章 10: Chapter 9: Anima Awakening Pt 4

Cradled by these celestial hands, pulsed a singularity of absolute darkness, a heart-like thing at the core of this monstrous entity.

There. He was. He was home.

One with the darkness, and the darkness, with him.

…

[At the start of Asher's awakening.]

When Asher touched the Sphere, a wave of coldness washed over him, different from what Aurora experienced.

A soft, golden light bloomed around his body, bathing him in its radiance.

Aurora, Scarlett, and Liora watched expectantly, their faces covered in anticipation.

However, upon an extremely close look, the golden light surrounding Asher wasn't quite right. It seemed...artificial, not visible until looking at it very… very closely, it won't discern without any extremely precious eye skill.

Beneath this golden glow, something black was crawling around his body, from inside to outside.

Deep crimson and purple hues began to blend with each other as they manifested on Asher's body and soul.

Unlike the pure light Aurora received, these particles seemed to struggle against the encroaching darkness.

Slowly, the blackness beneath the surface began to emerge, merging with the golden light and the strange patterns on Asher's body.

When the light finally faded, Asher blinked open his eyes.

He looked down at his hands, surprised to see them covered in a swirling black mass.

This blackness then solidified, forming two sleek, black gloves that wrapped around his hands.

He flexed his fingers slowly, the material cool yet strangely comforting against his skin.

[Status is available]

Suddenly a pitch black screen materialised before him.

'I thought it would be blue…' he shrugged it off. 'I will check the stats later.'

"Ash!" Aurora screamed, worries covering her face, looking at Asher. His dark hair, usually a night-black, now had streaks of a deep purple.

His normally bright amethyst eyes had dimmed, the bright color replaced by a deeper, colder shade.

The warmth and innocence that once surrounded him were gone, replaced by a chilling emptiness.

He stood at the centre, like a fallen star.

Wearing a pair of black gloves with crimson lines, like the faintest hint of bloodstains, snaked around the edges.

He turned towards Aurora, seeing his empty gaze, her world turned upside down.

She felt it wasn't her brother, the warmth that used to reside in his eyes was gone, replaced by a chilling emptiness.

Something must have happened, It wasn't just Aurora. Elysia, Scarlett, and Liora both felt it.

Liora and Scarlett exchanged worried glances. They prayed it wasn't something malicious.

They had witnessed awakenings before, some challenging, but none this... wrong.

'hmm~' Asher turned towards them, the chilling emptiness in his eyes vanished, replaced by the familiar warmth of his smile – the smile they knew and loved.

A collective sigh escaped Scarlett and Liora, their shoulders slumping slightly.

The moment felt more intense, feeling always on the edge than the awakening itself.

But then, they heard a quiet mumble.

"Why... why not a sword?" Aurora tilted her head, her gaze flickering from Asher's face to the black gloves clasped in his hands, the question felt heavy in the air.

She had imagined a sword for him, just like she had.

"But... but everyone else," she utters in disbelief, the words tumbling out, a mix of confusion and a hint of resentment.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

The injustice of it all felt unbearable.

She has awakened Sword-type Anima, her big sister did, and even her mother has it. Then why is he different?

"Hey, Aur," he said softly, "Remember what Mom said? It's random. We can't choose."

"But… but …" Aurora bit her lip.

"There's nothing we can do." He said walking towards her, a gentle smile on his face.

"It's… not fair." Aurora sniffled, nodding in reluctant agreement.

"Yeah, it isn't," he admitted, his voice low, pulling her into a hug. She buried her face in his chest, clinging to him as if afraid to let go.

"But it's the way things are." He held her tight, she was the one feeling his disappointment more acutely.

She cared more about what he didn't get than he did.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Aur. But it won't change anything. Isn't that golden light proof enough?"

"Umm…" she nodded, but Asher felt slightly wetness on his shoulder.

"It's alright," he murmured, stroking her hair.

Aurora didn't let go of him, if her brother didn't worry about it, then she would… It's her role as a twin to be happy when the other is happy and sad when he is sad.

Asher knew Aurora worried more about his Anima than he did himself.

Her tiny arms wrapped around him, a fierce possessiveness in her hold.

Even if Asher didn't outwardly show it, Aurora knew he must be heartbroken. That emptiness In his eyes, aren't they proof of his disappointment?

He wouldn't be Asher, her twin if he didn't secretly yearn for a sword weapon like theirs.

"Let's go home…"

***

[Illustrations (?)]

-Here are the close image I can create for the Animas, and the basic image I wanted to give.

...

[Aurora's Sword Anima]

[Orb of Darkness]

[Collosal Hands]

[The Black gloves]

[Asher changes]

***

I'm looking for some rocks{PS} that can give me the confidence to finally ask out my crush(jk). Because right now, my palms get sweatier than a gym sock in a sauna.

So, please slide some Powerstones...