"Wow, sis, you're strong!" a voice bellowed, coming from some random corner of a room—its walls resonating with a bright white to illuminate every inch. It was blank, filled only with the quieted murmurs of the boy's heart and breathing.
That, and one other person, situated directly in the middle.
Logan could recognize the room at a single glance. The Spirit Executioner training room that his father would always take him and his sister—a place that he'd likely spent thousands of hours in.
There, the earth seemed to cry out in anguish, reacting to a boundless source of energy. It came from that person—a girl, her power reverberating through the ground to pound entire spiderwebs of cracks all throughout the floor.
Shaking the very earth supporting her, she leapt up into the air, bringing with her an entire stream of energy taken form as a long, ethereal whip of pink. It reacted to her intent, moving unnaturally to accommodate her next move.
He remembered this feeling. How his skin would always crisp at her mere presence; the way his heart would flutter as he watched her dance across the battlefield. The goddess who was said to be on the level of a commodore—a top officer of the spirit executioners—at just the age of 7.
A great beast—a colossal bulk of machinery and bionic parts—that had been standing counter to her position crackled against her attack, trying best to fend it off with both of its mechanical arms, but each part sizzled at the power, bending to its overwhelming heat.
As the two evenly clashed, metal whirred against the mana, drooping lower and lower as it delved deeper into its melting point. Although the girl's attack was blunt, the sheer energy-turned-heat was enough to give her the edge, allowing her whip to easily slice through its two arms like butter and impact against its chest.
Slam!
With a final thud, the beast lodged itself into the walling, leaving behind entire skyscrapers of rubble as evidence of its defeat. Its two arms dropped to its sides, the lightbulbs lodged into its head—a poor attempt at human eyes—losing all light.
Then, like the entire scene that played out was an illusion, the giant thing flagged in the air, flickering between existence and null before, after not too long, dissipating into nothing.
The walls that had been totally ravaged by the girl flickered, drawing its material back to where it'd originally been dislodged from to eventually settle into position, reversing the cracks formed from its destruction.
Like time had reversed.
On the other hand, the girl and boy stood just as material as they'd been prior, the girl in specific dusting herself free of any debris before taking her time to stare at where she'd finished her assail.
Finally, she let out a sigh of relief, lowering her shoulders into a more relaxed position. "Well, brother, we make the best team, don't we?"
"Yeah, Selene. With my technical know-how and your brutish strength, we'll conquer the world."
...
Without warning, the world presented itself to Logan, reminding him that the past is the past. Not having properly adjusted to the ambient light, he rubbed his eyes, feeling the sensation of burning wriggle its way through his retinas.
It took a moment for him to recollect his thoughts, shaking off what he'd just witnessed. "I'm not sure whether or not to call that a dream or a nightmare."
Confirming his location, he sluggishly rolled out of the couch, using its cushions as a crutch to help him to his feet.
'I've never felt this shit after waking up from a dream about Selene,' he thought, making his way to his room, 'though, I suppose it's because the memory is from a time I'm not particularly fond of.'
Although the door had never been closed, Logan could only make out the tiny succubus on his bed once he'd gotten in relatively close proximity, despite his increased perception.
She was snugly rolled into his sheets, snoring like a little house cat. Frankly, he found it cute, although he couldn't help but think that he shouldn't immediately let down his guard around her, especially given her status as a spiritual being.
While not all of them are bad, just them being in the human world without authorization is reason for execution. The entire situation had been weird yesterday, so he didn't think too much on it, but the reality was beginning to strike him.
'Wait, for that matter!'
Half-closing his eyes, Logan envisioned the millions upon millions of modicums floating about between his core and flesh, empowering his form. Yesterday, it'd been completely depleted the moment he made the contract with the succubus and wouldn't respond to his will, but now it may listen to him...!
Then... nothing. Even when he made the most basic command to embolden a single finger, it didn't even flinch at his will. Instead, it just sat there, swimming in his core but doing nothing to accompany his intent.
Growing frustrated at his power now lost, he thought to the injured Selene—the panic that filled his heart. In that moment, he truly felt that his life would lose meaning if she died, so perhaps it's better that he can't use his power while being unable to control it.
"Logan...?" a voice called, coming from the opposite end of the house. It was Selene, hair frizzed from her long sleep. Her eyes were low—cheeks pale. It was clear that she'd only just woken up.
It seems that despite having been healed of her wounds, her body remembered the trauma and took time to recovered anyways.
"I'm off for school," he responded, pointing down at the watch attached to his wrist. Her gaze flipped to the kitchen down the hallway, empty and unused.
"You could've at least woken me up so I could make you your typical lunch. Now I feel bad."
"Don't be. How could I interrupt the princess during her slumber?" With a light chuckle, Logan made his way to where Selene stood, putting his hand forward to tap her on the forehead. "Plus, I'm not feeling as hungry right now as I usually would. Maybe a byproduct of this new body."
"I told you to stop calling me that," she retorted, brushing off his words. Then, when she took another look at Logan, curiosity struck her face. "But that's right, you awakened yesterday... that's weird though, my memory's all jumbled up. I can't remember much past coming to see you."
That was right. A lot went on that Selene would've probably been better off not remembering. Odd as it is, the succubus may have had a hand in things when she saved her.
"There's not much to remember. I awakened, and then you went back to your room. Don't ponder on it for too long, okay?" he said, stepping towards the door. Then, like a violent tendril of electricity jolted his mind, he remembered something important. "Say, do you recall much about what went on in the bathroom?"
Selene tilted her head. "The bathroom...? What about it?"
Greatly, Logan sighed. 'That's a huge relief that she doesn't recall the mishap. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.'
"Nothing—nothing at all. I'll be out then." With one hand wave, he shut the door behind him, finally making his exit.
On the other hand, Selene still stood there, unmoving. "Jerk, asking me that question without considering my feelings."
Lowering her fingers to her crotch, her legs clenched together as she drew her hand down into flesh. Straitening her eyes, she released a breathy whimper before pulling her hand back to her face, the tips of her fingers covered with a clear, thick liquid. "You—the one who I call brother—are the one who made me like this. What am I to do?"