He flailed as Milliard pulled him close. “Nah! I think I’ll stay and watch over him! Besides, this gives me a chance to chat it up with my favorite little brother! Am I right?!”
Akri shoved him away. “You are incalculably false. I have no regard for you, so get out now before…”
Milliard slapped his knee as he burst into laughter. “HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! Good one Akri! You almost had me that time!” He faced James. “But for real, I just want to make sure everything goes well with his testing. I can tell from the distress in his Spirit Energy that he's been through a lot recently. I want to be there for him as much as I can.”
Akri discreetly pressed a button underneath the computer console. “I will ensure that the testing goes smoothly. I believe your fiancé has discovered your return and was seeking you for wedding planning activities.”
Milliard facepalmed. “Now I’m definitely gonna take my time! All that stuff is her domain. It’s mind numbing and pointless! There’s no action in that at all!” He pulled Akri close. “But anyway, we don’t get to hang out enough little bro! Tell me, how has your love life been recently? I heard Cara is single…”
Akri got up and walked away as a mirror on the wall shifted to face them. A young woman’s face appeared in the reflection. She spoke in a sweet, gentle tone. “Hello? Milliard? Are you there?”
Milliard waved. “Hey sweet thing! I just got back to the kingdom. I have a few things to finish up and then I’ll…”
“I’m so glad you’re back baby! But we are so behind. There’s so much work to do if we want the wedding done after graduation in a few months…”
“Oh really, well I...”
“Actually, I need you to come back home right now so we can get back to it. It’ll be fun! We can pick the flowers and the cake, and the playlist is super important too…”
“Well, you see. I was injured in battle, and I still need to…”
“YOU'RE GOING TO BE MORE INJURED IF YOU DON’T GET TO THE PALACE RIGHT NOW! I KNOW YOU’RE PROBABLY JUST GOOFING AROUND OR TRAINING! YOU'RE ALREADY SO STRONG THAT NOBODY COULD EVER BEAT YOU, BUT YOU STILL SPEND ALL DAY LIFTING WEIGHTS AND NO TIME WITH ME! GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT OR I’LL…”
Milliard raced out of the room. “COMING MY LOVE!”
Akri smirked as the door slammed behind him. That’s what you get MILLIARD. Soon, everyone will see you for what you really are.
He swiftly typed a sequence on his console and a secondary screen appeared in the glass separating the two rooms. The screen held James’ vitals, and various gauges.
“No specialist ability. But what could one expect from someone as dull as he is.”
A 3D model of James rose from the screen and Akri examined it. Interesting, his calf size appears to be extremely disproportionate to his body. So much so that it could be detrimental to his health…It also appears that his soul is very unstable, almost as if it is waging war against itself… He shrugged. Oh well, I could attempt to remedy this for him but as of now I have absolutely no reason to. I should check one more thing...
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He channeled his Spirit energy into the console and a new display appeared. He typed a password into the panel and a new set of information appeared. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS?! He snickered. Yes, this will suit our plans very nicely.
He typed another sequence, and a large syringe descended from the ceiling. It pierced James in the gut and began extracting a dark, viscous substance. Akri stared in awe. INCREDIBLE! Its potency is off of the charts! This is a class of its own! It completely outclasses brother’s sample, and I was certain his was one of a kind!
The amorphous substance quickly filled the syringe and swirled inside of it.
What is this?
CRASH!
The substance broke free from the syringe and expanded, shattering the glass barrier between the two rooms. A pair of green eyes appeared in the black goo as Akri ducked below the console.
BOOM!
Dark energy spiraled into a tempest as it erupted and destroyed the lab.
Milliard returned to the laboratory. “Phew! Am I glad that’s finally over! I’ll never understand why women care so much about decorations and venues.” He saw that James was not in the examination room. “Uhh, where’s James?”
Akri was slumped in a chair, staring despondently at his empty desk.
Suddenly, a sinister presence struck Milliard’s heart with fear. What the hell? I can’t remember the last time I was afraid. He quickly examined the pristine laboratory. What is this dark aura? It’s even stronger than that Green-Eyed Spirit’s… He glanced at Akri and noticed a bead of sweat falling from his brow. Akri is nearly as strong as I am and he’s completely self-assured. I have never once seen him sweat.
Milliard placed a hand on his blade handle. “Where is James! I won’t ask again!”
Akri couldn’t meet his eye. “James…is…”
Milliard felt the malevolent aura shift inside a door across the room. His senses were on fire and his skin felt like it was being pierced by needles. The brothers trembled as the area was enveloped in an unearthly malice. My life is actually…in danger…. Fear gripped Milliard’s heart. I…I can’t move…
He took a deep breath as he steeled his resolve. If I don’t act now, I…I’m dead! He took up a battle stance and prepared for the fight of his life. If I give my life protecting my kingdom then so be it! I’ll unleash everything I have!
Milliard was enveloped in a blazing crimson energy. “LIGHT CRAFT, ESOTERIC ART…”
“…changing." Akri said.
Time seemed to stop as the bathroom door crept open. Milliard vanished, reappearing with a blade cocked, aimed at James’ neck. In a fraction of a second, Milliard felt the aura dissipate. He sighed in relief as he lowered his blade. He let his momentum carry him and he crashed into James.
“OUCH! What the hell is wrong with you! Get off me! I don’t sway that way, and I don’t like being touched by dudes when I’m naked!” James protested as he pushed Milliard off him.
Milliard wiped the sweat from his brow as the crimson aura vanished. “I’m glad to see that you are alright James.”
“Of course, I am, it was just a routine checkup! Why are you acting like this? We just met!”
Milliard spoke sternly. “I assume all went well with the testing, Akri?”
Akri waved dismissively. “Yes, yes, everything was fine. Other than his nakedness, unruly haircut, and stupidity, he carries no diseases that will be harmful to our people. No specialist abilities to report either.”
James pointed at him. “You had better watch your mouth before I…”
Milliard perked up and clapped James on the back. “Aww don’t be disappointed James! I don’t have any specialist abilities either! We can be boring bros together!”
James glared at him as he picked himself up off the floor. “Specialist? What are you talking…”
“What about the strange phenomenon with his soul that father mentioned?” Milliard asked.
“His soul appears to be unstable but there is nothing that can be done about it at this time. Maybe the principal can weigh in on this when he returns from his pointless expedition.”
Milliard smiled. “Aww, don’t be like that! I’m sure he’ll find something this time!” He faced the doorway. “Alright thanks Akri, you’re the best! Come on James, let’s get you to the hospital so we can be ready once the council finishes!”
“Is anyone going to answer my damn questions?!” James raged. He grabbed a pair of shorts. “Just let me get dressed and we can…”
“THERE’S NO TIME!” Milliard picked him up, threw him over his shoulder and sprinted out of the laboratory.
The moment Milliard’s foot crossed the doorway, a wave of green energy washed over the lab. As it passed over each object, its damaged state was revealed. Akri’s face was swollen and badly bruised. He sat in fury, pain, and dismay, alone in his flaming, demolished laboratory.
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