You're Too Persistent
On our way back to that mysterious building, Shine and I boarded a massive helicopter, only to be immediately plagued by Jin's relentless questioning.
Wrapped in a blanket, Shine kept her eyes closed while holding my hand tightly. A faint grimace flickered across her sleeping face. The shock of today's events seemed to have taken a heavy toll on her.
The aircraft shuddered as it hovered in midair, offering a glimpse of the blue sky outside. Inside the sealed cabin, not a single draft of wind could penetrate. A cozy warmth filled the space, slowly thawing my freezing skin. I patted my slightly flushed cheeks and let out a soft sigh.
"Can't you tell me now?"
Jin's intense gaze was suffocating. I turned my head the other way to avoid his eyes. But Jin refused to give up, walking over to sit right where I had turned. The moment our eyes met, he grinned and waved.
I shot Amy a desperate look, pleading for help. However, her head was already lolling back and forth. She was fast asleep. Seeing how exhausted she looked, I couldn't bring myself to wake her.
As I sat there mumbling, holding Shine's hand tightly under the blanket, Jin's voice drifted over again.
"Please, just tell me!"
At his noisy outburst, both Shine and Amy knit their brows. If Jin kept pestering me, they were bound to wake up. Rubbing my tired eyes, I finally opened my mouth.
"I did it."
"You...?"
I nodded silently. His gaze grew even more intense. The sheer sparkle in his eyes felt almost suffocating.
"Amy told me not to talk to you."
With that, I ducked completely under the blanket. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Jin staring at me with immense disappointment. Ignoring him, I lay down and pulled the blanket over my head. The cozy warmth Shine had generated wrapped around my face.
Our very first outing together had been completely ruined. I gnashed my teeth, thinking of the people from the laboratory. Those bastards who ruined what should have been a happy memory. My emotions began to fluctuate wildly. My melancholy rapidly spiraled into rage. Along with it, a faint spark crackled at the tip of my finger.
Bzzzt!
Startled, I quickly popped my finger into my mouth. I was terrified that the stray current might wake Shine. Sucking on my finger, I let out a sigh of relief as the power quickly subsided.
Ever since I was struck by that lightning bolt from the sky, strange phenomena had taken over my body. I didn't know exactly what it meant. But one thing was certain: right now, I couldn't wield that kind of power again.
Rolling my eyes under the blanket, I recalled the names of the techniques I had created this time.
Jeff Sparise Version 2
Lightning Dance
Aren't they both cute and cool names?
Once Shine and Amy woke up, I wanted to explain what happened and tell them the names of my skills. And to Rain, too, of course. I had heard she needed to be hospitalized, but remembering they said her injuries weren't severe and she'd be discharged soon, I nodded to myself.
Since I had named the techniques, I also needed to name the state I had transformed into earlier. Lucy had an incredibly cool transformation mode too. The one where she was enveloped in starlight and blasted beams at her enemies—she called it Starlight Mode, right? I wondered what would suit me.
If only I could have seen myself through someone else's eyes, I would have a better idea of what I actually looked like. All I could see at the time were my hands enveloped in blue light and my hair floating up toward the sky.
Lightning Emperor? No, that sounded way too old-fashioned. It wasn't pretty either, so that was rejected. I quietly shook my head.
Lightning Mode? That felt too lazy. Lightning Spirit, Lightning God, Godspeed... Terms I had read in books flashed through my mind one after another. The titles of protagonists or major characters from martial arts novels appeared and vanished. They all sounded too old. Outdated names like Descent of the Lightning God or Gale and Thunder didn't suit me at all.
Twitching my small fingers as I stroked Shine's palm, a certain word came to mind.
Origin.
Jeff Origin.
Yes, that was perfect.
After settling on the name, I let out a tiny giggle, only to sigh immediately after. It wasn't like I could enter this Origin state whenever I wanted. I needed lightning from the sky. Or at least an immense amount of electricity comparable to lightning. Once we got back, maybe I should try sticking chopsticks into an outlet when no one was looking.
Wrapped snugly in the blanket, I dozed off, and before I knew it, we had arrived at our destination. I climbed out of the helicopter alongside a newly awakened Amy. The sun was halfway down, casting a dazzling sunset across the sky.
"Jeff."
"Yes?"
As I stood there blankly staring at the sky, Amy called my name. I turned around to look at her.
"I'm sorry."
She apologized to me. Her face was filled with such deep remorse that it looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
I shifted my gaze to Shine, who was holding my hand. Our eyes met in silence. Without a word, she let go of my hand. I immediately ran into Amy's arms and hugged her. Burying my face against her firm abs, I asked, "Why are you sorry?"
"Because I put you in danger..."
I giggled at Amy's words and stepped back. A cold gust of wind ruffled my hair.
"It wasn't dangerous at all."
I spread my arms wide and replied.
"Amy, it was really fun."
At my words, Amy's face crumpled as if she were about to cry. *Wait, that's not what I intended.* Scratching my cheek, I spoke up again.
