Eden slumped on the bed, breathing heavily. He was sweating heavily, wetting his clothes and bedsheet.
He opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings.
There was a visible change in his perception of the world. It looked like he could see more clearly and further away now.
He could also feel his body lighter and stronger now, and he was sure that his stamina had increased as well.
There was also a change in the system. It was now showing the status screen, his information about the awakening.
But before he could look at it, Aurelia's voice cut in. She was standing in front of him, as she spoke in a worried tone, "Are you feeling okay?"
Before adding more, after a bit of hesitation, "Or, should I call Mom?"
"No," Eden replied with a shake of his head, before looking at her and speaking once more, "I am okay, and I don't want anyone other than you to know that I have awakened."
Aurelia was quite shocked by the fact that his brother only wanted her to know about his earlier Awakening.
Before she hurriedly replied after a second, with a slight smile on her face, about the fact that he only wanted her to know about it, "Okay."
Now, she also knew something about Eden that no one else knew.
Eden was sure that her sister would not tell anyone about his awakening, so he was okay with her knowing, not that there was anything he could do, even if he didn't want to, because who else would have helped him to hide the fact that he had awakened.
The only one to help him was her sister.
It's not that he didn't trust his other family members. He did, it's just that it will be a huge hassle telling them why he wanted to hide the fact that he is an early Awakener, a PRODIGY.
Because it will be only advantageous for him if he announces it.
He could also not just go and say, I don't want to miss my chance of fucking girls.
After a few seconds, Eden spoke again, "Sis, do you have anything that can help me hide that I have Awakened?"
"I have," Aurelia replied, before hesitantly asking the question weighing on her mind, "But why do you want to hide about your awakening?"
"I don't want to be known as a prodigy, sis, I want to remain low, like I am right now."
Eden answered with his bullshit reasoning, but the innocent girl believed him.
That's why people say love can make even the strongest person weak.
Eden didn't plan to stay lowkey. He just wanted to fuck the girls in the Awakening Ceremony. That was his only goal.
Listening to his answer, Amelia nodded before taking out a white bracelet from her storage ring, present on her index finger.
"Here," she said, giving him the bracelet before adding, "It will help you hide about your awakening from other awakeners.
"But it's still not strong enough to hide your Essence from the Essence Orb present during the Awakening Ceremony."
"Oh," Eden said, a little dejected from knowing that he wouldn't be able to hide himself during the Ceremony.
'Then, there's no need for hiding my Awakening.' He thought, looking at the white bracelet in his hand.
"Don't worry, I will try to ask my master for a stronger artifact that can help you hide yourself during the ceremony," Aurelia spoke up, looking at her brother's dejected face.
"Won't she ask why you need the artifact?"
"She will," Aurelia replied, her voice tinged with helplessness.
"Well, if there's a chance, why not give it a try?"
"Sorry, I-" Before Aurelia could even complete her words, Eden spoke up, cutting her off.
"You don't have to be sorry, sis. It's not like you are at fault."
Before he sat up and took her hands in his and spoke again, "Instead, I am thankful to you that you are doing this much already."
"But-"
"Leave it, sis," Eden said gently, before pulling on his sweat-soaked shirt, as he added, "First, I should take care of this."
"I can help," Aurelia spoke up, conjuring water around her hands.
"Okay," Seeing this, Eden replied after a few seconds, looking at the water around her hands.
Listening to Eden's reply, Aurelia moved the water around her hands, soaking him and the bed sheet.
Then, she increased the temperature around him, drying him up, as she shook the water from his body and bedsheet, throwing it into a black maw that opened suddenly near her.
Eden was quite amazed seeing her controlling so many elements, but he was not shocked by the fact that she had so many elements.
Eden already knew this from the memory of the previous Eden, that she had 6 elements. Yes, 6 elements. And she had only told previous Eden about it, other than him and her master, the whole world thinks she has only 3 elements, their parents too.
This was also one of the reasons the previous Eden distanced himself from her. He was jealous of her.
'If this world were a novel, I am 100 percent sure, she would have been a female lead.' Eden thought, looking at Aurelia, who was so focused on drying him, as if doing the most important thing in the world.
After a while, Aurelia dried Eden. He felt very refreshed from this cold-heat bath he had taken.
His clothes were also dry, looking clean, but he still wanted to change them.
But that can be done later, because there was something more important to take care of right now, her sister.
When Eden told her that, he only wanted her to know about his earlier Awakening, it was not only because he was telling her not to speak about it to others. It was also to make her feel special.
And that was done, so to seal the deal, he acted out his rest plan, which he had made just a moment ago, without thinking much.
"Thank you, Sis," Eden said to Aurelia, who stood in front of him, as he hugged her, his face buried in her bosom, while his hands tightly clutched around her waist.
Aurelia's whole body stiffened as her heart started to hammer against her chest, feeling the warmth she craved so much.
Eden smiled, listening to her heartbeat, before he leaned his head back, looking at her face, and spoke up, his voice filled with guilt, "I'm sorry, sis, for always hurting you… after everything you've done for me."
Listening to his words, Aurelia came out of her stupor as she looked at his face and spoke up in a soft voice.
"It's not you-"
"Why do you always undermine yourself so much?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know... It's my fault," Eden sighed without replying, before adding, "But... You are making it yours."
"No-"
Eden cut in again, but this time his voice was a little heavy, "If you apologize to me once more."
"I swear, I will not talk to you ever again," He finished, as his hands tightened more around her waist.