SYSTEM ASCENSION

He sniffed. ”I missed you. Nria.” Tyler muttered.

A deafening silence followed. The students just strained their necks to watch what was happening, while Tiana was trying to make sense of his words.

”N...ria? I’m sorry...what are you talking about?”

She pulled back and stood up.

”I might look like your sister since everyone said it, but I am not your sister.”

Tyler reached out. ”No, you...”

”That’s enough,” she cut in. ”Go find your sister. I am not your sister.”

”You’re his sister.”

All eyes turned. Elias was the one who spoke.

”Exclude looking like your elder sister, you both share the same soul,” he muttered, staring up at Mona who was down peeping at his face. ”You both are twins.”

Tiana was getting even more confused.

She glanced at Tyler and he nodded.

”Twins?!” The rest chorused.

”Did I just hear right?”

”Tiana is royalty?”

”No one said the crown prince was a twin.”

”They don’t look alike.”

”How did you know,” she glanced at Elias. ”You can’t just accept it because he told you.”

”I never did.” Tyler objected.

”I don’t believe you!”

Elias handed Mona over to Kael and stepped closer to her. He leaned down to her height and pointed to his own eyes.

”Why do you think this pair had a bounty of over a billion?”

She flinched.

Although it was vastly known that the Black-eyed has a bounty starting from a billion upward, reason had always been confidential. Looking now, his dark eyes really do seem like they could stare into her soul.

Her lip quivered. ”So I...”

Her thoughts jumbled up, and the only thing she could do was dash off in a full sprint. Tyler stood up to follow, but Elias just caught him by the collar, raising him off the ground.

”Stay put.”

In the end, only the girls decided to go after her.

The students began to go their various ways, murmuring inaudible words about what they heard.

Tyler also left the hall.

”Right...” Elias turned to Quil. ”Your siblings...”

He forgot their names and faces.

”Cyya and Dan?”

”Yeah. They are here in Salvador.”

”What?”

”Rowen might be leaving soon, so go with him to see them,” Elias began to walk away. ”I kept my fifty percent chance promise.”

Quil remained where he stood, staring at Elias’s back as he disappeared down the corridor, his mind struggling to process what he had just heard.

His siblings were here in Salvador. Elias had indeed visited his family.

For a few seconds, he simply stood there, almost afraid that moving would somehow make the words disappear.

Then his expression slowly changed. A grin spread across his face.

”They’re here...I can still see them...”

He spun around and sprinted toward the office. As soon as he arrived, Owen directed him towards the teleportation gate.

By the time Quil reached the gate, Rowen was already standing before the glowing formation, speaking with one of the attendants. The moment Rowen noticed him running toward them, he raised an eyebrow.

”You’re?”

”Quil.” He replied quickly. ”Elias told me to come to you. My siblings...”

”Dan and Cyya.”

”Yes. Yes. You’re leaving, right?” Quil stopped in front of him, barely managing to catch his breath. ”Take me with you.”

Rowen stared at him for a moment before sighing.

”Let’s go.”

The teleportation formation lit up beneath their feet.

A moment later, the familiar sensation of space twisting around them passed, and the two appeared inside Rowen’s residence in Cagary city.

Quil barely waited for his vision to adjust. ”Where are they?”

”Inside.” Rowen pointed toward the house before them. ”Don’t just trip over your two left legs.”

His face turned red. ”I just...”

Rowen smiled and walked away.

Quil stood for a moment longer. For the first time since arriving, his confidence faltered. His fingers curled slightly at his sides.

He had imagined this moment countless times; he had imagined running toward them, hugging them, hearing them call him brother, but those were memories he had created in his head. The reality was different.

They had been babies when he left and wouldn’t remember him. They must have known him through photographs, but nothing more.

He took a slow breath before finally stepping inside.

Noise hit him like a physical blow.

”That’s mine! Give it back!”

”Pass the jelly...”

”You have to control your energy like...”

”You lost. Hand it over.”

Quil’s eye twitched. ”It’s like a human zoo.”

”That’s offensive.” A voice said behind him.

”Arkk!” He jumped away and turned around.

”Who are you?” Keen adjusted his glasses.

”Yeah, who?!” Rasy yelled.

”I’m... Quil...”

”Nobody cares about your name,” the boy cut him off. ” Why are you here?”

”Dan and Cyya...”

”Upstairs.” Keen bluntly replied, dragging the little girl along.

He watched them go, then released the breath he was subconsciously holding. ”Can children be this scary?”

He went upstairs. It wasn’t hard to locate the children because their names were on their door. He pushed it open.

Two children were sitting together on the large couch, quietly occupied with their own drawing. The moment Quil entered, both of them looked up.

They stared at him and he stared back. Neither side said anything.

His heart pounded harder with every second.

Dan tilted his head.

”Aren’t you Quil?”

Quil’s lips parted.

That one question nearly broke him. He smiled. ”Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

Cyya tilted her head. ”You look different from the pictures.”

Quil let out a small laugh. ”Well... the pictures are old.”

Dan frowned thoughtfully.

”You were really little in them... like us.”

”I was.”

Cyya shifted closer to her brother.

”Are you really our brother?”

Quil’s smile slowly faded into something softer. ”Yeah.”

He walked to them and crouched down so they were closer to the same height.

”I am.”

The children exchanged a glance.

”Elias said you died.” Dan muttered.

”I did.”

”And you’re back?” She leaned forward.

”Yeah. I’m back.”

”Will you come back?” Dan also leaned forward. ”Mother used to cry every night.”

Quil’s chest tightened and he nodded. ”I’m back. I’m not going anywhere.”

Cyya continued watching him suspiciously for another few seconds before slowly reaching out and touching his hair.

Quil blinked.

”...wha...”

She pulled her hand back. ”It’s softer than I thought.”

A quiet laugh escaped him.

”That’s what you wanted to check?”

She nodded seriously.

Dan came down from the couch. He dragged Quil’s hand and pulled him.

”Seat.”

Quil quietly stood up and took a seat.

Cyya handed him a paper and some crayons.

He stared at them. ”What...”

”You’ll draw with me...right?”

”And me too!” Dan chipped in. ”And then, we’ll play tag! Elias played tag with us and we loved it!”

”It was the best tag ever!” She chimed in.

His eyes almost watered. He dragged both of them and pulled them into his embrace.

”We’ll play tag...but first,”

He grinned.

”Let’s write mother a letter.”