Divulgence (Song of Sophangence Book 2)

by E. I. McAllistair

  “It is a beautiful thing to have an anchor when you want to stay in one place. Just be sure the anchor knows when it needs to pull itself up so that you are free to move.” Gesturing to the people standing around, “This is your party. It would not be fair to others if you stayed here with me all night. We will have time to talk later.”

  Nodding, he leaves Master Shin to continue making his rounds to talk with various people at the party. Phavian seemed to have been locked down by his mother, and there was no escape for him. Anaar thought about wresting him from her grasp, but other than him, and potentially Ixnes or James, she did not know anyone else at the party, so it was acceptable to allow her to monopolize him for the night. He spied Stefani keeping Ripp company, she no doubt thinking of all the things she could be shooting rather than standing around at a party. Even then, she was still present, which was saying a lot. The music was great, which was likely what Stefani was talking to Ripp about, and the food was calling his name. Grabbing some food and mingling, the time seemed to fly by as people began to take their leave.

  Anaar had not realized that because the party was for him, he would have no choice but be the last person to leave. Kissing and hugging his mother goodbye, she was sent back home by James, who also was relieved for the night. In the end, when only he, Ixnes and Phavian remained, Ixnes let him know that most people had brought gifts, and that she would send them to his room in the morning. Thanking her for hosting the event, she made sure to remind him of his real training session the next day. Making their way back to the Ivory Twin, Phavian and Anaar prepare to turn in for the night after a full evening of entertainment. Before they got into the bed, Phavian grabs him by the waist, pulling him close and nuzzling his neck.

  “You ready for your birthday present?”

  “You have already done enough. I also don’t think it qualifies as a birthday present if you get more out of it than I do.”

  Spinning him around, while pushing him backward onto the bed, “Oh really? Is that what you think? You think I’m the one who gets all the benefits?”

  Grinning up at him, “I don’t think it, I know it.”

  Leaning down and kissing him, “If you keep talking all this shit you really won’t get your present.”

  “Fine. Humor me. What grand present do you have for me?”

  Reaching under the bed, Phavian pulls out a long deep rectangular box. When handed to Anaar, he found it was quite heavy. Looking up at Phavian suspiciously, he pulls the bow apart, opening the box. Inside he finds a case, which when he opens it, he finds two of the most beautiful jet black hookswords he has ever seen. Picking them up out of the case, standing up to look at them in the light, he found that despite their color, they still managed to be reflective, as they were so well crafted and polished. They were much heavier than his current swords, and even a bit longer. Even without testing them he could tell just how sharp they were, signifying the utmost quality.

  “I know how much you love your knives, and your tonfas were specially ordered for you, but your swords, which were the things you were drawn to were still so generic. I wanted to get you something that you could call your own, and that you could be proud of. They are made of the same material as your knives, no simple feat for something so big and complex.”

  “Phavian, these must have cost a fortune…”

  “Yeah and thanks to you I have fortunes to spare. I had gone on plenty of missions, but I was pulling down chump change and doing shit jobs in reality. It wasn’t until I started going with you that I started getting paydays out of this world. I think this is the least I can do to say thank you.”

  “They are perfect. I love them.”

  “Make sure to name them something good. That is an important part of having your own personal weapon.”

  “I will.”

  Placing the swords back in the case, he put it in the living room, along with the box. When he returned back to the bedroom, he grabbed Phavian, throwing him onto the bed.

  “I guess I really am going to get some benefits then, aren’t I?”

  Diving into the bed atop him, kissing him deeply. “Oh you have no idea what is coming your way.”

  32

  Focusing intently, Dan takes the stiffened sheet of paper in his hand and runs it underneath the faucet. Much to his dismay, the result was the same. No longer able to feel it, he crumples the withered paper, tossing it into the pile that was beginning to swell in size. He found that a single sheet of paper took about two seconds of full submersion or needed roughly 30% of the paper to be moistened before he lost his connection to it.

  What further boggled his mind was that different types of paper resisted water at different levels. He had recently become aware toilet paper registered within the control of his abilities. For whatever reason it had escaped his notice until one day he found himself on the toilet and he failed to replace the empty roll. Simply wishing he had more toilet paper was enough to jerk the roll from the cabinet and make it float to him. He had thought only notebook paper, or his standard printing paper counted. Toilet paper was harder to work with though. It was more difficult to make into a proper defense, and it seemed even a few drops of water severed his connection to it.

  This spurred Dan to begin experimenting on anything he came into contact he thought might be paper. Because the campus was so advanced, it did not leave very much for him to experiment with, but he did find that paper towels and napkins were within his control, as were heavier gauge paper such as card stock. With each new material he began to see more and more nuance in his abilities. A barrier of card stock was harder to control, but inherently provided more protection once he was able to exert his influence. It was also more difficult to make into shapes, as opposed to something like tissue paper, which was much easier to mold, but took much more effort to make properly rigid and strong.

