The moment Tae-man's silhouette vanished into the glowing haze of the alleyways, Evelyn leaned over and nudged me hard in the ribs. Her vibrant jade-green eyes were dancing with pure, unadulterated mischief as a massive, teasing grin split her face.
"Well, well, big sister, I guess you're not the terrifying, cold-blooded shadow hunter everyone says you are. Look at you, completely soft for a dorky vanguard boy! You basically let him claim you as his prize right in front of our faces!" Evelyn cooed loudly, her voice dripping with playful malice as the tips of her brown hair flared a bright, mocking green.
"Evelyn, that is a complete distortion of the facts, It was merely a localized cultural exchange. There was no 'softness' involved." I protested quickly, my voice instantly losing its composure as my cheeks flushed a violent, sudden pink all over again. I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, my fangs clicking in flustered irritation.
"Oh, really?" a dangerously low, rough voice growled from behind me.
Before I could even register his movement, Elias stepped into my blind spot. With the agonizing precision of an older brother who had officially reached his absolute limit, he reached out his leather-gloved hand and sharply flicked the sensitive, pulsing cartilage right where my left wing joined my shoulder.
A massive, electric jolt shot straight up my spine. My mismatched jade-green and crimson eyes went wide as saucers, and my wings snapped wide open with a frantic, trembling flutter, scattering a flurry of scarlet sparks into the cool night air.
"Hey! That is a foul!" I gasped, completely defenseless as I rounded on him, my face burning a deep, humiliating shade of red.
"Foul? I'll show you a foul, Weird Eyes, Let's review the tape, shall we? First, you completely ignore my warnings. Then, you let that leather-armor punk put his arm around your waist. Then, you're holding hands right over the dinner table like a couple of school children! And to top it all off, you let him use a greasy potato wedge to completely breach your personal space and kiss you right in front of my face!" Elias barked, crossing his arms over his heavy duster as he stared down at me with a thoroughly furious, highly vindictive glare.
"Big brother, it was just… "
"No excuses! I am the oldest brother, and I am officially logging a massive complaint against your life choices. You're supposed to be a legendary vanguard, not the star of some cheap romance story!" Elias countered, tapping his boot aggressively against the cobblestones.
Realizing my stoic persona was completely shattered and that Elias was fully prepared to keep flicking my wings until his pride was restored, I quickly threw my hands up in total surrender.
"I am sorry! I apologize, Elias! Please, just stop, big brother! I won't let him do the potato challenge again! Just stop!" I stammered, my voice dropping into a desperate, thoroughly embarrassed whisper as I tried to shield my sensitive wings behind my cloak
An absolute explosion of beautiful, melodic laughter shattered the tense street corner.
Elicia was leaning against the stone brick wall of the gatehouse, her silver hair shimmering under the starlight as she clutched her stomach, laughing so hard that tears were pricking the corners of her crimson eyes.
"Oh, goodness! " haven't seen you two bicker like this since we were children in Town Allure! Elias, leave the poor girl alone, her face is going to catch fire if you keep scolding her!"
Evelyn joined in, giggling uncontrollably as she hopped from one foot to the other, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle of the feared Crimson Phantom begging for mercy from her older brother.
Under the glowing night sky of the entertainment district, as Elias finally let out a fond, defeated huff and stopped torturing my wings, the lingering warmth of the evening felt completely sealed. We were chaotic, overprotective, and entirely ridiculous… but as we finally turned together to walk the long path home, I knew I wouldn't trade this loud, messy family for anything in either world.
Elias finally let go of my wing, wiping his leather glove on his duster with a heavy, dramatic sigh as if he had just completed a grueling physical chore.
"Alright, enough games, Let's go home."
With a fluid, practiced motion, Elias extended his hand toward the cobblestones. The ambient shadows beneath the streetlights stretched and swirled together, rising from the ground like thick, liquid ink until they solidified into a massive, majestic shadow horse. Its coat was woven from pure darkness, and its eyes glowed with a soft, eerie jade-green light that matched our own.
Elias deftly swung himself into the very front of the saddle, gripping the shadowy reins.
"The seating arrangement is non-negotiable, I'm at the front. Elicia takes the second spot. Ren, you're third. And Slime Girl, you're bringing up the rear to anchor us. Mount up." he announced, gesturing behind him.
Elicia stared at the incredibly tight spacing on the back of the shadow beast and immediately pinched the bridge of her nose, her elegant principal persona returning with a wave of deep annoyance.
"Elias, this is absolutely ridiculous, The seating space here is entirely too cramped. We are practically fused together! Can you not summon a carriage instead of forcing us into this suffocating arrangement?" she complained, adjusting her silver hair as she reluctantly climbed up behind him.
"A carriage takes too much energy, and besides, this builds sibling unity," Elias muttered back, completely unfazed.
I let out a soft huff and climbed onto the third spot, my long white dress rustling against the smoky, cool flank of the horse. Right behind me, Evelyn scrambled up into the final position, her voluptuous frame pressing snugly against my back as she wrapped her arms tightly around my waist to keep her balance.
