“Then how did you know my echelon? It is no secret that I am above a 6, but I keep the exact figure closely guarded. To have a figure so precise… it is actually 100th of a point higher than I last remembered, but still amazingly accurate nonetheless.”
“The same way I know my echelon is 6.37 which puts me leagues higher than you in raw power. Of course your skill will have a part in closing the gap, but from a numbers standpoint, you could never truly begin to stand against me even at your apex, which you have yet to reach.”
“This is absurd! Your echelon cannot be detected by any means! That is what makes you so mysterious. Neither your affinity nor echelon can be detected. Fredderick would never have made a breakthrough and not told me.”
“My echelon and affinity cannot be detected by any machine. Though technology has come a long way, it is still based on a poor imitation of what inspired it.”
“Speak clearly child, I do not wish to entertain such riddles. I get enough of it from Fredderick.”
“Have you never wondered why I have such an obsession with attunements and manifestations? Or perhaps how I knew Seles was technically not a Demolitionist but something altogether different?”
“You are exceedingly sharp, possibly the greatest mind in existence. You have been training under the father of modern attunement theory…”
“That may be true, but even that alone would not be enough to explain my insight into these things. I have an obsession with these things because I experience them in vivid detail. I possess Affinity Detection.”
“Child, lying truly does not suit you. You are indeed a one of a kind person, but what you are implying would mean you have more than one attunement. You and I both know that is simply not possible. Someone with your knowledge should never attempt a stunt in such poor taste. I understand you wish to go after this supposed ‘twin’ of yours, but this is excessive, even for you.”
Anaar listened quietly as Ixnes continued to debunk his claim. Though she feigned to be not very learned in the realm of Attunement Theory, her confidence bespoke more knowledge than she allowed others to see. He knew she would never have been convinced by words, no matter how perfectly they were crafted. For the first time in his life, he exposed to someone his true nature.
He had never revealed even his Water attunement without having been found out, even if he subconsciously manufactured the situation which outed him. Now placing his palms together, slightly bowing his head, his body shifted into its Aqueous form, a translucent model of himself that gently flowed with a steady rhythm. Because he only had on his suit, the entirety of his body was now water, his hair tie being the only thing on his person still solid, the buoyancy of the form allowing it to stay in place.
“Is this supposed to prove something? We have long since established your true affinity to be Water. The fact you would-”
Ixnes’ words became lodged in her throat as if some force had placed a stopper over her larynx. Before her eyes, the entire right side of Anaar’s body, gently pulsing and translucent, kept a similar shape, but appeared as a roiling mist. When she looked more closely, the mist was more like wind visible to the naked eye. His hair fell loose from the tie as hazy mist buffeted around in a rhythm complimentary to the water.
She had promised centuries before she would never be brought to her knees again by anyone, especially a man, but here in this moment she broke her promise. She collapsed to the floor on her knees, her eyes streaming waterfalls before the wonder which she was beholding. True Quintessences were so exceedingly rare she had only met a few in her lifetime before Anaar, all of them being Earth or Fire Quintessences with the exception of JaMarkus. For her first time witnessing a True Air Quintessence to be in an impossible anomaly such as it blending in pure harmony with Water as one unit, was without a doubt the most exquisite thing she had ever experienced in all her years.
The figure approached her, taking to its knees in front of her and encircling its arms around her. Somehow the two states of matter embracing her, both with their different circuits, was indescribably warm, cool, and refreshing all at once. She shut her eyes to squeeze back the tears, not aware what emotion was calling them forth. When she opened them again, the young man she had come to know was as she remembered, thick mane of loose hair cascading over the both of them, still holding her in his arms.
The moment seemed to last for an eternity, Anaar not letting go of the woman who had never once shown anything but indomitable strength. She found her voice to speak, but only one word came out, weak and barely above a whisper.
“How?”
Responding softly as he leaned his head down on her shoulder, “That is like asking the sun how it shines. We don’t know, it just does.” There is a pause and then he speaks again, this time in a normal voice, “Okay actually we know exactly how the sun shines, it is a flaming ball of gas exponentially larger than the earth, but I figured we were having a moment so I would attempt to wax poetic.”
The two of them could not help bursting out in laughter after such a drastic change in tone. Helping her up from the floor, Anaar noticed whatever makeup Ixnes used, it was severely waterproof, as there was not even a smudge nor a run. He figured it must come with the territory when a Hydrokinetic of her stature. He could tell she was viewing him with new eyes as they scanned him up and down. He presumed he would be the target of a tongue lashing, but her attentions were focused elsewhere.
“Hobb! You knew of this the entire time?”
“Of course. There are few secrets we can keep from one another.”
“Why do I feel as if we keep having this conversation?”
“This is indeed the second time you have asked.”
The time had come for his turn to be chided. Anaar could feel the shift of pressure and was ready for it. “Go on, let me have it.”
