energy when it overfilled last night. Your brother came nearby while that was happening and the Energy entered him. Apparently, it has taken root in him and started to change his species!! It's forcibly adapting him to be able to hold it! How incredible! My goodness, I'm so thrilled, this is-]
Interrupting the System's overjoyed rant, Alesha sent her thoughts at it rather aggressively: "You mean you KNEW the Chaos Energy entered my brother and you didn't tell me?!"
[... Well, yes, I suppose you could see it that way. But it didn't kill him right away so I just assumed he was holding it just fine. I mean, aside from you, there are no other recorded examples of what happens when pure Chaos Energy enters a human system. I figured if you, with me inside you, can safely hold up to 10 CE points, then a normal human wouldn't die from holding just one. Especially considering he didn't spontaneously combust as soon as it entered him.]
Alesha stopped herself from making any frustrated noises aloud, since she was still trying to comfort Dennis. He was resisting a little now, but she had one more question to ask the System before letting him go. "System," she implored mentally, "Please, is there any way I can stop what the Chaos Energy is doing to my brother? Preferably also undo it?"
[Yooooooou're soooooo booriiiiiiiiing!] the System whined, drawing out each word. [Fine. I'll tell you, but you have to drink all five Mystery Potions today instead of just one, okay?]
Suspicious of why the number of potions would matter but caring more about her brother's fate, Alesha readily agreed.
[Simply draw the Chaos Energy out of him. It should come as easily as breathing. That will stop him from changing further, and if you're lucky, will undo previous changes as well.]
Dennis tried to pull away from the hug, but Alesha grabbed him tighter. "Just a second longer Dennis, I think I've got it now. Just breathe. You're going to be okay," she told him.
"Alright," he mumbled, sniffling a little.
Alesha breathed in deeply, trying to picture the Chaos Energy inside her brother moving from him to her.
Just like that, as easily as thinking, she perceived the vibrant, untamed force inside her brother as it exerted itself to change him. The energy seemed to awaken to her call and heeded it just as quickly, as if it had detected a more suitable environment.
[+1 Chaos Energy]
Dennis gasped as the jumbled, uncomfortable sensation he'd been experiencing inside suddenly evaporated. His itchy skin soothed instantly, his headache left, his teeth stopped hurting. He stumbled backwards out of the hug, the sheer relief coming as a welcome shock.
"Haha, woah!" He enthused, looking down at his chest and arms, seeing almost all of the scales gone. He had probably a maximum of 10 left in all, at first glance. That was much better than the hundreds he'd had previously. He looked up at his sister and smiled wide, saying, "Thank you!! I don't know what you did but that fixed it. I'm definitely okay with just a few scales. A few scales are cool, too many is just plain scary."
Thinking he was overlooking the seriousness of still having scales, Alesha started to speak. "Wait, Dennis, I-"
"I know, I know, I can't go swimming without a swim top like this. Seriously though. Thanks for stopping that transformation." A thought struck him and he narrowed his eyes. "Actually wait, how did you do that? And why aren't YOU transforming now? Wait, have you already?! And why did the stuff leaving you make me start to turn into a snake?"