Because the seating was so incredibly tight, my massive crimson blood wings were folded back directly in front of Evelyn's chest and face. Finding herself face-to-face with the soft, pulsing cartilage of my wings, Evelyn's eyes lit up with instant, mischievous delight. Without a single second of hesitation, her fingers began to playfully poke, stroke, and trace the edges of my sensitive crimson veins.
A sharp, electric shiver traveled straight up my spine, making my entire face erupt into a bright, burning pink blush all over again under the starlight.
"Hey! Stop it! Don't touch that! If you don't stop messing with my wings by the time we return home, I will personally tie you to a chair and tickle you until you beg for mercy!" I gasped, twisting my head back to shoot her a highly flustered, thoroughly embarrassed glare with my single jade-green eye.
"Oh, matching threats with the vanguard boy's vibes? I'm so scared, big sister! But they're just so soft and warm! It's like a built-in pillow for the ride back!" Evelyn giggled right against my neck, completely ignoring my warning as her fingers continued to playfully slide along the scarlet feathers, making the tips of her brown hair flash a bright, mocking green.
"Evelyn, I am entirely serious… " I protested, my fangs clicking together in utter exasperation as the shadow horse gave a sudden, powerful leap forward, plunging us into the cool night air of the capital lands.
"Hey, you two! Stop squirming back there! This shadow beast is already completely suffocating, and your constant rustling is throwing off the entire balance!" Elicia suddenly barked from her spot in the second row, her sophisticated principal voice cracking with pure exasperation as she threw a sharp glare over her shoulder at Evelyn and me.
As Elicia shifted around to scold us, the incredibly tight space on the saddle compressed even further. Elias froze completely solid at the front, his hands locking onto the smoky reins as his eyes widened in sudden, absolute horror. He could feel the very distinct, undeniable pressure of Elicia's ample chest pressing firmly against the back of his heavy leather duster.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a second! Hey, Grandma! Move your breasts off my back! Seriously, what is wrong with you?! Why do you even have those things packed into this saddle anyway? You're crowding my steering parameters!" Elias yelled, his face turning a comical, bright shade of red as he aggressively leaned as far forward over the horse's neck as humanly possible.
Elicia's crimson eyes practically ignited with a furious, unholy fire. She slammed a heavy fist directly into the middle of Elias's back, her silver hair whipping wildly in the wind.
"What did you just say to me, you ungrateful brat?! How dare you speak to your older sister like that! I am a fully grown, divine woman, Elias! I can't just unequip my body parts because your poorly summoned horse lacks proper seating space!" she roared, her maternal grace completely evaporating into pure, unfiltered rage.
"Ouch! Hey! Quit it! I'm just stating a physical fact! You're crowding the cockpit!" Elias barked, wincing as he tried to dodge her punches while keeping the horse straight.
With the oldest two violently bickering at the front, Evelyn took total advantage of the distraction. She let out a loud, chaotic giggle and aggressively dug both of her hands directly into the softest part of my wings, tickling the sensitive joint with absolute, relentless fury.
"Ahahaha! Big brother's getting beat up, big sister's ticklish, this ride is a total jackpot!" Evelyn shrieked, her voluptuous frame bouncing against my back as her glowing green hair tips flashed like a malfunctioning strobe light.
"Evelyn! Ah… stop! I told you to cease!" I gasped out, my stoic Crimson Phantom mask completely shattering as a violent jolt of laughter escaped my lips. My massive blood wings flapped frantically out of control, smacking Elicia directly in the back of the head and scattering brilliant crimson sparks all over the place.
"Ow! Ren, watch the wings!" Elicia yelled, turning around to swat at us while simultaneously throttling Elias's collar.
"Hey! Stop hitting the driver! Grandma, Weird Eyes, Slime Girl
… ALL OF YOU, STOP!" Elias screamed at the absolute top of his lungs, his face completely flushed with panic as the chaotic chain reaction of siblings threatened to capsize the entire mount.
For a split second, the shadow horse looked like it was going to dissolve from the sheer, unadulterated emotional instability of its passengers. Evelyn was screeching with laughter, I was twisting around trying to protect my wings, Elicia was actively reprimanding everyone, and Elias was desperately clinging to the reins for dear life.
"Silence!" Elias bellowed one last time, channeling a sudden, heavy burst of calming mana that briefly locked our postures in place.
We all instantly ground to a halt, panting softly and staring at each other in a tense, hilariously breathless silence beneath the starlight. My face was a vivid shade of pink, Evelyn was sporting a massive, unrepentant grin, Elicia was smoothing down her silver hair with a heavy huff, and Elias was violently twitching at the front.
With order temporarily restored, the shadow horse let out a low, smoky snort, shook its mane, and finally started forward at a brisk, smooth gallop, carrying our loud, dysfunctional, and beautifully chaotic family off into the capital night.