“How in the world do you continue to keep such things hidden?! What incredible willpower and discipline it must take to never utilize your abilities to their full potential.”
“If I am being honest, my Air attuned traits tend to be more on the passive side anyway. They are somewhat weaker than my Water attuned abilities though, I do believe that is only because I don’t use them as often though.”
“Such as?”
“You must have seen the speed at which I can move. That is not my limit, but it is one example. The only Air attuned ability I have that could be considered stronger than my Water attuned ones is my Affinity Detection.”
“Why is that?”
“Maybe because it is as part of me as my sight or my regeneration? I could bore you with the details but I’m sure you have better things to do.”
“You mentioned before that this ‘twin’ of yours was your opposite. What does that mean? Are you hiding more attunements from me, ready to spring them when convenient?”
Giving a chuckle, “No, I promise that is the last surprise. I have been directly asked if I was a Fire or Earth Affinity and I did not lie. I do not possess such attunements. This is one reason I am almost positive what Yefferson said was true.”
“Because he is the same as you?”
“Like I said before, he is the same, but also different. Somehow where I am dual attuned with Water and Air traits, he is attuned with Fire and Earth. It is bizarre. If we are truly twins, identical twins, we should have the same genetic code. As such we should have the same attunements. There have been no cases that I know of where an egg split and the attunements of the resulting children were different. This is the very basis of the theory behind attunements being related to genetics in some way.”
“While I am sure this is all very fascinating for you, there is something else far more concerning now that you have given me proof of your capabilities. You mentioned he was stronger than both of us. Just how strong are we dealing with.”
“He honestly dwarfs me in power. You know that at our levels, even thousandths of a point difference equal exponential variances. If I far out class you at only nine hundredths
of a point, he is an absolute monster because his echelon is 6.65.”
In another instance of extremely out of character behavior for her, Ixnes swoons for a moment as if she was about to faint. Though she regained her posture, the look in her eyes reflected what he had been feeling all along: Fear.
“Child, this is not someone you can take lightly, even for you!”
“I know that better than anyone else! Why do you think I can’t have James with me? It is just sending that man to his grave!”
“How exactly do you plan on getting around then?”
“Oh that is easy.” To the side of them a portal opens, a window to be exact, much to Ixnes’s amazement.
“You told me you had never travelled via portal before!”
“I hadn’t, but once I experienced it for the first time, I became a man possessed. I had Ripp- err, Sophia Grimm teach me how.”
“She knew of your Air attunement?!”
“Of course not! I got her to teach me through what I called a professional curiosity, which was still true. Since she knew I worked for Gramps it did not seem out of the ordinary for her at all.”
“Do you mean to tell me you taught yourself a new manifestation?!”
“Pretty much. I am living proof that the theory surrounding True Quintessences and the possible potential to manifest any ability of their attunement has validity.”
“So these times you have been using James’ wormholes-”
“Were of course part of the act. How do you think I got to Haxby in the first place? I don’t have a car.”
“I am without words. Child, your performances are award worthy. It seems I by sheer providence did assign Peter Gilchrist Air attuned mentors.”
“I guess that is true, though he will never know.”
“Do you collect manifestations like someone does coins or stamps?”
“Not even close. I made it sound easy, but it took me three months of trying just to manifest the ability to make windows. I think I just wanted that bad enough. That is the first time I have manually manifested. It isn’t like trying on a coat or something. Not to mention having more abilities is not exactly a good thing.”
“Why not?”
“Because that is so much training to keep them in check, even for me. This is why I rely on some of my abilities much more than others. I am just more comfortable with them.”
“Does this brother of yours bear a similar number of abilities?”
“Strangely no. I was surprised he only has a few manifestations. I could not get a precise read on him, I was too shocked for most of the time, but he for sure is a Demolitionist like me, that is something it seems hard coded into our DNA. He had standard True Quintessence abilities of course. He has Pyrokinesis, yet no Terrakinesis which I thought was strange. Where I regenerate, he is invulnerable. Something is strange about his strength and stamina too. It is unlike I have ever seen before. I can’t be positive, but if I am understanding it correctly, he is long lived like a Water Affinity due to his stamina. I would need to study him more closely to be sure.”
“You make it seem as if that was mediocre.”
“In terms of sheer abilities, I have him beat by a longshot. I can’t speak to his skill, but if it comes down to a fight, I hope my versatility is enough to help me even the playing field.”
“Do you foresee it coming to blows?”
“I hope not. I mean all things point to this guy being my brother. I would like to come to understand one another and be a family. He has already attacked me once, and tried to kill Phavian to get at me though. I need to at least entertain the possibility that I might be required to defend myself.”
“This has developed much more quickly than I could have anticipated. I am postponing the Mid-Year Melee until you return.”
“I don’t think that is necessary. People will wonder why you arbitrarily did so.”
“They may wonder, but they will not question it. That only gives your class more time to prepare. Please tell me you have some sort of plan.”
