Chapter 54：Thoughts

'Based on what Rhachis Ancestor Light said, George is my successor; then, what was Jyorta going about that day when the language teacher lost control? Does that mean Kaushik is the real name of George Eagle and he could notice the hints? But, Jyorta doesn't strike as a perceptive individual. Or maybe, George had slipped up some information to him while trying to take over his soul but failed eventually? What was the actual reason?' The girl thought, sipping her coffee.

She raised her head, looking at the surprised expression on the boy before her, her lips twitching, 'He is a better actor than me. All along, he made Jyorta enact as the strange one while he observed in silence under his shadow, plotting his schemes, spanning years. He is a frightening individual indeed. I shouldn't give him any hints of my existence since even Rhachis Ancestor Light and Rhachis Ancestor Dawn believe all of my subsouls have been annihilated.'

"We should call Jyorta and hang out together, just like old times." The girl, Laila said. "I believe he is struggling to cope up with the changes. As childhood friends, we should help him when in need."

"Sure, I was thinking of doing so myself," George nodded, his expression turning sour for an instant before becoming cheerful.

"Alright," Laila stood up, paying her share of the bill, "It's getting late. My mom ordered me to be back before sunset. You don't need to see me off."

'In order to hide my identity, I haven't inherited any traits of my main soul, same with the other subsoul that has fled into the sea. Now, we are two different entities of the same individual, inheriting the same memories but no longer sharing a connection with one other. But, this way, my journey to the top will be fraught with difficulties.' With a shake of her head, she boarded a metro train, heading towards her home.

…

6:30 PM, the sun was beginning to set. After a healing session from Jyovic Bone that reoriented her limbs to their proper place and aligned her muscle mass accordingly, Heima took a bath, changing into a set of new clothes.

With a bag of sweets in her hand, she entered her house, noticing Jyorta sitting on a couch, gazing at the TV with excitement. The program aired an action movie that focused on an Esper's heroic activities, detailing about a Raid where he played a major role.

Both the Raid and the characters were fictional and had been animated but, their choreography, the dialogues, and the accompanying music still made his blood boil.

"Sister! You're back!" Upon noticing her appearance, Jyorta sprung up, hands spread wide, hugging her. He then sniffed, his nose trailing the aroma that emanated from the sweets.

Seeing his appearance, clothed in her old shirt and pant that were embroidered, Heima let out a chuckle. She gave him the box of sweets, ruffling his hair, "I am feeling tired. I had stopped by our family mansion on the way back and had to do some tasks. If there is nothing important, don't disturb me."

"What about dad? Have you managed to contact him?" Jyorta inquired, his hands unwrapping the package, carefully biting into a piece of sweet. Made from Cashew ground into a paste and boiled until it semi-hardens while adding many other enriching ingredients and finally the copious presence of ghee, the aroma from the sweets made his mouth water.

"He's really busy. I don't even know when he could return. He has a lot to consider and doesn't have the leeway to leave work." Heima replied, closing the door to her room with a thud, her stoic expression crumbling down, the memories and emotional waves finally crashing into her like a torrent.

She kneeled on the floor, tears streaming out of her eyes, the memories of her parents playing in her head in a loop. She closed her mouth, preventing her screams from leaking out, her body trembling. She kneeled, her hands enclosing her legs while her back leaned on the door, silently sobbing.

'First, the incident with Jyorta; the disaster affected both mother and father. Still, they retained hope even when he stayed in a coma over the years. But, things changed when Rhachis Ancestor Space took over my soul, under the orders of Central Command.'

'Even though this was supposed to be kept under wraps, they somehow came to know of my situation which eventually led to their demise. Mother couldn't focus on her battles due to her disturbed mental state and ended up getting killed by a Frenzy Beast when the Wisdom Parasite in her tried to take control. This news shook father to the core, his will to live dissipated.'

'Jyorta, on one hand, was unconscious, showing signs of waking up over the years but hadn't done so until now. On the other was me, under Gajara Rahi's control, behaving erratically with a cold demeanour, acting alien. Unable to tolerate it, he committed suicide while sending off mother's ashes. If only they endured for a week; mom would have found out about Jyorta waking up and such a situation would have never developed.'