  With all his experimentation he had been doing, it led to more questions than answers. Anaar had always been an integral part of his growth, not just in his powers, but just as a person. As of late, he had been doing his best to stand on his own, to show Anaar he was serious about his own development and did not require Anaar’s constant guidance. Finally giving in, he reached out to Anaar who invited him to his room to talk.

  Opening the door with his brand new hookswords in hand, Anaar let’s Dan pass by as he admires the new swords.

  Belting out an impressed whistle, “Damn man. When you get them?”

  Holding one of the swords out to Dan who readily takes it, “It was my birthday present from Phavian.”

  “Aww man, don’t let Mags know. She gonna want a weapon for her birthday too! You know how much dat fan cost her?”

  “$11,000.”

  “Ain’t dat shit crazy?!”

  “You’ve seen what she is capable of with that thing, and she is only just getting started. Do you remember when she first got that hammer? The amount of brain injuries when through the roof! Now she can create localized earthquakes and craters. Seems like money well spent to me. It is definitely built to last.”

  “Most women want diamonds, she want weapons. I think I’d be better off wit da diamonds.”

  “Did you not know what you were signing up for?”

  “I reckon I didn’t. These swords though, you know how much he spent on em?”

  “He won’t tell me, but after doing some research myself, they are somewhere in the mid 20’s.”

  Dan found himself faint at the mention of so much money on a weapon. “Here I was thankin’ I was gonna be in da poorhouse using paper when I graduate. Y’all over here already spending money dat can buy me a car, jest on weapons!”

  “Do you not think your sword is going to be expensive?”

  “I was gonna use the one I borrowed till I leave here.”

  “And when you do leave?”

  “I’d have a job to figure dat out.”

  Shrugging as he walked further into his room, “Fair enough. What is all this stuff you have brought w
ith you?”

  “I’m stumped man. I been tryin’ to not bother you so much, and be better at my own shit, but I don’t know what to make of dis.”

  “Is that why you have been so distant? I just figured you and Maggie were spending more time together. Now that I think of it, I haven’t seen less of her, so that wasn’t the best conjecture. I completely respect you wanting to do things on your own, but never forget I’m always ready to help. That’s what friends are for right?”

  “I know, and it ain’t you dats da issue, it’s me. I done got to the point where if I keep makin’ you train me on powers you ain’t even got, I ain’t never gonna learn how to get better on my own.”

  “Cool. I get that. You can make waterproof paper now though. I didn’t help you with that, it was all you.”

  Scratching the back of his neck, “Yea… bout dat shit… I cain’t do it no more. I been tryin’ since, but nothin’. There is somethin’ else though I done figured out.”

  Plopping down in one of his comfy chairs, Anaar looks at Dan with a curious and deeply interested look. “Well that sucks about the water. I know how much you hate that weakness. What did you happen to find out though?”

  “I ain’t never gotta worry ‘bout not being able to wipe my ass no more!”

  Clearly not the answer Anaar was expecting, “Umm… Congratulations?”

  From the bag, a mound of toilet paper snakes its way out, shaping into a spiral around Dan’s body that looked as if it had become rigid. “Dis stuff real easy to work with!”

  With things finally falling into place, Anaar nods his head. “Oh… Because you can control… Got it. Wait, did you not know this before?”

  “Naw! How was I supposed to know?”

  “Well, it is kinda called toilet paper. The explanation is in the name.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me it was so much easier to work with then?!”

  “Dan you have to remember that these are your powers, not mine. I had no idea there was a difference. I suppose it is similar to how Hydrokinetics can control anything with water in it to increasingly diminishing effects depending on their strength. I didn’t realize you could tell the difference. I figured paper was paper.”

  “Naw man! This cain’t take no water, but it’s real light, and fold good.”

  Grabbing various paper products from the bag, Dan continues to explain to Anaar variances in what they can do, and how they feel. He even went as far as being able to give fairly precise measurements of water resistance and strength. When he was finally done going through all the items in the bag, he found Anaar was simply looking at him with a wide smile on his face.

  “What is dat shit eatin’ grin for?”

  “Because you really have grown so much in this past year. Before, you could barely move paper across a flat surface. Now you can sense it acutely enough to tell differences in the way they are made, and that some are better suited for things than others.”

  “So you think it is normal that I can tell da difference?”

  “Why wouldn’t it be? It is no different than being able to perceive that you are wearing orange, or that I’m wearing blue. Maybe you couldn’t tell me exactly which shades, but you can readily tell that they aren’t the same, even though they are both colors.”

  “You always make shit sound real simple when you say it…”

  “Well sounding simple or not, you are really coming along. You probably had something blocking your idea of what paper was, which in turn numbed your senses to other readily available sources. Now do you see why I told you that when you leave here you will have a wealth of resources available to you? Sophangence is just strangely advanced. Not saying you won’t need to carry paper, but you will have a lot more things to spontaneously pull from.”

  “It still ain’t helpin’ make the shit waterproof though. I have been tryin’ for days man, nonstop!”