Opening a portal with a smile, “Of course. It is time my mom and I had a serious talk.”
25
Stepping through the portal into his room, Anaar finds Phavian rummaging through the refrigerator. When he had sent his message earlier, he was not surprised to find Phavian was already in his room. Phavian had the largest appetite out of anyone he had met other than Leo, so Anaar had become convinced their relationship could be in dire straits, but Phavian would do everything in his power to save it just for the access to his kitchen.
Rather than saying anything, he simply passed by to his room, exchanging the clothes he had on for something that felt more natural to him. By the time he had finished dressing himself, Phavian was entering his bedroom, surprised to see him there. When Anaar looked down, noticing the food in his hand, all it took was one barbed look to send him back into the kitchen. Phavian was well aware Anaar did not tolerate eating in the bedroom, but he still did it when he thought he would not get caught.
Collapsing on the bed feeling somewhat exhausted, he was soon joined by Phavian. “When did you sneak in? I didn’t even hear you.”
Without turning his head from peering at the ceiling, “Of course you didn’t, you were too busy eating me out of house and home as usual.”
“You always have a fully stocked fridge! Why let it all go to waste? It isn’t like you are paying for it anyway.”
Sighing, he was about to respond when the doorbell chimed. Never happier to have a visitor, he rushed to it, finding Maggie waiting with a worried look on her face. Though she had become much more of a regular to his room, especially since discovering Harston’s tea collection, the summons she had received was out of the ordinary given Anaar was not one for rushing others or being in precarious situations.
Moving through the room to sit on one of the plush chairs, she did not wait for Anaar to start the conversation, as she had things she wanted to discuss herself. “Have you been following this madness in Haxby? Why Haxby of all places? It all seems so random. What kind of psychopath would do such a thing? I hope you plan to come with me to help with the relief efforts. Your healing could save a lot of lives you know.”
Phavian strolls into room, plopping down directly into Anaar’s lap, only to be immediately pushed out of it to the floor. Looking up at him whilst sticking out his tongue, he takes a seat in the chair next to Maggie. “Fine, I’ll sit next to Maggie instead.”
“He does that too?! Why do boys find that to be cute? Dan does that, and then gives me sad puppy eyes when I whack him over the head!”
Shrugging, “Don’t ask me, I couldn’t tell you what is wrong with them.”
“Hey! Sitting right here!”
Ignoring him completely, Anaar answers Maggie’s questions to the best of his ability. “Yes I have seen what is going on in Haxby, I was there. I should probably be as far away from the relief efforts as I possibly can be, but I’ll get to that in a moment. As for why Haxby, that is why I called both of you here. I’m going to be leaving the school for an undetermined amount of time.”
“When did you have time to go to Haxby and come back? I was just with you.”
“Phavian, I don’t think that is at all important right now! Actually, it could be the least important thing! Did you not just hear what he said? He is leaving! For an undetermined amount of time! Why?!”
“Well it all has to do with Haxby, and to a lesser extent, you Phavian. I know who is responsible for what is going on in Haxby right now.”
“So what, you went to investigate or something? You know we were told to get to our rooms and stay safe. Not go diving into danger…”
“Will you shut up! He clearly has something important to tell us! Is the Headmistress sending you on a mission to find who is responsible?”
“Sighing, dropping his head, “Can we make a rule? No more questions or interruptions right now? We are getting really off track. I have a lot to do in a small amount of time.”<
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“Agreed.” When Phavian does not respond, they both look at him with an annoyed look prompting him to give a thumbs up.
“Good. The man responsible for the destruction of Haxby is named Yefferson. No, I do not know his last name, but I am pretty sure that is at least accurate for his first name. He is beyond dangerous, like he makes me look unpowered. He is the person responsible for attacking Phavian-”
“Motherfucker!” Even though he is being glared at, he continues on. “He left me for fucking dead! I still have nightmares about that shit!”
“There is something else… He is my twin. Identical twin at that.”
Maggie gasps, while Phavian simply vacillates between angry and perplexed. “How can you be so sure?”
“Besides following the trail of destruction only to find a mirror image of myself? He called me ‘little brother.’ I have many reasons to believe that was not by accident nor in jest.”
“Like what?”
“For starters, the very thing that drew me to him in the first place. It wasn’t just the reports of what was happening in Haxby that made me want to check it out. It was as if I could feel it happening. You know how I have told you all my life I have had this… hole, like something was missing? That it felt like I wanted to be reconnected to something I had never even known in the first place? How before coming here I would feel this yearning for something but had no idea what it was? Standing in front of him, it was like my body, no, more than that, my soul was ecstatic we had been brought together, or should I say had a reunion.”
“You have always said you were an only child though. Your mom is like the sweetest person in the world. Why would she abandon your twin, and lie to you all this time?”
“I have no idea Maggie. If you think this is confusing for you, imagine how I feel.”
Apotheosis (Song of Sophangence Book 3) Page 31