'Grandpa is also untrustworthy. He's a splendid actor, filled with a cunning nature. In order to achieve his goals, he wouldn't hesitate to develop the Bone family. At the same time, he also wouldn't hesitate to send it on a path to ruin. Among the family members, only Uncle Hubert is on my side but, considering the current state of things, he lacks the authority to affect the situation.'

Her thoughts spun, painting a clear picture amid her sadness. Everything she experienced over the past five years played in her head, a significant portion of them being the memories inherited from Gajara Rahi, each piece of them being a feat of the legends.

She craned her neck, lifting her head, gazing at the skin on her hands, her pupils enlarging, taking everything into view. She let out a self-deprecating laugh, murmuring, "In the end, I have to become strong enough to hold my fate in my hands. Only when I have control over all variables would I be able to safeguard my family. These old fogies, with their endless schemes…"

She noticed goosebumps appearing on her hands, evident due to her scrutiny, a slight prickling sensation coursed through her body. Her hands parted, revealing a bag of sweets resting on the floor before her, a faint black mist surrounding it, dissipating in the fraction of a second. A sense of exhaustion also stemmed from the depths of her soul, tiring her.

"A parasite survives in the host, using the nutrients in it to develop. As a side effect of its actions, the body gets nurtured—a trait displayed only by the Wisdom and Frenzy Parasites—increasing in its strength, eventually developing a Skill: an amassing of thoughts, memories, genes, physical capabilities, etc. creating a mystical phenomenon that could affect reality."

Thinking back to the line stressed numerous times back in the military academy, Heima laughed, "So, even a Soul Parasite is no exception. I guess the apt term would be…a Psychic Parasite?"

Sitting in the living room, Jyorta extended his hand to the right, feeling it grasp air. Curious, he turned his head, only to find the bag of sweets missing. "Strange, where has it gone?"

He turned around, searching near the couch, beneath a stack of notebooks placed on a glass table nearby and eventually widening his search, covering the entire living room. He then sat in silence, his mind distracted, 'Is Heima standing behind me? Dammit, at this rate, I will suffer a mental breakdown.'

His back was covered with sweat, his face scrunching up into a mild frown. He went to the kitchen and fetched himself a glass of water, downing it to calm his emotions. He then continued to watch TV until he felt bored.

'I should be careful.' The thought hit him as he switched off the TV, heading to his room. He closed the door the moment he entered, switching off the lights, turning the room dark. He closed his eyes, resting his body atop the bed, his soul searching for the presence of other souls in his vicinity.

'The range of my soul's senses is only limited to one metre, but I should be able to detect something amiss even if I can't sense Heima's presence. After all, her body is protected by a barrier and I could previously detect the barrier without trouble.' He controlled his body, settling with his regular sleeping posture.

'Depending on the method of application, I can use my personalities to multitask.' In a matter of seconds, he fell asleep. The moment he fell asleep, Jyorta's persona turned inactive. Since the main persona didn't possess a body in the first place, it could remain active for as long as necessary, requiring neither rest nor sleep.

'Even though Jyorta's ego has been eliminated and his soul broken up into bits and pieces and assimilated into my soul, I have still retained his emotions, personality, and character. The more I continue to develop Jyorta's persona, using it in my daily activities, the more it creates the chances for me to develop a split personality.'

'Also, it takes time to convert him to my persona. But whether it will be optimal for this world's logic or not, I can't say for sure. I don't know whether I would lose the ability to multitask after converting Jyorta's persona but it still is a ticking time bomb. I should resolve it soon.' He sighed, using his past methods to control only certain parts of Jyorta's brain to think.

After thinking for a long time, he decided to go along with this method. He would think on the background and transmit the information to Jyorta's persona, directing his actions, thought processes, and behaviour until both the personas became one.

Heima washed her face with cold water, looking at her reddened eyes in the mirror. Her gaze hardened, filled with resolve to strive for power. She stared at the mirror for an hour, playacting, preparing dialogues, expressions, and behavioural patterns for various situations she would face soon.

Her expression calm, her gaze steady as Heima approached Jyorta's room. With a light knock, she twisted the doorknob, parting the door. Along the way, she noticed the time displayed on the clock, calculating something, her gaze filled with cunningness.