"I was really happy. It was my first time experiencing anything like that."
I nodded to myself. I had never once been to an amusement park or a theme park in my life. Although I couldn't meet many people, the memories of being with Amy, Shine, and Rain were incredibly enjoyable. And I was happy.
"Jeff..."
"Shine probably thinks so too."
I said, turning back to look at Shine. Standing there blankly, Shine nodded and spoke up.
"I had fun too."
"Shine..."
Tears began to stream down Amy's face at our replies. They flowed silently, yet she was smiling. As I stood there flustered, Amy rushed forward and pulled both Shine and me into a tight embrace. Her muscular arms squeezed my chest so hard it was almost suffocating.
"Now that everything's sorted out, bring the kids up to my room later."
"No."
Jin's voice drifted from behind Amy's back, but she flatly rejected his request.
"How long are you going to keep..."
Right after Jin's sigh, his words were cut off.
"You're too persistent."
Beside me, still wrapped in Amy's embrace, Shine muttered softly.
I strained to turn my head and look at Shine. Perhaps because we had spent so much time together, I could read the emotions in her voice to some extent. She was extremely displeased right now.
I reached out and squeezed Shine's hand tightly. Her fingertips twitched and trembled for a moment before she finally relaxed her grip.
"Well, if you don't want to, I guess there's nothing I can do..."
Jin, who had been nagging, suddenly changed his tune. Sensing something odd, I poked my head out of Amy's embrace to study his face. He was staring up at the sky with a puzzled expression, his arms crossed. He scratched his cheek, shook his head, and then waved his hand through the air.
"I'm heading back, so open the gate."
No sooner had he spoken than a massive vortex materialized in midair. Where was the ability user who controlled this warp? Since I had never once seen them, I rolled my eyes and scanned the entire rooftop.
"I'll head out first."
With those words, Jin stepped into the massive vortex. It was a passage to an unknown destination—an act that would be impossible without absolute trust in the ability user.
"Shall we head back too?"
Amy laughed brightly, scooping both Shine and me up into her arms. Our short legs dangled in the air. From this elevated perspective, the sky looked excessively cold. Not a single cloud in sight. Perhaps we wouldn't be able to see this sky again for a very long time.
As if agreeing with my thoughts, Shine muttered, "The outside world is a dangerous place."
I couldn't help but agree with her.
Amy carrying us both, stepped through the gate. The moment we crossed over completely, the biting wind that had been brushing against my cheeks vanished in an instant. I exhaled the cold air that had filled my lungs. We were back. Back to safety.
Still clutched in Amy's arms, Shine and I were carried straight to the bathroom. Amy filled the massive tub to the brim with warm water and tossed us both inside. As the soothing warmth enveloped my entire body, the exhaustion I had forgotten came rushing back. I let my body go completely limp, melting into the water.
White hair floated on the surface of the water. Beside me sat Shine, her face relaxed in the exact same manner as mine.
"Shine."
"Yeah?"
"Was I cool?"
Shine didn't answer my question for a long time. Just as the cozy warmth was about to lull me to sleep, she finally replied.
"Yeah. You were incredibly cool."
Her voice was unusually quiet and serious. Her gaze was fixed on me. Her eyes were slightly unfocused from the heat, yet the emotion swirling within them was intensely palpable. I looked away, ducking my head. My face was burning hot, but that was definitely just because of the warm bathwater.
Bloop, bloop...
With my face half-submerged, I exhaled deeply, sending tiny bubbles floating to the surface.
After finishing our bath, I was about to dash toward the bed when I noticed a small iron grate installed on the bathroom door. *What is this?* I turned around in confusion, only to see Amy wearing a mischievous grin.
"You won't be able to run away anymore."
I turned back and rattled the grate. It was awkwardly high to jump over. Even when I shook it with all my might, it refused to budge. I looked back at Amy, utterly shocked.
"We need to dry your hair first."
In the end, wrapped in a massive towel, I was dragged out in Amy's arms. I hated drying my hair. It was such a chore, and the dryer was so loud. But my complaints lasted only a moment. As Amy's gentle hands began to stroke my hair, I quickly went limp with comfort.
Once our hair was dry and every drop of water was wiped away, we changed into oversized dinosaur pajamas. Sitting on the bed, Shine let out a massive yawn. The large dinosaur hood covering her head slipped backward with the motion.
After yawning a few more times, Shine collapsed onto the bed with a soft plop. Seeing her closed eyes, it was clear she couldn't fight off the oncoming wave of sleep. I lay down beside her and closed my eyes as well.
"Are you going to sleep?"
"Yes..."
"What about dinner?"
I cracked my eyes open at Amy's question and gave it a thought. But sleep was definitely the priority right now. Pulling my dinosaur hood down low, I mumbled, "I'm too sleepy..."
Amy let out a soft chuckle at my response.
Click.
With a faint sound, the lights went out, and a gentle darkness settled over the room.