Chương 72: Lady In the Fog

The figure was obviously feminine. There was a mouse on their left shoulder, and a cane in their right hand. They wore a well-tailored trench coat with a hood that obscured most of their features but did nothing to hide the mesmerising brown eyes rimmed in glowing violet. Clack, clack, clack. The sound of their cane hitting the asphalt sent resonating waves through the surroundings that seemed to disperse the fog around them. Each footfall was a steady, rhythmic announcement.

A metronome that set the tempo of the unexpected encounter. The person gestured with their free hand and pointed their index finger down. It was a casual, elegant move. Precise, and controlled. The total economy of motion impressive even to a layman. Then with no warning, the group shot forward. The tyres screeched against asphalt as the car that had been barely levitating off the ground was abruptly lowered. In a panic, Kain slammed on the brakes. The grating, stuttering forward motion ended in a jolting halt.

The vehicle skidded almost a metre before stopping uncomfortably close to the being. A moment of silence passed as they all caught their breath. Then, the five of them exited the car. One with a curious smile on his face, while the other four fell into a loose formation. Then the person smiled, and a pressure unlike anything they'd ever experienced hit them dead on. Each of them felt something different. Suppression, strength, a sense of safety, a sense of threat.

The woman pulled back her hood, and Myka's mind went blank. Was that Scarlet? She looked both like the woman he'd once met, yet nothing like her at all. There was a strange lustre to her now, a subtle radiance he couldn't quite explain. She'd been beautiful before, but this wasn't beauty. This was something more, something ephemeral. Looking at her, Myka swore he could see a sparkle effect, and hear the reaction music in the background.

Her smile was deceptively gentle while her piercing gaze remained focused on the group, her eyes missing nothing. Myka grinned. That pressure, that presence, that person. Strong. End of Myka P. O. V. The group stepped out of the car cautiously. Well, all except Myka. He stood to the side until he realised who Scarlet was, then he rushed over. His expressions mirrored the emotions she could feel radiating off him like heatwaves. His aura brimming with gratitude and delight.

When he got close enough, Myka slowed down and stopped about a meter away from her.

"Hey," he said. His voice cracking, though he either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Hello once again." She'd thought meeting him would be nice. In the way meeting a friendly coworker from a different department was nice. Or a client she'd done good business with. This was not that. She was genuinely happy to see him. Happy he was okay. Happy he'd made it out of the meat grinder that medieval fantasy convention had turned into. Happy he'd survived the System's opening salvo. Myka was good in a way few people were. In a way Scarlet knew she definitely wasn't.

He wasn't stupid, or ignorant, or performing decency, and it wasn't that his aura was all pure and gentle. It was just that in the constant human struggle between his baser instincts and his values, goodness won out every time. He was putting out feelings of such unadulterated positivity, she felt the urge to stay close. To bask in the sense of ease she couldn't ever remember having. It was intoxicating. It was dangerous. Then she quenched the feeling.

Smothered it more ruthlessly than she had rage or anger when she was with the Historian. Those kinds of emotions were dangerous in a way she couldn't afford right now.

"Thanks for the invite," he continued, his smile lopsided as he clutched the wand he held in a death grip. It was a familiar wand, and a quick Investigate told her that much like her cane, his convention wand had become a System recognised item.

"That seems to be serving you well?" She asked, and Myka nodded, vigorously. It took slightly more pressure than usual, but she Investigated him. [Name: Myka Rose Osiris Level: 6 Tier: 0 Titles: Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Made Mine Against Prognosis Traits: One's Own Council Stats: Strength: 7 Dexterity: 5 Vitality: 11 Perception: 7 Intelligence: 8 Willpower: 9 Mana: 10 Skills: Identify (T1)] Mana Control (T1) Meditation (T1) Overheal (T2)] By that point, the others had made their way over. Scarlet's attention switched to the familiar face of the blacksmith. She looked stronger, and Investigate told Scarlet she was, though her Stats were not nearly as impressive as Myka's. In fact, none of theirs were.

Kain came close, with higher average Stats across the board, but nothing nearly as outstanding as an 11 in Vitality. She couldn't confirm it, but Scarlet suspected Overheal played a part in boosting that particular Stat.

"Raj." Scarlet stepped forward and shook her hand.

"How lovely to see you alive and well. I'm glad my invitation was conveyed by my brother." She truly meant it, too.

"Wait, that's your sister?" Dan asked.

"Yep," Kain said, his voice tight enough for a trained ear to catch. Dan looked briefly between Scarlet and Kain before finally settling back on the beautiful, terrifying powerhouse currently observing him like he was a particularly adorable farm rabbit she'd decided was too entertaining to cull.

"But she's, you know..." Dan whispered and rubbed at his own more melanated skin.