  “I’ll admit it sucks you haven’t been able to duplicate that feat, especially since water or other types of moisture will be much more readily available than fire. I can’t make you feel differently, but I would be happy just knowing it is possible. There have been times I’ve been playing the violin where I have performed so masterfully that it surprised me. When I tried it again afterward though it simply came out as a screech. We’ve talked about not expecting to master your abilities all at once. It is perfectly fine to have things to work toward.”

  “I know you always be tellin’ me to be patient, but I don’t think you know how good it felt to stand up against my worst enemy. What make me da maddest is I cain’t even begin to remember how it felt. You is always tellin’ me to remember how it feel so I can bring it back, but nothin’ seemed like it was different.”

  “There is no sense in beating yourself up over something you can’t control right now. Instead, I’d be interested to do more experiments regarding these different types of paper and what you can do with them. I know it may not be the most useful right now, as I’m sure people would look at you strange if you tried to assault them with a box of tissues, but at least you can get a better feel. It may have a similar effect to lifting various levels of weights. Maybe you are used to lifting somewhere in the middle, where it isn’t exactly light, but you are also nowhere near maxing out. Getting more practice will let you know just how much you need when and where.”

  Over the next several hours the two experiment with all the paper types Dan has brought, taking note of their resilience, binding, ease of weaponization, and overall malleability. As they worked through their exercises, Anaar found himself quite impressed with Dan’s speed and ability to adapt the paper to his will. Remembering once upon a time they would sit for hours trying to do the simplest of tasks, Dan no longer required as much direct coaching, he simply was not as creative as someone like Maggie.

  When it had gotten reasonably late, Dan and Anaar went to dinner, discussing the progress and discoveries they had made. Now that they were both in relationships, they found there was another topic bursting at the seams to explore and grow closer over. Because Dan had been actively avoiding him in an attempt to become independent, he had missed their conversations, Dan’s antics, and even the moments where his accent became so thick, he had to seriously think about what the boy had said.

  When Anaar had been called to come home, something Dan had come to learn all too well, he said his goodbyes, continuing to finish his meal and think about all the things they had discussed. In thinking about the day’s events, he realized that he might have been a bit overzealous in his expenditure of his goods from his room. Making note of such, he went downstairs to the supermarket to restock on supplies for his room since he had left most of it at Anaar’s place after their day-long experiment session.

  So caught up in his thoughts, he managed to hit the wrong button on the elevator, exiting onto the general goods floor instead of grocery, where the items he was looking for were. Since he had time, he had not received the call that it was time for him to come home, he found no harm in simply walking around to pass the time. He could not remember a time when there was a need to come to this particular floor, namely because he was trying to be moderate with his stipend, and this floor had nothing that was a necessity that he could think of. Maggie had bought him brooms and tools to clean his room, so he never even came to the floor for that.

  Passing into the entertainment section, he was interested to find everything from video games, to recreational sports equipment, to even board games. Something about the board games particularly drew his interest. Though he could not think of a time he had ever played a board game, there was something intriguing about them. Some connection to them simply drew him in. After some time simply reading the descriptions on the boxes, some seeming like they might even be quite fun to have everyone play, he recognized what drew him in so much.

  Though most of the boxes were sealed in plastic wrap, he did come across a box that had been opened. The first thing he recognized was that the box was made of cardboard.
He was not positive, but he was almost certain he could feel some connection to the cardboard. Remembering Anaar’s words, it felt like the cardboard was a weight, but one that was too heavy for him to manage at that time. What he could manage however, was the paper instructions inside of the box. Once it became clear to him they were there, it was as if the whole row of hundreds of games simply lit up with varying resources for him to use. Once he had gotten used to the feeling of something, he could manage to understand it was trapped inside something else he could not feel. He then felt something he could not describe, almost like a thrumming throughout his being, coming from somewhere nearby.

  Walking cautiously, mind and body fully opened trying to seek out the source of the resonance, he stopped multiple times as he got closer and closer, only to find he still was not quite there. Once he came upon the section with various decks of playing cards, he felt as if the packs of cards themselves were pulsing. Picking up a pack that did not have a wrapper, he takes out one of the cards, something just feeling right about it.

  Even though something felt right about them, it also felt slightly distant, as if something was blocking his connection to them. As he rubbed the surface of them, he could feel the waxy, laminated surface, and it did not quite feel the same when he held other paper in his hand. Nevertheless, he was able to float the cards all around him, with only a small amount of additional effort. Curious, he tried binding them together to make a wall, and found they bound easily, and the wall felt sturdier without much additional effort on his part. The cards were indeed thicker than his normal printer paper he used, and the laminated surface, though disruptive, was not enough to prevent his manipulation of them.

  As he played around with the cards more, he found they did not make for the best cutting tools when wrapped through the lamination, however they had a natural flight pattern that made them useful projectiles, and when focusing on the edges of the cards where there was no lamination, they could become wickedly sharp. A thought suddenly occurred to him, but as he was in the store, he did not have the best means to test it. With nothing else available, he placed one of the cards in his mouth, trying his best to coat it in saliva. When he took it out, he was still able to work with it with no problem.