"Like me, and you're... I mean. You could probably tan, but..." The word pasty seemed harsh for the obviously healthy pallor of Kain's skin, but the bronzy-blond curls and blue eyes definitely didn't add to the resemblance.

"Half-sister," Scarlet said.

"His father was quite promiscuous." Dan realised she'd heard the entire exchange and ducked subtly behind Sombra.

"Nice to meet you." Dan's greeting came out almost an octave higher than normal. Scarlet nodded cordially to the boy, then to Sombra.

"Curious to meet you both," she said before turning to her brother.

"So..." Kain's relaxed body language betrayed nothing of the slight unease thrumming through his aura.

"Should we head up to the house?"

"I'm unsure what you mean," she replied with equal insouciance, though hers wasn't feigned.

"Seriously? Scar–""Don't call me that." Though her expression hadn't changed, the air around them grew heavy.

"Seriously, you're still on about this? It's a nickname–""–that I've asked you not to call me." Scarlet increased the psychic pressure on the man until his aura wavered. Then the weight vanished like it had never been there in the first place, Scarlet dismissing the pressure along with Kain's question. She checked the System Clock. [17: 44]"It isn't too late to head to town," Scarlet said.

"It works out, as I have business there."

"Wait, seriously? You're not going to take us up?" Kain pressed again. The pressure returned. This time Scarlet also took control of the mana around him. His aura flickered and his knees buckled before she eased off.

"What the fuck, Scar–""I explicitly asked you not to call me that."

"How about don't throw a temper tantrum–""I explicitly told you not to meet me at the house. And I explicitly told you–""You don't tell me–""– told you to stay. Off. My. Road. Where, pray tell, was I unclear?"

"The road and the property belonged to our father–""Your father left it to me. It was my inheritance. My only inheritance," she said, her expression the same stoic mask she always wore.

"You asked me to be here. I didn't have to come. You know, Scar–" The side of Scarlet's cane struck Kain's cheek so fast she'd already reset by the time he felt the impact. It took a moment for the pain to hit, but when it did, the burning, throbbing agony pounded through Kain's head. He gasped and clutched his cheek, where a welt was beginning to form. Involuntary tears made his glare too watery to be effective. Then everyone moved. Sombra dropped into a defensive stance.

Dan raised Skillit, charging forwards with full knowledge of just how ineffectual he would be. Even Raj backed up a bit, clustering closer to the group.

"Dan," Kain said. He caught the boy's shoulder with the hand not cradling his face, effectively halting the suicidal charge. Then he turned back to his sister.

"Really? Resorting to violence when you can't win with words."

"Perhaps I inherited more than just the house after all" she said, moderately satisfied when Kain flinched at the words. He knew as well as she did that the home and brother he'd loved had been a living nightmare for Scarlet on the weekends their father had custody.

"Besides," Scarlet continued, "force is often effective when reason fails, and I did ask you not to call me that." Taking a deep breath and massaging his jaw, Kain spoke.

"What do you want us to do? Where are we supposed to stay?" His voice was noticeably colder. Scarlet paused, genuinely baffled. As far as her senses were aware, he was being sincere.

"Has something happened to the estate? I see you retrieved the truck, so you must have landed at the airfield. The one you inherited, along with the garage, all the vehicles, and that ridiculously large manor house." Everyone's gaze turned towards Kain, defensive posturing forgotten.

"You can't expect us to stay there. The place hasn't been cleaned or stocked in months," he said. Scarlet thought about striking the entitled man once more before letting it go. Instead, she turned to the only person who hadn't negatively reacted to the sudden violence.

"Myka, I have a residence where you can stay for now if you'd prefer. You as well, Raj." She turned to Sombra and Dan.

"I can make arrangements for you should you so require." Finally, her gaze returned to her brother.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. Perhaps you can stock up on provisions and cleaning agents on our trip into town." With that, she began moving towards the truck, Myka keeping pace. Conceding, Kain began to walk back with her, the rest of the group following behind. Kain gestured at the truck and spoke quietly.

"We don't have space for you." What a nostalgic phrase, Scarlet's inner voice sneered. Instead of responding, she simply began ascending invisible steps. Once she'd climbed a couple of metres, she sat. The group gaped. Some more openly than others. Ignoring the gawkers, Scarlet beckoned Myka closer and patted the firm telekinetic platform. It was coated in a thin layer of mana that both reinforced the structure and acted as sensory obfuscation for just how powerful her psionics had become.

"Care for a chat?" she invited. Myka immediately leapt aboard, his senses already trying to probe the platform. The rest of the group concluded their gaping and returned to the vehicle before following the levitating platform back towards town.

"Dude, your sister's low-key goated," she heard Dan whisper from inside the car, sparking a discussion among the people who obviously didn't know she could hear them. Scarlet just let them speak as the road carried them towards town.